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Code Context
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			'id' => '11978',
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			'title' => 'Number of COVID-19 Cases Reach  47 in Nepal',
			'sub_title' => '',
			'summary' => 'April 24: The number of people infected with coronavirus has reached 47 in the country with confirmation of two new cases on Thursday (April 23).',
			'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Times">April 24: The number of people infected with coronavirus has reached 47 in the country with confirmation of two new cases on Thursday (April 23).</span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Times">The Ministry of Health and Population confirmed the new cases during a regular press briefing.</span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Times">Spokesperson at the ministry Dr Bikash Devkota informed that a 55-year-old woman and 14-year-old boy have been diagnosed with&nbsp;the disease that has infected more than 2.6 million people worldwide.</span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Times">&nbsp;Dr Devkota informed that swab samples of the woman from Udayapur tested and the boy from Janakpur positive at Kathmandu-based National Public Health Laboratory.</span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Times">Two coronavirus patients from Sun City Apartment who were undergoing treatment at Patan Hospital were discharged on Thursday. With this, the number of recovered cases has reached 9. The country still has 38 active cases, most of them in Udayapur.</span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Times">Dr Devkota informed that the health condition of all the infected patients is normal.</span></span></p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>
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			'sortorder' => '11729',
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			'id' => '11977',
			'article_category_id' => '1',
			'title' => 'Government Likely to Extend Lockdown',
			'sub_title' => 'Preparations Underway to Announce Next Year’s Budget ',
			'summary' => 'April 24: The government hinted that it would take decision on lifting the lockdown after reviewing necessary concerns, including the steps taken by neighbouring India to control the spread of COVID-19.',
			'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:&quot;Arial Unicode MS&quot;">April 24: The government hinted that it would take decision on lifting the lockdown after reviewing necessary concerns, including the steps taken by neighbouring India to control the spread of COVID-19.</span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:&quot;Arial Unicode MS&quot;">Government spokesperson Yuba Raj Khatiwada said that coronavirus is a pandemic and the Government of Nepal cannot take a unilateral decision in this matter of worldwide concern. The government had imposed the lockdown on&nbsp; March 24. The lockdown is expiring on April 27.</span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:&quot;Arial Unicode MS&quot;">Speaking at a press conference organised on Thursday (April 23) to share the decisions taken by the cabinet, Finance Minister Khatiwada said that saving people&rsquo;s lives was the government&rsquo;s first priority.</span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:&quot;Arial Unicode MS&quot;">According to Khatiwada, the government is considering the measures taken by India to prevent the spread of coronavirus and Nepal&rsquo;s preparedness to fight the pandemic by ensuring medical supplies, necessary infrastructures, people&#39;s awareness and social distancing before lifting the lockdown.</span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:&quot;Arial Unicode MS&quot;">Minister Khatiwada made it clear that the lockdown could be extended if required.</span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:&quot;Arial Unicode MS&quot;">However, he said that the government would relax the restriction to some extent to allow industries providing basic needs to operate under certain criteria like maintaining physical distancing and proper hygiene.</span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:&quot;Arial Unicode MS&quot;">Minister Khatiwada also added that the government is set to announce its policies and programmes as well as the annual budget of the next fiscal year in two phases.</span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:&quot;Arial Unicode MS&quot;">He said that the government will include short-term and mid-term programmes in the upcoming budget.</span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:&quot;Arial Unicode MS&quot;">Meanwhile, the cabinet meeting also approved loan assistance of US$ 100 million fro the International Monetary Fund, informed Khatiwada.</span></span></span></p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>
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			'sortorder' => '11728',
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			'id' => '11976',
			'article_category_id' => '1',
			'title' => 'Sharp Decline in Remittance to Nepal in 2020: WB',
			'sub_title' => '',
			'summary' => 'April 23: The coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic induced economic crisis will cause remittances to Nepal decline by 14 percent in 2020 compared to USD 8.1 billion in 2019, according to a new World Bank report. ',
			'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Calibri"><span style="font-family:Arial">April 23: The coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic induced economic crisis will cause remittances to Nepal decline by 14 percent in 2020 compared to USD 8.1 billion in 2019, according to a new World Bank report. </span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Calibri"><span style="font-family:Arial">In its &lsquo;Migration and Development Brief 32: COVID-19 Crisis Through a Migration Lens&rsquo;, the Washington DC-based multilateral agency projects that the South Asia region will see remittance inflow decreasing by 22.1 percent in 2020. The World Bank has said that this is the biggest slump of remittance to the region in the recent history. </span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Calibri"><span style="font-family:Arial">&ldquo;In India, remittances are projected to fall by about 23 percent in 2020, to USD 64 billion &ndash; a striking contrast with the growth of 5.5 percent and receipts of USD 83 billion seen in 2019. In Pakistan, the projected decline is also about 23 percent, totaling about USD 17 billion, compared with a total of USD 22.5 billion in 2019, when remittances grew by 6.2 percent,&rdquo; the report states. The report estimates that remittances to Bangladesh will dip by about 22 percent to USD 14 billion from USD 22 billion in 2019. Remittances to Sri Lanka are expected to decline by 19 percent this year. </span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Calibri"><span style="font-family:Arial">&ldquo;The coronavirus</span><span style="font-family:&quot;Cambria Math&quot;">‐</span><span style="font-family:Arial">related global slowdown and travel restrictions will also affect migratory movements, and this is likely to keep remittances subdued even in 2021,&rdquo; reads the report. According to the World Bank, the projected remittance growth of 5.8 percent in 2021 will keep total regional flows at about USD 115 billion. </span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:&quot;Times New Roman&quot;"><span style="font-family:Arial">Globally, remittances will decline by about 20 percent this year. According to the report, remittances to low and middle-income countries (LMICs) are projected to fall by 19.7 percent to USD 445 billion, representing a loss of a crucial financing lifeline for many vulnerable households.</span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:&quot;Times New Roman&quot;"><span style="font-family:Arial">The large decline in remittances flows in 2020 comes after remittances to LMICs reached a record USD 554 billion in 2019. The report highlights that even with the decline, remittance flows are expected to become even more important as a source of external financing for LMICs as the fall in foreign direct investment is expected to be larger (more than 35 percent). &ldquo;In 2019, remittance flows to LMICs became larger than FDI, an important milestone for monitoring resource flows to developing countries,&rdquo; says the report.&nbsp; </span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:&quot;Times New Roman&quot;"><span style="font-family:Arial">&nbsp;&ldquo;Remittances are a vital source of income for developing countries. The ongoing economic recession caused by COVID-19 is taking a severe toll on the ability to send money home and makes it all the more vital that we shorten the time to recovery for advanced economies,&rdquo; a statement issued by the&nbsp;World Bank Group quoted the bank&rsquo;s President David Malpass as saying. &ldquo;Remittances help families afford food, healthcare, and basic needs. As the World Bank Group implements fast, broad action to support countries, we are working to keep remittance channels open and safeguard the poorest communities&rsquo; access to these most basic needs.&rdquo;</span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:&quot;Times New Roman&quot;"><span style="font-family:Arial">According to the statement, the World Bank is assisting member states in monitoring the flow of remittances through various channels, the costs and convenience of sending money, and regulations to protect financial integrity that affect remittance flows. &ldquo;It is working with the G20 countries and the global community to reduce remittance costs and improve financial inclusion for the poor,&rdquo; says the bank. </span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:&quot;Times New Roman&quot;"><span style="font-family:Arial">Remittance flows are expected to fall across all regions, most notably in Europe and Central Asia (27.5 percent), followed by Sub-Saharan Africa (23.1 percent), South Asia (22.1 percent), the Middle East and North Africa (19.6 percent), Latin America and the Caribbean (19.3 percent), and East Asia and the Pacific (13 percent).</span></span></span></p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>
',
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			'sortorder' => '11727',
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		'Article' => array(
			'id' => '11975',
			'article_category_id' => '1',
			'title' => 'Global Hunger could Double due to COVID-19 Blow: UN',
			'sub_title' => '',
			'summary' => 'April 23: The number of people facing acute food insecurity could nearly double this year to 265 million due to the economic fallout of COVID-19, the United Nations’ World Food Programme (WFP) said in a recent statement.',
			'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Cambria">April 23: The number of people facing acute food insecurity could nearly double this year to 265 million due to the economic fallout of COVID-19, the United Nations&rsquo; World Food Programme (WFP) said in a recent statement.</span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Times">According to Reuters, the impact of lost tourism revenues, falling remittances and travel and other restrictions linked to the coronavirus pandemic are expected to leave some 130 million people acutely hungry this year, adding to around 135 million already in that category. </span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Times">&ldquo;COVID-19 is potentially catastrophic for millions who are already hanging by a thread,&rdquo; Reuters quoted Arif Husain, chief economist and director of research, assessment and monitoring at the World Food Programme (WFP), as saying. </span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Times">&ldquo;We all need to come together to deal with this because if we don&rsquo;t the cost will be too high - the global cost will be too high: many lost lives and many, many more lost livelihoods,&rdquo; he told reporters at a virtual briefing in Geneva. </span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Times">According to the news agency, Husain said it was critical to act quickly in order to prevent people already living hand-to-mouth from selling their assets as it could take them years to become self-reliant again. </span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Times">In some cases, such as when farmers sell their ploughs or oxen, it could have knock-on effects for food production for years to come, he added. </span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Times">&ldquo;These were the people we were concerned about,&rdquo; he said, adding he was &ldquo;really worried&rdquo; about people living in countries with little or no government safety nets. </span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Times">&ldquo;Acute food and livelihood crisis&rdquo; is category three of five UN phases meaning a &ldquo;critical lack of food access and above usual malnutrition&rdquo;. </span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Times">Category 5 means mass starvation. UN officials did not give a geographical breakdown of the growing needs, but said that Africa was likely to be hardest hit, Reuters&nbsp; reported. </span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Times">WFP plans to pre-position food stocks over the coming months in anticipation of growing needs. </span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Times">Of those already deemed acutely hungry, many are in conflict zones such as Syria or in countries badly hit by the impact of climate change, according to a UN report. </span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Times"><img alt="" src="/app/webroot/userfiles/images/s_Masciarelli_7082%202.jpg" style="height:533px; width:800px" /></span></span></p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>
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			'sortorder' => '11726',
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			'id' => '11979',
			'article_category_id' => '1',
			'title' => 'Cabinet Endorse Electricity Bill ',
			'sub_title' => '',
			'summary' => 'April 24: Hydropower companies no longer require separate licenses for survey and generation of electricity provided that the new law is endorsed by the parliament.',
			'content' => '<h1><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:&quot;Times New Roman&quot;">April 24: Hydropower companies no longer require separate licenses for survey and generation of electricity provided that the new law is endorsed by the parliament.</span></span></h1>

