We need to strengthen UN: PM Oli

Theme: The future we want, the United Nations we need: Reaffirming our collective commitment to multilateralism Mr. President, Mr. Secretary General, Distinguished delegates It is a privilege to be part of this historic occasion marking the 75th anniversary of the UN. We are convening at an unprecedented time. The impacts of COVID-19 have hit across lives, economies and societies with toughest brunt felt by the weakest and most vulnerable countries. Today is an occasion to reaffirm our commitment...

Investment of private sector in drinking water viable: Experts

Investment from private sector could be attracted towards the drinking water and sanitation projects in Nepal, experts have said. Clause 4 of the Right to Health under Article 35 of the Constitution of Nepal states that every citizen has the right to have access to clean drinking water and sanitation, but only 20 per cent of the population does have the access to clean drinking water so far, experts said at a webinar organised by Smart Habitat Solutions on Sunday. Speaking at the programme, Upendra...

Coronavirus Not A Hoax

After prohibitory orders imposed in the Kathmandu Valley and other parts of the county to contain the COVID-19 pandemic were removed, people are gradually returning to a new normal. Months of lockdown and weeks of restrictive measures hit the economy up to the hilt. The lockdown led to the loss of jobs on a massive scale while the threat of starvation and scarcity loomed large among the vulnerable population. So the government adopted a strategy of saving the lives of people and reviving the economy...

Re-energising The SAARC

On December 8, 1985, the leaders of South Asian seven nations, namely Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, the Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka came together and proclaimed the formation of a regional cooperation mechanism-- the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC). South Asia was a late comer to the fold of regional cooperation and followed the routes of Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and European Union (EU). Unlike ASEAN that grew out of “a shared threat perception”...

Dirty Money Flow And Fragile Democracy

According to BBC report of 21st September 2020, HSBC's share price fell to its lowest level since 1995 amid allegations of money laundering. On Monday in Hong Kong, the shares fell by more than 4 per cent and in London at midday they were down 6 per cent. Shares in rival banks such as Standard Chartered and Barclays were down by 5 per cent and 6 per cent, respectively, while that of Germany's Deutsche Bank went down 8 per cent.

In Pursuit Of Spirituality

My parents and most of my relatives are disciples of Osho. A revolutionary spiritual leader, Osho gained disciples in droves. Even decades after his death, his disciples follow the path he led. Likewise, there have been many spiritual leaders who have asserted the need for a spiritual life. What is spirituality? Most of us vaguely know that spirituality is about a connection to a higher power. But then religions too stress the need to connect to a higher power. However, spirituality has its own...

Lockdown incurs loss of Rs. 7b to Banke hotels

Hotel business in Banke has suffered a loss worth Rs. 7 billion due to the lockdown and prohibitory order enforced to prevent the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic. According to Bhim Kandel, president of Hotel Entrepreneurs' Association Banke, the hoteliers of the district had incurred a loss of Rs. 7 billion due to the closure of around 4,000 small and big hotels during the lockdown. “The hoteliers have faced huge economic losses while around 15,000 workers have been jobless due to the complete...

IFC suggests boosting women's contribution in hydropower

Companies and women in Nepal would stand to benefit if greater action was taken to improve women’s participation and contribution in the hydropower sector, concluded a study conducted by the International Finance Corporation (IFC).

Various barriers limiting individuals’ access to mental health care

A summary report published by the Nepal Health Research Council (NHRC) of the National Mental Health Survey, Nepal-2020 shows that adults with mental disorder faced several instrumental, attitudinal and stigma-related barriers to access professional mental health care. Planned from 2017, the National Mental Health Survey was conducted from January, 2019 to January, 2020 among 15,088 individuals. Among the participants, 5,888 were adolescents aged 13-17 years and 9,200 were adults aged 18 years and...

MOEST seeks special help from local government in academic activities

The government has introduced ‘emergency working plan on school education-2077’ for the effective implementation of ‘student learning facilitation directive-2077’. The Ministry of Education, Science and Technology (MOEST) on Tuesday informed that the working plan was approved by the Cabinet on September 17 which seeks the special role of the federal and local governments for facilitating the alternative learning activities.