May 5: Mountaineers and authorities at Everest base camp have reported increasing numbers of climbers with Covid-19 symptoms.…
May 5: Mountaineers and authorities at Everest base camp have reported increasing numbers of climbers with Covid-19 symptoms.…
May 4: The government has fixed the minimum monthly salary of workers at Rs 15,000.…
May 4: With the disruption in market cycle due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the domestic market of Nepal currently has a stock of milk powder and butter worth Rs 3 billion.…
May 4: The government had announced to provide minimum employment to 200,000 people under the Prime Minister's Employment Programme (PMEP) in the budget of Fiscal Year 2020-21.…
May 4: Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli has said that the government is making efforts to bring enough COVID-19 vaccines at the earliest.…
May 3: The Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal (CAAN) has decided to suspend domestic flight from today midnight (May 3) due to the spike in Covid-19 infection.…
May 3: The government has taken initiative to immediately bring 20,000 cylinders of oxygen provided by China.…
United Insurance Company Ltd has appointed Upasana Poudel as its Chief Executive Officer.…
May 2: The government has failed to register the number of employees working in the informal sector despite such provision mentioned in the Labour Act and Social Security Act.…
May 2: The COVID-19 Crisis Management Center (CCMC) has decided to operate all other offices except those providing the most essential services with one-fourth of their existing…
May 2: The government has taken the initiative to make the supply management system effective during the ongoing prohibition period.…
May 2: The United States Government has announced additional funds of US$ 8.5 million to Nepal as a “support the Nepali people” to combat…
Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli has announced that the minimum wage for workers will be raised from the next fiscal year…
Nepal’s economy is expected to expand 4.01 percent in the current fiscal year 2020/21, according to a preliminary estimate of the Central Bureau of Statistics…
April 30: The state-owned Food Management and Trading Company Limited (FMTC) has started free home delivery of food items within the Kathmandu Valley.…
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', 'content' => '<h1><span style="font-size:12px"><em>Photo: Tamish Giri/NBA</em></span></h1> <h1><span style="font-size:10pt"><span style="font-family:Times"><span style="font-size:14.0pt"><span style="font-family:Arial">May 5: Mountaineers and authorities at Everest base camp have reported increasing numbers of climbers with Covid-19 symptoms. </span></span></span></span></h1> <p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif">According to the BBC, the number of positive tests among climbers has been rising. This has raised fears of a serious outbreak at the base camp, BBC reported on Wednesday (May 5).</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif">Base camp officials said they had received confirmation of 17 positive cases from hospitals in the capital Kathmandu, BBC further reported.</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif">A number of climbers have been reportedly sent to those hospitals from the base camp and higher camps for treatment.</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif">Staff at CIWEC Clinic, a private clinic in Kathmandu, confirmed to the BBC that patients had tested positive for coronavirus after arriving from Everest base camp. </span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif">According to the news report, the Government of Nepal has so far denied having any knowledge of positive cases at Everest base camp raising concerns that officials are downplaying the extent of the situation out of fear it will bring more pressure to close the mountain to expeditions.</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif">Foreign climbers are a major source of revenue for the Nepalese government, which shut Everest last year during the pandemic.</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif">According to the state-owned national news agency, RSS, as many as 294 summiteers of 42 groups have been granted permission for climbing the world's highest peak, Mount Everest, this year. </span></span></p> <p> </p> <p><span style="font-size:10pt"><span style="font-family:Times"><span style="font-size:14.0pt"><span style="font-family:Arial"><img alt="" src="/app/webroot/userfiles/images/20190515023916_Everest-image.jpg" style="height:600px; width:800px" /></span></span></span></span></p> <p> </p> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2021-05-05', 'modified' => '2021-05-05', 'keywords' => '', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '13092', 'image' => '20210505111406_20210316081635_Bahraini Team.jpg', 'article_date' => '2021-05-05 11:11:58', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => true, 'in_scroller' => false, 'user_id' => '34' ) ), (int) 1 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '13346', 'article_category_id' => '1', 'title' => 'Government Fixes Minimum Monthly Salary of Workers at Rs 15,000', 'sub_title' => '', 'summary' => 'May 4: The government has fixed the minimum monthly salary of workers at Rs 15,000. ', 'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Cambria">May 4: The government has fixed the minimum monthly salary of workers at Rs 15,000. </span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Cambria">The government announced the new wage of workers by issuing a notice in the Nepal Gazette. </span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Cambria">Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli had announced to increase the wages of workers recently during the May Day. Two days later, the Ministry of Labour, Employment and Social Security issued the notice on Nepal Gazette stating that the new wage of workers will come into effect from the upcoming fiscal year. </span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Cambria">As per the notice issued on Monday (May 3), the minimum basic salary of workers has been fixed at Rs 9,385. By adding inflation allowance, the minimum salary has been fixed at Rs 15,000.</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Cambria">Similarly, the daily wage of labourers has also been increased from R s 361 to Rs 577. Likewise, the wage per hour for workers has been increased from Rs 48 to Rs 77.</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Cambria">The minimum monthly salary at present is Rs 13,450. The new salary will not be applicable for workers employed in tea estates. </span></span></p> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2021-05-04', 'modified' => '2021-05-04', 'keywords' => '', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '13091', 'image' => '20210504035957_20201108051031_20201006114242_1601941837.Clipboard09.jpg', 'article_date' => '2021-05-04 15:59:13', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => true, 'in_scroller' => null, 'user_id' => '34' ) ), (int) 2 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '13345', 'article_category_id' => '1', 'title' => 'Dairy Producers Have Stock of Milk Powder and Butter worth Rs 3 Billion ', 'sub_title' => '', 'summary' => 'May 4: With the disruption in market cycle due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the domestic market of Nepal currently has a stock of milk powder and butter worth Rs 3 billion. ', 'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:Arial">May 4: With the disruption in market cycle due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the domestic market of Nepal currently has a stock of milk powder and butter worth Rs 3 billion. Since the consumption has declined due to the pandemic, dairy producers and traders are forced to process the unsold milk into powdered milk and butter. </span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:Arial">According to the data provided by the Nepal Dairy Association, the umbrella body of diary producers and entrepreneurs alone has milk powder and butter worth Rs one billion out of the total stock worth Rs 3 billion. The consumption of milk has declined by 60 percent in the Kathmandu valley with the sharp rise in coronavirus infections and the market situation is becoming alarming due to the prohibitory orders. </span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:Arial">According to Prahad Dahal, General Secretary of the Association, with the decline in the consumption of milk, the stock of milk powder will continue to rise. This has imposed challenges to all farmers, traders and industrialists on how to manage the surplus milk. </span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:Arial">Flow of money to the milk industries has stopped because of the protracted lockdown of last year which led to the shutting down of hotels, restaurants, party palaces that consume the highest volume of milk in the market. Due to this, most of the industries have not been able to pay back the farmers. </span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:Arial">Dairy entrepreneurs have demanded that the government provide loans to the industry equivalent to the amount of the goods that they have in stock. This will help them to facilitate the operation of the industries and pay back the farmers. </span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:Arial">Dahal said that due to the prohibitory orders that are currently enforced, transporters that supply dairy products are having problems in getting the logo provided by the National Dairy Development Board. </span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:Arial">The board had prepared the logo last April so that there would be no obstruction in the transportation of milk products. However, due to various pending procedures, the board has not been able to provide the logo to the transporters.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:Arial">One day before the prohibitory orders were enforced, the board had published a notice requesting transporters to contact the board to get the logos. "But no transporter has received the logo so far because of the prohibitory orders that are currently in place," said Amogh Kafle, spokesperson of the board.</span></span></span></p> <p> </p> <p> </p> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2021-05-04', 'modified' => '2021-05-04', 'keywords' => '', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '13090', 'image' => '20210504034107_butter-milk.jpg', 'article_date' => '2021-05-04 15:39:57', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => true, 'in_scroller' => null, 'user_id' => '34' ) ), (int) 3 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '13343', 'article_category_id' => '1', 'title' => '82,000 get Short-term Jobs under Prime Minister's Employment Programme', 'sub_title' => '', 'summary' => 'May 4: The government had announced to provide minimum employment to 200,000 people under the Prime Minister's Employment Programme (PMEP) in the budget of Fiscal Year 2020-21. ', 'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-size:14.0pt"><span style="font-family:Times">May 4: The government had announced to provide minimum employment to 200,000 people under the Prime Minister's Employment Programme (PMEP) in the budget of Fiscal Year 2020-21. However, only 82,500 people have received short-term jobs under the program so far.<br /> According to the Secretariat of the Prime Minister's Employment Programme, 21,054 individuals in the Far West, 16,200 in Karnali, and 15,600 in Province No. 2 have received short-term jobs for an average of 12 days. According to the PMEP Secretariat, Rs 579.5 million has been distributed under the programme so far. In the current fiscal year, 753,166 people have applied for jobs under the programme. However, not all applicants are eligible for employment.<br /> According to the criteria of PMEP, a family member can be employed for a minimum of 100 days only if he/she is unable to earn any income from anywhere else.<br /> The secretariat informed that more than 10,500 programmes worth Rs 7.86 billion have been selected in the current fiscal year to employ those who are eligible for employment. In the current fiscal year, Rs 10.34 billion has been allocated to implement the employment program. </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">To implement this programme from the current fiscal year, the government had received a concessional loan of Rs 13.65 billion from the International Development Association (IDA) under the World Bank.<br /> Expanding the scope of the programme from this year, the government has announced to employ the unemployed in public development works at the federal, state, and local levels. However, the implementation of the programme so far has not been effective.<br /> According to Loknath Bhusal, Joint Secretary at the Prime Minister's Employment Programme Secretariat, the program was running effectively at the local level until the first week of April.<br /> However, implementation of the program suffered a setback due to the prohibitory order in various parts of the country.<br /> "Some local level representatives and employees are not in a position to run the office. The prohibitory order has made it difficult to promote employment activities," Bhusal said.<br /> So far, more than seven hundred thousand unemployed individuals have submitted applications for employment for the upcoming year through the Prime Minister's Employment Program. </span></span></span></span></p> <p> </p> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2021-05-04', 'modified' => '2021-05-04', 'keywords' => '', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '13089', 'image' => '20210504121005_20200909034726_1599602881.3.jpg', 'article_date' => '2021-05-04 12:09:08', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => true, 'in_scroller' => null, 'user_id' => '34' ) ), (int) 4 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '13344', 'article_category_id' => '1', 'title' => ' Govt Effortful to bring Enough COVID-19 Vaccines from China, Russia: PM ', 'sub_title' => '', 'summary' => 'May 4: Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli has said that the government is making efforts to bring enough COVID-19 vaccines at the earliest. ', 'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-size:14.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">May 4: Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli has said that the government is making efforts to bring enough COVID-19 vaccines at the earliest. </span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-size:14.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">He said that the government is in constant touch with the countries like China and Russia that produce the vaccines. </span></span><br /> <span style="font-size:14.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">In his address to the nation on COVID-19 and other contemporary issues on Monday, the PM said that the government itself had started the process to purchase vaccines apart from vaccines donated by the friendly nations. </span></span><br /> <span style="font-size:14.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">On the occasion, PM Oli urged one and all to stay on an alert against the virus, abide by the prohibitory order and provide support to the government’s initiatives to prevent and control the infection. </span></span><br /> <span style="font-size:14.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">He also requested neighbouring and friendly countries to provide health infrastructures including oxygen in assistance to fight the deadly virus. </span></span><br /> <span style="font-size:14.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">He claimed that the government had gradually achieved progress in the development of the infrastructure of health sector of the country. -- RSS</span></span></span></span></p> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2021-05-04', 'modified' => '2021-05-04', 'keywords' => '', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '13088', 'image' => '20210504121946_1620082311.Clipboard04.jpg', 'article_date' => '2021-05-04 12:19:16', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => true, 'in_scroller' => null, 'user_id' => '34' ) ), (int) 5 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '13342', 'article_category_id' => '1', 'title' => 'CAAN to Suspend all Domestic Flights from Today Midnight', 'sub_title' => '', 'summary' => 'May 3: The Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal (CAAN) has decided to suspend domestic flight from today midnight (May 3) due to the spike in Covid-19 infection. ', 'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:Times">May 3: The Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal (CAAN) has decided to suspend domestic flight from today midnight (May 3) due to the spike in Covid-19 infection. The aviation regulatory body has also decided to suspend international flights from midnight of May 6.<br /> Rajan Pokhrel, director-general of CAAN, informed New Business Age that all domestic flights will be suspended from midnight of May 3 until the May 14. Likewise, international flights will be suspended from May 6 midnight until May 14, added Pokharel. <br /> A meeting of the Council of Ministers on May 2 had decided to suspend all domestic flights from May 4 and international flights from May 6 due to the unprecedented surge in Covid-19 cases.<br /> On May 2, Nepal recorded the highest number of Covid-19 cases in a day, with more than 7000 cases.<br /> The Covid-19 Crisis Management Committee (CCMC) had recommended the government suspend the flights to stop the virus from spreading.<br /> As the number of new cases and daily fatalities continue to spike in the country, the government announced two-week long prohibitory order on April 29 in several affected districts, including Kathmandu. </span></span></span></p> <p> </p> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2021-05-03', 'modified' => '2021-05-03', 'keywords' => '', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '13087', 'image' => '20210503020944_20200805015856_nepali_flights.jpg', 'article_date' => '2021-05-03 14:08:52', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => true, 'in_scroller' => null, 'user_id' => '34' ) ), (int) 6 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '13341', 'article_category_id' => '1', 'title' => 'Government to Bring 20,000 Oxygen Cylinders from China', 'sub_title' => '', 'summary' => 'May 3: The government has taken initiative to immediately bring 20,000 cylinders of oxygen provided by China. ', 'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif">May 3: The government has taken initiative to immediately bring 20,000 cylinders of oxygen provided by China. The Covid-19 Crisis Management Center (CCMC) informed that the ministries of foreign affairs, health and finance will immediately start working to this end.</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif">The country is in need of additional oxygen cylinders as the demand for oxygen is increasing with the rise in new infections of COVID-19. Oxygen manufacturers have been stating that despite having enough oxygen, they are having problem is supplying oxygen due to limited number of cylinders. Likewise, it has been learnt that people are holding up oxygen cylinders at their home leading to a shortage of cylinders.</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif">According to the doctors, the new variants of coronavirus affect the respiratory system of patients and they require oxygen support. </span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif">Meanwhile, a meeting of the CCMC decided to reduce the movement of people in government offices in the districts where prohibitory orders have been enforced and has allowed secretaries, joint secretaries and head of government offices to commute carrying identity cards. </span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif">Likewise, the new building of Bir Hospital has been announced as coronavirus hospital. </span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif">The Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) has said that CCMC is looking for various alternatives following the rise in complaints about shortage of beds in hospitals.</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif">According to Ganesh Pandey, Press Adviser to Deputy PM Ishwar Pokharel, cremation will be conducted using traditional methods and a letter has already been written to the concerned authority in this regard. </span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif">A cabinet meeting has already implemented quota system for domestic flights on the recommendation of the CCMC and has employed strict measures in some international flights to contain the spread of coronavirus. A minister said that flights to Brazil and South Africa have been suspended in light of the growing new COVID-19 cases.