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Nepal reported 85 new Covid-19 cases on Thursday. According to the Ministry of Health and Population, 272 swab samples were tested in the RT-PCR method, of which 63 returned positive. Likewise, 1, 130 people underwent antigen tests, of which 22 tested positive. The Ministry said that no one died of the virus in the last 24 hours and 27 infected people recovered from the disease. As of today, there are 358 active cases in the country.

One hundred and sixteen examinees were arrested, who were attending the Secondary Education Examinations in various exam centers in Morang in the name of others, on Thursday. The SEE monitoring team caught them as they were appearing for the exam in place of the real candidates. According to the District Police Office Morang, a number of SEE examinees were arrested from Kerabari, Gramthan and Haraincha-based centers. As Superintendent of Police Deepak Pokhrel said, the highest 52 fake examinees were held from the Saraswoti Secondary School, Gramthan followed by 44 from the Sarbajanik Secondary School, Kerabari and 20 from the Janata Secondary School, Sundar Haraicha.  The arrested are under interrogation, it is said.  

The Department of National ID and Civil Registration has added a new provision for issuing a birth certificate to a child with the surname under the maternal lineage. The provision has been added targeting children born to a single mother and whose paternal lineage remains unidentified. Department Director General Rudra Prasad Pandit said the provision was added following the request from local levels for further clarifying provisions for the birth registration of such children. However, the Department mandates the cancellation of the birth registration issued under this category if the identity of the child's father is ascertained and the issuance of a new certificate along with the address of the father.  

The Asian Development Bank (ADB) has projected a 4.1 percent economic growth rate in Nepal in 2023 while inflation is forecast to be at 7.4 percent. According to the Asian Development Outlook (ADO) April 2023, Nepal's economic growth rate is projected to decelerate in 2023 as compared to last year due to under tight monetary policy, slackened domestic demand, the unwinding of pandemic stimulus, and persistent global headwinds. GDP growth is expected to pick up to 5.0% in 2024, however, with the dissipation of inflation, increased infrastructure spending, and further recovery in tourism and related services. The successful conclusion of the International Monetary Fund’s Extended Credit Facility reviews on 28 February 2023 showed Nepal’s economy on a sustainable path, with fiscal risks mitigated, external risks largely contained, and sustainable debt management ensured. The report says average inflation accelerated to 8.0% in the first 6 months of 2023. Food inflation edges up to 5.6% and non-food inflation climbed to 8.6% as prices rose for housing, utilities, and transportation. Inflation is expected to moderate to an average of 7.4% in 2023 as tighter monetary and fiscal policies take further hold in the second half of the fiscal year. Inflation is expected to decelerate to 6.2% in 2024, assuming a normal harvest, subdued oil prices, and a decline in Indian inflation. The report assesses the main downside risk to the outlook is a global downturn hitting Nepal’s tourism and remittance receipts. A drastic tightening of global financial conditions to tame rising inflation would require tighter domestic monetary policy, which would erode investment and domestic consumption, dragging down growth. Intensified geopolitical turmoil and any natural hazards such as landslides or floods would further dampen growth prospects. Similarly, as per the ADB, growth in all production sectors in Nepal is forecast to moderate in 2023. Agriculture growth will likely ease from 2.3% in 2022 to 2.0% in 2023. Preliminary estimates show that rice output increased by about 7.0%, but winter rainfall has been scanty, likely affecting winter crop yield and overall agriculture output. Despite a boost to industry expected with 700 megawatts of hydroelectricity added to the national grid, sector growth will likely decelerate by half from 10.2% to 5.1% as manufacturing and construction are hit by higher interest rates, import restrictions, a slowdown in domestic consumption, and dampened external demand. Growth in services will moderate from 5.9% to 4.4% after credit controls and a hike in interest rates slow real estate, wholesale, and retail trade. While tourism growth has been strong, international tourist arrivals are still only half of their pre-pandemic numbers, according to the report.