November 12: Price of gold increased by Rs 1,700 per tola (equivalent to 11.66 grams) within a span of two days in the domestic market of…
November 12: Price of gold increased by Rs 1,700 per tola (equivalent to 11.66 grams) within a span of two days in the domestic market of…
November 11: Despite Covid-19 infection, the tourist season in September observed a slight improvement in arrival of tourists in Nepal.…
November 11: The country has witnessed high growth in import of gold lately.…
November 11: The 12th national population census,, which is conducted every 10 years, has started from today (November 11).…
November 11: This year’s Chhath festival celebrations have concluded across the country by offering prayers to the rising sun this morning (November…
November 11: The government has increased the prices of petroleum products in less than two weeks.…
November 11: From the southern border of Germany to the highest peaks in Africa, glaciers around the world have served as moneymaking tourist attractions, natural climate records for scientists and beacons of beliefs for indigenous…
November 11: The number of investors in the solar energy sector has significantly increased in recent years.…
November 10: The Ministry of Urban Development has stopped all new procurement activities from consumer committees with immediate effect.…
November 10: Minister for Drinking Water and Sanitation Umakanta Chaudhary has assured that the supply of drinking water from Melamchi will resume…
November 10: A meeting of the Council of Ministers held on Monday approved the purchase of 6 million doses of Pfizer vaccines.…
November 10: Shree New Everest Distillery will soon come into operation in Kohalpur, Banke district of Lumbini province with an investment of Rs 300 million.…
November 10: The government has approved the work procedure submitted by a taskforce recommending relief to the farmers for the damage sustained to their crop by the recent unseasonal…
November 10: Today (November 10) is the main day of the Chhath festival which is observed as a common cultural symbol of…
November 10: Nineteen medical stores run against the criteria set by the government have been…
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It further increased by Rs 400 per tola on Friday.</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif""><span style="font-size:11.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">Similarly, price of silver has gone up by Rs 15 per tola on Friday to Rs 1285 against Rs 1,270 a day ago. Silver was traded for Rs 1,250 on Wednesday. </span></span><br /> <span style="font-size:11.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">The Federation determines the price of gold and silver every day on the basis of fluctuation of price in the international market. </span></span></span></span></p> <p> </p> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2021-11-12', 'modified' => '2021-11-12', 'keywords' => '', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '14025', 'image' => '20211112081500_20210425100433_20201203030905_1606953115.Clipboard16.jpg', 'article_date' => '2021-11-12 08:14:31', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => true, 'in_scroller' => false, 'user_id' => '34' ) ), (int) 1 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '14279', 'article_category_id' => '1', 'title' => 'Arrival of Foreign Tourists Improves Slightly in September', 'sub_title' => '', 'summary' => 'November 11: Despite Covid-19 infection, the tourist season in September observed a slight improvement in arrival of tourists in Nepal. ', 'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:14.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">November 11: Despite Covid-19 infection, the tourist season in September observed a slight improvement in arrival of tourists in Nepal. The months from September to November are considered as the peak tourist season in Nepal. The last two months have seen an improvement in tourist arrivals compared to 2020. This number is very low compared to the previous years.</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:14.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">The slowdown in arrival of tourists due to the onset of Covid-19 in 2020 has seen a slight improvement during this year's season. The number of tourists visiting Nepal used to be around 150,000 during October before 2020 and 2021. However, in the current year, it is below 50,000.</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:14.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">Altogether 134,096 tourists visited Nepal in October 2019, which dropped to 23,284 in October 2021 due to the impact of the pandemic. Tourist arrivals in September also improved compared to last year. In September 2021, a total of 9,898 tourists visited Nepal against 584 in September of last year.</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:14.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">In the first 10 months of this year, 134,096 tourists have visited Nepal. In 2020, a total of 230,000 tourists visited Nepal. With the onset of the tourist season and the opening of tourism, arrival of tourists has started to improve, according to tourism entrepreneurs.</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:14.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">According to the Nepal Tourism Statistics-2020 released by the Ministry of Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation, only 2,025 tourists had visited Nepal in October 2020.</span></span></span></span></p> <p> </p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:14.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">According to the Nepal Tourism Board, there has been an improvement in arrival of tourists since October due to the declining Covid-19 cases and increase in the number of vaccinations.</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:14.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">According to the NTB, Indian tourists come in large numbers in October. A total of 8,736 Indian tourists visited Nepal in October. Likewise, the number of Chinese tourists has also increased slightly. Meanwhile, the number of American tourists has reached 4,711 tourists in the review month. Similarly, the UK nationals are the third most visited foreigners with 1,381 tourists.</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:14.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">According to the board, the number of tourists coming to Nepal from India, the USA, and the UK is higher than others. A total of 9,420 tourists from SAARC countries like Bangladesh, India, Pakistan, Bhutan, and Sri Lanka have also visited Nepal during this period.</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:14.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">A total of 5,419 tourists have come from European countries including the UK, Poland, and Norway, while the number of tourist arrivals from Canada and the USA is 5,274 tourists.</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:14.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">According to the NTB, 8,874 tourists visited Nepal in January, 9,146 in February, 14,977 in March, 22,450 in April, 1,468 in May, 1,143 in June, 2,991 in July, and 5,917 in August.</span></span></span></span></p> <p> </p> <p> </p> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2021-11-11', 'modified' => '2021-11-11', 'keywords' => '', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '14024', 'image' => '20211111014914_Tourist.jpg', 'article_date' => '2021-11-11 13:48:36', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => true, 'in_scroller' => null, 'user_id' => '34' ) ), (int) 2 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '14277', 'article_category_id' => '1', 'title' => 'Import of Gold Increases in First Three Months of Current FY ', 'sub_title' => '', 'summary' => 'November 11: The country has witnessed high growth in import of gold lately. ', 'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif""><span style="font-size:14.0pt">November 11: The country has witnessed high growth in import of gold lately. The import of gold had declined in the last two fiscal years due to high inflation and the Covid-19 pandemic. However, the import of gold has increased in the current fiscal year. </span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif""><span style="font-size:14.0pt">According to the Department of Customs, gold worth Rs 11.72 billion has been imported in the first three months of the current fiscal year. This is 47 times more than the import in the corresponding period of last fiscal year (FY 2020/21), when gold worth Rs 737 million was imported into the country. </span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif""><span style="font-size:14.0pt">The import fell after the gold and jewelry business was affected by the pandemic. Likewise, in the corresponding period of the previous year (FY 2019/720), import of gold had declined due to the increase in price. However, the import of gold has skyrocketed in the review period this year. </span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif""><span style="font-size:14.0pt">During normal circumstances, Nepal imports gold worth Rs 7 to 8 billion in a quarter. Nevertheless, this time, gold worth more than Rs 11 billion has been imported. </span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif""><span style="font-size:14.0pt">President of the Federation of Nepalese Gold and Silver Dealers Association Manik Ratna Shakya says that the import of gold has increased due to the increased mobility of people during the festival this time. </span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif""><span style="font-size:14.0pt">“Gold business had been affected in the last two fiscal years due to increasing prices and the pandemic. But now that the impact of the pandemic has slowed down and prices have dropped,” he said, “On top of that, people have started buying jewelry in festivals like Teej, Dashain and Tihar. Imports have also increased due to the increase in demand in the market.” </span></span></span></p> <p> </p> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2021-11-11', 'modified' => '2021-11-11', 'keywords' => '', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '14023', 'image' => '20211111124054_20200923113522_gold.jpg', 'article_date' => '2021-11-11 12:40:17', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => true, 'in_scroller' => null, 'user_id' => '34' ) ), (int) 3 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '14278', 'article_category_id' => '1', 'title' => 'National Population Census Begins', 'sub_title' => '', 'summary' => 'November 11: The 12th national population census,, which is conducted every 10 years, has started from today (November 11). ', 'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:14.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">November 11: The 12th national population census,, which is conducted every 10 years, has started from today (November 11). The Central Bureau Statistics (CBS) has begun the 15-day long census by collecting the details of President Bidya Devi Bhandari.</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:14.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">CBS has estimated that the population of the country would not reach 30 million. At a press conference organized on the eve of the census on November 10, Director General of CBS Nebin Lal Shrestha said that the population is estimated to be less than 30 million. He said that the birth rate of the country is declining and a large number of people are emigrating to foreign countries. </span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:14.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">Altogether 40,000 enumerators are being mobilized for the national census. It will take about 30 minutes to collect the details of a family. It takes a minimum of 30 minutes to answer 80 questions, said Shrestha. An enumerator generally collects data of 175 households. </span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:14.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">A total of Rs 4 billion will be spent for the census. Shrestha said that it would take five years to complete the entire process of census. Three billion rupees is estimated to be spent in the first year. "Of which, Rs 1.60 billion goes to the salaries and allowances of enumerators and supervisors," said Shrestha. CBS has set up district census offices in each district, 389 local census offices and one office in each of the seven provinces. </span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:14.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">In the past years, teachers were recruited as enumerators, but this year teachers have been assigned as supervisors. Youths, who have completed higher secondary education have been recruited as enumerators on the recommendation of local bodies. </span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:14.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">A total of 2,250 tablets will be used for census in six cities including Kathmandu. Shrestha said that tablets cannot be used everywhere as they are expensive.</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:14.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">Nepalis working in diplomatic offices and embassies of different countries will be counted through e-census. The CBS informed that it will also collect data of people from Lipulek, Limpiyadhura and Kalapani areas as well. If the data can't be collected physically, it will be done through alternative means like satellite. </span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:14.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">According to him, the Indian Army has restricted people to go in these areas so diplomatic efforts are being made to reach there. The department estimates about 800 families live in the area.</span></span></span></span></p> <p><br /> <br /> </p> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2021-11-11', 'modified' => '2021-11-11', 'keywords' => '', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '14022', 'image' => '20211111124948_20211109080004_20211108052804_National-Census-2021.jpg', 'article_date' => '2021-11-11 12:49:16', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => true, 'in_scroller' => null, 'user_id' => '34' ) ), (int) 4 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '14276', 'article_category_id' => '1', 'title' => 'Chhath Festival Concludes by Offering Prayers to the Rising Sun ', 'sub_title' => '', 'summary' => 'November 11: This year’s Chhath festival celebrations have concluded across the country by offering prayers to the rising sun this morning (November 11). ', 'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:14.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">November 11: This year’s Chhath festival celebrations have concluded across the country by offering prayers to the rising sun this morning (November 11). </span></span><br /> <span style="font-size:14.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">The devotees presented offerings, worshipped the statue of Chhati Mai on the banks of rivers and ponds and lit oil lamps. Likewise, a large number of devotees thronged to pay homage to the idols in different parts of the country including Mithila region where the festival is observed in particular. </span></span><br /> <span style="font-size:14.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">This festival is celebrated from the fourth day of bright half of the lunar calendar to the seventh day in the month of Kartik as per the Nepali calendar. It usually falls in the months of October and November as per the Gregorian calendar. </span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:14.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">During this period, the worshipers observe purity, abstain from eating ‘impure’ food and sleep on the floor on a single blanket. This is the only holy festival which has no involvement of any priest. </span></span> <br /> <span style="font-size:14.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">After offering prayers to the rising Sun, the devotees offer coconut, banana and other sweet dishes to their relatives and neighbours. </span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:14.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">The Sun considered as the God of energy and of the life-force, is worshiped during the Chhath festival to promote well-being, prosperity and progress of family members. <em>(With inputs from RSS)</em></span></span></span></span><br /> </p> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2021-11-11', 'modified' => '2021-11-11', 'keywords' => '', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '14021', 'image' => '20211111120613_20211108011435_Chhathtransparent-wom.jpg', 'article_date' => '2021-11-11 12:05:07', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => true, 'in_scroller' => null, 'user_id' => '34' ) ), (int) 5 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '14275', 'article_category_id' => '1', 'title' => 'NOC Hikes Fuel Prices in Less than 2 Weeks', 'sub_title' => '', 'summary' => 'November 11: The government has increased the prices of petroleum products in less than two weeks. ', 'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:14.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">November 11: The government has increased the prices of petroleum products in less than two weeks. As per the latest decision, the new prices of petroleum products will come into effect from today (November 11). The state-owned Nepal Oil Corporation (NOC) has hiked the prices of petrol, diesel and kerosene each by Rs 3 per litre. Prior to this, the NOC had increased the prices of petroleum products on midnight of October 29.</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:14.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">A meeting of the board of directors of Nepal Oil Corporation on Wednesday (November 10) once again decided to increase the prices of petrol, diesel, kerosene and aviation fuel as well as of cooking gas with effect from midnight of November 10. The price of cooking LP gas has been increased by Rs 75 per cylinder to Rs 1,575. </span></span><br /> <span style="font-size:14.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">As a result, petrol will now cost Rs 136 per liter while the price of diesel and kerosene has been fixed at Rs 119 per litre. The price of aviation turbine fuel (ATF) for domestic flights has been increased by Rs 5 per litre to Rs 101 per litre. The price of aviation fuel for international flights has reached USD 895 per kilolitre, according to a statement issued by the NOC’s joint-spokesperson Puskar Karki. <br /> Even after the adjusted price, the NOC will incur a loss of Rs 2.62 billion in 15 days, the statement added. </span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:14.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">The chart below shows a timeline of price hike of petroleum products: </span></span></span></span></p> <p><img alt="" src="/app/webroot/userfiles/images/Untitled%285%29.jpg" style="height:465px; width:800px" /></p> <p><em>Source: NOC</em></p> <p> </p> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2021-11-11', 'modified' => '2021-11-11', 'keywords' => '', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '14020', 'image' => '20211111114557_20211030080715_202609_20190503125003_Petrol-Price-Increase.jpg', 'article_date' => '2021-11-11 11:44:49', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => true, 'in_scroller' => false, 'user_id' => '34' ) ), (int) 6 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '14274', 'article_category_id' => '1', 'title' => 'Loss of Glaciers will Hurt Tourism, Power Supplies and More', 'sub_title' => '', 'summary' => 'November 11: From the southern border of Germany to the highest peaks in Africa, glaciers around the world have served as moneymaking tourist attractions, natural climate records for scientists and beacons of beliefs for indigenous groups.', 'content' => '<p><em>Everest Base Camp seen in this file photo. NBA</em></p> <p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif""><span style="font-size:14.0pt">November 11: From the southern border of Germany to the highest peaks in Africa, glaciers around the world have served as moneymaking tourist attractions, natural climate records for scientists and beacons of beliefs for indigenous groups. And Nepal could not be an exception to this. Glaciers are one of the big sources of river water in Nepal, where there are 3,808 glaciers spread in an area of 4,212 sq km.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif""><span style="font-size:14.0pt">With many glaciers (across the world) rapidly melting because of climate change, the disappearance of the ice sheets is sure to deal a blow to countries and communities that have relied on them for generations — to make electricity, to draw visitors and to uphold ancient spiritual traditions, the Associated Press (AP) reported.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif""><span style="font-size:14.0pt">According to a World Bank report, black carbon deposits originating from factories, cooking and vehicles are compounding the effects of climate change to speed up the melting of the Himalayan glaciers. </span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif""><span style="font-size:14.0pt">AP reports that the ice masses that formed over millennia from compacted snow have been melting since around the time of the Industrial Revolution, a process that has accelerated in recent years.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif""><span style="font-size:14.0pt">The retreat can be seen in Africa, on the border of Uganda and the Democratic Republic of the Congo, where the jagged peaks of the Rwenzori Mountains jut into the sky above a green jungle. The peaks once held more than 40 glaciers, but fewer than half of them remained by 2005, and the melting continues. According to AP, experts believe the last of the mountains' glaciers could disappear within 20 years.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif""><span style="font-size:14.0pt">The disappearance means trouble for land-locked Uganda, which gets nearly half of its power from hydroelectricity, including the power plants that rely on steady water flow from the Rwenzori glaciers.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif""><span style="font-size:14.0pt">A continent away, on the southern edge of Germany’s border with Austria, only half a square kilometer (124 acres) of ice remains on five glaciers combined. Experts estimate that is 88% less than the amount of ice that existed around 1850, and that the remaining glaciers will melt in 10 to 15 years, the news agency further reported.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif""><span style="font-size:14.0pt">That spells bad news for the regional tourism industry that relies on the glaciers, AP reported citing Christoph Mayer, a senior scientist in the geodesy and glaciology group at the Bavarian Academy of Sciences and Humanities in Munich.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif""><span style="font-size:14.0pt">“At the moment, tourist agencies can advertise, ‘You can visit some kind of the highest mountains in Germany with glaciers. You can walk on the glaciers,’” Mayer reportedly said. “People living around these regions really live from tourism ... there will be an impact on them if they lose these glaciers.”</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif""><span style="font-size:14.0pt">The same issue faces Tanzania, where experts estimate that Mt Kilimanjaro — the highest mountain in Africa and one of the country’s main tourism attractions — has lost about 90% of its glacial ice to melting and to sublimation, a process in which solid ice transitions directly to vapor without becoming a liquid first. Travel and tourism accounted for 10.7% of the country’s GDP in 2019.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif""><span style="font-size:14.0pt">In the history of the local populations, "the ice in the mountains is the seat of god. It has a very spiritual meaning,” said Rainer Prinz, a glaciologist at the University of Innsbruck in Austria. “Losing the glaciers there would also impact spiritual life.”</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-family:Times New Roman,serif"><span style="font-size:18.6667px">"As glaciers shrink, the lives and livelihoods of many people downstream are affected by changes in the water supply. We can slow glacial melt by collectively acting to curb the black carbon deposits that are speeding the thinning of the ice. Regional cooperation to protect these resources will pay important dividends for the health and well-being of the people in the region," the World Bank quoted its vice president for South Asia Hartwig Schafer as saying.</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-family:Times New Roman,serif"><span style="font-size:18.6667px">"Recent devastating flash floods attributed to a collapsing glacier in Himalayas were a sobering reminder of the sometimes disastrous effects of climate change and the dangers we have to protect against," added Schafer.</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif""><span style="font-size:14.0pt">According to AP, the layers of ice that make up a glacier can be tens of thousands of years old and contain year-by-year information about past climate conditions, including atmospheric composition, temperature variations and types of vegetation that were present. Researchers take long tube-like ice cores from glaciers to “read” these layers.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif""><span style="font-size:14.0pt">During a 2010 research trip to the Carstensz glacier in Indonesia's western Papua province, oceanographer Dwi Raden Susanto was excited to be part of a team that took a core sample from the remote glaciers. But once the sample was taken, Susanto said, scientists quickly realized the rapid decline of the ice allowed them to get records dating back only to the 1960s.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif""><span style="font-size:14.0pt">As glaciers vanish, experts say, local ecosystems will begin to change as well— something already being studied at the Humboldt Glacier in Venezuela, which could disappear within the next two decades.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif""><span style="font-size:14.0pt">Experts warn that the fate of smaller glaciers offers a warning for larger glaciers. Increased melt will also lead to rising seas and changes in weather patterns — something that is bound to affect society on a global level, Mayer said.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif""><span style="font-size:14.0pt">“The disappearance of these small glaciers is really a warning sign of what is coming in the future,” AP quoted Mayer as saying. </span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:14.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">Current policies in place to reduce black carbon emissions – through enhancing fuel-efficiency standards, phasing out diesel vehicles and promoting electric cars – while laudable, will still reduce black carbon deposits by only 23 percent, not enough to prevent an acceleration of water releases from glacier melt in the Himalayan region, states the World Bank report entitled Glaciers of the Himalayas: Climate Change, Black Carbon and Regional Resilience.