May 6: The government is making preparations to reopen the industries that have been closed due to the lockdown on priority…
May 6: The government is making preparations to reopen the industries that have been closed due to the lockdown on priority…
May 6: A meeting of the High-Level Coordination Committee for the Prevention and Control of Coronavirus held on Tuesday has decided to give continuity to the lockdown imposed by the government.…
May 6: Despite having entry pass for the vehicles, it is not that easy to enter into the Kathmandu valley from the outer districts during the ongoing lockdown.…
May 5: Lack of integrated data in the tourism industry has become a major hindrance to identify the exact losses for relief distribution.…
May 5: The lockdowns imposed by the governments across the globe is expected to adversely affect the interest which Nepal Nepal Rastra Bank (NRB) receives from the international market.…
May 5: Coronavirus infection has been confirmed in seven more people in Banke on Tuesday, taking the total number of infected people to 82 in the country.…
May 5: While the government is preparing to announce budget for the upcoming fiscal year, former finance ministers have suggested the government to cut its spending for better management of resource during the ongoing crisis.…
May 5: The government has hinted at reopening businesses and industries that have remained closed since the government imposed a lockdown on March 24.…
May 4: Star-rated hotels of Nepal have decided to close operation for six months effective from the Nepali New Year citing unprecedented crisis due to lockdown imposed to control the spread of…
May 4: The government is planning to announce the upcoming budget with special focus on coronavirus-affected sectors.…
May 4: Around 12,000 Nepal-bound containers carrying goods from third countries have been piled up at various ports in Nepal and…
May 4: Sixteen new cases of COVID-19 were confirmed in a single day on Sunday (May 3), according to officials at the Ministry of Health and…
May 3: The lockdown imposed by the government to control the spread of coronavirus has been affecting small and medium sized industries across the country.…
May 3: The uncertainty caused by the fear of coronavirus and the extension of lockdown have been affecting the insurance sector.…
May 3: At a time when the government is under pressure to rescue Nepalis stranded across the world due to the coronavirus pandemic, it has been found that the government lacks data on the number of Nepalis currently…
Notice (8): Undefined variable: file [APP/View/Elements/side_bar.ctp, line 60]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' => '12025', 'article_category_id' => '1', 'title' => 'Preparations Underway to Reopen Industries on Priority Basis: Minister Bhatta', 'sub_title' => '', 'summary' => 'May 6: The government is making preparations to reopen the industries that have been closed due to the lockdown on priority basis.', 'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">May 6: The government is making preparations to reopen the industries that have been closed due to the lockdown on priority basis.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">Minister for Industry, Commerce and Supplies Lekhraj Bhatta said that preparations are underway to open these industries in three phases on priority basis. </span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">Speaking at an interaction program organised in the capital by the society of economic journalists of Nepal (SEJON) on Tuesday (May 5), Minister Bhatta said priority will be given to the industries producing daily essential food items in the first phase. The government is planning to open industries supporting development and construction works in the second phase followed by export-based industries in the third phase. </span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">Minister Bhatta also added that the ministry is constantly holding discussions with trade unions and industrialists to ease the process of re-opening the industrial sector. </span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">“Kathmandu is not considered a red zone. But there is high risk here due to the population density,” said Minister Bhatta.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">He further said that the government has conducted a study to classify industrial sector into red, yellow and green zones and will be allowed to operate according to the classification. </span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">A cabinet meeting today (May 6) will take a decision to this effect, according to the minister.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">A meeting of the High Level Coordination Committee to Prevent Coronavirus on Tuesday had recommended the government to extend the lockdown by a week.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman""><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">“We are coordinating with the agriculture and finance ministries to create job opportunities,” he said.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman""><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">“We have decided to operate dysfunctional industries in Public Private Partnership model while the small and medium scale enterprises as well as industrial estates would be allowed to operate on priority basis,” he added.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman""><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">These programmes would be included in the budget for the upcoming fiscal year as well as the government’s policies and programmes, informed Minister Bhatta.</span></span></span></p> <p> </p> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2020-05-06', 'modified' => '2020-05-06', 'keywords' => '', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '11774', 'image' => '20200506094201_2023535_aaa.jpg', 'article_date' => '2020-05-06 09:41:08', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => true, 'in_scroller' => null, 'user_id' => '20' ) ), (int) 1 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '12022', 'article_category_id' => '1', 'title' => 'Lockdown to be Extended', 'sub_title' => '', 'summary' => 'May 6: A meeting of the High-Level Coordination Committee for the Prevention and Control of Coronavirus held on Tuesday has decided to give continuity to the lockdown imposed by the government. ', 'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">May 6: A meeting of the High-Level Coordination Committee for the Prevention and Control of Coronavirus held on Tuesday has decided to give continuity to the lockdown imposed by the government. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">The meeting held at Prime Minister’s official residence in Baluwatar took a decision to this effect. However, the length of the extension for the lockdown will be determined by the cabinet. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">Emerging from the meeting, Secretary at the Office of Prime Minister and Council of Ministers Narayan Prasad Bidari, shared that the committee assessed that moves of the government to be effective when it came to saving the lives of the public by ordering nationwide lockdown. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">The participants in the meeting had endorsed extension of the stay-at-home order that has been enforced by the government since May 24 to contain the spread of the deadly COVID-19 infection. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">Bidari further shared, “We discussed about all the policies and efforts taken and executed by the government to prevent and control COVID-19 and to treat the infected ones. We determined that the lives of people have been safeguarded by enforcing the lockdown which has helped curb the infection.” </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">The meeting also dwelt about how to reduce the cases of COVID-19 to nil, according to Bidari. -- RSS </span></span></span></p> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2020-05-06', 'modified' => '2020-05-06', 'keywords' => '', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '11773', 'image' => '20200506085132_lockdown.jpg', 'article_date' => '2020-05-06 08:50:46', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => true, 'in_scroller' => null, 'user_id' => '20' ) ), (int) 2 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '12023', 'article_category_id' => '1', 'title' => ' Entry into Kathmandu Valley barred Except for Emergencies', 'sub_title' => '', 'summary' => 'May 6: Despite having entry pass for the vehicles, it is not that easy to enter into the Kathmandu valley from the outer districts during the ongoing lockdown. ', 'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">May 6: Despite having entry pass for the vehicles, it is not that easy to enter into the Kathmandu valley from the outer districts during the ongoing lockdown. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">Even getting the entry pass, the vehicles are not permitted to get through the capital city from border points—Nagdhunga, Pharping, Mudkhu, Jagati and Jarsinghpauwa—except for emergencies. Now, only the vehicles carrying highly essentials goods and health supplies would be permitted to enter the capital city from other districts. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">Deputy Inspector General (DIG) of Nepal Police Bishow Raj Pokhrel said that vehicles except the emergency ones are prevented from coming into the Kathmandu valley though they have entry pass. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">Currently, around 1,500 vehicles have been entering the Kathmandu valley everyday and of them 400 vehicles bear the entry pass in the name of different purposes, the police records reveal. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">Likewise, the number of vehicles carrying daily essentials has increased lately. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">Despite the pandemic COVID-19 paralyzing the normal life, the people tend to get the entry pass under different pretexts which has prompted the security officials to be stricter in the entry of vehicles. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">The police was obliged to take the step as more entry passes were distributed in the districts resulting in the pressure of vehicles from outer districts. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">Deputy Superintendent of Police Ghanshyam Shrestha deployed at Nagdhunga said that around 80 vehicles coming to valley by taking entry pass from the outer districts were prevented from coming to the valley and this step is ongoing. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">He, however, said that sick people, those travelling for death rituals, emergency jobs and professions are allowed to move to their destinations in the valley. -- RSS </span></span></span></p> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2020-05-06', 'modified' => '2020-05-06', 'keywords' => '', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '11772', 'image' => '20200506085535_pass1588678175.jpg', 'article_date' => '2020-05-06 08:54:58', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => true, 'in_scroller' => null, 'user_id' => '20' ) ), (int) 3 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '12019', 'article_category_id' => '1', 'title' => 'Lack of Data Hindering Relief Package for Tourism Industry', 'sub_title' => '', 'summary' => 'May 5: Lack of integrated data in the tourism industry has become a major hindrance to identify the exact losses for relief distribution. ', 'content' => '<h1><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman"">May 5: Lack of integrated data in the tourism industry has become a major hindrance to identify the exact losses for relief distribution. </span></span></h1> <h1><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman"">Nepal Tourism Board (NTB) in a statement informed that there is a lack of official data to identify the exact losses incurred by the tourism industry in Nepal. However, there is no doubt that tourism is the most affected sector due to the crisis created by coronavirus. </span></span></h1> <h1><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman"">Chief Executive Officer of Nepal Tourism Board, Dr Dhananjay Regmi, held a video conversation with media persons on Monday to discuss about Nepali Tourism amid coronavirus crisis. During the conversation, he informed that Nepali tourism sector has a tentative investment of Rs 160 billion and has created around 300,000 jobs, according to a study conducted by Nepal Tourism Board.</span></span></h1> <h1><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman"">However, other organizations claim that the actual size of the investment in tourism is more than Rs 160 billion while this sector provides 800,000 to 1 million jobs.</span></span></h1> <h1><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman"">Even though the government had earlier demanded data on the total investment and employment provided by the industry, tourism entrepreneurs could not provide the data. </span></span></h1> <h1><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman"">The government is having difficulties to allocate relief packages for the tourism industry to combat coronavirus due to the unavailability of accurate data.</span></span></h1> <h1><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman"">A total of 837 firms had participated in the study conducted by the NTB. Regmi after studying the data informed that the tourism sector has an estimated bank loan of Rs 60 billion where Rs 1 billion is to be paid in installments and interest every month.</span></span></h1> <h1><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman"">"The government will only include the companies which are officially registered and are paying taxes while announcing the relief package through the budget. So, those who are not registered may be left out,” he informed.</span></span></h1> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman""><img alt="" src="/app/webroot/userfiles/images/20180103040118_Tourists.jpg" style="height:960px; width:720px" /></span></span></p> <h1><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman""> </span></span></h1> <h1> </h1> <h1> </h1> <h1> </h1> <h1> </h1> <h1> </h1> <h1> </h1> <h1> </h1> <h1> </h1> <h1> </h1> <h1> </h1> <h1> </h1> <h1> </h1> <h1> </h1> <h1> </h1> <h1> </h1> <h1> </h1> <h1> </h1> <h1> </h1> <h1> </h1> <h1> </h1> <h1> </h1> <h1> </h1> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2020-05-05', 'modified' => '2020-05-05', 'keywords' => '', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '11771', 'image' => '20200505123424_20180513122353_tourism.jpg', 'article_date' => '2020-05-05 12:33:20', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => true, 'in_scroller' => null, 'user_id' => '20' ) ), (int) 4 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '12021', 'article_category_id' => '1', 'title' => 'NRB may Lose Rs 7 Billion in Revenue', 'sub_title' => '', 'summary' => 'May 5: The lockdowns imposed by the governments across the globe is expected to adversely affect the interest which Nepal Nepal Rastra Bank (NRB) receives from the international market. ', 'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman""><span style="font-family:"Mangal","serif"">May 5: The lockdowns imposed by the governments across the globe is expected to adversely affect the interest which Nepal Nepal Rastra Bank (NRB) receives from the international market. Many countries have reduced their interest rate to save their economy. So, NRB will lose billions of rupees which it earns through interest coming from the deposits it makes in international banks. In the current fiscal year, it is estimated that NRB will have profit of only Rs 28 billion. </span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman""><span style="font-family:"Mangal","serif"">In the fiscal year 2018/2019, NRB had made a profit of Rs 35.77 billion from international currency and investment in securities. Similarly, in the fiscal year 2017/2018, the profit was Rs 32.34 billion. However, in the current fiscal year, NRB predicted that it will lose Rs 7 billion. </span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman""><span style="font-family:"Mangal","serif"">Almost all foreign exchange reserves of Nepal is in dollar. Nepal has deposited in USA, Singapore and India. As the interest rate has decreased in those countries, Nepal is poised to lose profit obtained from the interest. Currently, USA has reduced the interest rate in deposit to 0.25 percent. Similarly, Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has also decreased the interest rate. </span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman""><span style="font-family:"Mangal","serif"">According to NRB spokesperson Gunakar Bhatta, Nepal had invested its foreign exchange reserve in the Central Bank of USA at an interest rate of 2.25 percent per annum.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman""><span style="font-family:"Mangal","serif"">Chnitamani Siwakoti, deputy governor of NRB, says that the profit from the interest will decrease till the end of this FY. “We get the maximum revenue from foreign exchange reserves. The revenue from foreign exchange reserve is much higher than the revenue from treasury bills, bonds and security investments,” added Shivakoti.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman""><span style="font-family:"Mangal","serif""> “Every year, NRB invests its profit in various funds and provides the remaining amount to the government,” said Shivakoti. In the last FY, NRB provided Rs 12 billion to the government.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman""><span style="font-family:"Mangal","serif"">According to Bhatta, many countries have decreased the interest rate as they are investing the amount in relief packages. In Nepal too, the interest rate in deposit has been decreased to 6.5 percent. The interest rate in deposit has reduced worldwide, and the effects will be felt for a very long time.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman""> </span></span></p> <p> </p> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2020-05-05', 'modified' => '2020-05-05', 'keywords' => '', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '11770', 'image' => '20200505024559_20160909042218_nrb.jpg', 'article_date' => '2020-05-05 14:45:11', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => true, 'in_scroller' => null, 'user_id' => '20' ) ), (int) 5 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '12020', 'article_category_id' => '1', 'title' => 'COVID-19 Cases Reach 82 with Seven New Cases in Banke ', 'sub_title' => '', 'summary' => 'May 5: Coronavirus infection has been confirmed in seven more people in Banke on Tuesday, taking the total number of infected people to 82 in the country. ', 'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">May 5: Coronavirus infection has been confirmed in seven more people in Banke on Tuesday, taking the total number of infected people to 82 in the country. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">Joint spokesman at the Ministry of Health and Population, Dr Samir Adhikari, said coronavirus infection was found in four women and three men at Nepalgunj Sub-metropolitan City in course of carrying out tests at the Nepalgunj-based Bheri Hospital. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">According to him, the infected males are of 22, 30 and 40 years while the infected females are of 9, 32, 34 and 55 years of age. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">With seven new cases the number of infected people in Banke district has climbed to 23. Before this, coronavirus infection was found in 16 people in the district. The health condition of the infected persons is normal, Dr Adhikari said. -- RSS </span></span></span><br /> </p> <p> </p> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2020-05-05', 'modified' => '2020-05-05', 'keywords' => '', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '11769', 'image' => '20200505124232_Toll Rises4.jpg', 'article_date' => '2020-05-05 12:41:53', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => true, 'in_scroller' => null, 'user_id' => '20' ) ), (int) 6 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '12018', 'article_category_id' => '1', 'title' => 'Former Finance Ministers Urge Government to Cut Spending', 'sub_title' => '', 'summary' => 'May 5: While the government is preparing to announce budget for the upcoming fiscal year, former finance ministers have suggested the government to cut its spending for better management of resource during the ongoing crisis. ', 'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Times"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">May 5: While the government is preparing to announce budget for the upcoming fiscal year, former finance ministers have suggested the government to cut its spending for better management of resource during the ongoing crisis. </span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Times"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">Former finance ministers Surendra Pandey, Gyanendra Karki and Baburam Bhattarai made such remarks at a meeting of the Finance Committee of the Parliament on Monday. </span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Times"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">Speaking at the meeting, the ex finance ministers drew the attention of the government toward the unprecedented crisis caused by the coronavirus pandemic and urged it to cut its spending for proper resource management.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Times"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">Former finance minister and leader of the ruling Nepal Communist Party Surendra Pandey suggested the government to reduce recurrent expenditure and not to recruit any new employees and security personnel. </span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Times"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">“The government recruits 10,000 employees and security personnel each year. Let’s not make any recruitment this year,” said Pandey. </span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Times"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">He claimed that the government can save 30 percent of the recurrent expenditure if it reduces general employees and mobilizes technical staffers in their place.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Times"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">Meanwhile, former finance minister Gyanendra Karki of the main opposition Nepali Congress accused the government of giving an extra burden to the state coffers by forming the Squatters Commission at a time when the country is reeling under crisis of coronavirus. He said that the government’s first priority should have been ensuring proper medical kits and equipment to the health workers deployed in the frontline against coronavirus.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Times"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">“The present need is not the Squatters Commission but ventilators and ICU,” said Karki.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Times"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">“The government’s expenditure in unproductive sector is not justifiable,” he added.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Times"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">He also demanded the current status of national pride projects by issuing white paper. Kakri said that the country’s economy has been on a downward trend since the last eight months and the coronavirus pandemic will further deepen the crisis.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Times"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">Former Prime Minister Baburam Bhattarai, who is also a former finance minister, urged the government to reduce the size of the upcoming budget arguing that the revenue collection is expected to slump in the current fiscal year. </span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Times"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">However, he said that the government must give special attention not to shrink employment opportunities and must focus on big projects and social security while preparing the budget despite downsizing it.