Budget Crunch hits Construction of Road Projects

May 18, 2021 0 2 minutes 32 seconds to read

…

Government Approves EIA Report of Electricity Transmission Project

May 18, 2021 0 4 minutes 4 seconds to read

May 18: The Ministry of Forest and Environment has approved the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) report of the Electricity Transmission Project (ETP) to be implemented by the Millennium Challenge Account Nepal Development Board (MCA-Nepal).…

Digital Payment Helps Government in Revenue Collection amid Restrictions

May 18, 2021 0 3 minutes 4 seconds to read

May 18: Despite increasing cases of Covid-19 and prohibitory orders imposed to contain the spread of the disease, the government’s revenue collection has remained encouraging due to growing use of digital payment methods by taxpayers.…

Nepal Telecom Launches VoLTE Service across the Country

May 18, 2021 0 2 minutes 29 seconds to read

May 18: Nepal Telecom has launched the VoLTE (Voice Over Long Term Evolution) service from May 17, on the occasion of the World Telecommunication and Information Society…

Rate of COVID-19 Infection yet to Decline

May 18, 2021 0 2 minutes 48 seconds to read

May 18: The number of Covid-19 cases dropped on Saturday and Sunday but has increased again on Sunday.…

Infrastructure Projects to be Built under EPC Model

May 17, 2021 0 3 minutes 26 seconds to read

May 17: The government is preparing to adopt the Engineering, Procurement and Construction (EPC) model in construction of large infrastructure projects like tunnels, flyovers and technically difficult bridges in the country.…

Nepali Pharmaceutical Companies Stop Producing Major Drugs Used to Treat Covid

May 17, 2021 0 3 minutes 44 seconds to read

May 17: Pharmaceutical companies have stopped production of major medicines used for the treatment of coronavirus patients citing price hike of raw…

Government to Provide Discount on Electricity Tariff to Oxygen Industries

May 17, 2021 0 2 minutes 10 seconds to read

May 17: The government has decided to give discount on electricity tariff consumed by oxygen industries.…

Finance Ministry Allocates Rs 4.31 Billion to Contain Covid-19

May 17, 2021 0 58 seconds to read

May 17: The Ministry of Finance has allocated Rs 4.31 billion to contain the spread of Covid-19 pandemic.…

Food Prices Rise during Pandemic

May 16, 2021 0 3 minutes 40 seconds to read

May 16: Amidst coronavirus pandemic, there has been a rise in prices of all sorts of food…

NEA not to Slap Penalty on Hydropower Projects for Reduced Electricity Output

May 16, 2021 0 3 minutes 37 seconds to read

May 16: The Nepal Electricity Authority (NEA) has decided not to slap any penalty to the promoters of old hydropower projects with capacity of less than 10 MW for reduced electricity…

Birgunj Customs Fails to Meet Revenue Collection Target as Prohibitory Orders Hit Foreign Trade

May 16, 2021 0 2 minutes 40 seconds to read

May 16: Birgunj Customs Office has failed to meet the revenue collection target in the month of Baisakh (mid-April to mid-May) due to the impact of COVID-19 on foreign trade.…

MoUs Signed for Construction of Tunnels under Kathmandu-Terai Fast Track

May 16, 2021 0 2 minutes 14 seconds to read

May 16: The Nepalese Army (NA) has signed memorandum of understanding (MoU) for tunnel construction of two packages of Kathmandu-Terai Fast Track.…

18,000 Oxygen Cylinders Arrive at Tatopani Checkpoint

May 16, 2021 0 1 minutes 3 seconds to read

May 16: The China-aided 18,000 empty oxygen cylinders have arrived at Tatopani checkpoint in Sindhupalchowk district on Sunday, May 16.…

Nepal Airlines bringing oxygen cylinders from China, Oman

May 15, 2021 0 50 seconds to read

Nepal Airlines Corporation (NAC)—the national flag carrier—is bringing oxygen cylinders from Beijing, the capital of China, and Muscat, the capital of Oman. …

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NEPSE

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			'id' => '13412',
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			'title' => 'Budget Crunch hits Construction of Road Projects',
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			'summary' => '',
			'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:&quot;Times New Roman&quot;">May 18: The construction of various road projects has been hit by lack of budget in addition to the impact of COVID-19. The Department of Roads (DoR), which has spent 45 percent of budget in capital expenditure for various projects in the last ten months of the current fiscal year, is reeling under budget crunch for projects like the Postal Highway, Industrial Corridor and local bridges.&nbsp;</span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:&quot;Times New Roman&quot;">Ramesh Kumar Singh, deputy spokesperson of the Department, informed that the low capital expenditure is due to the insufficient budget amid the COVID-19 pandemic.&nbsp; He added that the development process of the Postal Highway and other six-lane industrial corridors have been hit by the lack of budget.</span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:&quot;Times New Roman&quot;">According to Singh, DoR is experiencing a budget crunch of Rs 11 billion for several road projects. The department itself will manage Rs 2.5 billion budget while the rest needs to be allocated by the Ministry of Finance.&nbsp;</span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:&quot;Times New Roman&quot;">The department has said that the COVID-19 pandemic will also affect the annual target. If the current situation persists, the department has estimated only 65 percent of budget will be spent on capital expenditure. </span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:&quot;Times New Roman&quot;">The construction has been affected as workers in some projects have gone home while some others have been infected. About 35 workers involved in the construction of the Nagdhunga-Naubise tunnel have tested positive for the coronavirus which has affected the construction process.</span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:&quot;Times New Roman&quot;">The Department of Roads had received a budget of Rs 108 billion in the current fiscal year of which Rs 30.17 billion has been spent. The department has set an annual target of blacktopping 1,800 km roads but only 850 km of roads have been blacktopped so far.</span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:Cambria">&nbsp;</span></span><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:&quot;Times New Roman&quot;">Of this, 550 km of roads have been newly-blacktop while the remaining 300 km have been upgraded and rehabilitated. A new road track of 284 km has been constructed. Until the second quarter, 504 km of gravel road has been completed out of the set target of 1000 km. Similarly, the DoR has completed the construction of 129 motorable bridges. It had set a target to complete the construction of 300 motorable bridges. Of the constructed bridges, 86&nbsp;bridges are local bridges and 43 are strategically important ones.&nbsp;</span></span></span></p>
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			'title' => 'Government Approves EIA Report of Electricity Transmission Project',
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			'summary' => 'May 18: The Ministry of Forest and Environment has approved the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) report of the Electricity Transmission Project (ETP) to be implemented by the Millennium Challenge Account Nepal Development Board (MCA-Nepal). ',
			'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri"><span style="font-size:14.0pt"><span style="font-family:&quot;Times New Roman&quot;">May 18: The Ministry of Forest and Environment has approved the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) report of the Electricity Transmission Project (ETP) to be implemented by the Millennium Challenge Account Nepal Development Board (MCA-Nepal) with the grant funding from the Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC), USA, and co-funding from the Government of Nepal.&nbsp; </span></span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri"><span style="font-size:14.0pt"><span style="font-family:&quot;Times New Roman&quot;">According to MCA-Nepal, the EIA report approved on April 29, 2021 by the government with a ministerial level decision is a major part of the project preparatory works now underway for the construction of transmission lines and substations under the Electricity Transmission Project. </span></span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri"><span style="font-size:14.0pt"><span style="font-family:&quot;Times New Roman&quot;">&ldquo;The achievement is an important milestone to help meet one condition related to site access before the MCC Compact can enter into force,&rdquo; said Khadga Bahadur Bisht, executive director of MCA-Nepal, in a statement on Tuesday, May 18.</span></span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri"><span style="font-size:14.0pt"><span style="font-family:&quot;Times New Roman&quot;">&ldquo;The other important milestone will be ratification of the Compact,&rdquo; he added. </span></span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri"><span style="font-size:14.0pt"><span style="font-family:&quot;Times New Roman&quot;">Bisht further said that the</span></span><span style="font-size:14.0pt"><span style="font-family:&quot;Times New Roman&quot;"> report has established the existing status of the physical, biological, socio-economic and cultural environment within the project&rsquo;s footprint, and has suggested measures to mitigate the potential impacts. </span></span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri"><span style="font-size:14.0pt"><span style="font-family:&quot;Times New Roman&quot;">The detailed EIA report, prepared according to the existing laws of Nepal, is in compliance with Nepal&#39;s Environment Protection Act (EPA), 2019 and Environment Protection Rules (EPR), 2020, the statement further said. </span></span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri"><span style="font-size:14.0pt"><span style="font-family:&quot;Times New Roman&quot;">According to MCA-Nepal, </span></span><span style="font-size:14.0pt"><span style="font-family:&quot;Times New Roman&quot;">a robust methodology for data collection and analysis, for the EIA which also included a number of consultations and public hearings in all 30 municipalities/rural municipalities of 10 districts in the project&rsquo;s footprint. </span></span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri"><span style="font-size:14.0pt"><span style="font-family:&quot;Times New Roman&quot;">The report has proposed measures to avoid, minimize or mitigate/manage adverse impacts and to optimize project benefits as per Nepal&rsquo;s environmental laws and regulations, and international best practices.</span></span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri"><span style="font-size:14.0pt"><span style="font-family:&quot;Times New Roman&quot;">Following the approval of the report, MCA-Nepal said it will now initiate a process to receive the approval for the use of national forest area and removal of trees and plants. </span></span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri"><span style="font-size:14.0pt"><span style="font-family:&quot;Times New Roman&quot;">The Government of Nepal and the US Government&rsquo;s MCC signed a Compact in September 2017 for undertaking two projects that the Government had identified to address major constraints to Nepal&rsquo;s development. </span></span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri"><span style="font-size:14.0pt"><span style="font-family:&quot;Times New Roman&quot;">One of the two projects, the Electricity Transmission Project,</span></span><span style="font-size:14.0pt"><span style="font-family:&quot;Times New Roman&quot;"> also </span></span><span style="font-size:14.0pt"><span style="font-family:&quot;Times New Roman&quot;">a National Pride Project, will </span></span><span style="font-size:14.0pt"><span style="font-family:&quot;Times New Roman&quot;">build around 314 km of 400 kV transmission lines and three 400 kV sub-stations. The transmission lines will pass through 30 municipalities/rural municipalities in 10 districts. The Project will also ensure affected local stakeholders benefit through partnership program and strengthen the power sector in Nepal.</span></span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri"><span style="font-size:14.0pt"><span style="font-family:&quot;Times New Roman&quot;">The other &ndash; Road Maintenance Project &ndash; will support maintenance of Nepal&rsquo;s roads while also introducing a new road maintenance technology in the country, MCA-Nepal added.</span></span><em> </em></span></span></p>
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			'id' => '13409',
			'article_category_id' => '1',
			'title' => 'Digital Payment Helps Government in Revenue Collection amid Restrictions',
			'sub_title' => '',
			'summary' => 'May 18: Despite increasing cases of Covid-19 and prohibitory orders imposed to contain the spread of the disease, the government’s revenue collection has remained encouraging due to growing use of digital payment methods by taxpayers.  ',
			'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:10pt"><span style="font-family:Times"><span style="font-size:14.0pt"><span style="font-family:&quot;Times New Roman&quot;">May 18:&nbsp;Despite increasing cases of Covid-19 and prohibitory orders imposed to contain the spread of the disease, the government&rsquo;s revenue collection has remained encouraging due to growing use of digital payment methods by taxpayers.&nbsp;&nbsp;</span></span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:10pt"><span style="font-family:Times"><span style="font-size:14.0pt"><span style="font-family:&quot;Times New Roman&quot;">The government has imposed prohibitory orders in various districts, including Kathmandu, from the second week of April following an outbreak of the second wave of Covid-19. Meanwhile, tax offices including the Inland Revenue Department had directed the taxpayers to pay the tax ignoring the requests of the private sector for an extension of the tax payment deadline.</span></span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:10pt"><span style="font-family:Times"><span style="font-size:14.0pt"><span style="font-family:&quot;Times New Roman&quot;">Abiding by the tax offices&rsquo; calls to pay their tax through digital payment system, most of the taxpayers submitted their taxes on time to avoid &nbsp;penalty. The government was able to collect revenue of Rs 77.12 billion in the month of Baisakh (mid-April to mid-May) alone.&nbsp;</span></span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:10pt"><span style="font-family:Times"><span style="font-size:14.0pt"><span style="font-family:&quot;Times New Roman&quot;">The government&#39;s revenue from taxes in the review period was Rs 72.91 billion. Out of the total amount of taxes, the Inland Revenue Department (IRD) collected Rs 32.4 billion, according to the preliminary data of the department. The department had set a target of collecting Rs 33.99 billion during the review month.</span></span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:10pt"><span style="font-family:Times"><span style="font-size:14.0pt"><span style="font-family:&quot;Times New Roman&quot;">According to the department, to facilitate the taxpayers during the ongoing crisis, arrangements were made to pay taxes through digital platforms such as connectIPS and eSewa. </span></span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:10pt"><span style="font-family:Times"><span style="font-size:14.0pt"><span style="font-family:&quot;Times New Roman&quot;">As a result, the government was able almost to meet target of revenue collection for the month of Baisakh, informed Mukti Pandey, deputy director-general at the IRD. According to him, the department had set a target of collecting Rs 345 billion in revenue in the first 10 months of the current fiscal year.</span></span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:10pt"><span style="font-family:Times"><span style="font-size:14.0pt"><span style="font-family:&quot;Times New Roman&quot;">According to the Financial Comptroller General&rsquo;s Office (FCGO), 75 percent of the annual revenue collection target has been met as of Baisakh end (mid-May). FCGO&rsquo;s Spokesperson Gyanendra Poudel said that the government&#39;s income was satisfactory amid the ongoing lockdown. He said that the effective implementation of the digital payment system has become helpful for the government in collecting revenue.&nbsp;</span></span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:10pt"><span style="font-family:Times"><span style="font-size:14.0pt"><span style="font-family:&quot;Times New Roman&quot;">According to Nepal Rastra Bank, the number of people making payments through digital channels like connectIPS has been on an increasing trend. In the first nine months of the current fiscal year (FY 2020/21), Rs 211 billion has been paid through connectIPS and Rs 11 billion through other e-wallets. This also shows that the government&#39;s policy of digitizing the payment system is heading towards the right direction.</span></span></span></span></p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>
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		'Article' => array(
			'id' => '13408',
			'article_category_id' => '1',
			'title' => 'Nepal Telecom Launches VoLTE Service across the Country',
			'sub_title' => '',
			'summary' => 'May 18: Nepal Telecom has launched the VoLTE (Voice Over Long Term Evolution) service from May 17, on the occasion of the World Telecommunication and Information Society Day.',
			'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Times"><span style="font-family:&quot;Times New Roman&quot;">Manisha Balami</span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Times"><span style="font-family:&quot;Times New Roman&quot;">May 18: Nepal Telecom has launched the VoLTE (Voice Over Long Term Evolution) service from May 17, on the occasion of the World Telecommunication and Information Society Day. Nepal Telecom launched this service under the LTE technology with the aim of modernizing its services as per the demand of the customers.</span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Times"><span style="font-family:&quot;Times New Roman&quot;">VoLTE or Voice over LTE is an advanced technology that delivers high definition voice quality calls across the NT 4G network. According to the spokesperson of Nepal Telecom, Rajesh Joshi, with the use of VoLTE, customers can now experience crystal clear voice quality with reduced background noise while calling another VoLTE enabled device. Furthermore, the voice quality will also sound more natural. Moreover, the phone calls will also be established immediately while making calls using the 4G network.</span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Times"><span style="font-family:&quot;Times New Roman&quot;">This service is available in all the places having NT&rsquo;s 4G coverage. However, in order to use this service, a customer needs to have a handset that supports VoLTE service.</span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Times"><span style="font-family:&quot;Times New Roman&quot;">The service is compatible with Nokia 5.3, Nokia 7.2, Nokia 3.4, Redmi 9 Prime, Mi10, Redmi 9C, Redmi Note 9 Pro, and Redmi 8A. In addition, mobile phones including Samsung Galaxy S series, M (Millennial) series, A (Alpha) series, Note series and Z Fold2 are also compatible. Nepal Telecom informed that they are working with all handset suppliers to bring VoLTE support in every phone soon.</span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Times"><span style="font-family:&quot;Times New Roman&quot;">Joshi added that Nepal Telecom subscribers can dial *444# from their VoLTE enabled handset and follow the instructions to activate this service in their Sim card. Likewise, to activate this service on phone set, the customers need to go to the settings of the mobile and enable the call for NTC SIM and then the sign of VoLTE appears on the top of the mobile set. Once the signal appears, customers can dial *111# to get 100 minutes free call pack for the activation. According to Nepal Telecom, the free voice pack is valid up to 28 days.</span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Times"><span style="font-family:&quot;Times New Roman&quot;">Nepal Telecom further informed that there is no additional cost for the VoLTE service and the charge is the same as that for normal 2G and 3G calls.&nbsp;</span></span></span></p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>
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	(int) 4 => array(
		'Article' => array(
			'id' => '13407',
			'article_category_id' => '1',
			'title' => ' Rate of COVID-19 Infection yet to Decline ',
			'sub_title' => '',
			'summary' => 'May 18: The number of Covid-19 cases dropped on Saturday and Sunday but has increased again on Sunday. ',
			'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:Arial">May 18: The number of Covid-19 cases dropped on Saturday and Sunday but has increased again on Sunday. It has been reported that the number of new cases dropped due to the decline in tests but the rate of infection has not dropped yet. </span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:Arial">According to the Ministry of Health and Population, a total of 22,087 tests were conducted on Monday out of which 9,247 people or 42 percent samples tested positive for coronavirus. The ministry had been conducting less than 20,000 tests in the past weeks but had stepped up testing on Monday.</span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:Arial">On Sunday, the ministry had conducted 19,883 tests and 18,548 tests on Saturday. The rate of infection was 37 percent on Sunday and 44 percent on Saturday.</span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:Arial">The rate of infection was more than 50 percent until last week but has now become somewhat stable, according to the available data.</span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:Arial">Public health expert Dr Sher Bahadur Pun says it is difficult to predict the future course at the moment but the data show some positive results. </span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:Arial">&ldquo;The current crisis is a result of transmission within families. But the chain effect of infection at the community level has been under control to some extent,&rdquo; said Pun, adding that the infection will reduce if the public abides by the prohibitory order.</span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:Arial">&ldquo;If there is public gatherings, the problem will resurface again,&rdquo; said Pub.</span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:Arial">He says that even if the government lifts prohibitory order, the general public must still follow standard health protocol. </span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:Arial">Meanwhile, the Ministry of Health and Population has stated that the coming weeks would be challenging in view of the second wave of COVID-19 pandemic that has spread across the country. Issuing a statement on Monday, the ministry urged the public to be more cautious and to strictly adopt health safety protocol.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span><br />
<span style="font-family:Arial">In the statement, joint spokesperson at the ministry Dr Samir Adhikari said that despite rigorous efforts in the battle against COVID-19 pandemic, the rate of infection has still not declined.</span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:Arial">Dr Adhikari urged one and all not to organize and participate in any kind of public gathering in the name of religious, cultural and political activities. </span><br />
<span style="font-family:Arial">The ministry also informed that the rate of infection was high in Kathmandu, Lalitpur, Bhaktapur, Kavrepalanchok, Rupandehi, Morang, Kailali, Makawanpur, Dhanusha, Sunsari, Parsa, Bardiya, Banke and Palpa districts. </span></span></span></p>
',
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	(int) 5 => array(
		'Article' => array(
			'id' => '13406',
			'article_category_id' => '1',
			'title' => 'Infrastructure Projects to be Built under EPC Model',
			'sub_title' => '',
			'summary' => 'May 17: The government is preparing to adopt the Engineering, Procurement and Construction (EPC) model in construction of large infrastructure projects like tunnels, flyovers and technically difficult bridges in the country. ',
			'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:Arial">May 17: The government is preparing to adopt the Engineering, Procurement and Construction (EPC) model in construction of large infrastructure projects like tunnels, flyovers and technically difficult bridges in the country.&nbsp;</span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:Arial">The government has introduced and implemented &#39;Directive on Procurement through EPC-2021&#39; in this regard. The directive allows purchase of contracts through the EPC model for the construction of tunnels, flyovers, bridges as well as airports, stadiums, auditoriums, waste management projects and processing centers. The Public Procurement Monitoring Office (PPMO) informed that the directive was approved by the cabinet on May 2.</span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:Arial">It is said that this model can be applied in the construction of roads and projects related to irrigation, drinking water, hydropower etc. EPC is a model of carrying out engineering, procurement and construction works including design and maintenance of construction, by the selected company itself.&nbsp;&nbsp;</span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:Arial">So far, EPC model has been implemented only by the Nepal Electricity Authority but it has not been used in the construction of infrastructure projects like roads and bridges. However, On May 14, the Nepalese Army (NA) signed a contract to build tunnels and bridges along the Kathmandu-Terai Fast Track in the same model.</span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:Arial">In order to promote infrastructure development, plans have been announced to prioritize construction of road, tunnels, expressways and special bridges. But the country lacks skilled technical manpower, and required equipment. Siddhababa tunnel project was stalled due to lack of skilled manpower when the EPC model was not in practice.&nbsp;</span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:Arial">Sushil Dhakal, spokesperson of the PPMO, said that the directive has been implemented to maintain uniformity in procurement done through EPC. The government bodies can purchase the contracts concerning large and complex projects. It covers issues concerning the basis of contract qualification, evaluation and selection, drawing and design, quality control and quality assurance, payment arrangements, warranty, maintenance and operation.&nbsp;</span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:Arial">The Department of Roads (DoR) is now preparing to issue tenders for the Siddhababa Tunnel Project based on the same model. The Ministry of Finance had allocated Rs 10.15 billion for the construction of the project.</span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:Arial">The department had sent the document based on EPC model which didn&#39;t get approval from PPMO for more than one and half a year. </span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:Arial">Director General of the Department Arjun Jung Thapa said that the door has been opened to build Siddhababa Tunnel in the same model. He informed that preparations are on to invite tenders as part of the process to initiate the construction of the tunnel. Thapa said that the procurement process for the construction of Siddhababa tunnel will be expedited based on the EPC model used by the NA. &quot;Since the directives and the model are introduced, we can now use this model for construction projects with the required parameters,&quot; Thapa said.</span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:Arial">According to the infrastructure experts this is a refined form of design and build concept. This model has been very effective in the construction of bridges in the country. In the design and build model, the concerned body has to approve the design made by the construction company, whereas in EPC, the contract company itself designs and prepares engineering works.</span></span></span></p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>
',
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	(int) 6 => array(
		'Article' => array(
			'id' => '13405',
			'article_category_id' => '1',
			'title' => 'Nepali Pharmaceutical Companies Stop Producing Major Drugs Used to Treat Covid ',
			'sub_title' => '',
			'summary' => 'May 17: Pharmaceutical companies have stopped production of major medicines used for the treatment of coronavirus patients citing price hike of raw materials.',
			'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:Arial">May 17: </span><span style="font-family:Arial">Pharmaceutical companies have stopped production of major drugs used for the treatment of coronavirus patients citing price hike of raw materials. The drug manufacturers have stopped producing drugs such as paracetamol, zinc, vitamin C, and doxycycline, and azithromycin used for treating lung infection.</span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:Arial">The Association of Pharmaceutical Producers of Nepal, which has been pressuring the Department of Health Services for price adjustment for the past three years. The association has informed the department that they cannot produce the medicines at the same rates as the prices of raw materials have increased. They claim that they have to incur more for the raw materials than they earn from selling the medicines at the current rate.</span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:Arial">President of the </span><span style="font-family:Arial">association Narayan&nbsp;Chhetri said that it is not possible to produce the medicines as the cost price has become higher than the selling price. He said that the government had last adjusted the price 14 years ago and now it is not possible to produce medicines at that same price. &quot;Paracetamol is already in short supply in some places,&quot; he said. &quot;Who will produce medicines at a loss?&rdquo; he questioned.</span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:Arial">He admits that the price of essential medicines should not be too high, but says that the government authorities should adjust the price.</span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:Arial">Entrepreneurs have been saying that the price of medicine has not been adjusted since the association and the department adjusted the price in September 2008. But the government claims that it had increased the prices of 21 types of medicines some three years ago. </span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:Arial">Chhetri argues that the price of the product has gone up as the prices of raw materials have increased four folds.&nbsp;</span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:Arial">Stating that paracetamol is still available in the market at Re 1 per tablet while the cost price is around Rs 1.5, he questioned how long will the company produce them bearing loss.</span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:Arial">This has already created shortage of medicines in the market. However, Chhetri says medicines can be imported easily, but the question is about quality assurance of the cheap drugs.</span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:Arial">The association has demanded that the price of medicine should be adjusted every six months</span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:Arial">Drug manufacturer Deepak Dahal said that the manufacturers have stopped producing drugs because they have been bearing massive loss.</span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:Arial">&quot;We could have produced medicine for social service. But with a negative balance sheet, the bank will not give us any loan and it won&#39;t be possible for us to operate,&quot; he informed.</span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:Arial">He said that not only the private industry but also the government-owned Nepal Aushadhi Limited has stopped producing such drugs.&nbsp;</span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:Arial">&quot;We are not trying to put pressure on the government to increase the price to take advantage of the opportunity. The demand for a price adjustment for the last three years has not been addressed,&quot; he added.</span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:Arial">Spokesperson of the department Dr Santosh KC said that the department will form a group to decide on the price adjustment.</span></span></span></p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>
',
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	(int) 7 => array(
		'Article' => array(
			'id' => '13404',
			'article_category_id' => '1',
			'title' => 'Government to Provide Discount on Electricity Tariff to Oxygen Industries',
			'sub_title' => '',
			'summary' => 'May 17: The government has decided to give discount on electricity tariff consumed by oxygen industries. ',
			'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:Arial">May 17:</span> <span style="font-family:Arial">The government has decided to give discount on electricity tariff consumed by oxygen industries.&nbsp;</span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:Arial">A meeting of the Covid-19 Crisis Management Centre (CCMC) held on Sunday (May 16) took&nbsp;the decision to waive electricity tariff. The meeting was also attended by Prime Minister K P Sharma Oli. The decision to offer a waiver on electricity tariffs to oxygen plants comes in the wake of growing demand for oxygen in hospitals due to the rising cases of Covid-19.&nbsp;</span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:Arial">According to the CCMC, it also decided to continue the import of liquid oxygen from India as well as increase the supply of oxygen cylinders.&nbsp; The government has already imported 400 cylinders from China and 561 cylinders from Oman.&nbsp;</span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:Arial">CCMC members also claim that oxygen supply to the hospitals would not be a problem anymore as the government has imported additional oxygen cylinders from Lhasa via Tatopani.&nbsp;</span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:Arial">The meeting also discussed the shortage of financial resources and procedural hassles that have contributed to the suffering of the Covid-19 patients. Following the meeting, Prime Minister Oli directed CCMC to resolve the procedural hassles and act immediately.&nbsp;</span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:Arial">Meanwhile, the death toll from Covid-19 has crossed 5,000. With 145 deaths reported&nbsp; on Sunday, the total number of people losing their lives to Covid-19 has climbed 5,001, according to the Ministry of Health and Population.&nbsp;</span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:Arial">According to Minister for Foreign Affairs Pradip Gyawali, CCMC has decided to intensify its efforts to prevent the Covid-19 outbreak as per the directive of the prime minister.</span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:Arial">Stating that procedural hassles on procurement and other works related to the management of Covid-19 have contributed to a surge in deaths, he said that the government was committed to act swiftly to respond and manage the current health crisis. </span></span></span></p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>
',
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			'image' => '20210517125357_20210429095930_Medical-Oxygen-Gas-Cylinders-Market.jpg',
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	(int) 8 => array(
		'Article' => array(
			'id' => '13403',
			'article_category_id' => '1',
			'title' => 'Finance Ministry Allocates Rs 4.31 Billion to Contain Covid-19   ',
			'sub_title' => '',
			'summary' => 'May 17: The Ministry of Finance has allocated Rs 4.31 billion to contain the spread of Covid-19 pandemic. ',
			'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:&quot;Arial Unicode MS&quot;">May 17: The Ministry of Finance has allocated Rs 4.31 billion to contain the spread of Covid-19 pandemic. </span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:&quot;Arial Unicode MS&quot;">According to the ministry, the fund will be utilized to improve the heath care system of the hospitals across the country. The fund will also be used to purchase medicines and medical supplies, the ministry said in a statement on Sunday (May 16).&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span><br />
<span style="font-family:&quot;Arial Unicode MS&quot;">According to the state-owned national news agency RSS, the ministry has allocated over Rs 2.95 billion for 26 central hospitals and nine provincial hospitals for managing oxygen plants, ventilators among other necessary medical supplies.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span><br />
<span style="font-family:&quot;Arial Unicode MS&quot;">Similarly, Rs 1.36 billion will be provided to 25 hospitals to establish High Dependency Unit (HDU). </span></span></span></p>