</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif">Despite the sharp rise in COVID-19 cases in the Kathmandu Valley, the district-level CCMC meeting has decided to allow operation of banks and financial institutions with one fourth of employees. </span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif">Grocery shops that were allowed to open from 5pm to 7pm in the evening will not be allowed to open from Monday, May 3. </span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif">According to Kali Prasad Parajuli, Chief District Officer of Kathmandu, people walking without wearing masks will be fined and permits will be checked strictly. </span></span></p> <p> </p> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2021-05-03', 'modified' => '2021-05-03', 'keywords' => '', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '13086', 'image' => '20210503015716_20210429095930_Medical-Oxygen-Gas-Cylinders-Market.jpg', 'article_date' => '2021-05-03 13:56:13', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => true, 'in_scroller' => null, 'user_id' => '34' ) ), (int) 7 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '13340', 'article_category_id' => '1', 'title' => 'Upasana Poudel appointed as United Insurance’s new CEO ', 'sub_title' => 'Poudel’s appointment makes her the first female CEO in Nepal’s insurance sector.', 'summary' => 'United Insurance Company Ltd has appointed Upasana Poudel as its Chief Executive Officer. ', 'content' => '<p>May 2: <br /> United Insurance Company Ltd has appointed Upasana Poudel as its Chief Executive Officer (CEO). <br /> According to the United Insurance Company Ltd’s disclosure to Nepal Stock Exchange (Nepse), its board meeting held on Thursday decided to appoint Poudel as the insurance company’s CEO for a tenure of four years. <br /> The United Insurance’s decision also makes Poudel the first female CEO of an insurance company in Nepal. </p> <p>She was serving as the officiating CEO of United Insurance after its former CEO Ramesh Kumar Bhattarai’s four-year term ended in November last year. <br /> Promoted by leading industrialists and trading and commercial houses, United Insurance Company, a non-life insurance company, had started its operation from December 1, 1993. </p> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2021-05-02', 'modified' => '2021-05-02', 'keywords' => '', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '13085', 'image' => '20210502052259_Upasana Poudel.jpg', 'article_date' => '2021-05-02 17:19:38', 'homepage' => true, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => false, 'in_scroller' => true, 'user_id' => '35' ) ), (int) 8 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '13339', 'article_category_id' => '1', 'title' => 'Government Faces Challenges to Include Employees of Informal Sector in Social Security Programme', 'sub_title' => '', 'summary' => 'May 2: The government has failed to register the number of employees working in the informal sector despite such provision mentioned in the Labour Act and Social Security Act. ', 'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:Arial">May 2: The government has failed to register the number of employees working in the informal sector despite such provision mentioned in the Labour Act and Social Security Act. </span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:Arial">Trade unions have been demanding for registration of employees from the informal sector since 15 years to help them receive support from the government and address their problems. But it has not been implemented accordingly. </span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:Arial">Binod Shrestha, president of the General Federation of Nepalese Trade Union (GEFONT), said although there has not been significant achievement in terms of registration, there has been some encouraging improvements. The issue of registration was raised to keep a tab on expenses of workers. </span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:Arial">"We want to link the informal sector to social security based on contribution but the question arises who will pay 20 percent of the daily wage workers working in the informal sector. Village councils and the local bodies need to help in this regard," said Shrestha.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:Arial">Shrestha further said that a task force has been formed to register workers working in the informal sector and link them to contribution-based social security. </span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:Arial">“The government has committed to implement this provision so we can be hopeful about it,” he said.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:Arial">Similarly, Pushkar Acharya, president of Nepal Trade Union Congress, said that it is the ineffectiveness on part of the government that the registration process has not been implemented even after one year. Until and unless workers are registered they will not be eligible for benefits from the Social Security Fund (SSF). </span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:Arial">It is the workers from the informal sector who have been affected the most with the enforcement of prohibitory orders, said Acharya. If they had been linked with the SSF, they would have now got the benefits from the government. </span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:Arial">According to GEFONT, workers were laid off from work and deprived from the wages from the initial days of lockdown which has repeated again this time.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:16px"><strong><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:Arial">Emphasis on sustainable and reliable labor relations</span></span></strong></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:Arial">The umbrella organization of employers have stressed on the need to make labour relation between industries and workers sustainable and reliable. Issuing a press release on the International Labour Day on May 1, the Federation of Nepalese Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FNCCI) and the Confederation of Nepalese Industries (CNI) said that though labour relations are on the path of improvement, it needs to be made reliable and sustainable. </span></span></span></p> <p> </p> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2021-05-02', 'modified' => '2021-05-02', 'keywords' => '', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '13084', 'image' => '20210502051027_20210225124654_Social-Security-Fund-SSF.jpg', 'article_date' => '2021-05-02 17:09:23', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => true, 'in_scroller' => null, 'user_id' => '34' ) ), (int) 9 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '13338', 'article_category_id' => '1', 'title' => ' Offices can Operate with One-Fourth Employees: CCMC ', 'sub_title' => '', 'summary' => 'May 2: The COVID-19 Crisis Management Center (CCMC) has decided to operate all other offices except those providing the most essential services with one-fourth of their existing employees.', 'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">May 2: The COVID-19 Crisis Management Center (CCMC) has decided to operate all other offices except those providing the most essential services with one-fourth of their existing employees. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">A meeting of the CCMC on Saturday decided to ask banks and financial institutions being operated in the lockdown-enforced Kathmandu Valley and other big cities to operate their business through one-fourth of the employees. Nepal Rastra Bank would facilitate the process in the enforcement of the order. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">The press pass issued by the Department of Information and Publicity would be valid in case of the Kathmandu Valley while the Chief District Officers are authorized to issue such pass in other districts. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">The CCMC also decided to enforce food and accommodation for employees and workers of the industries and enterprises within the industry to keep its smooth operation, run the factories and industries producing materials (mask, sanitizer, soap, gloves, oxygen) used for prevention, control and treatment of COVID-19 by adopting health safety protocol and continue with public infrastructure construction by arranging food and accommodation for the workers involved in the field. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">According to the CCMC’s Secretariat, the public vehicles used for supplying construction materials in such public projects would be allowed based on the pass provided by the project. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">In Kathmandu Valley, the Department of Tourism, Department of Immigration, Nepal Tourism Board and Nepal Police would jointly monitor those residing in hotel quarantines while the province and local levels would carry out the task in other districts. The local levels would monitor the people residing in home quarantines. </span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">Likewise, foreigners residing in hotel quarantines would be deported to their home country with penalty if they were found violating the health protocols. For the failure on proper management, the hoteliers would be fined as per the laws. - RSS</span></span></span></p> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2021-05-02', 'modified' => '2021-05-02', 'keywords' => '', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '13083', 'image' => '20210502022832_20180813032024_Clipboard84.jpg', 'article_date' => '2021-05-02 14:28:04', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => true, 'in_scroller' => null, 'user_id' => '34' ) ), (int) 10 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '13337', 'article_category_id' => '1', 'title' => 'Government Ensures Smooth Supply of Essential Goods', 'sub_title' => '', 'summary' => 'May 2: The government has taken the initiative to make the supply management system effective during the ongoing prohibition period. ', 'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif">May 2: The government has taken the initiative to make the supply management system effective during the ongoing prohibition period. </span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif">A meeting of government officials and umbrella organizations of private sector entrepreneurs chaired by Minister for Industry, Commerce, and Supplies Lekhraj Bhat on Friday decided to facilitate the supply of essential consumer goods and pharmaceutical products.</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif">The ministry has decided to facilitate the production and supply of such goods and services as the number of districts going through prohibitory order is growing with the rising cases of Covid-19. The government has already imposed prohibitory orders in more than two dozen districts, including the Kathmandu Valley, to control Covid-19 from spreading.</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif">The ministry has formed a mechanism to immediately address the obstruction of essential services and goods. Narayan Prasad Regmi, spokesperson for the Ministry of Industry, Commerce, and Supplies, informed that the government is taking effective measures to provide medicines, oxygen, oxygen cylinders, and masks at affordable prices.</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif">A press statement released by the ministry says that the government will coordinate with umbrella organization of industrialists to ensure smooth supply of essential goods and services and raw materials.</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif">The Rapid Response Team will be informed about the problems faced by the entrepreneurs during the prohibitory period.</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif">The ministry has set up a five-member team which includes officials from the concerned ministries to facilitate the supply of food and daily necessities during the ongoing restriction. The ministry has made necessary arrangements to transport daily essentials and services easily during the prohibitory period.</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif">Industries manufacturing essential commodities have been ensured of smooth operation and transportation facility. Arrangements have been made to allow staffers of such industries to operate vehicles by showing their identity cards.</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif">The ministry informed that the vehicles can be operated by placing banners in front of the vehicles and by following the health safety standards.</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif">The workers will be facilitated for the movement on the basis of the official identity card of the industry. </span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif">The press release further says that the industries should mobilize minimum manpower following strict health security measures. The local administration will have to be informed about the operation of industry and businesses.</span></span></p> <p> </p> <p> </p> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2021-05-02', 'modified' => '2021-05-02', 'keywords' => '', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '13082', 'image' => '20210502021104_20200317121735_aaa.jpg', 'article_date' => '2021-05-02 14:09:44', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => true, 'in_scroller' => null, 'user_id' => '34' ) ), (int) 11 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '13336', 'article_category_id' => '1', 'title' => 'USA Provides Additional Funds to Support Nepal Amidst Second Wave of COVID-19', 'sub_title' => '', 'summary' => 'May 2: The United States Government has announced additional funds of US$ 8.5 million to Nepal as a “support the Nepali people” to combat coronavirus.', 'content' => '<p><em>Photo Courtesy: Twitter account of US Ambassador to Nepal Randy Berry.</em></p> <p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-size:14.0pt"><span style="font-family:Arial">May 2: The United States Government has announced additional funds of US$ 8.5 million to Nepal as a “support the Nepali people” to combat coronavirus.</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:Arial">The announcement comes at a challenging time when the country is facing second wave of the disease.</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:Arial">The US Embassy in Nepal said in a statement that the fund will be made available to the government through the US Agency for International Development (USAID).</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:Arial">According to the embassy, the additional assistance will help intensify the Government of Nepal’s COVID-19 testing, contact tracing and case investigation, treatment, infection prevention and control, border control, and other work at the federal, provincial and municipal levels.</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:Arial">USAID/Nepal will also scale-up its response at the community level, supporting the most vulnerable, the statement added. Assistance will include support to households and families through life-saving COVID-19 counseling and referrals, nutrition counseling, health care access, ensure the continuity of critical HIV services, and mitigate the secondary impacts of COVID-19.</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:Arial">“Since the beginning of the pandemic, the United States has stood with the people and Government of Nepal in the ongoing fight against COVID-19. With USAID’s latest provision of emergency funding, the US Government reaffirms its commitment to the strong and collaborative 70-year partnership between the United States and Nepal,” added the statement.</span></span></span></span></p> <p> </p> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2021-05-02', 'modified' => '2021-05-02', 'keywords' => '', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '13081', 'image' => '20210502123342_E0SkM-jUYAIY2Ao 2.jpg', 'article_date' => '2021-05-02 12:32:00', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => true, 'in_scroller' => null, 'user_id' => '34' ) ), (int) 12 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '13335', 'article_category_id' => '1', 'title' => 'Govt to raise minimum wage to Rs 15,000 per month from next fiscal year ', 'sub_title' => '', 'summary' => 'Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli has announced that the minimum wage for workers will be raised from the next fiscal year 2020/21. ', 'content' => '<p>May 1: Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli has announced that the minimum wage of workers will be raised from the next fiscal year 2020/21. </p> <p>In his speech on the occasion of Labour Day on Saturday, Prime Minister Oli said that the minimum wage of domestic workers will be raised to Rs 15,000 per month. </p> <p>Currently, workers have been drawing a minimum wage of Rs 13,450 per month. The government last raised the minimum wage by 38 percent to Rs 13,450 in 2018.</p> <p>In his statement, Prime Minister Oli also said that the government could not revise the minimum wage last year due to the adverse economic condition caused by the Covid-19. </p> <p>Stating that workers had supported the government’s stance to not raise the minimum wage last year due to the pandemic, Prime Minister Oli said that he is confident that industrialists and businessmen will agree on revising the minimum wage this year. </p> <p>“There could not be agreement between the representatives of employers and workers on the revision of minimum wage even this year due to worsening of the situation. However, I would like to inform you that the government would revise the minimum wage of workers from the fiscal year 2021/22,” said Prime Minister Oli. </p> <p>Prime Minister Oli also said that all workers will be brought under the social security net by the end of the next fiscal year. <br /> </p> <p><br /> </p> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2021-05-01', 'modified' => '2021-05-01', 'keywords' => '', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '13080', 'image' => '20210501032231_Oli.jpg', 'article_date' => '2021-05-01 15:20:25', 'homepage' => true, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => true, 'in_scroller' => false, 'user_id' => '35' ) ), (int) 13 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '13334', 'article_category_id' => '1', 'title' => 'Economy to grow by 4.01% in current fiscal year, estimates CBS', 'sub_title' => 'Growth estimate based on assumption that all economic activities will operate in normal condition after two weeks of prohibitory orders, say CBS officials ', 'summary' => 'Nepal’s economy is expected to expand 4.01 percent in the current fiscal year 2020/21, according to a preliminary estimate of the Central Bureau of Statistics (CBS). ', 'content' => '<p>KATHMANDU (April 30): </p> <p>Nepal’s economy is expected to expand 4.01 percent in the current fiscal year 2020/21, according to a preliminary estimate of the Central Bureau of Statistics (CBS). </p> <p>Releasing the latest National Accounts Statistics on Friday, the CBS said that it forecasts the country’s annualized Gross Domestic Product (GDP) to grow by 4.01 percent to climb to Rs 4.266 trillion in the current fiscal year. </p> <p>According to the CBS, the preliminary estimate is based on available information and figures of seven to nine months of the current fiscal year. </p> <p> <br /> The growth projection of the CBS comes at a time when the country is bracing for the second wave of Covid-19 and prohibitory orders enforced by local administrations in over a dozen districts to contain the spread of coronavirus. <br /> CBS officials say that their projection is based on an assumption that all economic activities will operate in normal condition after two weeks. </p> <p>“Our estimates are based on assumption that the current prohibitory period will not last more than two week, and the economy, barring hospitality and leisure sectors, will be back to normal,” Ishwori Prasad Bhandari, a director at the CBS, told New Business Age. <br /> “If our assumption fails and the impact of the Covid-19 lingers on, we will later revise our estimates and figures,” he said.</p> <p>The preliminary estimate of the CBS for the current fiscal year is higher than the projections made by international institutions like the World Bank, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the Asian Development Bank (ADB). <br /> The IMF recently projected Nepal’s growth to grow by 2.9 percent while the World Bank put the growth forecast at 2.7 percent. Earlier on Wednesday, the ADB said that Nepal’s GDP is anticipated to grow by 3.1 percent in the current fiscal year. <br /> According to CBS officials, ‘base effect’ has also helped to prop up economic growth in the current fiscal year. <br /> “The country’s economic growth fell to negative territory in the last fiscal year. So,even when the economic activities haven’t gained momentum after the lockdown, a slight increase in the production helped in propping up growth figures,” said CBS Director Bhandari. </p> <p>However, the growth estimate of the CBS is a way lower than the government’s economic growth target. Even when the country was under lockdown to contain the spread of coronavirus, the government in its annual budget speech had set a target of 7 percent economic growth in the current fiscal year. </p> <p><br /> The CBS also revised down its growth for the last fiscal year 2019/20 to -2.09 percent. Earlier last month, CBS had forecast a growth contraction of 1.88 percent.</p> <p><br /> </p> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2021-04-30', 'modified' => '2021-04-30', 'keywords' => '', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '13079', 'image' => '20210430085017_CBS Growth.JPG', 'article_date' => '2021-04-30 20:47:38', 'homepage' => true, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => true, 'in_scroller' => false, 'user_id' => '35' ) ), (int) 14 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '13332', 'article_category_id' => '1', 'title' => 'FMTC Starts Free Home Delivery of Essential Food Items', 'sub_title' => '', 'summary' => 'April 30: The state-owned Food Management and Trading Company Limited (FMTC) has started free home delivery of food items within the Kathmandu Valley. ', 'content' => '<p><em>Photo Courtesy: Sastodeal.Com</em></p> <p><span style="font-size:10pt"><span style="font-family:Times"><span style="font-size:14.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">April 30: The state-owned Food Management and Trading Company Limited (FMTC) has started free home delivery of food items within the Kathmandu Valley. </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:"Arial Unicode MS"">The company informed that it started the home delivery service considering the difficulty faced by the general public in purchasing food and other essentials due to the prohibitory order enforced by the local administration.</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:"Arial Unicode MS"">Issuing a statement on Thursday (April 29), FMTC informed that it has started free home delivery of essential food items including beans from Karnali, Marsi rice, ghee, edible oil, sanitizers among others. Customers living inside the ring road can order the items through the company’s website <a href="http://www.nepalfood.gov.np" style="color:blue; text-decoration:underline">www.nepalfood.gov.np</a> while those living outside the ring road and within the valley can avail the service through <a href="http://www.sastodeal.com" style="color:blue; text-decoration:underline">www.sastodeal.com</a>. The service is available in all three districts of the valley, according to FMTC.</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:"Arial Unicode MS"">The company informed that it has adequate stock of food and has urged people not to stockpile food items due to fear of short supply.</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:"Arial Unicode MS"">The company has been selling food items through its distribution centers at Nakhhu, Ram Shah Path, Thapathali and Suryabinayak during morning and evening hours.</span></span></span></span></p> <p> </p> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2021-04-30', 'modified' => '2021-04-30', 'keywords' => '', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '13078', 'image' => '20210430021216_My Effect.jpg', 'article_date' => '2021-04-30 14:08:17', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => true, 'in_scroller' => false, 'user_id' => '34' ) ) ) $current_user = null $logged_in = falseinclude - APP/View/Elements/side_bar.ctp, line 60 View::_evaluate() - CORE/Cake/View/View.php, line 971 View::_render() - CORE/Cake/View/View.php, line 933 View::_renderElement() - CORE/Cake/View/View.php, line 1224 View::element() - CORE/Cake/View/View.php, line 418 include - APP/View/Articles/index.ctp, line 157 View::_evaluate() - CORE/Cake/View/View.php, line 971 View::_render() - CORE/Cake/View/View.php, line 933 View::render() - CORE/Cake/View/View.php, line 473 Controller::render() - CORE/Cake/Controller/Controller.php, line 968 Dispatcher::_invoke() - CORE/Cake/Routing/Dispatcher.php, line 200 Dispatcher::dispatch() - CORE/Cake/Routing/Dispatcher.php, line 167 [main] - APP/webroot/index.php, line 117