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Times"> </span></span></p> <p> </p> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2020-05-05', 'modified' => '2020-05-05', 'keywords' => '', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '11768', 'image' => '20200505094959_20151216125539_ed 2.jpg', 'article_date' => '2020-05-05 09:49:21', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => true, 'in_scroller' => null, 'user_id' => '20' ) ), (int) 7 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '12017', 'article_category_id' => '1', 'title' => 'Government Mulls Reopening Industries by Classifying them into Green and Yellow Zones', 'sub_title' => '', 'summary' => 'May 5: The government has hinted at reopening businesses and industries that have remained closed since the government imposed a lockdown on March 24. ', 'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Times"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">May 5: The government has hinted at reopening businesses and industries that have remained closed since the government imposed a lockdown on March 24. </span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Times"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">The Ministry of Industry, Commerce and Supplies is currently holding discussions with the High-Level Committee to Prevent Coronavirus on the prospects of reopening industries by classifying them into green and yellow zones based on the extent of risk of coronavirus infection.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Times"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">The ministry is finalizing its plan to reopen the industries by classifying them into different categories. State Minister for Industry, Commerce and Supplies Moti Lal Dugad informed New Business Age that the government will take a decision to this effect within a few days.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Times"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">“The lockdown will be in force until May 7. We will come up with a work procedure very soon,” said Dugad.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Times"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">According to State Minister Dugad, the areas with high risk will be listed as red zones and will remain closed. However, green and yellow zones will be allowed to operate by maintaining physical distance among the workers under a certain criteria, said Dugad.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Times"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">He further said that the government will make arrangement for operating industries and businesses by adopting necessary precautions even if the lockdown gets extended.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Times"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">Currently, only the industries producing essential items and medicines are operational in the country. </span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Times"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">Senior Vice President of the Federation of Nepalese Chambers of Commerce and Industries (FNCCI) Shekhar Golchha said that it is not essential to allow the industries to operate. </span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Times"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">“Lockdown has proved to be effective. It has almost become a success. Since the coronavirus pandemic is under control in Nepal, the government must now allow industries with low risk to resume operation,” he said. “This would not only prevent the collapse of the industries but also avoid the entire economy of the country from ruin,” he added.</span></span></span></p> <p> </p> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2020-05-05', 'modified' => '2020-05-05', 'keywords' => '', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '11767', 'image' => '20200505092339_20181118041106_kapada-1.jpg', 'article_date' => '2020-05-05 09:23:03', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => true, 'in_scroller' => null, 'user_id' => '20' ) ), (int) 8 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '12014', 'article_category_id' => '1', 'title' => 'Big Hotels Decide to Shut Down for 6 Months', 'sub_title' => '', 'summary' => 'May 4: Star-rated hotels of Nepal have decided to close operation for six months effective from the Nepali New Year citing unprecedented crisis due to lockdown imposed to control the spread of coronavirus.', 'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Times"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">May 4: Star-rated hotels of Nepal have decided to close operation for six months effective from the Nepali New Year citing unprecedented crisis due to lockdown imposed to control the spread of coronavirus. </span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Times"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">Operators of big hotels of Nepal on Sunday (May 3) took a decision in this regard. According to the star-rated hotels, all services will remain closed for six months effective from April 13.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Times"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">The hotel operators informed that the lockdown has affected tourism sector the most. They were of the view that the coronavirus pandemic will have long-term effects on the tourism industry. It is estimated that the current crisis will cause a slump in tourism business for at least a year.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Times"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">In such a context, the hotel operators decided to shut their business for six months, according to Hotel Association of Nepal (HAN).</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Times"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">During the six months of closure, the hotels have decided to provide 12.5 percent of the basic salary and other remunerations to the staffers.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Times"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">In case the labour unions do not agree with the decision of providing 12.5 percent salary, the hotel operators have warned of laying off the staffers fully or partially as per Section 145 of the Labour Act 2074. </span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Times"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">Sunday’s meeting also agreed to seek support from the government for setting up ‘job retention fund’ to pay the staffers additional amount to the 12.5 percent of basic salary. Both the hotel operators and the trade unions have agreed to this proposal to seek government support, said HAN in a statement issued after the meeting.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Times"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">Representatives from Radisson Hotel, Hotel Annapurna, Shangri-La Hotel, Soaltee Crowne Plaza, Hyatt Regency, Shankar Hotel, Hotel Akama among others had attended the meeting.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Times"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">HAN further said that they are open to discussion with the concerned authorities and stakeholders including the workers for better management of the industry.</span></span></span></p> <p> </p> <p> </p> <p> </p> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2020-05-04', 'modified' => '2020-05-04', 'keywords' => '', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '11766', 'image' => '20200504104410_20190511105700_Clipboard37 2.jpg', 'article_date' => '2020-05-04 10:43:30', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => true, 'in_scroller' => null, 'user_id' => '20' ) ), (int) 9 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '12016', 'article_category_id' => '1', 'title' => 'Upcoming Budget to Focus on Coronavirus Affected Sectors', 'sub_title' => '', 'summary' => 'May 4: The government is planning to announce the upcoming budget with special focus on coronavirus-affected sectors. ', 'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman""><span style="font-family:"Mangal","serif"">May 4</span><span style="font-family:Arial">: The government is planning to announce the upcoming budget with special focus on coronavirus-affected sectors. Ministry of Finance is currently preparing the government’s policies and programmes to address the concerns of industrial sector, tourism industry as well as labor and employment issues.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman""><span style="font-family:Arial">Along with neighboring India, many other countries have announced stimulus package. However, the government of Nepal has not yet announced any such package. </span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman""><span style="font-family:"Mangal","serif"">But the government has decided to give subsidies to the affected areas. Issues like giving income tax relief for three to seven years based on production of the industries, postponing loan repayment for six months and limiting interest rate to nine percent are some the measures being considered by the government.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman""><span style="font-family:"Mangal","serif""> The government is also planning to allocate budget for providing employment opportunity to the returnee migrant workers.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman""><span style="font-family:"Mangal","serif"">According to the ministry, the returnee migrant workers will get jobs on the basis of their skills. Government officials informed that the government will give continuity to the Prime Minister Employment Fund in the coming years. The officials say that all these concerns will be addressed by the budget for the upcoming fiscal year 2020/21.</span></span></span></p> <p><strong><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman""><span style="font-family:"Mangal","serif"">Pressure to include informal sector and laborers </span></span></span></strong></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman""><span style="font-family:"Mangal","serif"">Members of Parliament have been pressurizing the government to address all the concerns of small and medium scale industries. During a discussion on Sunday, MPs said that the government must prepare some relief for informal sectors workers and small enterprises as well. </span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman""><span style="font-family:"Mangal","serif"">As many migrant laborers and other local workers are under the risk of losing their job, the lawmakers demanded that the government address their concerns promptly. During the meeting, leaders of various political parties said that industrial zone should be established in all 753 local units. Also, according to them, infrastructures should be expanded so that Nepal can store petrol for at least three months. The MPs demanded the government to address all these concerns in the next fiscal year’s budget. </span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Calibri"> </span></span></p> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2020-05-04', 'modified' => '2020-05-04', 'keywords' => '', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '11765', 'image' => '20200504033240_1588549898.jpg', 'article_date' => '2020-05-04 15:31:41', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => true, 'in_scroller' => null, 'user_id' => '20' ) ), (int) 10 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '12015', 'article_category_id' => '1', 'title' => 'Almost 12,000 Containers Stuck at Different Ports', 'sub_title' => '', 'summary' => 'May 4: Around 12,000 Nepal-bound containers carrying goods from third countries have been piled up at various ports in Nepal and India.', 'content' => '<h1><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman"">May 4: Around 12,000 Nepal-bound containers carrying goods from third countries have been piled up at various ports in Nepal and India. The containers are stuck in the port due to transportation and procedural delays caused by the ongoing lockdown to control the spread of coronavirus.</span></span></h1> <h1><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman"">Likewise, more than 3500 containers are stuck in the Birgunj Dry Port. Meanwhile importers have not turned up at the dry port to clear their containers. The containers were brought to Birgunj from Kolkata and Visakhapatnam ports of India.</span></span></h1> <h1><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman"">The delay in clearing the goods has affected the shipments from Kolkata and Visakhapatnam ports as containers are stuck at the Birgunj port.</span></span></h1> <h1><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman"">There are altogether 19 trains that transport goods from India to Birgunj Dry Port and all of the trains are currently moving towards Birgunj with additional containers. </span></span></h1> <h1><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman"">However, Bishnukant Chaudhary, chief executive officer of Himalayan Terminal that handles the Birgunj Dry Port, informed that the port is already overcrowded with containers and it no longer has sufficient space to unload the arriving containers from India. </span></span></h1> <h1><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman"">“One train carries 90 containers. So, more than 1,700 containers are on the way. Now we are concerned about how to manage the arriving containers,” Chaudhary informed New Business Age.</span></span></h1> <h1><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman"">The number of Nepal-bound containers at Kolkata Port has already exceeded 4,000. The port has decided to send the containers to the nearest Container Freight Station (CFS) if the importers do not receive them.</span></span></h1> <h1><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman"">“About 1,400 containers unloaded at the Kolkata Port before April 23 will be delivered to CFS. We have already informed the importers about this,” informed Vineet Kumar, chairman of Kolkata Port Trust.</span></span></h1> <h1> </h1> <h1> </h1> <h1> </h1> <h1> </h1> <h1> </h1> <h1> </h1> <h1> </h1> <h1> </h1> <h1> </h1> <h1> </h1> <h1> </h1> <h1> </h1> <h1> </h1> <h1> </h1> <h1> </h1> <h1> </h1> <h1> </h1> <h1> </h1> <h1> </h1> <h1> </h1> <h1><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman""> </span></span></h1> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2020-05-04', 'modified' => '2020-05-04', 'keywords' => '', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '11764', 'image' => '20200504031808_20202_1588282929.jpg', 'article_date' => '2020-05-04 15:17:26', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => true, 'in_scroller' => null, 'user_id' => '20' ) ), (int) 11 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '12013', 'article_category_id' => '1', 'title' => 'COVID-19 Cases in Nepal Surge to 75', 'sub_title' => '16 new cases of reported in a single day', 'summary' => 'May 4: Sixteen new cases of COVID-19 were confirmed in a single day on Sunday (May 3), according to officials at the Ministry of Health and Population.', 'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:Arial">May 4: Sixteen new cases of COVID-19 were confirmed in a single day on Sunday (May 3), according to officials at the Ministry of Health and Population.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:Arial">The ministry informed that 15 new cases were confirmed in Banke while one was reported in Prasa. </span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:Arial">The total number of COVID-19 cases has reached 75 across the country.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:Arial">Spokesperson at the ministry Dr Bikas Devkota said that the health condition of all the infected persons is normal.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:Arial">So far 16 people infected with coronavirus have returned home after full recovery. </span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:Arial">As of Sunday, health authorities have tested 13,414 samples through PCR method and 49,688 through RDT method.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:Arial">Altogether 21,951 persons have been kept in quarantine across the country.</span></span></span></p> <p> </p> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2020-05-04', 'modified' => '2020-05-04', 'keywords' => '', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '11763', 'image' => '20200504102006_Toll Rises4.jpg', 'article_date' => '2020-05-04 10:16:32', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => true, 'in_scroller' => false, 'user_id' => '20' ) ), (int) 12 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '12011', 'article_category_id' => '1', 'title' => 'SMEs is Crisis due to Lockdown ', 'sub_title' => '', 'summary' => 'May 3: The lockdown imposed by the government to control the spread of coronavirus has been affecting small and medium sized industries across the country. ', 'content' => '<h1><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman"">May 3: The lockdown imposed by the government to control the spread of coronavirus has been affecting small and medium sized industries across the country. Small and Medium Scale Enterprises (SMEs) are in crisis as production and supply have come to a standstill due to the month-long lockdown.</span></span></h1> <h1><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman"">Due to such unprecedented circumstances, stakeholders opine that the entire economy will be affected by the current crisis.</span></span></h1> <h1><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman"">Economist Dr Govinda Nepal informed new Business Age that the lockdown and coronavirus crisis have affected SMEs the most around the world.</span></span></h1> <h1><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman"">He informed that all such enterprises are the most vulnerable during the current crisis.</span></span></h1> <h1><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman"">The small and medium scale industries are affected by minor risks and eventually force them to shut down. </span></span></h1> <h1><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman"">“Even small risks can cause such industries to close down quickly. However, the government should provide short-term relief, soft loans and refinancing to save such industries from crisis,” he informed.</span></span></h1> <h1><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman"">Experts also suggest that the state must take appropriate decision to save such industries from crisis. Small and medium industries and enterprises contribute a lot in creating employment opportunities.</span></span></h1> <h1><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman"">Restaurants, handicraft industry and poultry farms which are part of small and medium industries have been providing direct and indirect employment to about 2.4 million people in Nepal and are contributing 22 percent to the country's gross domestic product.</span></span></h1> <h1><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman"">At present, poultry industry is bearing a daily loss of around Rs 220 million. Likewise, restaurants have been shut for more than a month. </span></span></h1> <h1><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman"">There are about 2,500 restaurants in Kathmandu, Chitwan and Pokhara making a daily turnover of Rs 70 million. Similarly, the handicraft industry, which employs around one million people, is also in crisis.</span></span></h1> <h1> </h1> <h1> </h1> <h1> </h1> <h1> </h1> <h1> </h1> <h1> </h1> <h1> </h1> <h1> </h1> <h1> </h1> <h1> </h1> <h1> </h1> <h1> </h1> <h1> </h1> <h1> </h1> <h1> </h1> <h1> </h1> <h1> </h1> <h1> </h1> <h1> </h1> <h1> </h1> <h1> </h1> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2020-05-03', 'modified' => '2020-05-03', 'keywords' => '', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '11762', 'image' => '20200503040317_20181115113202_DSC_0992 (1).jpg', 'article_date' => '2020-05-03 16:02:30', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => true, 'in_scroller' => null, 'user_id' => '20' ) ), (int) 13 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '12012', 'article_category_id' => '1', 'title' => 'Insurance Sector may face loss of Rs 13 billion', 'sub_title' => '', 'summary' => 'May 3: The uncertainty caused by the fear of coronavirus and the extension of lockdown have been affecting the insurance sector. ', 'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman""><span style="font-family:"Mangal","serif"">May 3: The uncertainty caused by the fear of coronavirus and the extension of lockdown have been affecting the insurance sector. </span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman""><span style="font-family:"Mangal","serif"">Usually around this time of the year, the insurance companies make good business due to various schemes they announce. But, due to the lockdown, insurance companies are getting very less clients who want purchase insurance policies. </span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman""><span style="font-family:"Mangal","serif"">The main source of revenue for insurance companies is insurance premium. The officials say that even the insurance renewal hasn’t taken place as the government has postponed the renewal deadline till mid-June. Earlier, the deadline for renewal was mid-May. </span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman""><span style="font-family:"Mangal","serif"">According to Shiva Nath Pandey, president of Nepal Insurers Association, the insurance sector may lose Rs 13 billion due to lockdown. “Had it been normal times, we would have invested in various sectors to expand revenue horizon,” said Pandey. </span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman""> </span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman""><span style="font-family:"Mangal","serif"">Due to chances of decreasing revenue of companies, it is expected that people’s income will reduce. In this situation, it is very difficult for the insurance companies to get new businesses. Apart from that, it is also certain to affect the renewals of insurance policies. </span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman""><span style="font-family:"Mangal","serif"">“Because of decreasing income, people will give less priority to insurance,” says Pandey. </span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman""><span style="font-family:"Mangal","serif"">The insurance sector had set a target to collect insurance premium of Rs 100 billion in the current Fiscal Year. In the last Fiscal Year, insurance premium of Rs 70 billion was collected. </span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman""><span style="font-family:"Mangal","serif"">Due to the slowdown of business in the insurance sector, the profit of most of companies will be affected. </span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman""><span style="font-family:"Mangal","serif"">The affect is also seen in the non-life insurance sector. According to Noor Pratap Pradhan, vice-president of Nepal Insurers’ Association, the renewal of non-life insurance is not so exciting. </span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman""><span style="font-family:"Mangal","serif"">“The employees haven’t got salary from their offices. It is normal that the insurance holders have not been able to deposit the amount during this period,” said Pradhan. “Presently, the business is only 45 percent compared to normal times. All these transactions have taken place through online medium.”</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman""><span style="font-family:"Mangal","serif"">Similarly, the insurance companies have further been affected due to the reduction of interest rate by the commercial banks. The insurance companies deposit almost the entire amount in the banks. So, they gain profit from the interest. But, due to Covid 29, the interest rate on deposits has been reduced to 7 percent from 9.75 percent. According to data from Nepal Rastra Bank, the insurance companies have deposited around Rs 200.63 billion. </span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman""><span style="font-family:"Mangal","serif"">According to Pandey, the effects won’t be seen in the financial report of this year. “Because the business was really good for first 8-9 months of this fiscal year. However, the effect will be seen in the next fiscal year,” he said. </span></span></span></p> <p> </p> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2020-05-03', 'modified' => '2020-05-03', 'keywords' => '', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '11761', 'image' => '20200503041304_20191023114923_aaaaa.jpg', 'article_date' => '2020-05-03 16:12:23', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => true, 'in_scroller' => null, 'user_id' => '20' ) ), (int) 14 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '12010', 'article_category_id' => '1', 'title' => '‘Government Lacks Data Regarding Nepali Citizens in Foreign Countries’', 'sub_title' => '', 'summary' => 'May 3: At a time when the government is under pressure to rescue Nepalis stranded across the world due to the coronavirus pandemic, it has been found that the government lacks data on the number of Nepalis currently abroad.', 'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Times"><span style="font-family:Arial">May 3: At a time when the government is under pressure to rescue Nepalis stranded across the world due to the coronavirus pandemic, it has been found that the government lacks data on the number of Nepalis currently abroad.