<p><img alt="" src="/app/webroot/userfiles/images/My%20Effect%284%29.jpg" style="height:241px; width:800px" /></p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>
',
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	(int) 9 => array(
		'Article' => array(
			'id' => '13401',
			'article_category_id' => '1',
			'title' => 'Food Prices Rise during Pandemic',
			'sub_title' => '',
			'summary' => 'May 16: Amidst coronavirus pandemic, there has been a rise in prices of all sorts of food products.',
			'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Calibri">May 16: Amidst coronavirus pandemic, there has been a rise in prices of all sorts of food products. Taking advantage of the prolonged restrictions and political instability, industrialists, businessmen and middlemen have increased the prices of food items like rice, oil, sugar, lentil, eggs, legumes etc arbitrarily.</span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Calibri">Consumers are facing financial crisis due to the pandemic. Nevertheless, many businessmen have been continuously increasing the prices of daily essentials under various pretexts.</span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Calibri">According to the information provided by the Retail Trade Association, the price of lentils, which was Rs 110 per kg before the prohibitory orders were imposed, has now reached Rs 122 per kg.</span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Calibri">The price of black lentil has increased by Rs 10 per kg from Rs 165 to Rs 175. The price of gram which was Rs 110 per kg has gone up by Rs 25 to Rs 135 per kg. Similarly, according to the association, the price of each brand of rice has increased by Rs 50 to Rs 100 per sack. Although there is no specific reason for the increase in prices of these food items at this time, some traders and middlemen may have increased the price on the pretext of political instability and restriction, says Pavitramaan Bajracharya, the outgoing president of the association. </span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Calibri">According to him, black market has flourished in food trade. &ldquo;Neither the government nor the regulatory body has a say in the matter,&rdquo; he told New Business Age. He also said that the problem of wholesalers not paying the right price to the retailers have also surfaced.</span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Calibri">On Saturday, he got a bill of only Rs 77 for the sugar he bought from a wholesaler at Rs 89 per kg. &ldquo;I have received a bill of Rs 12 less than the purchased price. At present, the retail price of sugar in the market is Rs 90 per kg. How can I sell that sugar in such a situation?&rdquo; he complained.</span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Calibri">Prakash Poudel, the director general of the Department of Commerce, Supplies and Consumer Protection, said that a joint team comprising of officials from the Department and the Inland Revenue Department should be formed to resolve the problems of retailers not getting the right bill.</span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Calibri">He said that the local bodies and District Administration Offices should play a role to prevent unnecessary price hike in their areas as the Department alone cannot check irregularities everywhere. He said that the Department has been monitoring the situation by forming two teams everyday between 7 am to 9 am. </span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Calibri">Not only have the prices of lentils, legumes and rice been increased, businessmen have also increased the prices of egg and edible oil.</span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Calibri">Chicken eggs, which were being sold at Rs 350 per crate before the restriction, are now being sold at Rs 400. It is said that the price has gone up as the consumption of eggs has increased in the market. Similarly, the price of edible oil has gone up unnaturally in the last one and a half years. The price of soybean oil, which was Rs 145 per liter earlier, has now increased by Rs 120 per liter to Rs 265 per liter. The price of sunflower oil has also increased by Rs 100 to Rs 400 per liter. According to the Nepal Rice, Oil and Pulses Industry Association, the price of oil, rice and pulses has also gone up in Nepal after the prices of raw materials including mustard, paddy and soybean skyrocketed in the international market.</span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Calibri">At present, the main reason for the rise in food prices is the rise in prices in the international market, said Subodh Kumar Gupta, president of the Association. He said there was no intention to encourage black marketing or hurt consumers during the pandemic.</span></span></p>
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	(int) 10 => array(
		'Article' => array(
			'id' => '13402',
			'article_category_id' => '1',
			'title' => 'NEA not to Slap Penalty on Hydropower Projects for Reduced Electricity Output',
			'sub_title' => '',
			'summary' => 'May 16: The Nepal Electricity Authority (NEA) has decided not to slap any penalty to the promoters of old hydropower projects with capacity of less than 10 MW for reduced electricity production.',
			'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-size:14.0pt"><span style="font-family:Times">May 16: The Nepal Electricity Authority (NEA) has decided not to slap any penalty to the promoters of old hydropower projects with capacity of less than 10 MW for reduced electricity production. The NEA took such decision after various rounds of discussions with the Electricity Regulatory Commission.<br />
Promoters hydropower projects with capacity of less than 10 MW that came into operation before March 22 will not be penalized if the reduction in flow of water results in production of less electricity than the prescribed amount. Rameshwar Poudel, an ex-officio member of the NEA Board of Directors, said that the decision was taken in line with a directive issued by the commission.<br />
The Electricity Regulatory Commission had instructed NEA to make such arrangement around two months ago. NEA had been urging the commission to reconsider the decision, saying such an arrangement would affect its financial system and other aspects. However, after discussions at various stages, NEA has decided to provide such facility to the specified projects as per the decision and instructions of the commission.<br />
&quot;We had requested the commission to reconsider the directive as it would affect the financial condition of the authority,&quot; Poudel said, adding, &ldquo;The decision, which is beneficial for both the promoters and the NEA was taken after discussions with the commission at various stages.&rdquo;</span></span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-size:14.0pt"><span style="font-family:Times">Similarly, the commission has decided not to impose any penalty if NEA fails to construct transmission line on time due to special circumstances.<br />
According to Poudel, the commission has clarified that no fine has to be paid if the transmission line cannot be built due to special circumstances. </span></span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-size:14.0pt"><span style="font-family:Times">As per the directive of the commission, NEA has made an arrangement that no penalty will be levied if the power generation of the projects is less than the commitment made only if it is due to hydrology. If the power generation is less than the prescribed amount due to other reasons, a penalty of 10 percent will have to be paid for insufficient electricity production.<br />
Earlier, the projects had to pay the prescribed amount of penalty to the power buyer (Nepal Electricity Authority) even if the power generation was reduced due to hydrology. But, now they won&#39;t have to pay such a penalty.<br />
Even when the power generation was low due to natural calamities, the projects had to pay the penalty. The promoters have been urging the commission to come up with the necessary policy in this regard. Regarding such concerns, the commission had decided not to penalize old projects.<br />
From now on, the concerned projects will have to submit the details of their production capacity on a weekly basis to NEA. In addition, details of how much electricity is generated every month will have to be submitted to NEA.<br />
Although NEA has signed power purchase agreement (PPA) with NEA the promoter companies according to the full capacity of the projects, power generation is not always optimal due to hydrology.<br />
Earlier, the minimum commitment was to generate 60 percent electricity in winter and 90 percent in the rainy season. However, such a limit has now been removed. Provision has been made for the project to generate electricity as estimated and if it is not produced, the penalty will be levied accordingly. In addition, as per the decision of the commission, if the projects generate more electricity than expected, they will receive an additional amount from NEA.<br />
Earlier, if excess electricity was generated than previously committed, the project would not get anything more that mentioned in the agreement. But now they will get the additional amount from NEA at the rate of 50 percent of the surplus electricity. This provision will not be applicable in case is electricity is generated more than the capacity mentioned in the PPA. In order to implement these provisions, the previous PPA between the projects and the NEA need to be amended.</span></span></span></span></p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>
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		'Article' => array(
			'id' => '13400',
			'article_category_id' => '1',
			'title' => 'Birgunj Customs Fails to Meet Revenue Collection Target as Prohibitory Orders Hit Foreign Trade ',
			'sub_title' => '',
			'summary' => 'May 16: Birgunj Customs Office has failed to meet the revenue collection target in the month of Baisakh (mid-April to mid-May) due to the impact of COVID-19 on foreign trade. ',
			'content' => '<p><em>Birgunj border entry point in this file photo.</em></p>