Warning (2): simplexml_load_file() [<a href='http://php.net/function.simplexml-load-file'>function.simplexml-load-file</a>]: I/O warning : failed to load external entity "" [APP/View/Elements/side_bar.ctp, line 60]file not found!Code Context// $file = 'http://aabhiyan:QUVLg8Wzs2F7G9N7@nepalstock.com.np/api/indexdata.xml';if(!$xml = simplexml_load_file($file)){$viewFile = '/var/www/html/newbusinessage.com/app/View/Elements/side_bar.ctp' $dataForView = array( 'articles' => array( (int) 0 => array( 'Article' => array( [maximum depth reached] ) ), (int) 1 => array( 'Article' => array( [maximum depth reached] ) ), (int) 2 => array( 'Article' => array( [maximum depth reached] ) ), (int) 3 => array( 'Article' => array( [maximum depth reached] ) ), (int) 4 => array( 'Article' => array( [maximum depth reached] ) ), (int) 5 => array( 'Article' => array( [maximum depth reached] ) ), (int) 6 => array( 'Article' => array( [maximum depth reached] ) ), (int) 7 => array( 'Article' => array( [maximum depth reached] ) ), (int) 8 => array( 'Article' => array( [maximum depth reached] ) ), (int) 9 => array( 'Article' => array( [maximum depth reached] ) ), (int) 10 => array( 'Article' => array( [maximum depth reached] ) ), (int) 11 => array( 'Article' => array( [maximum depth reached] ) ), (int) 12 => array( 'Article' => array( [maximum depth reached] ) ), (int) 13 => array( 'Article' => array( [maximum depth reached] ) ), (int) 14 => array( 'Article' => array( [maximum depth reached] ) ) ), 'current_user' => null, 'logged_in' => false ) $articles = array( (int) 0 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '13347', 'article_category_id' => '1', 'title' => 'Covid-19 Cases Reported Among Climbers at Everest Base Camp', 'sub_title' => '', 'summary' => 'May 5: Mountaineers and authorities at Everest base camp have reported increasing numbers of climbers with Covid-19 symptoms. ', 'content' => '<h1><span style="font-size:12px"><em>Photo: Tamish Giri/NBA</em></span></h1> <h1><span style="font-size:10pt"><span style="font-family:Times"><span style="font-size:14.0pt"><span style="font-family:Arial">May 5: Mountaineers and authorities at Everest base camp have reported increasing numbers of climbers with Covid-19 symptoms. </span></span></span></span></h1> <p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif">According to the BBC, the number of positive tests among climbers has been rising. This has raised fears of a serious outbreak at the base camp, BBC reported on Wednesday (May 5).</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif">Base camp officials said they had received confirmation of 17 positive cases from hospitals in the capital Kathmandu, BBC further reported.</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif">A number of climbers have been reportedly sent to those hospitals from the base camp and higher camps for treatment.</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif">Staff at CIWEC Clinic, a private clinic in Kathmandu, confirmed to the BBC that patients had tested positive for coronavirus after arriving from Everest base camp. </span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif">According to the news report, the Government of Nepal has so far denied having any knowledge of positive cases at Everest base camp raising concerns that officials are downplaying the extent of the situation out of fear it will bring more pressure to close the mountain to expeditions.</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif">Foreign climbers are a major source of revenue for the Nepalese government, which shut Everest last year during the pandemic.</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif">According to the state-owned national news agency, RSS, as many as 294 summiteers of 42 groups have been granted permission for climbing the world's highest peak, Mount Everest, this year. </span></span></p> <p> </p> <p><span style="font-size:10pt"><span style="font-family:Times"><span style="font-size:14.0pt"><span style="font-family:Arial"><img alt="" src="/app/webroot/userfiles/images/20190515023916_Everest-image.jpg" style="height:600px; width:800px" /></span></span></span></span></p> <p> </p> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2021-05-05', 'modified' => '2021-05-05', 'keywords' => '', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '13092', 'image' => '20210505111406_20210316081635_Bahraini Team.jpg', 'article_date' => '2021-05-05 11:11:58', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => true, 'in_scroller' => false, 'user_id' => '34' ) ), (int) 1 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '13346', 'article_category_id' => '1', 'title' => 'Government Fixes Minimum Monthly Salary of Workers at Rs 15,000', 'sub_title' => '', 'summary' => 'May 4: The government has fixed the minimum monthly salary of workers at Rs 15,000. ', 'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Cambria">May 4: The government has fixed the minimum monthly salary of workers at Rs 15,000. </span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Cambria">The government announced the new wage of workers by issuing a notice in the Nepal Gazette. </span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Cambria">Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli had announced to increase the wages of workers recently during the May Day. Two days later, the Ministry of Labour, Employment and Social Security issued the notice on Nepal Gazette stating that the new wage of workers will come into effect from the upcoming fiscal year. </span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Cambria">As per the notice issued on Monday (May 3), the minimum basic salary of workers has been fixed at Rs 9,385. By adding inflation allowance, the minimum salary has been fixed at Rs 15,000.</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Cambria">Similarly, the daily wage of labourers has also been increased from R s 361 to Rs 577. Likewise, the wage per hour for workers has been increased from Rs 48 to Rs 77.</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Cambria">The minimum monthly salary at present is Rs 13,450. The new salary will not be applicable for workers employed in tea estates. </span></span></p> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2021-05-04', 'modified' => '2021-05-04', 'keywords' => '', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '13091', 'image' => '20210504035957_20201108051031_20201006114242_1601941837.Clipboard09.jpg', 'article_date' => '2021-05-04 15:59:13', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => true, 'in_scroller' => null, 'user_id' => '34' ) ), (int) 2 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '13345', 'article_category_id' => '1', 'title' => 'Dairy Producers Have Stock of Milk Powder and Butter worth Rs 3 Billion ', 'sub_title' => '', 'summary' => 'May 4: With the disruption in market cycle due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the domestic market of Nepal currently has a stock of milk powder and butter worth Rs 3 billion. ', 'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:Arial">May 4: With the disruption in market cycle due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the domestic market of Nepal currently has a stock of milk powder and butter worth Rs 3 billion. Since the consumption has declined due to the pandemic, dairy producers and traders are forced to process the unsold milk into powdered milk and butter. </span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:Arial">According to the data provided by the Nepal Dairy Association, the umbrella body of diary producers and entrepreneurs alone has milk powder and butter worth Rs one billion out of the total stock worth Rs 3 billion. The consumption of milk has declined by 60 percent in the Kathmandu valley with the sharp rise in coronavirus infections and the market situation is becoming alarming due to the prohibitory orders. </span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:Arial">According to Prahad Dahal, General Secretary of the Association, with the decline in the consumption of milk, the stock of milk powder will continue to rise. This has imposed challenges to all farmers, traders and industrialists on how to manage the surplus milk. </span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:Arial">Flow of money to the milk industries has stopped because of the protracted lockdown of last year which led to the shutting down of hotels, restaurants, party palaces that consume the highest volume of milk in the market. Due to this, most of the industries have not been able to pay back the farmers. </span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:Arial">Dairy entrepreneurs have demanded that the government provide loans to the industry equivalent to the amount of the goods that they have in stock. This will help them to facilitate the operation of the industries and pay back the farmers. </span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:Arial">Dahal said that due to the prohibitory orders that are currently enforced, transporters that supply dairy products are having problems in getting the logo provided by the National Dairy Development Board. </span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:Arial">The board had prepared the logo last April so that there would be no obstruction in the transportation of milk products. However, due to various pending procedures, the board has not been able to provide the logo to the transporters.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:Arial">One day before the prohibitory orders were enforced, the board had published a notice requesting transporters to contact the board to get the logos. "But no transporter has received the logo so far because of the prohibitory orders that are currently in place," said Amogh Kafle, spokesperson of the board.</span></span></span></p> <p> </p> <p> </p> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2021-05-04', 'modified' => '2021-05-04', 'keywords' => '', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '13090', 'image' => '20210504034107_butter-milk.jpg', 'article_date' => '2021-05-04 15:39:57', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => true, 'in_scroller' => null, 'user_id' => '34' ) ), (int) 3 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '13343', 'article_category_id' => '1', 'title' => '82,000 get Short-term Jobs under Prime Minister's Employment Programme', 'sub_title' => '', 'summary' => 'May 4: The government had announced to provide minimum employment to 200,000 people under the Prime Minister's Employment Programme (PMEP) in the budget of Fiscal Year 2020-21. ', 'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-size:14.0pt"><span style="font-family:Times">May 4: The government had announced to provide minimum employment to 200,000 people under the Prime Minister's Employment Programme (PMEP) in the budget of Fiscal Year 2020-21. However, only 82,500 people have received short-term jobs under the program so far.<br /> According to the Secretariat of the Prime Minister's Employment Programme, 21,054 individuals in the Far West, 16,200 in Karnali, and 15,600 in Province No. 2 have received short-term jobs for an average of 12 days. According to the PMEP Secretariat, Rs 579.5 million has been distributed under the programme so far. In the current fiscal year, 753,166 people have applied for jobs under the programme. However, not all applicants are eligible for employment.<br /> According to the criteria of PMEP, a family member can be employed for a minimum of 100 days only if he/she is unable to earn any income from anywhere else.<br /> The secretariat informed that more than 10,500 programmes worth Rs 7.86 billion have been selected in the current fiscal year to employ those who are eligible for employment. In the current fiscal year, Rs 10.34 billion has been allocated to implement the employment program. </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">To implement this programme from the current fiscal year, the government had received a concessional loan of Rs 13.65 billion from the International Development Association (IDA) under the World Bank.<br /> Expanding the scope of the programme from this year, the government has announced to employ the unemployed in public development works at the federal, state, and local levels. However, the implementation of the programme so far has not been effective.<br /> According to Loknath Bhusal, Joint Secretary at the Prime Minister's Employment Programme Secretariat, the program was running effectively at the local level until the first week of April.<br /> However, implementation of the program suffered a setback due to the prohibitory order in various parts of the country.<br /> "Some local level representatives and employees are not in a position to run the office. The prohibitory order has made it difficult to promote employment activities," Bhusal said.<br /> So far, more than seven hundred thousand unemployed individuals have submitted applications for employment for the upcoming year through the Prime Minister's Employment Program. </span></span></span></span></p> <p> </p> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2021-05-04', 'modified' => '2021-05-04', 'keywords' => '', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '13089', 'image' => '20210504121005_20200909034726_1599602881.3.jpg', 'article_date' => '2021-05-04 12:09:08', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => true, 'in_scroller' => null, 'user_id' => '34' ) ), (int) 4 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '13344', 'article_category_id' => '1', 'title' => ' Govt Effortful to bring Enough COVID-19 Vaccines from China, Russia: PM ', 'sub_title' => '', 'summary' => 'May 4: Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli has said that the government is making efforts to bring enough COVID-19 vaccines at the earliest. ', 'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-size:14.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">May 4: Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli has said that the government is making efforts to bring enough COVID-19 vaccines at the earliest. </span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-size:14.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">He said that the government is in constant touch with the countries like China and Russia that produce the vaccines. </span></span><br /> <span style="font-size:14.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">In his address to the nation on COVID-19 and other contemporary issues on Monday, the PM said that the government itself had started the process to purchase vaccines apart from vaccines donated by the friendly nations. </span></span><br /> <span style="font-size:14.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">On the occasion, PM Oli urged one and all to stay on an alert against the virus, abide by the prohibitory order and provide support to the government’s initiatives to prevent and control the infection. </span></span><br /> <span style="font-size:14.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">He also requested neighbouring and friendly countries to provide health infrastructures including oxygen in assistance to fight the deadly virus. </span></span><br /> <span style="font-size:14.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">He claimed that the government had gradually achieved progress in the development of the infrastructure of health sector of the country. -- RSS</span></span></span></span></p> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2021-05-04', 'modified' => '2021-05-04', 'keywords' => '', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '13088', 'image' => '20210504121946_1620082311.Clipboard04.jpg', 'article_date' => '2021-05-04 12:19:16', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => true, 'in_scroller' => null, 'user_id' => '34' ) ), (int) 5 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '13342', 'article_category_id' => '1', 'title' => 'CAAN to Suspend all Domestic Flights from Today Midnight', 'sub_title' => '', 'summary' => 'May 3: The Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal (CAAN) has decided to suspend domestic flight from today midnight (May 3) due to the spike in Covid-19 infection. ', 'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:Times">May 3: The Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal (CAAN) has decided to suspend domestic flight from today midnight (May 3) due to the spike in Covid-19 infection. The aviation regulatory body has also decided to suspend international flights from midnight of May 6.<br /> Rajan Pokhrel, director-general of CAAN, informed New Business Age that all domestic flights will be suspended from midnight of May 3 until the May 14. Likewise, international flights will be suspended from May 6 midnight until May 14, added Pokharel. <br /> A meeting of the Council of Ministers on May 2 had decided to suspend all domestic flights from May 4 and international flights from May 6 due to the unprecedented surge in Covid-19 cases.<br /> On May 2, Nepal recorded the highest number of Covid-19 cases in a day, with more than 7000 cases.<br /> The Covid-19 Crisis Management Committee (CCMC) had recommended the government suspend the flights to stop the virus from spreading.<br /> As the number of new cases and daily fatalities continue to spike in the country, the government announced two-week long prohibitory order on April 29 in several affected districts, including Kathmandu. </span></span></span></p> <p> </p> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2021-05-03', 'modified' => '2021-05-03', 'keywords' => '', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '13087', 'image' => '20210503020944_20200805015856_nepali_flights.jpg', 'article_date' => '2021-05-03 14:08:52', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => true, 'in_scroller' => null, 'user_id' => '34' ) ), (int) 6 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '13341', 'article_category_id' => '1', 'title' => 'Government to Bring 20,000 Oxygen Cylinders from China', 'sub_title' => '', 'summary' => 'May 3: The government has taken initiative to immediately bring 20,000 cylinders of oxygen provided by China. ', 'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif">May 3: The government has taken initiative to immediately bring 20,000 cylinders of oxygen provided by China. The Covid-19 Crisis Management Center (CCMC) informed that the ministries of foreign affairs, health and finance will immediately start working to this end.</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif">The country is in need of additional oxygen cylinders as the demand for oxygen is increasing with the rise in new infections of COVID-19. Oxygen manufacturers have been stating that despite having enough oxygen, they are having problem is supplying oxygen due to limited number of cylinders. Likewise, it has been learnt that people are holding up oxygen cylinders at their home leading to a shortage of cylinders.</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif">According to the doctors, the new variants of coronavirus affect the respiratory system of patients and they require oxygen support. </span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif">Meanwhile, a meeting of the CCMC decided to reduce the movement of people in government offices in the districts where prohibitory orders have been enforced and has allowed secretaries, joint secretaries and head of government offices to commute carrying identity cards. </span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif">Likewise, the new building of Bir Hospital has been announced as coronavirus hospital. </span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif">The Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) has said that CCMC is looking for various alternatives following the rise in complaints about shortage of beds in hospitals.</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif">According to Ganesh Pandey, Press Adviser to Deputy PM Ishwar Pokharel, cremation will be conducted using traditional methods and a letter has already been written to the concerned authority in this regard. </span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif">A cabinet meeting has already implemented quota system for domestic flights on the recommendation of the CCMC and has employed strict measures in some international flights to contain the spread of coronavirus. A minister said that flights to Brazil and South Africa have been suspended in light of the growing new COVID-19 cases.</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif">Despite the sharp rise in COVID-19 cases in the Kathmandu Valley, the district-level CCMC meeting has decided to allow operation of banks and financial institutions with one fourth of employees. </span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif">Grocery shops that were allowed to open from 5pm to 7pm in the evening will not be allowed to open from Monday, May 3. </span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif">According to Kali Prasad Parajuli, Chief District Officer of Kathmandu, people walking without wearing masks will be fined and permits will be checked strictly. </span></span></p> <p> </p> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2021-05-03', 'modified' => '2021-05-03', 'keywords' => '', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '13086', 'image' => '20210503015716_20210429095930_Medical-Oxygen-Gas-Cylinders-Market.jpg', 'article_date' => '2021-05-03 13:56:13', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => true, 'in_scroller' => null, 'user_id' => '34' ) ), (int) 7 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '13340', 'article_category_id' => '1', 'title' => 'Upasana Poudel appointed as United Insurance’s new CEO ', 'sub_title' => 'Poudel’s appointment makes her the first female CEO in Nepal’s insurance sector.', 'summary' => 'United Insurance Company Ltd has appointed Upasana Poudel as its Chief Executive Officer. ', 'content' => '<p>May 2: <br /> United Insurance Company Ltd has appointed Upasana Poudel as its Chief Executive Officer (CEO). <br /> According to the United Insurance Company Ltd’s disclosure to Nepal Stock Exchange (Nepse), its board meeting held on Thursday decided to appoint Poudel as the insurance company’s CEO for a tenure of four years. <br /> The United Insurance’s decision also makes Poudel the first female CEO of an insurance company in Nepal. </p> <p>She was serving as the officiating CEO of United Insurance after its former CEO Ramesh Kumar Bhattarai’s four-year term ended in November last year. <br /> Promoted by leading industrialists and trading and commercial houses, United Insurance Company, a non-life insurance company, had started its operation from December 1, 1993. </p> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2021-05-02', 'modified' => '2021-05-02', 'keywords' => '', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '13085', 'image' => '20210502052259_Upasana Poudel.jpg', 'article_date' => '2021-05-02 17:19:38', 'homepage' => true, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => false, 'in_scroller' => true, 'user_id' => '35' ) ), (int) 8 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '13339', 'article_category_id' => '1', 'title' => 'Government Faces Challenges to Include Employees of Informal Sector in Social Security Programme', 'sub_title' => '', 'summary' => 'May 2: The government has failed to register the number of employees working in the informal sector despite such provision mentioned in the Labour Act and Social Security Act. ', 'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:Arial">May 2: The government has failed to register the number of employees working in the informal sector despite such provision mentioned in the Labour Act and Social Security Act. </span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:Arial">Trade unions have been demanding for registration of employees from the informal sector since 15 years to help them receive support from the government and address their problems. But it has not been implemented accordingly. </span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:Arial">Binod Shrestha, president of the General Federation of Nepalese Trade Union (GEFONT), said although there has not been significant achievement in terms of registration, there has been some encouraging improvements. The issue of registration was raised to keep a tab on expenses of workers. </span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:Arial">"We want to link the informal sector to social security based on contribution but the question arises who will pay 20 percent of the daily wage workers working in the informal sector. Village councils and the local bodies need to help in this regard," said Shrestha.