<h1><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:&quot;Times New Roman&quot;">The council of ministers has scrapped the provision of two separate licenses for the hydropower companies. A recent cabinet meeting took a decision to this effect by endorsing the Electricity Bill 2077. However, the bill is yet to be endorsed by the House of Representatives and the National Assembly. </span></span></h1>

<h1><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:&quot;Times New Roman&quot;">According to the proposed bill, hydropower companies can now acquire a single license for survey and electricity generation.</span></span></h1>

<h1><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:&quot;Times New Roman&quot;">In the bill also proposes issuing such license only on the basis of competition.</span></span></h1>

<h1><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:&quot;Times New Roman&quot;">According to the bill, all three levels of government will be eligible to grant the permits for generating electricity. The local government will be eligible to issue license for hydropower projects generating up to 3 MW of electricity and the state government will be allowed to permit license for projects generating up to 3-20 MW of electricity.</span></span></h1>

<h1>&nbsp;</h1>

<h1>&nbsp;</h1>

<h1>&nbsp;</h1>

<h1>&nbsp;</h1>
',
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			'sortorder' => '11725',
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			'id' => '11973',
			'article_category_id' => '1',
			'title' => 'Milk Consumption Down to 20 Percent',
			'sub_title' => '',
			'summary' => 'April 23: Nepal Dairy Association (NDA) has said that milk vans have not been able to operate despite the government not preventing the operation of vehicles carrying essentials during the lockdown period.     ',
			'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:&quot;Arial Unicode MS&quot;">April 23: Nepal Dairy Association (NDA) has said that milk vans have not been able to operate despite the government not preventing the operation of vehicles carrying essentials during the lockdown period.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span><br />
<span style="font-family:&quot;Arial Unicode MS&quot;">NDA general secretary Prahlad Dahal said except in Kathmandu, the milk vans have been prevented from operating in Chitwan, Butwal and Nepalgunj, among other cities. He said they are facing obstruction in the operation of milk tankers and even in selling milk to shops.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span><br />
<span style="font-family:&quot;Arial Unicode MS&quot;">Dahal informed that vehicles carrying milk have been stopped and the helpers also beaten by police in some instances at New Road, Koteshwar and other places in Kathmandu.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span><br />
<span style="font-family:&quot;Arial Unicode MS&quot;">&quot;We have not been provided with any permits. Every day, obstructions have been created to our friends and the milk delivery vans. A milk tanker coming to Kathmandu from Chitwan was stopped on the way and turned back. It is very difficult to run the dairy business with frequent hurdles in transporting milk and other dairy products,&quot; he complained.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span><br />
<span style="font-family:&quot;Arial Unicode MS&quot;">According to him, only 20 per cent of the total milk and milk products is being sold daily at present. Ghimire added that the dairy industry has incurred losses of Rs 2 billion due to the lockdown and products worth Rs 5 billion was in stock.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span><br />
<span style="font-family:&quot;Arial Unicode MS&quot;">Meanwhile, the dairy industries have started distributing milk free of cost after a slump in its sale due to the lockdown. NDA said they started providing milk free of cost rather than dumping it.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span><br />
<span style="font-family:&quot;Arial Unicode MS&quot;">It is said milk is being distributed free at quarantine facilities and to the needy households, including the nursing mothers, in Budhanilkantha municipality of Kathmandu, at Damak of Jhapa and in Rupandehi. </span></span>-- RSS</span></p>
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			'id' => '11972',
			'article_category_id' => '1',
			'title' => 'Health Ministry Confirms Three New Cases of Coronavirus',
			'sub_title' => '',
			'summary' => 'April 23: With three new confirmed cases of coronavirus in the country, the total number of people infected with COVID-19 has reached 45, Ministry of Health and Population said Wednesday (April 22).',
			'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:&quot;Arial Unicode MS&quot;">April 23: With three new confirmed cases of coronavirus in the country, the total number of people infected with COVID-19 has reached 45, Ministry of Health and Population said Wednesday (April 22).</span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:&quot;Arial Unicode MS&quot;">All three persons infected with coronavirus are male. The three persons tested positive for the disease during their swab test held at Dharan-based BP Koirala Institute of Health Sciences, said Dr Bikash Devkota, spokesperson at the Ministry of Health and Population. </span><br />
<span style="font-family:&quot;Arial Unicode MS&quot;">According to the ministry, a total of 40,431 suspects have been tested for COVID-19 across the country so far. This includes 9,011 through polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and 31420 through rapid diagnostic test (RDT) methods. </span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Cambria">&nbsp;<span style="font-family:&quot;Arial Unicode MS&quot;">A total of 8,595 people have been quarantined while 95 have been kept in isolation.</span></span></span></p>
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			'sortorder' => '11723',
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			'id' => '11974',
			'article_category_id' => '1',
			'title' => 'CEO Insights India publishes ‘Top 10 emerging startups in Nepal’ ',
			'sub_title' => '',
			'summary' => 'April 23: CEO Insights, a renowned business magazine in India, has published the list of top 10 emerging startups in Nepal-2020. ',
			'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Calibri"><span style="font-family:&quot;Times New Roman&quot;">April 23: CEO Insights, a renowned business magazine in India, has published the list of top 10 emerging startups in Nepal-2020. </span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Calibri"><span style="font-family:&quot;Times New Roman&quot;">Startups from various sectors including trading, tourism, technology, recruitment and consulting have entered the list. </span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Calibri"><span style="font-family:&quot;Times New Roman&quot;">Asia Corporation, established in 2017, is the number one among the 10.&nbsp; The startup provides industrial paper, photocopy paper, animal feeds, mosquito nets, chemical fertilizer, overhaul and maintenance services for helicopters and AI-related products to public and private companies. </span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Calibri"><span style="font-family:&quot;Times New Roman&quot;">Similarly, other companies selected as top startups include Hamro Technology, a fintech firm; Himalayan Wonders, a travel startup; JATA digital, a digital marketing company; Mapleyak, a consulting firm; and Mero Network, a digital marketing startup. Similarly, My Career HR Solutions, a recruitment startup; Palm Mind, an application development-based startup; Sarvanam Software, a software development startup;&nbsp; and Vidinterest, an online video curation and discovery platform &nbsp;are others in the list of top 10 start-ups. </span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Calibri"><span style="font-family:&quot;Times New Roman&quot;">&ldquo;Asia Corporation is inclined towards core values and this is what helps us to operate efficiently and run smoothly,&rdquo; said Sunil KC, founder of Asia Corporation in the April issue of CEO Insights magazine. </span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Calibri"><span style="font-family:&quot;Times New Roman&quot;">The magazine writes that the editorial board spoke to a large number of startups in Nepal and shortlisted them on the basis of innovative business ideas, cutting-edge offerings and unconditional customer support.</span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Calibri"><span style="font-family:&quot;Times New Roman&quot;">&ldquo;Investment is an area which needs huge attention. Apart from that incubation and other platforms from the government is the instant need of hour. With large markets in the neighboring countries, startups in Nepal can surely change the landscape of the country,&rdquo; writes the editorial of the magazine.</span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;</span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Calibri"><img alt="" src="/app/webroot/userfiles/images/Nepal%20Startups%20PDF-5%281%29.jpg" style="height:768px; width:606px" />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span></span></p>
',
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			'created' => '2020-04-23',
			'modified' => '2020-04-23',
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			'description' => '',
			'sortorder' => '11722',
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	(int) 8 => array(
		'Article' => array(
			'id' => '11971',
			'article_category_id' => '1',
			'title' => '‘World Bank Agrees to Release Concessional Loan for Youth Employment’',
			'sub_title' => '',