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Times"><span style="font-family:Arial">According to officials at the Ministry of Labour, Employment and Social Security, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs is the body responsible of keeping records of the Nepali nationals living abroad. However, the concerned ministry has not maintained proper data, the labour ministry officials said.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Times"><span style="font-family:Arial">“The Ministry of Labour, Employment and Social Security had time and again sought details of Nepali nationals living in different countries across the world to rescue them. However, the foreign ministry replied to us saying that they have to seek the details,” said Joint Secretary Suman Ghimire.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Times"><span style="font-family:Arial">According to Ghimire, although the Ministry of Labour, Employment and Social Security keeps the record of Nepali migrant workers in foreign countries but they do not have any data about Nepali citizens visiting foreign countries for study and other purposes. </span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Times"><span style="font-family:Arial">Officials at the foreign ministry have made irresponsible remarks by stating that they do not have the details of Nepali nationals abroad at the moment.</span></span></span></p> <p> </p> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2020-05-03', 'modified' => '2020-05-03', 'keywords' => '', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '11760', 'image' => '20200503104342_1588455963.jpg', 'article_date' => '2020-05-03 10:42:42', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => true, 'in_scroller' => null, 'user_id' => '20' ) ) ) $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' => '12025', 'article_category_id' => '1', 'title' => 'Preparations Underway to Reopen Industries on Priority Basis: Minister Bhatta', 'sub_title' => '', 'summary' => 'May 6: The government is making preparations to reopen the industries that have been closed due to the lockdown on priority basis.', 'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">May 6: The government is making preparations to reopen the industries that have been closed due to the lockdown on priority basis.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">Minister for Industry, Commerce and Supplies Lekhraj Bhatta said that preparations are underway to open these industries in three phases on priority basis. </span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">Speaking at an interaction program organised in the capital by the society of economic journalists of Nepal (SEJON) on Tuesday (May 5), Minister Bhatta said priority will be given to the industries producing daily essential food items in the first phase. The government is planning to open industries supporting development and construction works in the second phase followed by export-based industries in the third phase. </span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">Minister Bhatta also added that the ministry is constantly holding discussions with trade unions and industrialists to ease the process of re-opening the industrial sector. </span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">“Kathmandu is not considered a red zone. But there is high risk here due to the population density,” said Minister Bhatta.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">He further said that the government has conducted a study to classify industrial sector into red, yellow and green zones and will be allowed to operate according to the classification. </span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">A cabinet meeting today (May 6) will take a decision to this effect, according to the minister.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">A meeting of the High Level Coordination Committee to Prevent Coronavirus on Tuesday had recommended the government to extend the lockdown by a week.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman""><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">“We are coordinating with the agriculture and finance ministries to create job opportunities,” he said.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman""><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">“We have decided to operate dysfunctional industries in Public Private Partnership model while the small and medium scale enterprises as well as industrial estates would be allowed to operate on priority basis,” he added.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman""><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">These programmes would be included in the budget for the upcoming fiscal year as well as the government’s policies and programmes, informed Minister Bhatta.</span></span></span></p> <p> </p> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2020-05-06', 'modified' => '2020-05-06', 'keywords' => '', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '11774', 'image' => '20200506094201_2023535_aaa.jpg', 'article_date' => '2020-05-06 09:41:08', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => true, 'in_scroller' => null, 'user_id' => '20' ) ), (int) 1 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '12022', 'article_category_id' => '1', 'title' => 'Lockdown to be Extended', 'sub_title' => '', 'summary' => 'May 6: A meeting of the High-Level Coordination Committee for the Prevention and Control of Coronavirus held on Tuesday has decided to give continuity to the lockdown imposed by the government. ', 'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">May 6: A meeting of the High-Level Coordination Committee for the Prevention and Control of Coronavirus held on Tuesday has decided to give continuity to the lockdown imposed by the government. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">The meeting held at Prime Minister’s official residence in Baluwatar took a decision to this effect. However, the length of the extension for the lockdown will be determined by the cabinet. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">Emerging from the meeting, Secretary at the Office of Prime Minister and Council of Ministers Narayan Prasad Bidari, shared that the committee assessed that moves of the government to be effective when it came to saving the lives of the public by ordering nationwide lockdown. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">The participants in the meeting had endorsed extension of the stay-at-home order that has been enforced by the government since May 24 to contain the spread of the deadly COVID-19 infection. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">Bidari further shared, “We discussed about all the policies and efforts taken and executed by the government to prevent and control COVID-19 and to treat the infected ones. We determined that the lives of people have been safeguarded by enforcing the lockdown which has helped curb the infection.” </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">The meeting also dwelt about how to reduce the cases of COVID-19 to nil, according to Bidari. -- RSS </span></span></span></p> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2020-05-06', 'modified' => '2020-05-06', 'keywords' => '', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '11773', 'image' => '20200506085132_lockdown.jpg', 'article_date' => '2020-05-06 08:50:46', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => true, 'in_scroller' => null, 'user_id' => '20' ) ), (int) 2 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '12023', 'article_category_id' => '1', 'title' => ' Entry into Kathmandu Valley barred Except for Emergencies', 'sub_title' => '', 'summary' => 'May 6: Despite having entry pass for the vehicles, it is not that easy to enter into the Kathmandu valley from the outer districts during the ongoing lockdown. ', 'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">May 6: Despite having entry pass for the vehicles, it is not that easy to enter into the Kathmandu valley from the outer districts during the ongoing lockdown. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">Even getting the entry pass, the vehicles are not permitted to get through the capital city from border points—Nagdhunga, Pharping, Mudkhu, Jagati and Jarsinghpauwa—except for emergencies. Now, only the vehicles carrying highly essentials goods and health supplies would be permitted to enter the capital city from other districts. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">Deputy Inspector General (DIG) of Nepal Police Bishow Raj Pokhrel said that vehicles except the emergency ones are prevented from coming into the Kathmandu valley though they have entry pass. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">Currently, around 1,500 vehicles have been entering the Kathmandu valley everyday and of them 400 vehicles bear the entry pass in the name of different purposes, the police records reveal. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">Likewise, the number of vehicles carrying daily essentials has increased lately. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">Despite the pandemic COVID-19 paralyzing the normal life, the people tend to get the entry pass under different pretexts which has prompted the security officials to be stricter in the entry of vehicles. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">The police was obliged to take the step as more entry passes were distributed in the districts resulting in the pressure of vehicles from outer districts. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">Deputy Superintendent of Police Ghanshyam Shrestha deployed at Nagdhunga said that around 80 vehicles coming to valley by taking entry pass from the outer districts were prevented from coming to the valley and this step is ongoing. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">He, however, said that sick people, those travelling for death rituals, emergency jobs and professions are allowed to move to their destinations in the valley. -- RSS </span></span></span></p> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2020-05-06', 'modified' => '2020-05-06', 'keywords' => '', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '11772', 'image' => '20200506085535_pass1588678175.jpg', 'article_date' => '2020-05-06 08:54:58', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => true, 'in_scroller' => null, 'user_id' => '20' ) ), (int) 3 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '12019', 'article_category_id' => '1', 'title' => 'Lack of Data Hindering Relief Package for Tourism Industry', 'sub_title' => '', 'summary' => 'May 5: Lack of integrated data in the tourism industry has become a major hindrance to identify the exact losses for relief distribution. ', 'content' => '<h1><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman"">May 5: Lack of integrated data in the tourism industry has become a major hindrance to identify the exact losses for relief distribution. </span></span></h1> <h1><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman"">Nepal Tourism Board (NTB) in a statement informed that there is a lack of official data to identify the exact losses incurred by the tourism industry in Nepal. However, there is no doubt that tourism is the most affected sector due to the crisis created by coronavirus. </span></span></h1> <h1><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman"">Chief Executive Officer of Nepal Tourism Board, Dr Dhananjay Regmi, held a video conversation with media persons on Monday to discuss about Nepali Tourism amid coronavirus crisis. During the conversation, he informed that Nepali tourism sector has a tentative investment of Rs 160 billion and has created around 300,000 jobs, according to a study conducted by Nepal Tourism Board.</span></span></h1> <h1><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman"">However, other organizations claim that the actual size of the investment in tourism is more than Rs 160 billion while this sector provides 800,000 to 1 million jobs.</span></span></h1> <h1><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman"">Even though the government had earlier demanded data on the total investment and employment provided by the industry, tourism entrepreneurs could not provide the data. </span></span></h1> <h1><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman"">The government is having difficulties to allocate relief packages for the tourism industry to combat coronavirus due to the unavailability of accurate data.</span></span></h1> <h1><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman"">A total of 837 firms had participated in the study conducted by the NTB. Regmi after studying the data informed that the tourism sector has an estimated bank loan of Rs 60 billion where Rs 1 billion is to be paid in installments and interest every month.</span></span></h1> <h1><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman"">"The government will only include the companies which are officially registered and are paying taxes while announcing the relief package through the budget. So, those who are not registered may be left out,” he informed.</span></span></h1> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman""><img alt="" src="/app/webroot/userfiles/images/20180103040118_Tourists.jpg" style="height:960px; width:720px" /></span></span></p> <h1><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman""> </span></span></h1> <h1> </h1> <h1> </h1> <h1> </h1> <h1> </h1> <h1> </h1> <h1> </h1> <h1> </h1> <h1> </h1> <h1> </h1> <h1> </h1> <h1> </h1> <h1> </h1> <h1> </h1> <h1> </h1> <h1> </h1> <h1> </h1> <h1> </h1> <h1> </h1> <h1> </h1> <h1> </h1> <h1> </h1> <h1> </h1> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2020-05-05', 'modified' => '2020-05-05', 'keywords' => '', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '11771', 'image' => '20200505123424_20180513122353_tourism.jpg', 'article_date' => '2020-05-05 12:33:20', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => true, 'in_scroller' => null, 'user_id' => '20' ) ), (int) 4 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '12021', 'article_category_id' => '1', 'title' => 'NRB may Lose Rs 7 Billion in Revenue', 'sub_title' => '', 'summary' => 'May 5: The lockdowns imposed by the governments across the globe is expected to adversely affect the interest which Nepal Nepal Rastra Bank (NRB) receives from the international market. ', 'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman""><span style="font-family:"Mangal","serif"">May 5: The lockdowns imposed by the governments across the globe is expected to adversely affect the interest which Nepal Nepal Rastra Bank (NRB) receives from the international market. Many countries have reduced their interest rate to save their economy. So, NRB will lose billions of rupees which it earns through interest coming from the deposits it makes in international banks. In the current fiscal year, it is estimated that NRB will have profit of only Rs 28 billion. </span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman""><span style="font-family:"Mangal","serif"">In the fiscal year 2018/2019, NRB had made a profit of Rs 35.77 billion from international currency and investment in securities. Similarly, in the fiscal year 2017/2018, the profit was Rs 32.34 billion. However, in the current fiscal year, NRB predicted that it will lose Rs 7 billion. </span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman""><span style="font-family:"Mangal","serif"">Almost all foreign exchange reserves of Nepal is in dollar. Nepal has deposited in USA, Singapore and India. As the interest rate has decreased in those countries, Nepal is poised to lose profit obtained from the interest. Currently, USA has reduced the interest rate in deposit to 0.25 percent. Similarly, Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has also decreased the interest rate. </span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman""><span style="font-family:"Mangal","serif"">According to NRB spokesperson Gunakar Bhatta, Nepal had invested its foreign exchange reserve in the Central Bank of USA at an interest rate of 2.25 percent per annum.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman""><span style="font-family:"Mangal","serif"">Chnitamani Siwakoti, deputy governor of NRB, says that the profit from the interest will decrease till the end of this FY. “We get the maximum revenue from foreign exchange reserves. The revenue from foreign exchange reserve is much higher than the revenue from treasury bills, bonds and security investments,” added Shivakoti.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman""><span style="font-family:"Mangal","serif""> “Every year, NRB invests its profit in various funds and provides the remaining amount to the government,” said Shivakoti. In the last FY, NRB provided Rs 12 billion to the government.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman""><span style="font-family:"Mangal","serif"">According to Bhatta, many countries have decreased the interest rate as they are investing the amount in relief packages. In Nepal too, the interest rate in deposit has been decreased to 6.5 percent. The interest rate in deposit has reduced worldwide, and the effects will be felt for a very long time.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman""> </span></span></p> <p> </p> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2020-05-05', 'modified' => '2020-05-05', 'keywords' => '', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '11770', 'image' => '20200505024559_20160909042218_nrb.jpg', 'article_date' => '2020-05-05 14:45:11', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => true, 'in_scroller' => null, 'user_id' => '20' ) ), (int) 5 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '12020', 'article_category_id' => '1', 'title' => 'COVID-19 Cases Reach 82 with Seven New Cases in Banke ', 'sub_title' => '', 'summary' => 'May 5: Coronavirus infection has been confirmed in seven more people in Banke on Tuesday, taking the total number of infected people to 82 in the country. ', 'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">May 5: Coronavirus infection has been confirmed in seven more people in Banke on Tuesday, taking the total number of infected people to 82 in the country. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">Joint spokesman at the Ministry of Health and Population, Dr Samir Adhikari, said coronavirus infection was found in four women and three men at Nepalgunj Sub-metropolitan City in course of carrying out tests at the Nepalgunj-based Bheri Hospital. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">According to him, the infected males are of 22, 30 and 40 years while the infected females are of 9, 32, 34 and 55 years of age. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">With seven new cases the number of infected people in Banke district has climbed to 23. Before this, coronavirus infection was found in 16 people in the district. The health condition of the infected persons is normal, Dr Adhikari said. -- RSS </span></span></span><br /> </p> <p> </p> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2020-05-05', 'modified' => '2020-05-05', 'keywords' => '', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '11769', 'image' => '20200505124232_Toll Rises4.jpg', 'article_date' => '2020-05-05 12:41:53', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => true, 'in_scroller' => null, 'user_id' => '20' ) ), (int) 6 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '12018', 'article_category_id' => '1', 'title' => 'Former Finance Ministers Urge Government to Cut Spending', 'sub_title' => '', 'summary' => 'May 5: While the government is preparing to announce budget for the upcoming fiscal year, former finance ministers have suggested the government to cut its spending for better management of resource during the ongoing crisis. ', 'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Times"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">May 5: While the government is preparing to announce budget for the upcoming fiscal year, former finance ministers have suggested the government to cut its spending for better management of resource during the ongoing crisis. </span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Times"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">Former finance ministers Surendra Pandey, Gyanendra Karki and Baburam Bhattarai made such remarks at a meeting of the Finance Committee of the Parliament on Monday. </span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Times"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">Speaking at the meeting, the ex finance ministers drew the attention of the government toward the unprecedented crisis caused by the coronavirus pandemic and urged it to cut its spending for proper resource management.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Times"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">Former finance minister and leader of the ruling Nepal Communist Party Surendra Pandey suggested the government to reduce recurrent expenditure and not to recruit any new employees and security personnel. </span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Times"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">“The government recruits 10,000 employees and security personnel each year. Let’s not make any recruitment this year,” said Pandey. </span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Times"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">He claimed that the government can save 30 percent of the recurrent expenditure if it reduces general employees and mobilizes technical staffers in their place.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Times"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">Meanwhile, former finance minister Gyanendra Karki of the main opposition Nepali Congress accused the government of giving an extra burden to the state coffers by forming the Squatters Commission at a time when the country is reeling under crisis of coronavirus. He said that the government’s first priority should have been ensuring proper medical kits and equipment to the health workers deployed in the frontline against coronavirus.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Times"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">“The present need is not the Squatters Commission but ventilators and ICU,” said Karki.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Times"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">“The government’s expenditure in unproductive sector is not justifiable,” he added.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Times"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">He also demanded the current status of national pride projects by issuing white paper. Kakri said that the country’s economy has been on a downward trend since the last eight months and the coronavirus pandemic will further deepen the crisis.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Times"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">Former Prime Minister Baburam Bhattarai, who is also a former finance minister, urged the government to reduce the size of the upcoming budget arguing that the revenue collection is expected to slump in the current fiscal year. </span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Times"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">However, he said that the government must give special attention not to shrink employment opportunities and must focus on big projects and social security while preparing the budget despite downsizing it.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Times"> </span></span></p> <p> </p> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2020-05-05', 'modified' => '2020-05-05', 'keywords' => '', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '11768', 'image' => '20200505094959_20151216125539_ed 2.jpg', 'article_date' => '2020-05-05 09:49:21', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => true, 'in_scroller' => null, 'user_id' => '20' ) ), (int) 7 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '12017', 'article_category_id' => '1', 'title' => 'Government Mulls Reopening Industries by Classifying them into Green and Yellow Zones', 'sub_title' => '', 'summary' => 'May 5: The government has hinted at reopening businesses and industries that have remained closed since the government imposed a lockdown on March 24. ', 'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Times"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">May 5: The government has hinted at reopening businesses and industries that have remained closed since the government imposed a lockdown on March 24. </span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Times"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">The Ministry of Industry, Commerce and Supplies is currently holding discussions with the High-Level Committee to Prevent Coronavirus on the prospects of reopening industries by classifying them into green and yellow zones based on the extent of risk of coronavirus infection.