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Dirgha Raj Upadhaya’s journalistic journey began in the far-western town of Dhangadhi in the late 1990s. The technological landscape of that time stood in stark contrast to today’s digital world. The text of the newspaper was first composed by hand using individual letters. It would then be engraved into a plate which was used to print. The coffee culture had not yet begun and people would sip tea while reading newspapers. It took three days for newspapers from Kathmandu to reach Dhangadhi. Upadhayay used to go to different places on a bicycle to collect news. 

After preparing his report, he would submit it to the editor who often found the information lacking. Unfazed, Upadhaya used to run multiple times to collect additional information and rewrite the news. After working a year at a local Seti Samachar daily, Upadhaya started reporting for Kathmandu-based Naya Sadak daily. Simultaneously, he contributed to a local newspaper. Two years later, he was promoted to the position of desk editor at Nepal Times daily. In 2001, he joined Rajdhani daily—another Kathmandu-based paper. After a few years, he assumed the role of Sudurpaschim Bureau chief for the daily.

His daily routine involved navigating the streets of Dhangadhi on a bicycle to look for interesting stories. He used to file up to eight news stories daily, wielding his pen with equal prowess across politics, economy, sports, education, and society beats. In an era devoid of computers and laptops, news reports were transmitted via fax machines to Kathmandu. The cost of sending a fax was Rs 20-25 per page in those days. Yashica camera and Kodak films bore witness to arduous journeys of the bygone era when, at times, an entire film had to be sacrificed to get one good photograph.

Then came the era of the Internet. Maya’s Computer first provided Internet service in Dhangadhi using the connection from Nepalgunj. The cost was Rs 15-20 per minute. But the Internet was so slow that it would often take 20 minutes to send a single photograph. A major share of the salary would go to foot Internet bills. But the satisfaction derived from printing the front-page news byline with accompanying photos would have been incomparable. Eventually, digital cameras and computers emerged, followed by laptops and the advent of the offset press.

Meanwhile, the country grappled with extreme conflict as the armed struggle initiated by the Maoists reached its zenith. Maoists infiltrated cities, and even in Dhangadhi, gunfire echoed across the bridge of the District Police Office in broad daylight. Employing guerrilla tactics, the Maoists targeted police and politicians within the market. Upadhaya found himself in the  crossfire while covering the intensity of clashes between Maoists and security forces for his media. He witnessed the attack on the Ward Police Office and the Jaukaku District Jail in Dhangadhi. 

However, his journalistic integrity remained intact despite threats from both sides. He traveled to numerous places, including Pandaun, Khimdi, Chisapani, Lamki Police Station, Bankhet, Shankarpur, and Kanchanpur to cover news stories. He reached Achham following the Maoist attack on Sanfe and the headquarters of Mangalsen in Achham. He also prepared news reports about the wives and children of police personnel killed in the Maoist attack at Banbehda in Kailali. He traveled from Bajura to Rolpa during the insurgency, becoming a firsthand witness to the Maoist armed struggle.

Simultaneously, he served as the Sudurpaschim Bureau chief for Image Television and Communication Corner from Dhangadhi. He contributed articles to publications like Himal, Nepali Times and Nepal showcasing his versatility across various journalistic platforms. Additionally, he assumed the role of a regional editor at Sancharika Group. In the 60s, Upadhyay ventured into the daily newspaper publishing business alongside fellow journalists in Dhangadhi. In the late 2000s, he started his own newspaper named Paschim Today. He is serving as the chairman and chief editor of Sudurpaschim, the only broadsheet daily of the province, a FM radio station with a capacity of 1,000 Watt and PashchimToday.Com online news portal.

From 2013 to 2023, his extensive travels took him to various countries worldwide for reporting and programs. He brought compelling stories from Bangladesh, China and Jordan. As a delegate of the UNMISS mission, he reported on the impacts of conflict on children and delved into the intricacies of ethnic conflict. His reports covered the role played by peacekeeping forces in maintaining stability and scrutinizing Ethiopia’s developmental progress. He traveled to Myanmar to cover its first general election. He has traveled to 20 countries for reporting. In 2022, he participated in a three-week-long IVLP program of the US government which further enriched his understanding of global dynamics and strengthened his commitment to international journalism.

Throughout his journalism career, Upadhaya assumed various roles within the Federation of Nepalese Journalists (FNJ), advocating for freedom of the press and expression. While serving as the president of the Kailali district committee of FNJ, he played an active role to secure the release of Lucky Chaudhary, abducted by the Maoists. Under Upadhaya’s initiative, all newspapers that had shut during the insurgency reopened. He also helped secure the release of journalist Nagendra Upadhyay from military custody. 

Following the disappearance of Jagat Prasad (JP) Joshi, a journalist working for the Maoist mouthpiece Jandisha, Upadhaya urged the police to initiate a search. Those responsible for Joshi’s kidnapping and subsequent disappearance were eventually arrested. Recognizing his work, FNJ bestowed ‘Best President Award’ on him in  2009.

He played a pivotal role in establishing the Rotary Club in Dhangadhi in 2013. After the 2015 earthquakes, he led distribution of relief materials from Dhangadhi to affected districts. He also initiated a water supply project in Godavari Municipality for over 1000 households. During the Covid pandemic, he supported over 30,000 Nepalis arriving from India through the Humanity Foundation. He helped bring PCR machines for government hospitals and distributed hygiene packs to 1,500 women in quarantine.