<p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:Arial">May 16: Birgunj Customs Office has failed to meet the revenue collection target in the month of Baisakh (mid-April to mid-May) due to the impact of COVID-19 on foreign trade. The largest customs point of the country has fallen short of revenue collection target by 14 percent.</span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:Arial">The revenue target for the review month was Rs 19.44 billion, but the Birgunj Customs Office was able to collect only Rs 16.84 billion.</span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:Arial">Birgunj Customs Office has said that the prohibitory orders imposed to contain the COVID-19 pandemic&nbsp; has affected the country&rsquo;s foreign trade. </span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:Arial">&quot;In the month of Baisakh (mid April to mid May), import of petroleum products, new vehicles and other luxury items declined. The impact is directly reflected in the revenue,&quot; said Harihar Poudel, chief of Birgunj Customs Office.&nbsp;</span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:Arial">The local administration had imposed prohibitory order in Birgunj from April 29 as part of measures to contain the outbreak of the second wave of coronavirus. Vehicles have remained off the road due to the ban. Though the government has said that there will not be any restriction on imports, it&#39;s not the case at the customs point.&nbsp;</span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:Arial">The Customs Office said that the import of petroleum products has declined due to the restrictions on public transportation. Likewise, new vehicles have also not received clearance from the customs office. &ldquo;As the import of these two major items has declined, the revenue collection has also gone down,&quot; said Poudel.</span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:Arial">Similarly, imports of raw materials, construction materials and equipment have also fallen. Since many development projects have been stalled, the import of construction materials has also dwindled. However, food items, medicines, raw materials and other essential items are being imported without any obstructions.&nbsp;</span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:Arial">Although the ban did not have much effect on imports and exports in the first few days, the foreign trade started to decline after other districts enforced prohibitory orders.&nbsp;&nbsp;</span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:Arial">The prohibitory order is in the third week in Kathmandu Valley along with other cities which are considered to be the major hubs for production, manufacturing and supplies.&nbsp; With the extension of prohibitory order, its impact is being directly felt in the supply chain.&nbsp;</span></span></span></p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>
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		'Article' => array(
			'id' => '13399',
			'article_category_id' => '1',
			'title' => ' MoUs Signed for Construction of Tunnels under Kathmandu-Terai Fast Track ',
			'sub_title' => '',
			'summary' => 'May 16: The Nepalese Army (NA) has signed memorandum of understanding (MoU) for tunnel construction of two packages of Kathmandu-Terai Fast Track. ',
			'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:&quot;Arial Unicode MS&quot;">May 16: The Nepalese Army (NA) has signed memorandum of understanding (MoU) for tunnel construction of two packages of Kathmandu-Terai Fast Track. </span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:&quot;Arial Unicode MS&quot;">According to the state-owned national news agency RSS, the NA signed contracts with China State Construction Engineering Corporation Limited for package 1 and Poly Chyangda Engineering Company Limited for package 2 of the tunnel.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span><br />
<span style="font-family:&quot;Arial Unicode MS&quot;">NA spokesperson Brigadier General Santosh Ballav Poudel shared that the first package is worth Rs 21 billion 610 million while the budget of the second package is Rs 28 billion 530 million. There will be one tunnel in the first package and two short tunnels in the second package, RSS further reported.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span><br />
<span style="font-family:&quot;Arial Unicode MS&quot;">The MoU to this effect was signed by project chief of the Kathmandu-Terai Fast Track and Brigadier General Bikas Pokahrel on behalf of the project and Executive Director Xu Yan for package 1 and Project Manager Xhu Taniagyu Barbara for package 2.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span><br />
<span style="font-family:&quot;Arial Unicode MS&quot;">Spokesperson Poudel said the MoUs were signed in line with the Public Procurement Act 2063 and Regulation 2064 BS.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span><br />
<span style="font-family:&quot;Arial Unicode MS&quot;">As per the MoU, the contractor was provided six months for design and three years for the construction. Out of the 11 clusters developed by the NA to complete the project within the stipulated time, MoUs have been signed to construct nine clusters, RSS reported.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span><br />
<span style="font-family:&quot;Arial Unicode MS&quot;">However, the Public Accounts Committee of the House of Representatives (HOR) had directed to scrap the project noting that the contract was against the preamble of Public Procurement Act. Following the committee&rsquo;s directive, the NA had requested through the line ministry to reconsider its decision claiming that all works were being undertaken in a transparent manner.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span><br />
<span style="font-family:&quot;Arial Unicode MS&quot;">So far, the overall progress is reported to be 11.11 percent and the NA has set a target to reach 16.21 percent by the end of current fiscal year. The 72.5-km expressway with four lanes has the breadth of 25-meter in mountainous area and 27-meter in Terai area. The national pride project will also have a total 87 bridges.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span></span></span><br />
&nbsp;</p>
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			'title' => ' 18,000 Oxygen Cylinders Arrive at Tatopani Checkpoint ',
			'sub_title' => '',
			'summary' => 'May 16: The China-aided 18,000 empty oxygen cylinders have arrived at Tatopani checkpoint in Sindhupalchowk district on Sunday, May 16. ',
			'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:&quot;Arial Unicode MS&quot;">May 16: The China-aided 18,000 empty oxygen cylinders have arrived at Tatopani checkpoint in Sindhupalchowk district on Sunday, May 16.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span><br />
<span style="font-family:&quot;Arial Unicode MS&quot;">According to Ganesh Pandey, press coordinator to Deputy Prime Minister and Coordinator of the Covid-19 Crisis Management Centre Ishwor Pokharel, those cylinders will be brought in Kathmandu once the Chinese government hands them over to Nepal.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span><br />
<span style="font-family:&quot;Arial Unicode MS&quot;">As Nepal has been under the grip of second wave of Covid-19, there has been high demand for oxygen cylinders to treat the infected people.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span><br />
<span style="font-family:&quot;Arial Unicode MS&quot;">Earlier, 400 oxygen cylinders were flown to Nepal from China. Preparations are afoot to bring 1,600 remaining cylinders, out of 20,000, provided by China in grant assistance, informed Pandey.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span><br />
<span style="font-family:&quot;Arial Unicode MS&quot;">The Nepal Airlines Corporation&rsquo;s wide-body aircraft, which had flown to China on Saturday, is bringing home 550 oxygen cylinders from China today itself. -- RSS&nbsp;&nbsp; </span></span></span></p>
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			'id' => '13397',
			'article_category_id' => '1',
			'title' => ' Nepal Airlines bringing oxygen cylinders from China, Oman',
			'sub_title' => '',
			'summary' => 'Nepal Airlines Corporation (NAC)—the national flag carrier—is bringing oxygen cylinders from Beijing, the capital of China, and Muscat, the capital of Oman.     ',
			'content' => '<p>May 15:&nbsp;Nepal Airlines Corporation (NAC)&mdash;the national flag carrier&mdash;is bringing oxygen cylinders from Beijing, the capital of China, and Muscat, the capital of Oman. &nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;<br />
The NAC A-330 wide body left for Muscat this morning to pick up 600 oxygen gas cylinders to be received from Oman in assistance. The Non Resident Nepali Association (NRNA) and the Nepali Embassy in Oman had facilitated the assistance. The NAC aircraft will be returning from Muscat this evening. &nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;<br />
Similarly, the NAC wide body is scheduled to leave for Beijing at 11:00 pm today to bring medical assistance which also includes oxygen cylinders provided by the Government of China. Besides, preparation is on to bring eight oxygen concentrators from China. The government plans to send the NAC wide body to China on May 15, 16 and 17 to bring 550 oxygen cylinders per each flight amidst the raging Covid-19 crisis. &nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;<br />
-<strong><em>-RSS &nbsp;</em></strong><br />
&nbsp;</p>
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		'Article' => array(
			'id' => '13412',
			'article_category_id' => '1',
			'title' => 'Budget Crunch hits Construction of Road Projects',
			'sub_title' => '',
			'summary' => '',
			'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:&quot;Times New Roman&quot;">May 18: The construction of various road projects has been hit by lack of budget in addition to the impact of COVID-19. The Department of Roads (DoR), which has spent 45 percent of budget in capital expenditure for various projects in the last ten months of the current fiscal year, is reeling under budget crunch for projects like the Postal Highway, Industrial Corridor and local bridges.&nbsp;</span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:&quot;Times New Roman&quot;">Ramesh Kumar Singh, deputy spokesperson of the Department, informed that the low capital expenditure is due to the insufficient budget amid the COVID-19 pandemic.&nbsp; He added that the development process of the Postal Highway and other six-lane industrial corridors have been hit by the lack of budget.</span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:&quot;Times New Roman&quot;">According to Singh, DoR is experiencing a budget crunch of Rs 11 billion for several road projects. The department itself will manage Rs 2.5 billion budget while the rest needs to be allocated by the Ministry of Finance.&nbsp;</span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:&quot;Times New Roman&quot;">The department has said that the COVID-19 pandemic will also affect the annual target. If the current situation persists, the department has estimated only 65 percent of budget will be spent on capital expenditure. </span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:&quot;Times New Roman&quot;">The construction has been affected as workers in some projects have gone home while some others have been infected. About 35 workers involved in the construction of the Nagdhunga-Naubise tunnel have tested positive for the coronavirus which has affected the construction process.</span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:&quot;Times New Roman&quot;">The Department of Roads had received a budget of Rs 108 billion in the current fiscal year of which Rs 30.17 billion has been spent. The department has set an annual target of blacktopping 1,800 km roads but only 850 km of roads have been blacktopped so far.</span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:Cambria">&nbsp;</span></span><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:&quot;Times New Roman&quot;">Of this, 550 km of roads have been newly-blacktop while the remaining 300 km have been upgraded and rehabilitated. A new road track of 284 km has been constructed. Until the second quarter, 504 km of gravel road has been completed out of the set target of 1000 km. Similarly, the DoR has completed the construction of 129 motorable bridges. It had set a target to complete the construction of 300 motorable bridges. Of the constructed bridges, 86&nbsp;bridges are local bridges and 43 are strategically important ones.&nbsp;</span></span></span></p>
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			'id' => '13410',
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			'title' => 'Government Approves EIA Report of Electricity Transmission Project',
			'sub_title' => '',
			'summary' => 'May 18: The Ministry of Forest and Environment has approved the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) report of the Electricity Transmission Project (ETP) to be implemented by the Millennium Challenge Account Nepal Development Board (MCA-Nepal). ',
			'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri"><span style="font-size:14.0pt"><span style="font-family:&quot;Times New Roman&quot;">May 18: The Ministry of Forest and Environment has approved the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) report of the Electricity Transmission Project (ETP) to be implemented by the Millennium Challenge Account Nepal Development Board (MCA-Nepal) with the grant funding from the Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC), USA, and co-funding from the Government of Nepal.&nbsp; </span></span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri"><span style="font-size:14.0pt"><span style="font-family:&quot;Times New Roman&quot;">According to MCA-Nepal, the EIA report approved on April 29, 2021 by the government with a ministerial level decision is a major part of the project preparatory works now underway for the construction of transmission lines and substations under the Electricity Transmission Project. </span></span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri"><span style="font-size:14.0pt"><span style="font-family:&quot;Times New Roman&quot;">&ldquo;The achievement is an important milestone to help meet one condition related to site access before the MCC Compact can enter into force,&rdquo; said Khadga Bahadur Bisht, executive director of MCA-Nepal, in a statement on Tuesday, May 18.</span></span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri"><span style="font-size:14.0pt"><span style="font-family:&quot;Times New Roman&quot;">&ldquo;The other important milestone will be ratification of the Compact,&rdquo; he added. </span></span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri"><span style="font-size:14.0pt"><span style="font-family:&quot;Times New Roman&quot;">Bisht further said that the</span></span><span style="font-size:14.0pt"><span style="font-family:&quot;Times New Roman&quot;"> report has established the existing status of the physical, biological, socio-economic and cultural environment within the project&rsquo;s footprint, and has suggested measures to mitigate the potential impacts. </span></span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri"><span style="font-size:14.0pt"><span style="font-family:&quot;Times New Roman&quot;">The detailed EIA report, prepared according to the existing laws of Nepal, is in compliance with Nepal&#39;s Environment Protection Act (EPA), 2019 and Environment Protection Rules (EPR), 2020, the statement further said. </span></span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri"><span style="font-size:14.0pt"><span style="font-family:&quot;Times New Roman&quot;">According to MCA-Nepal, </span></span><span style="font-size:14.0pt"><span style="font-family:&quot;Times New Roman&quot;">a robust methodology for data collection and analysis, for the EIA which also included a number of consultations and public hearings in all 30 municipalities/rural municipalities of 10 districts in the project&rsquo;s footprint. </span></span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri"><span style="font-size:14.0pt"><span style="font-family:&quot;Times New Roman&quot;">The report has proposed measures to avoid, minimize or mitigate/manage adverse impacts and to optimize project benefits as per Nepal&rsquo;s environmental laws and regulations, and international best practices.</span></span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri"><span style="font-size:14.0pt"><span style="font-family:&quot;Times New Roman&quot;">Following the approval of the report, MCA-Nepal said it will now initiate a process to receive the approval for the use of national forest area and removal of trees and plants. </span></span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri"><span style="font-size:14.0pt"><span style="font-family:&quot;Times New Roman&quot;">The Government of Nepal and the US Government&rsquo;s MCC signed a Compact in September 2017 for undertaking two projects that the Government had identified to address major constraints to Nepal&rsquo;s development. </span></span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri"><span style="font-size:14.0pt"><span style="font-family:&quot;Times New Roman&quot;">One of the two projects, the Electricity Transmission Project,</span></span><span style="font-size:14.0pt"><span style="font-family:&quot;Times New Roman&quot;"> also </span></span><span style="font-size:14.0pt"><span style="font-family:&quot;Times New Roman&quot;">a National Pride Project, will </span></span><span style="font-size:14.0pt"><span style="font-family:&quot;Times New Roman&quot;">build around 314 km of 400 kV transmission lines and three 400 kV sub-stations. The transmission lines will pass through 30 municipalities/rural municipalities in 10 districts. The Project will also ensure affected local stakeholders benefit through partnership program and strengthen the power sector in Nepal.</span></span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri"><span style="font-size:14.0pt"><span style="font-family:&quot;Times New Roman&quot;">The other &ndash; Road Maintenance Project &ndash; will support maintenance of Nepal&rsquo;s roads while also introducing a new road maintenance technology in the country, MCA-Nepal added.</span></span><em> </em></span></span></p>
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			'title' => 'Digital Payment Helps Government in Revenue Collection amid Restrictions',
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			'summary' => 'May 18: Despite increasing cases of Covid-19 and prohibitory orders imposed to contain the spread of the disease, the government’s revenue collection has remained encouraging due to growing use of digital payment methods by taxpayers.  ',
			'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:10pt"><span style="font-family:Times"><span style="font-size:14.0pt"><span style="font-family:&quot;Times New Roman&quot;">May 18:&nbsp;Despite increasing cases of Covid-19 and prohibitory orders imposed to contain the spread of the disease, the government&rsquo;s revenue collection has remained encouraging due to growing use of digital payment methods by taxpayers.&nbsp;&nbsp;</span></span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:10pt"><span style="font-family:Times"><span style="font-size:14.0pt"><span style="font-family:&quot;Times New Roman&quot;">The government has imposed prohibitory orders in various districts, including Kathmandu, from the second week of April following an outbreak of the second wave of Covid-19. Meanwhile, tax offices including the Inland Revenue Department had directed the taxpayers to pay the tax ignoring the requests of the private sector for an extension of the tax payment deadline.</span></span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:10pt"><span style="font-family:Times"><span style="font-size:14.0pt"><span style="font-family:&quot;Times New Roman&quot;">Abiding by the tax offices&rsquo; calls to pay their tax through digital payment system, most of the taxpayers submitted their taxes on time to avoid &nbsp;penalty. The government was able to collect revenue of Rs 77.12 billion in the month of Baisakh (mid-April to mid-May) alone.&nbsp;</span></span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:10pt"><span style="font-family:Times"><span style="font-size:14.0pt"><span style="font-family:&quot;Times New Roman&quot;">The government&#39;s revenue from taxes in the review period was Rs 72.91 billion. Out of the total amount of taxes, the Inland Revenue Department (IRD) collected Rs 32.4 billion, according to the preliminary data of the department. The department had set a target of collecting Rs 33.99 billion during the review month.</span></span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:10pt"><span style="font-family:Times"><span style="font-size:14.0pt"><span style="font-family:&quot;Times New Roman&quot;">According to the department, to facilitate the taxpayers during the ongoing crisis, arrangements were made to pay taxes through digital platforms such as connectIPS and eSewa. </span></span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:10pt"><span style="font-family:Times"><span style="font-size:14.0pt"><span style="font-family:&quot;Times New Roman&quot;">As a result, the government was able almost to meet target of revenue collection for the month of Baisakh, informed Mukti Pandey, deputy director-general at the IRD. According to him, the department had set a target of collecting Rs 345 billion in revenue in the first 10 months of the current fiscal year.</span></span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:10pt"><span style="font-family:Times"><span style="font-size:14.0pt"><span style="font-family:&quot;Times New Roman&quot;">According to the Financial Comptroller General&rsquo;s Office (FCGO), 75 percent of the annual revenue collection target has been met as of Baisakh end (mid-May). FCGO&rsquo;s Spokesperson Gyanendra Poudel said that the government&#39;s income was satisfactory amid the ongoing lockdown. He said that the effective implementation of the digital payment system has become helpful for the government in collecting revenue.&nbsp;</span></span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:10pt"><span style="font-family:Times"><span style="font-size:14.0pt"><span style="font-family:&quot;Times New Roman&quot;">According to Nepal Rastra Bank, the number of people making payments through digital channels like connectIPS has been on an increasing trend. In the first nine months of the current fiscal year (FY 2020/21), Rs 211 billion has been paid through connectIPS and Rs 11 billion through other e-wallets. This also shows that the government&#39;s policy of digitizing the payment system is heading towards the right direction.</span></span></span></span></p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>
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		'Article' => array(
			'id' => '13408',
			'article_category_id' => '1',
			'title' => 'Nepal Telecom Launches VoLTE Service across the Country',
			'sub_title' => '',
			'summary' => 'May 18: Nepal Telecom has launched the VoLTE (Voice Over Long Term Evolution) service from May 17, on the occasion of the World Telecommunication and Information Society Day.',
			'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Times"><span style="font-family:&quot;Times New Roman&quot;">Manisha Balami</span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Times"><span style="font-family:&quot;Times New Roman&quot;">May 18: Nepal Telecom has launched the VoLTE (Voice Over Long Term Evolution) service from May 17, on the occasion of the World Telecommunication and Information Society Day. Nepal Telecom launched this service under the LTE technology with the aim of modernizing its services as per the demand of the customers.</span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Times"><span style="font-family:&quot;Times New Roman&quot;">VoLTE or Voice over LTE is an advanced technology that delivers high definition voice quality calls across the NT 4G network. According to the spokesperson of Nepal Telecom, Rajesh Joshi, with the use of VoLTE, customers can now experience crystal clear voice quality with reduced background noise while calling another VoLTE enabled device. Furthermore, the voice quality will also sound more natural. Moreover, the phone calls will also be established immediately while making calls using the 4G network.</span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Times"><span style="font-family:&quot;Times New Roman&quot;">This service is available in all the places having NT&rsquo;s 4G coverage. However, in order to use this service, a customer needs to have a handset that supports VoLTE service.</span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Times"><span style="font-family:&quot;Times New Roman&quot;">The service is compatible with Nokia 5.3, Nokia 7.2, Nokia 3.4, Redmi 9 Prime, Mi10, Redmi 9C, Redmi Note 9 Pro, and Redmi 8A. In addition, mobile phones including Samsung Galaxy S series, M (Millennial) series, A (Alpha) series, Note series and Z Fold2 are also compatible. Nepal Telecom informed that they are working with all handset suppliers to bring VoLTE support in every phone soon.</span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Times"><span style="font-family:&quot;Times New Roman&quot;">Joshi added that Nepal Telecom subscribers can dial *444# from their VoLTE enabled handset and follow the instructions to activate this service in their Sim card. Likewise, to activate this service on phone set, the customers need to go to the settings of the mobile and enable the call for NTC SIM and then the sign of VoLTE appears on the top of the mobile set. Once the signal appears, customers can dial *111# to get 100 minutes free call pack for the activation. According to Nepal Telecom, the free voice pack is valid up to 28 days.</span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Times"><span style="font-family:&quot;Times New Roman&quot;">Nepal Telecom further informed that there is no additional cost for the VoLTE service and the charge is the same as that for normal 2G and 3G calls.&nbsp;</span></span></span></p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>
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	(int) 4 => array(
		'Article' => array(
			'id' => '13407',
			'article_category_id' => '1',
			'title' => ' Rate of COVID-19 Infection yet to Decline ',
			'sub_title' => '',
			'summary' => 'May 18: The number of Covid-19 cases dropped on Saturday and Sunday but has increased again on Sunday. ',
			'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:Arial">May 18: The number of Covid-19 cases dropped on Saturday and Sunday but has increased again on Sunday. It has been reported that the number of new cases dropped due to the decline in tests but the rate of infection has not dropped yet. </span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:Arial">According to the Ministry of Health and Population, a total of 22,087 tests were conducted on Monday out of which 9,247 people or 42 percent samples tested positive for coronavirus. The ministry had been conducting less than 20,000 tests in the past weeks but had stepped up testing on Monday.</span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:Arial">On Sunday, the ministry had conducted 19,883 tests and 18,548 tests on Saturday. The rate of infection was 37 percent on Sunday and 44 percent on Saturday.</span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:Arial">The rate of infection was more than 50 percent until last week but has now become somewhat stable, according to the available data.</span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:Arial">Public health expert Dr Sher Bahadur Pun says it is difficult to predict the future course at the moment but the data show some positive results. </span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:Arial">&ldquo;The current crisis is a result of transmission within families. But the chain effect of infection at the community level has been under control to some extent,&rdquo; said Pun, adding that the infection will reduce if the public abides by the prohibitory order.</span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:Arial">&ldquo;If there is public gatherings, the problem will resurface again,&rdquo; said Pub.</span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:Arial">He says that even if the government lifts prohibitory order, the general public must still follow standard health protocol. </span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:Arial">Meanwhile, the Ministry of Health and Population has stated that the coming weeks would be challenging in view of the second wave of COVID-19 pandemic that has spread across the country. Issuing a statement on Monday, the ministry urged the public to be more cautious and to strictly adopt health safety protocol.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span><br />
<span style="font-family:Arial">In the statement, joint spokesperson at the ministry Dr Samir Adhikari said that despite rigorous efforts in the battle against COVID-19 pandemic, the rate of infection has still not declined.</span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:Arial">Dr Adhikari urged one and all not to organize and participate in any kind of public gathering in the name of religious, cultural and political activities. </span><br />
<span style="font-family:Arial">The ministry also informed that the rate of infection was high in Kathmandu, Lalitpur, Bhaktapur, Kavrepalanchok, Rupandehi, Morang, Kailali, Makawanpur, Dhanusha, Sunsari, Parsa, Bardiya, Banke and Palpa districts. </span></span></span></p>
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	(int) 5 => array(
		'Article' => array(
			'id' => '13406',
			'article_category_id' => '1',
			'title' => 'Infrastructure Projects to be Built under EPC Model',
			'sub_title' => '',
			'summary' => 'May 17: The government is preparing to adopt the Engineering, Procurement and Construction (EPC) model in construction of large infrastructure projects like tunnels, flyovers and technically difficult bridges in the country. ',
			'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:Arial">May 17: The government is preparing to adopt the Engineering, Procurement and Construction (EPC) model in construction of large infrastructure projects like tunnels, flyovers and technically difficult bridges in the country.&nbsp;</span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:Arial">The government has introduced and implemented &#39;Directive on Procurement through EPC-2021&#39; in this regard. The directive allows purchase of contracts through the EPC model for the construction of tunnels, flyovers, bridges as well as airports, stadiums, auditoriums, waste management projects and processing centers. The Public Procurement Monitoring Office (PPMO) informed that the directive was approved by the cabinet on May 2.</span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:Arial">It is said that this model can be applied in the construction of roads and projects related to irrigation, drinking water, hydropower etc. EPC is a model of carrying out engineering, procurement and construction works including design and maintenance of construction, by the selected company itself.&nbsp;&nbsp;</span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:Arial">So far, EPC model has been implemented only by the Nepal Electricity Authority but it has not been used in the construction of infrastructure projects like roads and bridges. However, On May 14, the Nepalese Army (NA) signed a contract to build tunnels and bridges along the Kathmandu-Terai Fast Track in the same model.</span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:Arial">In order to promote infrastructure development, plans have been announced to prioritize construction of road, tunnels, expressways and special bridges. But the country lacks skilled technical manpower, and required equipment. Siddhababa tunnel project was stalled due to lack of skilled manpower when the EPC model was not in practice.&nbsp;</span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:Arial">Sushil Dhakal, spokesperson of the PPMO, said that the directive has been implemented to maintain uniformity in procurement done through EPC. The government bodies can purchase the contracts concerning large and complex projects. It covers issues concerning the basis of contract qualification, evaluation and selection, drawing and design, quality control and quality assurance, payment arrangements, warranty, maintenance and operation.&nbsp;</span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:Arial">The Department of Roads (DoR) is now preparing to issue tenders for the Siddhababa Tunnel Project based on the same model. The Ministry of Finance had allocated Rs 10.15 billion for the construction of the project.</span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:Arial">The department had sent the document based on EPC model which didn&#39;t get approval from PPMO for more than one and half a year. </span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:Arial">Director General of the Department Arjun Jung Thapa said that the door has been opened to build Siddhababa Tunnel in the same model. He informed that preparations are on to invite tenders as part of the process to initiate the construction of the tunnel. Thapa said that the procurement process for the construction of Siddhababa tunnel will be expedited based on the EPC model used by the NA. &quot;Since the directives and the model are introduced, we can now use this model for construction projects with the required parameters,&quot; Thapa said.</span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:Arial">According to the infrastructure experts this is a refined form of design and build concept. This model has been very effective in the construction of bridges in the country. In the design and build model, the concerned body has to approve the design made by the construction company, whereas in EPC, the contract company itself designs and prepares engineering works.</span></span></span></p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>
',
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	(int) 6 => array(
		'Article' => array(
			'id' => '13405',
			'article_category_id' => '1',
			'title' => 'Nepali Pharmaceutical Companies Stop Producing Major Drugs Used to Treat Covid ',
			'sub_title' => '',
			'summary' => 'May 17: Pharmaceutical companies have stopped production of major medicines used for the treatment of coronavirus patients citing price hike of raw materials.',
			'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:Arial">May 17: </span><span style="font-family:Arial">Pharmaceutical companies have stopped production of major drugs used for the treatment of coronavirus patients citing price hike of raw materials. The drug manufacturers have stopped producing drugs such as paracetamol, zinc, vitamin C, and doxycycline, and azithromycin used for treating lung infection.</span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:Arial">The Association of Pharmaceutical Producers of Nepal, which has been pressuring the Department of Health Services for price adjustment for the past three years. The association has informed the department that they cannot produce the medicines at the same rates as the prices of raw materials have increased. They claim that they have to incur more for the raw materials than they earn from selling the medicines at the current rate.</span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:Arial">President of the </span><span style="font-family:Arial">association Narayan&nbsp;Chhetri said that it is not possible to produce the medicines as the cost price has become higher than the selling price. He said that the government had last adjusted the price 14 years ago and now it is not possible to produce medicines at that same price. &quot;Paracetamol is already in short supply in some places,&quot; he said. &quot;Who will produce medicines at a loss?&rdquo; he questioned.</span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:Arial">He admits that the price of essential medicines should not be too high, but says that the government authorities should adjust the price.</span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:Arial">Entrepreneurs have been saying that the price of medicine has not been adjusted since the association and the department adjusted the price in September 2008. But the government claims that it had increased the prices of 21 types of medicines some three years ago. </span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:Arial">Chhetri argues that the price of the product has gone up as the prices of raw materials have increased four folds.&nbsp;</span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:Arial">Stating that paracetamol is still available in the market at Re 1 per tablet while the cost price is around Rs 1.5, he questioned how long will the company produce them bearing loss.</span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:Arial">This has already created shortage of medicines in the market. However, Chhetri says medicines can be imported easily, but the question is about quality assurance of the cheap drugs.</span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:Arial">The association has demanded that the price of medicine should be adjusted every six months</span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:Arial">Drug manufacturer Deepak Dahal said that the manufacturers have stopped producing drugs because they have been bearing massive loss.</span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:Arial">&quot;We could have produced medicine for social service. But with a negative balance sheet, the bank will not give us any loan and it won&#39;t be possible for us to operate,&quot; he informed.</span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:Arial">He said that not only the private industry but also the government-owned Nepal Aushadhi Limited has stopped producing such drugs.&nbsp;</span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:Arial">&quot;We are not trying to put pressure on the government to increase the price to take advantage of the opportunity. The demand for a price adjustment for the last three years has not been addressed,&quot; he added.</span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:Arial">Spokesperson of the department Dr Santosh KC said that the department will form a group to decide on the price adjustment.</span></span></span></p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>
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	(int) 7 => array(
		'Article' => array(
			'id' => '13404',
			'article_category_id' => '1',
			'title' => 'Government to Provide Discount on Electricity Tariff to Oxygen Industries',
			'sub_title' => '',
			'summary' => 'May 17: The government has decided to give discount on electricity tariff consumed by oxygen industries. ',
			'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:Arial">May 17:</span> <span style="font-family:Arial">The government has decided to give discount on electricity tariff consumed by oxygen industries.&nbsp;</span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:Arial">A meeting of the Covid-19 Crisis Management Centre (CCMC) held on Sunday (May 16) took&nbsp;the decision to waive electricity tariff. The meeting was also attended by Prime Minister K P Sharma Oli. The decision to offer a waiver on electricity tariffs to oxygen plants comes in the wake of growing demand for oxygen in hospitals due to the rising cases of Covid-19.&nbsp;</span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:Arial">According to the CCMC, it also decided to continue the import of liquid oxygen from India as well as increase the supply of oxygen cylinders.&nbsp; The government has already imported 400 cylinders from China and 561 cylinders from Oman.&nbsp;</span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:Arial">CCMC members also claim that oxygen supply to the hospitals would not be a problem anymore as the government has imported additional oxygen cylinders from Lhasa via Tatopani.&nbsp;</span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:Arial">The meeting also discussed the shortage of financial resources and procedural hassles that have contributed to the suffering of the Covid-19 patients. Following the meeting, Prime Minister Oli directed CCMC to resolve the procedural hassles and act immediately.&nbsp;</span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:Arial">Meanwhile, the death toll from Covid-19 has crossed 5,000. With 145 deaths reported&nbsp; on Sunday, the total number of people losing their lives to Covid-19 has climbed 5,001, according to the Ministry of Health and Population.&nbsp;</span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:Arial">According to Minister for Foreign Affairs Pradip Gyawali, CCMC has decided to intensify its efforts to prevent the Covid-19 outbreak as per the directive of the prime minister.</span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:Arial">Stating that procedural hassles on procurement and other works related to the management of Covid-19 have contributed to a surge in deaths, he said that the government was committed to act swiftly to respond and manage the current health crisis. </span></span></span></p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>
',
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	(int) 8 => array(
		'Article' => array(
			'id' => '13403',
			'article_category_id' => '1',
			'title' => 'Finance Ministry Allocates Rs 4.31 Billion to Contain Covid-19   ',
			'sub_title' => '',
			'summary' => 'May 17: The Ministry of Finance has allocated Rs 4.31 billion to contain the spread of Covid-19 pandemic. ',
			'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:&quot;Arial Unicode MS&quot;">May 17: The Ministry of Finance has allocated Rs 4.31 billion to contain the spread of Covid-19 pandemic. </span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:&quot;Arial Unicode MS&quot;">According to the ministry, the fund will be utilized to improve the heath care system of the hospitals across the country. The fund will also be used to purchase medicines and medical supplies, the ministry said in a statement on Sunday (May 16).&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span><br />
<span style="font-family:&quot;Arial Unicode MS&quot;">According to the state-owned national news agency RSS, the ministry has allocated over Rs 2.95 billion for 26 central hospitals and nine provincial hospitals for managing oxygen plants, ventilators among other necessary medical supplies.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span><br />
<span style="font-family:&quot;Arial Unicode MS&quot;">Similarly, Rs 1.36 billion will be provided to 25 hospitals to establish High Dependency Unit (HDU). </span></span></span></p>