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Times"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">The ministry is finalizing its plan to reopen the industries by classifying them into different categories. State Minister for Industry, Commerce and Supplies Moti Lal Dugad informed New Business Age that the government will take a decision to this effect within a few days.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Times"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">“The lockdown will be in force until May 7. We will come up with a work procedure very soon,” said Dugad.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Times"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">According to State Minister Dugad, the areas with high risk will be listed as red zones and will remain closed. However, green and yellow zones will be allowed to operate by maintaining physical distance among the workers under a certain criteria, said Dugad.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Times"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">He further said that the government will make arrangement for operating industries and businesses by adopting necessary precautions even if the lockdown gets extended.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Times"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">Currently, only the industries producing essential items and medicines are operational in the country. </span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Times"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">Senior Vice President of the Federation of Nepalese Chambers of Commerce and Industries (FNCCI) Shekhar Golchha said that it is not essential to allow the industries to operate. </span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Times"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">“Lockdown has proved to be effective. It has almost become a success. Since the coronavirus pandemic is under control in Nepal, the government must now allow industries with low risk to resume operation,” he said. “This would not only prevent the collapse of the industries but also avoid the entire economy of the country from ruin,” he added.</span></span></span></p> <p> </p> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2020-05-05', 'modified' => '2020-05-05', 'keywords' => '', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '11767', 'image' => '20200505092339_20181118041106_kapada-1.jpg', 'article_date' => '2020-05-05 09:23:03', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => true, 'in_scroller' => null, 'user_id' => '20' ) ), (int) 8 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '12014', 'article_category_id' => '1', 'title' => 'Big Hotels Decide to Shut Down for 6 Months', 'sub_title' => '', 'summary' => 'May 4: Star-rated hotels of Nepal have decided to close operation for six months effective from the Nepali New Year citing unprecedented crisis due to lockdown imposed to control the spread of coronavirus.', 'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Times"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">May 4: Star-rated hotels of Nepal have decided to close operation for six months effective from the Nepali New Year citing unprecedented crisis due to lockdown imposed to control the spread of coronavirus. </span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Times"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">Operators of big hotels of Nepal on Sunday (May 3) took a decision in this regard. According to the star-rated hotels, all services will remain closed for six months effective from April 13.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Times"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">The hotel operators informed that the lockdown has affected tourism sector the most. They were of the view that the coronavirus pandemic will have long-term effects on the tourism industry. It is estimated that the current crisis will cause a slump in tourism business for at least a year.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Times"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">In such a context, the hotel operators decided to shut their business for six months, according to Hotel Association of Nepal (HAN).</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Times"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">During the six months of closure, the hotels have decided to provide 12.5 percent of the basic salary and other remunerations to the staffers.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Times"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">In case the labour unions do not agree with the decision of providing 12.5 percent salary, the hotel operators have warned of laying off the staffers fully or partially as per Section 145 of the Labour Act 2074. </span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Times"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">Sunday’s meeting also agreed to seek support from the government for setting up ‘job retention fund’ to pay the staffers additional amount to the 12.5 percent of basic salary. Both the hotel operators and the trade unions have agreed to this proposal to seek government support, said HAN in a statement issued after the meeting.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Times"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">Representatives from Radisson Hotel, Hotel Annapurna, Shangri-La Hotel, Soaltee Crowne Plaza, Hyatt Regency, Shankar Hotel, Hotel Akama among others had attended the meeting.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Times"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">HAN further said that they are open to discussion with the concerned authorities and stakeholders including the workers for better management of the industry.</span></span></span></p> <p> </p> <p> </p> <p> </p> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2020-05-04', 'modified' => '2020-05-04', 'keywords' => '', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '11766', 'image' => '20200504104410_20190511105700_Clipboard37 2.jpg', 'article_date' => '2020-05-04 10:43:30', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => true, 'in_scroller' => null, 'user_id' => '20' ) ), (int) 9 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '12016', 'article_category_id' => '1', 'title' => 'Upcoming Budget to Focus on Coronavirus Affected Sectors', 'sub_title' => '', 'summary' => 'May 4: The government is planning to announce the upcoming budget with special focus on coronavirus-affected sectors. ', 'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman""><span style="font-family:"Mangal","serif"">May 4</span><span style="font-family:Arial">: The government is planning to announce the upcoming budget with special focus on coronavirus-affected sectors. Ministry of Finance is currently preparing the government’s policies and programmes to address the concerns of industrial sector, tourism industry as well as labor and employment issues.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman""><span style="font-family:Arial">Along with neighboring India, many other countries have announced stimulus package. However, the government of Nepal has not yet announced any such package. </span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman""><span style="font-family:"Mangal","serif"">But the government has decided to give subsidies to the affected areas. Issues like giving income tax relief for three to seven years based on production of the industries, postponing loan repayment for six months and limiting interest rate to nine percent are some the measures being considered by the government.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman""><span style="font-family:"Mangal","serif""> The government is also planning to allocate budget for providing employment opportunity to the returnee migrant workers.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman""><span style="font-family:"Mangal","serif"">According to the ministry, the returnee migrant workers will get jobs on the basis of their skills. Government officials informed that the government will give continuity to the Prime Minister Employment Fund in the coming years. The officials say that all these concerns will be addressed by the budget for the upcoming fiscal year 2020/21.</span></span></span></p> <p><strong><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman""><span style="font-family:"Mangal","serif"">Pressure to include informal sector and laborers </span></span></span></strong></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman""><span style="font-family:"Mangal","serif"">Members of Parliament have been pressurizing the government to address all the concerns of small and medium scale industries. During a discussion on Sunday, MPs said that the government must prepare some relief for informal sectors workers and small enterprises as well. </span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman""><span style="font-family:"Mangal","serif"">As many migrant laborers and other local workers are under the risk of losing their job, the lawmakers demanded that the government address their concerns promptly. During the meeting, leaders of various political parties said that industrial zone should be established in all 753 local units. Also, according to them, infrastructures should be expanded so that Nepal can store petrol for at least three months. The MPs demanded the government to address all these concerns in the next fiscal year’s budget. </span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Calibri"> </span></span></p> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2020-05-04', 'modified' => '2020-05-04', 'keywords' => '', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '11765', 'image' => '20200504033240_1588549898.jpg', 'article_date' => '2020-05-04 15:31:41', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => true, 'in_scroller' => null, 'user_id' => '20' ) ), (int) 10 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '12015', 'article_category_id' => '1', 'title' => 'Almost 12,000 Containers Stuck at Different Ports', 'sub_title' => '', 'summary' => 'May 4: Around 12,000 Nepal-bound containers carrying goods from third countries have been piled up at various ports in Nepal and India.', 'content' => '<h1><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman"">May 4: Around 12,000 Nepal-bound containers carrying goods from third countries have been piled up at various ports in Nepal and India. The containers are stuck in the port due to transportation and procedural delays caused by the ongoing lockdown to control the spread of coronavirus.</span></span></h1> <h1><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman"">Likewise, more than 3500 containers are stuck in the Birgunj Dry Port. Meanwhile importers have not turned up at the dry port to clear their containers. The containers were brought to Birgunj from Kolkata and Visakhapatnam ports of India.</span></span></h1> <h1><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman"">The delay in clearing the goods has affected the shipments from Kolkata and Visakhapatnam ports as containers are stuck at the Birgunj port.</span></span></h1> <h1><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman"">There are altogether 19 trains that transport goods from India to Birgunj Dry Port and all of the trains are currently moving towards Birgunj with additional containers. </span></span></h1> <h1><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman"">However, Bishnukant Chaudhary, chief executive officer of Himalayan Terminal that handles the Birgunj Dry Port, informed that the port is already overcrowded with containers and it no longer has sufficient space to unload the arriving containers from India. </span></span></h1> <h1><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman"">“One train carries 90 containers. So, more than 1,700 containers are on the way. Now we are concerned about how to manage the arriving containers,” Chaudhary informed New Business Age.</span></span></h1> <h1><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman"">The number of Nepal-bound containers at Kolkata Port has already exceeded 4,000. The port has decided to send the containers to the nearest Container Freight Station (CFS) if the importers do not receive them.</span></span></h1> <h1><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman"">“About 1,400 containers unloaded at the Kolkata Port before April 23 will be delivered to CFS. We have already informed the importers about this,” informed Vineet Kumar, chairman of Kolkata Port Trust.</span></span></h1> <h1> </h1> <h1> </h1> <h1> </h1> <h1> </h1> <h1> </h1> <h1> </h1> <h1> </h1> <h1> </h1> <h1> </h1> <h1> </h1> <h1> </h1> <h1> </h1> <h1> </h1> <h1> </h1> <h1> </h1> <h1> </h1> <h1> </h1> <h1> </h1> <h1> </h1> <h1> </h1> <h1><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman""> </span></span></h1> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2020-05-04', 'modified' => '2020-05-04', 'keywords' => '', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '11764', 'image' => '20200504031808_20202_1588282929.jpg', 'article_date' => '2020-05-04 15:17:26', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => true, 'in_scroller' => null, 'user_id' => '20' ) ), (int) 11 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '12013', 'article_category_id' => '1', 'title' => 'COVID-19 Cases in Nepal Surge to 75', 'sub_title' => '16 new cases of reported in a single day', 'summary' => 'May 4: Sixteen new cases of COVID-19 were confirmed in a single day on Sunday (May 3), according to officials at the Ministry of Health and Population.', 'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:Arial">May 4: Sixteen new cases of COVID-19 were confirmed in a single day on Sunday (May 3), according to officials at the Ministry of Health and Population.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:Arial">The ministry informed that 15 new cases were confirmed in Banke while one was reported in Prasa. </span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:Arial">The total number of COVID-19 cases has reached 75 across the country.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:Arial">Spokesperson at the ministry Dr Bikas Devkota said that the health condition of all the infected persons is normal.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:Arial">So far 16 people infected with coronavirus have returned home after full recovery. </span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:Arial">As of Sunday, health authorities have tested 13,414 samples through PCR method and 49,688 through RDT method.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:Arial">Altogether 21,951 persons have been kept in quarantine across the country.</span></span></span></p> <p> </p> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2020-05-04', 'modified' => '2020-05-04', 'keywords' => '', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '11763', 'image' => '20200504102006_Toll Rises4.jpg', 'article_date' => '2020-05-04 10:16:32', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => true, 'in_scroller' => false, 'user_id' => '20' ) ), (int) 12 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '12011', 'article_category_id' => '1', 'title' => 'SMEs is Crisis due to Lockdown ', 'sub_title' => '', 'summary' => 'May 3: The lockdown imposed by the government to control the spread of coronavirus has been affecting small and medium sized industries across the country. ', 'content' => '<h1><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman"">May 3: The lockdown imposed by the government to control the spread of coronavirus has been affecting small and medium sized industries across the country. Small and Medium Scale Enterprises (SMEs) are in crisis as production and supply have come to a standstill due to the month-long lockdown.</span></span></h1> <h1><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman"">Due to such unprecedented circumstances, stakeholders opine that the entire economy will be affected by the current crisis.</span></span></h1> <h1><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman"">Economist Dr Govinda Nepal informed new Business Age that the lockdown and coronavirus crisis have affected SMEs the most around the world.</span></span></h1> <h1><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman"">He informed that all such enterprises are the most vulnerable during the current crisis.</span></span></h1> <h1><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman"">The small and medium scale industries are affected by minor risks and eventually force them to shut down. </span></span></h1> <h1><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman"">“Even small risks can cause such industries to close down quickly. However, the government should provide short-term relief, soft loans and refinancing to save such industries from crisis,” he informed.</span></span></h1> <h1><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman"">Experts also suggest that the state must take appropriate decision to save such industries from crisis. Small and medium industries and enterprises contribute a lot in creating employment opportunities.</span></span></h1> <h1><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman"">Restaurants, handicraft industry and poultry farms which are part of small and medium industries have been providing direct and indirect employment to about 2.4 million people in Nepal and are contributing 22 percent to the country's gross domestic product.</span></span></h1> <h1><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman"">At present, poultry industry is bearing a daily loss of around Rs 220 million. Likewise, restaurants have been shut for more than a month. </span></span></h1> <h1><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman"">There are about 2,500 restaurants in Kathmandu, Chitwan and Pokhara making a daily turnover of Rs 70 million. Similarly, the handicraft industry, which employs around one million people, is also in crisis.</span></span></h1> <h1> </h1> <h1> </h1> <h1> </h1> <h1> </h1> <h1> </h1> <h1> </h1> <h1> </h1> <h1> </h1> <h1> </h1> <h1> </h1> <h1> </h1> <h1> </h1> <h1> </h1> <h1> </h1> <h1> </h1> <h1> </h1> <h1> </h1> <h1> </h1> <h1> </h1> <h1> </h1> <h1> </h1> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2020-05-03', 'modified' => '2020-05-03', 'keywords' => '', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '11762', 'image' => '20200503040317_20181115113202_DSC_0992 (1).jpg', 'article_date' => '2020-05-03 16:02:30', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => true, 'in_scroller' => null, 'user_id' => '20' ) ), (int) 13 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '12012', 'article_category_id' => '1', 'title' => 'Insurance Sector may face loss of Rs 13 billion', 'sub_title' => '', 'summary' => 'May 3: The uncertainty caused by the fear of coronavirus and the extension of lockdown have been affecting the insurance sector. ', 'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman""><span style="font-family:"Mangal","serif"">May 3: The uncertainty caused by the fear of coronavirus and the extension of lockdown have been affecting the insurance sector. </span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman""><span style="font-family:"Mangal","serif"">Usually around this time of the year, the insurance companies make good business due to various schemes they announce. But, due to the lockdown, insurance companies are getting very less clients who want purchase insurance policies. </span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman""><span style="font-family:"Mangal","serif"">The main source of revenue for insurance companies is insurance premium. The officials say that even the insurance renewal hasn’t taken place as the government has postponed the renewal deadline till mid-June. Earlier, the deadline for renewal was mid-May. </span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman""><span style="font-family:"Mangal","serif"">According to Shiva Nath Pandey, president of Nepal Insurers Association, the insurance sector may lose Rs 13 billion due to lockdown. “Had it been normal times, we would have invested in various sectors to expand revenue horizon,” said Pandey. </span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman""> </span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman""><span style="font-family:"Mangal","serif"">Due to chances of decreasing revenue of companies, it is expected that people’s income will reduce. In this situation, it is very difficult for the insurance companies to get new businesses. Apart from that, it is also certain to affect the renewals of insurance policies. </span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman""><span style="font-family:"Mangal","serif"">“Because of decreasing income, people will give less priority to insurance,” says Pandey. </span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman""><span style="font-family:"Mangal","serif"">The insurance sector had set a target to collect insurance premium of Rs 100 billion in the current Fiscal Year. In the last Fiscal Year, insurance premium of Rs 70 billion was collected. </span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman""><span style="font-family:"Mangal","serif"">Due to the slowdown of business in the insurance sector, the profit of most of companies will be affected. </span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman""><span style="font-family:"Mangal","serif"">The affect is also seen in the non-life insurance sector. According to Noor Pratap Pradhan, vice-president of Nepal Insurers’ Association, the renewal of non-life insurance is not so exciting. </span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman""><span style="font-family:"Mangal","serif"">“The employees haven’t got salary from their offices. It is normal that the insurance holders have not been able to deposit the amount during this period,” said Pradhan. “Presently, the business is only 45 percent compared to normal times. All these transactions have taken place through online medium.”</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman""><span style="font-family:"Mangal","serif"">Similarly, the insurance companies have further been affected due to the reduction of interest rate by the commercial banks. The insurance companies deposit almost the entire amount in the banks. So, they gain profit from the interest. But, due to Covid 29, the interest rate on deposits has been reduced to 7 percent from 9.75 percent. According to data from Nepal Rastra Bank, the insurance companies have deposited around Rs 200.63 billion. </span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman""><span style="font-family:"Mangal","serif"">According to Pandey, the effects won’t be seen in the financial report of this year. “Because the business was really good for first 8-9 months of this fiscal year. However, the effect will be seen in the next fiscal year,” he said. </span></span></span></p> <p> </p> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2020-05-03', 'modified' => '2020-05-03', 'keywords' => '', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '11761', 'image' => '20200503041304_20191023114923_aaaaa.jpg', 'article_date' => '2020-05-03 16:12:23', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => true, 'in_scroller' => null, 'user_id' => '20' ) ), (int) 14 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '12010', 'article_category_id' => '1', 'title' => '‘Government Lacks Data Regarding Nepali Citizens in Foreign Countries’', 'sub_title' => '', 'summary' => 'May 3: At a time when the government is under pressure to rescue Nepalis stranded across the world due to the coronavirus pandemic, it has been found that the government lacks data on the number of Nepalis currently abroad.', 'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Times"><span style="font-family:Arial">May 3: At a time when the government is under pressure to rescue Nepalis stranded across the world due to the coronavirus pandemic, it has been found that the government lacks data on the number of Nepalis currently abroad.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Times"><span style="font-family:Arial">According to officials at the Ministry of Labour, Employment and Social Security, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs is the body responsible of keeping records of the Nepali nationals living abroad. However, the concerned ministry has not maintained proper data, the labour ministry officials said.