			'summary' => 'April 22: The World Bank has approved the work procedure prepared by the Ministry of Labour, Employment and Social Security for the utilization of Rs 14 billion concessional loan announced by the World Bank under the Prime Minister Employment Programme',
			'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Times"><span style="font-family:&quot;Bangla MN&quot;">April 22: The World Bank has approved the work procedure prepared by the Ministry of Labour, Employment and Social Security for the utilization of Rs 14 billion concessional loan announced by the World Bank under the Prime Minister Employment Programme.</span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Times"><span style="font-family:&quot;Bangla MN&quot;">However, the amount will be mobilized only in the upcoming fiscal&nbsp; year. The government had signed an agreement with the World Bank for the concessional loan for a period of five years on November 24 last year. The agreement states that the government should have mobilized Rs 2 billion from the fund in the current fiscal year. However, the government was unable to spend the amount due to the lack of work procedure. But the government will be spending Rs 4 billion for youth employment in the upcoming fiscal year.</span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Times"><span style="font-family:&quot;Bangla MN&quot;">Joint Secretary at the PMEP Loknath Bhusal informed that the World Bank had set a condition that the fund could be utilized only after preparing the work procedure.&nbsp; He further said that the government was unable to prepare the work procedure due to which the World Bank refused to release Rs 2 billion allocated for the current fiscal year. </span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Times"><span style="font-family:&quot;Bangla MN&quot;">&ldquo;However, we have reached an understanding with the World Bank to utilize that amount in the&nbsp; next fiscal year,&rdquo; said Bhusal.</span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Times"><span style="font-family:&quot;Bangla MN&quot;">The work procedure aims to reduce the unemployment rate across the country by providing employment opportunities to jobless youths.</span></span></span></p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>
',
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			'created' => '2020-04-22',
			'modified' => '2020-04-22',
			'keywords' => '',
			'description' => '',
			'sortorder' => '11721',
			'image' => '20200422011836_ea579c.jpg',
			'article_date' => '2020-04-22 13:17:58',
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	(int) 9 => array(
		'Article' => array(
			'id' => '11970',
			'article_category_id' => '266',
			'title' => 'Foodmandu Purchases Insurance Policy for its Employees against COVID-19',
			'sub_title' => '',
			'summary' => 'April 22: Foodmandu has purchased insurance policy for its employees against coronavirus.',
			'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:20px">April 22: Foodmandu has purchased insurance policy for its employees against coronavirus. All the staffers involved in field work have been insured against coronaries, the company said in a statement.<br />
A total of 19 staffers of Foodmandu have been insured against COVID-19. The company said it has purchased insurance policy worth Rs 100,000 for the employees who deliver food to the customers.<br />
Foodmandu, which delivers food at the doorsteps of the customers, has been delivering fresh groceries during the lockdown.</span></p>
',
			'published' => true,
			'created' => '2020-04-22',
			'modified' => '2020-04-22',
			'keywords' => '',
			'description' => '',
			'sortorder' => '11720',
			'image' => '20200422010536_Foodmandu_Covid-19-Pic.jpg',
			'article_date' => '2020-04-22 13:04:54',
			'homepage' => false,
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	(int) 10 => array(
		'Article' => array(
			'id' => '11967',
			'article_category_id' => '1',
			'title' => 'Umbrella Organisation of Bankers Decides to Lower Interest Rate for SMEs',
			'sub_title' => '',
			'summary' => 'April 22: The Confederation of Banks and Financial Institutions Nepal (CBFIN), an umbrella organisation of commercial banks, development banks and financial institutions of the country, has decided to charge one percent less interest on loans up to Rs 10 million from April 13 onward to small and medium-scale enterprises (SMEs).',
			'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Times">April 22: The Confederation of Banks and Financial Institutions Nepal (CBFIN), an umbrella organisation of commercial banks, development banks and financial institutions of the country, has decided to charge one percent less interest on loans up to Rs 10 million from April 13 onward to small and medium-scale enterprises (SMEs). </span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Times">The confederation said that its members decided to lower the interest rate considering the impact of coronavirus on the economy and the borrowers.</span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Times">According to CBFIN, the borrowers can enjoy the facility until further notice.</span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Times">Borrowers who have taken loan from commercial banks at 10 percent interest will now have to pay 9 percent interest during this period.&nbsp; Likewise, individuals and firms borrowing up to Rs 4 million from development banks and Rs 2 million from finance companies can also enjoy this facility.</span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Times">The confederation made this announcement on Tuesday (April 22) while unveiling a special relief package for the borrowers bearing the brunt of coronavirus and the lockdown imposed by the government. A meeting of the confederation members had taken a decision to this effect a day earlier on April 21.</span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Times">Likewise, the confederation has announced 10 percent discount on payment of interest within the month of Baishakh (mid-May). CBFIN said its members will also not slap any fine if the pending loans are cleared within mid-May.</span></span></p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>
',
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			'created' => '2020-04-22',
			'modified' => '2020-04-22',
			'keywords' => '',
			'description' => '',
			'sortorder' => '11719',
			'image' => '20200422115500_qqqq.jpg',
			'article_date' => '2020-04-22 11:54:17',
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	(int) 11 => array(
		'Article' => array(
			'id' => '11966',
			'article_category_id' => '1',
			'title' => 'Western Union Announces Home Delivery Service in Nepal',
			'sub_title' => 'Remittance now Available at Doorstep',
			'summary' => 'April 22: Western Union Money Transfer on Tuesday (April 21) announced that Annapurna Travel & Tours and Hulas Rmittance will provide home delivery service for Western Union money transfers in Nepal.',
			'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:&quot;Times New Roman&quot;">April 22: Western Union Money Transfer on Tuesday (April 21) announced that Annapurna Travel &amp; Tours and Hulas Rmittance will provide home delivery service for Western Union money transfers in Nepal.</span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:&quot;Times New Roman&quot;">The agents&rsquo; home delivery service will enable customers in Nepal to receive cash from their loved ones from abroad, without leaving their homes. </span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:&quot;Times New Roman&quot;">The company said in a statement that Annapurna Travel &amp; Tours and Hulas Remittance will deliver money to the recipients at their doorsteps during the lockdown imposed by the government. The home delivery service will be available throughout the week including Saturday and Sunday from 10 AM to 4 PM.</span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:&quot;Times New Roman&quot;">&ldquo;We and our Agents play a critical role in getting money to places, where and when it is most needed. As a purpose-driven global company, our mandate is to serve communities worldwide and this means not only serving the digitally enabled but also offline communities innovatively. This shared purpose holds true in these current times,&rdquo; said Jean Claude Farah, president of Global Network, Western Union. </span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:&quot;Times New Roman&quot;">&ldquo;The launch of this new agent service - delivering money to customers&rsquo; home &ndash; will help the public access cash, thereby providing essential financial services to a broad range of customers, including those who do not hold bank accounts,&rdquo; added Farah. </span></span></p>
',
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			'created' => '2020-04-22',
			'modified' => '2020-04-22',
			'keywords' => '',
			'description' => '',
			'sortorder' => '11718',
			'image' => '20200422112714_remit.jpg',
			'article_date' => '2020-04-22 11:24:30',
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	(int) 12 => array(
		'Article' => array(
			'id' => '11968',
			'article_category_id' => '1',
			'title' => 'Imported Goods at Birgunj Customs Point Damaged by Rain',
			'sub_title' => 'Importers unable to clear the goods due to lockdown',
			'summary' => 'April 22: The goods arriving at the customs office in Birgunj are stuck for many days due to the lockdown. ',
			'content' => '<h1><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:&quot;Times New Roman&quot;">April 22: The goods arriving at the customs office in Birgunj are stuck for many days due to the lockdown. The importers have not come to clear their goods from the customs office even though some of them have started deteriorating over the time.</span></span></h1>