</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:14.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif""> </span></span></span></span></p> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2021-11-11', 'modified' => '2021-11-11', 'keywords' => '', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '14019', 'image' => '20211111110327_258274_28_o.jpg', 'article_date' => '2021-11-11 10:57:08', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => true, 'in_scroller' => false, 'user_id' => '34' ) ), (int) 7 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '14273', 'article_category_id' => '1', 'title' => 'Solar Energy Attracting Investors in Nepal', 'sub_title' => '21 Projects Granted Permission for Survey ', 'summary' => 'November 11: The number of investors in the solar energy sector has significantly increased in recent years. ', 'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">November 11: The number of investors in the solar energy sector has significantly increased in recent years. It may be noted that the promotion of the solar and energy mix falls on the priority of the government in its bid to seek and promote the sources of alternative energy. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">The government plans to generate 15,000 megawatts of electricity in the next ten years and contribution of alternative energy to such plan is around 10 percent. Solar power projects continue to attract investors unlike other sources of alternative energy. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">The Ministry of Energy, Water Resources and Irrigation has side by side focused on the development and promotion of other primary sources of energy including hydropower projects and this concept is known as the ‘energy mix’. At the policy-level, the ministry is providing necessary facilitation for the development and expansion of solar energy. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">In the initial phase, the solar power was used for household electrification purpose. Its use for commercial purposes has begun lately. The solar project is getting attraction at the international level as well. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">The Nepal Electricity Authority (NEA) has launched the 25-MW solar project in Nuwakot and the power generation is around 50 percent of the capacity. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">The data of the Department of Electricity Development shows that 33 solar projects have applied for the survey and their accumulated capacity is 408 MW. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">The government is clear about not granting permission for operating a solar project in arable land. The areas along the Mid-Hill Highway seems suitable for installing solar projects at large scale. NEA has signed power purchase agreement with the solar projects to purchase electricity for around Rs 7 per unit. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">NEA Executive Director Kulman Ghising says the investment cost of solar-powered projects is gradually decreasing. Stating that the NEA has signed power purchase agreement with some projects at the value of Rs 7 per unit, he opined that solar power plants could be installed in land unfit for cultivation. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">According to the Department of Electricity Development, 16 projects have taken permission for construction. Their total production capacity is 93 megawatts. Similarly, 21 projects have acquired permission for survey. Their combined production capacity is 568 megawatts. Nine projects have sought permission for construction. Their production capacity is 60 megawatts in total. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">Four projects have been producing solar power. Their total production capacity is 20 megawatts. In the Kathmandu Valley, the Kathmandu Upatyaka Khanepani Management Board is operating a 0.68 megawatts capacity plant. Likewise, the Bishnupriya Solar Farm is producing one megawatt power, the Ridi Hydropower as a grid connected solar power project is producing 8.5 megawatts power in Rupandehi and the Mithila Solar PV Power Project is generating 10 megawatts power in Dhanusha. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">The combined production of the projects, including those in survey stage, those waiting for survey permission and the projects already acquiring permission for production is 1,149 megawatts. -- RSS</span></span></span></p> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2021-11-11', 'modified' => '2021-11-11', 'keywords' => '', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '14018', 'image' => '20211111080702_20211110015056_20210303092537_20210117063750_1610841055.Clipboard14.jpg', 'article_date' => '2021-11-11 08:06:02', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => true, 'in_scroller' => null, 'user_id' => '34' ) ), (int) 8 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '14271', 'article_category_id' => '1', 'title' => 'Ministry of Urban Development Stops Public Procurement from Consumer Committees', 'sub_title' => '', 'summary' => 'November 10: The Ministry of Urban Development has stopped all new procurement activities from consumer committees with immediate effect. ', 'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:14.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">November 10: The Ministry of Urban Development has stopped all new procurement activities from consumer committees with immediate effect. The Ministry took a decision to this effect against the decision taken by Finance Minister Janardan Sharma two months ago to allow public construction works upto Rs 100 million through consumer committees, labour groups and cooperatives. </span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:14.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">The replacement bill presented by Minister Sharma in September reads ‘labor groups and cooperatives can participate in public construction works worth Rs 100 million through competition’. With the latest decision, about 30 percent of the works being carried out by the bodies under the ministry has come to an end. </span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:14.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">Bishnu Prasad Sharma, spokesperson of the Ministry, said that 30 percent of the procurement and construction works of the Urban Development and Building Construction Department, Kathmandu Valley Development Authority, High Powered Committee for Integrated Development of the Bagmati Civilization , Urban Development Fund are being done through the consumer committees.</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:14.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">Minister Ram Kumari Jhankri said that it would be appropriate to stop all procurement immediately till a clear work procedure for the construction through the consumers’ committee is formulated. Citing lack of uniformity, lack of competition in construction work and difficulty in maintaining quality, the ministry has directed to halt public procurement through these committees.</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:14.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">The procurement through the consumer committees has been stopped by the ministry as per the suggestions provided by the reports prepared by the Auditor General and the Commission for the Investigation of Abuse of Authority.</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:14.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">The report of the Auditor General have suggested the government to focus on quality of construction works through competitive bidding and to monitor projects carried by consumer committees and operate and carry out maintenance of the completed projects by the committees themselves. </span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:14.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">Similarly, the report further says that the activities carried out by the consume committees were not effective and promoted corruption. Spokesperson Sharma said that a clear work procedure is needed to make the programmes of the consumer committee effective, sustainable and employment oriented.</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:14.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">He said that a committee has been formed under the leadership of Ram Chandra Dangal, joint secretary at the ministry, to prepare the work procedure. The committee will submit a report with recommendations within a month and the ministry will then prepare the work procedure.</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:14.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">He said that such measures have been taken as irregularities have increased while the Public Procurement Act also has provision requiring work procedures. The Public Procurement Act includes various procurement methods for public works through the consumer committees. </span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:14.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">Ravi Singh, president of the Federation of Contractors Associations Nepal, said that the government has expressed concern over activities carried out by the consumer committee. "A lot of irregularities have been reported and limited people have been benefited instead. Irregularities must be stopped, it would make the structure vulnerable and irresponsible," he said. </span></span></span></span></p> <p><br /> <br /> </p> <p> </p> <p> </p> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2021-11-10', 'modified' => '2021-11-10', 'keywords' => '', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '14016', 'image' => '20211110014145_20210112122909_Clipboard01.jpg', 'article_date' => '2021-11-10 13:41:00', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => true, 'in_scroller' => null, 'user_id' => '34' ) ), (int) 9 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '14270', 'article_category_id' => '1', 'title' => 'Government to Resume Water Supply from Melamchi by this Winter: Minister Chaudhary ', 'sub_title' => '', 'summary' => 'November 10: Minister for Drinking Water and Sanitation Umakanta Chaudhary has assured that the supply of drinking water from Melamchi will resume soon. ', 'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:14.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">November 10: Minister for Drinking Water and Sanitation Umakanta Chaudhary has assured that the supply of drinking water from Melamchi will resume soon. </span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:14.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">For the first time, a ministerial-level delegation of the Government of Nepal has visited the Melamchi Water Supply Project for on-site inspection after the devastating floods of June 15. Minister Chaudhary, who reached Ambathan to monitor the extent of damage, assured that the water supply project would be brought into operation soon. Minister Chaudhary had reached the source of Melamchi River via a helicopter. </span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:14.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">In response to media persons’ queries on when the people of Kathmandu will be able to drink the water of Melamchi River, Minister Chaudhary said, “We will work to bring the water back to the tunnel temporarily. We are working hard to find a long-term solution to floods and landslide.” </span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:14.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">He further said that the government has given priority to the project and will supply water from Melamchi to the Kathmandu valley denizens at any cost by this winter. </span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:14.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">A team comprising Minister Chaudhary, Secretary at the Ministry Pramila Devi Bajracharya and Project Chief Basudev Poudel recently reached the headworks area at Ambathan in Melamchi and took stock about the status of the project. </span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:14.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">Poudel, executive director of the Melamchi Water Supply Project, said that the extent of damage suffered due to the floods can be ascertained only after clearing the debris as the project area has been completely submerged. He said that nothing can be said about the extent of damage right now. </span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:14.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">Chairperson of Helambu Rural Municipality Nima Gyaljen Sherpa suggested the project to move the source of drinking water a bit higher as there is high risk of landslides in the area. </span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:14.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">The government has completed necessary homework of awarding the contract directly by adopting the public procurement process for the re-operation of the project. However, as no decision has been taken yet, there is still confusion about the restoration of the project. </span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:14.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">The government is preparing to hand over the responsibility of constructing a permanent access road to the source of the project to the Department of Roads. The army is working to connect a Bailey bridge at the junction of the road leading to the project site. </span></span></span></span></p> <p> </p> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2021-11-10', 'modified' => '2021-11-10', 'keywords' => '', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '14015', 'image' => '20211110010116_20210420041320_20210212111048_20200317114243_Melamchi 1.jpg', 'article_date' => '2021-11-10 13:00:40', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => true, 'in_scroller' => null, 'user_id' => '34' ) ), (int) 10 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '14269', 'article_category_id' => '1', 'title' => 'Cabinet Approves Purchase of 6 Million Doses of Pfizer Vaccines', 'sub_title' => '', 'summary' => 'November 10: A meeting of the Council of Ministers held on Monday approved the purchase of 6 million doses of Pfizer vaccines. ', 'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:14.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">November 10: A meeting of the Council of Ministers held on Monday approved the purchase of 6 million doses of Pfizer vaccines. Earlier, the Ministry of Health and Population had submitted a proposal in the cabinet to make the purchase of vaccines.</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:14.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">The Ministry of Health and Population is planning to bring 6 million doses of vaccines for children up to 18 years of age by upcoming December. More than 100,000 doses of Pfizer vaccines have been brought to Nepal via the Covax facility. Those vaccines are planned to be given to chronically ill children from 12 to 18 years of age from November 14.</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:14.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">Minister for Communications and Information Technology and the spokesperson of government, Gyanendra Bahadur Karki on Tuesday announced the decisions taken by the cabinet meeting. Minister Karki reiterated the government’s commitment to vaccinate every age group from children to the elderly. </span></span></span></span></p> <p> </p> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2021-11-10', 'modified' => '2021-11-10', 'keywords' => '', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '14014', 'image' => '20211110123651_2021-10-06TBRAZIL.jpg', 'article_date' => '2021-11-10 12:36:13', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => true, 'in_scroller' => null, 'user_id' => '34' ) ), (int) 11 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '14268', 'article_category_id' => '1', 'title' => 'Distillery with Investment of Rs 300 Million to come into Operation in Lumbini Province', 'sub_title' => '', 'summary' => 'November 10: Shree New Everest Distillery will soon come into operation in Kohalpur, Banke district of Lumbini province with an investment of Rs 300 million. ', 'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:14.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">November 10: Shree New Everest Distillery will soon come into operation in Kohalpur, Banke district of Lumbini province with an investment of Rs 300 million. The distillery will produce liquor under a South Korean brand and technology in Nepal. Three businessmen have collaborated to produce liquor under the South Korean brand Soju. </span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:14.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">The industry has been established in a joint partnership of a Nepali businessman, a non-resident Nepali businessman, and a Korean investor. The initiative was taken by Binod Kunwar, former president of the Non-Resident Nepali Association South Korea, and a group of Korean partners, including Rabindra Man Shrestha, a Nepali investor, and businessman who has gained work experience in companies such as Surya Nepal, Gorkha Brewery and Dish Home.</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:14.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">Nepali investor and businessman Rabindra Man Shrestha informed that the industry is preparing to start its production within a month.</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:14.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">He said that the construction of the factory and other works is in the final stage. Shrestha claimed claims that 100 people will get direct employment after the operation of the industry.</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:14.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">Soju is one of the most popular soft drink companies in South Korea. </span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:14.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">Stating that the popularity of Soju is gradually increasing in Nepal, Shrestha said that he and his team aims to reduce the import of Soju with Nepali production. He said that the distillery will produce Soju of international standard and sell it at reasonable price to Nepali customers. </span></span></span></span></p> <p><br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> </p> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2021-11-10', 'modified' => '2021-11-10', 'keywords' => '', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '14013', 'image' => '20211110112917_1636509895.Clipboard05.jpg', 'article_date' => '2021-11-10 11:28:39', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => true, 'in_scroller' => null, 'user_id' => '34' ) ), (int) 12 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '14267', 'article_category_id' => '1', 'title' => 'Government Approves Work Procedure to Provide Relief to Farmers', 'sub_title' => '', 'summary' => 'November 10: The government has approved the work procedure submitted by a taskforce recommending relief to the farmers for the damage sustained to their crop by the recent unseasonal rainfall. ', 'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">November 10: The government has approved the work procedure submitted by a taskforce recommending relief to the farmers for the damage sustained to their crop by the recent unseasonal rainfall. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">A meeting of the Council of Ministers had formed the taskforce on October 25 to carry out a study on the extent of damage caused to crop due to the flooding and inundation following the unseasonal precipitation in mid-October. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">According to the state-owned national news agency RSS, the secretary at the Ministry of Home Affairs was designated as the coordinator of the taskforce. The secretaries at the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock Development, the Ministry of Finance, the Ministry of Industry, the Ministry of Federal Affairs and the National Planning Commission (NPC) were the members of the taskforce. The taskforce was given a three-day deadline to carry out the assigned task. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">Minister for Communication and Information Technology, Gyanendra Bahadur Karki said that additional process would be forwarded on the basis of the work procedure prepared by the taskforce. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">As per the preliminary estimates, paddy crop worth around Rs 7 billion have been damaged across the nation due to unseasonal rainfall. Minister Karki expressed commitment to provide relief to the victims based on the extent of damage. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">A recent cabinet meeting held on November 8 decided to provide relief to the families of victims of Motipur Industrial Corridor incident. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">Similarly, the meeting also granted permission for land acquisition for the construction of 400-KV sub-station in Kushma and sub-station in Jumla, RSS further reported. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">Similarly, the meeting granted the permission for the establishment of sisterly relations between the Kirtipur Municipality and the Huanggang City of the Hubei Province, China, according to Minister Karki who serves as Spokesperson for the government. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">The cabinet meeting also approved the Nepal’s participation in a programme of the World Health Organisation to be held in Geneva. </span></span></span><br /> </p> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2021-11-10', 'modified' => '2021-11-10', 'keywords' => '', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '14012', 'image' => '20211110083158_20210512035550_20181125011444_pady-1024x682.jpg', 'article_date' => '2021-11-10 08:31:30', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => true, 'in_scroller' => null, 'user_id' => '34' ) ), (int) 13 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '14266', 'article_category_id' => '1', 'title' => ' Main Event of Chhath Festival Being Observed Today', 'sub_title' => 'Devotees to Offer Prayers to the Setting Sun Today', 'summary' => 'November 10: Today (November 10) is the main day of the Chhath festival which is observed as a common cultural symbol of Tarai/Madhes. ', 'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">November 10: Today (November 10) is the main day of the Chhath festival which is observed as a common cultural symbol of Tarai/Madhes. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">The festival is dedicated to the Sun God, with offerings made to the rising and setting Sun. It is observed for four days, from the fourth day to the seventh day of the bright half in the month of Kartik as per the lunar calendar. It usually falls between October and November in the Gregorian calendar. The Sun considered as the God of energy and of the life-force, is worshiped during the Chhath festival to promote well-being, prosperity and progress of family members. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">The ritual of Chhath festival includes taking holy bath, fasting and worshiping the Sun and offering curd to the ‘Rising and Setting Sun'. Chhath is a festival of bathing and worshipping that follows a period of abstinence and segregation of the worshiper from the main household for four days. During this period, the worshiper observes purity, and sleeps on the floor on a single blanket. This is the only holy festival which has no involvement of any priest. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">The devotees offer their prayers to the setting sun today, and conclude the festival by offering prayers to the rising sun the next morning to celebrate its glory as the cycle of birth starts with death. <em>(With inputs from RSS)</em></span></span></span></p> <p> </p> <p> </p> <p> </p> <p> </p> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2021-11-10', 'modified' => '2021-11-11', 'keywords' => '', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '14011', 'image' => '20211110082143_20211107101945_1260843_n - Copy.jpg', 'article_date' => '2021-11-10 08:20:49', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => true, 'in_scroller' => false, 'user_id' => '34' ) ), (int) 14 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '14265', 'article_category_id' => '1', 'title' => '19 Medical Stores Face Action in Kathmandu Valley ', 'sub_title' => '', 'summary' => 'November 10: Nineteen medical stores run against the criteria set by the government have been suspended. ', 'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">November 10: Nineteen medical stores run against the criteria set by the government have been suspended. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">The Department of Drug Administration (DDA) took the action against 19 medical stores that were operating in Kathmandu Valley. The department took such action between mid-September to mid-October as they were found running without permission. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">Director General of the DDA, Narayan Prasad Dhakal, said that the medical stores were suspended for four to fifteen days as per the Drugs Act. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">There is a provision that medical stores should be operated only after registration with the DDA. </span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">The drug stores that were suspended include Luksi Vetpharma, Koteshwor; Gandhi Manohara Community Health Centre, Kageshwori Manahara; Sapantirtha Pharmacy, Tokha; Prakritik Baipas Pharmacy; Jhorali Pharmacy; Tokha Emergency Medical Hall; Nandakrishna Pharmacy; Subedi Pharmacy; Anamol Pharmacy; Siddhi Pharmacy, among others. -- RSS </span></span></span></p> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2021-11-10', 'modified' => '2021-11-10', 'keywords' => '', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '14010', 'image' => '20211110081500_20200923045005_1600811052.Clipboard07.jpg', 'article_date' => '2021-11-10 08:14:20', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => true, 'in_scroller' => null, 'user_id' => '34' ) ) ) $current_user = null $logged_in = falseinclude - APP/View/Elements/side_bar.ctp, line 60 View::_evaluate() - CORE/Cake/View/View.php, line 971 View::_render() - CORE/Cake/View/View.php, line 933 View::_renderElement() - CORE/Cake/View/View.php, line 1224 View::element() - CORE/Cake/View/View.php, line 418 include - APP/View/Articles/index.ctp, line 157 View::_evaluate() - CORE/Cake/View/View.php, line 971 View::_render() - CORE/Cake/View/View.php, line 933 View::render() - CORE/Cake/View/View.php, line 473 Controller::render() - CORE/Cake/Controller/Controller.php, line 968 Dispatcher::_invoke() - CORE/Cake/Routing/Dispatcher.php, line 200 Dispatcher::dispatch() - CORE/Cake/Routing/Dispatcher.php, line 167 [main] - APP/webroot/index.php, line 117