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Times"><span style="font-family:Arial">“The Ministry of Labour, Employment and Social Security had time and again sought details of Nepali nationals living in different countries across the world to rescue them. However, the foreign ministry replied to us saying that they have to seek the details,” said Joint Secretary Suman Ghimire.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Times"><span style="font-family:Arial">According to Ghimire, although the Ministry of Labour, Employment and Social Security keeps the record of Nepali migrant workers in foreign countries but they do not have any data about Nepali citizens visiting foreign countries for study and other purposes. </span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Times"><span style="font-family:Arial">Officials at the foreign ministry have made irresponsible remarks by stating that they do not have the details of Nepali nationals abroad at the moment.</span></span></span></p> <p> </p> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2020-05-03', 'modified' => '2020-05-03', 'keywords' => '', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '11760', 'image' => '20200503104342_1588455963.jpg', 'article_date' => '2020-05-03 10:42:42', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => true, 'in_scroller' => null, 'user_id' => '20' ) ) ) $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' => '12025', 'article_category_id' => '1', 'title' => 'Preparations Underway to Reopen Industries on Priority Basis: Minister Bhatta', 'sub_title' => '', 'summary' => 'May 6: The government is making preparations to reopen the industries that have been closed due to the lockdown on priority basis.', 'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">May 6: The government is making preparations to reopen the industries that have been closed due to the lockdown on priority basis.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">Minister for Industry, Commerce and Supplies Lekhraj Bhatta said that preparations are underway to open these industries in three phases on priority basis. </span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">Speaking at an interaction program organised in the capital by the society of economic journalists of Nepal (SEJON) on Tuesday (May 5), Minister Bhatta said priority will be given to the industries producing daily essential food items in the first phase. The government is planning to open industries supporting development and construction works in the second phase followed by export-based industries in the third phase. </span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">Minister Bhatta also added that the ministry is constantly holding discussions with trade unions and industrialists to ease the process of re-opening the industrial sector. </span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">“Kathmandu is not considered a red zone. But there is high risk here due to the population density,” said Minister Bhatta.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">He further said that the government has conducted a study to classify industrial sector into red, yellow and green zones and will be allowed to operate according to the classification. </span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">A cabinet meeting today (May 6) will take a decision to this effect, according to the minister.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">A meeting of the High Level Coordination Committee to Prevent Coronavirus on Tuesday had recommended the government to extend the lockdown by a week.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman""><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">“We are coordinating with the agriculture and finance ministries to create job opportunities,” he said.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman""><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">“We have decided to operate dysfunctional industries in Public Private Partnership model while the small and medium scale enterprises as well as industrial estates would be allowed to operate on priority basis,” he added.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman""><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">These programmes would be included in the budget for the upcoming fiscal year as well as the government’s policies and programmes, informed Minister Bhatta.</span></span></span></p> <p> </p> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2020-05-06', 'modified' => '2020-05-06', 'keywords' => '', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '11774', 'image' => '20200506094201_2023535_aaa.jpg', 'article_date' => '2020-05-06 09:41:08', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => true, 'in_scroller' => null, 'user_id' => '20' ) ), (int) 1 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '12022', 'article_category_id' => '1', 'title' => 'Lockdown to be Extended', 'sub_title' => '', 'summary' => 'May 6: A meeting of the High-Level Coordination Committee for the Prevention and Control of Coronavirus held on Tuesday has decided to give continuity to the lockdown imposed by the government. ', 'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">May 6: A meeting of the High-Level Coordination Committee for the Prevention and Control of Coronavirus held on Tuesday has decided to give continuity to the lockdown imposed by the government. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">The meeting held at Prime Minister’s official residence in Baluwatar took a decision to this effect. However, the length of the extension for the lockdown will be determined by the cabinet. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">Emerging from the meeting, Secretary at the Office of Prime Minister and Council of Ministers Narayan Prasad Bidari, shared that the committee assessed that moves of the government to be effective when it came to saving the lives of the public by ordering nationwide lockdown. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">The participants in the meeting had endorsed extension of the stay-at-home order that has been enforced by the government since May 24 to contain the spread of the deadly COVID-19 infection. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">Bidari further shared, “We discussed about all the policies and efforts taken and executed by the government to prevent and control COVID-19 and to treat the infected ones. We determined that the lives of people have been safeguarded by enforcing the lockdown which has helped curb the infection.” </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">The meeting also dwelt about how to reduce the cases of COVID-19 to nil, according to Bidari. -- RSS </span></span></span></p> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2020-05-06', 'modified' => '2020-05-06', 'keywords' => '', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '11773', 'image' => '20200506085132_lockdown.jpg', 'article_date' => '2020-05-06 08:50:46', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => true, 'in_scroller' => null, 'user_id' => '20' ) ), (int) 2 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '12023', 'article_category_id' => '1', 'title' => ' Entry into Kathmandu Valley barred Except for Emergencies', 'sub_title' => '', 'summary' => 'May 6: Despite having entry pass for the vehicles, it is not that easy to enter into the Kathmandu valley from the outer districts during the ongoing lockdown. ', 'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">May 6: Despite having entry pass for the vehicles, it is not that easy to enter into the Kathmandu valley from the outer districts during the ongoing lockdown. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">Even getting the entry pass, the vehicles are not permitted to get through the capital city from border points—Nagdhunga, Pharping, Mudkhu, Jagati and Jarsinghpauwa—except for emergencies. Now, only the vehicles carrying highly essentials goods and health supplies would be permitted to enter the capital city from other districts. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">Deputy Inspector General (DIG) of Nepal Police Bishow Raj Pokhrel said that vehicles except the emergency ones are prevented from coming into the Kathmandu valley though they have entry pass. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">Currently, around 1,500 vehicles have been entering the Kathmandu valley everyday and of them 400 vehicles bear the entry pass in the name of different purposes, the police records reveal. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">Likewise, the number of vehicles carrying daily essentials has increased lately. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">Despite the pandemic COVID-19 paralyzing the normal life, the people tend to get the entry pass under different pretexts which has prompted the security officials to be stricter in the entry of vehicles. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">The police was obliged to take the step as more entry passes were distributed in the districts resulting in the pressure of vehicles from outer districts. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">Deputy Superintendent of Police Ghanshyam Shrestha deployed at Nagdhunga said that around 80 vehicles coming to valley by taking entry pass from the outer districts were prevented from coming to the valley and this step is ongoing. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">He, however, said that sick people, those travelling for death rituals, emergency jobs and professions are allowed to move to their destinations in the valley. -- RSS </span></span></span></p> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2020-05-06', 'modified' => '2020-05-06', 'keywords' => '', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '11772', 'image' => '20200506085535_pass1588678175.jpg', 'article_date' => '2020-05-06 08:54:58', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => true, 'in_scroller' => null, 'user_id' => '20' ) ), (int) 3 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '12019', 'article_category_id' => '1', 'title' => 'Lack of Data Hindering Relief Package for Tourism Industry', 'sub_title' => '', 'summary' => 'May 5: Lack of integrated data in the tourism industry has become a major hindrance to identify the exact losses for relief distribution. ', 'content' => '<h1><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman"">May 5: Lack of integrated data in the tourism industry has become a major hindrance to identify the exact losses for relief distribution. </span></span></h1> <h1><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman"">Nepal Tourism Board (NTB) in a statement informed that there is a lack of official data to identify the exact losses incurred by the tourism industry in Nepal. However, there is no doubt that tourism is the most affected sector due to the crisis created by coronavirus. </span></span></h1> <h1><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman"">Chief Executive Officer of Nepal Tourism Board, Dr Dhananjay Regmi, held a video conversation with media persons on Monday to discuss about Nepali Tourism amid coronavirus crisis. During the conversation, he informed that Nepali tourism sector has a tentative investment of Rs 160 billion and has created around 300,000 jobs, according to a study conducted by Nepal Tourism Board.</span></span></h1> <h1><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman"">However, other organizations claim that the actual size of the investment in tourism is more than Rs 160 billion while this sector provides 800,000 to 1 million jobs.</span></span></h1> <h1><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman"">Even though the government had earlier demanded data on the total investment and employment provided by the industry, tourism entrepreneurs could not provide the data. </span></span></h1> <h1><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman"">The government is having difficulties to allocate relief packages for the tourism industry to combat coronavirus due to the unavailability of accurate data.</span></span></h1> <h1><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman"">A total of 837 firms had participated in the study conducted by the NTB. Regmi after studying the data informed that the tourism sector has an estimated bank loan of Rs 60 billion where Rs 1 billion is to be paid in installments and interest every month.</span></span></h1> <h1><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman"">"The government will only include the companies which are officially registered and are paying taxes while announcing the relief package through the budget. So, those who are not registered may be left out,” he informed.</span></span></h1> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman""><img alt="" src="/app/webroot/userfiles/images/20180103040118_Tourists.jpg" style="height:960px; width:720px" /></span></span></p> <h1><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman""> </span></span></h1> <h1> </h1> <h1> </h1> <h1> </h1> <h1> </h1> <h1> </h1> <h1> </h1> <h1> </h1> <h1> </h1> <h1> </h1> <h1> </h1> <h1> </h1> <h1> </h1> <h1> </h1> <h1> </h1> <h1> </h1> <h1> </h1> <h1> </h1> <h1> </h1> <h1> </h1> <h1> </h1> <h1> </h1> <h1> </h1> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2020-05-05', 'modified' => '2020-05-05', 'keywords' => '', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '11771', 'image' => '20200505123424_20180513122353_tourism.jpg', 'article_date' => '2020-05-05 12:33:20', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => true, 'in_scroller' => null, 'user_id' => '20' ) ), (int) 4 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '12021', 'article_category_id' => '1', 'title' => 'NRB may Lose Rs 7 Billion in Revenue', 'sub_title' => '', 'summary' => 'May 5: The lockdowns imposed by the governments across the globe is expected to adversely affect the interest which Nepal Nepal Rastra Bank (NRB) receives from the international market. ', 'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman""><span style="font-family:"Mangal","serif"">May 5: The lockdowns imposed by the governments across the globe is expected to adversely affect the interest which Nepal Nepal Rastra Bank (NRB) receives from the international market. Many countries have reduced their interest rate to save their economy. So, NRB will lose billions of rupees which it earns through interest coming from the deposits it makes in international banks. In the current fiscal year, it is estimated that NRB will have profit of only Rs 28 billion. </span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman""><span style="font-family:"Mangal","serif"">In the fiscal year 2018/2019, NRB had made a profit of Rs 35.77 billion from international currency and investment in securities. Similarly, in the fiscal year 2017/2018, the profit was Rs 32.34 billion. However, in the current fiscal year, NRB predicted that it will lose Rs 7 billion. </span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman""><span style="font-family:"Mangal","serif"">Almost all foreign exchange reserves of Nepal is in dollar. Nepal has deposited in USA, Singapore and India. As the interest rate has decreased in those countries, Nepal is poised to lose profit obtained from the interest. Currently, USA has reduced the interest rate in deposit to 0.25 percent. Similarly, Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has also decreased the interest rate. </span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman""><span style="font-family:"Mangal","serif"">According to NRB spokesperson Gunakar Bhatta, Nepal had invested its foreign exchange reserve in the Central Bank of USA at an interest rate of 2.25 percent per annum.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman""><span style="font-family:"Mangal","serif"">Chnitamani Siwakoti, deputy governor of NRB, says that the profit from the interest will decrease till the end of this FY. “We get the maximum revenue from foreign exchange reserves. The revenue from foreign exchange reserve is much higher than the revenue from treasury bills, bonds and security investments,” added Shivakoti.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman""><span style="font-family:"Mangal","serif""> “Every year, NRB invests its profit in various funds and provides the remaining amount to the government,” said Shivakoti. In the last FY, NRB provided Rs 12 billion to the government.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman""><span style="font-family:"Mangal","serif"">According to Bhatta, many countries have decreased the interest rate as they are investing the amount in relief packages. In Nepal too, the interest rate in deposit has been decreased to 6.5 percent. The interest rate in deposit has reduced worldwide, and the effects will be felt for a very long time.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman""> </span></span></p> <p> </p> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2020-05-05', 'modified' => '2020-05-05', 'keywords' => '', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '11770', 'image' => '20200505024559_20160909042218_nrb.jpg', 'article_date' => '2020-05-05 14:45:11', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => true, 'in_scroller' => null, 'user_id' => '20' ) ), (int) 5 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '12020', 'article_category_id' => '1', 'title' => 'COVID-19 Cases Reach 82 with Seven New Cases in Banke ', 'sub_title' => '', 'summary' => 'May 5: Coronavirus infection has been confirmed in seven more people in Banke on Tuesday, taking the total number of infected people to 82 in the country. ', 'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">May 5: Coronavirus infection has been confirmed in seven more people in Banke on Tuesday, taking the total number of infected people to 82 in the country. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">Joint spokesman at the Ministry of Health and Population, Dr Samir Adhikari, said coronavirus infection was found in four women and three men at Nepalgunj Sub-metropolitan City in course of carrying out tests at the Nepalgunj-based Bheri Hospital. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">According to him, the infected males are of 22, 30 and 40 years while the infected females are of 9, 32, 34 and 55 years of age. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">With seven new cases the number of infected people in Banke district has climbed to 23. Before this, coronavirus infection was found in 16 people in the district. The health condition of the infected persons is normal, Dr Adhikari said. -- RSS </span></span></span><br /> </p> <p> </p> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2020-05-05', 'modified' => '2020-05-05', 'keywords' => '', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '11769', 'image' => '20200505124232_Toll Rises4.jpg', 'article_date' => '2020-05-05 12:41:53', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => true, 'in_scroller' => null, 'user_id' => '20' ) ), (int) 6 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '12018', 'article_category_id' => '1', 'title' => 'Former Finance Ministers Urge Government to Cut Spending', 'sub_title' => '', 'summary' => 'May 5: While the government is preparing to announce budget for the upcoming fiscal year, former finance ministers have suggested the government to cut its spending for better management of resource during the ongoing crisis. ', 'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Times"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">May 5: While the government is preparing to announce budget for the upcoming fiscal year, former finance ministers have suggested the government to cut its spending for better management of resource during the ongoing crisis. </span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Times"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">Former finance ministers Surendra Pandey, Gyanendra Karki and Baburam Bhattarai made such remarks at a meeting of the Finance Committee of the Parliament on Monday. </span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Times"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">Speaking at the meeting, the ex finance ministers drew the attention of the government toward the unprecedented crisis caused by the coronavirus pandemic and urged it to cut its spending for proper resource management.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Times"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">Former finance minister and leader of the ruling Nepal Communist Party Surendra Pandey suggested the government to reduce recurrent expenditure and not to recruit any new employees and security personnel. </span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Times"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">“The government recruits 10,000 employees and security personnel each year. Let’s not make any recruitment this year,” said Pandey. </span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Times"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">He claimed that the government can save 30 percent of the recurrent expenditure if it reduces general employees and mobilizes technical staffers in their place.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Times"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">Meanwhile, former finance minister Gyanendra Karki of the main opposition Nepali Congress accused the government of giving an extra burden to the state coffers by forming the Squatters Commission at a time when the country is reeling under crisis of coronavirus. He said that the government’s first priority should have been ensuring proper medical kits and equipment to the health workers deployed in the frontline against coronavirus.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Times"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">“The present need is not the Squatters Commission but ventilators and ICU,” said Karki.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Times"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">“The government’s expenditure in unproductive sector is not justifiable,” he added.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Times"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">He also demanded the current status of national pride projects by issuing white paper. Kakri said that the country’s economy has been on a downward trend since the last eight months and the coronavirus pandemic will further deepen the crisis.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Times"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">Former Prime Minister Baburam Bhattarai, who is also a former finance minister, urged the government to reduce the size of the upcoming budget arguing that the revenue collection is expected to slump in the current fiscal year. </span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Times"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">However, he said that the government must give special attention not to shrink employment opportunities and must focus on big projects and social security while preparing the budget despite downsizing it.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Times"> </span></span></p> <p> </p> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2020-05-05', 'modified' => '2020-05-05', 'keywords' => '', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '11768', 'image' => '20200505094959_20151216125539_ed 2.jpg', 'article_date' => '2020-05-05 09:49:21', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => true, 'in_scroller' => null, 'user_id' => '20' ) ), (int) 7 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '12017', 'article_category_id' => '1', 'title' => 'Government Mulls Reopening Industries by Classifying them into Green and Yellow Zones', 'sub_title' => '', 'summary' => 'May 5: The government has hinted at reopening businesses and industries that have remained closed since the government imposed a lockdown on March 24. ', 'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Times"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">May 5: The government has hinted at reopening businesses and industries that have remained closed since the government imposed a lockdown on March 24. </span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Times"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">The Ministry of Industry, Commerce and Supplies is currently holding discussions with the High-Level Committee to Prevent Coronavirus on the prospects of reopening industries by classifying them into green and yellow zones based on the extent of risk of coronavirus infection.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Times"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">The ministry is finalizing its plan to reopen the industries by classifying them into different categories. State Minister for Industry, Commerce and Supplies Moti Lal Dugad informed New Business Age that the government will take a decision to this effect within a few days.