<p><img alt="" src="/app/webroot/userfiles/images/My%20Effect%284%29.jpg" style="height:241px; width:800px" /></p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>
',
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	(int) 9 => array(
		'Article' => array(
			'id' => '13401',
			'article_category_id' => '1',
			'title' => 'Food Prices Rise during Pandemic',
			'sub_title' => '',
			'summary' => 'May 16: Amidst coronavirus pandemic, there has been a rise in prices of all sorts of food products.',
			'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Calibri">May 16: Amidst coronavirus pandemic, there has been a rise in prices of all sorts of food products. Taking advantage of the prolonged restrictions and political instability, industrialists, businessmen and middlemen have increased the prices of food items like rice, oil, sugar, lentil, eggs, legumes etc arbitrarily.</span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Calibri">Consumers are facing financial crisis due to the pandemic. Nevertheless, many businessmen have been continuously increasing the prices of daily essentials under various pretexts.</span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Calibri">According to the information provided by the Retail Trade Association, the price of lentils, which was Rs 110 per kg before the prohibitory orders were imposed, has now reached Rs 122 per kg.</span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Calibri">The price of black lentil has increased by Rs 10 per kg from Rs 165 to Rs 175. The price of gram which was Rs 110 per kg has gone up by Rs 25 to Rs 135 per kg. Similarly, according to the association, the price of each brand of rice has increased by Rs 50 to Rs 100 per sack. Although there is no specific reason for the increase in prices of these food items at this time, some traders and middlemen may have increased the price on the pretext of political instability and restriction, says Pavitramaan Bajracharya, the outgoing president of the association. </span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Calibri">According to him, black market has flourished in food trade. &ldquo;Neither the government nor the regulatory body has a say in the matter,&rdquo; he told New Business Age. He also said that the problem of wholesalers not paying the right price to the retailers have also surfaced.</span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Calibri">On Saturday, he got a bill of only Rs 77 for the sugar he bought from a wholesaler at Rs 89 per kg. &ldquo;I have received a bill of Rs 12 less than the purchased price. At present, the retail price of sugar in the market is Rs 90 per kg. How can I sell that sugar in such a situation?&rdquo; he complained.</span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Calibri">Prakash Poudel, the director general of the Department of Commerce, Supplies and Consumer Protection, said that a joint team comprising of officials from the Department and the Inland Revenue Department should be formed to resolve the problems of retailers not getting the right bill.</span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Calibri">He said that the local bodies and District Administration Offices should play a role to prevent unnecessary price hike in their areas as the Department alone cannot check irregularities everywhere. He said that the Department has been monitoring the situation by forming two teams everyday between 7 am to 9 am. </span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Calibri">Not only have the prices of lentils, legumes and rice been increased, businessmen have also increased the prices of egg and edible oil.</span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Calibri">Chicken eggs, which were being sold at Rs 350 per crate before the restriction, are now being sold at Rs 400. It is said that the price has gone up as the consumption of eggs has increased in the market. Similarly, the price of edible oil has gone up unnaturally in the last one and a half years. The price of soybean oil, which was Rs 145 per liter earlier, has now increased by Rs 120 per liter to Rs 265 per liter. The price of sunflower oil has also increased by Rs 100 to Rs 400 per liter. According to the Nepal Rice, Oil and Pulses Industry Association, the price of oil, rice and pulses has also gone up in Nepal after the prices of raw materials including mustard, paddy and soybean skyrocketed in the international market.</span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Calibri">At present, the main reason for the rise in food prices is the rise in prices in the international market, said Subodh Kumar Gupta, president of the Association. He said there was no intention to encourage black marketing or hurt consumers during the pandemic.</span></span></p>
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		'Article' => array(
			'id' => '13402',
			'article_category_id' => '1',
			'title' => 'NEA not to Slap Penalty on Hydropower Projects for Reduced Electricity Output',
			'sub_title' => '',
			'summary' => 'May 16: The Nepal Electricity Authority (NEA) has decided not to slap any penalty to the promoters of old hydropower projects with capacity of less than 10 MW for reduced electricity production.',
			'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-size:14.0pt"><span style="font-family:Times">May 16: The Nepal Electricity Authority (NEA) has decided not to slap any penalty to the promoters of old hydropower projects with capacity of less than 10 MW for reduced electricity production. The NEA took such decision after various rounds of discussions with the Electricity Regulatory Commission.<br />
Promoters hydropower projects with capacity of less than 10 MW that came into operation before March 22 will not be penalized if the reduction in flow of water results in production of less electricity than the prescribed amount. Rameshwar Poudel, an ex-officio member of the NEA Board of Directors, said that the decision was taken in line with a directive issued by the commission.<br />
The Electricity Regulatory Commission had instructed NEA to make such arrangement around two months ago. NEA had been urging the commission to reconsider the decision, saying such an arrangement would affect its financial system and other aspects. However, after discussions at various stages, NEA has decided to provide such facility to the specified projects as per the decision and instructions of the commission.<br />
&quot;We had requested the commission to reconsider the directive as it would affect the financial condition of the authority,&quot; Poudel said, adding, &ldquo;The decision, which is beneficial for both the promoters and the NEA was taken after discussions with the commission at various stages.&rdquo;</span></span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-size:14.0pt"><span style="font-family:Times">Similarly, the commission has decided not to impose any penalty if NEA fails to construct transmission line on time due to special circumstances.<br />
According to Poudel, the commission has clarified that no fine has to be paid if the transmission line cannot be built due to special circumstances. </span></span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-size:14.0pt"><span style="font-family:Times">As per the directive of the commission, NEA has made an arrangement that no penalty will be levied if the power generation of the projects is less than the commitment made only if it is due to hydrology. If the power generation is less than the prescribed amount due to other reasons, a penalty of 10 percent will have to be paid for insufficient electricity production.<br />
Earlier, the projects had to pay the prescribed amount of penalty to the power buyer (Nepal Electricity Authority) even if the power generation was reduced due to hydrology. But, now they won&#39;t have to pay such a penalty.<br />
Even when the power generation was low due to natural calamities, the projects had to pay the penalty. The promoters have been urging the commission to come up with the necessary policy in this regard. Regarding such concerns, the commission had decided not to penalize old projects.<br />
From now on, the concerned projects will have to submit the details of their production capacity on a weekly basis to NEA. In addition, details of how much electricity is generated every month will have to be submitted to NEA.<br />
Although NEA has signed power purchase agreement (PPA) with NEA the promoter companies according to the full capacity of the projects, power generation is not always optimal due to hydrology.<br />
Earlier, the minimum commitment was to generate 60 percent electricity in winter and 90 percent in the rainy season. However, such a limit has now been removed. Provision has been made for the project to generate electricity as estimated and if it is not produced, the penalty will be levied accordingly. In addition, as per the decision of the commission, if the projects generate more electricity than expected, they will receive an additional amount from NEA.<br />
Earlier, if excess electricity was generated than previously committed, the project would not get anything more that mentioned in the agreement. But now they will get the additional amount from NEA at the rate of 50 percent of the surplus electricity. This provision will not be applicable in case is electricity is generated more than the capacity mentioned in the PPA. In order to implement these provisions, the previous PPA between the projects and the NEA need to be amended.</span></span></span></span></p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>
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		'Article' => array(
			'id' => '13400',
			'article_category_id' => '1',
			'title' => 'Birgunj Customs Fails to Meet Revenue Collection Target as Prohibitory Orders Hit Foreign Trade ',
			'sub_title' => '',
			'summary' => 'May 16: Birgunj Customs Office has failed to meet the revenue collection target in the month of Baisakh (mid-April to mid-May) due to the impact of COVID-19 on foreign trade. ',
			'content' => '<p><em>Birgunj border entry point in this file photo.</em></p>