<h1><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:&quot;Times New Roman&quot;">The goods at the customs office are getting damaged day by day.</span></span></h1>

<h1><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:&quot;Times New Roman&quot;">Representatives of the importers informed New Business Age that their goods have been damaged by the rain and storm.</span></span></h1>

<h1><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:&quot;Times New Roman&quot;">Umesh Sharma, central member of the Nepal Freight Forwarders Association, informed the goods stuck in the yard of Birgunj Customs have been damaged by the rain.</span></span></h1>

<h1><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:&quot;Times New Roman&quot;">He complained that the goods kept in the yards of the customs office were damaged due to lack of proper arrangement of warehouse at the customs point. </span></span></h1>

<h1><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:&quot;Times New Roman&quot;">Similarly, Chief Administrator of Birgunj Customs Office, Dhundi Prasad Niraula, informed that the rain accompanied by storm on Monday washed the goods due to the lack of walls at the warehouse.&nbsp; </span></span></h1>

<h1><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:&quot;Times New Roman&quot;">He informed that the importers had not cleared their goods which had arrived at the customs office before the lockdown.</span></span></h1>

<h1><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:&quot;Times New Roman&quot;">&ldquo;Many importers did not clear their goods which were already here before the lockdown. Even though we have facilitated the clearance of goods, none of the importers have come to clear their goods,&rdquo; he added.</span></span></h1>

<h1><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:&quot;Times New Roman&quot;">The lockdown in both Nepal and India has caused difficulty in transportation of goods. Likewise, the flow of goods from India has also declined.</span></span></h1>