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:Arial">Shrestha further said that a task force has been formed to register workers working in the informal sector and link them to contribution-based social security. </span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:Arial">“The government has committed to implement this provision so we can be hopeful about it,” he said.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:Arial">Similarly, Pushkar Acharya, president of Nepal Trade Union Congress, said that it is the ineffectiveness on part of the government that the registration process has not been implemented even after one year. Until and unless workers are registered they will not be eligible for benefits from the Social Security Fund (SSF). </span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:Arial">It is the workers from the informal sector who have been affected the most with the enforcement of prohibitory orders, said Acharya. If they had been linked with the SSF, they would have now got the benefits from the government. </span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:Arial">According to GEFONT, workers were laid off from work and deprived from the wages from the initial days of lockdown which has repeated again this time.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:16px"><strong><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:Arial">Emphasis on sustainable and reliable labor relations</span></span></strong></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:Arial">The umbrella organization of employers have stressed on the need to make labour relation between industries and workers sustainable and reliable. Issuing a press release on the International Labour Day on May 1, the Federation of Nepalese Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FNCCI) and the Confederation of Nepalese Industries (CNI) said that though labour relations are on the path of improvement, it needs to be made reliable and sustainable. </span></span></span></p> <p> </p> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2021-05-02', 'modified' => '2021-05-02', 'keywords' => '', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '13084', 'image' => '20210502051027_20210225124654_Social-Security-Fund-SSF.jpg', 'article_date' => '2021-05-02 17:09:23', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => true, 'in_scroller' => null, 'user_id' => '34' ) ), (int) 9 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '13338', 'article_category_id' => '1', 'title' => ' Offices can Operate with One-Fourth Employees: CCMC ', 'sub_title' => '', 'summary' => 'May 2: The COVID-19 Crisis Management Center (CCMC) has decided to operate all other offices except those providing the most essential services with one-fourth of their existing employees.', 'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">May 2: The COVID-19 Crisis Management Center (CCMC) has decided to operate all other offices except those providing the most essential services with one-fourth of their existing employees. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">A meeting of the CCMC on Saturday decided to ask banks and financial institutions being operated in the lockdown-enforced Kathmandu Valley and other big cities to operate their business through one-fourth of the employees. Nepal Rastra Bank would facilitate the process in the enforcement of the order. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">The press pass issued by the Department of Information and Publicity would be valid in case of the Kathmandu Valley while the Chief District Officers are authorized to issue such pass in other districts. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">The CCMC also decided to enforce food and accommodation for employees and workers of the industries and enterprises within the industry to keep its smooth operation, run the factories and industries producing materials (mask, sanitizer, soap, gloves, oxygen) used for prevention, control and treatment of COVID-19 by adopting health safety protocol and continue with public infrastructure construction by arranging food and accommodation for the workers involved in the field. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">According to the CCMC’s Secretariat, the public vehicles used for supplying construction materials in such public projects would be allowed based on the pass provided by the project. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">In Kathmandu Valley, the Department of Tourism, Department of Immigration, Nepal Tourism Board and Nepal Police would jointly monitor those residing in hotel quarantines while the province and local levels would carry out the task in other districts. The local levels would monitor the people residing in home quarantines. </span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">Likewise, foreigners residing in hotel quarantines would be deported to their home country with penalty if they were found violating the health protocols. For the failure on proper management, the hoteliers would be fined as per the laws. - RSS</span></span></span></p> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2021-05-02', 'modified' => '2021-05-02', 'keywords' => '', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '13083', 'image' => '20210502022832_20180813032024_Clipboard84.jpg', 'article_date' => '2021-05-02 14:28:04', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => true, 'in_scroller' => null, 'user_id' => '34' ) ), (int) 10 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '13337', 'article_category_id' => '1', 'title' => 'Government Ensures Smooth Supply of Essential Goods', 'sub_title' => '', 'summary' => 'May 2: The government has taken the initiative to make the supply management system effective during the ongoing prohibition period. ', 'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif">May 2: The government has taken the initiative to make the supply management system effective during the ongoing prohibition period. </span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif">A meeting of government officials and umbrella organizations of private sector entrepreneurs chaired by Minister for Industry, Commerce, and Supplies Lekhraj Bhat on Friday decided to facilitate the supply of essential consumer goods and pharmaceutical products.</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif">The ministry has decided to facilitate the production and supply of such goods and services as the number of districts going through prohibitory order is growing with the rising cases of Covid-19. The government has already imposed prohibitory orders in more than two dozen districts, including the Kathmandu Valley, to control Covid-19 from spreading.</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif">The ministry has formed a mechanism to immediately address the obstruction of essential services and goods. Narayan Prasad Regmi, spokesperson for the Ministry of Industry, Commerce, and Supplies, informed that the government is taking effective measures to provide medicines, oxygen, oxygen cylinders, and masks at affordable prices.</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif">A press statement released by the ministry says that the government will coordinate with umbrella organization of industrialists to ensure smooth supply of essential goods and services and raw materials.</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif">The Rapid Response Team will be informed about the problems faced by the entrepreneurs during the prohibitory period.</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif">The ministry has set up a five-member team which includes officials from the concerned ministries to facilitate the supply of food and daily necessities during the ongoing restriction. The ministry has made necessary arrangements to transport daily essentials and services easily during the prohibitory period.</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif">Industries manufacturing essential commodities have been ensured of smooth operation and transportation facility. Arrangements have been made to allow staffers of such industries to operate vehicles by showing their identity cards.</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif">The ministry informed that the vehicles can be operated by placing banners in front of the vehicles and by following the health safety standards.</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif">The workers will be facilitated for the movement on the basis of the official identity card of the industry. </span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif">The press release further says that the industries should mobilize minimum manpower following strict health security measures. The local administration will have to be informed about the operation of industry and businesses.</span></span></p> <p> </p> <p> </p> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2021-05-02', 'modified' => '2021-05-02', 'keywords' => '', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '13082', 'image' => '20210502021104_20200317121735_aaa.jpg', 'article_date' => '2021-05-02 14:09:44', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => true, 'in_scroller' => null, 'user_id' => '34' ) ), (int) 11 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '13336', 'article_category_id' => '1', 'title' => 'USA Provides Additional Funds to Support Nepal Amidst Second Wave of COVID-19', 'sub_title' => '', 'summary' => 'May 2: The United States Government has announced additional funds of US$ 8.5 million to Nepal as a “support the Nepali people” to combat coronavirus.', 'content' => '<p><em>Photo Courtesy: Twitter account of US Ambassador to Nepal Randy Berry.</em></p> <p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-size:14.0pt"><span style="font-family:Arial">May 2: The United States Government has announced additional funds of US$ 8.5 million to Nepal as a “support the Nepali people” to combat coronavirus.</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:Arial">The announcement comes at a challenging time when the country is facing second wave of the disease.</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:Arial">The US Embassy in Nepal said in a statement that the fund will be made available to the government through the US Agency for International Development (USAID).</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:Arial">According to the embassy, the additional assistance will help intensify the Government of Nepal’s COVID-19 testing, contact tracing and case investigation, treatment, infection prevention and control, border control, and other work at the federal, provincial and municipal levels.</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:Arial">USAID/Nepal will also scale-up its response at the community level, supporting the most vulnerable, the statement added. Assistance will include support to households and families through life-saving COVID-19 counseling and referrals, nutrition counseling, health care access, ensure the continuity of critical HIV services, and mitigate the secondary impacts of COVID-19.</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:Arial">“Since the beginning of the pandemic, the United States has stood with the people and Government of Nepal in the ongoing fight against COVID-19. With USAID’s latest provision of emergency funding, the US Government reaffirms its commitment to the strong and collaborative 70-year partnership between the United States and Nepal,” added the statement.</span></span></span></span></p> <p> </p> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2021-05-02', 'modified' => '2021-05-02', 'keywords' => '', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '13081', 'image' => '20210502123342_E0SkM-jUYAIY2Ao 2.jpg', 'article_date' => '2021-05-02 12:32:00', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => true, 'in_scroller' => null, 'user_id' => '34' ) ), (int) 12 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '13335', 'article_category_id' => '1', 'title' => 'Govt to raise minimum wage to Rs 15,000 per month from next fiscal year ', 'sub_title' => '', 'summary' => 'Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli has announced that the minimum wage for workers will be raised from the next fiscal year 2020/21. ', 'content' => '<p>May 1: Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli has announced that the minimum wage of workers will be raised from the next fiscal year 2020/21. </p> <p>In his speech on the occasion of Labour Day on Saturday, Prime Minister Oli said that the minimum wage of domestic workers will be raised to Rs 15,000 per month. </p> <p>Currently, workers have been drawing a minimum wage of Rs 13,450 per month. The government last raised the minimum wage by 38 percent to Rs 13,450 in 2018.</p> <p>In his statement, Prime Minister Oli also said that the government could not revise the minimum wage last year due to the adverse economic condition caused by the Covid-19. </p> <p>Stating that workers had supported the government’s stance to not raise the minimum wage last year due to the pandemic, Prime Minister Oli said that he is confident that industrialists and businessmen will agree on revising the minimum wage this year. </p> <p>“There could not be agreement between the representatives of employers and workers on the revision of minimum wage even this year due to worsening of the situation. However, I would like to inform you that the government would revise the minimum wage of workers from the fiscal year 2021/22,” said Prime Minister Oli. </p> <p>Prime Minister Oli also said that all workers will be brought under the social security net by the end of the next fiscal year. <br /> </p> <p><br /> </p> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2021-05-01', 'modified' => '2021-05-01', 'keywords' => '', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '13080', 'image' => '20210501032231_Oli.jpg', 'article_date' => '2021-05-01 15:20:25', 'homepage' => true, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => true, 'in_scroller' => false, 'user_id' => '35' ) ), (int) 13 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '13334', 'article_category_id' => '1', 'title' => 'Economy to grow by 4.01% in current fiscal year, estimates CBS', 'sub_title' => 'Growth estimate based on assumption that all economic activities will operate in normal condition after two weeks of prohibitory orders, say CBS officials ', 'summary' => 'Nepal’s economy is expected to expand 4.01 percent in the current fiscal year 2020/21, according to a preliminary estimate of the Central Bureau of Statistics (CBS). ', 'content' => '<p>KATHMANDU (April 30): </p> <p>Nepal’s economy is expected to expand 4.01 percent in the current fiscal year 2020/21, according to a preliminary estimate of the Central Bureau of Statistics (CBS). </p> <p>Releasing the latest National Accounts Statistics on Friday, the CBS said that it forecasts the country’s annualized Gross Domestic Product (GDP) to grow by 4.01 percent to climb to Rs 4.266 trillion in the current fiscal year. </p> <p>According to the CBS, the preliminary estimate is based on available information and figures of seven to nine months of the current fiscal year. </p> <p> <br /> The growth projection of the CBS comes at a time when the country is bracing for the second wave of Covid-19 and prohibitory orders enforced by local administrations in over a dozen districts to contain the spread of coronavirus. <br /> CBS officials say that their projection is based on an assumption that all economic activities will operate in normal condition after two weeks. </p> <p>“Our estimates are based on assumption that the current prohibitory period will not last more than two week, and the economy, barring hospitality and leisure sectors, will be back to normal,” Ishwori Prasad Bhandari, a director at the CBS, told New Business Age. <br /> “If our assumption fails and the impact of the Covid-19 lingers on, we will later revise our estimates and figures,” he said.</p> <p>The preliminary estimate of the CBS for the current fiscal year is higher than the projections made by international institutions like the World Bank, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the Asian Development Bank (ADB). <br /> The IMF recently projected Nepal’s growth to grow by 2.9 percent while the World Bank put the growth forecast at 2.7 percent. Earlier on Wednesday, the ADB said that Nepal’s GDP is anticipated to grow by 3.1 percent in the current fiscal year. <br /> According to CBS officials, ‘base effect’ has also helped to prop up economic growth in the current fiscal year. <br /> “The country’s economic growth fell to negative territory in the last fiscal year. So,even when the economic activities haven’t gained momentum after the lockdown, a slight increase in the production helped in propping up growth figures,” said CBS Director Bhandari. </p> <p>However, the growth estimate of the CBS is a way lower than the government’s economic growth target. Even when the country was under lockdown to contain the spread of coronavirus, the government in its annual budget speech had set a target of 7 percent economic growth in the current fiscal year. </p> <p><br /> The CBS also revised down its growth for the last fiscal year 2019/20 to -2.09 percent. Earlier last month, CBS had forecast a growth contraction of 1.88 percent.</p> <p><br /> </p> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2021-04-30', 'modified' => '2021-04-30', 'keywords' => '', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '13079', 'image' => '20210430085017_CBS Growth.JPG', 'article_date' => '2021-04-30 20:47:38', 'homepage' => true, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => true, 'in_scroller' => false, 'user_id' => '35' ) ), (int) 14 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '13332', 'article_category_id' => '1', 'title' => 'FMTC Starts Free Home Delivery of Essential Food Items', 'sub_title' => '', 'summary' => 'April 30: The state-owned Food Management and Trading Company Limited (FMTC) has started free home delivery of food items within the Kathmandu Valley. ', 'content' => '<p><em>Photo Courtesy: Sastodeal.Com</em></p> <p><span style="font-size:10pt"><span style="font-family:Times"><span style="font-size:14.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">April 30: The state-owned Food Management and Trading Company Limited (FMTC) has started free home delivery of food items within the Kathmandu Valley. </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:"Arial Unicode MS"">The company informed that it started the home delivery service considering the difficulty faced by the general public in purchasing food and other essentials due to the prohibitory order enforced by the local administration.</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:"Arial Unicode MS"">Issuing a statement on Thursday (April 29), FMTC informed that it has started free home delivery of essential food items including beans from Karnali, Marsi rice, ghee, edible oil, sanitizers among others. Customers living inside the ring road can order the items through the company’s website <a href="http://www.nepalfood.gov.np" style="color:blue; text-decoration:underline">www.nepalfood.gov.np</a> while those living outside the ring road and within the valley can avail the service through <a href="http://www.sastodeal.com" style="color:blue; text-decoration:underline">www.sastodeal.com</a>. The service is available in all three districts of the valley, according to FMTC.</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:"Arial Unicode MS"">The company informed that it has adequate stock of food and has urged people not to stockpile food items due to fear of short supply.</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:"Arial Unicode MS"">The company has been selling food items through its distribution centers at Nakhhu, Ram Shah Path, Thapathali and Suryabinayak during morning and evening hours.</span></span></span></span></p> <p> </p> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2021-04-30', 'modified' => '2021-04-30', 'keywords' => '', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '13078', 'image' => '20210430021216_My Effect.jpg', 'article_date' => '2021-04-30 14:08:17', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => true, 'in_scroller' => false, 'user_id' => '34' ) ) ) $current_user = null $logged_in = falsesimplexml_load_file - [internal], line ?? include - APP/View/Elements/side_bar.ctp, line 60 View::_evaluate() - CORE/Cake/View/View.php, line 971 View::_render() - CORE/Cake/View/View.php, line 933 View::_renderElement() - CORE/Cake/View/View.php, line 1224 View::element() - CORE/Cake/View/View.php, line 418 include - APP/View/Articles/index.ctp, line 157 View::_evaluate() - CORE/Cake/View/View.php, line 971 View::_render() - CORE/Cake/View/View.php, line 933 View::render() - CORE/Cake/View/View.php, line 473 Controller::render() - CORE/Cake/Controller/Controller.php, line 968 Dispatcher::_invoke() - CORE/Cake/Routing/Dispatcher.php, line 200 Dispatcher::dispatch() - CORE/Cake/Routing/Dispatcher.php, line 167 [main] - APP/webroot/index.php, line 117