<p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:Arial">May 16: Birgunj Customs Office has failed to meet the revenue collection target in the month of Baisakh (mid-April to mid-May) due to the impact of COVID-19 on foreign trade. The largest customs point of the country has fallen short of revenue collection target by 14 percent.</span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:Arial">The revenue target for the review month was Rs 19.44 billion, but the Birgunj Customs Office was able to collect only Rs 16.84 billion.</span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:Arial">Birgunj Customs Office has said that the prohibitory orders imposed to contain the COVID-19 pandemic&nbsp; has affected the country&rsquo;s foreign trade. </span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:Arial">&quot;In the month of Baisakh (mid April to mid May), import of petroleum products, new vehicles and other luxury items declined. The impact is directly reflected in the revenue,&quot; said Harihar Poudel, chief of Birgunj Customs Office.&nbsp;</span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:Arial">The local administration had imposed prohibitory order in Birgunj from April 29 as part of measures to contain the outbreak of the second wave of coronavirus. Vehicles have remained off the road due to the ban. Though the government has said that there will not be any restriction on imports, it&#39;s not the case at the customs point.&nbsp;</span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:Arial">The Customs Office said that the import of petroleum products has declined due to the restrictions on public transportation. Likewise, new vehicles have also not received clearance from the customs office. &ldquo;As the import of these two major items has declined, the revenue collection has also gone down,&quot; said Poudel.</span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:Arial">Similarly, imports of raw materials, construction materials and equipment have also fallen. Since many development projects have been stalled, the import of construction materials has also dwindled. However, food items, medicines, raw materials and other essential items are being imported without any obstructions.&nbsp;</span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:Arial">Although the ban did not have much effect on imports and exports in the first few days, the foreign trade started to decline after other districts enforced prohibitory orders.&nbsp;&nbsp;</span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:Arial">The prohibitory order is in the third week in Kathmandu Valley along with other cities which are considered to be the major hubs for production, manufacturing and supplies.&nbsp; With the extension of prohibitory order, its impact is being directly felt in the supply chain.&nbsp;</span></span></span></p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>
',
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		'Article' => array(
			'id' => '13399',
			'article_category_id' => '1',
			'title' => ' MoUs Signed for Construction of Tunnels under Kathmandu-Terai Fast Track ',
			'sub_title' => '',
			'summary' => 'May 16: The Nepalese Army (NA) has signed memorandum of understanding (MoU) for tunnel construction of two packages of Kathmandu-Terai Fast Track. ',
			'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:&quot;Arial Unicode MS&quot;">May 16: The Nepalese Army (NA) has signed memorandum of understanding (MoU) for tunnel construction of two packages of Kathmandu-Terai Fast Track. </span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:&quot;Arial Unicode MS&quot;">According to the state-owned national news agency RSS, the NA signed contracts with China State Construction Engineering Corporation Limited for package 1 and Poly Chyangda Engineering Company Limited for package 2 of the tunnel.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span><br />
<span style="font-family:&quot;Arial Unicode MS&quot;">NA spokesperson Brigadier General Santosh Ballav Poudel shared that the first package is worth Rs 21 billion 610 million while the budget of the second package is Rs 28 billion 530 million. There will be one tunnel in the first package and two short tunnels in the second package, RSS further reported.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span><br />
<span style="font-family:&quot;Arial Unicode MS&quot;">The MoU to this effect was signed by project chief of the Kathmandu-Terai Fast Track and Brigadier General Bikas Pokahrel on behalf of the project and Executive Director Xu Yan for package 1 and Project Manager Xhu Taniagyu Barbara for package 2.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span><br />
<span style="font-family:&quot;Arial Unicode MS&quot;">Spokesperson Poudel said the MoUs were signed in line with the Public Procurement Act 2063 and Regulation 2064 BS.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span><br />
<span style="font-family:&quot;Arial Unicode MS&quot;">As per the MoU, the contractor was provided six months for design and three years for the construction. Out of the 11 clusters developed by the NA to complete the project within the stipulated time, MoUs have been signed to construct nine clusters, RSS reported.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span><br />
<span style="font-family:&quot;Arial Unicode MS&quot;">However, the Public Accounts Committee of the House of Representatives (HOR) had directed to scrap the project noting that the contract was against the preamble of Public Procurement Act. Following the committee&rsquo;s directive, the NA had requested through the line ministry to reconsider its decision claiming that all works were being undertaken in a transparent manner.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span><br />
<span style="font-family:&quot;Arial Unicode MS&quot;">So far, the overall progress is reported to be 11.11 percent and the NA has set a target to reach 16.21 percent by the end of current fiscal year. The 72.5-km expressway with four lanes has the breadth of 25-meter in mountainous area and 27-meter in Terai area. The national pride project will also have a total 87 bridges.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span></span></span><br />
&nbsp;</p>
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			'image' => '20210516122418_20170616052456_fast track nov 21.jpg',
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		'Article' => array(
			'id' => '13398',
			'article_category_id' => '1',
			'title' => ' 18,000 Oxygen Cylinders Arrive at Tatopani Checkpoint ',
			'sub_title' => '',
			'summary' => 'May 16: The China-aided 18,000 empty oxygen cylinders have arrived at Tatopani checkpoint in Sindhupalchowk district on Sunday, May 16. ',
			'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:&quot;Arial Unicode MS&quot;">May 16: The China-aided 18,000 empty oxygen cylinders have arrived at Tatopani checkpoint in Sindhupalchowk district on Sunday, May 16.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span><br />
<span style="font-family:&quot;Arial Unicode MS&quot;">According to Ganesh Pandey, press coordinator to Deputy Prime Minister and Coordinator of the Covid-19 Crisis Management Centre Ishwor Pokharel, those cylinders will be brought in Kathmandu once the Chinese government hands them over to Nepal.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span><br />
<span style="font-family:&quot;Arial Unicode MS&quot;">As Nepal has been under the grip of second wave of Covid-19, there has been high demand for oxygen cylinders to treat the infected people.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span><br />
<span style="font-family:&quot;Arial Unicode MS&quot;">Earlier, 400 oxygen cylinders were flown to Nepal from China. Preparations are afoot to bring 1,600 remaining cylinders, out of 20,000, provided by China in grant assistance, informed Pandey.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span><br />
<span style="font-family:&quot;Arial Unicode MS&quot;">The Nepal Airlines Corporation&rsquo;s wide-body aircraft, which had flown to China on Saturday, is bringing home 550 oxygen cylinders from China today itself. -- RSS&nbsp;&nbsp; </span></span></span></p>
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		'Article' => array(
			'id' => '13397',
			'article_category_id' => '1',
			'title' => ' Nepal Airlines bringing oxygen cylinders from China, Oman',
			'sub_title' => '',
			'summary' => 'Nepal Airlines Corporation (NAC)—the national flag carrier—is bringing oxygen cylinders from Beijing, the capital of China, and Muscat, the capital of Oman.     ',
			'content' => '<p>May 15:&nbsp;Nepal Airlines Corporation (NAC)&mdash;the national flag carrier&mdash;is bringing oxygen cylinders from Beijing, the capital of China, and Muscat, the capital of Oman. &nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;<br />
The NAC A-330 wide body left for Muscat this morning to pick up 600 oxygen gas cylinders to be received from Oman in assistance. The Non Resident Nepali Association (NRNA) and the Nepali Embassy in Oman had facilitated the assistance. The NAC aircraft will be returning from Muscat this evening. &nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;<br />
Similarly, the NAC wide body is scheduled to leave for Beijing at 11:00 pm today to bring medical assistance which also includes oxygen cylinders provided by the Government of China. Besides, preparation is on to bring eight oxygen concentrators from China. The government plans to send the NAC wide body to China on May 15, 16 and 17 to bring 550 oxygen cylinders per each flight amidst the raging Covid-19 crisis. &nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;<br />
-<strong><em>-RSS &nbsp;</em></strong><br />
&nbsp;</p>
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			'image' => '20210515051633_NAC Widebody.jpg',
			'article_date' => '2021-05-15 17:15:04',
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			'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:&quot;Times New Roman&quot;">May 18: The construction of various road projects has been hit by lack of budget in addition to the impact of COVID-19. The Department of Roads (DoR), which has spent 45 percent of budget in capital expenditure for various projects in the last ten months of the current fiscal year, is reeling under budget crunch for projects like the Postal Highway, Industrial Corridor and local bridges.&nbsp;</span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:&quot;Times New Roman&quot;">Ramesh Kumar Singh, deputy spokesperson of the Department, informed that the low capital expenditure is due to the insufficient budget amid the COVID-19 pandemic.&nbsp; He added that the development process of the Postal Highway and other six-lane industrial corridors have been hit by the lack of budget.</span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:&quot;Times New Roman&quot;">According to Singh, DoR is experiencing a budget crunch of Rs 11 billion for several road projects. The department itself will manage Rs 2.5 billion budget while the rest needs to be allocated by the Ministry of Finance.&nbsp;</span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:&quot;Times New Roman&quot;">The department has said that the COVID-19 pandemic will also affect the annual target. If the current situation persists, the department has estimated only 65 percent of budget will be spent on capital expenditure. </span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:&quot;Times New Roman&quot;">The construction has been affected as workers in some projects have gone home while some others have been infected. About 35 workers involved in the construction of the Nagdhunga-Naubise tunnel have tested positive for the coronavirus which has affected the construction process.</span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:&quot;Times New Roman&quot;">The Department of Roads had received a budget of Rs 108 billion in the current fiscal year of which Rs 30.17 billion has been spent. The department has set an annual target of blacktopping 1,800 km roads but only 850 km of roads have been blacktopped so far.</span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:Cambria">&nbsp;</span></span><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:&quot;Times New Roman&quot;">Of this, 550 km of roads have been newly-blacktop while the remaining 300 km have been upgraded and rehabilitated. A new road track of 284 km has been constructed. Until the second quarter, 504 km of gravel road has been completed out of the set target of 1000 km. Similarly, the DoR has completed the construction of 129 motorable bridges. It had set a target to complete the construction of 300 motorable bridges. Of the constructed bridges, 86&nbsp;bridges are local bridges and 43 are strategically important ones.&nbsp;</span></span></span></p>
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		'Article' => array(
			'id' => '13410',
			'article_category_id' => '1',
			'title' => 'Government Approves EIA Report of Electricity Transmission Project',
			'sub_title' => '',
			'summary' => 'May 18: The Ministry of Forest and Environment has approved the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) report of the Electricity Transmission Project (ETP) to be implemented by the Millennium Challenge Account Nepal Development Board (MCA-Nepal). ',
			'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri"><span style="font-size:14.0pt"><span style="font-family:&quot;Times New Roman&quot;">May 18: The Ministry of Forest and Environment has approved the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) report of the Electricity Transmission Project (ETP) to be implemented by the Millennium Challenge Account Nepal Development Board (MCA-Nepal) with the grant funding from the Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC), USA, and co-funding from the Government of Nepal.&nbsp; </span></span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri"><span style="font-size:14.0pt"><span style="font-family:&quot;Times New Roman&quot;">According to MCA-Nepal, the EIA report approved on April 29, 2021 by the government with a ministerial level decision is a major part of the project preparatory works now underway for the construction of transmission lines and substations under the Electricity Transmission Project. </span></span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri"><span style="font-size:14.0pt"><span style="font-family:&quot;Times New Roman&quot;">&ldquo;The achievement is an important milestone to help meet one condition related to site access before the MCC Compact can enter into force,&rdquo; said Khadga Bahadur Bisht, executive director of MCA-Nepal, in a statement on Tuesday, May 18.</span></span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri"><span style="font-size:14.0pt"><span style="font-family:&quot;Times New Roman&quot;">&ldquo;The other important milestone will be ratification of the Compact,&rdquo; he added. </span></span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri"><span style="font-size:14.0pt"><span style="font-family:&quot;Times New Roman&quot;">Bisht further said that the</span></span><span style="font-size:14.0pt"><span style="font-family:&quot;Times New Roman&quot;"> report has established the existing status of the physical, biological, socio-economic and cultural environment within the project&rsquo;s footprint, and has suggested measures to mitigate the potential impacts. </span></span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri"><span style="font-size:14.0pt"><span style="font-family:&quot;Times New Roman&quot;">The detailed EIA report, prepared according to the existing laws of Nepal, is in compliance with Nepal&#39;s Environment Protection Act (EPA), 2019 and Environment Protection Rules (EPR), 2020, the statement further said. </span></span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri"><span style="font-size:14.0pt"><span style="font-family:&quot;Times New Roman&quot;">According to MCA-Nepal, </span></span><span style="font-size:14.0pt"><span style="font-family:&quot;Times New Roman&quot;">a robust methodology for data collection and analysis, for the EIA which also included a number of consultations and public hearings in all 30 municipalities/rural municipalities of 10 districts in the project&rsquo;s footprint. </span></span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri"><span style="font-size:14.0pt"><span style="font-family:&quot;Times New Roman&quot;">The report has proposed measures to avoid, minimize or mitigate/manage adverse impacts and to optimize project benefits as per Nepal&rsquo;s environmental laws and regulations, and international best practices.</span></span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri"><span style="font-size:14.0pt"><span style="font-family:&quot;Times New Roman&quot;">Following the approval of the report, MCA-Nepal said it will now initiate a process to receive the approval for the use of national forest area and removal of trees and plants. </span></span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri"><span style="font-size:14.0pt"><span style="font-family:&quot;Times New Roman&quot;">The Government of Nepal and the US Government&rsquo;s MCC signed a Compact in September 2017 for undertaking two projects that the Government had identified to address major constraints to Nepal&rsquo;s development. </span></span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri"><span style="font-size:14.0pt"><span style="font-family:&quot;Times New Roman&quot;">One of the two projects, the Electricity Transmission Project,</span></span><span style="font-size:14.0pt"><span style="font-family:&quot;Times New Roman&quot;"> also </span></span><span style="font-size:14.0pt"><span style="font-family:&quot;Times New Roman&quot;">a National Pride Project, will </span></span><span style="font-size:14.0pt"><span style="font-family:&quot;Times New Roman&quot;">build around 314 km of 400 kV transmission lines and three 400 kV sub-stations. The transmission lines will pass through 30 municipalities/rural municipalities in 10 districts. The Project will also ensure affected local stakeholders benefit through partnership program and strengthen the power sector in Nepal.</span></span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri"><span style="font-size:14.0pt"><span style="font-family:&quot;Times New Roman&quot;">The other &ndash; Road Maintenance Project &ndash; will support maintenance of Nepal&rsquo;s roads while also introducing a new road maintenance technology in the country, MCA-Nepal added.</span></span><em> </em></span></span></p>
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		'Article' => array(
			'id' => '13409',
			'article_category_id' => '1',
			'title' => 'Digital Payment Helps Government in Revenue Collection amid Restrictions',
			'sub_title' => '',
			'summary' => 'May 18: Despite increasing cases of Covid-19 and prohibitory orders imposed to contain the spread of the disease, the government’s revenue collection has remained encouraging due to growing use of digital payment methods by taxpayers.  ',
			'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:10pt"><span style="font-family:Times"><span style="font-size:14.0pt"><span style="font-family:&quot;Times New Roman&quot;">May 18:&nbsp;Despite increasing cases of Covid-19 and prohibitory orders imposed to contain the spread of the disease, the government&rsquo;s revenue collection has remained encouraging due to growing use of digital payment methods by taxpayers.&nbsp;&nbsp;</span></span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:10pt"><span style="font-family:Times"><span style="font-size:14.0pt"><span style="font-family:&quot;Times New Roman&quot;">The government has imposed prohibitory orders in various districts, including Kathmandu, from the second week of April following an outbreak of the second wave of Covid-19. Meanwhile, tax offices including the Inland Revenue Department had directed the taxpayers to pay the tax ignoring the requests of the private sector for an extension of the tax payment deadline.</span></span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:10pt"><span style="font-family:Times"><span style="font-size:14.0pt"><span style="font-family:&quot;Times New Roman&quot;">Abiding by the tax offices&rsquo; calls to pay their tax through digital payment system, most of the taxpayers submitted their taxes on time to avoid &nbsp;penalty. The government was able to collect revenue of Rs 77.12 billion in the month of Baisakh (mid-April to mid-May) alone.&nbsp;</span></span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:10pt"><span style="font-family:Times"><span style="font-size:14.0pt"><span style="font-family:&quot;Times New Roman&quot;">The government&#39;s revenue from taxes in the review period was Rs 72.91 billion. Out of the total amount of taxes, the Inland Revenue Department (IRD) collected Rs 32.4 billion, according to the preliminary data of the department. The department had set a target of collecting Rs 33.99 billion during the review month.</span></span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:10pt"><span style="font-family:Times"><span style="font-size:14.0pt"><span style="font-family:&quot;Times New Roman&quot;">According to the department, to facilitate the taxpayers during the ongoing crisis, arrangements were made to pay taxes through digital platforms such as connectIPS and eSewa. </span></span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:10pt"><span style="font-family:Times"><span style="font-size:14.0pt"><span style="font-family:&quot;Times New Roman&quot;">As a result, the government was able almost to meet target of revenue collection for the month of Baisakh, informed Mukti Pandey, deputy director-general at the IRD. According to him, the department had set a target of collecting Rs 345 billion in revenue in the first 10 months of the current fiscal year.</span></span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:10pt"><span style="font-family:Times"><span style="font-size:14.0pt"><span style="font-family:&quot;Times New Roman&quot;">According to the Financial Comptroller General&rsquo;s Office (FCGO), 75 percent of the annual revenue collection target has been met as of Baisakh end (mid-May). FCGO&rsquo;s Spokesperson Gyanendra Poudel said that the government&#39;s income was satisfactory amid the ongoing lockdown. He said that the effective implementation of the digital payment system has become helpful for the government in collecting revenue.&nbsp;</span></span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:10pt"><span style="font-family:Times"><span style="font-size:14.0pt"><span style="font-family:&quot;Times New Roman&quot;">According to Nepal Rastra Bank, the number of people making payments through digital channels like connectIPS has been on an increasing trend. In the first nine months of the current fiscal year (FY 2020/21), Rs 211 billion has been paid through connectIPS and Rs 11 billion through other e-wallets. This also shows that the government&#39;s policy of digitizing the payment system is heading towards the right direction.</span></span></span></span></p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>
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		'Article' => array(
			'id' => '13408',
			'article_category_id' => '1',
			'title' => 'Nepal Telecom Launches VoLTE Service across the Country',
			'sub_title' => '',
			'summary' => 'May 18: Nepal Telecom has launched the VoLTE (Voice Over Long Term Evolution) service from May 17, on the occasion of the World Telecommunication and Information Society Day.',
			'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Times"><span style="font-family:&quot;Times New Roman&quot;">Manisha Balami</span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Times"><span style="font-family:&quot;Times New Roman&quot;">May 18: Nepal Telecom has launched the VoLTE (Voice Over Long Term Evolution) service from May 17, on the occasion of the World Telecommunication and Information Society Day. Nepal Telecom launched this service under the LTE technology with the aim of modernizing its services as per the demand of the customers.</span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Times"><span style="font-family:&quot;Times New Roman&quot;">VoLTE or Voice over LTE is an advanced technology that delivers high definition voice quality calls across the NT 4G network. According to the spokesperson of Nepal Telecom, Rajesh Joshi, with the use of VoLTE, customers can now experience crystal clear voice quality with reduced background noise while calling another VoLTE enabled device. Furthermore, the voice quality will also sound more natural. Moreover, the phone calls will also be established immediately while making calls using the 4G network.</span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Times"><span style="font-family:&quot;Times New Roman&quot;">This service is available in all the places having NT&rsquo;s 4G coverage. However, in order to use this service, a customer needs to have a handset that supports VoLTE service.</span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Times"><span style="font-family:&quot;Times New Roman&quot;">The service is compatible with Nokia 5.3, Nokia 7.2, Nokia 3.4, Redmi 9 Prime, Mi10, Redmi 9C, Redmi Note 9 Pro, and Redmi 8A. In addition, mobile phones including Samsung Galaxy S series, M (Millennial) series, A (Alpha) series, Note series and Z Fold2 are also compatible. Nepal Telecom informed that they are working with all handset suppliers to bring VoLTE support in every phone soon.</span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Times"><span style="font-family:&quot;Times New Roman&quot;">Joshi added that Nepal Telecom subscribers can dial *444# from their VoLTE enabled handset and follow the instructions to activate this service in their Sim card. Likewise, to activate this service on phone set, the customers need to go to the settings of the mobile and enable the call for NTC SIM and then the sign of VoLTE appears on the top of the mobile set. Once the signal appears, customers can dial *111# to get 100 minutes free call pack for the activation. According to Nepal Telecom, the free voice pack is valid up to 28 days.</span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Times"><span style="font-family:&quot;Times New Roman&quot;">Nepal Telecom further informed that there is no additional cost for the VoLTE service and the charge is the same as that for normal 2G and 3G calls.&nbsp;</span></span></span></p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>
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	(int) 4 => array(
		'Article' => array(
			'id' => '13407',
			'article_category_id' => '1',
			'title' => ' Rate of COVID-19 Infection yet to Decline ',
			'sub_title' => '',
			'summary' => 'May 18: The number of Covid-19 cases dropped on Saturday and Sunday but has increased again on Sunday. ',
			'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:Arial">May 18: The number of Covid-19 cases dropped on Saturday and Sunday but has increased again on Sunday. It has been reported that the number of new cases dropped due to the decline in tests but the rate of infection has not dropped yet. </span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:Arial">According to the Ministry of Health and Population, a total of 22,087 tests were conducted on Monday out of which 9,247 people or 42 percent samples tested positive for coronavirus. The ministry had been conducting less than 20,000 tests in the past weeks but had stepped up testing on Monday.</span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:Arial">On Sunday, the ministry had conducted 19,883 tests and 18,548 tests on Saturday. The rate of infection was 37 percent on Sunday and 44 percent on Saturday.</span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:Arial">The rate of infection was more than 50 percent until last week but has now become somewhat stable, according to the available data.</span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:Arial">Public health expert Dr Sher Bahadur Pun says it is difficult to predict the future course at the moment but the data show some positive results. </span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:Arial">&ldquo;The current crisis is a result of transmission within families. But the chain effect of infection at the community level has been under control to some extent,&rdquo; said Pun, adding that the infection will reduce if the public abides by the prohibitory order.</span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:Arial">&ldquo;If there is public gatherings, the problem will resurface again,&rdquo; said Pub.</span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:Arial">He says that even if the government lifts prohibitory order, the general public must still follow standard health protocol. </span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:Arial">Meanwhile, the Ministry of Health and Population has stated that the coming weeks would be challenging in view of the second wave of COVID-19 pandemic that has spread across the country. Issuing a statement on Monday, the ministry urged the public to be more cautious and to strictly adopt health safety protocol.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span><br />
<span style="font-family:Arial">In the statement, joint spokesperson at the ministry Dr Samir Adhikari said that despite rigorous efforts in the battle against COVID-19 pandemic, the rate of infection has still not declined.</span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:Arial">Dr Adhikari urged one and all not to organize and participate in any kind of public gathering in the name of religious, cultural and political activities. </span><br />
<span style="font-family:Arial">The ministry also informed that the rate of infection was high in Kathmandu, Lalitpur, Bhaktapur, Kavrepalanchok, Rupandehi, Morang, Kailali, Makawanpur, Dhanusha, Sunsari, Parsa, Bardiya, Banke and Palpa districts. </span></span></span></p>
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		'Article' => array(
			'id' => '13406',
			'article_category_id' => '1',
			'title' => 'Infrastructure Projects to be Built under EPC Model',
			'sub_title' => '',
			'summary' => 'May 17: The government is preparing to adopt the Engineering, Procurement and Construction (EPC) model in construction of large infrastructure projects like tunnels, flyovers and technically difficult bridges in the country. ',
			'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:Arial">May 17: The government is preparing to adopt the Engineering, Procurement and Construction (EPC) model in construction of large infrastructure projects like tunnels, flyovers and technically difficult bridges in the country.&nbsp;</span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:Arial">The government has introduced and implemented &#39;Directive on Procurement through EPC-2021&#39; in this regard. The directive allows purchase of contracts through the EPC model for the construction of tunnels, flyovers, bridges as well as airports, stadiums, auditoriums, waste management projects and processing centers. The Public Procurement Monitoring Office (PPMO) informed that the directive was approved by the cabinet on May 2.</span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:Arial">It is said that this model can be applied in the construction of roads and projects related to irrigation, drinking water, hydropower etc. EPC is a model of carrying out engineering, procurement and construction works including design and maintenance of construction, by the selected company itself.&nbsp;&nbsp;</span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:Arial">So far, EPC model has been implemented only by the Nepal Electricity Authority but it has not been used in the construction of infrastructure projects like roads and bridges. However, On May 14, the Nepalese Army (NA) signed a contract to build tunnels and bridges along the Kathmandu-Terai Fast Track in the same model.</span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:Arial">In order to promote infrastructure development, plans have been announced to prioritize construction of road, tunnels, expressways and special bridges. But the country lacks skilled technical manpower, and required equipment. Siddhababa tunnel project was stalled due to lack of skilled manpower when the EPC model was not in practice.&nbsp;</span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:Arial">Sushil Dhakal, spokesperson of the PPMO, said that the directive has been implemented to maintain uniformity in procurement done through EPC. The government bodies can purchase the contracts concerning large and complex projects. It covers issues concerning the basis of contract qualification, evaluation and selection, drawing and design, quality control and quality assurance, payment arrangements, warranty, maintenance and operation.&nbsp;</span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:Arial">The Department of Roads (DoR) is now preparing to issue tenders for the Siddhababa Tunnel Project based on the same model. The Ministry of Finance had allocated Rs 10.15 billion for the construction of the project.</span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:Arial">The department had sent the document based on EPC model which didn&#39;t get approval from PPMO for more than one and half a year. </span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:Arial">Director General of the Department Arjun Jung Thapa said that the door has been opened to build Siddhababa Tunnel in the same model. He informed that preparations are on to invite tenders as part of the process to initiate the construction of the tunnel. Thapa said that the procurement process for the construction of Siddhababa tunnel will be expedited based on the EPC model used by the NA. &quot;Since the directives and the model are introduced, we can now use this model for construction projects with the required parameters,&quot; Thapa said.</span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:Arial">According to the infrastructure experts this is a refined form of design and build concept. This model has been very effective in the construction of bridges in the country. In the design and build model, the concerned body has to approve the design made by the construction company, whereas in EPC, the contract company itself designs and prepares engineering works.</span></span></span></p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>
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	(int) 6 => array(
		'Article' => array(
			'id' => '13405',
			'article_category_id' => '1',
			'title' => 'Nepali Pharmaceutical Companies Stop Producing Major Drugs Used to Treat Covid ',
			'sub_title' => '',
			'summary' => 'May 17: Pharmaceutical companies have stopped production of major medicines used for the treatment of coronavirus patients citing price hike of raw materials.',
			'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:Arial">May 17: </span><span style="font-family:Arial">Pharmaceutical companies have stopped production of major drugs used for the treatment of coronavirus patients citing price hike of raw materials. The drug manufacturers have stopped producing drugs such as paracetamol, zinc, vitamin C, and doxycycline, and azithromycin used for treating lung infection.</span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:Arial">The Association of Pharmaceutical Producers of Nepal, which has been pressuring the Department of Health Services for price adjustment for the past three years. The association has informed the department that they cannot produce the medicines at the same rates as the prices of raw materials have increased. They claim that they have to incur more for the raw materials than they earn from selling the medicines at the current rate.</span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:Arial">President of the </span><span style="font-family:Arial">association Narayan&nbsp;Chhetri said that it is not possible to produce the medicines as the cost price has become higher than the selling price. He said that the government had last adjusted the price 14 years ago and now it is not possible to produce medicines at that same price. &quot;Paracetamol is already in short supply in some places,&quot; he said. &quot;Who will produce medicines at a loss?&rdquo; he questioned.</span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:Arial">He admits that the price of essential medicines should not be too high, but says that the government authorities should adjust the price.</span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:Arial">Entrepreneurs have been saying that the price of medicine has not been adjusted since the association and the department adjusted the price in September 2008. But the government claims that it had increased the prices of 21 types of medicines some three years ago. </span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:Arial">Chhetri argues that the price of the product has gone up as the prices of raw materials have increased four folds.&nbsp;</span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:Arial">Stating that paracetamol is still available in the market at Re 1 per tablet while the cost price is around Rs 1.5, he questioned how long will the company produce them bearing loss.</span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:Arial">This has already created shortage of medicines in the market. However, Chhetri says medicines can be imported easily, but the question is about quality assurance of the cheap drugs.</span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:Arial">The association has demanded that the price of medicine should be adjusted every six months</span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:Arial">Drug manufacturer Deepak Dahal said that the manufacturers have stopped producing drugs because they have been bearing massive loss.</span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:Arial">&quot;We could have produced medicine for social service. But with a negative balance sheet, the bank will not give us any loan and it won&#39;t be possible for us to operate,&quot; he informed.</span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:Arial">He said that not only the private industry but also the government-owned Nepal Aushadhi Limited has stopped producing such drugs.&nbsp;</span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:Arial">&quot;We are not trying to put pressure on the government to increase the price to take advantage of the opportunity. The demand for a price adjustment for the last three years has not been addressed,&quot; he added.</span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:Arial">Spokesperson of the department Dr Santosh KC said that the department will form a group to decide on the price adjustment.</span></span></span></p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>
',
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			'created' => '2021-05-17',
			'modified' => '2021-05-17',
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			'description' => '',
			'sortorder' => '13150',
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	(int) 7 => array(
		'Article' => array(
			'id' => '13404',
			'article_category_id' => '1',
			'title' => 'Government to Provide Discount on Electricity Tariff to Oxygen Industries',
			'sub_title' => '',
			'summary' => 'May 17: The government has decided to give discount on electricity tariff consumed by oxygen industries. ',
			'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:Arial">May 17:</span> <span style="font-family:Arial">The government has decided to give discount on electricity tariff consumed by oxygen industries.&nbsp;</span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:Arial">A meeting of the Covid-19 Crisis Management Centre (CCMC) held on Sunday (May 16) took&nbsp;the decision to waive electricity tariff. The meeting was also attended by Prime Minister K P Sharma Oli. The decision to offer a waiver on electricity tariffs to oxygen plants comes in the wake of growing demand for oxygen in hospitals due to the rising cases of Covid-19.&nbsp;</span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:Arial">According to the CCMC, it also decided to continue the import of liquid oxygen from India as well as increase the supply of oxygen cylinders.&nbsp; The government has already imported 400 cylinders from China and 561 cylinders from Oman.&nbsp;</span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:Arial">CCMC members also claim that oxygen supply to the hospitals would not be a problem anymore as the government has imported additional oxygen cylinders from Lhasa via Tatopani.&nbsp;</span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:Arial">The meeting also discussed the shortage of financial resources and procedural hassles that have contributed to the suffering of the Covid-19 patients. Following the meeting, Prime Minister Oli directed CCMC to resolve the procedural hassles and act immediately.&nbsp;</span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:Arial">Meanwhile, the death toll from Covid-19 has crossed 5,000. With 145 deaths reported&nbsp; on Sunday, the total number of people losing their lives to Covid-19 has climbed 5,001, according to the Ministry of Health and Population.&nbsp;</span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:Arial">According to Minister for Foreign Affairs Pradip Gyawali, CCMC has decided to intensify its efforts to prevent the Covid-19 outbreak as per the directive of the prime minister.</span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:Arial">Stating that procedural hassles on procurement and other works related to the management of Covid-19 have contributed to a surge in deaths, he said that the government was committed to act swiftly to respond and manage the current health crisis. </span></span></span></p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>
',
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			'description' => '',
			'sortorder' => '13149',
			'image' => '20210517125357_20210429095930_Medical-Oxygen-Gas-Cylinders-Market.jpg',
			'article_date' => '2021-05-17 12:53:16',
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	(int) 8 => array(
		'Article' => array(
			'id' => '13403',
			'article_category_id' => '1',
			'title' => 'Finance Ministry Allocates Rs 4.31 Billion to Contain Covid-19   ',
			'sub_title' => '',
			'summary' => 'May 17: The Ministry of Finance has allocated Rs 4.31 billion to contain the spread of Covid-19 pandemic. ',
			'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:&quot;Arial Unicode MS&quot;">May 17: The Ministry of Finance has allocated Rs 4.31 billion to contain the spread of Covid-19 pandemic. </span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:&quot;Arial Unicode MS&quot;">According to the ministry, the fund will be utilized to improve the heath care system of the hospitals across the country. The fund will also be used to purchase medicines and medical supplies, the ministry said in a statement on Sunday (May 16).&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span><br />
<span style="font-family:&quot;Arial Unicode MS&quot;">According to the state-owned national news agency RSS, the ministry has allocated over Rs 2.95 billion for 26 central hospitals and nine provincial hospitals for managing oxygen plants, ventilators among other necessary medical supplies.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span><br />
<span style="font-family:&quot;Arial Unicode MS&quot;">Similarly, Rs 1.36 billion will be provided to 25 hospitals to establish High Dependency Unit (HDU). </span></span></span></p>