<h1>&nbsp;</h1>

<h1>&nbsp;</h1>

<h1>&nbsp;</h1>

<h1>&nbsp;</h1>

<h1>&nbsp;</h1>

<h1>&nbsp;</h1>

<h1>&nbsp;</h1>

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<h1>&nbsp;</h1>

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<h1><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:&quot;Times New Roman&quot;">&nbsp;</span></span></h1>
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			'created' => '2020-04-22',
			'modified' => '2020-04-22',
			'keywords' => '',
			'description' => '',
			'sortorder' => '11717',
			'image' => '20200422121942_birgunj2 2.jpg',
			'article_date' => '2020-04-22 12:18:50',
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	(int) 13 => array(
		'Article' => array(
			'id' => '11965',
			'article_category_id' => '1',
			'title' => 'Private Sector Demands Financial Stimulus worth 5 Percent of GDP',
			'sub_title' => '',
			'summary' => 'April 22: Stating that the ongoing lockdown to contain the spread of coronavirus has had a chain effect on the overall economy of the country, the private sector has urged the government to announce a fiscal stimulus package worth 5 percent of the Gross Domestic Product.',
			'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Times">April 22: Stating that the ongoing lockdown to contain the spread of coronavirus has had a chain effect on the overall economy of the country, the private sector has urged the government to announce a fiscal stimulus package worth 5 percent of the Gross Domestic Product.</span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Times">A joint proposal prepared by the umbrella bodies of the private sector including the Federation of Nepalese Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FNCCI), Confederation of Nepalese Industries (CNI) and Nepal Chamber of Commerce (NCC) made such recommendation to the government.</span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Times">They have urged the government to immediately announce a financial stimulus package. The private sector lamented that their businesses have been completely halted due to the lockdown since a month but the government is yet to announce a financial stimulus package.</span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Times">The proposal mentions that the private businesses and industries are on the verge of collapse and therefore require government support to boost their morale in such testing times.</span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Times">NCC Vice President Rajendra Malla informed that the private sector is preparing to present the proposal to the government requesting short-term, middle-term and long-term support to minimize the impacts of the lockdown on the businesses.</span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Times">After a week-long discussions, the three organisations representing the private sector decided to seek support from the government in basically four sectors - policy reforms, monetary, labour and employment, and electricity.</span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Times">The proposal includes renewal of loan and deferral of payment to the workers in case the lockdown gets extended.</span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Times">They have also demanded reduction in bank&rsquo;s rate of interest by 5 percent and setting up of a fund of Rs 100 billion for renewal of loan. The private sector has requested the government to provide concessional loan from the fund to the businesses that are facing losses due to the lockdown. </span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Times">The private sector has maintained that it will take some time for their business to get back on track even if the government lifts the lockdown.</span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Times">The Labour Act 2074 has provision for the private sector to keep their employees standby during crisis and to pay 50 percent salary during such times. Therefore, the private sector has urged the government to allow them to pay 50 percent salary to their staffers.</span></span></p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>
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			'description' => '',
			'sortorder' => '11716',
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	(int) 14 => array(
		'Article' => array(
			'id' => '11969',
			'article_category_id' => '1',
			'title' => 'Statups on the Verge of Running out of Business',
			'sub_title' => '',
			'summary' => 'April 22: Startup ecosystem enablers, mentors, investors and entrepreneurs have appealed the government to form a ‘Nepal Covid 19 Start-up Assistance Scheme’ to support the start-ups. ',
			'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Arial">April 22: Startup ecosystem enablers, mentors, investors and entrepreneurs have appealed the government to form a &lsquo;Nepal Covid 19 Start-up Assistance Scheme&rsquo; to support the start-ups. According to stakeholders, majority of startups are on the verge of running out of their business.&nbsp; </span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Arial">A committee consisting of entrepreneurs, investors, mentors and academicians have been frequently interacting with the start-ups after the lockdown. Based on interaction and study, it has been revealed that start-ups in the early stage are under the risk of dying and established start-ups with strong market presence are expressing concerns of liquidity crunch. </span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Arial">The committee submitted a &lsquo;Startup Crisis Management Appeal&rsquo; to Finance Minister Yuba Raj Khatiwada and Nepal Rastra Bank, National Planning Commission and Ministry of Industry, Commerce and Supplies on Tuesday. </span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Arial">The written document mentions that even in a moderate risk scenario, businesses will be compelled to lay off employees in the next 4 weeks, if any relief isn&rsquo;t provided by the government. &ldquo;Our request for government response in facilitating the survival of start-ups is not curry-favouring. Rather, there is a strong business case for the need to support these start-ups given how deeply the sector entrenched is for Nepal&rsquo;s economy in the present and the future,&rdquo; mentions the document. </span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Arial">The committee has requested the government to provide assistance in payroll, rent, administrative expenses, and payment to vendors. The ecosystem players have also appealed to provide immediate temporary tax relief, TDS relief, VAT relief and Social Security Fund relief &nbsp;until one year after lockdown ends. Also, the committee has requested for collateral fee loan of Rs 5, 00,000 to Rs 5 million for one year. To qualify as a start-up under Nepal&rsquo;s Ministry of Industry 2017 Start-up Policy draft, companies should have a registered life not exceeding five years, have invested capital not more than Rs 100 million and an annual turnover not exceeding Rs 100 million in any preceding fiscal year. </span></span></p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>
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		'Article' => array(
			'id' => '11978',
			'article_category_id' => '1',
			'title' => 'Number of COVID-19 Cases Reach  47 in Nepal',
			'sub_title' => '',
			'summary' => 'April 24: The number of people infected with coronavirus has reached 47 in the country with confirmation of two new cases on Thursday (April 23).',
			'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Times">April 24: The number of people infected with coronavirus has reached 47 in the country with confirmation of two new cases on Thursday (April 23).</span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Times">The Ministry of Health and Population confirmed the new cases during a regular press briefing.</span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Times">Spokesperson at the ministry Dr Bikash Devkota informed that a 55-year-old woman and 14-year-old boy have been diagnosed with&nbsp;the disease that has infected more than 2.6 million people worldwide.</span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Times">&nbsp;Dr Devkota informed that swab samples of the woman from Udayapur tested and the boy from Janakpur positive at Kathmandu-based National Public Health Laboratory.</span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Times">Two coronavirus patients from Sun City Apartment who were undergoing treatment at Patan Hospital were discharged on Thursday. With this, the number of recovered cases has reached 9. The country still has 38 active cases, most of them in Udayapur.</span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Times">Dr Devkota informed that the health condition of all the infected patients is normal.</span></span></p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>
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			'sortorder' => '11729',
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			'article_date' => '2020-04-24 10:10:58',
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		'Article' => array(
			'id' => '11977',
			'article_category_id' => '1',
			'title' => 'Government Likely to Extend Lockdown',
			'sub_title' => 'Preparations Underway to Announce Next Year’s Budget ',
			'summary' => 'April 24: The government hinted that it would take decision on lifting the lockdown after reviewing necessary concerns, including the steps taken by neighbouring India to control the spread of COVID-19.',
			'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:&quot;Arial Unicode MS&quot;">April 24: The government hinted that it would take decision on lifting the lockdown after reviewing necessary concerns, including the steps taken by neighbouring India to control the spread of COVID-19.</span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:&quot;Arial Unicode MS&quot;">Government spokesperson Yuba Raj Khatiwada said that coronavirus is a pandemic and the Government of Nepal cannot take a unilateral decision in this matter of worldwide concern. The government had imposed the lockdown on&nbsp; March 24. The lockdown is expiring on April 27.</span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:&quot;Arial Unicode MS&quot;">Speaking at a press conference organised on Thursday (April 23) to share the decisions taken by the cabinet, Finance Minister Khatiwada said that saving people&rsquo;s lives was the government&rsquo;s first priority.</span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:&quot;Arial Unicode MS&quot;">According to Khatiwada, the government is considering the measures taken by India to prevent the spread of coronavirus and Nepal&rsquo;s preparedness to fight the pandemic by ensuring medical supplies, necessary infrastructures, people&#39;s awareness and social distancing before lifting the lockdown.</span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:&quot;Arial Unicode MS&quot;">Minister Khatiwada made it clear that the lockdown could be extended if required.</span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:&quot;Arial Unicode MS&quot;">However, he said that the government would relax the restriction to some extent to allow industries providing basic needs to operate under certain criteria like maintaining physical distancing and proper hygiene.</span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:&quot;Arial Unicode MS&quot;">Minister Khatiwada also added that the government is set to announce its policies and programmes as well as the annual budget of the next fiscal year in two phases.</span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:&quot;Arial Unicode MS&quot;">He said that the government will include short-term and mid-term programmes in the upcoming budget.</span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:&quot;Arial Unicode MS&quot;">Meanwhile, the cabinet meeting also approved loan assistance of US$ 100 million fro the International Monetary Fund, informed Khatiwada.</span></span></span></p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>