Notice (8): Undefined variable: file [APP/View/Elements/side_bar.ctp, line 133]Code Context// $file = 'http://aabhiyan:QUVLg8Wzs2F7G9N7@nepalstock.com.np/api/subindexdata.xml';if(!$xml = simplexml_load_file($file)){$viewFile = '/var/www/html/newbusinessage.com/app/View/Elements/side_bar.ctp' $dataForView = array( 'articles' => array( (int) 0 => array( 'Article' => array( [maximum depth reached] ) ), (int) 1 => array( 'Article' => array( [maximum depth reached] ) ), (int) 2 => array( 'Article' => array( [maximum depth reached] ) ), (int) 3 => array( 'Article' => array( [maximum depth reached] ) ), (int) 4 => array( 'Article' => array( [maximum depth reached] ) ), (int) 5 => array( 'Article' => array( [maximum depth reached] ) ), (int) 6 => array( 'Article' => array( [maximum depth reached] ) ), (int) 7 => array( 'Article' => array( [maximum depth reached] ) ), (int) 8 => array( 'Article' => array( [maximum depth reached] ) ), (int) 9 => array( 'Article' => array( [maximum depth reached] ) ), (int) 10 => array( 'Article' => array( [maximum depth reached] ) ), (int) 11 => array( 'Article' => array( [maximum depth reached] ) ), (int) 12 => array( 'Article' => array( [maximum depth reached] ) ), (int) 13 => array( 'Article' => array( [maximum depth reached] ) ), (int) 14 => array( 'Article' => array( [maximum depth reached] ) ) ), 'current_user' => null, 'logged_in' => false ) $articles = array( (int) 0 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '13347', 'article_category_id' => '1', 'title' => 'Covid-19 Cases Reported Among Climbers at Everest Base Camp', 'sub_title' => '', 'summary' => 'May 5: Mountaineers and authorities at Everest base camp have reported increasing numbers of climbers with Covid-19 symptoms. ', 'content' => '<h1><span style="font-size:12px"><em>Photo: Tamish Giri/NBA</em></span></h1> <h1><span style="font-size:10pt"><span style="font-family:Times"><span style="font-size:14.0pt"><span style="font-family:Arial">May 5: Mountaineers and authorities at Everest base camp have reported increasing numbers of climbers with Covid-19 symptoms. </span></span></span></span></h1> <p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif">According to the BBC, the number of positive tests among climbers has been rising. This has raised fears of a serious outbreak at the base camp, BBC reported on Wednesday (May 5).</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif">Base camp officials said they had received confirmation of 17 positive cases from hospitals in the capital Kathmandu, BBC further reported.</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif">A number of climbers have been reportedly sent to those hospitals from the base camp and higher camps for treatment.</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif">Staff at CIWEC Clinic, a private clinic in Kathmandu, confirmed to the BBC that patients had tested positive for coronavirus after arriving from Everest base camp. </span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif">According to the news report, the Government of Nepal has so far denied having any knowledge of positive cases at Everest base camp raising concerns that officials are downplaying the extent of the situation out of fear it will bring more pressure to close the mountain to expeditions.</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif">Foreign climbers are a major source of revenue for the Nepalese government, which shut Everest last year during the pandemic.</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif">According to the state-owned national news agency, RSS, as many as 294 summiteers of 42 groups have been granted permission for climbing the world's highest peak, Mount Everest, this year. </span></span></p> <p> </p> <p><span style="font-size:10pt"><span style="font-family:Times"><span style="font-size:14.0pt"><span style="font-family:Arial"><img alt="" src="/app/webroot/userfiles/images/20190515023916_Everest-image.jpg" style="height:600px; width:800px" /></span></span></span></span></p> <p> </p> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2021-05-05', 'modified' => '2021-05-05', 'keywords' => '', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '13092', 'image' => '20210505111406_20210316081635_Bahraini Team.jpg', 'article_date' => '2021-05-05 11:11:58', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => true, 'in_scroller' => false, 'user_id' => '34' ) ), (int) 1 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '13346', 'article_category_id' => '1', 'title' => 'Government Fixes Minimum Monthly Salary of Workers at Rs 15,000', 'sub_title' => '', 'summary' => 'May 4: The government has fixed the minimum monthly salary of workers at Rs 15,000. ', 'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Cambria">May 4: The government has fixed the minimum monthly salary of workers at Rs 15,000. </span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Cambria">The government announced the new wage of workers by issuing a notice in the Nepal Gazette. </span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Cambria">Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli had announced to increase the wages of workers recently during the May Day. Two days later, the Ministry of Labour, Employment and Social Security issued the notice on Nepal Gazette stating that the new wage of workers will come into effect from the upcoming fiscal year. </span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Cambria">As per the notice issued on Monday (May 3), the minimum basic salary of workers has been fixed at Rs 9,385. By adding inflation allowance, the minimum salary has been fixed at Rs 15,000.</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Cambria">Similarly, the daily wage of labourers has also been increased from R s 361 to Rs 577. Likewise, the wage per hour for workers has been increased from Rs 48 to Rs 77.</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Cambria">The minimum monthly salary at present is Rs 13,450. The new salary will not be applicable for workers employed in tea estates. </span></span></p> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2021-05-04', 'modified' => '2021-05-04', 'keywords' => '', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '13091', 'image' => '20210504035957_20201108051031_20201006114242_1601941837.Clipboard09.jpg', 'article_date' => '2021-05-04 15:59:13', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => true, 'in_scroller' => null, 'user_id' => '34' ) ), (int) 2 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '13345', 'article_category_id' => '1', 'title' => 'Dairy Producers Have Stock of Milk Powder and Butter worth Rs 3 Billion ', 'sub_title' => '', 'summary' => 'May 4: With the disruption in market cycle due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the domestic market of Nepal currently has a stock of milk powder and butter worth Rs 3 billion. ', 'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:Arial">May 4: With the disruption in market cycle due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the domestic market of Nepal currently has a stock of milk powder and butter worth Rs 3 billion. Since the consumption has declined due to the pandemic, dairy producers and traders are forced to process the unsold milk into powdered milk and butter. </span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:Arial">According to the data provided by the Nepal Dairy Association, the umbrella body of diary producers and entrepreneurs alone has milk powder and butter worth Rs one billion out of the total stock worth Rs 3 billion. The consumption of milk has declined by 60 percent in the Kathmandu valley with the sharp rise in coronavirus infections and the market situation is becoming alarming due to the prohibitory orders. </span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:Arial">According to Prahad Dahal, General Secretary of the Association, with the decline in the consumption of milk, the stock of milk powder will continue to rise. This has imposed challenges to all farmers, traders and industrialists on how to manage the surplus milk. </span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:Arial">Flow of money to the milk industries has stopped because of the protracted lockdown of last year which led to the shutting down of hotels, restaurants, party palaces that consume the highest volume of milk in the market. Due to this, most of the industries have not been able to pay back the farmers. </span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:Arial">Dairy entrepreneurs have demanded that the government provide loans to the industry equivalent to the amount of the goods that they have in stock. This will help them to facilitate the operation of the industries and pay back the farmers. </span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:Arial">Dahal said that due to the prohibitory orders that are currently enforced, transporters that supply dairy products are having problems in getting the logo provided by the National Dairy Development Board. </span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:Arial">The board had prepared the logo last April so that there would be no obstruction in the transportation of milk products. However, due to various pending procedures, the board has not been able to provide the logo to the transporters.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:Arial">One day before the prohibitory orders were enforced, the board had published a notice requesting transporters to contact the board to get the logos. "But no transporter has received the logo so far because of the prohibitory orders that are currently in place," said Amogh Kafle, spokesperson of the board.</span></span></span></p> <p> </p> <p> </p> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2021-05-04', 'modified' => '2021-05-04', 'keywords' => '', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '13090', 'image' => '20210504034107_butter-milk.jpg', 'article_date' => '2021-05-04 15:39:57', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => true, 'in_scroller' => null, 'user_id' => '34' ) ), (int) 3 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '13343', 'article_category_id' => '1', 'title' => '82,000 get Short-term Jobs under Prime Minister's Employment Programme', 'sub_title' => '', 'summary' => 'May 4: The government had announced to provide minimum employment to 200,000 people under the Prime Minister's Employment Programme (PMEP) in the budget of Fiscal Year 2020-21. ', 'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-size:14.0pt"><span style="font-family:Times">May 4: The government had announced to provide minimum employment to 200,000 people under the Prime Minister's Employment Programme (PMEP) in the budget of Fiscal Year 2020-21. However, only 82,500 people have received short-term jobs under the program so far.<br /> According to the Secretariat of the Prime Minister's Employment Programme, 21,054 individuals in the Far West, 16,200 in Karnali, and 15,600 in Province No. 2 have received short-term jobs for an average of 12 days. According to the PMEP Secretariat, Rs 579.5 million has been distributed under the programme so far. In the current fiscal year, 753,166 people have applied for jobs under the programme. However, not all applicants are eligible for employment.<br /> According to the criteria of PMEP, a family member can be employed for a minimum of 100 days only if he/she is unable to earn any income from anywhere else.<br /> The secretariat informed that more than 10,500 programmes worth Rs 7.86 billion have been selected in the current fiscal year to employ those who are eligible for employment. In the current fiscal year, Rs 10.34 billion has been allocated to implement the employment program. </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">To implement this programme from the current fiscal year, the government had received a concessional loan of Rs 13.65 billion from the International Development Association (IDA) under the World Bank.<br /> Expanding the scope of the programme from this year, the government has announced to employ the unemployed in public development works at the federal, state, and local levels. However, the implementation of the programme so far has not been effective.<br /> According to Loknath Bhusal, Joint Secretary at the Prime Minister's Employment Programme Secretariat, the program was running effectively at the local level until the first week of April.<br /> However, implementation of the program suffered a setback due to the prohibitory order in various parts of the country.<br /> "Some local level representatives and employees are not in a position to run the office. The prohibitory order has made it difficult to promote employment activities," Bhusal said.<br /> So far, more than seven hundred thousand unemployed individuals have submitted applications for employment for the upcoming year through the Prime Minister's Employment Program. </span></span></span></span></p> <p> </p> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2021-05-04', 'modified' => '2021-05-04', 'keywords' => '', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '13089', 'image' => '20210504121005_20200909034726_1599602881.3.jpg', 'article_date' => '2021-05-04 12:09:08', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => true, 'in_scroller' => null, 'user_id' => '34' ) ), (int) 4 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '13344', 'article_category_id' => '1', 'title' => ' Govt Effortful to bring Enough COVID-19 Vaccines from China, Russia: PM ', 'sub_title' => '', 'summary' => 'May 4: Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli has said that the government is making efforts to bring enough COVID-19 vaccines at the earliest. ', 'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-size:14.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">May 4: Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli has said that the government is making efforts to bring enough COVID-19 vaccines at the earliest. </span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-size:14.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">He said that the government is in constant touch with the countries like China and Russia that produce the vaccines. </span></span><br /> <span style="font-size:14.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">In his address to the nation on COVID-19 and other contemporary issues on Monday, the PM said that the government itself had started the process to purchase vaccines apart from vaccines donated by the friendly nations. </span></span><br /> <span style="font-size:14.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">On the occasion, PM Oli urged one and all to stay on an alert against the virus, abide by the prohibitory order and provide support to the government’s initiatives to prevent and control the infection. </span></span><br /> <span style="font-size:14.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">He also requested neighbouring and friendly countries to provide health infrastructures including oxygen in assistance to fight the deadly virus. </span></span><br /> <span style="font-size:14.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">He claimed that the government had gradually achieved progress in the development of the infrastructure of health sector of the country. -- RSS</span></span></span></span></p> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2021-05-04', 'modified' => '2021-05-04', 'keywords' => '', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '13088', 'image' => '20210504121946_1620082311.Clipboard04.jpg', 'article_date' => '2021-05-04 12:19:16', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => true, 'in_scroller' => null, 'user_id' => '34' ) ), (int) 5 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '13342', 'article_category_id' => '1', 'title' => 'CAAN to Suspend all Domestic Flights from Today Midnight', 'sub_title' => '', 'summary' => 'May 3: The Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal (CAAN) has decided to suspend domestic flight from today midnight (May 3) due to the spike in Covid-19 infection. ', 'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:Times">May 3: The Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal (CAAN) has decided to suspend domestic flight from today midnight (May 3) due to the spike in Covid-19 infection. The aviation regulatory body has also decided to suspend international flights from midnight of May 6.<br /> Rajan Pokhrel, director-general of CAAN, informed New Business Age that all domestic flights will be suspended from midnight of May 3 until the May 14. Likewise, international flights will be suspended from May 6 midnight until May 14, added Pokharel. <br /> A meeting of the Council of Ministers on May 2 had decided to suspend all domestic flights from May 4 and international flights from May 6 due to the unprecedented surge in Covid-19 cases.<br /> On May 2, Nepal recorded the highest number of Covid-19 cases in a day, with more than 7000 cases.<br /> The Covid-19 Crisis Management Committee (CCMC) had recommended the government suspend the flights to stop the virus from spreading.<br /> As the number of new cases and daily fatalities continue to spike in the country, the government announced two-week long prohibitory order on April 29 in several affected districts, including Kathmandu. </span></span></span></p> <p> </p> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2021-05-03', 'modified' => '2021-05-03', 'keywords' => '', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '13087', 'image' => '20210503020944_20200805015856_nepali_flights.jpg', 'article_date' => '2021-05-03 14:08:52', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => true, 'in_scroller' => null, 'user_id' => '34' ) ), (int) 6 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '13341', 'article_category_id' => '1', 'title' => 'Government to Bring 20,000 Oxygen Cylinders from China', 'sub_title' => '', 'summary' => 'May 3: The government has taken initiative to immediately bring 20,000 cylinders of oxygen provided by China. ', 'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif">May 3: The government has taken initiative to immediately bring 20,000 cylinders of oxygen provided by China. The Covid-19 Crisis Management Center (CCMC) informed that the ministries of foreign affairs, health and finance will immediately start working to this end.</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif">The country is in need of additional oxygen cylinders as the demand for oxygen is increasing with the rise in new infections of COVID-19. Oxygen manufacturers have been stating that despite having enough oxygen, they are having problem is supplying oxygen due to limited number of cylinders. Likewise, it has been learnt that people are holding up oxygen cylinders at their home leading to a shortage of cylinders.</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif">According to the doctors, the new variants of coronavirus affect the respiratory system of patients and they require oxygen support. </span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif">Meanwhile, a meeting of the CCMC decided to reduce the movement of people in government offices in the districts where prohibitory orders have been enforced and has allowed secretaries, joint secretaries and head of government offices to commute carrying identity cards. </span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif">Likewise, the new building of Bir Hospital has been announced as coronavirus hospital. </span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif">The Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) has said that CCMC is looking for various alternatives following the rise in complaints about shortage of beds in hospitals.</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif">According to Ganesh Pandey, Press Adviser to Deputy PM Ishwar Pokharel, cremation will be conducted using traditional methods and a letter has already been written to the concerned authority in this regard. </span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif">A cabinet meeting has already implemented quota system for domestic flights on the recommendation of the CCMC and has employed strict measures in some international flights to contain the spread of coronavirus. A minister said that flights to Brazil and South Africa have been suspended in light of the growing new COVID-19 cases.</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif">Despite the sharp rise in COVID-19 cases in the Kathmandu Valley, the district-level CCMC meeting has decided to allow operation of banks and financial institutions with one fourth of employees. </span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif">Grocery shops that were allowed to open from 5pm to 7pm in the evening will not be allowed to open from Monday, May 3. </span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif">According to Kali Prasad Parajuli, Chief District Officer of Kathmandu, people walking without wearing masks will be fined and permits will be checked strictly. </span></span></p> <p> </p> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2021-05-03', 'modified' => '2021-05-03', 'keywords' => '', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '13086', 'image' => '20210503015716_20210429095930_Medical-Oxygen-Gas-Cylinders-Market.jpg', 'article_date' => '2021-05-03 13:56:13', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => true, 'in_scroller' => null, 'user_id' => '34' ) ), (int) 7 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '13340', 'article_category_id' => '1', 'title' => 'Upasana Poudel appointed as United Insurance’s new CEO ', 'sub_title' => 'Poudel’s appointment makes her the first female CEO in Nepal’s insurance sector.', 'summary' => 'United Insurance Company Ltd has appointed Upasana Poudel as its Chief Executive Officer. ', 'content' => '<p>May 2: <br /> United Insurance Company Ltd has appointed Upasana Poudel as its Chief Executive Officer (CEO). <br /> According to the United Insurance Company Ltd’s disclosure to Nepal Stock Exchange (Nepse), its board meeting held on Thursday decided to appoint Poudel as the insurance company’s CEO for a tenure of four years. <br /> The United Insurance’s decision also makes Poudel the first female CEO of an insurance company in Nepal. </p> <p>She was serving as the officiating CEO of United Insurance after its former CEO Ramesh Kumar Bhattarai’s four-year term ended in November last year. <br /> Promoted by leading industrialists and trading and commercial houses, United Insurance Company, a non-life insurance company, had started its operation from December 1, 1993. </p> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2021-05-02', 'modified' => '2021-05-02', 'keywords' => '', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '13085', 'image' => '20210502052259_Upasana Poudel.jpg', 'article_date' => '2021-05-02 17:19:38', 'homepage' => true, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => false, 'in_scroller' => true, 'user_id' => '35' ) ), (int) 8 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '13339', 'article_category_id' => '1', 'title' => 'Government Faces Challenges to Include Employees of Informal Sector in Social Security Programme', 'sub_title' => '', 'summary' => 'May 2: The government has failed to register the number of employees working in the informal sector despite such provision mentioned in the Labour Act and Social Security Act. ', 'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:Arial">May 2: The government has failed to register the number of employees working in the informal sector despite such provision mentioned in the Labour Act and Social Security Act. </span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:Arial">Trade unions have been demanding for registration of employees from the informal sector since 15 years to help them receive support from the government and address their problems. But it has not been implemented accordingly. </span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:Arial">Binod Shrestha, president of the General Federation of Nepalese Trade Union (GEFONT), said although there has not been significant achievement in terms of registration, there has been some encouraging improvements. The issue of registration was raised to keep a tab on expenses of workers. </span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:Arial">"We want to link the informal sector to social security based on contribution but the question arises who will pay 20 percent of the daily wage workers working in the informal sector. Village councils and the local bodies need to help in this regard," said Shrestha.