<p><img alt="" src="/app/webroot/userfiles/images/My%20Effect%284%29.jpg" style="height:241px; width:800px" /></p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>
',
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			'article_date' => '2021-05-17 10:55:05',
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	(int) 9 => array(
		'Article' => array(
			'id' => '13401',
			'article_category_id' => '1',
			'title' => 'Food Prices Rise during Pandemic',
			'sub_title' => '',
			'summary' => 'May 16: Amidst coronavirus pandemic, there has been a rise in prices of all sorts of food products.',
			'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Calibri">May 16: Amidst coronavirus pandemic, there has been a rise in prices of all sorts of food products. Taking advantage of the prolonged restrictions and political instability, industrialists, businessmen and middlemen have increased the prices of food items like rice, oil, sugar, lentil, eggs, legumes etc arbitrarily.</span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Calibri">Consumers are facing financial crisis due to the pandemic. Nevertheless, many businessmen have been continuously increasing the prices of daily essentials under various pretexts.</span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Calibri">According to the information provided by the Retail Trade Association, the price of lentils, which was Rs 110 per kg before the prohibitory orders were imposed, has now reached Rs 122 per kg.</span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Calibri">The price of black lentil has increased by Rs 10 per kg from Rs 165 to Rs 175. The price of gram which was Rs 110 per kg has gone up by Rs 25 to Rs 135 per kg. Similarly, according to the association, the price of each brand of rice has increased by Rs 50 to Rs 100 per sack. Although there is no specific reason for the increase in prices of these food items at this time, some traders and middlemen may have increased the price on the pretext of political instability and restriction, says Pavitramaan Bajracharya, the outgoing president of the association. </span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Calibri">According to him, black market has flourished in food trade. &ldquo;Neither the government nor the regulatory body has a say in the matter,&rdquo; he told New Business Age. He also said that the problem of wholesalers not paying the right price to the retailers have also surfaced.</span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Calibri">On Saturday, he got a bill of only Rs 77 for the sugar he bought from a wholesaler at Rs 89 per kg. &ldquo;I have received a bill of Rs 12 less than the purchased price. At present, the retail price of sugar in the market is Rs 90 per kg. How can I sell that sugar in such a situation?&rdquo; he complained.</span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Calibri">Prakash Poudel, the director general of the Department of Commerce, Supplies and Consumer Protection, said that a joint team comprising of officials from the Department and the Inland Revenue Department should be formed to resolve the problems of retailers not getting the right bill.</span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Calibri">He said that the local bodies and District Administration Offices should play a role to prevent unnecessary price hike in their areas as the Department alone cannot check irregularities everywhere. He said that the Department has been monitoring the situation by forming two teams everyday between 7 am to 9 am. </span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Calibri">Not only have the prices of lentils, legumes and rice been increased, businessmen have also increased the prices of egg and edible oil.</span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Calibri">Chicken eggs, which were being sold at Rs 350 per crate before the restriction, are now being sold at Rs 400. It is said that the price has gone up as the consumption of eggs has increased in the market. Similarly, the price of edible oil has gone up unnaturally in the last one and a half years. The price of soybean oil, which was Rs 145 per liter earlier, has now increased by Rs 120 per liter to Rs 265 per liter. The price of sunflower oil has also increased by Rs 100 to Rs 400 per liter. According to the Nepal Rice, Oil and Pulses Industry Association, the price of oil, rice and pulses has also gone up in Nepal after the prices of raw materials including mustard, paddy and soybean skyrocketed in the international market.</span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Calibri">At present, the main reason for the rise in food prices is the rise in prices in the international market, said Subodh Kumar Gupta, president of the Association. He said there was no intention to encourage black marketing or hurt consumers during the pandemic.</span></span></p>
',
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	(int) 10 => array(
		'Article' => array(
			'id' => '13402',
			'article_category_id' => '1',
			'title' => 'NEA not to Slap Penalty on Hydropower Projects for Reduced Electricity Output',
			'sub_title' => '',
			'summary' => 'May 16: The Nepal Electricity Authority (NEA) has decided not to slap any penalty to the promoters of old hydropower projects with capacity of less than 10 MW for reduced electricity production.',
			'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-size:14.0pt"><span style="font-family:Times">May 16: The Nepal Electricity Authority (NEA) has decided not to slap any penalty to the promoters of old hydropower projects with capacity of less than 10 MW for reduced electricity production. The NEA took such decision after various rounds of discussions with the Electricity Regulatory Commission.<br />
Promoters hydropower projects with capacity of less than 10 MW that came into operation before March 22 will not be penalized if the reduction in flow of water results in production of less electricity than the prescribed amount. Rameshwar Poudel, an ex-officio member of the NEA Board of Directors, said that the decision was taken in line with a directive issued by the commission.<br />
The Electricity Regulatory Commission had instructed NEA to make such arrangement around two months ago. NEA had been urging the commission to reconsider the decision, saying such an arrangement would affect its financial system and other aspects. However, after discussions at various stages, NEA has decided to provide such facility to the specified projects as per the decision and instructions of the commission.<br />
&quot;We had requested the commission to reconsider the directive as it would affect the financial condition of the authority,&quot; Poudel said, adding, &ldquo;The decision, which is beneficial for both the promoters and the NEA was taken after discussions with the commission at various stages.&rdquo;</span></span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-size:14.0pt"><span style="font-family:Times">Similarly, the commission has decided not to impose any penalty if NEA fails to construct transmission line on time due to special circumstances.<br />
According to Poudel, the commission has clarified that no fine has to be paid if the transmission line cannot be built due to special circumstances. </span></span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-size:14.0pt"><span style="font-family:Times">As per the directive of the commission, NEA has made an arrangement that no penalty will be levied if the power generation of the projects is less than the commitment made only if it is due to hydrology. If the power generation is less than the prescribed amount due to other reasons, a penalty of 10 percent will have to be paid for insufficient electricity production.<br />
Earlier, the projects had to pay the prescribed amount of penalty to the power buyer (Nepal Electricity Authority) even if the power generation was reduced due to hydrology. But, now they won&#39;t have to pay such a penalty.<br />
Even when the power generation was low due to natural calamities, the projects had to pay the penalty. The promoters have been urging the commission to come up with the necessary policy in this regard. Regarding such concerns, the commission had decided not to penalize old projects.<br />
From now on, the concerned projects will have to submit the details of their production capacity on a weekly basis to NEA. In addition, details of how much electricity is generated every month will have to be submitted to NEA.<br />
Although NEA has signed power purchase agreement (PPA) with NEA the promoter companies according to the full capacity of the projects, power generation is not always optimal due to hydrology.<br />
Earlier, the minimum commitment was to generate 60 percent electricity in winter and 90 percent in the rainy season. However, such a limit has now been removed. Provision has been made for the project to generate electricity as estimated and if it is not produced, the penalty will be levied accordingly. In addition, as per the decision of the commission, if the projects generate more electricity than expected, they will receive an additional amount from NEA.<br />
Earlier, if excess electricity was generated than previously committed, the project would not get anything more that mentioned in the agreement. But now they will get the additional amount from NEA at the rate of 50 percent of the surplus electricity. This provision will not be applicable in case is electricity is generated more than the capacity mentioned in the PPA. In order to implement these provisions, the previous PPA between the projects and the NEA need to be amended.</span></span></span></span></p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>
',
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	(int) 11 => array(
		'Article' => array(
			'id' => '13400',
			'article_category_id' => '1',
			'title' => 'Birgunj Customs Fails to Meet Revenue Collection Target as Prohibitory Orders Hit Foreign Trade ',
			'sub_title' => '',
			'summary' => 'May 16: Birgunj Customs Office has failed to meet the revenue collection target in the month of Baisakh (mid-April to mid-May) due to the impact of COVID-19 on foreign trade. ',
			'content' => '<p><em>Birgunj border entry point in this file photo.</em></p>