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			'created' => '2020-04-24',
			'modified' => '2020-04-24',
			'keywords' => '',
			'description' => '',
			'sortorder' => '11728',
			'image' => '20200424100618_1587653428.jpg',
			'article_date' => '2020-04-24 10:04:53',
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		'Article' => array(
			'id' => '11976',
			'article_category_id' => '1',
			'title' => 'Sharp Decline in Remittance to Nepal in 2020: WB',
			'sub_title' => '',
			'summary' => 'April 23: The coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic induced economic crisis will cause remittances to Nepal decline by 14 percent in 2020 compared to USD 8.1 billion in 2019, according to a new World Bank report. ',
			'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Calibri"><span style="font-family:Arial">April 23: The coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic induced economic crisis will cause remittances to Nepal decline by 14 percent in 2020 compared to USD 8.1 billion in 2019, according to a new World Bank report. </span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Calibri"><span style="font-family:Arial">In its &lsquo;Migration and Development Brief 32: COVID-19 Crisis Through a Migration Lens&rsquo;, the Washington DC-based multilateral agency projects that the South Asia region will see remittance inflow decreasing by 22.1 percent in 2020. The World Bank has said that this is the biggest slump of remittance to the region in the recent history. </span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Calibri"><span style="font-family:Arial">&ldquo;In India, remittances are projected to fall by about 23 percent in 2020, to USD 64 billion &ndash; a striking contrast with the growth of 5.5 percent and receipts of USD 83 billion seen in 2019. In Pakistan, the projected decline is also about 23 percent, totaling about USD 17 billion, compared with a total of USD 22.5 billion in 2019, when remittances grew by 6.2 percent,&rdquo; the report states. The report estimates that remittances to Bangladesh will dip by about 22 percent to USD 14 billion from USD 22 billion in 2019. Remittances to Sri Lanka are expected to decline by 19 percent this year. </span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Calibri"><span style="font-family:Arial">&ldquo;The coronavirus</span><span style="font-family:&quot;Cambria Math&quot;">‐</span><span style="font-family:Arial">related global slowdown and travel restrictions will also affect migratory movements, and this is likely to keep remittances subdued even in 2021,&rdquo; reads the report. According to the World Bank, the projected remittance growth of 5.8 percent in 2021 will keep total regional flows at about USD 115 billion. </span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:&quot;Times New Roman&quot;"><span style="font-family:Arial">Globally, remittances will decline by about 20 percent this year. According to the report, remittances to low and middle-income countries (LMICs) are projected to fall by 19.7 percent to USD 445 billion, representing a loss of a crucial financing lifeline for many vulnerable households.</span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:&quot;Times New Roman&quot;"><span style="font-family:Arial">The large decline in remittances flows in 2020 comes after remittances to LMICs reached a record USD 554 billion in 2019. The report highlights that even with the decline, remittance flows are expected to become even more important as a source of external financing for LMICs as the fall in foreign direct investment is expected to be larger (more than 35 percent). &ldquo;In 2019, remittance flows to LMICs became larger than FDI, an important milestone for monitoring resource flows to developing countries,&rdquo; says the report.&nbsp; </span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:&quot;Times New Roman&quot;"><span style="font-family:Arial">&nbsp;&ldquo;Remittances are a vital source of income for developing countries. The ongoing economic recession caused by COVID-19 is taking a severe toll on the ability to send money home and makes it all the more vital that we shorten the time to recovery for advanced economies,&rdquo; a statement issued by the&nbsp;World Bank Group quoted the bank&rsquo;s President David Malpass as saying. &ldquo;Remittances help families afford food, healthcare, and basic needs. As the World Bank Group implements fast, broad action to support countries, we are working to keep remittance channels open and safeguard the poorest communities&rsquo; access to these most basic needs.&rdquo;</span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:&quot;Times New Roman&quot;"><span style="font-family:Arial">According to the statement, the World Bank is assisting member states in monitoring the flow of remittances through various channels, the costs and convenience of sending money, and regulations to protect financial integrity that affect remittance flows. &ldquo;It is working with the G20 countries and the global community to reduce remittance costs and improve financial inclusion for the poor,&rdquo; says the bank. </span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:&quot;Times New Roman&quot;"><span style="font-family:Arial">Remittance flows are expected to fall across all regions, most notably in Europe and Central Asia (27.5 percent), followed by Sub-Saharan Africa (23.1 percent), South Asia (22.1 percent), the Middle East and North Africa (19.6 percent), Latin America and the Caribbean (19.3 percent), and East Asia and the Pacific (13 percent).</span></span></span></p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>
',
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			'description' => '',
			'sortorder' => '11727',
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			'article_date' => '2020-04-23 17:56:30',
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		'Article' => array(
			'id' => '11975',
			'article_category_id' => '1',
			'title' => 'Global Hunger could Double due to COVID-19 Blow: UN',
			'sub_title' => '',
			'summary' => 'April 23: The number of people facing acute food insecurity could nearly double this year to 265 million due to the economic fallout of COVID-19, the United Nations’ World Food Programme (WFP) said in a recent statement.',
			'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Cambria">April 23: The number of people facing acute food insecurity could nearly double this year to 265 million due to the economic fallout of COVID-19, the United Nations&rsquo; World Food Programme (WFP) said in a recent statement.</span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Times">According to Reuters, the impact of lost tourism revenues, falling remittances and travel and other restrictions linked to the coronavirus pandemic are expected to leave some 130 million people acutely hungry this year, adding to around 135 million already in that category. </span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Times">&ldquo;COVID-19 is potentially catastrophic for millions who are already hanging by a thread,&rdquo; Reuters quoted Arif Husain, chief economist and director of research, assessment and monitoring at the World Food Programme (WFP), as saying. </span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Times">&ldquo;We all need to come together to deal with this because if we don&rsquo;t the cost will be too high - the global cost will be too high: many lost lives and many, many more lost livelihoods,&rdquo; he told reporters at a virtual briefing in Geneva. </span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Times">According to the news agency, Husain said it was critical to act quickly in order to prevent people already living hand-to-mouth from selling their assets as it could take them years to become self-reliant again. </span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Times">In some cases, such as when farmers sell their ploughs or oxen, it could have knock-on effects for food production for years to come, he added. </span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Times">&ldquo;These were the people we were concerned about,&rdquo; he said, adding he was &ldquo;really worried&rdquo; about people living in countries with little or no government safety nets. </span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Times">&ldquo;Acute food and livelihood crisis&rdquo; is category three of five UN phases meaning a &ldquo;critical lack of food access and above usual malnutrition&rdquo;. </span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Times">Category 5 means mass starvation. UN officials did not give a geographical breakdown of the growing needs, but said that Africa was likely to be hardest hit, Reuters&nbsp; reported. </span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Times">WFP plans to pre-position food stocks over the coming months in anticipation of growing needs. </span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Times">Of those already deemed acutely hungry, many are in conflict zones such as Syria or in countries badly hit by the impact of climate change, according to a UN report. </span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Times"><img alt="" src="/app/webroot/userfiles/images/s_Masciarelli_7082%202.jpg" style="height:533px; width:800px" /></span></span></p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>
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			'sortorder' => '11726',
			'image' => '20200423101517_wfp.jpg',
			'article_date' => '2020-04-23 10:14:10',
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		'Article' => array(
			'id' => '11979',
			'article_category_id' => '1',
			'title' => 'Cabinet Endorse Electricity Bill ',
			'sub_title' => '',
			'summary' => 'April 24: Hydropower companies no longer require separate licenses for survey and generation of electricity provided that the new law is endorsed by the parliament.',
			'content' => '<h1><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:&quot;Times New Roman&quot;">April 24: Hydropower companies no longer require separate licenses for survey and generation of electricity provided that the new law is endorsed by the parliament.</span></span></h1>

