Submit your Article

The monsoon winds now have an influence across the country. 

With the low pressure line of the monsoon positioned to the north near western Nepal, now the weather across the country is seen generally cloudy. 

The Department of Hydrology and Meteorology has predicted light to moderate rainfall along with thunder in many hilly areas of the country, including Gandaki, Lumbini, Karnali and Sudurpashchim Provinces, as well as in some areas of the remaining provinces. 

There is also a possibility of heavy to extremely heavy rainfall in a few locations in Sudurpashchim Province and a couple of locations in the hilly areas of the remaining provinces. 

The department has noted a chance of light to moderate rain or snowfall in a few places in the high-hilly and Himalayan regions of the country. 

Similarly, tonight the weather is expected to remain generally  cloudy across the country. 

According to the weather bulletin issued by the department, light to moderate rainfall along with thunderstorms is likely to take place in some areas of the hilly regions of the country, including Koshi, Lumbini, Karnali and Sudurpashchim Provinces, as well as in a few areas of the remaining regions. 

A heatwave continues to grip large parts of Europe, with authorities in many countries issuing health warnings amid searing temperatures, BBC reported.

Southern Spain is the worst-affected region, with temperatures in the mid-40s Celsius recorded in Seville and neighbouring areas.

A new heat record for June of 46C was set on Saturday in the town of El Granado, according to Spain's national weather service, which also said this month is on track to be the hottest June on record.

Red heat warnings are in force in parts of Portugal, Italy and Croatia, with numerous amber warnings covering areas of Spain, France, Austria, Belgium, Bosnia & Herzegovina, Hungary, Serbia, Slovenia and Switzerland, according to BBC.

Despite a notable increase in rice production this fiscal year, Nepal continues to face a significant rice deficit, with over 1m metric tons still required to meet the country’s total demand. The government’s pledge of achieving self-reliance in rice is increasingly being challenged by the reality of soaring imports and regional disparities in cultivation.

According to the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock Development, a total of 5.955m metric tons of rice were produced in the current fiscal year 2024/25, cultivated across 1.420m hectares of land. While the area under cultivation was 1.28 percent less than the previous year, overall production rose by 4.04 percent, marking the highest average productivity to date.

Nepal’s annual rice requirement stands at approximately 7m metric tons, leaving a gap of around 1m metric tons. This shortfall has led to a steep rise in rice imports. From July to May, the country imported paddy and rice worth over Rs 38.94bn, according to the Department of Customs.

These figures surface just as the government celebrates the 22nd National Rice Day on 29 June under the slogan “Intensification in Rice Crops: Food Security and Self-Reliance.” Critics argue the slogan contrasts sharply with the ground realities, as imports continue to undermine the self-sufficiency narrative.

Nepal imports rice from multiple countries, including the United States, Japan, Thailand, the Philippines, Indonesia, Italy, Britain, and Namibia.

To address this persistent gap, the government has introduced a targeted initiative for the next fiscal year 2025/26, aiming to scale up Chaite rice cultivation in 22 Tarai districts with a budget of Rs. 330m. The objective is to boost production by an additional 1.2m metric tons, increasing the Chaite rice cultivated area from 110,000 to 200,000 hectares.

Regional planting patterns show varying progress. In Koshi Province, paddy planting had reached 14.25 percent by the second week of Asad, slightly up from 13.71 percent in the same period last year. According to Sharan Kumar Pandey, secretary at the provincial agriculture ministry, 826,646 hectares are cultivable, with 39,387 hectares already planted.

In Karnali Province, paddy cultivation remains limited due to geographical and irrigation constraints. Only 9.52 percent of land is cultivable, and just 39,636 hectares are used for rice farming. Still, officials expect an improvement in yields due to timely rainfall this year.

The Sudurpaschim Province shows relatively strong progress, with 45 percent of rice planting completed by mid-Asad across 176,151 hectares. In contrast, Madhes Province, which contributes around 25 percent to national rice production, is lagging behind due to delayed monsoon rains, with only 10 percent of planting completed.

Gandaki Province also reported a dip in rice production. This year, 379,032 metric tons were harvested across 97,959 hectares, compared to 391,624 metric tons the previous year. Urbanization, especially in Kaski, has reduced both the area and productivity, causing an annual rice deficit of over 120,000 metric tons in the district.

As the government pushes for greater agricultural output and rice self-sufficiency, experts emphasize the need for better irrigation, subsidies, mechanization, and post-harvest infrastructure. Without substantial changes, Nepal’s dependency on rice imports is unlikely to end soon—raising questions about the effectiveness of current agricultural policies.

The Parliamentary Hearing Committee (PHC) on Sunday  conducted hearing on two proposed justices of the Supreme Court.

The Committee conducted the hearing on senior advocate  Megh Raj Pokharel and Chief Judge of High Court Janakpur, Shreekanta Poudel. 

Stating that there is a big gap between the theory and practical exercise, committee member Janardan Sharma shared the reality that development construction activities were affected while delivering decisions by the judiciary on the cases against the principle of separation of powers.  

Similarly, another member Shyam Kumar Ghimire commented that a tendency of keeping the political cases aside has increased. 

Likewise, committee members—Mahesh Kumar Bartaula, Gyanendra Bahadur Karki, Dol Prasad (DP) Aryal, Jag Prasad Sharma, Leela Shrestha and Sunita Baral raised various questions to the proposed justices.  

They stressed that justices should present themselves strongly to maintain good governance in the judiciary. 

A meeting of the Judicial Council held on June 13 had recommended senior advocate Pokharel, Judge Poudel and another Judge Shanti Singh Thapa for parliamentary hearing.