<p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:Arial">May 16: Birgunj Customs Office has failed to meet the revenue collection target in the month of Baisakh (mid-April to mid-May) due to the impact of COVID-19 on foreign trade. The largest customs point of the country has fallen short of revenue collection target by 14 percent.</span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:Arial">The revenue target for the review month was Rs 19.44 billion, but the Birgunj Customs Office was able to collect only Rs 16.84 billion.</span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:Arial">Birgunj Customs Office has said that the prohibitory orders imposed to contain the COVID-19 pandemic&nbsp; has affected the country&rsquo;s foreign trade. </span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:Arial">&quot;In the month of Baisakh (mid April to mid May), import of petroleum products, new vehicles and other luxury items declined. The impact is directly reflected in the revenue,&quot; said Harihar Poudel, chief of Birgunj Customs Office.&nbsp;</span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:Arial">The local administration had imposed prohibitory order in Birgunj from April 29 as part of measures to contain the outbreak of the second wave of coronavirus. Vehicles have remained off the road due to the ban. Though the government has said that there will not be any restriction on imports, it&#39;s not the case at the customs point.&nbsp;</span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:Arial">The Customs Office said that the import of petroleum products has declined due to the restrictions on public transportation. Likewise, new vehicles have also not received clearance from the customs office. &ldquo;As the import of these two major items has declined, the revenue collection has also gone down,&quot; said Poudel.</span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:Arial">Similarly, imports of raw materials, construction materials and equipment have also fallen. Since many development projects have been stalled, the import of construction materials has also dwindled. However, food items, medicines, raw materials and other essential items are being imported without any obstructions.&nbsp;</span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:Arial">Although the ban did not have much effect on imports and exports in the first few days, the foreign trade started to decline after other districts enforced prohibitory orders.&nbsp;&nbsp;</span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:Arial">The prohibitory order is in the third week in Kathmandu Valley along with other cities which are considered to be the major hubs for production, manufacturing and supplies.&nbsp; With the extension of prohibitory order, its impact is being directly felt in the supply chain.&nbsp;</span></span></span></p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>
',
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	(int) 12 => array(
		'Article' => array(
			'id' => '13399',
			'article_category_id' => '1',
			'title' => ' MoUs Signed for Construction of Tunnels under Kathmandu-Terai Fast Track ',
			'sub_title' => '',
			'summary' => 'May 16: The Nepalese Army (NA) has signed memorandum of understanding (MoU) for tunnel construction of two packages of Kathmandu-Terai Fast Track. ',
			'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:&quot;Arial Unicode MS&quot;">May 16: The Nepalese Army (NA) has signed memorandum of understanding (MoU) for tunnel construction of two packages of Kathmandu-Terai Fast Track. </span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:&quot;Arial Unicode MS&quot;">According to the state-owned national news agency RSS, the NA signed contracts with China State Construction Engineering Corporation Limited for package 1 and Poly Chyangda Engineering Company Limited for package 2 of the tunnel.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span><br />
<span style="font-family:&quot;Arial Unicode MS&quot;">NA spokesperson Brigadier General Santosh Ballav Poudel shared that the first package is worth Rs 21 billion 610 million while the budget of the second package is Rs 28 billion 530 million. There will be one tunnel in the first package and two short tunnels in the second package, RSS further reported.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span><br />
<span style="font-family:&quot;Arial Unicode MS&quot;">The MoU to this effect was signed by project chief of the Kathmandu-Terai Fast Track and Brigadier General Bikas Pokahrel on behalf of the project and Executive Director Xu Yan for package 1 and Project Manager Xhu Taniagyu Barbara for package 2.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span><br />
<span style="font-family:&quot;Arial Unicode MS&quot;">Spokesperson Poudel said the MoUs were signed in line with the Public Procurement Act 2063 and Regulation 2064 BS.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span><br />
<span style="font-family:&quot;Arial Unicode MS&quot;">As per the MoU, the contractor was provided six months for design and three years for the construction. Out of the 11 clusters developed by the NA to complete the project within the stipulated time, MoUs have been signed to construct nine clusters, RSS reported.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span><br />
<span style="font-family:&quot;Arial Unicode MS&quot;">However, the Public Accounts Committee of the House of Representatives (HOR) had directed to scrap the project noting that the contract was against the preamble of Public Procurement Act. Following the committee&rsquo;s directive, the NA had requested through the line ministry to reconsider its decision claiming that all works were being undertaken in a transparent manner.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span><br />
<span style="font-family:&quot;Arial Unicode MS&quot;">So far, the overall progress is reported to be 11.11 percent and the NA has set a target to reach 16.21 percent by the end of current fiscal year. The 72.5-km expressway with four lanes has the breadth of 25-meter in mountainous area and 27-meter in Terai area. The national pride project will also have a total 87 bridges.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span></span></span><br />
&nbsp;</p>
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			'title' => ' 18,000 Oxygen Cylinders Arrive at Tatopani Checkpoint ',
			'sub_title' => '',
			'summary' => 'May 16: The China-aided 18,000 empty oxygen cylinders have arrived at Tatopani checkpoint in Sindhupalchowk district on Sunday, May 16. ',
			'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:&quot;Arial Unicode MS&quot;">May 16: The China-aided 18,000 empty oxygen cylinders have arrived at Tatopani checkpoint in Sindhupalchowk district on Sunday, May 16.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span><br />
<span style="font-family:&quot;Arial Unicode MS&quot;">According to Ganesh Pandey, press coordinator to Deputy Prime Minister and Coordinator of the Covid-19 Crisis Management Centre Ishwor Pokharel, those cylinders will be brought in Kathmandu once the Chinese government hands them over to Nepal.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span><br />
<span style="font-family:&quot;Arial Unicode MS&quot;">As Nepal has been under the grip of second wave of Covid-19, there has been high demand for oxygen cylinders to treat the infected people.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span><br />
<span style="font-family:&quot;Arial Unicode MS&quot;">Earlier, 400 oxygen cylinders were flown to Nepal from China. Preparations are afoot to bring 1,600 remaining cylinders, out of 20,000, provided by China in grant assistance, informed Pandey.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span><br />
<span style="font-family:&quot;Arial Unicode MS&quot;">The Nepal Airlines Corporation&rsquo;s wide-body aircraft, which had flown to China on Saturday, is bringing home 550 oxygen cylinders from China today itself. -- RSS&nbsp;&nbsp; </span></span></span></p>
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			'title' => ' Nepal Airlines bringing oxygen cylinders from China, Oman',
			'sub_title' => '',
			'summary' => 'Nepal Airlines Corporation (NAC)—the national flag carrier—is bringing oxygen cylinders from Beijing, the capital of China, and Muscat, the capital of Oman.     ',
			'content' => '<p>May 15:&nbsp;Nepal Airlines Corporation (NAC)&mdash;the national flag carrier&mdash;is bringing oxygen cylinders from Beijing, the capital of China, and Muscat, the capital of Oman. &nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;<br />
The NAC A-330 wide body left for Muscat this morning to pick up 600 oxygen gas cylinders to be received from Oman in assistance. The Non Resident Nepali Association (NRNA) and the Nepali Embassy in Oman had facilitated the assistance. The NAC aircraft will be returning from Muscat this evening. &nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;<br />
Similarly, the NAC wide body is scheduled to leave for Beijing at 11:00 pm today to bring medical assistance which also includes oxygen cylinders provided by the Government of China. Besides, preparation is on to bring eight oxygen concentrators from China. The government plans to send the NAC wide body to China on May 15, 16 and 17 to bring 550 oxygen cylinders per each flight amidst the raging Covid-19 crisis. &nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;<br />
-<strong><em>-RSS &nbsp;</em></strong><br />
&nbsp;</p>
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			'id' => '13412',
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			'title' => 'Budget Crunch hits Construction of Road Projects',
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			'summary' => '',
			'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:&quot;Times New Roman&quot;">May 18: The construction of various road projects has been hit by lack of budget in addition to the impact of COVID-19. The Department of Roads (DoR), which has spent 45 percent of budget in capital expenditure for various projects in the last ten months of the current fiscal year, is reeling under budget crunch for projects like the Postal Highway, Industrial Corridor and local bridges.&nbsp;</span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:&quot;Times New Roman&quot;">Ramesh Kumar Singh, deputy spokesperson of the Department, informed that the low capital expenditure is due to the insufficient budget amid the COVID-19 pandemic.&nbsp; He added that the development process of the Postal Highway and other six-lane industrial corridors have been hit by the lack of budget.</span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:&quot;Times New Roman&quot;">According to Singh, DoR is experiencing a budget crunch of Rs 11 billion for several road projects. The department itself will manage Rs 2.5 billion budget while the rest needs to be allocated by the Ministry of Finance.&nbsp;</span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:&quot;Times New Roman&quot;">The department has said that the COVID-19 pandemic will also affect the annual target. If the current situation persists, the department has estimated only 65 percent of budget will be spent on capital expenditure. </span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:&quot;Times New Roman&quot;">The construction has been affected as workers in some projects have gone home while some others have been infected. About 35 workers involved in the construction of the Nagdhunga-Naubise tunnel have tested positive for the coronavirus which has affected the construction process.</span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:&quot;Times New Roman&quot;">The Department of Roads had received a budget of Rs 108 billion in the current fiscal year of which Rs 30.17 billion has been spent. The department has set an annual target of blacktopping 1,800 km roads but only 850 km of roads have been blacktopped so far.</span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:Cambria">&nbsp;</span></span><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:&quot;Times New Roman&quot;">Of this, 550 km of roads have been newly-blacktop while the remaining 300 km have been upgraded and rehabilitated. A new road track of 284 km has been constructed. Until the second quarter, 504 km of gravel road has been completed out of the set target of 1000 km. Similarly, the DoR has completed the construction of 129 motorable bridges. It had set a target to complete the construction of 300 motorable bridges. Of the constructed bridges, 86&nbsp;bridges are local bridges and 43 are strategically important ones.&nbsp;</span></span></span></p>
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			'id' => '13410',
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			'title' => 'Government Approves EIA Report of Electricity Transmission Project',
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			'summary' => 'May 18: The Ministry of Forest and Environment has approved the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) report of the Electricity Transmission Project (ETP) to be implemented by the Millennium Challenge Account Nepal Development Board (MCA-Nepal). ',
			'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri"><span style="font-size:14.0pt"><span style="font-family:&quot;Times New Roman&quot;">May 18: The Ministry of Forest and Environment has approved the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) report of the Electricity Transmission Project (ETP) to be implemented by the Millennium Challenge Account Nepal Development Board (MCA-Nepal) with the grant funding from the Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC), USA, and co-funding from the Government of Nepal.&nbsp; </span></span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri"><span style="font-size:14.0pt"><span style="font-family:&quot;Times New Roman&quot;">According to MCA-Nepal, the EIA report approved on April 29, 2021 by the government with a ministerial level decision is a major part of the project preparatory works now underway for the construction of transmission lines and substations under the Electricity Transmission Project. </span></span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri"><span style="font-size:14.0pt"><span style="font-family:&quot;Times New Roman&quot;">&ldquo;The achievement is an important milestone to help meet one condition related to site access before the MCC Compact can enter into force,&rdquo; said Khadga Bahadur Bisht, executive director of MCA-Nepal, in a statement on Tuesday, May 18.</span></span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri"><span style="font-size:14.0pt"><span style="font-family:&quot;Times New Roman&quot;">&ldquo;The other important milestone will be ratification of the Compact,&rdquo; he added. </span></span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri"><span style="font-size:14.0pt"><span style="font-family:&quot;Times New Roman&quot;">Bisht further said that the</span></span><span style="font-size:14.0pt"><span style="font-family:&quot;Times New Roman&quot;"> report has established the existing status of the physical, biological, socio-economic and cultural environment within the project&rsquo;s footprint, and has suggested measures to mitigate the potential impacts. </span></span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri"><span style="font-size:14.0pt"><span style="font-family:&quot;Times New Roman&quot;">The detailed EIA report, prepared according to the existing laws of Nepal, is in compliance with Nepal&#39;s Environment Protection Act (EPA), 2019 and Environment Protection Rules (EPR), 2020, the statement further said. </span></span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri"><span style="font-size:14.0pt"><span style="font-family:&quot;Times New Roman&quot;">According to MCA-Nepal, </span></span><span style="font-size:14.0pt"><span style="font-family:&quot;Times New Roman&quot;">a robust methodology for data collection and analysis, for the EIA which also included a number of consultations and public hearings in all 30 municipalities/rural municipalities of 10 districts in the project&rsquo;s footprint. </span></span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri"><span style="font-size:14.0pt"><span style="font-family:&quot;Times New Roman&quot;">The report has proposed measures to avoid, minimize or mitigate/manage adverse impacts and to optimize project benefits as per Nepal&rsquo;s environmental laws and regulations, and international best practices.</span></span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri"><span style="font-size:14.0pt"><span style="font-family:&quot;Times New Roman&quot;">Following the approval of the report, MCA-Nepal said it will now initiate a process to receive the approval for the use of national forest area and removal of trees and plants. </span></span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri"><span style="font-size:14.0pt"><span style="font-family:&quot;Times New Roman&quot;">The Government of Nepal and the US Government&rsquo;s MCC signed a Compact in September 2017 for undertaking two projects that the Government had identified to address major constraints to Nepal&rsquo;s development. </span></span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri"><span style="font-size:14.0pt"><span style="font-family:&quot;Times New Roman&quot;">One of the two projects, the Electricity Transmission Project,</span></span><span style="font-size:14.0pt"><span style="font-family:&quot;Times New Roman&quot;"> also </span></span><span style="font-size:14.0pt"><span style="font-family:&quot;Times New Roman&quot;">a National Pride Project, will </span></span><span style="font-size:14.0pt"><span style="font-family:&quot;Times New Roman&quot;">build around 314 km of 400 kV transmission lines and three 400 kV sub-stations. The transmission lines will pass through 30 municipalities/rural municipalities in 10 districts. The Project will also ensure affected local stakeholders benefit through partnership program and strengthen the power sector in Nepal.</span></span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri"><span style="font-size:14.0pt"><span style="font-family:&quot;Times New Roman&quot;">The other &ndash; Road Maintenance Project &ndash; will support maintenance of Nepal&rsquo;s roads while also introducing a new road maintenance technology in the country, MCA-Nepal added.</span></span><em> </em></span></span></p>
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			'title' => 'Digital Payment Helps Government in Revenue Collection amid Restrictions',
			'sub_title' => '',
			'summary' => 'May 18: Despite increasing cases of Covid-19 and prohibitory orders imposed to contain the spread of the disease, the government’s revenue collection has remained encouraging due to growing use of digital payment methods by taxpayers.  ',
			'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:10pt"><span style="font-family:Times"><span style="font-size:14.0pt"><span style="font-family:&quot;Times New Roman&quot;">May 18:&nbsp;Despite increasing cases of Covid-19 and prohibitory orders imposed to contain the spread of the disease, the government&rsquo;s revenue collection has remained encouraging due to growing use of digital payment methods by taxpayers.&nbsp;&nbsp;</span></span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:10pt"><span style="font-family:Times"><span style="font-size:14.0pt"><span style="font-family:&quot;Times New Roman&quot;">The government has imposed prohibitory orders in various districts, including Kathmandu, from the second week of April following an outbreak of the second wave of Covid-19. Meanwhile, tax offices including the Inland Revenue Department had directed the taxpayers to pay the tax ignoring the requests of the private sector for an extension of the tax payment deadline.</span></span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:10pt"><span style="font-family:Times"><span style="font-size:14.0pt"><span style="font-family:&quot;Times New Roman&quot;">Abiding by the tax offices&rsquo; calls to pay their tax through digital payment system, most of the taxpayers submitted their taxes on time to avoid &nbsp;penalty. The government was able to collect revenue of Rs 77.12 billion in the month of Baisakh (mid-April to mid-May) alone.&nbsp;</span></span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:10pt"><span style="font-family:Times"><span style="font-size:14.0pt"><span style="font-family:&quot;Times New Roman&quot;">The government&#39;s revenue from taxes in the review period was Rs 72.91 billion. Out of the total amount of taxes, the Inland Revenue Department (IRD) collected Rs 32.4 billion, according to the preliminary data of the department. The department had set a target of collecting Rs 33.99 billion during the review month.</span></span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:10pt"><span style="font-family:Times"><span style="font-size:14.0pt"><span style="font-family:&quot;Times New Roman&quot;">According to the department, to facilitate the taxpayers during the ongoing crisis, arrangements were made to pay taxes through digital platforms such as connectIPS and eSewa. </span></span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:10pt"><span style="font-family:Times"><span style="font-size:14.0pt"><span style="font-family:&quot;Times New Roman&quot;">As a result, the government was able almost to meet target of revenue collection for the month of Baisakh, informed Mukti Pandey, deputy director-general at the IRD. According to him, the department had set a target of collecting Rs 345 billion in revenue in the first 10 months of the current fiscal year.</span></span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:10pt"><span style="font-family:Times"><span style="font-size:14.0pt"><span style="font-family:&quot;Times New Roman&quot;">According to the Financial Comptroller General&rsquo;s Office (FCGO), 75 percent of the annual revenue collection target has been met as of Baisakh end (mid-May). FCGO&rsquo;s Spokesperson Gyanendra Poudel said that the government&#39;s income was satisfactory amid the ongoing lockdown. He said that the effective implementation of the digital payment system has become helpful for the government in collecting revenue.&nbsp;</span></span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:10pt"><span style="font-family:Times"><span style="font-size:14.0pt"><span style="font-family:&quot;Times New Roman&quot;">According to Nepal Rastra Bank, the number of people making payments through digital channels like connectIPS has been on an increasing trend. In the first nine months of the current fiscal year (FY 2020/21), Rs 211 billion has been paid through connectIPS and Rs 11 billion through other e-wallets. This also shows that the government&#39;s policy of digitizing the payment system is heading towards the right direction.</span></span></span></span></p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>
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			'id' => '13408',
			'article_category_id' => '1',
			'title' => 'Nepal Telecom Launches VoLTE Service across the Country',
			'sub_title' => '',
			'summary' => 'May 18: Nepal Telecom has launched the VoLTE (Voice Over Long Term Evolution) service from May 17, on the occasion of the World Telecommunication and Information Society Day.',
			'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Times"><span style="font-family:&quot;Times New Roman&quot;">Manisha Balami</span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Times"><span style="font-family:&quot;Times New Roman&quot;">May 18: Nepal Telecom has launched the VoLTE (Voice Over Long Term Evolution) service from May 17, on the occasion of the World Telecommunication and Information Society Day. Nepal Telecom launched this service under the LTE technology with the aim of modernizing its services as per the demand of the customers.</span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Times"><span style="font-family:&quot;Times New Roman&quot;">VoLTE or Voice over LTE is an advanced technology that delivers high definition voice quality calls across the NT 4G network. According to the spokesperson of Nepal Telecom, Rajesh Joshi, with the use of VoLTE, customers can now experience crystal clear voice quality with reduced background noise while calling another VoLTE enabled device. Furthermore, the voice quality will also sound more natural. Moreover, the phone calls will also be established immediately while making calls using the 4G network.</span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Times"><span style="font-family:&quot;Times New Roman&quot;">This service is available in all the places having NT&rsquo;s 4G coverage. However, in order to use this service, a customer needs to have a handset that supports VoLTE service.</span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Times"><span style="font-family:&quot;Times New Roman&quot;">The service is compatible with Nokia 5.3, Nokia 7.2, Nokia 3.4, Redmi 9 Prime, Mi10, Redmi 9C, Redmi Note 9 Pro, and Redmi 8A. In addition, mobile phones including Samsung Galaxy S series, M (Millennial) series, A (Alpha) series, Note series and Z Fold2 are also compatible. Nepal Telecom informed that they are working with all handset suppliers to bring VoLTE support in every phone soon.</span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Times"><span style="font-family:&quot;Times New Roman&quot;">Joshi added that Nepal Telecom subscribers can dial *444# from their VoLTE enabled handset and follow the instructions to activate this service in their Sim card. Likewise, to activate this service on phone set, the customers need to go to the settings of the mobile and enable the call for NTC SIM and then the sign of VoLTE appears on the top of the mobile set. Once the signal appears, customers can dial *111# to get 100 minutes free call pack for the activation. According to Nepal Telecom, the free voice pack is valid up to 28 days.</span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Times"><span style="font-family:&quot;Times New Roman&quot;">Nepal Telecom further informed that there is no additional cost for the VoLTE service and the charge is the same as that for normal 2G and 3G calls.&nbsp;</span></span></span></p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>
',
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			'created' => '2021-05-18',
			'modified' => '2021-05-18',
			'keywords' => '',
			'description' => '',
			'sortorder' => '13153',
			'image' => '20210518124104_Nepal-Telecom.jpg',
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	(int) 4 => array(
		'Article' => array(
			'id' => '13407',
			'article_category_id' => '1',
			'title' => ' Rate of COVID-19 Infection yet to Decline ',
			'sub_title' => '',
			'summary' => 'May 18: The number of Covid-19 cases dropped on Saturday and Sunday but has increased again on Sunday. ',
			'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:Arial">May 18: The number of Covid-19 cases dropped on Saturday and Sunday but has increased again on Sunday. It has been reported that the number of new cases dropped due to the decline in tests but the rate of infection has not dropped yet. </span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:Arial">According to the Ministry of Health and Population, a total of 22,087 tests were conducted on Monday out of which 9,247 people or 42 percent samples tested positive for coronavirus. The ministry had been conducting less than 20,000 tests in the past weeks but had stepped up testing on Monday.</span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:Arial">On Sunday, the ministry had conducted 19,883 tests and 18,548 tests on Saturday. The rate of infection was 37 percent on Sunday and 44 percent on Saturday.</span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:Arial">The rate of infection was more than 50 percent until last week but has now become somewhat stable, according to the available data.</span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:Arial">Public health expert Dr Sher Bahadur Pun says it is difficult to predict the future course at the moment but the data show some positive results. </span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:Arial">&ldquo;The current crisis is a result of transmission within families. But the chain effect of infection at the community level has been under control to some extent,&rdquo; said Pun, adding that the infection will reduce if the public abides by the prohibitory order.</span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:Arial">&ldquo;If there is public gatherings, the problem will resurface again,&rdquo; said Pub.</span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:Arial">He says that even if the government lifts prohibitory order, the general public must still follow standard health protocol. </span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:Arial">Meanwhile, the Ministry of Health and Population has stated that the coming weeks would be challenging in view of the second wave of COVID-19 pandemic that has spread across the country. Issuing a statement on Monday, the ministry urged the public to be more cautious and to strictly adopt health safety protocol.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span><br />
<span style="font-family:Arial">In the statement, joint spokesperson at the ministry Dr Samir Adhikari said that despite rigorous efforts in the battle against COVID-19 pandemic, the rate of infection has still not declined.</span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:Arial">Dr Adhikari urged one and all not to organize and participate in any kind of public gathering in the name of religious, cultural and political activities. </span><br />
<span style="font-family:Arial">The ministry also informed that the rate of infection was high in Kathmandu, Lalitpur, Bhaktapur, Kavrepalanchok, Rupandehi, Morang, Kailali, Makawanpur, Dhanusha, Sunsari, Parsa, Bardiya, Banke and Palpa districts. </span></span></span></p>
',
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	(int) 5 => array(
		'Article' => array(
			'id' => '13406',
			'article_category_id' => '1',
			'title' => 'Infrastructure Projects to be Built under EPC Model',
			'sub_title' => '',
			'summary' => 'May 17: The government is preparing to adopt the Engineering, Procurement and Construction (EPC) model in construction of large infrastructure projects like tunnels, flyovers and technically difficult bridges in the country. ',
			'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:Arial">May 17: The government is preparing to adopt the Engineering, Procurement and Construction (EPC) model in construction of large infrastructure projects like tunnels, flyovers and technically difficult bridges in the country.&nbsp;</span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:Arial">The government has introduced and implemented &#39;Directive on Procurement through EPC-2021&#39; in this regard. The directive allows purchase of contracts through the EPC model for the construction of tunnels, flyovers, bridges as well as airports, stadiums, auditoriums, waste management projects and processing centers. The Public Procurement Monitoring Office (PPMO) informed that the directive was approved by the cabinet on May 2.</span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:Arial">It is said that this model can be applied in the construction of roads and projects related to irrigation, drinking water, hydropower etc. EPC is a model of carrying out engineering, procurement and construction works including design and maintenance of construction, by the selected company itself.&nbsp;&nbsp;</span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:Arial">So far, EPC model has been implemented only by the Nepal Electricity Authority but it has not been used in the construction of infrastructure projects like roads and bridges. However, On May 14, the Nepalese Army (NA) signed a contract to build tunnels and bridges along the Kathmandu-Terai Fast Track in the same model.</span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:Arial">In order to promote infrastructure development, plans have been announced to prioritize construction of road, tunnels, expressways and special bridges. But the country lacks skilled technical manpower, and required equipment. Siddhababa tunnel project was stalled due to lack of skilled manpower when the EPC model was not in practice.&nbsp;</span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:Arial">Sushil Dhakal, spokesperson of the PPMO, said that the directive has been implemented to maintain uniformity in procurement done through EPC. The government bodies can purchase the contracts concerning large and complex projects. It covers issues concerning the basis of contract qualification, evaluation and selection, drawing and design, quality control and quality assurance, payment arrangements, warranty, maintenance and operation.&nbsp;</span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:Arial">The Department of Roads (DoR) is now preparing to issue tenders for the Siddhababa Tunnel Project based on the same model. The Ministry of Finance had allocated Rs 10.15 billion for the construction of the project.</span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:Arial">The department had sent the document based on EPC model which didn&#39;t get approval from PPMO for more than one and half a year. </span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:Arial">Director General of the Department Arjun Jung Thapa said that the door has been opened to build Siddhababa Tunnel in the same model. He informed that preparations are on to invite tenders as part of the process to initiate the construction of the tunnel. Thapa said that the procurement process for the construction of Siddhababa tunnel will be expedited based on the EPC model used by the NA. &quot;Since the directives and the model are introduced, we can now use this model for construction projects with the required parameters,&quot; Thapa said.</span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:Arial">According to the infrastructure experts this is a refined form of design and build concept. This model has been very effective in the construction of bridges in the country. In the design and build model, the concerned body has to approve the design made by the construction company, whereas in EPC, the contract company itself designs and prepares engineering works.</span></span></span></p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>
',
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	(int) 6 => array(
		'Article' => array(
			'id' => '13405',
			'article_category_id' => '1',
			'title' => 'Nepali Pharmaceutical Companies Stop Producing Major Drugs Used to Treat Covid ',
			'sub_title' => '',
			'summary' => 'May 17: Pharmaceutical companies have stopped production of major medicines used for the treatment of coronavirus patients citing price hike of raw materials.',
			'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:Arial">May 17: </span><span style="font-family:Arial">Pharmaceutical companies have stopped production of major drugs used for the treatment of coronavirus patients citing price hike of raw materials. The drug manufacturers have stopped producing drugs such as paracetamol, zinc, vitamin C, and doxycycline, and azithromycin used for treating lung infection.</span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:Arial">The Association of Pharmaceutical Producers of Nepal, which has been pressuring the Department of Health Services for price adjustment for the past three years. The association has informed the department that they cannot produce the medicines at the same rates as the prices of raw materials have increased. They claim that they have to incur more for the raw materials than they earn from selling the medicines at the current rate.</span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:Arial">President of the </span><span style="font-family:Arial">association Narayan&nbsp;Chhetri said that it is not possible to produce the medicines as the cost price has become higher than the selling price. He said that the government had last adjusted the price 14 years ago and now it is not possible to produce medicines at that same price. &quot;Paracetamol is already in short supply in some places,&quot; he said. &quot;Who will produce medicines at a loss?&rdquo; he questioned.</span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:Arial">He admits that the price of essential medicines should not be too high, but says that the government authorities should adjust the price.</span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:Arial">Entrepreneurs have been saying that the price of medicine has not been adjusted since the association and the department adjusted the price in September 2008. But the government claims that it had increased the prices of 21 types of medicines some three years ago. </span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:Arial">Chhetri argues that the price of the product has gone up as the prices of raw materials have increased four folds.&nbsp;</span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:Arial">Stating that paracetamol is still available in the market at Re 1 per tablet while the cost price is around Rs 1.5, he questioned how long will the company produce them bearing loss.</span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:Arial">This has already created shortage of medicines in the market. However, Chhetri says medicines can be imported easily, but the question is about quality assurance of the cheap drugs.</span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:Arial">The association has demanded that the price of medicine should be adjusted every six months</span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:Arial">Drug manufacturer Deepak Dahal said that the manufacturers have stopped producing drugs because they have been bearing massive loss.</span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:Arial">&quot;We could have produced medicine for social service. But with a negative balance sheet, the bank will not give us any loan and it won&#39;t be possible for us to operate,&quot; he informed.</span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:Arial">He said that not only the private industry but also the government-owned Nepal Aushadhi Limited has stopped producing such drugs.&nbsp;</span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:Arial">&quot;We are not trying to put pressure on the government to increase the price to take advantage of the opportunity. The demand for a price adjustment for the last three years has not been addressed,&quot; he added.</span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:Arial">Spokesperson of the department Dr Santosh KC said that the department will form a group to decide on the price adjustment.</span></span></span></p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>
',
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			'created' => '2021-05-17',
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	(int) 7 => array(
		'Article' => array(
			'id' => '13404',
			'article_category_id' => '1',
			'title' => 'Government to Provide Discount on Electricity Tariff to Oxygen Industries',
			'sub_title' => '',
			'summary' => 'May 17: The government has decided to give discount on electricity tariff consumed by oxygen industries. ',
			'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:Arial">May 17:</span> <span style="font-family:Arial">The government has decided to give discount on electricity tariff consumed by oxygen industries.&nbsp;</span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:Arial">A meeting of the Covid-19 Crisis Management Centre (CCMC) held on Sunday (May 16) took&nbsp;the decision to waive electricity tariff. The meeting was also attended by Prime Minister K P Sharma Oli. The decision to offer a waiver on electricity tariffs to oxygen plants comes in the wake of growing demand for oxygen in hospitals due to the rising cases of Covid-19.&nbsp;</span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:Arial">According to the CCMC, it also decided to continue the import of liquid oxygen from India as well as increase the supply of oxygen cylinders.&nbsp; The government has already imported 400 cylinders from China and 561 cylinders from Oman.&nbsp;</span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:Arial">CCMC members also claim that oxygen supply to the hospitals would not be a problem anymore as the government has imported additional oxygen cylinders from Lhasa via Tatopani.&nbsp;</span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:Arial">The meeting also discussed the shortage of financial resources and procedural hassles that have contributed to the suffering of the Covid-19 patients. Following the meeting, Prime Minister Oli directed CCMC to resolve the procedural hassles and act immediately.&nbsp;</span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:Arial">Meanwhile, the death toll from Covid-19 has crossed 5,000. With 145 deaths reported&nbsp; on Sunday, the total number of people losing their lives to Covid-19 has climbed 5,001, according to the Ministry of Health and Population.&nbsp;</span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:Arial">According to Minister for Foreign Affairs Pradip Gyawali, CCMC has decided to intensify its efforts to prevent the Covid-19 outbreak as per the directive of the prime minister.</span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:Arial">Stating that procedural hassles on procurement and other works related to the management of Covid-19 have contributed to a surge in deaths, he said that the government was committed to act swiftly to respond and manage the current health crisis. </span></span></span></p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>
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	(int) 8 => array(
		'Article' => array(
			'id' => '13403',
			'article_category_id' => '1',
			'title' => 'Finance Ministry Allocates Rs 4.31 Billion to Contain Covid-19   ',
			'sub_title' => '',
			'summary' => 'May 17: The Ministry of Finance has allocated Rs 4.31 billion to contain the spread of Covid-19 pandemic. ',
			'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:&quot;Arial Unicode MS&quot;">May 17: The Ministry of Finance has allocated Rs 4.31 billion to contain the spread of Covid-19 pandemic. </span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:&quot;Arial Unicode MS&quot;">According to the ministry, the fund will be utilized to improve the heath care system of the hospitals across the country. The fund will also be used to purchase medicines and medical supplies, the ministry said in a statement on Sunday (May 16).&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span><br />
<span style="font-family:&quot;Arial Unicode MS&quot;">According to the state-owned national news agency RSS, the ministry has allocated over Rs 2.95 billion for 26 central hospitals and nine provincial hospitals for managing oxygen plants, ventilators among other necessary medical supplies.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span><br />
<span style="font-family:&quot;Arial Unicode MS&quot;">Similarly, Rs 1.36 billion will be provided to 25 hospitals to establish High Dependency Unit (HDU). </span></span></span></p>