<h1><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:&quot;Times New Roman&quot;">The council of ministers has scrapped the provision of two separate licenses for the hydropower companies. A recent cabinet meeting took a decision to this effect by endorsing the Electricity Bill 2077. However, the bill is yet to be endorsed by the House of Representatives and the National Assembly. </span></span></h1>

<h1><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:&quot;Times New Roman&quot;">According to the proposed bill, hydropower companies can now acquire a single license for survey and electricity generation.</span></span></h1>

<h1><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:&quot;Times New Roman&quot;">In the bill also proposes issuing such license only on the basis of competition.</span></span></h1>

<h1><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:&quot;Times New Roman&quot;">According to the bill, all three levels of government will be eligible to grant the permits for generating electricity. The local government will be eligible to issue license for hydropower projects generating up to 3 MW of electricity and the state government will be allowed to permit license for projects generating up to 3-20 MW of electricity.</span></span></h1>

<h1>&nbsp;</h1>

<h1>&nbsp;</h1>

<h1>&nbsp;</h1>

<h1>&nbsp;</h1>
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			'sortorder' => '11725',
			'image' => '20200424110929_20150811013038_ep3(5).jpg',
			'article_date' => '2020-04-24 11:08:49',
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			'id' => '11973',
			'article_category_id' => '1',
			'title' => 'Milk Consumption Down to 20 Percent',
			'sub_title' => '',
			'summary' => 'April 23: Nepal Dairy Association (NDA) has said that milk vans have not been able to operate despite the government not preventing the operation of vehicles carrying essentials during the lockdown period.     ',
			'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:&quot;Arial Unicode MS&quot;">April 23: Nepal Dairy Association (NDA) has said that milk vans have not been able to operate despite the government not preventing the operation of vehicles carrying essentials during the lockdown period.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span><br />
<span style="font-family:&quot;Arial Unicode MS&quot;">NDA general secretary Prahlad Dahal said except in Kathmandu, the milk vans have been prevented from operating in Chitwan, Butwal and Nepalgunj, among other cities. He said they are facing obstruction in the operation of milk tankers and even in selling milk to shops.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span><br />
<span style="font-family:&quot;Arial Unicode MS&quot;">Dahal informed that vehicles carrying milk have been stopped and the helpers also beaten by police in some instances at New Road, Koteshwar and other places in Kathmandu.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span><br />
<span style="font-family:&quot;Arial Unicode MS&quot;">&quot;We have not been provided with any permits. Every day, obstructions have been created to our friends and the milk delivery vans. A milk tanker coming to Kathmandu from Chitwan was stopped on the way and turned back. It is very difficult to run the dairy business with frequent hurdles in transporting milk and other dairy products,&quot; he complained.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span><br />
<span style="font-family:&quot;Arial Unicode MS&quot;">According to him, only 20 per cent of the total milk and milk products is being sold daily at present. Ghimire added that the dairy industry has incurred losses of Rs 2 billion due to the lockdown and products worth Rs 5 billion was in stock.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span><br />
<span style="font-family:&quot;Arial Unicode MS&quot;">Meanwhile, the dairy industries have started distributing milk free of cost after a slump in its sale due to the lockdown. NDA said they started providing milk free of cost rather than dumping it.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span><br />
<span style="font-family:&quot;Arial Unicode MS&quot;">It is said milk is being distributed free at quarantine facilities and to the needy households, including the nursing mothers, in Budhanilkantha municipality of Kathmandu, at Damak of Jhapa and in Rupandehi. </span></span>-- RSS</span></p>
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			'id' => '11972',
			'article_category_id' => '1',
			'title' => 'Health Ministry Confirms Three New Cases of Coronavirus',
			'sub_title' => '',
			'summary' => 'April 23: With three new confirmed cases of coronavirus in the country, the total number of people infected with COVID-19 has reached 45, Ministry of Health and Population said Wednesday (April 22).',
			'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:&quot;Arial Unicode MS&quot;">April 23: With three new confirmed cases of coronavirus in the country, the total number of people infected with COVID-19 has reached 45, Ministry of Health and Population said Wednesday (April 22).</span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:&quot;Arial Unicode MS&quot;">All three persons infected with coronavirus are male. The three persons tested positive for the disease during their swab test held at Dharan-based BP Koirala Institute of Health Sciences, said Dr Bikash Devkota, spokesperson at the Ministry of Health and Population. </span><br />
<span style="font-family:&quot;Arial Unicode MS&quot;">According to the ministry, a total of 40,431 suspects have been tested for COVID-19 across the country so far. This includes 9,011 through polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and 31420 through rapid diagnostic test (RDT) methods. </span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Cambria">&nbsp;<span style="font-family:&quot;Arial Unicode MS&quot;">A total of 8,595 people have been quarantined while 95 have been kept in isolation.</span></span></span></p>
',
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			'description' => '',
			'sortorder' => '11723',
			'image' => '20200423093051_22_111.jpg',
			'article_date' => '2020-04-23 09:30:06',
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		'Article' => array(
			'id' => '11974',
			'article_category_id' => '1',
			'title' => 'CEO Insights India publishes ‘Top 10 emerging startups in Nepal’ ',
			'sub_title' => '',
			'summary' => 'April 23: CEO Insights, a renowned business magazine in India, has published the list of top 10 emerging startups in Nepal-2020. ',
			'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Calibri"><span style="font-family:&quot;Times New Roman&quot;">April 23: CEO Insights, a renowned business magazine in India, has published the list of top 10 emerging startups in Nepal-2020. </span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Calibri"><span style="font-family:&quot;Times New Roman&quot;">Startups from various sectors including trading, tourism, technology, recruitment and consulting have entered the list. </span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Calibri"><span style="font-family:&quot;Times New Roman&quot;">Asia Corporation, established in 2017, is the number one among the 10.&nbsp; The startup provides industrial paper, photocopy paper, animal feeds, mosquito nets, chemical fertilizer, overhaul and maintenance services for helicopters and AI-related products to public and private companies. </span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Calibri"><span style="font-family:&quot;Times New Roman&quot;">Similarly, other companies selected as top startups include Hamro Technology, a fintech firm; Himalayan Wonders, a travel startup; JATA digital, a digital marketing company; Mapleyak, a consulting firm; and Mero Network, a digital marketing startup. Similarly, My Career HR Solutions, a recruitment startup; Palm Mind, an application development-based startup; Sarvanam Software, a software development startup;&nbsp; and Vidinterest, an online video curation and discovery platform &nbsp;are others in the list of top 10 start-ups. </span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Calibri"><span style="font-family:&quot;Times New Roman&quot;">&ldquo;Asia Corporation is inclined towards core values and this is what helps us to operate efficiently and run smoothly,&rdquo; said Sunil KC, founder of Asia Corporation in the April issue of CEO Insights magazine. </span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Calibri"><span style="font-family:&quot;Times New Roman&quot;">The magazine writes that the editorial board spoke to a large number of startups in Nepal and shortlisted them on the basis of innovative business ideas, cutting-edge offerings and unconditional customer support.</span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Calibri"><span style="font-family:&quot;Times New Roman&quot;">&ldquo;Investment is an area which needs huge attention. Apart from that incubation and other platforms from the government is the instant need of hour. With large markets in the neighboring countries, startups in Nepal can surely change the landscape of the country,&rdquo; writes the editorial of the magazine.</span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;</span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Calibri"><img alt="" src="/app/webroot/userfiles/images/Nepal%20Startups%20PDF-5%281%29.jpg" style="height:768px; width:606px" />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span></span></p>
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			'created' => '2020-04-23',
			'modified' => '2020-04-23',
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			'sortorder' => '11722',
			'image' => '20200423100348_098pgcover.jpg',
			'article_date' => '2020-04-23 10:02:30',
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	(int) 8 => array(
		'Article' => array(
			'id' => '11971',
			'article_category_id' => '1',
			'title' => '‘World Bank Agrees to Release Concessional Loan for Youth Employment’',
			'sub_title' => '',
			'summary' => 'April 22: The World Bank has approved the work procedure prepared by the Ministry of Labour, Employment and Social Security for the utilization of Rs 14 billion concessional loan announced by the World Bank under the Prime Minister Employment Programme',
			'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Times"><span style="font-family:&quot;Bangla MN&quot;">April 22: The World Bank has approved the work procedure prepared by the Ministry of Labour, Employment and Social Security for the utilization of Rs 14 billion concessional loan announced by the World Bank under the Prime Minister Employment Programme.</span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Times"><span style="font-family:&quot;Bangla MN&quot;">However, the amount will be mobilized only in the upcoming fiscal&nbsp; year. The government had signed an agreement with the World Bank for the concessional loan for a period of five years on November 24 last year. The agreement states that the government should have mobilized Rs 2 billion from the fund in the current fiscal year. However, the government was unable to spend the amount due to the lack of work procedure. But the government will be spending Rs 4 billion for youth employment in the upcoming fiscal year.</span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Times"><span style="font-family:&quot;Bangla MN&quot;">Joint Secretary at the PMEP Loknath Bhusal informed that the World Bank had set a condition that the fund could be utilized only after preparing the work procedure.&nbsp; He further said that the government was unable to prepare the work procedure due to which the World Bank refused to release Rs 2 billion allocated for the current fiscal year. </span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Times"><span style="font-family:&quot;Bangla MN&quot;">&ldquo;However, we have reached an understanding with the World Bank to utilize that amount in the&nbsp; next fiscal year,&rdquo; said Bhusal.</span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Times"><span style="font-family:&quot;Bangla MN&quot;">The work procedure aims to reduce the unemployment rate across the country by providing employment opportunities to jobless youths.</span></span></span></p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>
',
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			'description' => '',
			'sortorder' => '11721',
			'image' => '20200422011836_ea579c.jpg',
			'article_date' => '2020-04-22 13:17:58',
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		'Article' => array(
			'id' => '11970',
			'article_category_id' => '266',
			'title' => 'Foodmandu Purchases Insurance Policy for its Employees against COVID-19',
			'sub_title' => '',
			'summary' => 'April 22: Foodmandu has purchased insurance policy for its employees against coronavirus.',
			'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:20px">April 22: Foodmandu has purchased insurance policy for its employees against coronavirus. All the staffers involved in field work have been insured against coronaries, the company said in a statement.<br />
A total of 19 staffers of Foodmandu have been insured against COVID-19. The company said it has purchased insurance policy worth Rs 100,000 for the employees who deliver food to the customers.<br />
Foodmandu, which delivers food at the doorsteps of the customers, has been delivering fresh groceries during the lockdown.</span></p>
',
			'published' => true,
			'created' => '2020-04-22',
			'modified' => '2020-04-22',
			'keywords' => '',
			'description' => '',
			'sortorder' => '11720',
			'image' => '20200422010536_Foodmandu_Covid-19-Pic.jpg',
			'article_date' => '2020-04-22 13:04:54',
			'homepage' => false,
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	(int) 10 => array(
		'Article' => array(
			'id' => '11967',
			'article_category_id' => '1',
			'title' => 'Umbrella Organisation of Bankers Decides to Lower Interest Rate for SMEs',
			'sub_title' => '',
			'summary' => 'April 22: The Confederation of Banks and Financial Institutions Nepal (CBFIN), an umbrella organisation of commercial banks, development banks and financial institutions of the country, has decided to charge one percent less interest on loans up to Rs 10 million from April 13 onward to small and medium-scale enterprises (SMEs).',
			'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Times">April 22: The Confederation of Banks and Financial Institutions Nepal (CBFIN), an umbrella organisation of commercial banks, development banks and financial institutions of the country, has decided to charge one percent less interest on loans up to Rs 10 million from April 13 onward to small and medium-scale enterprises (SMEs). </span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Times">The confederation said that its members decided to lower the interest rate considering the impact of coronavirus on the economy and the borrowers.</span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Times">According to CBFIN, the borrowers can enjoy the facility until further notice.</span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Times">Borrowers who have taken loan from commercial banks at 10 percent interest will now have to pay 9 percent interest during this period.&nbsp; Likewise, individuals and firms borrowing up to Rs 4 million from development banks and Rs 2 million from finance companies can also enjoy this facility.</span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Times">The confederation made this announcement on Tuesday (April 22) while unveiling a special relief package for the borrowers bearing the brunt of coronavirus and the lockdown imposed by the government. A meeting of the confederation members had taken a decision to this effect a day earlier on April 21.</span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Times">Likewise, the confederation has announced 10 percent discount on payment of interest within the month of Baishakh (mid-May). CBFIN said its members will also not slap any fine if the pending loans are cleared within mid-May.</span></span></p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>
',
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			'keywords' => '',
			'description' => '',
			'sortorder' => '11719',
			'image' => '20200422115500_qqqq.jpg',
			'article_date' => '2020-04-22 11:54:17',
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	(int) 11 => array(
		'Article' => array(
			'id' => '11966',
			'article_category_id' => '1',
			'title' => 'Western Union Announces Home Delivery Service in Nepal',
			'sub_title' => 'Remittance now Available at Doorstep',
			'summary' => 'April 22: Western Union Money Transfer on Tuesday (April 21) announced that Annapurna Travel & Tours and Hulas Rmittance will provide home delivery service for Western Union money transfers in Nepal.',
			'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:&quot;Times New Roman&quot;">April 22: Western Union Money Transfer on Tuesday (April 21) announced that Annapurna Travel &amp; Tours and Hulas Rmittance will provide home delivery service for Western Union money transfers in Nepal.</span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:&quot;Times New Roman&quot;">The agents&rsquo; home delivery service will enable customers in Nepal to receive cash from their loved ones from abroad, without leaving their homes. </span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:&quot;Times New Roman&quot;">The company said in a statement that Annapurna Travel &amp; Tours and Hulas Remittance will deliver money to the recipients at their doorsteps during the lockdown imposed by the government. The home delivery service will be available throughout the week including Saturday and Sunday from 10 AM to 4 PM.</span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:&quot;Times New Roman&quot;">&ldquo;We and our Agents play a critical role in getting money to places, where and when it is most needed. As a purpose-driven global company, our mandate is to serve communities worldwide and this means not only serving the digitally enabled but also offline communities innovatively. This shared purpose holds true in these current times,&rdquo; said Jean Claude Farah, president of Global Network, Western Union. </span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:&quot;Times New Roman&quot;">&ldquo;The launch of this new agent service - delivering money to customers&rsquo; home &ndash; will help the public access cash, thereby providing essential financial services to a broad range of customers, including those who do not hold bank accounts,&rdquo; added Farah. </span></span></p>
',
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			'description' => '',
			'sortorder' => '11718',
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		'Article' => array(
			'id' => '11968',
			'article_category_id' => '1',
			'title' => 'Imported Goods at Birgunj Customs Point Damaged by Rain',
			'sub_title' => 'Importers unable to clear the goods due to lockdown',
			'summary' => 'April 22: The goods arriving at the customs office in Birgunj are stuck for many days due to the lockdown. ',
			'content' => '<h1><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:&quot;Times New Roman&quot;">April 22: The goods arriving at the customs office in Birgunj are stuck for many days due to the lockdown. The importers have not come to clear their goods from the customs office even though some of them have started deteriorating over the time.</span></span></h1>