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Times"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">“The lockdown will be in force until May 7. We will come up with a work procedure very soon,” said Dugad.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Times"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">According to State Minister Dugad, the areas with high risk will be listed as red zones and will remain closed. However, green and yellow zones will be allowed to operate by maintaining physical distance among the workers under a certain criteria, said Dugad.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Times"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">He further said that the government will make arrangement for operating industries and businesses by adopting necessary precautions even if the lockdown gets extended.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Times"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">Currently, only the industries producing essential items and medicines are operational in the country. </span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Times"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">Senior Vice President of the Federation of Nepalese Chambers of Commerce and Industries (FNCCI) Shekhar Golchha said that it is not essential to allow the industries to operate. </span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Times"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">“Lockdown has proved to be effective. It has almost become a success. Since the coronavirus pandemic is under control in Nepal, the government must now allow industries with low risk to resume operation,” he said. “This would not only prevent the collapse of the industries but also avoid the entire economy of the country from ruin,” he added.</span></span></span></p> <p> </p> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2020-05-05', 'modified' => '2020-05-05', 'keywords' => '', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '11767', 'image' => '20200505092339_20181118041106_kapada-1.jpg', 'article_date' => '2020-05-05 09:23:03', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => true, 'in_scroller' => null, 'user_id' => '20' ) ), (int) 8 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '12014', 'article_category_id' => '1', 'title' => 'Big Hotels Decide to Shut Down for 6 Months', 'sub_title' => '', 'summary' => 'May 4: Star-rated hotels of Nepal have decided to close operation for six months effective from the Nepali New Year citing unprecedented crisis due to lockdown imposed to control the spread of coronavirus.', 'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Times"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">May 4: Star-rated hotels of Nepal have decided to close operation for six months effective from the Nepali New Year citing unprecedented crisis due to lockdown imposed to control the spread of coronavirus. </span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Times"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">Operators of big hotels of Nepal on Sunday (May 3) took a decision in this regard. According to the star-rated hotels, all services will remain closed for six months effective from April 13.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Times"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">The hotel operators informed that the lockdown has affected tourism sector the most. They were of the view that the coronavirus pandemic will have long-term effects on the tourism industry. It is estimated that the current crisis will cause a slump in tourism business for at least a year.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Times"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">In such a context, the hotel operators decided to shut their business for six months, according to Hotel Association of Nepal (HAN).</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Times"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">During the six months of closure, the hotels have decided to provide 12.5 percent of the basic salary and other remunerations to the staffers.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Times"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">In case the labour unions do not agree with the decision of providing 12.5 percent salary, the hotel operators have warned of laying off the staffers fully or partially as per Section 145 of the Labour Act 2074. </span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Times"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">Sunday’s meeting also agreed to seek support from the government for setting up ‘job retention fund’ to pay the staffers additional amount to the 12.5 percent of basic salary. Both the hotel operators and the trade unions have agreed to this proposal to seek government support, said HAN in a statement issued after the meeting.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Times"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">Representatives from Radisson Hotel, Hotel Annapurna, Shangri-La Hotel, Soaltee Crowne Plaza, Hyatt Regency, Shankar Hotel, Hotel Akama among others had attended the meeting.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Times"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">HAN further said that they are open to discussion with the concerned authorities and stakeholders including the workers for better management of the industry.</span></span></span></p> <p> </p> <p> </p> <p> </p> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2020-05-04', 'modified' => '2020-05-04', 'keywords' => '', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '11766', 'image' => '20200504104410_20190511105700_Clipboard37 2.jpg', 'article_date' => '2020-05-04 10:43:30', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => true, 'in_scroller' => null, 'user_id' => '20' ) ), (int) 9 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '12016', 'article_category_id' => '1', 'title' => 'Upcoming Budget to Focus on Coronavirus Affected Sectors', 'sub_title' => '', 'summary' => 'May 4: The government is planning to announce the upcoming budget with special focus on coronavirus-affected sectors. ', 'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman""><span style="font-family:"Mangal","serif"">May 4</span><span style="font-family:Arial">: The government is planning to announce the upcoming budget with special focus on coronavirus-affected sectors. Ministry of Finance is currently preparing the government’s policies and programmes to address the concerns of industrial sector, tourism industry as well as labor and employment issues.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman""><span style="font-family:Arial">Along with neighboring India, many other countries have announced stimulus package. However, the government of Nepal has not yet announced any such package. </span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman""><span style="font-family:"Mangal","serif"">But the government has decided to give subsidies to the affected areas. Issues like giving income tax relief for three to seven years based on production of the industries, postponing loan repayment for six months and limiting interest rate to nine percent are some the measures being considered by the government.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman""><span style="font-family:"Mangal","serif""> The government is also planning to allocate budget for providing employment opportunity to the returnee migrant workers.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman""><span style="font-family:"Mangal","serif"">According to the ministry, the returnee migrant workers will get jobs on the basis of their skills. Government officials informed that the government will give continuity to the Prime Minister Employment Fund in the coming years. The officials say that all these concerns will be addressed by the budget for the upcoming fiscal year 2020/21.</span></span></span></p> <p><strong><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman""><span style="font-family:"Mangal","serif"">Pressure to include informal sector and laborers </span></span></span></strong></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman""><span style="font-family:"Mangal","serif"">Members of Parliament have been pressurizing the government to address all the concerns of small and medium scale industries. During a discussion on Sunday, MPs said that the government must prepare some relief for informal sectors workers and small enterprises as well. </span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman""><span style="font-family:"Mangal","serif"">As many migrant laborers and other local workers are under the risk of losing their job, the lawmakers demanded that the government address their concerns promptly. During the meeting, leaders of various political parties said that industrial zone should be established in all 753 local units. Also, according to them, infrastructures should be expanded so that Nepal can store petrol for at least three months. The MPs demanded the government to address all these concerns in the next fiscal year’s budget. </span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Calibri"> </span></span></p> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2020-05-04', 'modified' => '2020-05-04', 'keywords' => '', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '11765', 'image' => '20200504033240_1588549898.jpg', 'article_date' => '2020-05-04 15:31:41', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => true, 'in_scroller' => null, 'user_id' => '20' ) ), (int) 10 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '12015', 'article_category_id' => '1', 'title' => 'Almost 12,000 Containers Stuck at Different Ports', 'sub_title' => '', 'summary' => 'May 4: Around 12,000 Nepal-bound containers carrying goods from third countries have been piled up at various ports in Nepal and India.', 'content' => '<h1><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman"">May 4: Around 12,000 Nepal-bound containers carrying goods from third countries have been piled up at various ports in Nepal and India. The containers are stuck in the port due to transportation and procedural delays caused by the ongoing lockdown to control the spread of coronavirus.</span></span></h1> <h1><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman"">Likewise, more than 3500 containers are stuck in the Birgunj Dry Port. Meanwhile importers have not turned up at the dry port to clear their containers. The containers were brought to Birgunj from Kolkata and Visakhapatnam ports of India.</span></span></h1> <h1><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman"">The delay in clearing the goods has affected the shipments from Kolkata and Visakhapatnam ports as containers are stuck at the Birgunj port.</span></span></h1> <h1><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman"">There are altogether 19 trains that transport goods from India to Birgunj Dry Port and all of the trains are currently moving towards Birgunj with additional containers. </span></span></h1> <h1><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman"">However, Bishnukant Chaudhary, chief executive officer of Himalayan Terminal that handles the Birgunj Dry Port, informed that the port is already overcrowded with containers and it no longer has sufficient space to unload the arriving containers from India. </span></span></h1> <h1><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman"">“One train carries 90 containers. So, more than 1,700 containers are on the way. Now we are concerned about how to manage the arriving containers,” Chaudhary informed New Business Age.</span></span></h1> <h1><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman"">The number of Nepal-bound containers at Kolkata Port has already exceeded 4,000. The port has decided to send the containers to the nearest Container Freight Station (CFS) if the importers do not receive them.</span></span></h1> <h1><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman"">“About 1,400 containers unloaded at the Kolkata Port before April 23 will be delivered to CFS. We have already informed the importers about this,” informed Vineet Kumar, chairman of Kolkata Port Trust.</span></span></h1> <h1> </h1> <h1> </h1> <h1> </h1> <h1> </h1> <h1> </h1> <h1> </h1> <h1> </h1> <h1> </h1> <h1> </h1> <h1> </h1> <h1> </h1> <h1> </h1> <h1> </h1> <h1> </h1> <h1> </h1> <h1> </h1> <h1> </h1> <h1> </h1> <h1> </h1> <h1> </h1> <h1><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman""> </span></span></h1> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2020-05-04', 'modified' => '2020-05-04', 'keywords' => '', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '11764', 'image' => '20200504031808_20202_1588282929.jpg', 'article_date' => '2020-05-04 15:17:26', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => true, 'in_scroller' => null, 'user_id' => '20' ) ), (int) 11 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '12013', 'article_category_id' => '1', 'title' => 'COVID-19 Cases in Nepal Surge to 75', 'sub_title' => '16 new cases of reported in a single day', 'summary' => 'May 4: Sixteen new cases of COVID-19 were confirmed in a single day on Sunday (May 3), according to officials at the Ministry of Health and Population.', 'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:Arial">May 4: Sixteen new cases of COVID-19 were confirmed in a single day on Sunday (May 3), according to officials at the Ministry of Health and Population.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:Arial">The ministry informed that 15 new cases were confirmed in Banke while one was reported in Prasa. </span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:Arial">The total number of COVID-19 cases has reached 75 across the country.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:Arial">Spokesperson at the ministry Dr Bikas Devkota said that the health condition of all the infected persons is normal.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:Arial">So far 16 people infected with coronavirus have returned home after full recovery. </span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:Arial">As of Sunday, health authorities have tested 13,414 samples through PCR method and 49,688 through RDT method.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:Arial">Altogether 21,951 persons have been kept in quarantine across the country.</span></span></span></p> <p> </p> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2020-05-04', 'modified' => '2020-05-04', 'keywords' => '', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '11763', 'image' => '20200504102006_Toll Rises4.jpg', 'article_date' => '2020-05-04 10:16:32', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => true, 'in_scroller' => false, 'user_id' => '20' ) ), (int) 12 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '12011', 'article_category_id' => '1', 'title' => 'SMEs is Crisis due to Lockdown ', 'sub_title' => '', 'summary' => 'May 3: The lockdown imposed by the government to control the spread of coronavirus has been affecting small and medium sized industries across the country. ', 'content' => '<h1><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman"">May 3: The lockdown imposed by the government to control the spread of coronavirus has been affecting small and medium sized industries across the country. Small and Medium Scale Enterprises (SMEs) are in crisis as production and supply have come to a standstill due to the month-long lockdown.</span></span></h1> <h1><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman"">Due to such unprecedented circumstances, stakeholders opine that the entire economy will be affected by the current crisis.</span></span></h1> <h1><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman"">Economist Dr Govinda Nepal informed new Business Age that the lockdown and coronavirus crisis have affected SMEs the most around the world.</span></span></h1> <h1><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman"">He informed that all such enterprises are the most vulnerable during the current crisis.</span></span></h1> <h1><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman"">The small and medium scale industries are affected by minor risks and eventually force them to shut down. </span></span></h1> <h1><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman"">“Even small risks can cause such industries to close down quickly. However, the government should provide short-term relief, soft loans and refinancing to save such industries from crisis,” he informed.</span></span></h1> <h1><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman"">Experts also suggest that the state must take appropriate decision to save such industries from crisis. Small and medium industries and enterprises contribute a lot in creating employment opportunities.</span></span></h1> <h1><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman"">Restaurants, handicraft industry and poultry farms which are part of small and medium industries have been providing direct and indirect employment to about 2.4 million people in Nepal and are contributing 22 percent to the country's gross domestic product.</span></span></h1> <h1><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman"">At present, poultry industry is bearing a daily loss of around Rs 220 million. Likewise, restaurants have been shut for more than a month. </span></span></h1> <h1><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman"">There are about 2,500 restaurants in Kathmandu, Chitwan and Pokhara making a daily turnover of Rs 70 million. Similarly, the handicraft industry, which employs around one million people, is also in crisis.</span></span></h1> <h1> </h1> <h1> </h1> <h1> </h1> <h1> </h1> <h1> </h1> <h1> </h1> <h1> </h1> <h1> </h1> <h1> </h1> <h1> </h1> <h1> </h1> <h1> </h1> <h1> </h1> <h1> </h1> <h1> </h1> <h1> </h1> <h1> </h1> <h1> </h1> <h1> </h1> <h1> </h1> <h1> </h1> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2020-05-03', 'modified' => '2020-05-03', 'keywords' => '', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '11762', 'image' => '20200503040317_20181115113202_DSC_0992 (1).jpg', 'article_date' => '2020-05-03 16:02:30', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => true, 'in_scroller' => null, 'user_id' => '20' ) ), (int) 13 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '12012', 'article_category_id' => '1', 'title' => 'Insurance Sector may face loss of Rs 13 billion', 'sub_title' => '', 'summary' => 'May 3: The uncertainty caused by the fear of coronavirus and the extension of lockdown have been affecting the insurance sector. ', 'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman""><span style="font-family:"Mangal","serif"">May 3: The uncertainty caused by the fear of coronavirus and the extension of lockdown have been affecting the insurance sector. </span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman""><span style="font-family:"Mangal","serif"">Usually around this time of the year, the insurance companies make good business due to various schemes they announce. But, due to the lockdown, insurance companies are getting very less clients who want purchase insurance policies. </span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman""><span style="font-family:"Mangal","serif"">The main source of revenue for insurance companies is insurance premium. The officials say that even the insurance renewal hasn’t taken place as the government has postponed the renewal deadline till mid-June. Earlier, the deadline for renewal was mid-May. </span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman""><span style="font-family:"Mangal","serif"">According to Shiva Nath Pandey, president of Nepal Insurers Association, the insurance sector may lose Rs 13 billion due to lockdown. “Had it been normal times, we would have invested in various sectors to expand revenue horizon,” said Pandey. </span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman""> </span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman""><span style="font-family:"Mangal","serif"">Due to chances of decreasing revenue of companies, it is expected that people’s income will reduce. In this situation, it is very difficult for the insurance companies to get new businesses. Apart from that, it is also certain to affect the renewals of insurance policies. </span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman""><span style="font-family:"Mangal","serif"">“Because of decreasing income, people will give less priority to insurance,” says Pandey. </span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman""><span style="font-family:"Mangal","serif"">The insurance sector had set a target to collect insurance premium of Rs 100 billion in the current Fiscal Year. In the last Fiscal Year, insurance premium of Rs 70 billion was collected. </span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman""><span style="font-family:"Mangal","serif"">Due to the slowdown of business in the insurance sector, the profit of most of companies will be affected. </span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman""><span style="font-family:"Mangal","serif"">The affect is also seen in the non-life insurance sector. According to Noor Pratap Pradhan, vice-president of Nepal Insurers’ Association, the renewal of non-life insurance is not so exciting. </span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman""><span style="font-family:"Mangal","serif"">“The employees haven’t got salary from their offices. It is normal that the insurance holders have not been able to deposit the amount during this period,” said Pradhan. “Presently, the business is only 45 percent compared to normal times. All these transactions have taken place through online medium.”</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman""><span style="font-family:"Mangal","serif"">Similarly, the insurance companies have further been affected due to the reduction of interest rate by the commercial banks. The insurance companies deposit almost the entire amount in the banks. So, they gain profit from the interest. But, due to Covid 29, the interest rate on deposits has been reduced to 7 percent from 9.75 percent. According to data from Nepal Rastra Bank, the insurance companies have deposited around Rs 200.63 billion. </span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman""><span style="font-family:"Mangal","serif"">According to Pandey, the effects won’t be seen in the financial report of this year. “Because the business was really good for first 8-9 months of this fiscal year. However, the effect will be seen in the next fiscal year,” he said. </span></span></span></p> <p> </p> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2020-05-03', 'modified' => '2020-05-03', 'keywords' => '', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '11761', 'image' => '20200503041304_20191023114923_aaaaa.jpg', 'article_date' => '2020-05-03 16:12:23', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => true, 'in_scroller' => null, 'user_id' => '20' ) ), (int) 14 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '12010', 'article_category_id' => '1', 'title' => '‘Government Lacks Data Regarding Nepali Citizens in Foreign Countries’', 'sub_title' => '', 'summary' => 'May 3: At a time when the government is under pressure to rescue Nepalis stranded across the world due to the coronavirus pandemic, it has been found that the government lacks data on the number of Nepalis currently abroad.', 'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Times"><span style="font-family:Arial">May 3: At a time when the government is under pressure to rescue Nepalis stranded across the world due to the coronavirus pandemic, it has been found that the government lacks data on the number of Nepalis currently abroad.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Times"><span style="font-family:Arial">According to officials at the Ministry of Labour, Employment and Social Security, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs is the body responsible of keeping records of the Nepali nationals living abroad. However, the concerned ministry has not maintained proper data, the labour ministry officials said.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Times"><span style="font-family:Arial">“The Ministry of Labour, Employment and Social Security had time and again sought details of Nepali nationals living in different countries across the world to rescue them. However, the foreign ministry replied to us saying that they have to seek the details,” said Joint Secretary Suman Ghimire.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Times"><span style="font-family:Arial">According to Ghimire, although the Ministry of Labour, Employment and Social Security keeps the record of Nepali migrant workers in foreign countries but they do not have any data about Nepali citizens visiting foreign countries for study and other purposes. </span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Times"><span style="font-family:Arial">Officials at the foreign ministry have made irresponsible remarks by stating that they do not have the details of Nepali nationals abroad at the moment.