During the second wave of covid, his team launched a free oxygen campaign and established an oxygen bank for the common people. He also helped raise Rs 1.2m for the treatment of late journalist Karna Bohra’s wife. For him, the true meaning of life lies in the ability to save others.

The Public Account Committee of the House of Representatives has started investigating the decision of the Lumbini Development Trust (LDT) to lease Gautam Buddha’s ossuary mausoleum located in Ramgram of Nawalparasi district, bypassing the public procurement regulations. The committee wrote to the Ministry of Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation (MoCTCA) and LDT on Tuesday “to provide all the documents related to this matter within seven days”.

The committee has specifically sought to know as to why LDT initiated the lease process despite a disagreement in writing on the part of the Ministry of Finance, MoCTCA and the Department of Archeology.

Ignoring the public procurement regulations, LDT has inked a deal with the Moksha Foundation and the Promised Land Pvt Ltd for the excavation and construction of structures, including stupas, within Gautam Buddha’s ossuary mausoleum in Ramgram. It has been revealed that LDT Vice-chair Lharkyal Lama initiated the Rs 7bn project despite objections from various authorities. 

According to the terms of the agreement, the excavation of the ossuary and the construction of the stupa, Buddhist monasteries and other structures representing different countries will take place in Ramgram. 

“To facilitate this, approximately 116 bighas of private land, 75  kathas of land owned by the Trust, and 10 kathas of land owned by the Department of Archaeology will be integrated and leased to the private company,” the agreement states.

Per the agreement, LDT will be responsible for acquiring the land from locals, while Moksha Foundation will conduct land pooling and the Promised Land Pvt Ltd will manage it. 

Nikesh Adhikari, the owner of the Promised Land, is the son of Sharada Prasad Adhikari, the landlord of Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal’s Khumaltar-based residence.

The project had reportedly remained stalled for years due to a lack of transparency in investment. It eventually got the green light after Lama assumed the position of LDT Vice-chair on 6 Aug 2023.

Nepal has been ranked 108th position in the Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI) report launched by the Transparency International (TI), showing a slight improvement than in 2022.

In 2022, it was ranked in the 110th position with 34 scores. 

In the assessment of 180 countries in the world, Denmark is in the first position with 90 scores indicating the lowest corruption followed by Finland in the second position, New Zealand in the third, Norway in the fourth and Singapore in the fifth. The consecutive rankings are held by Sweden, Switzerland, the Netherlands, Germany and Luxembourg. 

Somalia is in the 180th rank indicating the highest corruption problems while Venezuela, Syria, South Sudan and Yemen. Nepal's two closest neighbors India ranked 93 with 39 scores and China in 76 with 42 scores.

The report was based on analysis of data from the World Bank, World Economic Forum and other organizations.

The index is calculated using data from 13 external sources.

According to TI, its 29th annual corruption perceptions assess how countries have responded to corruption over time, reviewing progress and failures over the last decade and beyond. It is specifically focused on how weakening justice systems contribute to a lack of accountability of public officials, thereby allowing corruption to thrive.      

The report stated that over two-third countries' scores are below 50 out of 100, strongly indicating that they have serious corruption problems.

Authorities in Nepal deported a total of 458 foreign nationals, including 209 Chinese nationals, in 2023 for offenses, ranging from visa overstay and drug trafficking to possession of fake passports and illegal transactions of foreign currency.  

The majority of deported individuals (412) were found to have overstayed their visas, with Chinese nationals topping the list. As per the records of the Immigration Department, 190 Chinese citizens were deported for overstaying their visas.   

Ten foreigners were expelled for drug-related crimes, five for possession of fake passports, 10 for illegal transactions of foreign currency and four for fraud charges. One foreign individual was deported in relation to a kidnapping case, six for organized crime, one for polygamy and five for sexual crime.

Immigration officials say while the number of deportees have been fluctuating in a more or less predictable fashion over the years, it is a matter of concern and investigation that an increasing number of Chinese citizens are getting deported.

Out of the total deported foreign citizens last year, 46 percent were Chinese. One hundred ninety Chinese nationals faced expulsion for overstaying their visas, eight for illegal transactions of foreign currency, four for drug related crimes, three for involvement in organized crimes, two for financial crime, one for kidnapping and one for fraud. 

In 2022, authorities had deported a total of 570 foreign nationals; 191 of them were Chinese nationals.

In 2023, authorities deported 37 Americans, 19 Uzbekistanis, 19 Bangladeshis, 18 British, 11 Sri Lankans, 10 Swedish nationals and 10 Pakistani for various offenses.

Nine Afghanistanis, eight Germans, seven South Koreans and seven Canadians were also expelled from Nepal. 

The Department of Immigration also deported six French nationals, five Italians, five Nigerians, five Russians, five Yemenis, four Australians, four Iranians and four Japanese citizens.  

The other foreign nationalities who faced deportation are from Bhutan, Cameroon, the Philippines, Portugal, Thailand, Belgium, Denmark, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Ireland, the Netherlands, Romania, Sudan, Ukraine, Vietnam, Cambodia, Comoros, Czech Republic, Ghana, Ivory Coast, Israel, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Lebanon, Malaysia, Mexico, Moldova, Mongolia, Myanmar, Norway, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, Spain, Swaziland, Tajikistan and Uganda.