Warning (2): simplexml_load_file() [<a href='http://php.net/function.simplexml-load-file'>function.simplexml-load-file</a>]: I/O warning : failed to load external entity "" [APP/View/Elements/side_bar.ctp, line 60]file not found!Code Context// $file = 'http://aabhiyan:QUVLg8Wzs2F7G9N7@nepalstock.com.np/api/indexdata.xml';if(!$xml = simplexml_load_file($file)){$viewFile = '/var/www/html/newbusinessage.com/app/View/Elements/side_bar.ctp' $dataForView = array( 'articles' => array( (int) 0 => array( 'Article' => array( [maximum depth reached] ) ), (int) 1 => array( 'Article' => array( [maximum depth reached] ) ), (int) 2 => array( 'Article' => array( [maximum depth reached] ) ), (int) 3 => array( 'Article' => array( [maximum depth reached] ) ), (int) 4 => array( 'Article' => array( [maximum depth reached] ) ), (int) 5 => array( 'Article' => array( [maximum depth reached] ) ), (int) 6 => array( 'Article' => array( [maximum depth reached] ) ), (int) 7 => array( 'Article' => array( [maximum depth reached] ) ), (int) 8 => array( 'Article' => array( [maximum depth reached] ) ), (int) 9 => array( 'Article' => array( [maximum depth reached] ) ), (int) 10 => array( 'Article' => array( [maximum depth reached] ) ), (int) 11 => array( 'Article' => array( [maximum depth reached] ) ), (int) 12 => array( 'Article' => array( [maximum depth reached] ) ), (int) 13 => array( 'Article' => array( [maximum depth reached] ) ), (int) 14 => array( 'Article' => array( [maximum depth reached] ) ) ), 'current_user' => null, 'logged_in' => false ) $articles = array( (int) 0 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '14281', 'article_category_id' => '1', 'title' => 'Price of Gold Increases by Rs 1,700 per Tola in Two Days', 'sub_title' => '', 'summary' => 'November 12: Price of gold increased by Rs 1,700 per tola (equivalent to 11.66 grams) within a span of two days in the domestic market of Nepal.', 'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif""><span style="font-size:11.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">November 12: Price of gold increased by Rs 1,700 per tola (equivalent to 11.66 grams) within a span of two days in the domestic market of Nepal.</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif""><span style="font-size:11.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">As per the latest update provided by the Federation of Nepal Gold and Silver Dealers Association, hallmark (fine) gold is being traded for Rs 94,400 per tola on Friday (November 12).</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif""><span style="font-size:11.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">The price of precious yellow metal, which was traded for Rs 92,700 per tola on Wednesday, increased by Rs 1300 per tola on Thursday to Rs 94,000. It further increased by Rs 400 per tola on Friday.</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif""><span style="font-size:11.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">Similarly, price of silver has gone up by Rs 15 per tola on Friday to Rs 1285 against Rs 1,270 a day ago. Silver was traded for Rs 1,250 on Wednesday. </span></span><br /> <span style="font-size:11.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">The Federation determines the price of gold and silver every day on the basis of fluctuation of price in the international market. </span></span></span></span></p> <p> </p> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2021-11-12', 'modified' => '2021-11-12', 'keywords' => '', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '14025', 'image' => '20211112081500_20210425100433_20201203030905_1606953115.Clipboard16.jpg', 'article_date' => '2021-11-12 08:14:31', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => true, 'in_scroller' => false, 'user_id' => '34' ) ), (int) 1 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '14279', 'article_category_id' => '1', 'title' => 'Arrival of Foreign Tourists Improves Slightly in September', 'sub_title' => '', 'summary' => 'November 11: Despite Covid-19 infection, the tourist season in September observed a slight improvement in arrival of tourists in Nepal. ', 'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:14.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">November 11: Despite Covid-19 infection, the tourist season in September observed a slight improvement in arrival of tourists in Nepal. The months from September to November are considered as the peak tourist season in Nepal. The last two months have seen an improvement in tourist arrivals compared to 2020. This number is very low compared to the previous years.</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:14.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">The slowdown in arrival of tourists due to the onset of Covid-19 in 2020 has seen a slight improvement during this year's season. The number of tourists visiting Nepal used to be around 150,000 during October before 2020 and 2021. However, in the current year, it is below 50,000.</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:14.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">Altogether 134,096 tourists visited Nepal in October 2019, which dropped to 23,284 in October 2021 due to the impact of the pandemic. Tourist arrivals in September also improved compared to last year. In September 2021, a total of 9,898 tourists visited Nepal against 584 in September of last year.</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:14.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">In the first 10 months of this year, 134,096 tourists have visited Nepal. In 2020, a total of 230,000 tourists visited Nepal. With the onset of the tourist season and the opening of tourism, arrival of tourists has started to improve, according to tourism entrepreneurs.</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:14.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">According to the Nepal Tourism Statistics-2020 released by the Ministry of Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation, only 2,025 tourists had visited Nepal in October 2020.</span></span></span></span></p> <p> </p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:14.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">According to the Nepal Tourism Board, there has been an improvement in arrival of tourists since October due to the declining Covid-19 cases and increase in the number of vaccinations.</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:14.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">According to the NTB, Indian tourists come in large numbers in October. A total of 8,736 Indian tourists visited Nepal in October. Likewise, the number of Chinese tourists has also increased slightly. Meanwhile, the number of American tourists has reached 4,711 tourists in the review month. Similarly, the UK nationals are the third most visited foreigners with 1,381 tourists.</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:14.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">According to the board, the number of tourists coming to Nepal from India, the USA, and the UK is higher than others. A total of 9,420 tourists from SAARC countries like Bangladesh, India, Pakistan, Bhutan, and Sri Lanka have also visited Nepal during this period.</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:14.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">A total of 5,419 tourists have come from European countries including the UK, Poland, and Norway, while the number of tourist arrivals from Canada and the USA is 5,274 tourists.</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:14.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">According to the NTB, 8,874 tourists visited Nepal in January, 9,146 in February, 14,977 in March, 22,450 in April, 1,468 in May, 1,143 in June, 2,991 in July, and 5,917 in August.</span></span></span></span></p> <p> </p> <p> </p> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2021-11-11', 'modified' => '2021-11-11', 'keywords' => '', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '14024', 'image' => '20211111014914_Tourist.jpg', 'article_date' => '2021-11-11 13:48:36', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => true, 'in_scroller' => null, 'user_id' => '34' ) ), (int) 2 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '14277', 'article_category_id' => '1', 'title' => 'Import of Gold Increases in First Three Months of Current FY ', 'sub_title' => '', 'summary' => 'November 11: The country has witnessed high growth in import of gold lately. ', 'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif""><span style="font-size:14.0pt">November 11: The country has witnessed high growth in import of gold lately. The import of gold had declined in the last two fiscal years due to high inflation and the Covid-19 pandemic. However, the import of gold has increased in the current fiscal year. </span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif""><span style="font-size:14.0pt">According to the Department of Customs, gold worth Rs 11.72 billion has been imported in the first three months of the current fiscal year. This is 47 times more than the import in the corresponding period of last fiscal year (FY 2020/21), when gold worth Rs 737 million was imported into the country. </span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif""><span style="font-size:14.0pt">The import fell after the gold and jewelry business was affected by the pandemic. Likewise, in the corresponding period of the previous year (FY 2019/720), import of gold had declined due to the increase in price. However, the import of gold has skyrocketed in the review period this year. </span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif""><span style="font-size:14.0pt">During normal circumstances, Nepal imports gold worth Rs 7 to 8 billion in a quarter. Nevertheless, this time, gold worth more than Rs 11 billion has been imported. </span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif""><span style="font-size:14.0pt">President of the Federation of Nepalese Gold and Silver Dealers Association Manik Ratna Shakya says that the import of gold has increased due to the increased mobility of people during the festival this time. </span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif""><span style="font-size:14.0pt">“Gold business had been affected in the last two fiscal years due to increasing prices and the pandemic. But now that the impact of the pandemic has slowed down and prices have dropped,” he said, “On top of that, people have started buying jewelry in festivals like Teej, Dashain and Tihar. Imports have also increased due to the increase in demand in the market.” </span></span></span></p> <p> </p> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2021-11-11', 'modified' => '2021-11-11', 'keywords' => '', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '14023', 'image' => '20211111124054_20200923113522_gold.jpg', 'article_date' => '2021-11-11 12:40:17', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => true, 'in_scroller' => null, 'user_id' => '34' ) ), (int) 3 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '14278', 'article_category_id' => '1', 'title' => 'National Population Census Begins', 'sub_title' => '', 'summary' => 'November 11: The 12th national population census,, which is conducted every 10 years, has started from today (November 11). ', 'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:14.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">November 11: The 12th national population census,, which is conducted every 10 years, has started from today (November 11). The Central Bureau Statistics (CBS) has begun the 15-day long census by collecting the details of President Bidya Devi Bhandari.</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:14.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">CBS has estimated that the population of the country would not reach 30 million. At a press conference organized on the eve of the census on November 10, Director General of CBS Nebin Lal Shrestha said that the population is estimated to be less than 30 million. He said that the birth rate of the country is declining and a large number of people are emigrating to foreign countries. </span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:14.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">Altogether 40,000 enumerators are being mobilized for the national census. It will take about 30 minutes to collect the details of a family. It takes a minimum of 30 minutes to answer 80 questions, said Shrestha. An enumerator generally collects data of 175 households. </span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:14.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">A total of Rs 4 billion will be spent for the census. Shrestha said that it would take five years to complete the entire process of census. Three billion rupees is estimated to be spent in the first year. "Of which, Rs 1.60 billion goes to the salaries and allowances of enumerators and supervisors," said Shrestha. CBS has set up district census offices in each district, 389 local census offices and one office in each of the seven provinces. </span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:14.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">In the past years, teachers were recruited as enumerators, but this year teachers have been assigned as supervisors. Youths, who have completed higher secondary education have been recruited as enumerators on the recommendation of local bodies. </span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:14.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">A total of 2,250 tablets will be used for census in six cities including Kathmandu. Shrestha said that tablets cannot be used everywhere as they are expensive.</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:14.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">Nepalis working in diplomatic offices and embassies of different countries will be counted through e-census. The CBS informed that it will also collect data of people from Lipulek, Limpiyadhura and Kalapani areas as well. If the data can't be collected physically, it will be done through alternative means like satellite. </span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:14.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">According to him, the Indian Army has restricted people to go in these areas so diplomatic efforts are being made to reach there. The department estimates about 800 families live in the area.</span></span></span></span></p> <p><br /> <br /> </p> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2021-11-11', 'modified' => '2021-11-11', 'keywords' => '', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '14022', 'image' => '20211111124948_20211109080004_20211108052804_National-Census-2021.jpg', 'article_date' => '2021-11-11 12:49:16', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => true, 'in_scroller' => null, 'user_id' => '34' ) ), (int) 4 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '14276', 'article_category_id' => '1', 'title' => 'Chhath Festival Concludes by Offering Prayers to the Rising Sun ', 'sub_title' => '', 'summary' => 'November 11: This year’s Chhath festival celebrations have concluded across the country by offering prayers to the rising sun this morning (November 11). ', 'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:14.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">November 11: This year’s Chhath festival celebrations have concluded across the country by offering prayers to the rising sun this morning (November 11). </span></span><br /> <span style="font-size:14.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">The devotees presented offerings, worshipped the statue of Chhati Mai on the banks of rivers and ponds and lit oil lamps. Likewise, a large number of devotees thronged to pay homage to the idols in different parts of the country including Mithila region where the festival is observed in particular. </span></span><br /> <span style="font-size:14.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">This festival is celebrated from the fourth day of bright half of the lunar calendar to the seventh day in the month of Kartik as per the Nepali calendar. It usually falls in the months of October and November as per the Gregorian calendar. </span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:14.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">During this period, the worshipers observe purity, abstain from eating ‘impure’ food and sleep on the floor on a single blanket. This is the only holy festival which has no involvement of any priest. </span></span> <br /> <span style="font-size:14.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">After offering prayers to the rising Sun, the devotees offer coconut, banana and other sweet dishes to their relatives and neighbours. </span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:14.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">The Sun considered as the God of energy and of the life-force, is worshiped during the Chhath festival to promote well-being, prosperity and progress of family members. <em>(With inputs from RSS)</em></span></span></span></span><br /> </p> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2021-11-11', 'modified' => '2021-11-11', 'keywords' => '', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '14021', 'image' => '20211111120613_20211108011435_Chhathtransparent-wom.jpg', 'article_date' => '2021-11-11 12:05:07', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => true, 'in_scroller' => null, 'user_id' => '34' ) ), (int) 5 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '14275', 'article_category_id' => '1', 'title' => 'NOC Hikes Fuel Prices in Less than 2 Weeks', 'sub_title' => '', 'summary' => 'November 11: The government has increased the prices of petroleum products in less than two weeks. ', 'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:14.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">November 11: The government has increased the prices of petroleum products in less than two weeks. As per the latest decision, the new prices of petroleum products will come into effect from today (November 11). The state-owned Nepal Oil Corporation (NOC) has hiked the prices of petrol, diesel and kerosene each by Rs 3 per litre. Prior to this, the NOC had increased the prices of petroleum products on midnight of October 29.</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:14.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">A meeting of the board of directors of Nepal Oil Corporation on Wednesday (November 10) once again decided to increase the prices of petrol, diesel, kerosene and aviation fuel as well as of cooking gas with effect from midnight of November 10. The price of cooking LP gas has been increased by Rs 75 per cylinder to Rs 1,575. </span></span><br /> <span style="font-size:14.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">As a result, petrol will now cost Rs 136 per liter while the price of diesel and kerosene has been fixed at Rs 119 per litre. The price of aviation turbine fuel (ATF) for domestic flights has been increased by Rs 5 per litre to Rs 101 per litre. The price of aviation fuel for international flights has reached USD 895 per kilolitre, according to a statement issued by the NOC’s joint-spokesperson Puskar Karki. <br /> Even after the adjusted price, the NOC will incur a loss of Rs 2.62 billion in 15 days, the statement added. </span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:14.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">The chart below shows a timeline of price hike of petroleum products: </span></span></span></span></p> <p><img alt="" src="/app/webroot/userfiles/images/Untitled%285%29.jpg" style="height:465px; width:800px" /></p> <p><em>Source: NOC</em></p> <p> </p> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2021-11-11', 'modified' => '2021-11-11', 'keywords' => '', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '14020', 'image' => '20211111114557_20211030080715_202609_20190503125003_Petrol-Price-Increase.jpg', 'article_date' => '2021-11-11 11:44:49', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => true, 'in_scroller' => false, 'user_id' => '34' ) ), (int) 6 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '14274', 'article_category_id' => '1', 'title' => 'Loss of Glaciers will Hurt Tourism, Power Supplies and More', 'sub_title' => '', 'summary' => 'November 11: From the southern border of Germany to the highest peaks in Africa, glaciers around the world have served as moneymaking tourist attractions, natural climate records for scientists and beacons of beliefs for indigenous groups.', 'content' => '<p><em>Everest Base Camp seen in this file photo. NBA</em></p> <p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif""><span style="font-size:14.0pt">November 11: From the southern border of Germany to the highest peaks in Africa, glaciers around the world have served as moneymaking tourist attractions, natural climate records for scientists and beacons of beliefs for indigenous groups. And Nepal could not be an exception to this. Glaciers are one of the big sources of river water in Nepal, where there are 3,808 glaciers spread in an area of 4,212 sq km.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif""><span style="font-size:14.0pt">With many glaciers (across the world) rapidly melting because of climate change, the disappearance of the ice sheets is sure to deal a blow to countries and communities that have relied on them for generations — to make electricity, to draw visitors and to uphold ancient spiritual traditions, the Associated Press (AP) reported.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif""><span style="font-size:14.0pt">According to a World Bank report, black carbon deposits originating from factories, cooking and vehicles are compounding the effects of climate change to speed up the melting of the Himalayan glaciers. </span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif""><span style="font-size:14.0pt">AP reports that the ice masses that formed over millennia from compacted snow have been melting since around the time of the Industrial Revolution, a process that has accelerated in recent years.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif""><span style="font-size:14.0pt">The retreat can be seen in Africa, on the border of Uganda and the Democratic Republic of the Congo, where the jagged peaks of the Rwenzori Mountains jut into the sky above a green jungle. The peaks once held more than 40 glaciers, but fewer than half of them remained by 2005, and the melting continues. According to AP, experts believe the last of the mountains' glaciers could disappear within 20 years.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif""><span style="font-size:14.0pt">The disappearance means trouble for land-locked Uganda, which gets nearly half of its power from hydroelectricity, including the power plants that rely on steady water flow from the Rwenzori glaciers.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif""><span style="font-size:14.0pt">A continent away, on the southern edge of Germany’s border with Austria, only half a square kilometer (124 acres) of ice remains on five glaciers combined. Experts estimate that is 88% less than the amount of ice that existed around 1850, and that the remaining glaciers will melt in 10 to 15 years, the news agency further reported.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif""><span style="font-size:14.0pt">That spells bad news for the regional tourism industry that relies on the glaciers, AP reported citing Christoph Mayer, a senior scientist in the geodesy and glaciology group at the Bavarian Academy of Sciences and Humanities in Munich.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif""><span style="font-size:14.0pt">“At the moment, tourist agencies can advertise, ‘You can visit some kind of the highest mountains in Germany with glaciers. You can walk on the glaciers,’” Mayer reportedly said. “People living around these regions really live from tourism ... there will be an impact on them if they lose these glaciers.”</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif""><span style="font-size:14.0pt">The same issue faces Tanzania, where experts estimate that Mt Kilimanjaro — the highest mountain in Africa and one of the country’s main tourism attractions — has lost about 90% of its glacial ice to melting and to sublimation, a process in which solid ice transitions directly to vapor without becoming a liquid first. Travel and tourism accounted for 10.7% of the country’s GDP in 2019.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif""><span style="font-size:14.0pt">In the history of the local populations, "the ice in the mountains is the seat of god. It has a very spiritual meaning,” said Rainer Prinz, a glaciologist at the University of Innsbruck in Austria. “Losing the glaciers there would also impact spiritual life.”</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-family:Times New Roman,serif"><span style="font-size:18.6667px">"As glaciers shrink, the lives and livelihoods of many people downstream are affected by changes in the water supply. We can slow glacial melt by collectively acting to curb the black carbon deposits that are speeding the thinning of the ice. Regional cooperation to protect these resources will pay important dividends for the health and well-being of the people in the region," the World Bank quoted its vice president for South Asia Hartwig Schafer as saying.</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-family:Times New Roman,serif"><span style="font-size:18.6667px">"Recent devastating flash floods attributed to a collapsing glacier in Himalayas were a sobering reminder of the sometimes disastrous effects of climate change and the dangers we have to protect against," added Schafer.</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif""><span style="font-size:14.0pt">According to AP, the layers of ice that make up a glacier can be tens of thousands of years old and contain year-by-year information about past climate conditions, including atmospheric composition, temperature variations and types of vegetation that were present. Researchers take long tube-like ice cores from glaciers to “read” these layers.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif""><span style="font-size:14.0pt">During a 2010 research trip to the Carstensz glacier in Indonesia's western Papua province, oceanographer Dwi Raden Susanto was excited to be part of a team that took a core sample from the remote glaciers. But once the sample was taken, Susanto said, scientists quickly realized the rapid decline of the ice allowed them to get records dating back only to the 1960s.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif""><span style="font-size:14.0pt">As glaciers vanish, experts say, local ecosystems will begin to change as well— something already being studied at the Humboldt Glacier in Venezuela, which could disappear within the next two decades.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif""><span style="font-size:14.0pt">Experts warn that the fate of smaller glaciers offers a warning for larger glaciers. Increased melt will also lead to rising seas and changes in weather patterns — something that is bound to affect society on a global level, Mayer said.