</span></span></span></p> <p> </p> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2020-05-03', 'modified' => '2020-05-03', 'keywords' => '', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '11760', 'image' => '20200503104342_1588455963.jpg', 'article_date' => '2020-05-03 10:42:42', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => true, 'in_scroller' => null, 'user_id' => '20' ) ) ) $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' => '12025', 'article_category_id' => '1', 'title' => 'Preparations Underway to Reopen Industries on Priority Basis: Minister Bhatta', 'sub_title' => '', 'summary' => 'May 6: The government is making preparations to reopen the industries that have been closed due to the lockdown on priority basis.', 'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">May 6: The government is making preparations to reopen the industries that have been closed due to the lockdown on priority basis.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">Minister for Industry, Commerce and Supplies Lekhraj Bhatta said that preparations are underway to open these industries in three phases on priority basis. </span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">Speaking at an interaction program organised in the capital by the society of economic journalists of Nepal (SEJON) on Tuesday (May 5), Minister Bhatta said priority will be given to the industries producing daily essential food items in the first phase. The government is planning to open industries supporting development and construction works in the second phase followed by export-based industries in the third phase. </span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">Minister Bhatta also added that the ministry is constantly holding discussions with trade unions and industrialists to ease the process of re-opening the industrial sector. </span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">“Kathmandu is not considered a red zone. But there is high risk here due to the population density,” said Minister Bhatta.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">He further said that the government has conducted a study to classify industrial sector into red, yellow and green zones and will be allowed to operate according to the classification. </span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">A cabinet meeting today (May 6) will take a decision to this effect, according to the minister.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">A meeting of the High Level Coordination Committee to Prevent Coronavirus on Tuesday had recommended the government to extend the lockdown by a week.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman""><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">“We are coordinating with the agriculture and finance ministries to create job opportunities,” he said.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman""><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">“We have decided to operate dysfunctional industries in Public Private Partnership model while the small and medium scale enterprises as well as industrial estates would be allowed to operate on priority basis,” he added.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman""><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">These programmes would be included in the budget for the upcoming fiscal year as well as the government’s policies and programmes, informed Minister Bhatta.</span></span></span></p> <p> </p> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2020-05-06', 'modified' => '2020-05-06', 'keywords' => '', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '11774', 'image' => '20200506094201_2023535_aaa.jpg', 'article_date' => '2020-05-06 09:41:08', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => true, 'in_scroller' => null, 'user_id' => '20' ) ), (int) 1 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '12022', 'article_category_id' => '1', 'title' => 'Lockdown to be Extended', 'sub_title' => '', 'summary' => 'May 6: A meeting of the High-Level Coordination Committee for the Prevention and Control of Coronavirus held on Tuesday has decided to give continuity to the lockdown imposed by the government. ', 'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">May 6: A meeting of the High-Level Coordination Committee for the Prevention and Control of Coronavirus held on Tuesday has decided to give continuity to the lockdown imposed by the government. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">The meeting held at Prime Minister’s official residence in Baluwatar took a decision to this effect. However, the length of the extension for the lockdown will be determined by the cabinet. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">Emerging from the meeting, Secretary at the Office of Prime Minister and Council of Ministers Narayan Prasad Bidari, shared that the committee assessed that moves of the government to be effective when it came to saving the lives of the public by ordering nationwide lockdown. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">The participants in the meeting had endorsed extension of the stay-at-home order that has been enforced by the government since May 24 to contain the spread of the deadly COVID-19 infection. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">Bidari further shared, “We discussed about all the policies and efforts taken and executed by the government to prevent and control COVID-19 and to treat the infected ones. We determined that the lives of people have been safeguarded by enforcing the lockdown which has helped curb the infection.” </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">The meeting also dwelt about how to reduce the cases of COVID-19 to nil, according to Bidari. -- RSS </span></span></span></p> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2020-05-06', 'modified' => '2020-05-06', 'keywords' => '', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '11773', 'image' => '20200506085132_lockdown.jpg', 'article_date' => '2020-05-06 08:50:46', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => true, 'in_scroller' => null, 'user_id' => '20' ) ), (int) 2 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '12023', 'article_category_id' => '1', 'title' => ' Entry into Kathmandu Valley barred Except for Emergencies', 'sub_title' => '', 'summary' => 'May 6: Despite having entry pass for the vehicles, it is not that easy to enter into the Kathmandu valley from the outer districts during the ongoing lockdown. ', 'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">May 6: Despite having entry pass for the vehicles, it is not that easy to enter into the Kathmandu valley from the outer districts during the ongoing lockdown. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">Even getting the entry pass, the vehicles are not permitted to get through the capital city from border points—Nagdhunga, Pharping, Mudkhu, Jagati and Jarsinghpauwa—except for emergencies. Now, only the vehicles carrying highly essentials goods and health supplies would be permitted to enter the capital city from other districts. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">Deputy Inspector General (DIG) of Nepal Police Bishow Raj Pokhrel said that vehicles except the emergency ones are prevented from coming into the Kathmandu valley though they have entry pass. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">Currently, around 1,500 vehicles have been entering the Kathmandu valley everyday and of them 400 vehicles bear the entry pass in the name of different purposes, the police records reveal. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">Likewise, the number of vehicles carrying daily essentials has increased lately. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">Despite the pandemic COVID-19 paralyzing the normal life, the people tend to get the entry pass under different pretexts which has prompted the security officials to be stricter in the entry of vehicles. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">The police was obliged to take the step as more entry passes were distributed in the districts resulting in the pressure of vehicles from outer districts. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">Deputy Superintendent of Police Ghanshyam Shrestha deployed at Nagdhunga said that around 80 vehicles coming to valley by taking entry pass from the outer districts were prevented from coming to the valley and this step is ongoing. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">He, however, said that sick people, those travelling for death rituals, emergency jobs and professions are allowed to move to their destinations in the valley. -- RSS </span></span></span></p> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2020-05-06', 'modified' => '2020-05-06', 'keywords' => '', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '11772', 'image' => '20200506085535_pass1588678175.jpg', 'article_date' => '2020-05-06 08:54:58', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => true, 'in_scroller' => null, 'user_id' => '20' ) ), (int) 3 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '12019', 'article_category_id' => '1', 'title' => 'Lack of Data Hindering Relief Package for Tourism Industry', 'sub_title' => '', 'summary' => 'May 5: Lack of integrated data in the tourism industry has become a major hindrance to identify the exact losses for relief distribution. ', 'content' => '<h1><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman"">May 5: Lack of integrated data in the tourism industry has become a major hindrance to identify the exact losses for relief distribution. </span></span></h1> <h1><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman"">Nepal Tourism Board (NTB) in a statement informed that there is a lack of official data to identify the exact losses incurred by the tourism industry in Nepal. However, there is no doubt that tourism is the most affected sector due to the crisis created by coronavirus. </span></span></h1> <h1><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman"">Chief Executive Officer of Nepal Tourism Board, Dr Dhananjay Regmi, held a video conversation with media persons on Monday to discuss about Nepali Tourism amid coronavirus crisis. During the conversation, he informed that Nepali tourism sector has a tentative investment of Rs 160 billion and has created around 300,000 jobs, according to a study conducted by Nepal Tourism Board.</span></span></h1> <h1><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman"">However, other organizations claim that the actual size of the investment in tourism is more than Rs 160 billion while this sector provides 800,000 to 1 million jobs.</span></span></h1> <h1><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman"">Even though the government had earlier demanded data on the total investment and employment provided by the industry, tourism entrepreneurs could not provide the data. </span></span></h1> <h1><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman"">The government is having difficulties to allocate relief packages for the tourism industry to combat coronavirus due to the unavailability of accurate data.</span></span></h1> <h1><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman"">A total of 837 firms had participated in the study conducted by the NTB. Regmi after studying the data informed that the tourism sector has an estimated bank loan of Rs 60 billion where Rs 1 billion is to be paid in installments and interest every month.</span></span></h1> <h1><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman"">"The government will only include the companies which are officially registered and are paying taxes while announcing the relief package through the budget. So, those who are not registered may be left out,” he informed.</span></span></h1> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman""><img alt="" src="/app/webroot/userfiles/images/20180103040118_Tourists.jpg" style="height:960px; width:720px" /></span></span></p> <h1><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman""> </span></span></h1> <h1> </h1> <h1> </h1> <h1> </h1> <h1> </h1> <h1> </h1> <h1> </h1> <h1> </h1> <h1> </h1> <h1> </h1> <h1> </h1> <h1> </h1> <h1> </h1> <h1> </h1> <h1> </h1> <h1> </h1> <h1> </h1> <h1> </h1> <h1> </h1> <h1> </h1> <h1> </h1> <h1> </h1> <h1> </h1> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2020-05-05', 'modified' => '2020-05-05', 'keywords' => '', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '11771', 'image' => '20200505123424_20180513122353_tourism.jpg', 'article_date' => '2020-05-05 12:33:20', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => true, 'in_scroller' => null, 'user_id' => '20' ) ), (int) 4 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '12021', 'article_category_id' => '1', 'title' => 'NRB may Lose Rs 7 Billion in Revenue', 'sub_title' => '', 'summary' => 'May 5: The lockdowns imposed by the governments across the globe is expected to adversely affect the interest which Nepal Nepal Rastra Bank (NRB) receives from the international market. ', 'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman""><span style="font-family:"Mangal","serif"">May 5: The lockdowns imposed by the governments across the globe is expected to adversely affect the interest which Nepal Nepal Rastra Bank (NRB) receives from the international market. Many countries have reduced their interest rate to save their economy. So, NRB will lose billions of rupees which it earns through interest coming from the deposits it makes in international banks. In the current fiscal year, it is estimated that NRB will have profit of only Rs 28 billion. </span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman""><span style="font-family:"Mangal","serif"">In the fiscal year 2018/2019, NRB had made a profit of Rs 35.77 billion from international currency and investment in securities. Similarly, in the fiscal year 2017/2018, the profit was Rs 32.34 billion. However, in the current fiscal year, NRB predicted that it will lose Rs 7 billion. </span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman""><span style="font-family:"Mangal","serif"">Almost all foreign exchange reserves of Nepal is in dollar. Nepal has deposited in USA, Singapore and India. As the interest rate has decreased in those countries, Nepal is poised to lose profit obtained from the interest. Currently, USA has reduced the interest rate in deposit to 0.25 percent. Similarly, Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has also decreased the interest rate. </span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman""><span style="font-family:"Mangal","serif"">According to NRB spokesperson Gunakar Bhatta, Nepal had invested its foreign exchange reserve in the Central Bank of USA at an interest rate of 2.25 percent per annum.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman""><span style="font-family:"Mangal","serif"">Chnitamani Siwakoti, deputy governor of NRB, says that the profit from the interest will decrease till the end of this FY. “We get the maximum revenue from foreign exchange reserves. The revenue from foreign exchange reserve is much higher than the revenue from treasury bills, bonds and security investments,” added Shivakoti.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman""><span style="font-family:"Mangal","serif""> “Every year, NRB invests its profit in various funds and provides the remaining amount to the government,” said Shivakoti. In the last FY, NRB provided Rs 12 billion to the government.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman""><span style="font-family:"Mangal","serif"">According to Bhatta, many countries have decreased the interest rate as they are investing the amount in relief packages. In Nepal too, the interest rate in deposit has been decreased to 6.5 percent. The interest rate in deposit has reduced worldwide, and the effects will be felt for a very long time.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman""> </span></span></p> <p> </p> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2020-05-05', 'modified' => '2020-05-05', 'keywords' => '', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '11770', 'image' => '20200505024559_20160909042218_nrb.jpg', 'article_date' => '2020-05-05 14:45:11', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => true, 'in_scroller' => null, 'user_id' => '20' ) ), (int) 5 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '12020', 'article_category_id' => '1', 'title' => 'COVID-19 Cases Reach 82 with Seven New Cases in Banke ', 'sub_title' => '', 'summary' => 'May 5: Coronavirus infection has been confirmed in seven more people in Banke on Tuesday, taking the total number of infected people to 82 in the country. ', 'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">May 5: Coronavirus infection has been confirmed in seven more people in Banke on Tuesday, taking the total number of infected people to 82 in the country. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">Joint spokesman at the Ministry of Health and Population, Dr Samir Adhikari, said coronavirus infection was found in four women and three men at Nepalgunj Sub-metropolitan City in course of carrying out tests at the Nepalgunj-based Bheri Hospital. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">According to him, the infected males are of 22, 30 and 40 years while the infected females are of 9, 32, 34 and 55 years of age. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">With seven new cases the number of infected people in Banke district has climbed to 23. Before this, coronavirus infection was found in 16 people in the district. The health condition of the infected persons is normal, Dr Adhikari said. -- RSS </span></span></span><br /> </p> <p> </p> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2020-05-05', 'modified' => '2020-05-05', 'keywords' => '', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '11769', 'image' => '20200505124232_Toll Rises4.jpg', 'article_date' => '2020-05-05 12:41:53', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => true, 'in_scroller' => null, 'user_id' => '20' ) ), (int) 6 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '12018', 'article_category_id' => '1', 'title' => 'Former Finance Ministers Urge Government to Cut Spending', 'sub_title' => '', 'summary' => 'May 5: While the government is preparing to announce budget for the upcoming fiscal year, former finance ministers have suggested the government to cut its spending for better management of resource during the ongoing crisis. ', 'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Times"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">May 5: While the government is preparing to announce budget for the upcoming fiscal year, former finance ministers have suggested the government to cut its spending for better management of resource during the ongoing crisis. </span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Times"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">Former finance ministers Surendra Pandey, Gyanendra Karki and Baburam Bhattarai made such remarks at a meeting of the Finance Committee of the Parliament on Monday. </span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Times"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">Speaking at the meeting, the ex finance ministers drew the attention of the government toward the unprecedented crisis caused by the coronavirus pandemic and urged it to cut its spending for proper resource management.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Times"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">Former finance minister and leader of the ruling Nepal Communist Party Surendra Pandey suggested the government to reduce recurrent expenditure and not to recruit any new employees and security personnel. </span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Times"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">“The government recruits 10,000 employees and security personnel each year. Let’s not make any recruitment this year,” said Pandey. </span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Times"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">He claimed that the government can save 30 percent of the recurrent expenditure if it reduces general employees and mobilizes technical staffers in their place.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Times"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">Meanwhile, former finance minister Gyanendra Karki of the main opposition Nepali Congress accused the government of giving an extra burden to the state coffers by forming the Squatters Commission at a time when the country is reeling under crisis of coronavirus. He said that the government’s first priority should have been ensuring proper medical kits and equipment to the health workers deployed in the frontline against coronavirus.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Times"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">“The present need is not the Squatters Commission but ventilators and ICU,” said Karki.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Times"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">“The government’s expenditure in unproductive sector is not justifiable,” he added.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Times"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">He also demanded the current status of national pride projects by issuing white paper. Kakri said that the country’s economy has been on a downward trend since the last eight months and the coronavirus pandemic will further deepen the crisis.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Times"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">Former Prime Minister Baburam Bhattarai, who is also a former finance minister, urged the government to reduce the size of the upcoming budget arguing that the revenue collection is expected to slump in the current fiscal year. </span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Times"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">However, he said that the government must give special attention not to shrink employment opportunities and must focus on big projects and social security while preparing the budget despite downsizing it.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Times"> </span></span></p> <p> </p> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2020-05-05', 'modified' => '2020-05-05', 'keywords' => '', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '11768', 'image' => '20200505094959_20151216125539_ed 2.jpg', 'article_date' => '2020-05-05 09:49:21', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => true, 'in_scroller' => null, 'user_id' => '20' ) ), (int) 7 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '12017', 'article_category_id' => '1', 'title' => 'Government Mulls Reopening Industries by Classifying them into Green and Yellow Zones', 'sub_title' => '', 'summary' => 'May 5: The government has hinted at reopening businesses and industries that have remained closed since the government imposed a lockdown on March 24. ', 'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Times"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">May 5: The government has hinted at reopening businesses and industries that have remained closed since the government imposed a lockdown on March 24. </span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Times"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">The Ministry of Industry, Commerce and Supplies is currently holding discussions with the High-Level Committee to Prevent Coronavirus on the prospects of reopening industries by classifying them into green and yellow zones based on the extent of risk of coronavirus infection.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Times"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">The ministry is finalizing its plan to reopen the industries by classifying them into different categories. State Minister for Industry, Commerce and Supplies Moti Lal Dugad informed New Business Age that the government will take a decision to this effect within a few days.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Times"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">“The lockdown will be in force until May 7. We will come up with a work procedure very soon,” said Dugad.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Times"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">According to State Minister Dugad, the areas with high risk will be listed as red zones and will remain closed. However, green and yellow zones will be allowed to operate by maintaining physical distance among the workers under a certain criteria, said Dugad.