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:Arial">Shrestha further said that a task force has been formed to register workers working in the informal sector and link them to contribution-based social security. </span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:Arial">“The government has committed to implement this provision so we can be hopeful about it,” he said.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:Arial">Similarly, Pushkar Acharya, president of Nepal Trade Union Congress, said that it is the ineffectiveness on part of the government that the registration process has not been implemented even after one year. Until and unless workers are registered they will not be eligible for benefits from the Social Security Fund (SSF). </span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:Arial">It is the workers from the informal sector who have been affected the most with the enforcement of prohibitory orders, said Acharya. If they had been linked with the SSF, they would have now got the benefits from the government. </span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:Arial">According to GEFONT, workers were laid off from work and deprived from the wages from the initial days of lockdown which has repeated again this time.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:16px"><strong><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:Arial">Emphasis on sustainable and reliable labor relations</span></span></strong></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:Arial">The umbrella organization of employers have stressed on the need to make labour relation between industries and workers sustainable and reliable. Issuing a press release on the International Labour Day on May 1, the Federation of Nepalese Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FNCCI) and the Confederation of Nepalese Industries (CNI) said that though labour relations are on the path of improvement, it needs to be made reliable and sustainable. </span></span></span></p> <p> </p> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2021-05-02', 'modified' => '2021-05-02', 'keywords' => '', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '13084', 'image' => '20210502051027_20210225124654_Social-Security-Fund-SSF.jpg', 'article_date' => '2021-05-02 17:09:23', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => true, 'in_scroller' => null, 'user_id' => '34' ) ), (int) 9 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '13338', 'article_category_id' => '1', 'title' => ' Offices can Operate with One-Fourth Employees: CCMC ', 'sub_title' => '', 'summary' => 'May 2: The COVID-19 Crisis Management Center (CCMC) has decided to operate all other offices except those providing the most essential services with one-fourth of their existing employees.', 'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">May 2: The COVID-19 Crisis Management Center (CCMC) has decided to operate all other offices except those providing the most essential services with one-fourth of their existing employees. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">A meeting of the CCMC on Saturday decided to ask banks and financial institutions being operated in the lockdown-enforced Kathmandu Valley and other big cities to operate their business through one-fourth of the employees. Nepal Rastra Bank would facilitate the process in the enforcement of the order. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">The press pass issued by the Department of Information and Publicity would be valid in case of the Kathmandu Valley while the Chief District Officers are authorized to issue such pass in other districts. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">The CCMC also decided to enforce food and accommodation for employees and workers of the industries and enterprises within the industry to keep its smooth operation, run the factories and industries producing materials (mask, sanitizer, soap, gloves, oxygen) used for prevention, control and treatment of COVID-19 by adopting health safety protocol and continue with public infrastructure construction by arranging food and accommodation for the workers involved in the field. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">According to the CCMC’s Secretariat, the public vehicles used for supplying construction materials in such public projects would be allowed based on the pass provided by the project. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">In Kathmandu Valley, the Department of Tourism, Department of Immigration, Nepal Tourism Board and Nepal Police would jointly monitor those residing in hotel quarantines while the province and local levels would carry out the task in other districts. The local levels would monitor the people residing in home quarantines. </span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">Likewise, foreigners residing in hotel quarantines would be deported to their home country with penalty if they were found violating the health protocols. For the failure on proper management, the hoteliers would be fined as per the laws. - RSS</span></span></span></p> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2021-05-02', 'modified' => '2021-05-02', 'keywords' => '', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '13083', 'image' => '20210502022832_20180813032024_Clipboard84.jpg', 'article_date' => '2021-05-02 14:28:04', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => true, 'in_scroller' => null, 'user_id' => '34' ) ), (int) 10 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '13337', 'article_category_id' => '1', 'title' => 'Government Ensures Smooth Supply of Essential Goods', 'sub_title' => '', 'summary' => 'May 2: The government has taken the initiative to make the supply management system effective during the ongoing prohibition period. ', 'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif">May 2: The government has taken the initiative to make the supply management system effective during the ongoing prohibition period. </span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif">A meeting of government officials and umbrella organizations of private sector entrepreneurs chaired by Minister for Industry, Commerce, and Supplies Lekhraj Bhat on Friday decided to facilitate the supply of essential consumer goods and pharmaceutical products.</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif">The ministry has decided to facilitate the production and supply of such goods and services as the number of districts going through prohibitory order is growing with the rising cases of Covid-19. The government has already imposed prohibitory orders in more than two dozen districts, including the Kathmandu Valley, to control Covid-19 from spreading.</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif">The ministry has formed a mechanism to immediately address the obstruction of essential services and goods. Narayan Prasad Regmi, spokesperson for the Ministry of Industry, Commerce, and Supplies, informed that the government is taking effective measures to provide medicines, oxygen, oxygen cylinders, and masks at affordable prices.</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif">A press statement released by the ministry says that the government will coordinate with umbrella organization of industrialists to ensure smooth supply of essential goods and services and raw materials.</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif">The Rapid Response Team will be informed about the problems faced by the entrepreneurs during the prohibitory period.</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif">The ministry has set up a five-member team which includes officials from the concerned ministries to facilitate the supply of food and daily necessities during the ongoing restriction. The ministry has made necessary arrangements to transport daily essentials and services easily during the prohibitory period.</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif">Industries manufacturing essential commodities have been ensured of smooth operation and transportation facility. Arrangements have been made to allow staffers of such industries to operate vehicles by showing their identity cards.</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif">The ministry informed that the vehicles can be operated by placing banners in front of the vehicles and by following the health safety standards.</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif">The workers will be facilitated for the movement on the basis of the official identity card of the industry. </span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif">The press release further says that the industries should mobilize minimum manpower following strict health security measures. The local administration will have to be informed about the operation of industry and businesses.</span></span></p> <p> </p> <p> </p> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2021-05-02', 'modified' => '2021-05-02', 'keywords' => '', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '13082', 'image' => '20210502021104_20200317121735_aaa.jpg', 'article_date' => '2021-05-02 14:09:44', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => true, 'in_scroller' => null, 'user_id' => '34' ) ), (int) 11 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '13336', 'article_category_id' => '1', 'title' => 'USA Provides Additional Funds to Support Nepal Amidst Second Wave of COVID-19', 'sub_title' => '', 'summary' => 'May 2: The United States Government has announced additional funds of US$ 8.5 million to Nepal as a “support the Nepali people” to combat coronavirus.', 'content' => '<p><em>Photo Courtesy: Twitter account of US Ambassador to Nepal Randy Berry.</em></p> <p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-size:14.0pt"><span style="font-family:Arial">May 2: The United States Government has announced additional funds of US$ 8.5 million to Nepal as a “support the Nepali people” to combat coronavirus.</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:Arial">The announcement comes at a challenging time when the country is facing second wave of the disease.</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:Arial">The US Embassy in Nepal said in a statement that the fund will be made available to the government through the US Agency for International Development (USAID).</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:Arial">According to the embassy, the additional assistance will help intensify the Government of Nepal’s COVID-19 testing, contact tracing and case investigation, treatment, infection prevention and control, border control, and other work at the federal, provincial and municipal levels.</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:Arial">USAID/Nepal will also scale-up its response at the community level, supporting the most vulnerable, the statement added. Assistance will include support to households and families through life-saving COVID-19 counseling and referrals, nutrition counseling, health care access, ensure the continuity of critical HIV services, and mitigate the secondary impacts of COVID-19.</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:Arial">“Since the beginning of the pandemic, the United States has stood with the people and Government of Nepal in the ongoing fight against COVID-19. With USAID’s latest provision of emergency funding, the US Government reaffirms its commitment to the strong and collaborative 70-year partnership between the United States and Nepal,” added the statement.</span></span></span></span></p> <p> </p> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2021-05-02', 'modified' => '2021-05-02', 'keywords' => '', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '13081', 'image' => '20210502123342_E0SkM-jUYAIY2Ao 2.jpg', 'article_date' => '2021-05-02 12:32:00', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => true, 'in_scroller' => null, 'user_id' => '34' ) ), (int) 12 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '13335', 'article_category_id' => '1', 'title' => 'Govt to raise minimum wage to Rs 15,000 per month from next fiscal year ', 'sub_title' => '', 'summary' => 'Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli has announced that the minimum wage for workers will be raised from the next fiscal year 2020/21. ', 'content' => '<p>May 1: Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli has announced that the minimum wage of workers will be raised from the next fiscal year 2020/21. </p> <p>In his speech on the occasion of Labour Day on Saturday, Prime Minister Oli said that the minimum wage of domestic workers will be raised to Rs 15,000 per month. </p> <p>Currently, workers have been drawing a minimum wage of Rs 13,450 per month. The government last raised the minimum wage by 38 percent to Rs 13,450 in 2018.</p> <p>In his statement, Prime Minister Oli also said that the government could not revise the minimum wage last year due to the adverse economic condition caused by the Covid-19. </p> <p>Stating that workers had supported the government’s stance to not raise the minimum wage last year due to the pandemic, Prime Minister Oli said that he is confident that industrialists and businessmen will agree on revising the minimum wage this year. </p> <p>“There could not be agreement between the representatives of employers and workers on the revision of minimum wage even this year due to worsening of the situation. However, I would like to inform you that the government would revise the minimum wage of workers from the fiscal year 2021/22,” said Prime Minister Oli. </p> <p>Prime Minister Oli also said that all workers will be brought under the social security net by the end of the next fiscal year. <br /> </p> <p><br /> </p> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2021-05-01', 'modified' => '2021-05-01', 'keywords' => '', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '13080', 'image' => '20210501032231_Oli.jpg', 'article_date' => '2021-05-01 15:20:25', 'homepage' => true, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => true, 'in_scroller' => false, 'user_id' => '35' ) ), (int) 13 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '13334', 'article_category_id' => '1', 'title' => 'Economy to grow by 4.01% in current fiscal year, estimates CBS', 'sub_title' => 'Growth estimate based on assumption that all economic activities will operate in normal condition after two weeks of prohibitory orders, say CBS officials ', 'summary' => 'Nepal’s economy is expected to expand 4.01 percent in the current fiscal year 2020/21, according to a preliminary estimate of the Central Bureau of Statistics (CBS). ', 'content' => '<p>KATHMANDU (April 30): </p> <p>Nepal’s economy is expected to expand 4.01 percent in the current fiscal year 2020/21, according to a preliminary estimate of the Central Bureau of Statistics (CBS). </p> <p>Releasing the latest National Accounts Statistics on Friday, the CBS said that it forecasts the country’s annualized Gross Domestic Product (GDP) to grow by 4.01 percent to climb to Rs 4.266 trillion in the current fiscal year. </p> <p>According to the CBS, the preliminary estimate is based on available information and figures of seven to nine months of the current fiscal year. </p> <p> <br /> The growth projection of the CBS comes at a time when the country is bracing for the second wave of Covid-19 and prohibitory orders enforced by local administrations in over a dozen districts to contain the spread of coronavirus. <br /> CBS officials say that their projection is based on an assumption that all economic activities will operate in normal condition after two weeks. </p> <p>“Our estimates are based on assumption that the current prohibitory period will not last more than two week, and the economy, barring hospitality and leisure sectors, will be back to normal,” Ishwori Prasad Bhandari, a director at the CBS, told New Business Age. <br /> “If our assumption fails and the impact of the Covid-19 lingers on, we will later revise our estimates and figures,” he said.</p> <p>The preliminary estimate of the CBS for the current fiscal year is higher than the projections made by international institutions like the World Bank, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the Asian Development Bank (ADB). <br /> The IMF recently projected Nepal’s growth to grow by 2.9 percent while the World Bank put the growth forecast at 2.7 percent. Earlier on Wednesday, the ADB said that Nepal’s GDP is anticipated to grow by 3.1 percent in the current fiscal year. <br /> According to CBS officials, ‘base effect’ has also helped to prop up economic growth in the current fiscal year. <br /> “The country’s economic growth fell to negative territory in the last fiscal year. So,even when the economic activities haven’t gained momentum after the lockdown, a slight increase in the production helped in propping up growth figures,” said CBS Director Bhandari. </p> <p>However, the growth estimate of the CBS is a way lower than the government’s economic growth target. Even when the country was under lockdown to contain the spread of coronavirus, the government in its annual budget speech had set a target of 7 percent economic growth in the current fiscal year. </p> <p><br /> The CBS also revised down its growth for the last fiscal year 2019/20 to -2.09 percent. Earlier last month, CBS had forecast a growth contraction of 1.88 percent.</p> <p><br /> </p> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2021-04-30', 'modified' => '2021-04-30', 'keywords' => '', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '13079', 'image' => '20210430085017_CBS Growth.JPG', 'article_date' => '2021-04-30 20:47:38', 'homepage' => true, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => true, 'in_scroller' => false, 'user_id' => '35' ) ), (int) 14 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '13332', 'article_category_id' => '1', 'title' => 'FMTC Starts Free Home Delivery of Essential Food Items', 'sub_title' => '', 'summary' => 'April 30: The state-owned Food Management and Trading Company Limited (FMTC) has started free home delivery of food items within the Kathmandu Valley. ', 'content' => '<p><em>Photo Courtesy: Sastodeal.Com</em></p> <p><span style="font-size:10pt"><span style="font-family:Times"><span style="font-size:14.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">April 30: The state-owned Food Management and Trading Company Limited (FMTC) has started free home delivery of food items within the Kathmandu Valley. </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:"Arial Unicode MS"">The company informed that it started the home delivery service considering the difficulty faced by the general public in purchasing food and other essentials due to the prohibitory order enforced by the local administration.</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:"Arial Unicode MS"">Issuing a statement on Thursday (April 29), FMTC informed that it has started free home delivery of essential food items including beans from Karnali, Marsi rice, ghee, edible oil, sanitizers among others. Customers living inside the ring road can order the items through the company’s website <a href="http://www.nepalfood.gov.np" style="color:blue; text-decoration:underline">www.nepalfood.gov.np</a> while those living outside the ring road and within the valley can avail the service through <a href="http://www.sastodeal.com" style="color:blue; text-decoration:underline">www.sastodeal.com</a>. The service is available in all three districts of the valley, according to FMTC.</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:"Arial Unicode MS"">The company informed that it has adequate stock of food and has urged people not to stockpile food items due to fear of short supply.</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:"Arial Unicode MS"">The company has been selling food items through its distribution centers at Nakhhu, Ram Shah Path, Thapathali and Suryabinayak during morning and evening hours.</span></span></span></span></p> <p> </p> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2021-04-30', 'modified' => '2021-04-30', 'keywords' => '', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '13078', 'image' => '20210430021216_My Effect.jpg', 'article_date' => '2021-04-30 14:08:17', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => true, 'in_scroller' => false, 'user_id' => '34' ) ) ) $current_user = null $logged_in = false $xml = falseinclude - APP/View/Elements/side_bar.ctp, line 133 View::_evaluate() - CORE/Cake/View/View.php, line 971 View::_render() - CORE/Cake/View/View.php, line 933 View::_renderElement() - CORE/Cake/View/View.php, line 1224 View::element() - CORE/Cake/View/View.php, line 418 include - APP/View/Articles/index.ctp, line 157 View::_evaluate() - CORE/Cake/View/View.php, line 971 View::_render() - CORE/Cake/View/View.php, line 933 View::render() - CORE/Cake/View/View.php, line 473 Controller::render() - CORE/Cake/Controller/Controller.php, line 968 Dispatcher::_invoke() - CORE/Cake/Routing/Dispatcher.php, line 200 Dispatcher::dispatch() - CORE/Cake/Routing/Dispatcher.php, line 167 [main] - APP/webroot/index.php, line 117