<p><img alt="" src="/app/webroot/userfiles/images/My%20Effect%284%29.jpg" style="height:241px; width:800px" /></p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>
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	(int) 9 => array(
		'Article' => array(
			'id' => '13401',
			'article_category_id' => '1',
			'title' => 'Food Prices Rise during Pandemic',
			'sub_title' => '',
			'summary' => 'May 16: Amidst coronavirus pandemic, there has been a rise in prices of all sorts of food products.',
			'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Calibri">May 16: Amidst coronavirus pandemic, there has been a rise in prices of all sorts of food products. Taking advantage of the prolonged restrictions and political instability, industrialists, businessmen and middlemen have increased the prices of food items like rice, oil, sugar, lentil, eggs, legumes etc arbitrarily.</span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Calibri">Consumers are facing financial crisis due to the pandemic. Nevertheless, many businessmen have been continuously increasing the prices of daily essentials under various pretexts.</span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Calibri">According to the information provided by the Retail Trade Association, the price of lentils, which was Rs 110 per kg before the prohibitory orders were imposed, has now reached Rs 122 per kg.</span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Calibri">The price of black lentil has increased by Rs 10 per kg from Rs 165 to Rs 175. The price of gram which was Rs 110 per kg has gone up by Rs 25 to Rs 135 per kg. Similarly, according to the association, the price of each brand of rice has increased by Rs 50 to Rs 100 per sack. Although there is no specific reason for the increase in prices of these food items at this time, some traders and middlemen may have increased the price on the pretext of political instability and restriction, says Pavitramaan Bajracharya, the outgoing president of the association. </span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Calibri">According to him, black market has flourished in food trade. &ldquo;Neither the government nor the regulatory body has a say in the matter,&rdquo; he told New Business Age. He also said that the problem of wholesalers not paying the right price to the retailers have also surfaced.</span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Calibri">On Saturday, he got a bill of only Rs 77 for the sugar he bought from a wholesaler at Rs 89 per kg. &ldquo;I have received a bill of Rs 12 less than the purchased price. At present, the retail price of sugar in the market is Rs 90 per kg. How can I sell that sugar in such a situation?&rdquo; he complained.</span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Calibri">Prakash Poudel, the director general of the Department of Commerce, Supplies and Consumer Protection, said that a joint team comprising of officials from the Department and the Inland Revenue Department should be formed to resolve the problems of retailers not getting the right bill.</span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Calibri">He said that the local bodies and District Administration Offices should play a role to prevent unnecessary price hike in their areas as the Department alone cannot check irregularities everywhere. He said that the Department has been monitoring the situation by forming two teams everyday between 7 am to 9 am. </span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Calibri">Not only have the prices of lentils, legumes and rice been increased, businessmen have also increased the prices of egg and edible oil.</span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Calibri">Chicken eggs, which were being sold at Rs 350 per crate before the restriction, are now being sold at Rs 400. It is said that the price has gone up as the consumption of eggs has increased in the market. Similarly, the price of edible oil has gone up unnaturally in the last one and a half years. The price of soybean oil, which was Rs 145 per liter earlier, has now increased by Rs 120 per liter to Rs 265 per liter. The price of sunflower oil has also increased by Rs 100 to Rs 400 per liter. According to the Nepal Rice, Oil and Pulses Industry Association, the price of oil, rice and pulses has also gone up in Nepal after the prices of raw materials including mustard, paddy and soybean skyrocketed in the international market.</span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Calibri">At present, the main reason for the rise in food prices is the rise in prices in the international market, said Subodh Kumar Gupta, president of the Association. He said there was no intention to encourage black marketing or hurt consumers during the pandemic.</span></span></p>
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	(int) 10 => array(
		'Article' => array(
			'id' => '13402',
			'article_category_id' => '1',
			'title' => 'NEA not to Slap Penalty on Hydropower Projects for Reduced Electricity Output',
			'sub_title' => '',
			'summary' => 'May 16: The Nepal Electricity Authority (NEA) has decided not to slap any penalty to the promoters of old hydropower projects with capacity of less than 10 MW for reduced electricity production.',
			'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-size:14.0pt"><span style="font-family:Times">May 16: The Nepal Electricity Authority (NEA) has decided not to slap any penalty to the promoters of old hydropower projects with capacity of less than 10 MW for reduced electricity production. The NEA took such decision after various rounds of discussions with the Electricity Regulatory Commission.<br />
Promoters hydropower projects with capacity of less than 10 MW that came into operation before March 22 will not be penalized if the reduction in flow of water results in production of less electricity than the prescribed amount. Rameshwar Poudel, an ex-officio member of the NEA Board of Directors, said that the decision was taken in line with a directive issued by the commission.<br />
The Electricity Regulatory Commission had instructed NEA to make such arrangement around two months ago. NEA had been urging the commission to reconsider the decision, saying such an arrangement would affect its financial system and other aspects. However, after discussions at various stages, NEA has decided to provide such facility to the specified projects as per the decision and instructions of the commission.<br />
&quot;We had requested the commission to reconsider the directive as it would affect the financial condition of the authority,&quot; Poudel said, adding, &ldquo;The decision, which is beneficial for both the promoters and the NEA was taken after discussions with the commission at various stages.&rdquo;</span></span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-size:14.0pt"><span style="font-family:Times">Similarly, the commission has decided not to impose any penalty if NEA fails to construct transmission line on time due to special circumstances.<br />
According to Poudel, the commission has clarified that no fine has to be paid if the transmission line cannot be built due to special circumstances. </span></span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-size:14.0pt"><span style="font-family:Times">As per the directive of the commission, NEA has made an arrangement that no penalty will be levied if the power generation of the projects is less than the commitment made only if it is due to hydrology. If the power generation is less than the prescribed amount due to other reasons, a penalty of 10 percent will have to be paid for insufficient electricity production.<br />
Earlier, the projects had to pay the prescribed amount of penalty to the power buyer (Nepal Electricity Authority) even if the power generation was reduced due to hydrology. But, now they won&#39;t have to pay such a penalty.<br />
Even when the power generation was low due to natural calamities, the projects had to pay the penalty. The promoters have been urging the commission to come up with the necessary policy in this regard. Regarding such concerns, the commission had decided not to penalize old projects.<br />
From now on, the concerned projects will have to submit the details of their production capacity on a weekly basis to NEA. In addition, details of how much electricity is generated every month will have to be submitted to NEA.<br />
Although NEA has signed power purchase agreement (PPA) with NEA the promoter companies according to the full capacity of the projects, power generation is not always optimal due to hydrology.<br />
Earlier, the minimum commitment was to generate 60 percent electricity in winter and 90 percent in the rainy season. However, such a limit has now been removed. Provision has been made for the project to generate electricity as estimated and if it is not produced, the penalty will be levied accordingly. In addition, as per the decision of the commission, if the projects generate more electricity than expected, they will receive an additional amount from NEA.<br />
Earlier, if excess electricity was generated than previously committed, the project would not get anything more that mentioned in the agreement. But now they will get the additional amount from NEA at the rate of 50 percent of the surplus electricity. This provision will not be applicable in case is electricity is generated more than the capacity mentioned in the PPA. In order to implement these provisions, the previous PPA between the projects and the NEA need to be amended.</span></span></span></span></p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>
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			'sortorder' => '13146',
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	(int) 11 => array(
		'Article' => array(
			'id' => '13400',
			'article_category_id' => '1',
			'title' => 'Birgunj Customs Fails to Meet Revenue Collection Target as Prohibitory Orders Hit Foreign Trade ',
			'sub_title' => '',
			'summary' => 'May 16: Birgunj Customs Office has failed to meet the revenue collection target in the month of Baisakh (mid-April to mid-May) due to the impact of COVID-19 on foreign trade. ',
			'content' => '<p><em>Birgunj border entry point in this file photo.</em></p>

<p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:Arial">May 16: Birgunj Customs Office has failed to meet the revenue collection target in the month of Baisakh (mid-April to mid-May) due to the impact of COVID-19 on foreign trade. The largest customs point of the country has fallen short of revenue collection target by 14 percent.</span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:Arial">The revenue target for the review month was Rs 19.44 billion, but the Birgunj Customs Office was able to collect only Rs 16.84 billion.</span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:Arial">Birgunj Customs Office has said that the prohibitory orders imposed to contain the COVID-19 pandemic&nbsp; has affected the country&rsquo;s foreign trade. </span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:Arial">&quot;In the month of Baisakh (mid April to mid May), import of petroleum products, new vehicles and other luxury items declined. The impact is directly reflected in the revenue,&quot; said Harihar Poudel, chief of Birgunj Customs Office.&nbsp;</span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:Arial">The local administration had imposed prohibitory order in Birgunj from April 29 as part of measures to contain the outbreak of the second wave of coronavirus. Vehicles have remained off the road due to the ban. Though the government has said that there will not be any restriction on imports, it&#39;s not the case at the customs point.&nbsp;</span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:Arial">The Customs Office said that the import of petroleum products has declined due to the restrictions on public transportation. Likewise, new vehicles have also not received clearance from the customs office. &ldquo;As the import of these two major items has declined, the revenue collection has also gone down,&quot; said Poudel.</span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:Arial">Similarly, imports of raw materials, construction materials and equipment have also fallen. Since many development projects have been stalled, the import of construction materials has also dwindled. However, food items, medicines, raw materials and other essential items are being imported without any obstructions.&nbsp;</span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:Arial">Although the ban did not have much effect on imports and exports in the first few days, the foreign trade started to decline after other districts enforced prohibitory orders.&nbsp;&nbsp;</span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:Arial">The prohibitory order is in the third week in Kathmandu Valley along with other cities which are considered to be the major hubs for production, manufacturing and supplies.&nbsp; With the extension of prohibitory order, its impact is being directly felt in the supply chain.&nbsp;</span></span></span></p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>
',
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			'description' => '',
			'sortorder' => '13145',
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			'article_date' => '2021-05-16 14:45:52',
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	(int) 12 => array(
		'Article' => array(
			'id' => '13399',
			'article_category_id' => '1',
			'title' => ' MoUs Signed for Construction of Tunnels under Kathmandu-Terai Fast Track ',
			'sub_title' => '',
			'summary' => 'May 16: The Nepalese Army (NA) has signed memorandum of understanding (MoU) for tunnel construction of two packages of Kathmandu-Terai Fast Track. ',
			'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:&quot;Arial Unicode MS&quot;">May 16: The Nepalese Army (NA) has signed memorandum of understanding (MoU) for tunnel construction of two packages of Kathmandu-Terai Fast Track. </span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:&quot;Arial Unicode MS&quot;">According to the state-owned national news agency RSS, the NA signed contracts with China State Construction Engineering Corporation Limited for package 1 and Poly Chyangda Engineering Company Limited for package 2 of the tunnel.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span><br />
<span style="font-family:&quot;Arial Unicode MS&quot;">NA spokesperson Brigadier General Santosh Ballav Poudel shared that the first package is worth Rs 21 billion 610 million while the budget of the second package is Rs 28 billion 530 million. There will be one tunnel in the first package and two short tunnels in the second package, RSS further reported.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span><br />
<span style="font-family:&quot;Arial Unicode MS&quot;">The MoU to this effect was signed by project chief of the Kathmandu-Terai Fast Track and Brigadier General Bikas Pokahrel on behalf of the project and Executive Director Xu Yan for package 1 and Project Manager Xhu Taniagyu Barbara for package 2.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span><br />
<span style="font-family:&quot;Arial Unicode MS&quot;">Spokesperson Poudel said the MoUs were signed in line with the Public Procurement Act 2063 and Regulation 2064 BS.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span><br />
<span style="font-family:&quot;Arial Unicode MS&quot;">As per the MoU, the contractor was provided six months for design and three years for the construction. Out of the 11 clusters developed by the NA to complete the project within the stipulated time, MoUs have been signed to construct nine clusters, RSS reported.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span><br />
<span style="font-family:&quot;Arial Unicode MS&quot;">However, the Public Accounts Committee of the House of Representatives (HOR) had directed to scrap the project noting that the contract was against the preamble of Public Procurement Act. Following the committee&rsquo;s directive, the NA had requested through the line ministry to reconsider its decision claiming that all works were being undertaken in a transparent manner.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span><br />
<span style="font-family:&quot;Arial Unicode MS&quot;">So far, the overall progress is reported to be 11.11 percent and the NA has set a target to reach 16.21 percent by the end of current fiscal year. The 72.5-km expressway with four lanes has the breadth of 25-meter in mountainous area and 27-meter in Terai area. The national pride project will also have a total 87 bridges.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span></span></span><br />
&nbsp;</p>
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			'sortorder' => '13144',
			'image' => '20210516122418_20170616052456_fast track nov 21.jpg',
			'article_date' => '2021-05-16 12:23:34',
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	(int) 13 => array(
		'Article' => array(
			'id' => '13398',
			'article_category_id' => '1',
			'title' => ' 18,000 Oxygen Cylinders Arrive at Tatopani Checkpoint ',
			'sub_title' => '',
			'summary' => 'May 16: The China-aided 18,000 empty oxygen cylinders have arrived at Tatopani checkpoint in Sindhupalchowk district on Sunday, May 16. ',
			'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:&quot;Arial Unicode MS&quot;">May 16: The China-aided 18,000 empty oxygen cylinders have arrived at Tatopani checkpoint in Sindhupalchowk district on Sunday, May 16.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span><br />
<span style="font-family:&quot;Arial Unicode MS&quot;">According to Ganesh Pandey, press coordinator to Deputy Prime Minister and Coordinator of the Covid-19 Crisis Management Centre Ishwor Pokharel, those cylinders will be brought in Kathmandu once the Chinese government hands them over to Nepal.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span><br />
<span style="font-family:&quot;Arial Unicode MS&quot;">As Nepal has been under the grip of second wave of Covid-19, there has been high demand for oxygen cylinders to treat the infected people.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span><br />
<span style="font-family:&quot;Arial Unicode MS&quot;">Earlier, 400 oxygen cylinders were flown to Nepal from China. Preparations are afoot to bring 1,600 remaining cylinders, out of 20,000, provided by China in grant assistance, informed Pandey.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span><br />
<span style="font-family:&quot;Arial Unicode MS&quot;">The Nepal Airlines Corporation&rsquo;s wide-body aircraft, which had flown to China on Saturday, is bringing home 550 oxygen cylinders from China today itself. -- RSS&nbsp;&nbsp; </span></span></span></p>
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			'sortorder' => '13143',
			'image' => '20210516121523_20210429095930_Medical-Oxygen-Gas-Cylinders-Market.jpg',
			'article_date' => '2021-05-16 12:14:48',
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	(int) 14 => array(
		'Article' => array(
			'id' => '13397',
			'article_category_id' => '1',
			'title' => ' Nepal Airlines bringing oxygen cylinders from China, Oman',
			'sub_title' => '',
			'summary' => 'Nepal Airlines Corporation (NAC)—the national flag carrier—is bringing oxygen cylinders from Beijing, the capital of China, and Muscat, the capital of Oman.     ',
			'content' => '<p>May 15:&nbsp;Nepal Airlines Corporation (NAC)&mdash;the national flag carrier&mdash;is bringing oxygen cylinders from Beijing, the capital of China, and Muscat, the capital of Oman. &nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;<br />
The NAC A-330 wide body left for Muscat this morning to pick up 600 oxygen gas cylinders to be received from Oman in assistance. The Non Resident Nepali Association (NRNA) and the Nepali Embassy in Oman had facilitated the assistance. The NAC aircraft will be returning from Muscat this evening. &nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;<br />
Similarly, the NAC wide body is scheduled to leave for Beijing at 11:00 pm today to bring medical assistance which also includes oxygen cylinders provided by the Government of China. Besides, preparation is on to bring eight oxygen concentrators from China. The government plans to send the NAC wide body to China on May 15, 16 and 17 to bring 550 oxygen cylinders per each flight amidst the raging Covid-19 crisis. &nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;<br />
-<strong><em>-RSS &nbsp;</em></strong><br />
&nbsp;</p>
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			'article_date' => '2021-05-15 17:15:04',
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FOREX

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)

Bullion

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

Petroleum

Petrol	1 Liter	106.00
Diesel	1 Liter	95.00
Kerosene	1 Liter	95.00
LP Gas	1 Cylinder	1375.00