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif""><span style="font-size:14.0pt">“The disappearance of these small glaciers is really a warning sign of what is coming in the future,” AP quoted Mayer as saying. </span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:14.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">Current policies in place to reduce black carbon emissions – through enhancing fuel-efficiency standards, phasing out diesel vehicles and promoting electric cars – while laudable, will still reduce black carbon deposits by only 23 percent, not enough to prevent an acceleration of water releases from glacier melt in the Himalayan region, states the World Bank report entitled Glaciers of the Himalayas: Climate Change, Black Carbon and Regional Resilience.</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:14.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif""> </span></span></span></span></p> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2021-11-11', 'modified' => '2021-11-11', 'keywords' => '', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '14019', 'image' => '20211111110327_258274_28_o.jpg', 'article_date' => '2021-11-11 10:57:08', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => true, 'in_scroller' => false, 'user_id' => '34' ) ), (int) 7 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '14273', 'article_category_id' => '1', 'title' => 'Solar Energy Attracting Investors in Nepal', 'sub_title' => '21 Projects Granted Permission for Survey ', 'summary' => 'November 11: The number of investors in the solar energy sector has significantly increased in recent years. ', 'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">November 11: The number of investors in the solar energy sector has significantly increased in recent years. It may be noted that the promotion of the solar and energy mix falls on the priority of the government in its bid to seek and promote the sources of alternative energy. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">The government plans to generate 15,000 megawatts of electricity in the next ten years and contribution of alternative energy to such plan is around 10 percent. Solar power projects continue to attract investors unlike other sources of alternative energy. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">The Ministry of Energy, Water Resources and Irrigation has side by side focused on the development and promotion of other primary sources of energy including hydropower projects and this concept is known as the ‘energy mix’. At the policy-level, the ministry is providing necessary facilitation for the development and expansion of solar energy. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">In the initial phase, the solar power was used for household electrification purpose. Its use for commercial purposes has begun lately. The solar project is getting attraction at the international level as well. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">The Nepal Electricity Authority (NEA) has launched the 25-MW solar project in Nuwakot and the power generation is around 50 percent of the capacity. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">The data of the Department of Electricity Development shows that 33 solar projects have applied for the survey and their accumulated capacity is 408 MW. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">The government is clear about not granting permission for operating a solar project in arable land. The areas along the Mid-Hill Highway seems suitable for installing solar projects at large scale. NEA has signed power purchase agreement with the solar projects to purchase electricity for around Rs 7 per unit. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">NEA Executive Director Kulman Ghising says the investment cost of solar-powered projects is gradually decreasing. Stating that the NEA has signed power purchase agreement with some projects at the value of Rs 7 per unit, he opined that solar power plants could be installed in land unfit for cultivation. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">According to the Department of Electricity Development, 16 projects have taken permission for construction. Their total production capacity is 93 megawatts. Similarly, 21 projects have acquired permission for survey. Their combined production capacity is 568 megawatts. Nine projects have sought permission for construction. Their production capacity is 60 megawatts in total. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">Four projects have been producing solar power. Their total production capacity is 20 megawatts. In the Kathmandu Valley, the Kathmandu Upatyaka Khanepani Management Board is operating a 0.68 megawatts capacity plant. Likewise, the Bishnupriya Solar Farm is producing one megawatt power, the Ridi Hydropower as a grid connected solar power project is producing 8.5 megawatts power in Rupandehi and the Mithila Solar PV Power Project is generating 10 megawatts power in Dhanusha. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">The combined production of the projects, including those in survey stage, those waiting for survey permission and the projects already acquiring permission for production is 1,149 megawatts. -- RSS</span></span></span></p> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2021-11-11', 'modified' => '2021-11-11', 'keywords' => '', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '14018', 'image' => '20211111080702_20211110015056_20210303092537_20210117063750_1610841055.Clipboard14.jpg', 'article_date' => '2021-11-11 08:06:02', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => true, 'in_scroller' => null, 'user_id' => '34' ) ), (int) 8 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '14271', 'article_category_id' => '1', 'title' => 'Ministry of Urban Development Stops Public Procurement from Consumer Committees', 'sub_title' => '', 'summary' => 'November 10: The Ministry of Urban Development has stopped all new procurement activities from consumer committees with immediate effect. ', 'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:14.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">November 10: The Ministry of Urban Development has stopped all new procurement activities from consumer committees with immediate effect. The Ministry took a decision to this effect against the decision taken by Finance Minister Janardan Sharma two months ago to allow public construction works upto Rs 100 million through consumer committees, labour groups and cooperatives. </span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:14.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">The replacement bill presented by Minister Sharma in September reads ‘labor groups and cooperatives can participate in public construction works worth Rs 100 million through competition’. With the latest decision, about 30 percent of the works being carried out by the bodies under the ministry has come to an end. </span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:14.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">Bishnu Prasad Sharma, spokesperson of the Ministry, said that 30 percent of the procurement and construction works of the Urban Development and Building Construction Department, Kathmandu Valley Development Authority, High Powered Committee for Integrated Development of the Bagmati Civilization , Urban Development Fund are being done through the consumer committees.</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:14.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">Minister Ram Kumari Jhankri said that it would be appropriate to stop all procurement immediately till a clear work procedure for the construction through the consumers’ committee is formulated. Citing lack of uniformity, lack of competition in construction work and difficulty in maintaining quality, the ministry has directed to halt public procurement through these committees.</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:14.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">The procurement through the consumer committees has been stopped by the ministry as per the suggestions provided by the reports prepared by the Auditor General and the Commission for the Investigation of Abuse of Authority.</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:14.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">The report of the Auditor General have suggested the government to focus on quality of construction works through competitive bidding and to monitor projects carried by consumer committees and operate and carry out maintenance of the completed projects by the committees themselves. </span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:14.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">Similarly, the report further says that the activities carried out by the consume committees were not effective and promoted corruption. Spokesperson Sharma said that a clear work procedure is needed to make the programmes of the consumer committee effective, sustainable and employment oriented.</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:14.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">He said that a committee has been formed under the leadership of Ram Chandra Dangal, joint secretary at the ministry, to prepare the work procedure. The committee will submit a report with recommendations within a month and the ministry will then prepare the work procedure.</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:14.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">He said that such measures have been taken as irregularities have increased while the Public Procurement Act also has provision requiring work procedures. The Public Procurement Act includes various procurement methods for public works through the consumer committees. </span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:14.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">Ravi Singh, president of the Federation of Contractors Associations Nepal, said that the government has expressed concern over activities carried out by the consumer committee. "A lot of irregularities have been reported and limited people have been benefited instead. Irregularities must be stopped, it would make the structure vulnerable and irresponsible," he said. </span></span></span></span></p> <p><br /> <br /> </p> <p> </p> <p> </p> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2021-11-10', 'modified' => '2021-11-10', 'keywords' => '', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '14016', 'image' => '20211110014145_20210112122909_Clipboard01.jpg', 'article_date' => '2021-11-10 13:41:00', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => true, 'in_scroller' => null, 'user_id' => '34' ) ), (int) 9 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '14270', 'article_category_id' => '1', 'title' => 'Government to Resume Water Supply from Melamchi by this Winter: Minister Chaudhary ', 'sub_title' => '', 'summary' => 'November 10: Minister for Drinking Water and Sanitation Umakanta Chaudhary has assured that the supply of drinking water from Melamchi will resume soon. ', 'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:14.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">November 10: Minister for Drinking Water and Sanitation Umakanta Chaudhary has assured that the supply of drinking water from Melamchi will resume soon. </span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:14.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">For the first time, a ministerial-level delegation of the Government of Nepal has visited the Melamchi Water Supply Project for on-site inspection after the devastating floods of June 15. Minister Chaudhary, who reached Ambathan to monitor the extent of damage, assured that the water supply project would be brought into operation soon. Minister Chaudhary had reached the source of Melamchi River via a helicopter. </span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:14.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">In response to media persons’ queries on when the people of Kathmandu will be able to drink the water of Melamchi River, Minister Chaudhary said, “We will work to bring the water back to the tunnel temporarily. We are working hard to find a long-term solution to floods and landslide.” </span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:14.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">He further said that the government has given priority to the project and will supply water from Melamchi to the Kathmandu valley denizens at any cost by this winter. </span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:14.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">A team comprising Minister Chaudhary, Secretary at the Ministry Pramila Devi Bajracharya and Project Chief Basudev Poudel recently reached the headworks area at Ambathan in Melamchi and took stock about the status of the project. </span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:14.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">Poudel, executive director of the Melamchi Water Supply Project, said that the extent of damage suffered due to the floods can be ascertained only after clearing the debris as the project area has been completely submerged. He said that nothing can be said about the extent of damage right now. </span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:14.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">Chairperson of Helambu Rural Municipality Nima Gyaljen Sherpa suggested the project to move the source of drinking water a bit higher as there is high risk of landslides in the area. </span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:14.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">The government has completed necessary homework of awarding the contract directly by adopting the public procurement process for the re-operation of the project. However, as no decision has been taken yet, there is still confusion about the restoration of the project. </span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:14.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">The government is preparing to hand over the responsibility of constructing a permanent access road to the source of the project to the Department of Roads. The army is working to connect a Bailey bridge at the junction of the road leading to the project site. </span></span></span></span></p> <p> </p> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2021-11-10', 'modified' => '2021-11-10', 'keywords' => '', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '14015', 'image' => '20211110010116_20210420041320_20210212111048_20200317114243_Melamchi 1.jpg', 'article_date' => '2021-11-10 13:00:40', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => true, 'in_scroller' => null, 'user_id' => '34' ) ), (int) 10 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '14269', 'article_category_id' => '1', 'title' => 'Cabinet Approves Purchase of 6 Million Doses of Pfizer Vaccines', 'sub_title' => '', 'summary' => 'November 10: A meeting of the Council of Ministers held on Monday approved the purchase of 6 million doses of Pfizer vaccines. ', 'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:14.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">November 10: A meeting of the Council of Ministers held on Monday approved the purchase of 6 million doses of Pfizer vaccines. Earlier, the Ministry of Health and Population had submitted a proposal in the cabinet to make the purchase of vaccines.</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:14.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">The Ministry of Health and Population is planning to bring 6 million doses of vaccines for children up to 18 years of age by upcoming December. More than 100,000 doses of Pfizer vaccines have been brought to Nepal via the Covax facility. Those vaccines are planned to be given to chronically ill children from 12 to 18 years of age from November 14.</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:14.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">Minister for Communications and Information Technology and the spokesperson of government, Gyanendra Bahadur Karki on Tuesday announced the decisions taken by the cabinet meeting. Minister Karki reiterated the government’s commitment to vaccinate every age group from children to the elderly. </span></span></span></span></p> <p> </p> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2021-11-10', 'modified' => '2021-11-10', 'keywords' => '', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '14014', 'image' => '20211110123651_2021-10-06TBRAZIL.jpg', 'article_date' => '2021-11-10 12:36:13', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => true, 'in_scroller' => null, 'user_id' => '34' ) ), (int) 11 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '14268', 'article_category_id' => '1', 'title' => 'Distillery with Investment of Rs 300 Million to come into Operation in Lumbini Province', 'sub_title' => '', 'summary' => 'November 10: Shree New Everest Distillery will soon come into operation in Kohalpur, Banke district of Lumbini province with an investment of Rs 300 million. ', 'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:14.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">November 10: Shree New Everest Distillery will soon come into operation in Kohalpur, Banke district of Lumbini province with an investment of Rs 300 million. The distillery will produce liquor under a South Korean brand and technology in Nepal. Three businessmen have collaborated to produce liquor under the South Korean brand Soju. </span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:14.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">The industry has been established in a joint partnership of a Nepali businessman, a non-resident Nepali businessman, and a Korean investor. The initiative was taken by Binod Kunwar, former president of the Non-Resident Nepali Association South Korea, and a group of Korean partners, including Rabindra Man Shrestha, a Nepali investor, and businessman who has gained work experience in companies such as Surya Nepal, Gorkha Brewery and Dish Home.</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:14.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">Nepali investor and businessman Rabindra Man Shrestha informed that the industry is preparing to start its production within a month.</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:14.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">He said that the construction of the factory and other works is in the final stage. Shrestha claimed claims that 100 people will get direct employment after the operation of the industry.</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:14.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">Soju is one of the most popular soft drink companies in South Korea. </span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:14.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">Stating that the popularity of Soju is gradually increasing in Nepal, Shrestha said that he and his team aims to reduce the import of Soju with Nepali production. He said that the distillery will produce Soju of international standard and sell it at reasonable price to Nepali customers. </span></span></span></span></p> <p><br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> </p> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2021-11-10', 'modified' => '2021-11-10', 'keywords' => '', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '14013', 'image' => '20211110112917_1636509895.Clipboard05.jpg', 'article_date' => '2021-11-10 11:28:39', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => true, 'in_scroller' => null, 'user_id' => '34' ) ), (int) 12 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '14267', 'article_category_id' => '1', 'title' => 'Government Approves Work Procedure to Provide Relief to Farmers', 'sub_title' => '', 'summary' => 'November 10: The government has approved the work procedure submitted by a taskforce recommending relief to the farmers for the damage sustained to their crop by the recent unseasonal rainfall. ', 'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">November 10: The government has approved the work procedure submitted by a taskforce recommending relief to the farmers for the damage sustained to their crop by the recent unseasonal rainfall. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">A meeting of the Council of Ministers had formed the taskforce on October 25 to carry out a study on the extent of damage caused to crop due to the flooding and inundation following the unseasonal precipitation in mid-October. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">According to the state-owned national news agency RSS, the secretary at the Ministry of Home Affairs was designated as the coordinator of the taskforce. The secretaries at the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock Development, the Ministry of Finance, the Ministry of Industry, the Ministry of Federal Affairs and the National Planning Commission (NPC) were the members of the taskforce. The taskforce was given a three-day deadline to carry out the assigned task. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">Minister for Communication and Information Technology, Gyanendra Bahadur Karki said that additional process would be forwarded on the basis of the work procedure prepared by the taskforce. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">As per the preliminary estimates, paddy crop worth around Rs 7 billion have been damaged across the nation due to unseasonal rainfall. Minister Karki expressed commitment to provide relief to the victims based on the extent of damage. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">A recent cabinet meeting held on November 8 decided to provide relief to the families of victims of Motipur Industrial Corridor incident. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">Similarly, the meeting also granted permission for land acquisition for the construction of 400-KV sub-station in Kushma and sub-station in Jumla, RSS further reported. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">Similarly, the meeting granted the permission for the establishment of sisterly relations between the Kirtipur Municipality and the Huanggang City of the Hubei Province, China, according to Minister Karki who serves as Spokesperson for the government. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">The cabinet meeting also approved the Nepal’s participation in a programme of the World Health Organisation to be held in Geneva. </span></span></span><br /> </p> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2021-11-10', 'modified' => '2021-11-10', 'keywords' => '', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '14012', 'image' => '20211110083158_20210512035550_20181125011444_pady-1024x682.jpg', 'article_date' => '2021-11-10 08:31:30', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => true, 'in_scroller' => null, 'user_id' => '34' ) ), (int) 13 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '14266', 'article_category_id' => '1', 'title' => ' Main Event of Chhath Festival Being Observed Today', 'sub_title' => 'Devotees to Offer Prayers to the Setting Sun Today', 'summary' => 'November 10: Today (November 10) is the main day of the Chhath festival which is observed as a common cultural symbol of Tarai/Madhes. ', 'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">November 10: Today (November 10) is the main day of the Chhath festival which is observed as a common cultural symbol of Tarai/Madhes. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">The festival is dedicated to the Sun God, with offerings made to the rising and setting Sun. It is observed for four days, from the fourth day to the seventh day of the bright half in the month of Kartik as per the lunar calendar. It usually falls between October and November in the Gregorian calendar. The Sun considered as the God of energy and of the life-force, is worshiped during the Chhath festival to promote well-being, prosperity and progress of family members. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">The ritual of Chhath festival includes taking holy bath, fasting and worshiping the Sun and offering curd to the ‘Rising and Setting Sun'. Chhath is a festival of bathing and worshipping that follows a period of abstinence and segregation of the worshiper from the main household for four days. During this period, the worshiper observes purity, and sleeps on the floor on a single blanket. This is the only holy festival which has no involvement of any priest. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">The devotees offer their prayers to the setting sun today, and conclude the festival by offering prayers to the rising sun the next morning to celebrate its glory as the cycle of birth starts with death. <em>(With inputs from RSS)</em></span></span></span></p> <p> </p> <p> </p> <p> </p> <p> </p> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2021-11-10', 'modified' => '2021-11-11', 'keywords' => '', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '14011', 'image' => '20211110082143_20211107101945_1260843_n - Copy.jpg', 'article_date' => '2021-11-10 08:20:49', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => true, 'in_scroller' => false, 'user_id' => '34' ) ), (int) 14 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '14265', 'article_category_id' => '1', 'title' => '19 Medical Stores Face Action in Kathmandu Valley ', 'sub_title' => '', 'summary' => 'November 10: Nineteen medical stores run against the criteria set by the government have been suspended. ', 'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">November 10: Nineteen medical stores run against the criteria set by the government have been suspended. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">The Department of Drug Administration (DDA) took the action against 19 medical stores that were operating in Kathmandu Valley. The department took such action between mid-September to mid-October as they were found running without permission. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">Director General of the DDA, Narayan Prasad Dhakal, said that the medical stores were suspended for four to fifteen days as per the Drugs Act. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">There is a provision that medical stores should be operated only after registration with the DDA. </span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">The drug stores that were suspended include Luksi Vetpharma, Koteshwor; Gandhi Manohara Community Health Centre, Kageshwori Manahara; Sapantirtha Pharmacy, Tokha; Prakritik Baipas Pharmacy; Jhorali Pharmacy; Tokha Emergency Medical Hall; Nandakrishna Pharmacy; Subedi Pharmacy; Anamol Pharmacy; Siddhi Pharmacy, among others. -- RSS </span></span></span></p> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2021-11-10', 'modified' => '2021-11-10', 'keywords' => '', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '14010', 'image' => '20211110081500_20200923045005_1600811052.Clipboard07.jpg', 'article_date' => '2021-11-10 08:14:20', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => true, 'in_scroller' => null, 'user_id' => '34' ) ) ) $current_user = null $logged_in = falsesimplexml_load_file - [internal], line ?? include - APP/View/Elements/side_bar.ctp, line 60 View::_evaluate() - CORE/Cake/View/View.php, line 971 View::_render() - CORE/Cake/View/View.php, line 933 View::_renderElement() - CORE/Cake/View/View.php, line 1224 View::element() - CORE/Cake/View/View.php, line 418 include - APP/View/Articles/index.ctp, line 157 View::_evaluate() - CORE/Cake/View/View.php, line 971 View::_render() - CORE/Cake/View/View.php, line 933 View::render() - CORE/Cake/View/View.php, line 473 Controller::render() - CORE/Cake/Controller/Controller.php, line 968 Dispatcher::_invoke() - CORE/Cake/Routing/Dispatcher.php, line 200 Dispatcher::dispatch() - CORE/Cake/Routing/Dispatcher.php, line 167 [main] - APP/webroot/index.php, line 117