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Times"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">He further said that the government will make arrangement for operating industries and businesses by adopting necessary precautions even if the lockdown gets extended.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Times"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">Currently, only the industries producing essential items and medicines are operational in the country. </span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Times"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">Senior Vice President of the Federation of Nepalese Chambers of Commerce and Industries (FNCCI) Shekhar Golchha said that it is not essential to allow the industries to operate. </span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Times"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">“Lockdown has proved to be effective. It has almost become a success. Since the coronavirus pandemic is under control in Nepal, the government must now allow industries with low risk to resume operation,” he said. “This would not only prevent the collapse of the industries but also avoid the entire economy of the country from ruin,” he added.</span></span></span></p> <p> </p> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2020-05-05', 'modified' => '2020-05-05', 'keywords' => '', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '11767', 'image' => '20200505092339_20181118041106_kapada-1.jpg', 'article_date' => '2020-05-05 09:23:03', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => true, 'in_scroller' => null, 'user_id' => '20' ) ), (int) 8 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '12014', 'article_category_id' => '1', 'title' => 'Big Hotels Decide to Shut Down for 6 Months', 'sub_title' => '', 'summary' => 'May 4: Star-rated hotels of Nepal have decided to close operation for six months effective from the Nepali New Year citing unprecedented crisis due to lockdown imposed to control the spread of coronavirus.', 'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Times"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">May 4: Star-rated hotels of Nepal have decided to close operation for six months effective from the Nepali New Year citing unprecedented crisis due to lockdown imposed to control the spread of coronavirus. </span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Times"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">Operators of big hotels of Nepal on Sunday (May 3) took a decision in this regard. According to the star-rated hotels, all services will remain closed for six months effective from April 13.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Times"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">The hotel operators informed that the lockdown has affected tourism sector the most. They were of the view that the coronavirus pandemic will have long-term effects on the tourism industry. It is estimated that the current crisis will cause a slump in tourism business for at least a year.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Times"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">In such a context, the hotel operators decided to shut their business for six months, according to Hotel Association of Nepal (HAN).</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Times"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">During the six months of closure, the hotels have decided to provide 12.5 percent of the basic salary and other remunerations to the staffers.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Times"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">In case the labour unions do not agree with the decision of providing 12.5 percent salary, the hotel operators have warned of laying off the staffers fully or partially as per Section 145 of the Labour Act 2074. </span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Times"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">Sunday’s meeting also agreed to seek support from the government for setting up ‘job retention fund’ to pay the staffers additional amount to the 12.5 percent of basic salary. Both the hotel operators and the trade unions have agreed to this proposal to seek government support, said HAN in a statement issued after the meeting.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Times"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">Representatives from Radisson Hotel, Hotel Annapurna, Shangri-La Hotel, Soaltee Crowne Plaza, Hyatt Regency, Shankar Hotel, Hotel Akama among others had attended the meeting.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Times"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">HAN further said that they are open to discussion with the concerned authorities and stakeholders including the workers for better management of the industry.</span></span></span></p> <p> </p> <p> </p> <p> </p> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2020-05-04', 'modified' => '2020-05-04', 'keywords' => '', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '11766', 'image' => '20200504104410_20190511105700_Clipboard37 2.jpg', 'article_date' => '2020-05-04 10:43:30', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => true, 'in_scroller' => null, 'user_id' => '20' ) ), (int) 9 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '12016', 'article_category_id' => '1', 'title' => 'Upcoming Budget to Focus on Coronavirus Affected Sectors', 'sub_title' => '', 'summary' => 'May 4: The government is planning to announce the upcoming budget with special focus on coronavirus-affected sectors. ', 'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman""><span style="font-family:"Mangal","serif"">May 4</span><span style="font-family:Arial">: The government is planning to announce the upcoming budget with special focus on coronavirus-affected sectors. Ministry of Finance is currently preparing the government’s policies and programmes to address the concerns of industrial sector, tourism industry as well as labor and employment issues.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman""><span style="font-family:Arial">Along with neighboring India, many other countries have announced stimulus package. However, the government of Nepal has not yet announced any such package. </span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman""><span style="font-family:"Mangal","serif"">But the government has decided to give subsidies to the affected areas. Issues like giving income tax relief for three to seven years based on production of the industries, postponing loan repayment for six months and limiting interest rate to nine percent are some the measures being considered by the government.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman""><span style="font-family:"Mangal","serif""> The government is also planning to allocate budget for providing employment opportunity to the returnee migrant workers.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman""><span style="font-family:"Mangal","serif"">According to the ministry, the returnee migrant workers will get jobs on the basis of their skills. Government officials informed that the government will give continuity to the Prime Minister Employment Fund in the coming years. The officials say that all these concerns will be addressed by the budget for the upcoming fiscal year 2020/21.</span></span></span></p> <p><strong><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman""><span style="font-family:"Mangal","serif"">Pressure to include informal sector and laborers </span></span></span></strong></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman""><span style="font-family:"Mangal","serif"">Members of Parliament have been pressurizing the government to address all the concerns of small and medium scale industries. During a discussion on Sunday, MPs said that the government must prepare some relief for informal sectors workers and small enterprises as well. </span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman""><span style="font-family:"Mangal","serif"">As many migrant laborers and other local workers are under the risk of losing their job, the lawmakers demanded that the government address their concerns promptly. During the meeting, leaders of various political parties said that industrial zone should be established in all 753 local units. Also, according to them, infrastructures should be expanded so that Nepal can store petrol for at least three months. The MPs demanded the government to address all these concerns in the next fiscal year’s budget. </span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Calibri"> </span></span></p> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2020-05-04', 'modified' => '2020-05-04', 'keywords' => '', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '11765', 'image' => '20200504033240_1588549898.jpg', 'article_date' => '2020-05-04 15:31:41', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => true, 'in_scroller' => null, 'user_id' => '20' ) ), (int) 10 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '12015', 'article_category_id' => '1', 'title' => 'Almost 12,000 Containers Stuck at Different Ports', 'sub_title' => '', 'summary' => 'May 4: Around 12,000 Nepal-bound containers carrying goods from third countries have been piled up at various ports in Nepal and India.', 'content' => '<h1><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman"">May 4: Around 12,000 Nepal-bound containers carrying goods from third countries have been piled up at various ports in Nepal and India. The containers are stuck in the port due to transportation and procedural delays caused by the ongoing lockdown to control the spread of coronavirus.</span></span></h1> <h1><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman"">Likewise, more than 3500 containers are stuck in the Birgunj Dry Port. Meanwhile importers have not turned up at the dry port to clear their containers. The containers were brought to Birgunj from Kolkata and Visakhapatnam ports of India.</span></span></h1> <h1><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman"">The delay in clearing the goods has affected the shipments from Kolkata and Visakhapatnam ports as containers are stuck at the Birgunj port.</span></span></h1> <h1><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman"">There are altogether 19 trains that transport goods from India to Birgunj Dry Port and all of the trains are currently moving towards Birgunj with additional containers. </span></span></h1> <h1><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman"">However, Bishnukant Chaudhary, chief executive officer of Himalayan Terminal that handles the Birgunj Dry Port, informed that the port is already overcrowded with containers and it no longer has sufficient space to unload the arriving containers from India. </span></span></h1> <h1><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman"">“One train carries 90 containers. So, more than 1,700 containers are on the way. Now we are concerned about how to manage the arriving containers,” Chaudhary informed New Business Age.</span></span></h1> <h1><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman"">The number of Nepal-bound containers at Kolkata Port has already exceeded 4,000. The port has decided to send the containers to the nearest Container Freight Station (CFS) if the importers do not receive them.</span></span></h1> <h1><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman"">“About 1,400 containers unloaded at the Kolkata Port before April 23 will be delivered to CFS. We have already informed the importers about this,” informed Vineet Kumar, chairman of Kolkata Port Trust.</span></span></h1> <h1> </h1> <h1> </h1> <h1> </h1> <h1> </h1> <h1> </h1> <h1> </h1> <h1> </h1> <h1> </h1> <h1> </h1> <h1> </h1> <h1> </h1> <h1> </h1> <h1> </h1> <h1> </h1> <h1> </h1> <h1> </h1> <h1> </h1> <h1> </h1> <h1> </h1> <h1> </h1> <h1><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman""> </span></span></h1> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2020-05-04', 'modified' => '2020-05-04', 'keywords' => '', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '11764', 'image' => '20200504031808_20202_1588282929.jpg', 'article_date' => '2020-05-04 15:17:26', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => true, 'in_scroller' => null, 'user_id' => '20' ) ), (int) 11 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '12013', 'article_category_id' => '1', 'title' => 'COVID-19 Cases in Nepal Surge to 75', 'sub_title' => '16 new cases of reported in a single day', 'summary' => 'May 4: Sixteen new cases of COVID-19 were confirmed in a single day on Sunday (May 3), according to officials at the Ministry of Health and Population.', 'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:Arial">May 4: Sixteen new cases of COVID-19 were confirmed in a single day on Sunday (May 3), according to officials at the Ministry of Health and Population.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:Arial">The ministry informed that 15 new cases were confirmed in Banke while one was reported in Prasa. </span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:Arial">The total number of COVID-19 cases has reached 75 across the country.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:Arial">Spokesperson at the ministry Dr Bikas Devkota said that the health condition of all the infected persons is normal.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:Arial">So far 16 people infected with coronavirus have returned home after full recovery. </span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:Arial">As of Sunday, health authorities have tested 13,414 samples through PCR method and 49,688 through RDT method.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:Arial">Altogether 21,951 persons have been kept in quarantine across the country.</span></span></span></p> <p> </p> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2020-05-04', 'modified' => '2020-05-04', 'keywords' => '', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '11763', 'image' => '20200504102006_Toll Rises4.jpg', 'article_date' => '2020-05-04 10:16:32', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => true, 'in_scroller' => false, 'user_id' => '20' ) ), (int) 12 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '12011', 'article_category_id' => '1', 'title' => 'SMEs is Crisis due to Lockdown ', 'sub_title' => '', 'summary' => 'May 3: The lockdown imposed by the government to control the spread of coronavirus has been affecting small and medium sized industries across the country. ', 'content' => '<h1><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman"">May 3: The lockdown imposed by the government to control the spread of coronavirus has been affecting small and medium sized industries across the country. Small and Medium Scale Enterprises (SMEs) are in crisis as production and supply have come to a standstill due to the month-long lockdown.</span></span></h1> <h1><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman"">Due to such unprecedented circumstances, stakeholders opine that the entire economy will be affected by the current crisis.</span></span></h1> <h1><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman"">Economist Dr Govinda Nepal informed new Business Age that the lockdown and coronavirus crisis have affected SMEs the most around the world.</span></span></h1> <h1><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman"">He informed that all such enterprises are the most vulnerable during the current crisis.</span></span></h1> <h1><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman"">The small and medium scale industries are affected by minor risks and eventually force them to shut down. </span></span></h1> <h1><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman"">“Even small risks can cause such industries to close down quickly. However, the government should provide short-term relief, soft loans and refinancing to save such industries from crisis,” he informed.</span></span></h1> <h1><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman"">Experts also suggest that the state must take appropriate decision to save such industries from crisis. Small and medium industries and enterprises contribute a lot in creating employment opportunities.</span></span></h1> <h1><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman"">Restaurants, handicraft industry and poultry farms which are part of small and medium industries have been providing direct and indirect employment to about 2.4 million people in Nepal and are contributing 22 percent to the country's gross domestic product.</span></span></h1> <h1><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman"">At present, poultry industry is bearing a daily loss of around Rs 220 million. Likewise, restaurants have been shut for more than a month. </span></span></h1> <h1><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman"">There are about 2,500 restaurants in Kathmandu, Chitwan and Pokhara making a daily turnover of Rs 70 million. Similarly, the handicraft industry, which employs around one million people, is also in crisis.</span></span></h1> <h1> </h1> <h1> </h1> <h1> </h1> <h1> </h1> <h1> </h1> <h1> </h1> <h1> </h1> <h1> </h1> <h1> </h1> <h1> </h1> <h1> </h1> <h1> </h1> <h1> </h1> <h1> </h1> <h1> </h1> <h1> </h1> <h1> </h1> <h1> </h1> <h1> </h1> <h1> </h1> <h1> </h1> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2020-05-03', 'modified' => '2020-05-03', 'keywords' => '', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '11762', 'image' => '20200503040317_20181115113202_DSC_0992 (1).jpg', 'article_date' => '2020-05-03 16:02:30', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => true, 'in_scroller' => null, 'user_id' => '20' ) ), (int) 13 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '12012', 'article_category_id' => '1', 'title' => 'Insurance Sector may face loss of Rs 13 billion', 'sub_title' => '', 'summary' => 'May 3: The uncertainty caused by the fear of coronavirus and the extension of lockdown have been affecting the insurance sector. ', 'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman""><span style="font-family:"Mangal","serif"">May 3: The uncertainty caused by the fear of coronavirus and the extension of lockdown have been affecting the insurance sector. </span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman""><span style="font-family:"Mangal","serif"">Usually around this time of the year, the insurance companies make good business due to various schemes they announce. But, due to the lockdown, insurance companies are getting very less clients who want purchase insurance policies. </span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman""><span style="font-family:"Mangal","serif"">The main source of revenue for insurance companies is insurance premium. The officials say that even the insurance renewal hasn’t taken place as the government has postponed the renewal deadline till mid-June. Earlier, the deadline for renewal was mid-May. </span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman""><span style="font-family:"Mangal","serif"">According to Shiva Nath Pandey, president of Nepal Insurers Association, the insurance sector may lose Rs 13 billion due to lockdown. “Had it been normal times, we would have invested in various sectors to expand revenue horizon,” said Pandey. </span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman""> </span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman""><span style="font-family:"Mangal","serif"">Due to chances of decreasing revenue of companies, it is expected that people’s income will reduce. In this situation, it is very difficult for the insurance companies to get new businesses. Apart from that, it is also certain to affect the renewals of insurance policies. </span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman""><span style="font-family:"Mangal","serif"">“Because of decreasing income, people will give less priority to insurance,” says Pandey. </span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman""><span style="font-family:"Mangal","serif"">The insurance sector had set a target to collect insurance premium of Rs 100 billion in the current Fiscal Year. In the last Fiscal Year, insurance premium of Rs 70 billion was collected. </span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman""><span style="font-family:"Mangal","serif"">Due to the slowdown of business in the insurance sector, the profit of most of companies will be affected. </span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman""><span style="font-family:"Mangal","serif"">The affect is also seen in the non-life insurance sector. According to Noor Pratap Pradhan, vice-president of Nepal Insurers’ Association, the renewal of non-life insurance is not so exciting. </span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman""><span style="font-family:"Mangal","serif"">“The employees haven’t got salary from their offices. It is normal that the insurance holders have not been able to deposit the amount during this period,” said Pradhan. “Presently, the business is only 45 percent compared to normal times. All these transactions have taken place through online medium.”</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman""><span style="font-family:"Mangal","serif"">Similarly, the insurance companies have further been affected due to the reduction of interest rate by the commercial banks. The insurance companies deposit almost the entire amount in the banks. So, they gain profit from the interest. But, due to Covid 29, the interest rate on deposits has been reduced to 7 percent from 9.75 percent. According to data from Nepal Rastra Bank, the insurance companies have deposited around Rs 200.63 billion. </span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman""><span style="font-family:"Mangal","serif"">According to Pandey, the effects won’t be seen in the financial report of this year. “Because the business was really good for first 8-9 months of this fiscal year. However, the effect will be seen in the next fiscal year,” he said. </span></span></span></p> <p> </p> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2020-05-03', 'modified' => '2020-05-03', 'keywords' => '', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '11761', 'image' => '20200503041304_20191023114923_aaaaa.jpg', 'article_date' => '2020-05-03 16:12:23', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => true, 'in_scroller' => null, 'user_id' => '20' ) ), (int) 14 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '12010', 'article_category_id' => '1', 'title' => '‘Government Lacks Data Regarding Nepali Citizens in Foreign Countries’', 'sub_title' => '', 'summary' => 'May 3: At a time when the government is under pressure to rescue Nepalis stranded across the world due to the coronavirus pandemic, it has been found that the government lacks data on the number of Nepalis currently abroad.', 'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Times"><span style="font-family:Arial">May 3: At a time when the government is under pressure to rescue Nepalis stranded across the world due to the coronavirus pandemic, it has been found that the government lacks data on the number of Nepalis currently abroad.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Times"><span style="font-family:Arial">According to officials at the Ministry of Labour, Employment and Social Security, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs is the body responsible of keeping records of the Nepali nationals living abroad. However, the concerned ministry has not maintained proper data, the labour ministry officials said.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Times"><span style="font-family:Arial">“The Ministry of Labour, Employment and Social Security had time and again sought details of Nepali nationals living in different countries across the world to rescue them. However, the foreign ministry replied to us saying that they have to seek the details,” said Joint Secretary Suman Ghimire.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Times"><span style="font-family:Arial">According to Ghimire, although the Ministry of Labour, Employment and Social Security keeps the record of Nepali migrant workers in foreign countries but they do not have any data about Nepali citizens visiting foreign countries for study and other purposes. </span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Times"><span style="font-family:Arial">Officials at the foreign ministry have made irresponsible remarks by stating that they do not have the details of Nepali nationals abroad at the moment.</span></span></span></p> <p> </p> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2020-05-03', 'modified' => '2020-05-03', 'keywords' => '', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '11760', 'image' => '20200503104342_1588455963.jpg', 'article_date' => '2020-05-03 10:42:42', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => true, 'in_scroller' => null, 'user_id' => '20' ) ) ) $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