Warning (2): simplexml_load_file() [<a href='http://php.net/function.simplexml-load-file'>function.simplexml-load-file</a>]: I/O warning : failed to load external entity "" [APP/View/Elements/side_bar.ctp, line 133]file not found!Code Context// $file = 'http://aabhiyan:QUVLg8Wzs2F7G9N7@nepalstock.com.np/api/subindexdata.xml';if(!$xml = simplexml_load_file($file)){$viewFile = '/var/www/html/newbusinessage.com/app/View/Elements/side_bar.ctp' $dataForView = array( 'articles' => array( (int) 0 => array( 'Article' => array( [maximum depth reached] ) ), (int) 1 => array( 'Article' => array( [maximum depth reached] ) ), (int) 2 => array( 'Article' => array( [maximum depth reached] ) ), (int) 3 => array( 'Article' => array( [maximum depth reached] ) ), (int) 4 => array( 'Article' => array( [maximum depth reached] ) ), (int) 5 => array( 'Article' => array( [maximum depth reached] ) ), (int) 6 => array( 'Article' => array( [maximum depth reached] ) ), (int) 7 => array( 'Article' => array( [maximum depth reached] ) ), (int) 8 => array( 'Article' => array( [maximum depth reached] ) ), (int) 9 => array( 'Article' => array( [maximum depth reached] ) ), (int) 10 => array( 'Article' => array( [maximum depth reached] ) ), (int) 11 => array( 'Article' => array( [maximum depth reached] ) ), (int) 12 => array( 'Article' => array( [maximum depth reached] ) ), (int) 13 => array( 'Article' => array( [maximum depth reached] ) ), (int) 14 => array( 'Article' => array( [maximum depth reached] ) ) ), 'current_user' => null, 'logged_in' => false ) $articles = array( (int) 0 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '13347', 'article_category_id' => '1', 'title' => 'Covid-19 Cases Reported Among Climbers at Everest Base Camp', 'sub_title' => '', 'summary' => 'May 5: Mountaineers and authorities at Everest base camp have reported increasing numbers of climbers with Covid-19 symptoms. ', 'content' => '<h1><span style="font-size:12px"><em>Photo: Tamish Giri/NBA</em></span></h1> <h1><span style="font-size:10pt"><span style="font-family:Times"><span style="font-size:14.0pt"><span style="font-family:Arial">May 5: Mountaineers and authorities at Everest base camp have reported increasing numbers of climbers with Covid-19 symptoms. </span></span></span></span></h1> <p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif">According to the BBC, the number of positive tests among climbers has been rising. This has raised fears of a serious outbreak at the base camp, BBC reported on Wednesday (May 5).</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif">Base camp officials said they had received confirmation of 17 positive cases from hospitals in the capital Kathmandu, BBC further reported.</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif">A number of climbers have been reportedly sent to those hospitals from the base camp and higher camps for treatment.</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif">Staff at CIWEC Clinic, a private clinic in Kathmandu, confirmed to the BBC that patients had tested positive for coronavirus after arriving from Everest base camp. </span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif">According to the news report, the Government of Nepal has so far denied having any knowledge of positive cases at Everest base camp raising concerns that officials are downplaying the extent of the situation out of fear it will bring more pressure to close the mountain to expeditions.</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif">Foreign climbers are a major source of revenue for the Nepalese government, which shut Everest last year during the pandemic.</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif">According to the state-owned national news agency, RSS, as many as 294 summiteers of 42 groups have been granted permission for climbing the world's highest peak, Mount Everest, this year. </span></span></p> <p> </p> <p><span style="font-size:10pt"><span style="font-family:Times"><span style="font-size:14.0pt"><span style="font-family:Arial"><img alt="" src="/app/webroot/userfiles/images/20190515023916_Everest-image.jpg" style="height:600px; width:800px" /></span></span></span></span></p> <p> </p> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2021-05-05', 'modified' => '2021-05-05', 'keywords' => '', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '13092', 'image' => '20210505111406_20210316081635_Bahraini Team.jpg', 'article_date' => '2021-05-05 11:11:58', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => true, 'in_scroller' => false, 'user_id' => '34' ) ), (int) 1 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '13346', 'article_category_id' => '1', 'title' => 'Government Fixes Minimum Monthly Salary of Workers at Rs 15,000', 'sub_title' => '', 'summary' => 'May 4: The government has fixed the minimum monthly salary of workers at Rs 15,000. ', 'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Cambria">May 4: The government has fixed the minimum monthly salary of workers at Rs 15,000. </span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Cambria">The government announced the new wage of workers by issuing a notice in the Nepal Gazette. </span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Cambria">Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli had announced to increase the wages of workers recently during the May Day. Two days later, the Ministry of Labour, Employment and Social Security issued the notice on Nepal Gazette stating that the new wage of workers will come into effect from the upcoming fiscal year. </span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Cambria">As per the notice issued on Monday (May 3), the minimum basic salary of workers has been fixed at Rs 9,385. By adding inflation allowance, the minimum salary has been fixed at Rs 15,000.</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Cambria">Similarly, the daily wage of labourers has also been increased from R s 361 to Rs 577. Likewise, the wage per hour for workers has been increased from Rs 48 to Rs 77.</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Cambria">The minimum monthly salary at present is Rs 13,450. The new salary will not be applicable for workers employed in tea estates. </span></span></p> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2021-05-04', 'modified' => '2021-05-04', 'keywords' => '', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '13091', 'image' => '20210504035957_20201108051031_20201006114242_1601941837.Clipboard09.jpg', 'article_date' => '2021-05-04 15:59:13', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => true, 'in_scroller' => null, 'user_id' => '34' ) ), (int) 2 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '13345', 'article_category_id' => '1', 'title' => 'Dairy Producers Have Stock of Milk Powder and Butter worth Rs 3 Billion ', 'sub_title' => '', 'summary' => 'May 4: With the disruption in market cycle due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the domestic market of Nepal currently has a stock of milk powder and butter worth Rs 3 billion. ', 'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:Arial">May 4: With the disruption in market cycle due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the domestic market of Nepal currently has a stock of milk powder and butter worth Rs 3 billion. Since the consumption has declined due to the pandemic, dairy producers and traders are forced to process the unsold milk into powdered milk and butter. </span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:Arial">According to the data provided by the Nepal Dairy Association, the umbrella body of diary producers and entrepreneurs alone has milk powder and butter worth Rs one billion out of the total stock worth Rs 3 billion. The consumption of milk has declined by 60 percent in the Kathmandu valley with the sharp rise in coronavirus infections and the market situation is becoming alarming due to the prohibitory orders. </span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:Arial">According to Prahad Dahal, General Secretary of the Association, with the decline in the consumption of milk, the stock of milk powder will continue to rise. This has imposed challenges to all farmers, traders and industrialists on how to manage the surplus milk. </span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:Arial">Flow of money to the milk industries has stopped because of the protracted lockdown of last year which led to the shutting down of hotels, restaurants, party palaces that consume the highest volume of milk in the market. Due to this, most of the industries have not been able to pay back the farmers. </span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:Arial">Dairy entrepreneurs have demanded that the government provide loans to the industry equivalent to the amount of the goods that they have in stock. This will help them to facilitate the operation of the industries and pay back the farmers. </span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:Arial">Dahal said that due to the prohibitory orders that are currently enforced, transporters that supply dairy products are having problems in getting the logo provided by the National Dairy Development Board. </span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:Arial">The board had prepared the logo last April so that there would be no obstruction in the transportation of milk products. However, due to various pending procedures, the board has not been able to provide the logo to the transporters.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:Arial">One day before the prohibitory orders were enforced, the board had published a notice requesting transporters to contact the board to get the logos. "But no transporter has received the logo so far because of the prohibitory orders that are currently in place," said Amogh Kafle, spokesperson of the board.</span></span></span></p> <p> </p> <p> </p> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2021-05-04', 'modified' => '2021-05-04', 'keywords' => '', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '13090', 'image' => '20210504034107_butter-milk.jpg', 'article_date' => '2021-05-04 15:39:57', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => true, 'in_scroller' => null, 'user_id' => '34' ) ), (int) 3 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '13343', 'article_category_id' => '1', 'title' => '82,000 get Short-term Jobs under Prime Minister's Employment Programme', 'sub_title' => '', 'summary' => 'May 4: The government had announced to provide minimum employment to 200,000 people under the Prime Minister's Employment Programme (PMEP) in the budget of Fiscal Year 2020-21. ', 'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-size:14.0pt"><span style="font-family:Times">May 4: The government had announced to provide minimum employment to 200,000 people under the Prime Minister's Employment Programme (PMEP) in the budget of Fiscal Year 2020-21. However, only 82,500 people have received short-term jobs under the program so far.<br /> According to the Secretariat of the Prime Minister's Employment Programme, 21,054 individuals in the Far West, 16,200 in Karnali, and 15,600 in Province No. 2 have received short-term jobs for an average of 12 days. According to the PMEP Secretariat, Rs 579.5 million has been distributed under the programme so far. In the current fiscal year, 753,166 people have applied for jobs under the programme. However, not all applicants are eligible for employment.<br /> According to the criteria of PMEP, a family member can be employed for a minimum of 100 days only if he/she is unable to earn any income from anywhere else.<br /> The secretariat informed that more than 10,500 programmes worth Rs 7.86 billion have been selected in the current fiscal year to employ those who are eligible for employment. In the current fiscal year, Rs 10.34 billion has been allocated to implement the employment program. </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">To implement this programme from the current fiscal year, the government had received a concessional loan of Rs 13.65 billion from the International Development Association (IDA) under the World Bank.<br /> Expanding the scope of the programme from this year, the government has announced to employ the unemployed in public development works at the federal, state, and local levels. However, the implementation of the programme so far has not been effective.<br /> According to Loknath Bhusal, Joint Secretary at the Prime Minister's Employment Programme Secretariat, the program was running effectively at the local level until the first week of April.<br /> However, implementation of the program suffered a setback due to the prohibitory order in various parts of the country.<br /> "Some local level representatives and employees are not in a position to run the office. The prohibitory order has made it difficult to promote employment activities," Bhusal said.<br /> So far, more than seven hundred thousand unemployed individuals have submitted applications for employment for the upcoming year through the Prime Minister's Employment Program. </span></span></span></span></p> <p> </p> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2021-05-04', 'modified' => '2021-05-04', 'keywords' => '', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '13089', 'image' => '20210504121005_20200909034726_1599602881.3.jpg', 'article_date' => '2021-05-04 12:09:08', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => true, 'in_scroller' => null, 'user_id' => '34' ) ), (int) 4 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '13344', 'article_category_id' => '1', 'title' => ' Govt Effortful to bring Enough COVID-19 Vaccines from China, Russia: PM ', 'sub_title' => '', 'summary' => 'May 4: Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli has said that the government is making efforts to bring enough COVID-19 vaccines at the earliest. ', 'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-size:14.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">May 4: Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli has said that the government is making efforts to bring enough COVID-19 vaccines at the earliest. </span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-size:14.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">He said that the government is in constant touch with the countries like China and Russia that produce the vaccines. </span></span><br /> <span style="font-size:14.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">In his address to the nation on COVID-19 and other contemporary issues on Monday, the PM said that the government itself had started the process to purchase vaccines apart from vaccines donated by the friendly nations. </span></span><br /> <span style="font-size:14.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">On the occasion, PM Oli urged one and all to stay on an alert against the virus, abide by the prohibitory order and provide support to the government’s initiatives to prevent and control the infection. </span></span><br /> <span style="font-size:14.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">He also requested neighbouring and friendly countries to provide health infrastructures including oxygen in assistance to fight the deadly virus. </span></span><br /> <span style="font-size:14.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">He claimed that the government had gradually achieved progress in the development of the infrastructure of health sector of the country. -- RSS</span></span></span></span></p> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2021-05-04', 'modified' => '2021-05-04', 'keywords' => '', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '13088', 'image' => '20210504121946_1620082311.Clipboard04.jpg', 'article_date' => '2021-05-04 12:19:16', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => true, 'in_scroller' => null, 'user_id' => '34' ) ), (int) 5 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '13342', 'article_category_id' => '1', 'title' => 'CAAN to Suspend all Domestic Flights from Today Midnight', 'sub_title' => '', 'summary' => 'May 3: The Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal (CAAN) has decided to suspend domestic flight from today midnight (May 3) due to the spike in Covid-19 infection. ', 'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:Times">May 3: The Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal (CAAN) has decided to suspend domestic flight from today midnight (May 3) due to the spike in Covid-19 infection. The aviation regulatory body has also decided to suspend international flights from midnight of May 6.<br /> Rajan Pokhrel, director-general of CAAN, informed New Business Age that all domestic flights will be suspended from midnight of May 3 until the May 14. Likewise, international flights will be suspended from May 6 midnight until May 14, added Pokharel. <br /> A meeting of the Council of Ministers on May 2 had decided to suspend all domestic flights from May 4 and international flights from May 6 due to the unprecedented surge in Covid-19 cases.<br /> On May 2, Nepal recorded the highest number of Covid-19 cases in a day, with more than 7000 cases.<br /> The Covid-19 Crisis Management Committee (CCMC) had recommended the government suspend the flights to stop the virus from spreading.<br /> As the number of new cases and daily fatalities continue to spike in the country, the government announced two-week long prohibitory order on April 29 in several affected districts, including Kathmandu. </span></span></span></p> <p> </p> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2021-05-03', 'modified' => '2021-05-03', 'keywords' => '', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '13087', 'image' => '20210503020944_20200805015856_nepali_flights.jpg', 'article_date' => '2021-05-03 14:08:52', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => true, 'in_scroller' => null, 'user_id' => '34' ) ), (int) 6 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '13341', 'article_category_id' => '1', 'title' => 'Government to Bring 20,000 Oxygen Cylinders from China', 'sub_title' => '', 'summary' => 'May 3: The government has taken initiative to immediately bring 20,000 cylinders of oxygen provided by China. ', 'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif">May 3: The government has taken initiative to immediately bring 20,000 cylinders of oxygen provided by China. The Covid-19 Crisis Management Center (CCMC) informed that the ministries of foreign affairs, health and finance will immediately start working to this end.</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif">The country is in need of additional oxygen cylinders as the demand for oxygen is increasing with the rise in new infections of COVID-19. Oxygen manufacturers have been stating that despite having enough oxygen, they are having problem is supplying oxygen due to limited number of cylinders. Likewise, it has been learnt that people are holding up oxygen cylinders at their home leading to a shortage of cylinders.</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif">According to the doctors, the new variants of coronavirus affect the respiratory system of patients and they require oxygen support. </span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif">Meanwhile, a meeting of the CCMC decided to reduce the movement of people in government offices in the districts where prohibitory orders have been enforced and has allowed secretaries, joint secretaries and head of government offices to commute carrying identity cards. </span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif">Likewise, the new building of Bir Hospital has been announced as coronavirus hospital. </span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif">The Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) has said that CCMC is looking for various alternatives following the rise in complaints about shortage of beds in hospitals.</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif">According to Ganesh Pandey, Press Adviser to Deputy PM Ishwar Pokharel, cremation will be conducted using traditional methods and a letter has already been written to the concerned authority in this regard. </span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif">A cabinet meeting has already implemented quota system for domestic flights on the recommendation of the CCMC and has employed strict measures in some international flights to contain the spread of coronavirus. A minister said that flights to Brazil and South Africa have been suspended in light of the growing new COVID-19 cases.</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif">Despite the sharp rise in COVID-19 cases in the Kathmandu Valley, the district-level CCMC meeting has decided to allow operation of banks and financial institutions with one fourth of employees. </span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif">Grocery shops that were allowed to open from 5pm to 7pm in the evening will not be allowed to open from Monday, May 3. </span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif">According to Kali Prasad Parajuli, Chief District Officer of Kathmandu, people walking without wearing masks will be fined and permits will be checked strictly. </span></span></p> <p> </p> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2021-05-03', 'modified' => '2021-05-03', 'keywords' => '', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '13086', 'image' => '20210503015716_20210429095930_Medical-Oxygen-Gas-Cylinders-Market.jpg', 'article_date' => '2021-05-03 13:56:13', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => true, 'in_scroller' => null, 'user_id' => '34' ) ), (int) 7 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '13340', 'article_category_id' => '1', 'title' => 'Upasana Poudel appointed as United Insurance’s new CEO ', 'sub_title' => 'Poudel’s appointment makes her the first female CEO in Nepal’s insurance sector.', 'summary' => 'United Insurance Company Ltd has appointed Upasana Poudel as its Chief Executive Officer. ', 'content' => '<p>May 2: <br /> United Insurance Company Ltd has appointed Upasana Poudel as its Chief Executive Officer (CEO). <br /> According to the United Insurance Company Ltd’s disclosure to Nepal Stock Exchange (Nepse), its board meeting held on Thursday decided to appoint Poudel as the insurance company’s CEO for a tenure of four years. <br /> The United Insurance’s decision also makes Poudel the first female CEO of an insurance company in Nepal. </p> <p>She was serving as the officiating CEO of United Insurance after its former CEO Ramesh Kumar Bhattarai’s four-year term ended in November last year. <br /> Promoted by leading industrialists and trading and commercial houses, United Insurance Company, a non-life insurance company, had started its operation from December 1, 1993. </p> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2021-05-02', 'modified' => '2021-05-02', 'keywords' => '', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '13085', 'image' => '20210502052259_Upasana Poudel.jpg', 'article_date' => '2021-05-02 17:19:38', 'homepage' => true, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => false, 'in_scroller' => true, 'user_id' => '35' ) ), (int) 8 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '13339', 'article_category_id' => '1', 'title' => 'Government Faces Challenges to Include Employees of Informal Sector in Social Security Programme', 'sub_title' => '', 'summary' => 'May 2: The government has failed to register the number of employees working in the informal sector despite such provision mentioned in the Labour Act and Social Security Act. ', 'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:Arial">May 2: The government has failed to register the number of employees working in the informal sector despite such provision mentioned in the Labour Act and Social Security Act. </span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:Arial">Trade unions have been demanding for registration of employees from the informal sector since 15 years to help them receive support from the government and address their problems. But it has not been implemented accordingly. </span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:Arial">Binod Shrestha, president of the General Federation of Nepalese Trade Union (GEFONT), said although there has not been significant achievement in terms of registration, there has been some encouraging improvements. The issue of registration was raised to keep a tab on expenses of workers. </span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:Arial">"We want to link the informal sector to social security based on contribution but the question arises who will pay 20 percent of the daily wage workers working in the informal sector. Village councils and the local bodies need to help in this regard," said Shrestha.