Notice (8): Undefined variable: file [APP/View/Elements/side_bar.ctp, line 133]Code Context// $file = 'http://aabhiyan:QUVLg8Wzs2F7G9N7@nepalstock.com.np/api/subindexdata.xml';if(!$xml = simplexml_load_file($file)){$viewFile = '/var/www/html/newbusinessage.com/app/View/Elements/side_bar.ctp' $dataForView = array( 'articles' => array( (int) 0 => array( 'Article' => array( [maximum depth reached] ) ), (int) 1 => array( 'Article' => array( [maximum depth reached] ) ), (int) 2 => array( 'Article' => array( [maximum depth reached] ) ), (int) 3 => array( 'Article' => array( [maximum depth reached] ) ), (int) 4 => array( 'Article' => array( [maximum depth reached] ) ), (int) 5 => array( 'Article' => array( [maximum depth reached] ) ), (int) 6 => array( 'Article' => array( [maximum depth reached] ) ), (int) 7 => array( 'Article' => array( [maximum depth reached] ) ), (int) 8 => array( 'Article' => array( [maximum depth reached] ) ), (int) 9 => array( 'Article' => array( [maximum depth reached] ) ), (int) 10 => array( 'Article' => array( [maximum depth reached] ) ), (int) 11 => array( 'Article' => array( [maximum depth reached] ) ), (int) 12 => array( 'Article' => array( [maximum depth reached] ) ), (int) 13 => array( 'Article' => array( [maximum depth reached] ) ), (int) 14 => array( 'Article' => array( [maximum depth reached] ) ) ), 'current_user' => null, 'logged_in' => false ) $articles = array( (int) 0 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '14281', 'article_category_id' => '1', 'title' => 'Price of Gold Increases by Rs 1,700 per Tola in Two Days', 'sub_title' => '', 'summary' => 'November 12: Price of gold increased by Rs 1,700 per tola (equivalent to 11.66 grams) within a span of two days in the domestic market of Nepal.', 'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif""><span style="font-size:11.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">November 12: Price of gold increased by Rs 1,700 per tola (equivalent to 11.66 grams) within a span of two days in the domestic market of Nepal.</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif""><span style="font-size:11.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">As per the latest update provided by the Federation of Nepal Gold and Silver Dealers Association, hallmark (fine) gold is being traded for Rs 94,400 per tola on Friday (November 12).</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif""><span style="font-size:11.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">The price of precious yellow metal, which was traded for Rs 92,700 per tola on Wednesday, increased by Rs 1300 per tola on Thursday to Rs 94,000. It further increased by Rs 400 per tola on Friday.</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif""><span style="font-size:11.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">Similarly, price of silver has gone up by Rs 15 per tola on Friday to Rs 1285 against Rs 1,270 a day ago. Silver was traded for Rs 1,250 on Wednesday. </span></span><br /> <span style="font-size:11.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">The Federation determines the price of gold and silver every day on the basis of fluctuation of price in the international market. </span></span></span></span></p> <p> </p> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2021-11-12', 'modified' => '2021-11-12', 'keywords' => '', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '14025', 'image' => '20211112081500_20210425100433_20201203030905_1606953115.Clipboard16.jpg', 'article_date' => '2021-11-12 08:14:31', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => true, 'in_scroller' => false, 'user_id' => '34' ) ), (int) 1 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '14279', 'article_category_id' => '1', 'title' => 'Arrival of Foreign Tourists Improves Slightly in September', 'sub_title' => '', 'summary' => 'November 11: Despite Covid-19 infection, the tourist season in September observed a slight improvement in arrival of tourists in Nepal. ', 'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:14.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">November 11: Despite Covid-19 infection, the tourist season in September observed a slight improvement in arrival of tourists in Nepal. The months from September to November are considered as the peak tourist season in Nepal. The last two months have seen an improvement in tourist arrivals compared to 2020. This number is very low compared to the previous years.</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:14.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">The slowdown in arrival of tourists due to the onset of Covid-19 in 2020 has seen a slight improvement during this year's season. The number of tourists visiting Nepal used to be around 150,000 during October before 2020 and 2021. However, in the current year, it is below 50,000.</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:14.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">Altogether 134,096 tourists visited Nepal in October 2019, which dropped to 23,284 in October 2021 due to the impact of the pandemic. Tourist arrivals in September also improved compared to last year. In September 2021, a total of 9,898 tourists visited Nepal against 584 in September of last year.</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:14.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">In the first 10 months of this year, 134,096 tourists have visited Nepal. In 2020, a total of 230,000 tourists visited Nepal. With the onset of the tourist season and the opening of tourism, arrival of tourists has started to improve, according to tourism entrepreneurs.</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:14.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">According to the Nepal Tourism Statistics-2020 released by the Ministry of Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation, only 2,025 tourists had visited Nepal in October 2020.</span></span></span></span></p> <p> </p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:14.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">According to the Nepal Tourism Board, there has been an improvement in arrival of tourists since October due to the declining Covid-19 cases and increase in the number of vaccinations.</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:14.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">According to the NTB, Indian tourists come in large numbers in October. A total of 8,736 Indian tourists visited Nepal in October. Likewise, the number of Chinese tourists has also increased slightly. Meanwhile, the number of American tourists has reached 4,711 tourists in the review month. Similarly, the UK nationals are the third most visited foreigners with 1,381 tourists.</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:14.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">According to the board, the number of tourists coming to Nepal from India, the USA, and the UK is higher than others. A total of 9,420 tourists from SAARC countries like Bangladesh, India, Pakistan, Bhutan, and Sri Lanka have also visited Nepal during this period.</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:14.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">A total of 5,419 tourists have come from European countries including the UK, Poland, and Norway, while the number of tourist arrivals from Canada and the USA is 5,274 tourists.</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:14.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">According to the NTB, 8,874 tourists visited Nepal in January, 9,146 in February, 14,977 in March, 22,450 in April, 1,468 in May, 1,143 in June, 2,991 in July, and 5,917 in August.</span></span></span></span></p> <p> </p> <p> </p> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2021-11-11', 'modified' => '2021-11-11', 'keywords' => '', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '14024', 'image' => '20211111014914_Tourist.jpg', 'article_date' => '2021-11-11 13:48:36', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => true, 'in_scroller' => null, 'user_id' => '34' ) ), (int) 2 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '14277', 'article_category_id' => '1', 'title' => 'Import of Gold Increases in First Three Months of Current FY ', 'sub_title' => '', 'summary' => 'November 11: The country has witnessed high growth in import of gold lately. ', 'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif""><span style="font-size:14.0pt">November 11: The country has witnessed high growth in import of gold lately. The import of gold had declined in the last two fiscal years due to high inflation and the Covid-19 pandemic. However, the import of gold has increased in the current fiscal year. </span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif""><span style="font-size:14.0pt">According to the Department of Customs, gold worth Rs 11.72 billion has been imported in the first three months of the current fiscal year. This is 47 times more than the import in the corresponding period of last fiscal year (FY 2020/21), when gold worth Rs 737 million was imported into the country. </span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif""><span style="font-size:14.0pt">The import fell after the gold and jewelry business was affected by the pandemic. Likewise, in the corresponding period of the previous year (FY 2019/720), import of gold had declined due to the increase in price. However, the import of gold has skyrocketed in the review period this year. </span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif""><span style="font-size:14.0pt">During normal circumstances, Nepal imports gold worth Rs 7 to 8 billion in a quarter. Nevertheless, this time, gold worth more than Rs 11 billion has been imported. </span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif""><span style="font-size:14.0pt">President of the Federation of Nepalese Gold and Silver Dealers Association Manik Ratna Shakya says that the import of gold has increased due to the increased mobility of people during the festival this time. </span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif""><span style="font-size:14.0pt">“Gold business had been affected in the last two fiscal years due to increasing prices and the pandemic. But now that the impact of the pandemic has slowed down and prices have dropped,” he said, “On top of that, people have started buying jewelry in festivals like Teej, Dashain and Tihar. Imports have also increased due to the increase in demand in the market.” </span></span></span></p> <p> </p> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2021-11-11', 'modified' => '2021-11-11', 'keywords' => '', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '14023', 'image' => '20211111124054_20200923113522_gold.jpg', 'article_date' => '2021-11-11 12:40:17', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => true, 'in_scroller' => null, 'user_id' => '34' ) ), (int) 3 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '14278', 'article_category_id' => '1', 'title' => 'National Population Census Begins', 'sub_title' => '', 'summary' => 'November 11: The 12th national population census,, which is conducted every 10 years, has started from today (November 11). ', 'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:14.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">November 11: The 12th national population census,, which is conducted every 10 years, has started from today (November 11). The Central Bureau Statistics (CBS) has begun the 15-day long census by collecting the details of President Bidya Devi Bhandari.</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:14.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">CBS has estimated that the population of the country would not reach 30 million. At a press conference organized on the eve of the census on November 10, Director General of CBS Nebin Lal Shrestha said that the population is estimated to be less than 30 million. He said that the birth rate of the country is declining and a large number of people are emigrating to foreign countries. </span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:14.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">Altogether 40,000 enumerators are being mobilized for the national census. It will take about 30 minutes to collect the details of a family. It takes a minimum of 30 minutes to answer 80 questions, said Shrestha. An enumerator generally collects data of 175 households. </span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:14.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">A total of Rs 4 billion will be spent for the census. Shrestha said that it would take five years to complete the entire process of census. Three billion rupees is estimated to be spent in the first year. "Of which, Rs 1.60 billion goes to the salaries and allowances of enumerators and supervisors," said Shrestha. CBS has set up district census offices in each district, 389 local census offices and one office in each of the seven provinces. </span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:14.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">In the past years, teachers were recruited as enumerators, but this year teachers have been assigned as supervisors. Youths, who have completed higher secondary education have been recruited as enumerators on the recommendation of local bodies. </span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:14.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">A total of 2,250 tablets will be used for census in six cities including Kathmandu. Shrestha said that tablets cannot be used everywhere as they are expensive.</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:14.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">Nepalis working in diplomatic offices and embassies of different countries will be counted through e-census. The CBS informed that it will also collect data of people from Lipulek, Limpiyadhura and Kalapani areas as well. If the data can't be collected physically, it will be done through alternative means like satellite. </span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:14.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">According to him, the Indian Army has restricted people to go in these areas so diplomatic efforts are being made to reach there. The department estimates about 800 families live in the area.</span></span></span></span></p> <p><br /> <br /> </p> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2021-11-11', 'modified' => '2021-11-11', 'keywords' => '', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '14022', 'image' => '20211111124948_20211109080004_20211108052804_National-Census-2021.jpg', 'article_date' => '2021-11-11 12:49:16', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => true, 'in_scroller' => null, 'user_id' => '34' ) ), (int) 4 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '14276', 'article_category_id' => '1', 'title' => 'Chhath Festival Concludes by Offering Prayers to the Rising Sun ', 'sub_title' => '', 'summary' => 'November 11: This year’s Chhath festival celebrations have concluded across the country by offering prayers to the rising sun this morning (November 11). ', 'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:14.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">November 11: This year’s Chhath festival celebrations have concluded across the country by offering prayers to the rising sun this morning (November 11). </span></span><br /> <span style="font-size:14.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">The devotees presented offerings, worshipped the statue of Chhati Mai on the banks of rivers and ponds and lit oil lamps. Likewise, a large number of devotees thronged to pay homage to the idols in different parts of the country including Mithila region where the festival is observed in particular. </span></span><br /> <span style="font-size:14.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">This festival is celebrated from the fourth day of bright half of the lunar calendar to the seventh day in the month of Kartik as per the Nepali calendar. It usually falls in the months of October and November as per the Gregorian calendar. </span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:14.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">During this period, the worshipers observe purity, abstain from eating ‘impure’ food and sleep on the floor on a single blanket. This is the only holy festival which has no involvement of any priest. </span></span> <br /> <span style="font-size:14.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">After offering prayers to the rising Sun, the devotees offer coconut, banana and other sweet dishes to their relatives and neighbours. </span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:14.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">The Sun considered as the God of energy and of the life-force, is worshiped during the Chhath festival to promote well-being, prosperity and progress of family members. <em>(With inputs from RSS)</em></span></span></span></span><br /> </p> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2021-11-11', 'modified' => '2021-11-11', 'keywords' => '', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '14021', 'image' => '20211111120613_20211108011435_Chhathtransparent-wom.jpg', 'article_date' => '2021-11-11 12:05:07', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => true, 'in_scroller' => null, 'user_id' => '34' ) ), (int) 5 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '14275', 'article_category_id' => '1', 'title' => 'NOC Hikes Fuel Prices in Less than 2 Weeks', 'sub_title' => '', 'summary' => 'November 11: The government has increased the prices of petroleum products in less than two weeks. ', 'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:14.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">November 11: The government has increased the prices of petroleum products in less than two weeks. As per the latest decision, the new prices of petroleum products will come into effect from today (November 11). The state-owned Nepal Oil Corporation (NOC) has hiked the prices of petrol, diesel and kerosene each by Rs 3 per litre. Prior to this, the NOC had increased the prices of petroleum products on midnight of October 29.</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:14.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">A meeting of the board of directors of Nepal Oil Corporation on Wednesday (November 10) once again decided to increase the prices of petrol, diesel, kerosene and aviation fuel as well as of cooking gas with effect from midnight of November 10. The price of cooking LP gas has been increased by Rs 75 per cylinder to Rs 1,575. </span></span><br /> <span style="font-size:14.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">As a result, petrol will now cost Rs 136 per liter while the price of diesel and kerosene has been fixed at Rs 119 per litre. The price of aviation turbine fuel (ATF) for domestic flights has been increased by Rs 5 per litre to Rs 101 per litre. The price of aviation fuel for international flights has reached USD 895 per kilolitre, according to a statement issued by the NOC’s joint-spokesperson Puskar Karki. <br /> Even after the adjusted price, the NOC will incur a loss of Rs 2.62 billion in 15 days, the statement added. </span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:14.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">The chart below shows a timeline of price hike of petroleum products: </span></span></span></span></p> <p><img alt="" src="/app/webroot/userfiles/images/Untitled%285%29.jpg" style="height:465px; width:800px" /></p> <p><em>Source: NOC</em></p> <p> </p> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2021-11-11', 'modified' => '2021-11-11', 'keywords' => '', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '14020', 'image' => '20211111114557_20211030080715_202609_20190503125003_Petrol-Price-Increase.jpg', 'article_date' => '2021-11-11 11:44:49', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => true, 'in_scroller' => false, 'user_id' => '34' ) ), (int) 6 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '14274', 'article_category_id' => '1', 'title' => 'Loss of Glaciers will Hurt Tourism, Power Supplies and More', 'sub_title' => '', 'summary' => 'November 11: From the southern border of Germany to the highest peaks in Africa, glaciers around the world have served as moneymaking tourist attractions, natural climate records for scientists and beacons of beliefs for indigenous groups.', 'content' => '<p><em>Everest Base Camp seen in this file photo. NBA</em></p> <p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif""><span style="font-size:14.0pt">November 11: From the southern border of Germany to the highest peaks in Africa, glaciers around the world have served as moneymaking tourist attractions, natural climate records for scientists and beacons of beliefs for indigenous groups. And Nepal could not be an exception to this. Glaciers are one of the big sources of river water in Nepal, where there are 3,808 glaciers spread in an area of 4,212 sq km.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif""><span style="font-size:14.0pt">With many glaciers (across the world) rapidly melting because of climate change, the disappearance of the ice sheets is sure to deal a blow to countries and communities that have relied on them for generations — to make electricity, to draw visitors and to uphold ancient spiritual traditions, the Associated Press (AP) reported.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif""><span style="font-size:14.0pt">According to a World Bank report, black carbon deposits originating from factories, cooking and vehicles are compounding the effects of climate change to speed up the melting of the Himalayan glaciers. </span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif""><span style="font-size:14.0pt">AP reports that the ice masses that formed over millennia from compacted snow have been melting since around the time of the Industrial Revolution, a process that has accelerated in recent years.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif""><span style="font-size:14.0pt">The retreat can be seen in Africa, on the border of Uganda and the Democratic Republic of the Congo, where the jagged peaks of the Rwenzori Mountains jut into the sky above a green jungle. The peaks once held more than 40 glaciers, but fewer than half of them remained by 2005, and the melting continues. According to AP, experts believe the last of the mountains' glaciers could disappear within 20 years.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif""><span style="font-size:14.0pt">The disappearance means trouble for land-locked Uganda, which gets nearly half of its power from hydroelectricity, including the power plants that rely on steady water flow from the Rwenzori glaciers.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif""><span style="font-size:14.0pt">A continent away, on the southern edge of Germany’s border with Austria, only half a square kilometer (124 acres) of ice remains on five glaciers combined. Experts estimate that is 88% less than the amount of ice that existed around 1850, and that the remaining glaciers will melt in 10 to 15 years, the news agency further reported.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif""><span style="font-size:14.0pt">That spells bad news for the regional tourism industry that relies on the glaciers, AP reported citing Christoph Mayer, a senior scientist in the geodesy and glaciology group at the Bavarian Academy of Sciences and Humanities in Munich.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif""><span style="font-size:14.0pt">“At the moment, tourist agencies can advertise, ‘You can visit some kind of the highest mountains in Germany with glaciers. You can walk on the glaciers,’” Mayer reportedly said. “People living around these regions really live from tourism ... there will be an impact on them if they lose these glaciers.”</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif""><span style="font-size:14.0pt">The same issue faces Tanzania, where experts estimate that Mt Kilimanjaro — the highest mountain in Africa and one of the country’s main tourism attractions — has lost about 90% of its glacial ice to melting and to sublimation, a process in which solid ice transitions directly to vapor without becoming a liquid first. Travel and tourism accounted for 10.7% of the country’s GDP in 2019.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif""><span style="font-size:14.0pt">In the history of the local populations, "the ice in the mountains is the seat of god. It has a very spiritual meaning,” said Rainer Prinz, a glaciologist at the University of Innsbruck in Austria. “Losing the glaciers there would also impact spiritual life.”</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-family:Times New Roman,serif"><span style="font-size:18.6667px">"As glaciers shrink, the lives and livelihoods of many people downstream are affected by changes in the water supply. We can slow glacial melt by collectively acting to curb the black carbon deposits that are speeding the thinning of the ice. Regional cooperation to protect these resources will pay important dividends for the health and well-being of the people in the region," the World Bank quoted its vice president for South Asia Hartwig Schafer as saying.</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-family:Times New Roman,serif"><span style="font-size:18.6667px">"Recent devastating flash floods attributed to a collapsing glacier in Himalayas were a sobering reminder of the sometimes disastrous effects of climate change and the dangers we have to protect against," added Schafer.</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif""><span style="font-size:14.0pt">According to AP, the layers of ice that make up a glacier can be tens of thousands of years old and contain year-by-year information about past climate conditions, including atmospheric composition, temperature variations and types of vegetation that were present. Researchers take long tube-like ice cores from glaciers to “read” these layers.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif""><span style="font-size:14.0pt">During a 2010 research trip to the Carstensz glacier in Indonesia's western Papua province, oceanographer Dwi Raden Susanto was excited to be part of a team that took a core sample from the remote glaciers. But once the sample was taken, Susanto said, scientists quickly realized the rapid decline of the ice allowed them to get records dating back only to the 1960s.