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The Department of Hydrology and Meteorology has urged farmers to postpone the schedule for rice harvesting and ensure the prompt storage of already harvested rice as the duration of monsoon is getting prolonged this year.

Tentatively, the process for monsoon exit commences on October 2 and this year, it still remains active.

Senior meteorologist Barun Poudel said the duration of monsoon is getting prolonged as it is likely to take around one week for its departure.

According to the Meteorological Forecasting Division under the Department, at present the axis of the monsoon trough remains at an average location and Nepal experiences impacts of the low-pressure system based in surroundings of the Bihar and West Bengal states in India.

Cloudy sky is expected for the next few days and rainfall is likely to take place at several places and in this prediction, farmers need to be especially careful for protecting their crops.

This is the rice harvesting season, if there is a plan to cut rice plants, it is advised to postpone it by a week and if already collected, it requires prompt storage.  He urged farmers to wait until monsoon ends to harvest crops.  

Tonight, partly to generally cloudy weather is expected throughout the country. Light to moderate rain with thunder and lightning is likely to occur at some places of Koshi Province, Madesh Province, Bagmati Province and Lumbini Province and at one or two places in the rest of the provinces.

Two years ago, the Department had revised the tentative timeline for an entry and exit of monsoon setting it from June 13 to October 2. Prior to this, this timeline was fixed at June 10- September 23.

The tentative period for the monsoon is revised based on the analysis of each 10 years.

In recent years, the exit of the monsoon is getting delayed.

This year, the monsoon began on June 14 and it spread nationwide after nine days of arrival. It firstly arrived in the eastern part of Koshi, Madhesh and Gandaki Provinces and almost all part of the Bagmati Provinces. When it was in its initial phase, it caused significant losses of lives in eastern Nepal.

A corruption case has been filed against nine persons including Secretary at Ministry of Industry, Commerce and Supply Madhu Kumar Marasini.

The Commission for the Investigation of Abuse of Authority (CIAA) filed the corruption case against nine persons including Marasini at the Special Court today, CIAA spokesperson Bhola Dahal said.

The graft case was filed against the then Secretary at the Ministry of Science and Technology and then Chairman at the National Information Technology Center Sanjay Sharma, the then Executive Director at the National Information Technology Center Pranita Upadhyay, the then Deputy Director at the National Information Technology Centre and the current Managing Director of the Nepal Telecom Sunil Paudel, the then Director at the National Information Technology Centre and current Deputy Director Safal Shrestha, the then head of the Budget and Program Division of the Finance Ministry and current Secretary at the Ministry of Industry, Commerce and Supply Madhu Marasini and the then Assistant Director at the National Information Technology Centre Ramesh Pokharel, the then Accounts Officer duo at the National Information Technology Centre Nim Bahadur Oli and Ram Bahadur Budha and computer engineer at the National Information Technology Centre Ram Sharan Gayak.

The anti-corruption watchdog concluded that they were found to have embezzled Rs 230 million while purchasing the national payment gateway.

A person died of dengue infection at the Rapti Academy of Health Sciences (RAHS), Ghorahi.

The deceased has been identified as 51-year-old Yagya Bahadur Dangi of Ghartigaon, Madi Rural Municipality-2 of Rolpa, RAHS Information Officer Nisan Bhattarai said.

Dangi was brought to RAHS on Sunday evening although problems were seen in his health since some time back.

He died while under treatment this morning, according to Bhattarai.

Dangi was a teacher at Shree Krishna Secondary School, Ghartigaon.

How many times has the government hiked the prices of petroleum products, say, in a year? Well, we the people have lost count of it. This time also, the government hiked fuel prices citing the price list from the Indian Oil Corporation, the sole supplier of petroleum products for Nepal, only to retract the unpopular decision owing to pressure from the Parliament and outside. 

If the government had its way, cooking gas would have become dearer by around Rs 215/cylinder, petrol by Rs 2/liter, diesel and kerosene by Rs 6/liter and air turbine fuel by Rs 8/liter, that too at a time when people have been grappling with economic hardships, thanks to domestic factors like the absence of the rule of law, market regulation, political instability, unbridled corruption and the Russia-Ukraine war that has been wreaking havoc on the global supply chain.  

Against this backdrop, Devendra Gautam of ApEx talked with a number of people from different walks of life to know if steep oil and gas prices are indicative of a petroleum trap that Nepal is finding itself sinking deeper and deeper in, like in quicksand. Here’s what they had to say:  

Pushkar Karki, Spokesperson, NOC

The sole supplier of fossil fuel and cooking gas to Nepal, Indian Oil Corporation, sends the price list of diesel and petrol to NOC every fortnight. It sends the price list of cooking gas, air turbine fuel and kerosene every month. Let me clarify a thing: NOC does not even get a penny from the sale of cooking gas, petrol fetches it a 2.5 percent profit margin whereas diesel and kerosene yield two percent profit.

Any surge in oil and gas price in the international market causes a surge in Nepal as well. In times of an economic slowdown,  such a hike only adds to the public’s woes, especially when major festivals are approaching.

Prabha Dawadi, Homemaker

A price hike hits every sector of life. From the kitchen to children’s education, every aspect suffers. The lack of domestic production is mainly behind rising inflation. The government should focus on increasing the production of food and other essentials within the country to rein in soaring market prices.    

Ratna Sansar Shrestha, Researcher

Frequent hikes in the prices of petroleum products are part of a design to make Nepal completely dependent on a monopoly supplier. India’s decision to not buy hydropower generated from Nepali projects developed with Chinese investment and make Nepal completely reliant on its petroleum supplies does not bode well for Nepal. However, our political leadership does not have the spine to oppose such a sinister design against Nepal. The leaders should mend ways.    

Sagun Sunder Lawoti, Spokesperson, Rastriya Prajatantra Party

The government has failed the country and the people on multiple fronts. It has been unable to deal with challenges both external and internal, it has failed to ensure law and order. 

An elected government is supposed to be accountable to the people, it is supposed to be responsive. But this government lacks vision and is rudderless. This mess is one of the indicators of polity failures. 

As a responsible opposition party, we have been trying to make the government take corrective measures to arrest this slide and will continue to do so in the coming days.  

Binita Gautam, School teacher

A hike in fuel prices causes food prices to shoot up. Such a hike only deepens the existential crisis of the people as no sector is left untouched.    

Ganesh Parajuli, Lawmaker, Rastriya Swatantra Party

A hike in fuel prices only increases the woes of Nepali people. The government should find ways to protect the people from the shocks of fuel price hikes instead of justifying such a hike citing price escalations in the international market. We (RSP) are discussing this issue within the party fold in a bid to work out ways for dealing with it.