Four held with Rs 23 million undeclared money
A team of Department of Revenue Investigation on Friday arrested four persons with more than Rs 23 million undeclared money.
Director General of the Department, Nawaraj Dhungana said that the team arrested Naresh Agrawal and his assistant with that amount.
The team recovered the money while conducting a raid at the house of Agrawal.
The seized amount is speculated to be of illegal 'hundi' transaction.
The Department is preparing to take the date from the court to detain the arrested ones to investigate into the case, according to Director General Dhungana.
Veteran singer Yogesh Vaidya passes away
Veteran singer and litterateur Yogesh Vaidya passed away at the age of 77 on Friday.
Suffering from diabetes for a long time, the popular singer passed away at Kathmandu Valley Hospital in the Capital at 12:30 am today, a family source confirmed.
Singer Vaidya, who had recently undergone a kidney transplant, was also suffering from cold. He had some issues of paralysis as well.
Vaidya has sung more than 600 songs in Nepali and Newari languages.
Born at Nardevi of Kathmandu in 2003 BS, Vaidya's 'Sapana Bhulai Sara', Kati Pyasi Chha Jindagi' and many other songs are popular among audiences at home and abroad.
Vaidya had won the first prize from the National Song Conference, Chhinnalata Song Prize and several other awards during his musical and literary careers.
A family source said that Vaidya's body will be kept at Nepal Academy of Music and Drama in Naxal for tributes and the final rites will be performed at Pashupati Aryaghat today itself.
He is survived by his wife, two daughters and a son.
Ram Temple is set to open
On Jan 22, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi is scheduled to inaugurate the Ram Temple in Ayodhya, the birthplace of Lord Ram. Over 7,500 invited participants are expected to attend the opening ceremony which has drawn international attention. In 2020, Modi laid the foundation stone of the Ram temple at Ayodhya.
Ayodhya’s Vedic ritual began from Jan 17 which included the Pran Pratishtha ceremony which marked a pivotal step in the festivities following the worship of Lord Ganesha. Thursday will witness the commencement of special rituals like Mandap entry puja, vastu puja and Varun Puja. On Jan 19, a Yagya fire pit will be prepared and on January 20, the sanctum Sanctorum of the Ram Mandir will undergo purification with the placement of 81 Kalash with water from various rivers, and on Jan 22, Indian PM Modi will inaugurate the temple.
According to AP, the temple is being built at an estimated cost of $217m, but it is far from complete. The site is filled with roaring bulldozers and busy builders still working on the elaboration of 46 doors—42 of which will have a layer of gold totaling around 100 kilograms—and numerous carvings that will form the final architecture of the temple, AP reports.
The temple, a three-story structure clad in pink sandstone stretches across 2.9 hectares in a 28-hectare complex. According to AP, it will have a 1.3 meter idol of Lord Ram. The temple has been divided into six parts, including the sanctum sanctorum and five pavilions—Gun Mandap, Rang Mandap, Nritya Mandap, Kirtan Mandap, Prathana Mandap.
The opposition Indian Congress has declared that it would skip the inauguration ceremony dubbing it a political project of BJP and RSS. “Religion is a personal matter. But RSS\BJP have long made a political project of the temple in Ayodhya. The inauguration of the incomplete temple by the leaders of the BJP and the RSS has been obviously brought forward for electoral gain,” read a statement from senior party leader Jairam Ramesh.
The Ayodhya Ram Temple is one of important pilgrimage sites and it is significant for Hindus worldwide, including the Hindus in Nepal which constitute more than 80 percent population. Janakpurdham has dispatched bhar special gifts as offerings to Ayodhya; a team has gone there carrying the special offerings for Ayodhya under the Janakpurdham-Ayodhyadam religious procession.
According to RSS, upholding the tradition, Janakpurdham, as the maternal home of Sita, who was married to the then crown prince of Ayodhya sent the offerings. The offerings encompass various types of jewelry, utensils, clothing and sweets, decoratively arranged in specially crafted bamboo baskets. A team of around 300 devotees has left for Aydohya with Gharbasak Bhar or gifts for a housewarming occasion. Two Shila big boulders lifted from the bank of the Kaligandaki River of Nepal were also sent last year.
KMC collects around Rs 5 billion in revenue in six months
The Kathmandu Metropolitan City (KMC) collected around Rs 5 billion in revenue in the first half of the current fiscal year 2023/24.
The collection is higher by around 350 million than that of the corresponding period in the last fiscal year.
KMC Revenue Department Chief Dhruba Kafle said that the highest revenue collection for the KMC was from the house rent tax at over Rs 1.35 billion followed by tax on property at over Rs 670 million.
The swelling in the size of taxpayers is attributed to increase in revenue collection. The KMC has aimed to generate over Rs 10 billion in revenue for the current fiscal year.
KMC has been collecting revenue under 36 different headings including property, home maintenance, business registration, advertisement, entertainment, real estate, VAT and vehicles among others, informed Kafle.
If revenue collection goes at the same pace, the KMC would meet its annual revenue collection target at the end of the fiscal year, he said.
The KMC intensifying the tax collection drive also led to collect the outstanding amount for a long thereby contributing to increase in revenue collection.