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif""><span style="font-size:14.0pt">As glaciers vanish, experts say, local ecosystems will begin to change as well— something already being studied at the Humboldt Glacier in Venezuela, which could disappear within the next two decades.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif""><span style="font-size:14.0pt">Experts warn that the fate of smaller glaciers offers a warning for larger glaciers. Increased melt will also lead to rising seas and changes in weather patterns — something that is bound to affect society on a global level, Mayer said.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif""><span style="font-size:14.0pt">“The disappearance of these small glaciers is really a warning sign of what is coming in the future,” AP quoted Mayer as saying. </span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:14.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">Current policies in place to reduce black carbon emissions – through enhancing fuel-efficiency standards, phasing out diesel vehicles and promoting electric cars – while laudable, will still reduce black carbon deposits by only 23 percent, not enough to prevent an acceleration of water releases from glacier melt in the Himalayan region, states the World Bank report entitled Glaciers of the Himalayas: Climate Change, Black Carbon and Regional Resilience.</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:14.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif""> </span></span></span></span></p> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2021-11-11', 'modified' => '2021-11-11', 'keywords' => '', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '14019', 'image' => '20211111110327_258274_28_o.jpg', 'article_date' => '2021-11-11 10:57:08', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => true, 'in_scroller' => false, 'user_id' => '34' ) ), (int) 7 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '14273', 'article_category_id' => '1', 'title' => 'Solar Energy Attracting Investors in Nepal', 'sub_title' => '21 Projects Granted Permission for Survey ', 'summary' => 'November 11: The number of investors in the solar energy sector has significantly increased in recent years. ', 'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">November 11: The number of investors in the solar energy sector has significantly increased in recent years. It may be noted that the promotion of the solar and energy mix falls on the priority of the government in its bid to seek and promote the sources of alternative energy. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">The government plans to generate 15,000 megawatts of electricity in the next ten years and contribution of alternative energy to such plan is around 10 percent. Solar power projects continue to attract investors unlike other sources of alternative energy. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">The Ministry of Energy, Water Resources and Irrigation has side by side focused on the development and promotion of other primary sources of energy including hydropower projects and this concept is known as the ‘energy mix’. At the policy-level, the ministry is providing necessary facilitation for the development and expansion of solar energy. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">In the initial phase, the solar power was used for household electrification purpose. Its use for commercial purposes has begun lately. The solar project is getting attraction at the international level as well. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">The Nepal Electricity Authority (NEA) has launched the 25-MW solar project in Nuwakot and the power generation is around 50 percent of the capacity. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">The data of the Department of Electricity Development shows that 33 solar projects have applied for the survey and their accumulated capacity is 408 MW. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">The government is clear about not granting permission for operating a solar project in arable land. The areas along the Mid-Hill Highway seems suitable for installing solar projects at large scale. NEA has signed power purchase agreement with the solar projects to purchase electricity for around Rs 7 per unit. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">NEA Executive Director Kulman Ghising says the investment cost of solar-powered projects is gradually decreasing. Stating that the NEA has signed power purchase agreement with some projects at the value of Rs 7 per unit, he opined that solar power plants could be installed in land unfit for cultivation. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">According to the Department of Electricity Development, 16 projects have taken permission for construction. Their total production capacity is 93 megawatts. Similarly, 21 projects have acquired permission for survey. Their combined production capacity is 568 megawatts. Nine projects have sought permission for construction. Their production capacity is 60 megawatts in total. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">Four projects have been producing solar power. Their total production capacity is 20 megawatts. In the Kathmandu Valley, the Kathmandu Upatyaka Khanepani Management Board is operating a 0.68 megawatts capacity plant. Likewise, the Bishnupriya Solar Farm is producing one megawatt power, the Ridi Hydropower as a grid connected solar power project is producing 8.5 megawatts power in Rupandehi and the Mithila Solar PV Power Project is generating 10 megawatts power in Dhanusha. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">The combined production of the projects, including those in survey stage, those waiting for survey permission and the projects already acquiring permission for production is 1,149 megawatts. -- RSS</span></span></span></p> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2021-11-11', 'modified' => '2021-11-11', 'keywords' => '', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '14018', 'image' => '20211111080702_20211110015056_20210303092537_20210117063750_1610841055.Clipboard14.jpg', 'article_date' => '2021-11-11 08:06:02', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => true, 'in_scroller' => null, 'user_id' => '34' ) ), (int) 8 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '14271', 'article_category_id' => '1', 'title' => 'Ministry of Urban Development Stops Public Procurement from Consumer Committees', 'sub_title' => '', 'summary' => 'November 10: The Ministry of Urban Development has stopped all new procurement activities from consumer committees with immediate effect. ', 'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:14.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">November 10: The Ministry of Urban Development has stopped all new procurement activities from consumer committees with immediate effect. The Ministry took a decision to this effect against the decision taken by Finance Minister Janardan Sharma two months ago to allow public construction works upto Rs 100 million through consumer committees, labour groups and cooperatives. </span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:14.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">The replacement bill presented by Minister Sharma in September reads ‘labor groups and cooperatives can participate in public construction works worth Rs 100 million through competition’. With the latest decision, about 30 percent of the works being carried out by the bodies under the ministry has come to an end. </span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:14.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">Bishnu Prasad Sharma, spokesperson of the Ministry, said that 30 percent of the procurement and construction works of the Urban Development and Building Construction Department, Kathmandu Valley Development Authority, High Powered Committee for Integrated Development of the Bagmati Civilization , Urban Development Fund are being done through the consumer committees.</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:14.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">Minister Ram Kumari Jhankri said that it would be appropriate to stop all procurement immediately till a clear work procedure for the construction through the consumers’ committee is formulated. Citing lack of uniformity, lack of competition in construction work and difficulty in maintaining quality, the ministry has directed to halt public procurement through these committees.</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:14.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">The procurement through the consumer committees has been stopped by the ministry as per the suggestions provided by the reports prepared by the Auditor General and the Commission for the Investigation of Abuse of Authority.</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:14.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">The report of the Auditor General have suggested the government to focus on quality of construction works through competitive bidding and to monitor projects carried by consumer committees and operate and carry out maintenance of the completed projects by the committees themselves. </span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:14.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">Similarly, the report further says that the activities carried out by the consume committees were not effective and promoted corruption. Spokesperson Sharma said that a clear work procedure is needed to make the programmes of the consumer committee effective, sustainable and employment oriented.</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:14.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">He said that a committee has been formed under the leadership of Ram Chandra Dangal, joint secretary at the ministry, to prepare the work procedure. The committee will submit a report with recommendations within a month and the ministry will then prepare the work procedure.</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:14.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">He said that such measures have been taken as irregularities have increased while the Public Procurement Act also has provision requiring work procedures. The Public Procurement Act includes various procurement methods for public works through the consumer committees. </span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:14.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">Ravi Singh, president of the Federation of Contractors Associations Nepal, said that the government has expressed concern over activities carried out by the consumer committee. "A lot of irregularities have been reported and limited people have been benefited instead. Irregularities must be stopped, it would make the structure vulnerable and irresponsible," he said. </span></span></span></span></p> <p><br /> <br /> </p> <p> </p> <p> </p> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2021-11-10', 'modified' => '2021-11-10', 'keywords' => '', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '14016', 'image' => '20211110014145_20210112122909_Clipboard01.jpg', 'article_date' => '2021-11-10 13:41:00', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => true, 'in_scroller' => null, 'user_id' => '34' ) ), (int) 9 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '14270', 'article_category_id' => '1', 'title' => 'Government to Resume Water Supply from Melamchi by this Winter: Minister Chaudhary ', 'sub_title' => '', 'summary' => 'November 10: Minister for Drinking Water and Sanitation Umakanta Chaudhary has assured that the supply of drinking water from Melamchi will resume soon. ', 'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:14.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">November 10: Minister for Drinking Water and Sanitation Umakanta Chaudhary has assured that the supply of drinking water from Melamchi will resume soon. </span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:14.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">For the first time, a ministerial-level delegation of the Government of Nepal has visited the Melamchi Water Supply Project for on-site inspection after the devastating floods of June 15. Minister Chaudhary, who reached Ambathan to monitor the extent of damage, assured that the water supply project would be brought into operation soon. Minister Chaudhary had reached the source of Melamchi River via a helicopter. </span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:14.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">In response to media persons’ queries on when the people of Kathmandu will be able to drink the water of Melamchi River, Minister Chaudhary said, “We will work to bring the water back to the tunnel temporarily. We are working hard to find a long-term solution to floods and landslide.” </span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:14.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">He further said that the government has given priority to the project and will supply water from Melamchi to the Kathmandu valley denizens at any cost by this winter. </span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:14.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">A team comprising Minister Chaudhary, Secretary at the Ministry Pramila Devi Bajracharya and Project Chief Basudev Poudel recently reached the headworks area at Ambathan in Melamchi and took stock about the status of the project. </span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:14.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">Poudel, executive director of the Melamchi Water Supply Project, said that the extent of damage suffered due to the floods can be ascertained only after clearing the debris as the project area has been completely submerged. He said that nothing can be said about the extent of damage right now. </span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:14.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">Chairperson of Helambu Rural Municipality Nima Gyaljen Sherpa suggested the project to move the source of drinking water a bit higher as there is high risk of landslides in the area. </span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:14.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">The government has completed necessary homework of awarding the contract directly by adopting the public procurement process for the re-operation of the project. However, as no decision has been taken yet, there is still confusion about the restoration of the project. </span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:14.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">The government is preparing to hand over the responsibility of constructing a permanent access road to the source of the project to the Department of Roads. The army is working to connect a Bailey bridge at the junction of the road leading to the project site. </span></span></span></span></p> <p> </p> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2021-11-10', 'modified' => '2021-11-10', 'keywords' => '', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '14015', 'image' => '20211110010116_20210420041320_20210212111048_20200317114243_Melamchi 1.jpg', 'article_date' => '2021-11-10 13:00:40', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => true, 'in_scroller' => null, 'user_id' => '34' ) ), (int) 10 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '14269', 'article_category_id' => '1', 'title' => 'Cabinet Approves Purchase of 6 Million Doses of Pfizer Vaccines', 'sub_title' => '', 'summary' => 'November 10: A meeting of the Council of Ministers held on Monday approved the purchase of 6 million doses of Pfizer vaccines. ', 'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:14.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">November 10: A meeting of the Council of Ministers held on Monday approved the purchase of 6 million doses of Pfizer vaccines. Earlier, the Ministry of Health and Population had submitted a proposal in the cabinet to make the purchase of vaccines.</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:14.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">The Ministry of Health and Population is planning to bring 6 million doses of vaccines for children up to 18 years of age by upcoming December. More than 100,000 doses of Pfizer vaccines have been brought to Nepal via the Covax facility. Those vaccines are planned to be given to chronically ill children from 12 to 18 years of age from November 14.</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:14.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">Minister for Communications and Information Technology and the spokesperson of government, Gyanendra Bahadur Karki on Tuesday announced the decisions taken by the cabinet meeting. Minister Karki reiterated the government’s commitment to vaccinate every age group from children to the elderly. </span></span></span></span></p> <p> </p> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2021-11-10', 'modified' => '2021-11-10', 'keywords' => '', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '14014', 'image' => '20211110123651_2021-10-06TBRAZIL.jpg', 'article_date' => '2021-11-10 12:36:13', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => true, 'in_scroller' => null, 'user_id' => '34' ) ), (int) 11 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '14268', 'article_category_id' => '1', 'title' => 'Distillery with Investment of Rs 300 Million to come into Operation in Lumbini Province', 'sub_title' => '', 'summary' => 'November 10: Shree New Everest Distillery will soon come into operation in Kohalpur, Banke district of Lumbini province with an investment of Rs 300 million. ', 'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:14.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">November 10: Shree New Everest Distillery will soon come into operation in Kohalpur, Banke district of Lumbini province with an investment of Rs 300 million. The distillery will produce liquor under a South Korean brand and technology in Nepal. Three businessmen have collaborated to produce liquor under the South Korean brand Soju. </span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:14.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">The industry has been established in a joint partnership of a Nepali businessman, a non-resident Nepali businessman, and a Korean investor. The initiative was taken by Binod Kunwar, former president of the Non-Resident Nepali Association South Korea, and a group of Korean partners, including Rabindra Man Shrestha, a Nepali investor, and businessman who has gained work experience in companies such as Surya Nepal, Gorkha Brewery and Dish Home.</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:14.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">Nepali investor and businessman Rabindra Man Shrestha informed that the industry is preparing to start its production within a month.</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:14.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">He said that the construction of the factory and other works is in the final stage. Shrestha claimed claims that 100 people will get direct employment after the operation of the industry.</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:14.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">Soju is one of the most popular soft drink companies in South Korea. </span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:14.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">Stating that the popularity of Soju is gradually increasing in Nepal, Shrestha said that he and his team aims to reduce the import of Soju with Nepali production. He said that the distillery will produce Soju of international standard and sell it at reasonable price to Nepali customers. </span></span></span></span></p> <p><br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> </p> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2021-11-10', 'modified' => '2021-11-10', 'keywords' => '', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '14013', 'image' => '20211110112917_1636509895.Clipboard05.jpg', 'article_date' => '2021-11-10 11:28:39', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => true, 'in_scroller' => null, 'user_id' => '34' ) ), (int) 12 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '14267', 'article_category_id' => '1', 'title' => 'Government Approves Work Procedure to Provide Relief to Farmers', 'sub_title' => '', 'summary' => 'November 10: The government has approved the work procedure submitted by a taskforce recommending relief to the farmers for the damage sustained to their crop by the recent unseasonal rainfall. ', 'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">November 10: The government has approved the work procedure submitted by a taskforce recommending relief to the farmers for the damage sustained to their crop by the recent unseasonal rainfall. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">A meeting of the Council of Ministers had formed the taskforce on October 25 to carry out a study on the extent of damage caused to crop due to the flooding and inundation following the unseasonal precipitation in mid-October. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">According to the state-owned national news agency RSS, the secretary at the Ministry of Home Affairs was designated as the coordinator of the taskforce. The secretaries at the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock Development, the Ministry of Finance, the Ministry of Industry, the Ministry of Federal Affairs and the National Planning Commission (NPC) were the members of the taskforce. The taskforce was given a three-day deadline to carry out the assigned task. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">Minister for Communication and Information Technology, Gyanendra Bahadur Karki said that additional process would be forwarded on the basis of the work procedure prepared by the taskforce. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">As per the preliminary estimates, paddy crop worth around Rs 7 billion have been damaged across the nation due to unseasonal rainfall. Minister Karki expressed commitment to provide relief to the victims based on the extent of damage. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">A recent cabinet meeting held on November 8 decided to provide relief to the families of victims of Motipur Industrial Corridor incident. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">Similarly, the meeting also granted permission for land acquisition for the construction of 400-KV sub-station in Kushma and sub-station in Jumla, RSS further reported. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">Similarly, the meeting granted the permission for the establishment of sisterly relations between the Kirtipur Municipality and the Huanggang City of the Hubei Province, China, according to Minister Karki who serves as Spokesperson for the government. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">The cabinet meeting also approved the Nepal’s participation in a programme of the World Health Organisation to be held in Geneva. </span></span></span><br /> </p> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2021-11-10', 'modified' => '2021-11-10', 'keywords' => '', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '14012', 'image' => '20211110083158_20210512035550_20181125011444_pady-1024x682.jpg', 'article_date' => '2021-11-10 08:31:30', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => true, 'in_scroller' => null, 'user_id' => '34' ) ), (int) 13 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '14266', 'article_category_id' => '1', 'title' => ' Main Event of Chhath Festival Being Observed Today', 'sub_title' => 'Devotees to Offer Prayers to the Setting Sun Today', 'summary' => 'November 10: Today (November 10) is the main day of the Chhath festival which is observed as a common cultural symbol of Tarai/Madhes. ', 'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">November 10: Today (November 10) is the main day of the Chhath festival which is observed as a common cultural symbol of Tarai/Madhes. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">The festival is dedicated to the Sun God, with offerings made to the rising and setting Sun. It is observed for four days, from the fourth day to the seventh day of the bright half in the month of Kartik as per the lunar calendar. It usually falls between October and November in the Gregorian calendar. The Sun considered as the God of energy and of the life-force, is worshiped during the Chhath festival to promote well-being, prosperity and progress of family members. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">The ritual of Chhath festival includes taking holy bath, fasting and worshiping the Sun and offering curd to the ‘Rising and Setting Sun'. Chhath is a festival of bathing and worshipping that follows a period of abstinence and segregation of the worshiper from the main household for four days. During this period, the worshiper observes purity, and sleeps on the floor on a single blanket. This is the only holy festival which has no involvement of any priest. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">The devotees offer their prayers to the setting sun today, and conclude the festival by offering prayers to the rising sun the next morning to celebrate its glory as the cycle of birth starts with death. <em>(With inputs from RSS)</em></span></span></span></p> <p> </p> <p> </p> <p> </p> <p> </p> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2021-11-10', 'modified' => '2021-11-11', 'keywords' => '', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '14011', 'image' => '20211110082143_20211107101945_1260843_n - Copy.jpg', 'article_date' => '2021-11-10 08:20:49', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => true, 'in_scroller' => false, 'user_id' => '34' ) ), (int) 14 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '14265', 'article_category_id' => '1', 'title' => '19 Medical Stores Face Action in Kathmandu Valley ', 'sub_title' => '', 'summary' => 'November 10: Nineteen medical stores run against the criteria set by the government have been suspended. ', 'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">November 10: Nineteen medical stores run against the criteria set by the government have been suspended. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">The Department of Drug Administration (DDA) took the action against 19 medical stores that were operating in Kathmandu Valley. The department took such action between mid-September to mid-October as they were found running without permission. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">Director General of the DDA, Narayan Prasad Dhakal, said that the medical stores were suspended for four to fifteen days as per the Drugs Act. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">There is a provision that medical stores should be operated only after registration with the DDA. </span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">The drug stores that were suspended include Luksi Vetpharma, Koteshwor; Gandhi Manohara Community Health Centre, Kageshwori Manahara; Sapantirtha Pharmacy, Tokha; Prakritik Baipas Pharmacy; Jhorali Pharmacy; Tokha Emergency Medical Hall; Nandakrishna Pharmacy; Subedi Pharmacy; Anamol Pharmacy; Siddhi Pharmacy, among others. -- RSS </span></span></span></p> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2021-11-10', 'modified' => '2021-11-10', 'keywords' => '', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '14010', 'image' => '20211110081500_20200923045005_1600811052.Clipboard07.jpg', 'article_date' => '2021-11-10 08:14:20', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => true, 'in_scroller' => null, 'user_id' => '34' ) ) ) $current_user = null $logged_in = false $xml = falseinclude - APP/View/Elements/side_bar.ctp, line 133 View::_evaluate() - CORE/Cake/View/View.php, line 971 View::_render() - CORE/Cake/View/View.php, line 933 View::_renderElement() - CORE/Cake/View/View.php, line 1224 View::element() - CORE/Cake/View/View.php, line 418 include - APP/View/Articles/index.ctp, line 157 View::_evaluate() - CORE/Cake/View/View.php, line 971 View::_render() - CORE/Cake/View/View.php, line 933 View::render() - CORE/Cake/View/View.php, line 473 Controller::render() - CORE/Cake/Controller/Controller.php, line 968 Dispatcher::_invoke() - CORE/Cake/Routing/Dispatcher.php, line 200 Dispatcher::dispatch() - CORE/Cake/Routing/Dispatcher.php, line 167 [main] - APP/webroot/index.php, line 117