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:Arial">Shrestha further said that a task force has been formed to register workers working in the informal sector and link them to contribution-based social security. </span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:Arial">“The government has committed to implement this provision so we can be hopeful about it,” he said.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:Arial">Similarly, Pushkar Acharya, president of Nepal Trade Union Congress, said that it is the ineffectiveness on part of the government that the registration process has not been implemented even after one year. Until and unless workers are registered they will not be eligible for benefits from the Social Security Fund (SSF). </span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:Arial">It is the workers from the informal sector who have been affected the most with the enforcement of prohibitory orders, said Acharya. If they had been linked with the SSF, they would have now got the benefits from the government. </span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:Arial">According to GEFONT, workers were laid off from work and deprived from the wages from the initial days of lockdown which has repeated again this time.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:16px"><strong><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:Arial">Emphasis on sustainable and reliable labor relations</span></span></strong></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:Arial">The umbrella organization of employers have stressed on the need to make labour relation between industries and workers sustainable and reliable. Issuing a press release on the International Labour Day on May 1, the Federation of Nepalese Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FNCCI) and the Confederation of Nepalese Industries (CNI) said that though labour relations are on the path of improvement, it needs to be made reliable and sustainable. </span></span></span></p> <p> </p> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2021-05-02', 'modified' => '2021-05-02', 'keywords' => '', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '13084', 'image' => '20210502051027_20210225124654_Social-Security-Fund-SSF.jpg', 'article_date' => '2021-05-02 17:09:23', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => true, 'in_scroller' => null, 'user_id' => '34' ) ), (int) 9 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '13338', 'article_category_id' => '1', 'title' => ' Offices can Operate with One-Fourth Employees: CCMC ', 'sub_title' => '', 'summary' => 'May 2: The COVID-19 Crisis Management Center (CCMC) has decided to operate all other offices except those providing the most essential services with one-fourth of their existing employees.', 'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">May 2: The COVID-19 Crisis Management Center (CCMC) has decided to operate all other offices except those providing the most essential services with one-fourth of their existing employees. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">A meeting of the CCMC on Saturday decided to ask banks and financial institutions being operated in the lockdown-enforced Kathmandu Valley and other big cities to operate their business through one-fourth of the employees. Nepal Rastra Bank would facilitate the process in the enforcement of the order. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">The press pass issued by the Department of Information and Publicity would be valid in case of the Kathmandu Valley while the Chief District Officers are authorized to issue such pass in other districts. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">The CCMC also decided to enforce food and accommodation for employees and workers of the industries and enterprises within the industry to keep its smooth operation, run the factories and industries producing materials (mask, sanitizer, soap, gloves, oxygen) used for prevention, control and treatment of COVID-19 by adopting health safety protocol and continue with public infrastructure construction by arranging food and accommodation for the workers involved in the field. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">According to the CCMC’s Secretariat, the public vehicles used for supplying construction materials in such public projects would be allowed based on the pass provided by the project. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">In Kathmandu Valley, the Department of Tourism, Department of Immigration, Nepal Tourism Board and Nepal Police would jointly monitor those residing in hotel quarantines while the province and local levels would carry out the task in other districts. The local levels would monitor the people residing in home quarantines. </span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">Likewise, foreigners residing in hotel quarantines would be deported to their home country with penalty if they were found violating the health protocols. For the failure on proper management, the hoteliers would be fined as per the laws. - RSS</span></span></span></p> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2021-05-02', 'modified' => '2021-05-02', 'keywords' => '', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '13083', 'image' => '20210502022832_20180813032024_Clipboard84.jpg', 'article_date' => '2021-05-02 14:28:04', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => true, 'in_scroller' => null, 'user_id' => '34' ) ), (int) 10 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '13337', 'article_category_id' => '1', 'title' => 'Government Ensures Smooth Supply of Essential Goods', 'sub_title' => '', 'summary' => 'May 2: The government has taken the initiative to make the supply management system effective during the ongoing prohibition period. ', 'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif">May 2: The government has taken the initiative to make the supply management system effective during the ongoing prohibition period. </span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif">A meeting of government officials and umbrella organizations of private sector entrepreneurs chaired by Minister for Industry, Commerce, and Supplies Lekhraj Bhat on Friday decided to facilitate the supply of essential consumer goods and pharmaceutical products.</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif">The ministry has decided to facilitate the production and supply of such goods and services as the number of districts going through prohibitory order is growing with the rising cases of Covid-19. The government has already imposed prohibitory orders in more than two dozen districts, including the Kathmandu Valley, to control Covid-19 from spreading.</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif">The ministry has formed a mechanism to immediately address the obstruction of essential services and goods. Narayan Prasad Regmi, spokesperson for the Ministry of Industry, Commerce, and Supplies, informed that the government is taking effective measures to provide medicines, oxygen, oxygen cylinders, and masks at affordable prices.</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif">A press statement released by the ministry says that the government will coordinate with umbrella organization of industrialists to ensure smooth supply of essential goods and services and raw materials.</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif">The Rapid Response Team will be informed about the problems faced by the entrepreneurs during the prohibitory period.</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif">The ministry has set up a five-member team which includes officials from the concerned ministries to facilitate the supply of food and daily necessities during the ongoing restriction. The ministry has made necessary arrangements to transport daily essentials and services easily during the prohibitory period.</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif">Industries manufacturing essential commodities have been ensured of smooth operation and transportation facility. Arrangements have been made to allow staffers of such industries to operate vehicles by showing their identity cards.</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif">The ministry informed that the vehicles can be operated by placing banners in front of the vehicles and by following the health safety standards.</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif">The workers will be facilitated for the movement on the basis of the official identity card of the industry. </span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif">The press release further says that the industries should mobilize minimum manpower following strict health security measures. The local administration will have to be informed about the operation of industry and businesses.</span></span></p> <p> </p> <p> </p> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2021-05-02', 'modified' => '2021-05-02', 'keywords' => '', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '13082', 'image' => '20210502021104_20200317121735_aaa.jpg', 'article_date' => '2021-05-02 14:09:44', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => true, 'in_scroller' => null, 'user_id' => '34' ) ), (int) 11 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '13336', 'article_category_id' => '1', 'title' => 'USA Provides Additional Funds to Support Nepal Amidst Second Wave of COVID-19', 'sub_title' => '', 'summary' => 'May 2: The United States Government has announced additional funds of US$ 8.5 million to Nepal as a “support the Nepali people” to combat coronavirus.', 'content' => '<p><em>Photo Courtesy: Twitter account of US Ambassador to Nepal Randy Berry.</em></p> <p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-size:14.0pt"><span style="font-family:Arial">May 2: The United States Government has announced additional funds of US$ 8.5 million to Nepal as a “support the Nepali people” to combat coronavirus.</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:Arial">The announcement comes at a challenging time when the country is facing second wave of the disease.</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:Arial">The US Embassy in Nepal said in a statement that the fund will be made available to the government through the US Agency for International Development (USAID).</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:Arial">According to the embassy, the additional assistance will help intensify the Government of Nepal’s COVID-19 testing, contact tracing and case investigation, treatment, infection prevention and control, border control, and other work at the federal, provincial and municipal levels.</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:Arial">USAID/Nepal will also scale-up its response at the community level, supporting the most vulnerable, the statement added. Assistance will include support to households and families through life-saving COVID-19 counseling and referrals, nutrition counseling, health care access, ensure the continuity of critical HIV services, and mitigate the secondary impacts of COVID-19.</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:Arial">“Since the beginning of the pandemic, the United States has stood with the people and Government of Nepal in the ongoing fight against COVID-19. With USAID’s latest provision of emergency funding, the US Government reaffirms its commitment to the strong and collaborative 70-year partnership between the United States and Nepal,” added the statement.</span></span></span></span></p> <p> </p> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2021-05-02', 'modified' => '2021-05-02', 'keywords' => '', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '13081', 'image' => '20210502123342_E0SkM-jUYAIY2Ao 2.jpg', 'article_date' => '2021-05-02 12:32:00', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => true, 'in_scroller' => null, 'user_id' => '34' ) ), (int) 12 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '13335', 'article_category_id' => '1', 'title' => 'Govt to raise minimum wage to Rs 15,000 per month from next fiscal year ', 'sub_title' => '', 'summary' => 'Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli has announced that the minimum wage for workers will be raised from the next fiscal year 2020/21. ', 'content' => '<p>May 1: Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli has announced that the minimum wage of workers will be raised from the next fiscal year 2020/21. </p> <p>In his speech on the occasion of Labour Day on Saturday, Prime Minister Oli said that the minimum wage of domestic workers will be raised to Rs 15,000 per month. </p> <p>Currently, workers have been drawing a minimum wage of Rs 13,450 per month. The government last raised the minimum wage by 38 percent to Rs 13,450 in 2018.</p> <p>In his statement, Prime Minister Oli also said that the government could not revise the minimum wage last year due to the adverse economic condition caused by the Covid-19. </p> <p>Stating that workers had supported the government’s stance to not raise the minimum wage last year due to the pandemic, Prime Minister Oli said that he is confident that industrialists and businessmen will agree on revising the minimum wage this year. </p> <p>“There could not be agreement between the representatives of employers and workers on the revision of minimum wage even this year due to worsening of the situation. However, I would like to inform you that the government would revise the minimum wage of workers from the fiscal year 2021/22,” said Prime Minister Oli. </p> <p>Prime Minister Oli also said that all workers will be brought under the social security net by the end of the next fiscal year. <br /> </p> <p><br /> </p> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2021-05-01', 'modified' => '2021-05-01', 'keywords' => '', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '13080', 'image' => '20210501032231_Oli.jpg', 'article_date' => '2021-05-01 15:20:25', 'homepage' => true, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => true, 'in_scroller' => false, 'user_id' => '35' ) ), (int) 13 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '13334', 'article_category_id' => '1', 'title' => 'Economy to grow by 4.01% in current fiscal year, estimates CBS', 'sub_title' => 'Growth estimate based on assumption that all economic activities will operate in normal condition after two weeks of prohibitory orders, say CBS officials ', 'summary' => 'Nepal’s economy is expected to expand 4.01 percent in the current fiscal year 2020/21, according to a preliminary estimate of the Central Bureau of Statistics (CBS). ', 'content' => '<p>KATHMANDU (April 30): </p> <p>Nepal’s economy is expected to expand 4.01 percent in the current fiscal year 2020/21, according to a preliminary estimate of the Central Bureau of Statistics (CBS). </p> <p>Releasing the latest National Accounts Statistics on Friday, the CBS said that it forecasts the country’s annualized Gross Domestic Product (GDP) to grow by 4.01 percent to climb to Rs 4.266 trillion in the current fiscal year. </p> <p>According to the CBS, the preliminary estimate is based on available information and figures of seven to nine months of the current fiscal year. </p> <p> <br /> The growth projection of the CBS comes at a time when the country is bracing for the second wave of Covid-19 and prohibitory orders enforced by local administrations in over a dozen districts to contain the spread of coronavirus. <br /> CBS officials say that their projection is based on an assumption that all economic activities will operate in normal condition after two weeks. </p> <p>“Our estimates are based on assumption that the current prohibitory period will not last more than two week, and the economy, barring hospitality and leisure sectors, will be back to normal,” Ishwori Prasad Bhandari, a director at the CBS, told New Business Age. <br /> “If our assumption fails and the impact of the Covid-19 lingers on, we will later revise our estimates and figures,” he said.</p> <p>The preliminary estimate of the CBS for the current fiscal year is higher than the projections made by international institutions like the World Bank, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the Asian Development Bank (ADB). <br /> The IMF recently projected Nepal’s growth to grow by 2.9 percent while the World Bank put the growth forecast at 2.7 percent. Earlier on Wednesday, the ADB said that Nepal’s GDP is anticipated to grow by 3.1 percent in the current fiscal year. <br /> According to CBS officials, ‘base effect’ has also helped to prop up economic growth in the current fiscal year. <br /> “The country’s economic growth fell to negative territory in the last fiscal year. So,even when the economic activities haven’t gained momentum after the lockdown, a slight increase in the production helped in propping up growth figures,” said CBS Director Bhandari. </p> <p>However, the growth estimate of the CBS is a way lower than the government’s economic growth target. Even when the country was under lockdown to contain the spread of coronavirus, the government in its annual budget speech had set a target of 7 percent economic growth in the current fiscal year. </p> <p><br /> The CBS also revised down its growth for the last fiscal year 2019/20 to -2.09 percent. Earlier last month, CBS had forecast a growth contraction of 1.88 percent.</p> <p><br /> </p> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2021-04-30', 'modified' => '2021-04-30', 'keywords' => '', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '13079', 'image' => '20210430085017_CBS Growth.JPG', 'article_date' => '2021-04-30 20:47:38', 'homepage' => true, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => true, 'in_scroller' => false, 'user_id' => '35' ) ), (int) 14 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '13332', 'article_category_id' => '1', 'title' => 'FMTC Starts Free Home Delivery of Essential Food Items', 'sub_title' => '', 'summary' => 'April 30: The state-owned Food Management and Trading Company Limited (FMTC) has started free home delivery of food items within the Kathmandu Valley. ', 'content' => '<p><em>Photo Courtesy: Sastodeal.Com</em></p> <p><span style="font-size:10pt"><span style="font-family:Times"><span style="font-size:14.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">April 30: The state-owned Food Management and Trading Company Limited (FMTC) has started free home delivery of food items within the Kathmandu Valley. </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:"Arial Unicode MS"">The company informed that it started the home delivery service considering the difficulty faced by the general public in purchasing food and other essentials due to the prohibitory order enforced by the local administration.</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:"Arial Unicode MS"">Issuing a statement on Thursday (April 29), FMTC informed that it has started free home delivery of essential food items including beans from Karnali, Marsi rice, ghee, edible oil, sanitizers among others. Customers living inside the ring road can order the items through the company’s website <a href="http://www.nepalfood.gov.np" style="color:blue; text-decoration:underline">www.nepalfood.gov.np</a> while those living outside the ring road and within the valley can avail the service through <a href="http://www.sastodeal.com" style="color:blue; text-decoration:underline">www.sastodeal.com</a>. The service is available in all three districts of the valley, according to FMTC.</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:"Arial Unicode MS"">The company informed that it has adequate stock of food and has urged people not to stockpile food items due to fear of short supply.</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:"Arial Unicode MS"">The company has been selling food items through its distribution centers at Nakhhu, Ram Shah Path, Thapathali and Suryabinayak during morning and evening hours.</span></span></span></span></p> <p> </p> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2021-04-30', 'modified' => '2021-04-30', 'keywords' => '', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '13078', 'image' => '20210430021216_My Effect.jpg', 'article_date' => '2021-04-30 14:08:17', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => true, 'in_scroller' => false, 'user_id' => '34' ) ) ) $current_user = null $logged_in = false $xml = falsesimplexml_load_file - [internal], line ?? include - APP/View/Elements/side_bar.ctp, line 133 View::_evaluate() - CORE/Cake/View/View.php, line 971 View::_render() - CORE/Cake/View/View.php, line 933 View::_renderElement() - CORE/Cake/View/View.php, line 1224 View::element() - CORE/Cake/View/View.php, line 418 include - APP/View/Articles/index.ctp, line 157 View::_evaluate() - CORE/Cake/View/View.php, line 971 View::_render() - CORE/Cake/View/View.php, line 933 View::render() - CORE/Cake/View/View.php, line 473 Controller::render() - CORE/Cake/Controller/Controller.php, line 968 Dispatcher::_invoke() - CORE/Cake/Routing/Dispatcher.php, line 200 Dispatcher::dispatch() - CORE/Cake/Routing/Dispatcher.php, line 167 [main] - APP/webroot/index.php, line 117
| Currency | Unit |
Buy | Sell |
| U.S. Dollar | 1 | 121.23 | 121.83 |
| European Euro | 1 | 131.65 | 132.31 |
| UK Pound Sterling | 1 | 142.47 | 143.18 |
| Swiss Franc | 1 | 124.29 | 124.90 |
| Australian Dollar | 1 | 71.69 | 72.05 |
| Canadian Dollar | 1 | 83.90 | 84.32 |
| Japanese Yen | 10 | 10.94 | 11.00 |
| Chinese Yuan | 1 | 17.17 | 17.26 |
| Saudi Arabian Riyal | 1 | 32.27 | 32.43 |
| UAE Dirham | 1 | 33.01 | 33.17 |
| Malaysian Ringgit | 1 | 27.36 | 27.50 |
| South Korean Won | 100 | 9.77 | 9.82 |
Update: 2020-03-25 | Source: Nepal Rastra Bank (NRB)
| Fine Gold | 1 tola | 77000.00 |
| Tejabi Gold | 1 tola | 76700.00 |
| Silver | 1 tola | 720.00 |
Update : 2020-03-25
Source: Federation of Nepal Gold and Silver Dealers' Association
| Petrol | 1 Liter | 106.00 |
| Diesel | 1 Liter | 95.00 |
| Kerosene | 1 Liter | 95.00 |
| LP Gas | 1 Cylinder | 1375.00 |
Update : 2020-03-25
