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The inquiry commission formed by the government to probe the issues of loan shark victims is preparing the necessary paperwork to start the field study. A Cabinet meeting on April 3 had formed the commission under the leadership of the former Chairman of the Special Court, Gauri Bahadur Karki. Former Assistant Inspector General of Nepal Police Uttam Bahadur Subedi and former Deputy Attorney General Ganesh Babu Aryal are the other members of the commission. The cabinet meeting also decided to establish the office of the high-level commission in Janakpur, the capital of Madhesh Province, as it will be easier for the victims to share their problems. Most of the loan shark victims are from districts of the Terai region. “We are preparing the complaint form to be filled by the loan shark victims,” said a member of the commission. “We will soon open the office in Janakpur and start receiving complaints.” The commission member also said that during the investigation, the money lenders would also be given the right to provide their explanations regarding the complaints of the victims. “In order to take complaints, we also have plans to open complaint desks in different districts as well,” the member said. The commission has been given a three-month deadline to prepare a concrete and practical report and recommend solutions to resolve the problems of loan shark victims. The government’s decision came two days after it reached a five-point agreement with a group of loan shark victims on April 1. The two sides also reached an agreement to expedite the process to amend the laws to criminalize unscrupulous lending. They also agreed to recommend to the government the formation of a district-level coordination/facilitation committee led by the chief district officer to address complaints related to loan sharking. A senior official of the Home Ministry said that the Law Ministry is drafting an amendment law that would criminalize loan sharking, a promise that the government made to the agitators. Currently, loan sharking is essentially categorized as an offense under the civil code. In this condition, the victims have to fight the deep-pocketed loan sharks alone. However, the acts of blackmailing, extortion, and other exploitations in the guise of loan sharking fall under criminal offenses. A report prepared by a task force formed by the government last year after a similar agitation launched by loan shark victims pointed out how the case filed by the loan sharks against the borrowers put the borrowers at a disadvantage. According to the report, loan sharks tend to file court cases based on the documents borrowers signed on terms dictated by loan sharks. As the loan sharks seek to recover the loans legally, the victims are often denied access to the court process. Even though the state has guaranteed people’s access to legal services for free by introducing a law, the loan shark victims are unaware of such provisions, according to the report. While a group of the loan shark victims returned home after signing an agreement, another group of victims hit the streets of Kathmandu. The government is negotiating with them too to address their demands.  

At the moment the country is under the partial influence of local as well as Westerly winds. According to the Meteorological Forecasting Division, the weather will be partly cloudy in Lumbini Province and Sudur Pashchim Province along with the hilly regions and partly cloudy to mainly fair in the rest of the country today. Brief rain or thundershowers are likely to occur at one or two places of hilly regions of Koshi Province, Bagmati Province and Gandaki Province, the Division says in its bulletin. Likewise, tonight it will be partly cloudy in the hilly areas and mainly fair in rest of the country.

Madhyapur Thimi Municipality has announced four days of public holiday starting from today on the occasion of New Year. The municipality decided to give four days of public holiday in order to celebrate Biska or Bisket Jatra celebrated here on the occasion of New Year in a grand manner. The locals celebrate the Bisket Jatra from today. Deputy-Mayor Bijay Krishna Shrestha said the municipality decided to holiday from April 13-16. The historical Jatra is celebrated by piercing a tongue.  Shrestha shared, "Locals had not celebrated the festival in a grand manner after local level did not grant holiday. So, we decided to give four days of public holiday from this year." Bisket Jatra is one of the greatest festivals celebrated by the Newar Community, especially of Bhaktapur district. It is celebrated for nine days.  

The Ministry of Health and Population has instructed various health facilities to remain on standby in view of increasing cases of COVID-19 in the country. The direction came as the daily graph of fresh COVID-19 cases is going up lately. Cases of mutated Omicron sub-variant XBB1.16.1 of COVID -19 found in neighboring India have been recorded lately in Nepal as well. According to Director of Epidemiology and Disease Control Division, Dr Chuman Lal Das, the latest variant of COVID-19 is more infectious and hospitals are directed to be in ready position to respond to the possible situation ahead. Bir Hospital, Shukraraj Tropical and Infectious Disease Hospital, TU Teaching Hospital, Patan Academy of Health Sciences, Civil Service Hospital, Armed Police Force Hospital and Nepal Police Hospital are among those health facilities directed to be prepared for handling the untoward situation. On Wednesday, a person succumbed to COVID-19, the first death from the virus in over three months. Bir Hospital director Dr Santosh Poudel said they have been directed to be prepared for the response to COVID-19 in view of its soaring cases lately. Shukraraj Tropical and Infectious Disease Hospital chief consultant physician Dr Bimal Chalise said they are alert to possible risk of infections and are prepared accordingly. "There is no need to panic, but we must be alert to possible risk," he said, adding that the hospital reported a ventilator case of COVID-19 and two ICU cases at the moment. On Wednesday, 106 new cases of COVID-19 were reported in the country.  At present, 24 are in isolation, 13 in ICU care and five on ventilator support for COVID-19.  The Division has said it has tightened COVID-19 checks along the Nepal-India border since Wednesday.