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It further increased by Rs 400 per tola on Friday.</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif""><span style="font-size:11.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">Similarly, price of silver has gone up by Rs 15 per tola on Friday to Rs 1285 against Rs 1,270 a day ago. Silver was traded for Rs 1,250 on Wednesday. </span></span><br /> <span style="font-size:11.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">The Federation determines the price of gold and silver every day on the basis of fluctuation of price in the international market. </span></span></span></span></p> <p> </p> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2021-11-12', 'modified' => '2021-11-12', 'keywords' => '', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '14025', 'image' => '20211112081500_20210425100433_20201203030905_1606953115.Clipboard16.jpg', 'article_date' => '2021-11-12 08:14:31', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => true, 'in_scroller' => false, 'user_id' => '34' ) ), (int) 1 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '14279', 'article_category_id' => '1', 'title' => 'Arrival of Foreign Tourists Improves Slightly in September', 'sub_title' => '', 'summary' => 'November 11: Despite Covid-19 infection, the tourist season in September observed a slight improvement in arrival of tourists in Nepal. ', 'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:14.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">November 11: Despite Covid-19 infection, the tourist season in September observed a slight improvement in arrival of tourists in Nepal. The months from September to November are considered as the peak tourist season in Nepal. The last two months have seen an improvement in tourist arrivals compared to 2020. This number is very low compared to the previous years.</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:14.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">The slowdown in arrival of tourists due to the onset of Covid-19 in 2020 has seen a slight improvement during this year's season. The number of tourists visiting Nepal used to be around 150,000 during October before 2020 and 2021. However, in the current year, it is below 50,000.</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:14.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">Altogether 134,096 tourists visited Nepal in October 2019, which dropped to 23,284 in October 2021 due to the impact of the pandemic. Tourist arrivals in September also improved compared to last year. In September 2021, a total of 9,898 tourists visited Nepal against 584 in September of last year.</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:14.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">In the first 10 months of this year, 134,096 tourists have visited Nepal. In 2020, a total of 230,000 tourists visited Nepal. With the onset of the tourist season and the opening of tourism, arrival of tourists has started to improve, according to tourism entrepreneurs.</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:14.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">According to the Nepal Tourism Statistics-2020 released by the Ministry of Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation, only 2,025 tourists had visited Nepal in October 2020.</span></span></span></span></p> <p> </p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:14.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">According to the Nepal Tourism Board, there has been an improvement in arrival of tourists since October due to the declining Covid-19 cases and increase in the number of vaccinations.</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:14.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">According to the NTB, Indian tourists come in large numbers in October. A total of 8,736 Indian tourists visited Nepal in October. Likewise, the number of Chinese tourists has also increased slightly. Meanwhile, the number of American tourists has reached 4,711 tourists in the review month. Similarly, the UK nationals are the third most visited foreigners with 1,381 tourists.</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:14.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">According to the board, the number of tourists coming to Nepal from India, the USA, and the UK is higher than others. A total of 9,420 tourists from SAARC countries like Bangladesh, India, Pakistan, Bhutan, and Sri Lanka have also visited Nepal during this period.</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:14.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">A total of 5,419 tourists have come from European countries including the UK, Poland, and Norway, while the number of tourist arrivals from Canada and the USA is 5,274 tourists.</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:14.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">According to the NTB, 8,874 tourists visited Nepal in January, 9,146 in February, 14,977 in March, 22,450 in April, 1,468 in May, 1,143 in June, 2,991 in July, and 5,917 in August.</span></span></span></span></p> <p> </p> <p> </p> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2021-11-11', 'modified' => '2021-11-11', 'keywords' => '', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '14024', 'image' => '20211111014914_Tourist.jpg', 'article_date' => '2021-11-11 13:48:36', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => true, 'in_scroller' => null, 'user_id' => '34' ) ), (int) 2 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '14277', 'article_category_id' => '1', 'title' => 'Import of Gold Increases in First Three Months of Current FY ', 'sub_title' => '', 'summary' => 'November 11: The country has witnessed high growth in import of gold lately. ', 'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif""><span style="font-size:14.0pt">November 11: The country has witnessed high growth in import of gold lately. The import of gold had declined in the last two fiscal years due to high inflation and the Covid-19 pandemic. However, the import of gold has increased in the current fiscal year. </span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif""><span style="font-size:14.0pt">According to the Department of Customs, gold worth Rs 11.72 billion has been imported in the first three months of the current fiscal year. This is 47 times more than the import in the corresponding period of last fiscal year (FY 2020/21), when gold worth Rs 737 million was imported into the country. </span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif""><span style="font-size:14.0pt">The import fell after the gold and jewelry business was affected by the pandemic. Likewise, in the corresponding period of the previous year (FY 2019/720), import of gold had declined due to the increase in price. However, the import of gold has skyrocketed in the review period this year. </span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif""><span style="font-size:14.0pt">During normal circumstances, Nepal imports gold worth Rs 7 to 8 billion in a quarter. Nevertheless, this time, gold worth more than Rs 11 billion has been imported. </span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif""><span style="font-size:14.0pt">President of the Federation of Nepalese Gold and Silver Dealers Association Manik Ratna Shakya says that the import of gold has increased due to the increased mobility of people during the festival this time. </span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif""><span style="font-size:14.0pt">“Gold business had been affected in the last two fiscal years due to increasing prices and the pandemic. But now that the impact of the pandemic has slowed down and prices have dropped,” he said, “On top of that, people have started buying jewelry in festivals like Teej, Dashain and Tihar. Imports have also increased due to the increase in demand in the market.” </span></span></span></p> <p> </p> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2021-11-11', 'modified' => '2021-11-11', 'keywords' => '', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '14023', 'image' => '20211111124054_20200923113522_gold.jpg', 'article_date' => '2021-11-11 12:40:17', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => true, 'in_scroller' => null, 'user_id' => '34' ) ), (int) 3 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '14278', 'article_category_id' => '1', 'title' => 'National Population Census Begins', 'sub_title' => '', 'summary' => 'November 11: The 12th national population census,, which is conducted every 10 years, has started from today (November 11). ', 'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:14.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">November 11: The 12th national population census,, which is conducted every 10 years, has started from today (November 11). The Central Bureau Statistics (CBS) has begun the 15-day long census by collecting the details of President Bidya Devi Bhandari.</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:14.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">CBS has estimated that the population of the country would not reach 30 million. At a press conference organized on the eve of the census on November 10, Director General of CBS Nebin Lal Shrestha said that the population is estimated to be less than 30 million. He said that the birth rate of the country is declining and a large number of people are emigrating to foreign countries. </span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:14.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">Altogether 40,000 enumerators are being mobilized for the national census. It will take about 30 minutes to collect the details of a family. It takes a minimum of 30 minutes to answer 80 questions, said Shrestha. An enumerator generally collects data of 175 households. </span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:14.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">A total of Rs 4 billion will be spent for the census. Shrestha said that it would take five years to complete the entire process of census. Three billion rupees is estimated to be spent in the first year. "Of which, Rs 1.60 billion goes to the salaries and allowances of enumerators and supervisors," said Shrestha. CBS has set up district census offices in each district, 389 local census offices and one office in each of the seven provinces. </span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:14.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">In the past years, teachers were recruited as enumerators, but this year teachers have been assigned as supervisors. Youths, who have completed higher secondary education have been recruited as enumerators on the recommendation of local bodies. </span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:14.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">A total of 2,250 tablets will be used for census in six cities including Kathmandu. Shrestha said that tablets cannot be used everywhere as they are expensive.</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:14.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">Nepalis working in diplomatic offices and embassies of different countries will be counted through e-census. The CBS informed that it will also collect data of people from Lipulek, Limpiyadhura and Kalapani areas as well. If the data can't be collected physically, it will be done through alternative means like satellite. </span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:14.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">According to him, the Indian Army has restricted people to go in these areas so diplomatic efforts are being made to reach there. The department estimates about 800 families live in the area.</span></span></span></span></p> <p><br /> <br /> </p> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2021-11-11', 'modified' => '2021-11-11', 'keywords' => '', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '14022', 'image' => '20211111124948_20211109080004_20211108052804_National-Census-2021.jpg', 'article_date' => '2021-11-11 12:49:16', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => true, 'in_scroller' => null, 'user_id' => '34' ) ), (int) 4 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '14276', 'article_category_id' => '1', 'title' => 'Chhath Festival Concludes by Offering Prayers to the Rising Sun ', 'sub_title' => '', 'summary' => 'November 11: This year’s Chhath festival celebrations have concluded across the country by offering prayers to the rising sun this morning (November 11). ', 'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:14.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">November 11: This year’s Chhath festival celebrations have concluded across the country by offering prayers to the rising sun this morning (November 11). </span></span><br /> <span style="font-size:14.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">The devotees presented offerings, worshipped the statue of Chhati Mai on the banks of rivers and ponds and lit oil lamps. Likewise, a large number of devotees thronged to pay homage to the idols in different parts of the country including Mithila region where the festival is observed in particular. </span></span><br /> <span style="font-size:14.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">This festival is celebrated from the fourth day of bright half of the lunar calendar to the seventh day in the month of Kartik as per the Nepali calendar. It usually falls in the months of October and November as per the Gregorian calendar. </span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:14.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">During this period, the worshipers observe purity, abstain from eating ‘impure’ food and sleep on the floor on a single blanket. This is the only holy festival which has no involvement of any priest. </span></span> <br /> <span style="font-size:14.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">After offering prayers to the rising Sun, the devotees offer coconut, banana and other sweet dishes to their relatives and neighbours. </span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:14.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">The Sun considered as the God of energy and of the life-force, is worshiped during the Chhath festival to promote well-being, prosperity and progress of family members. <em>(With inputs from RSS)</em></span></span></span></span><br /> </p> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2021-11-11', 'modified' => '2021-11-11', 'keywords' => '', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '14021', 'image' => '20211111120613_20211108011435_Chhathtransparent-wom.jpg', 'article_date' => '2021-11-11 12:05:07', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => true, 'in_scroller' => null, 'user_id' => '34' ) ), (int) 5 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '14275', 'article_category_id' => '1', 'title' => 'NOC Hikes Fuel Prices in Less than 2 Weeks', 'sub_title' => '', 'summary' => 'November 11: The government has increased the prices of petroleum products in less than two weeks. ', 'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:14.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">November 11: The government has increased the prices of petroleum products in less than two weeks. As per the latest decision, the new prices of petroleum products will come into effect from today (November 11). The state-owned Nepal Oil Corporation (NOC) has hiked the prices of petrol, diesel and kerosene each by Rs 3 per litre. Prior to this, the NOC had increased the prices of petroleum products on midnight of October 29.</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:14.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">A meeting of the board of directors of Nepal Oil Corporation on Wednesday (November 10) once again decided to increase the prices of petrol, diesel, kerosene and aviation fuel as well as of cooking gas with effect from midnight of November 10. The price of cooking LP gas has been increased by Rs 75 per cylinder to Rs 1,575. </span></span><br /> <span style="font-size:14.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">As a result, petrol will now cost Rs 136 per liter while the price of diesel and kerosene has been fixed at Rs 119 per litre. The price of aviation turbine fuel (ATF) for domestic flights has been increased by Rs 5 per litre to Rs 101 per litre. The price of aviation fuel for international flights has reached USD 895 per kilolitre, according to a statement issued by the NOC’s joint-spokesperson Puskar Karki. <br /> Even after the adjusted price, the NOC will incur a loss of Rs 2.62 billion in 15 days, the statement added. </span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:14.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">The chart below shows a timeline of price hike of petroleum products: </span></span></span></span></p> <p><img alt="" src="/app/webroot/userfiles/images/Untitled%285%29.jpg" style="height:465px; width:800px" /></p> <p><em>Source: NOC</em></p> <p> </p> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2021-11-11', 'modified' => '2021-11-11', 'keywords' => '', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '14020', 'image' => '20211111114557_20211030080715_202609_20190503125003_Petrol-Price-Increase.jpg', 'article_date' => '2021-11-11 11:44:49', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => true, 'in_scroller' => false, 'user_id' => '34' ) ), (int) 6 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '14274', 'article_category_id' => '1', 'title' => 'Loss of Glaciers will Hurt Tourism, Power Supplies and More', 'sub_title' => '', 'summary' => 'November 11: From the southern border of Germany to the highest peaks in Africa, glaciers around the world have served as moneymaking tourist attractions, natural climate records for scientists and beacons of beliefs for indigenous groups.', 'content' => '<p><em>Everest Base Camp seen in this file photo. NBA</em></p> <p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif""><span style="font-size:14.0pt">November 11: From the southern border of Germany to the highest peaks in Africa, glaciers around the world have served as moneymaking tourist attractions, natural climate records for scientists and beacons of beliefs for indigenous groups. And Nepal could not be an exception to this. Glaciers are one of the big sources of river water in Nepal, where there are 3,808 glaciers spread in an area of 4,212 sq km.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif""><span style="font-size:14.0pt">With many glaciers (across the world) rapidly melting because of climate change, the disappearance of the ice sheets is sure to deal a blow to countries and communities that have relied on them for generations — to make electricity, to draw visitors and to uphold ancient spiritual traditions, the Associated Press (AP) reported.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif""><span style="font-size:14.0pt">According to a World Bank report, black carbon deposits originating from factories, cooking and vehicles are compounding the effects of climate change to speed up the melting of the Himalayan glaciers. </span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif""><span style="font-size:14.0pt">AP reports that the ice masses that formed over millennia from compacted snow have been melting since around the time of the Industrial Revolution, a process that has accelerated in recent years.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif""><span style="font-size:14.0pt">The retreat can be seen in Africa, on the border of Uganda and the Democratic Republic of the Congo, where the jagged peaks of the Rwenzori Mountains jut into the sky above a green jungle. The peaks once held more than 40 glaciers, but fewer than half of them remained by 2005, and the melting continues. According to AP, experts believe the last of the mountains' glaciers could disappear within 20 years.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif""><span style="font-size:14.0pt">The disappearance means trouble for land-locked Uganda, which gets nearly half of its power from hydroelectricity, including the power plants that rely on steady water flow from the Rwenzori glaciers.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif""><span style="font-size:14.0pt">A continent away, on the southern edge of Germany’s border with Austria, only half a square kilometer (124 acres) of ice remains on five glaciers combined. Experts estimate that is 88% less than the amount of ice that existed around 1850, and that the remaining glaciers will melt in 10 to 15 years, the news agency further reported.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif""><span style="font-size:14.0pt">That spells bad news for the regional tourism industry that relies on the glaciers, AP reported citing Christoph Mayer, a senior scientist in the geodesy and glaciology group at the Bavarian Academy of Sciences and Humanities in Munich.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif""><span style="font-size:14.0pt">“At the moment, tourist agencies can advertise, ‘You can visit some kind of the highest mountains in Germany with glaciers. You can walk on the glaciers,’” Mayer reportedly said. “People living around these regions really live from tourism ... there will be an impact on them if they lose these glaciers.”</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif""><span style="font-size:14.0pt">The same issue faces Tanzania, where experts estimate that Mt Kilimanjaro — the highest mountain in Africa and one of the country’s main tourism attractions — has lost about 90% of its glacial ice to melting and to sublimation, a process in which solid ice transitions directly to vapor without becoming a liquid first. Travel and tourism accounted for 10.7% of the country’s GDP in 2019.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif""><span style="font-size:14.0pt">In the history of the local populations, "the ice in the mountains is the seat of god. It has a very spiritual meaning,” said Rainer Prinz, a glaciologist at the University of Innsbruck in Austria. “Losing the glaciers there would also impact spiritual life.”</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-family:Times New Roman,serif"><span style="font-size:18.6667px">"As glaciers shrink, the lives and livelihoods of many people downstream are affected by changes in the water supply. We can slow glacial melt by collectively acting to curb the black carbon deposits that are speeding the thinning of the ice. Regional cooperation to protect these resources will pay important dividends for the health and well-being of the people in the region," the World Bank quoted its vice president for South Asia Hartwig Schafer as saying.</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-family:Times New Roman,serif"><span style="font-size:18.6667px">"Recent devastating flash floods attributed to a collapsing glacier in Himalayas were a sobering reminder of the sometimes disastrous effects of climate change and the dangers we have to protect against," added Schafer.</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif""><span style="font-size:14.0pt">According to AP, the layers of ice that make up a glacier can be tens of thousands of years old and contain year-by-year information about past climate conditions, including atmospheric composition, temperature variations and types of vegetation that were present. Researchers take long tube-like ice cores from glaciers to “read” these layers.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif""><span style="font-size:14.0pt">During a 2010 research trip to the Carstensz glacier in Indonesia's western Papua province, oceanographer Dwi Raden Susanto was excited to be part of a team that took a core sample from the remote glaciers. But once the sample was taken, Susanto said, scientists quickly realized the rapid decline of the ice allowed them to get records dating back only to the 1960s.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif""><span style="font-size:14.0pt">As glaciers vanish, experts say, local ecosystems will begin to change as well— something already being studied at the Humboldt Glacier in Venezuela, which could disappear within the next two decades.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif""><span style="font-size:14.0pt">Experts warn that the fate of smaller glaciers offers a warning for larger glaciers. Increased melt will also lead to rising seas and changes in weather patterns — something that is bound to affect society on a global level, Mayer said.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif""><span style="font-size:14.0pt">“The disappearance of these small glaciers is really a warning sign of what is coming in the future,” AP quoted Mayer as saying. </span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:14.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">Current policies in place to reduce black carbon emissions – through enhancing fuel-efficiency standards, phasing out diesel vehicles and promoting electric cars – while laudable, will still reduce black carbon deposits by only 23 percent, not enough to prevent an acceleration of water releases from glacier melt in the Himalayan region, states the World Bank report entitled Glaciers of the Himalayas: Climate Change, Black Carbon and Regional Resilience.</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:14.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif""> </span></span></span></span></p> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2021-11-11', 'modified' => '2021-11-11', 'keywords' => '', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '14019', 'image' => '20211111110327_258274_28_o.jpg', 'article_date' => '2021-11-11 10:57:08', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => true, 'in_scroller' => false, 'user_id' => '34' ) ), (int) 7 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '14273', 'article_category_id' => '1', 'title' => 'Solar Energy Attracting Investors in Nepal', 'sub_title' => '21 Projects Granted Permission for Survey ', 'summary' => 'November 11: The number of investors in the solar energy sector has significantly increased in recent years. ', 'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">November 11: The number of investors in the solar energy sector has significantly increased in recent years. It may be noted that the promotion of the solar and energy mix falls on the priority of the government in its bid to seek and promote the sources of alternative energy. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">The government plans to generate 15,000 megawatts of electricity in the next ten years and contribution of alternative energy to such plan is around 10 percent. Solar power projects continue to attract investors unlike other sources of alternative energy. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">The Ministry of Energy, Water Resources and Irrigation has side by side focused on the development and promotion of other primary sources of energy including hydropower projects and this concept is known as the ‘energy mix’. At the policy-level, the ministry is providing necessary facilitation for the development and expansion of solar energy. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">In the initial phase, the solar power was used for household electrification purpose. Its use for commercial purposes has begun lately. The solar project is getting attraction at the international level as well. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">The Nepal Electricity Authority (NEA) has launched the 25-MW solar project in Nuwakot and the power generation is around 50 percent of the capacity. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">The data of the Department of Electricity Development shows that 33 solar projects have applied for the survey and their accumulated capacity is 408 MW. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">The government is clear about not granting permission for operating a solar project in arable land. The areas along the Mid-Hill Highway seems suitable for installing solar projects at large scale. NEA has signed power purchase agreement with the solar projects to purchase electricity for around Rs 7 per unit. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">NEA Executive Director Kulman Ghising says the investment cost of solar-powered projects is gradually decreasing. Stating that the NEA has signed power purchase agreement with some projects at the value of Rs 7 per unit, he opined that solar power plants could be installed in land unfit for cultivation. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">According to the Department of Electricity Development, 16 projects have taken permission for construction. Their total production capacity is 93 megawatts. Similarly, 21 projects have acquired permission for survey. Their combined production capacity is 568 megawatts. Nine projects have sought permission for construction. Their production capacity is 60 megawatts in total. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">Four projects have been producing solar power. Their total production capacity is 20 megawatts. In the Kathmandu Valley, the Kathmandu Upatyaka Khanepani Management Board is operating a 0.68 megawatts capacity plant. Likewise, the Bishnupriya Solar Farm is producing one megawatt power, the Ridi Hydropower as a grid connected solar power project is producing 8.5 megawatts power in Rupandehi and the Mithila Solar PV Power Project is generating 10 megawatts power in Dhanusha. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">The combined production of the projects, including those in survey stage, those waiting for survey permission and the projects already acquiring permission for production is 1,149 megawatts. -- RSS</span></span></span></p> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2021-11-11', 'modified' => '2021-11-11', 'keywords' => '', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '14018', 'image' => '20211111080702_20211110015056_20210303092537_20210117063750_1610841055.Clipboard14.jpg', 'article_date' => '2021-11-11 08:06:02', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => true, 'in_scroller' => null, 'user_id' => '34' ) ), (int) 8 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '14271', 'article_category_id' => '1', 'title' => 'Ministry of Urban Development Stops Public Procurement from Consumer Committees', 'sub_title' => '', 'summary' => 'November 10: The Ministry of Urban Development has stopped all new procurement activities from consumer committees with immediate effect. ', 'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:14.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">November 10: The Ministry of Urban Development has stopped all new procurement activities from consumer committees with immediate effect. The Ministry took a decision to this effect against the decision taken by Finance Minister Janardan Sharma two months ago to allow public construction works upto Rs 100 million through consumer committees, labour groups and cooperatives. </span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:14.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">The replacement bill presented by Minister Sharma in September reads ‘labor groups and cooperatives can participate in public construction works worth Rs 100 million through competition’. With the latest decision, about 30 percent of the works being carried out by the bodies under the ministry has come to an end. </span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:14.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">Bishnu Prasad Sharma, spokesperson of the Ministry, said that 30 percent of the procurement and construction works of the Urban Development and Building Construction Department, Kathmandu Valley Development Authority, High Powered Committee for Integrated Development of the Bagmati Civilization , Urban Development Fund are being done through the consumer committees.</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:14.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">Minister Ram Kumari Jhankri said that it would be appropriate to stop all procurement immediately till a clear work procedure for the construction through the consumers’ committee is formulated. Citing lack of uniformity, lack of competition in construction work and difficulty in maintaining quality, the ministry has directed to halt public procurement through these committees.</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:14.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">The procurement through the consumer committees has been stopped by the ministry as per the suggestions provided by the reports prepared by the Auditor General and the Commission for the Investigation of Abuse of Authority.</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:14.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">The report of the Auditor General have suggested the government to focus on quality of construction works through competitive bidding and to monitor projects carried by consumer committees and operate and carry out maintenance of the completed projects by the committees themselves. </span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:14.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">Similarly, the report further says that the activities carried out by the consume committees were not effective and promoted corruption. Spokesperson Sharma said that a clear work procedure is needed to make the programmes of the consumer committee effective, sustainable and employment oriented.</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:14.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">He said that a committee has been formed under the leadership of Ram Chandra Dangal, joint secretary at the ministry, to prepare the work procedure. The committee will submit a report with recommendations within a month and the ministry will then prepare the work procedure.</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:14.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">He said that such measures have been taken as irregularities have increased while the Public Procurement Act also has provision requiring work procedures. The Public Procurement Act includes various procurement methods for public works through the consumer committees. </span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:14.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">Ravi Singh, president of the Federation of Contractors Associations Nepal, said that the government has expressed concern over activities carried out by the consumer committee. "A lot of irregularities have been reported and limited people have been benefited instead. Irregularities must be stopped, it would make the structure vulnerable and irresponsible," he said. </span></span></span></span></p> <p><br /> <br /> </p> <p> </p> <p> </p> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2021-11-10', 'modified' => '2021-11-10', 'keywords' => '', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '14016', 'image' => '20211110014145_20210112122909_Clipboard01.jpg', 'article_date' => '2021-11-10 13:41:00', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => true, 'in_scroller' => null, 'user_id' => '34' ) ), (int) 9 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '14270', 'article_category_id' => '1', 'title' => 'Government to Resume Water Supply from Melamchi by this Winter: Minister Chaudhary ', 'sub_title' => '', 'summary' => 'November 10: Minister for Drinking Water and Sanitation Umakanta Chaudhary has assured that the supply of drinking water from Melamchi will resume soon. ', 'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:14.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">November 10: Minister for Drinking Water and Sanitation Umakanta Chaudhary has assured that the supply of drinking water from Melamchi will resume soon. </span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:14.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">For the first time, a ministerial-level delegation of the Government of Nepal has visited the Melamchi Water Supply Project for on-site inspection after the devastating floods of June 15. Minister Chaudhary, who reached Ambathan to monitor the extent of damage, assured that the water supply project would be brought into operation soon. Minister Chaudhary had reached the source of Melamchi River via a helicopter. </span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:14.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">In response to media persons’ queries on when the people of Kathmandu will be able to drink the water of Melamchi River, Minister Chaudhary said, “We will work to bring the water back to the tunnel temporarily. We are working hard to find a long-term solution to floods and landslide.” </span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:14.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">He further said that the government has given priority to the project and will supply water from Melamchi to the Kathmandu valley denizens at any cost by this winter. </span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:14.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">A team comprising Minister Chaudhary, Secretary at the Ministry Pramila Devi Bajracharya and Project Chief Basudev Poudel recently reached the headworks area at Ambathan in Melamchi and took stock about the status of the project. </span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:14.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">Poudel, executive director of the Melamchi Water Supply Project, said that the extent of damage suffered due to the floods can be ascertained only after clearing the debris as the project area has been completely submerged. He said that nothing can be said about the extent of damage right now. </span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:14.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">Chairperson of Helambu Rural Municipality Nima Gyaljen Sherpa suggested the project to move the source of drinking water a bit higher as there is high risk of landslides in the area. </span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:14.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">The government has completed necessary homework of awarding the contract directly by adopting the public procurement process for the re-operation of the project. However, as no decision has been taken yet, there is still confusion about the restoration of the project. </span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:14.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">The government is preparing to hand over the responsibility of constructing a permanent access road to the source of the project to the Department of Roads. The army is working to connect a Bailey bridge at the junction of the road leading to the project site. </span></span></span></span></p> <p> </p> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2021-11-10', 'modified' => '2021-11-10', 'keywords' => '', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '14015', 'image' => '20211110010116_20210420041320_20210212111048_20200317114243_Melamchi 1.jpg', 'article_date' => '2021-11-10 13:00:40', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => true, 'in_scroller' => null, 'user_id' => '34' ) ), (int) 10 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '14269', 'article_category_id' => '1', 'title' => 'Cabinet Approves Purchase of 6 Million Doses of Pfizer Vaccines', 'sub_title' => '', 'summary' => 'November 10: A meeting of the Council of Ministers held on Monday approved the purchase of 6 million doses of Pfizer vaccines. ', 'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:14.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">November 10: A meeting of the Council of Ministers held on Monday approved the purchase of 6 million doses of Pfizer vaccines. Earlier, the Ministry of Health and Population had submitted a proposal in the cabinet to make the purchase of vaccines.</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:14.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">The Ministry of Health and Population is planning to bring 6 million doses of vaccines for children up to 18 years of age by upcoming December. More than 100,000 doses of Pfizer vaccines have been brought to Nepal via the Covax facility. Those vaccines are planned to be given to chronically ill children from 12 to 18 years of age from November 14.</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:14.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">Minister for Communications and Information Technology and the spokesperson of government, Gyanendra Bahadur Karki on Tuesday announced the decisions taken by the cabinet meeting. Minister Karki reiterated the government’s commitment to vaccinate every age group from children to the elderly. </span></span></span></span></p> <p> </p> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2021-11-10', 'modified' => '2021-11-10', 'keywords' => '', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '14014', 'image' => '20211110123651_2021-10-06TBRAZIL.jpg', 'article_date' => '2021-11-10 12:36:13', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => true, 'in_scroller' => null, 'user_id' => '34' ) ), (int) 11 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '14268', 'article_category_id' => '1', 'title' => 'Distillery with Investment of Rs 300 Million to come into Operation in Lumbini Province', 'sub_title' => '', 'summary' => 'November 10: Shree New Everest Distillery will soon come into operation in Kohalpur, Banke district of Lumbini province with an investment of Rs 300 million. ', 'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:14.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">November 10: Shree New Everest Distillery will soon come into operation in Kohalpur, Banke district of Lumbini province with an investment of Rs 300 million. The distillery will produce liquor under a South Korean brand and technology in Nepal. Three businessmen have collaborated to produce liquor under the South Korean brand Soju. </span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:14.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">The industry has been established in a joint partnership of a Nepali businessman, a non-resident Nepali businessman, and a Korean investor. The initiative was taken by Binod Kunwar, former president of the Non-Resident Nepali Association South Korea, and a group of Korean partners, including Rabindra Man Shrestha, a Nepali investor, and businessman who has gained work experience in companies such as Surya Nepal, Gorkha Brewery and Dish Home.</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:14.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">Nepali investor and businessman Rabindra Man Shrestha informed that the industry is preparing to start its production within a month.</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:14.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">He said that the construction of the factory and other works is in the final stage. Shrestha claimed claims that 100 people will get direct employment after the operation of the industry.</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:14.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">Soju is one of the most popular soft drink companies in South Korea. </span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:14.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">Stating that the popularity of Soju is gradually increasing in Nepal, Shrestha said that he and his team aims to reduce the import of Soju with Nepali production. He said that the distillery will produce Soju of international standard and sell it at reasonable price to Nepali customers. </span></span></span></span></p> <p><br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> </p> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2021-11-10', 'modified' => '2021-11-10', 'keywords' => '', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '14013', 'image' => '20211110112917_1636509895.Clipboard05.jpg', 'article_date' => '2021-11-10 11:28:39', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => true, 'in_scroller' => null, 'user_id' => '34' ) ), (int) 12 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '14267', 'article_category_id' => '1', 'title' => 'Government Approves Work Procedure to Provide Relief to Farmers', 'sub_title' => '', 'summary' => 'November 10: The government has approved the work procedure submitted by a taskforce recommending relief to the farmers for the damage sustained to their crop by the recent unseasonal rainfall. ', 'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">November 10: The government has approved the work procedure submitted by a taskforce recommending relief to the farmers for the damage sustained to their crop by the recent unseasonal rainfall. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">A meeting of the Council of Ministers had formed the taskforce on October 25 to carry out a study on the extent of damage caused to crop due to the flooding and inundation following the unseasonal precipitation in mid-October. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">According to the state-owned national news agency RSS, the secretary at the Ministry of Home Affairs was designated as the coordinator of the taskforce. The secretaries at the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock Development, the Ministry of Finance, the Ministry of Industry, the Ministry of Federal Affairs and the National Planning Commission (NPC) were the members of the taskforce. The taskforce was given a three-day deadline to carry out the assigned task. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">Minister for Communication and Information Technology, Gyanendra Bahadur Karki said that additional process would be forwarded on the basis of the work procedure prepared by the taskforce. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">As per the preliminary estimates, paddy crop worth around Rs 7 billion have been damaged across the nation due to unseasonal rainfall. Minister Karki expressed commitment to provide relief to the victims based on the extent of damage. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">A recent cabinet meeting held on November 8 decided to provide relief to the families of victims of Motipur Industrial Corridor incident. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">Similarly, the meeting also granted permission for land acquisition for the construction of 400-KV sub-station in Kushma and sub-station in Jumla, RSS further reported. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">Similarly, the meeting granted the permission for the establishment of sisterly relations between the Kirtipur Municipality and the Huanggang City of the Hubei Province, China, according to Minister Karki who serves as Spokesperson for the government. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">The cabinet meeting also approved the Nepal’s participation in a programme of the World Health Organisation to be held in Geneva. </span></span></span><br /> </p> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2021-11-10', 'modified' => '2021-11-10', 'keywords' => '', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '14012', 'image' => '20211110083158_20210512035550_20181125011444_pady-1024x682.jpg', 'article_date' => '2021-11-10 08:31:30', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => true, 'in_scroller' => null, 'user_id' => '34' ) ), (int) 13 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '14266', 'article_category_id' => '1', 'title' => ' Main Event of Chhath Festival Being Observed Today', 'sub_title' => 'Devotees to Offer Prayers to the Setting Sun Today', 'summary' => 'November 10: Today (November 10) is the main day of the Chhath festival which is observed as a common cultural symbol of Tarai/Madhes. ', 'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">November 10: Today (November 10) is the main day of the Chhath festival which is observed as a common cultural symbol of Tarai/Madhes. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">The festival is dedicated to the Sun God, with offerings made to the rising and setting Sun. It is observed for four days, from the fourth day to the seventh day of the bright half in the month of Kartik as per the lunar calendar. It usually falls between October and November in the Gregorian calendar. The Sun considered as the God of energy and of the life-force, is worshiped during the Chhath festival to promote well-being, prosperity and progress of family members. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">The ritual of Chhath festival includes taking holy bath, fasting and worshiping the Sun and offering curd to the ‘Rising and Setting Sun'. Chhath is a festival of bathing and worshipping that follows a period of abstinence and segregation of the worshiper from the main household for four days. During this period, the worshiper observes purity, and sleeps on the floor on a single blanket. This is the only holy festival which has no involvement of any priest. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">The devotees offer their prayers to the setting sun today, and conclude the festival by offering prayers to the rising sun the next morning to celebrate its glory as the cycle of birth starts with death. <em>(With inputs from RSS)</em></span></span></span></p> <p> </p> <p> </p> <p> </p> <p> </p> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2021-11-10', 'modified' => '2021-11-11', 'keywords' => '', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '14011', 'image' => '20211110082143_20211107101945_1260843_n - Copy.jpg', 'article_date' => '2021-11-10 08:20:49', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => true, 'in_scroller' => false, 'user_id' => '34' ) ), (int) 14 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '14265', 'article_category_id' => '1', 'title' => '19 Medical Stores Face Action in Kathmandu Valley ', 'sub_title' => '', 'summary' => 'November 10: Nineteen medical stores run against the criteria set by the government have been suspended. ', 'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">November 10: Nineteen medical stores run against the criteria set by the government have been suspended. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">The Department of Drug Administration (DDA) took the action against 19 medical stores that were operating in Kathmandu Valley. The department took such action between mid-September to mid-October as they were found running without permission. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">Director General of the DDA, Narayan Prasad Dhakal, said that the medical stores were suspended for four to fifteen days as per the Drugs Act. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">There is a provision that medical stores should be operated only after registration with the DDA. </span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">The drug stores that were suspended include Luksi Vetpharma, Koteshwor; Gandhi Manohara Community Health Centre, Kageshwori Manahara; Sapantirtha Pharmacy, Tokha; Prakritik Baipas Pharmacy; Jhorali Pharmacy; Tokha Emergency Medical Hall; Nandakrishna Pharmacy; Subedi Pharmacy; Anamol Pharmacy; Siddhi Pharmacy, among others. -- RSS </span></span></span></p> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2021-11-10', 'modified' => '2021-11-10', 'keywords' => '', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '14010', 'image' => '20211110081500_20200923045005_1600811052.Clipboard07.jpg', 'article_date' => '2021-11-10 08:14:20', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => true, 'in_scroller' => null, 'user_id' => '34' ) ) ) $current_user = null $logged_in = false $xml = falsesimplexml_load_file - [internal], line ?? include - APP/View/Elements/side_bar.ctp, line 133 View::_evaluate() - CORE/Cake/View/View.php, line 971 View::_render() - CORE/Cake/View/View.php, line 933 View::_renderElement() - CORE/Cake/View/View.php, line 1224 View::element() - CORE/Cake/View/View.php, line 418 include - APP/View/Articles/index.ctp, line 157 View::_evaluate() - CORE/Cake/View/View.php, line 971 View::_render() - CORE/Cake/View/View.php, line 933 View::render() - CORE/Cake/View/View.php, line 473 Controller::render() - CORE/Cake/Controller/Controller.php, line 968 Dispatcher::_invoke() - CORE/Cake/Routing/Dispatcher.php, line 200 Dispatcher::dispatch() - CORE/Cake/Routing/Dispatcher.php, line 167 [main] - APP/webroot/index.php, line 117
| Currency | Unit |
Buy | Sell |
| U.S. Dollar | 1 | 121.23 | 121.83 |
| European Euro | 1 | 131.65 | 132.31 |
| UK Pound Sterling | 1 | 142.47 | 143.18 |
| Swiss Franc | 1 | 124.29 | 124.90 |
| Australian Dollar | 1 | 71.69 | 72.05 |
| Canadian Dollar | 1 | 83.90 | 84.32 |
| Japanese Yen | 10 | 10.94 | 11.00 |
| Chinese Yuan | 1 | 17.17 | 17.26 |
| Saudi Arabian Riyal | 1 | 32.27 | 32.43 |
| UAE Dirham | 1 | 33.01 | 33.17 |
| Malaysian Ringgit | 1 | 27.36 | 27.50 |
| South Korean Won | 100 | 9.77 | 9.82 |
Update: 2020-03-25 | Source: Nepal Rastra Bank (NRB)
| Fine Gold | 1 tola | 77000.00 |
| Tejabi Gold | 1 tola | 76700.00 |
| Silver | 1 tola | 720.00 |
Update : 2020-03-25
Source: Federation of Nepal Gold and Silver Dealers' Association
| Petrol | 1 Liter | 106.00 |
| Diesel | 1 Liter | 95.00 |
| Kerosene | 1 Liter | 95.00 |
| LP Gas | 1 Cylinder | 1375.00 |
Update : 2020-03-25