<h1><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:&quot;Times New Roman&quot;">The goods at the customs office are getting damaged day by day.</span></span></h1>

<h1><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:&quot;Times New Roman&quot;">Representatives of the importers informed New Business Age that their goods have been damaged by the rain and storm.</span></span></h1>

<h1><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:&quot;Times New Roman&quot;">Umesh Sharma, central member of the Nepal Freight Forwarders Association, informed the goods stuck in the yard of Birgunj Customs have been damaged by the rain.</span></span></h1>

<h1><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:&quot;Times New Roman&quot;">He complained that the goods kept in the yards of the customs office were damaged due to lack of proper arrangement of warehouse at the customs point. </span></span></h1>

<h1><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:&quot;Times New Roman&quot;">Similarly, Chief Administrator of Birgunj Customs Office, Dhundi Prasad Niraula, informed that the rain accompanied by storm on Monday washed the goods due to the lack of walls at the warehouse.&nbsp; </span></span></h1>

<h1><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:&quot;Times New Roman&quot;">He informed that the importers had not cleared their goods which had arrived at the customs office before the lockdown.</span></span></h1>

<h1><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:&quot;Times New Roman&quot;">&ldquo;Many importers did not clear their goods which were already here before the lockdown. Even though we have facilitated the clearance of goods, none of the importers have come to clear their goods,&rdquo; he added.</span></span></h1>

<h1><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:&quot;Times New Roman&quot;">The lockdown in both Nepal and India has caused difficulty in transportation of goods. Likewise, the flow of goods from India has also declined.</span></span></h1>

<h1>&nbsp;</h1>

<h1>&nbsp;</h1>

<h1>&nbsp;</h1>

<h1>&nbsp;</h1>

<h1>&nbsp;</h1>

<h1>&nbsp;</h1>

<h1>&nbsp;</h1>

<h1>&nbsp;</h1>

<h1>&nbsp;</h1>

<h1>&nbsp;</h1>

<h1>&nbsp;</h1>

<h1>&nbsp;</h1>

<h1>&nbsp;</h1>

<h1>&nbsp;</h1>

<h1>&nbsp;</h1>

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<h1><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:&quot;Times New Roman&quot;">&nbsp;</span></span></h1>
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			'keywords' => '',
			'description' => '',
			'sortorder' => '11717',
			'image' => '20200422121942_birgunj2 2.jpg',
			'article_date' => '2020-04-22 12:18:50',
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		'Article' => array(
			'id' => '11965',
			'article_category_id' => '1',
			'title' => 'Private Sector Demands Financial Stimulus worth 5 Percent of GDP',
			'sub_title' => '',
			'summary' => 'April 22: Stating that the ongoing lockdown to contain the spread of coronavirus has had a chain effect on the overall economy of the country, the private sector has urged the government to announce a fiscal stimulus package worth 5 percent of the Gross Domestic Product.',
			'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Times">April 22: Stating that the ongoing lockdown to contain the spread of coronavirus has had a chain effect on the overall economy of the country, the private sector has urged the government to announce a fiscal stimulus package worth 5 percent of the Gross Domestic Product.</span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Times">A joint proposal prepared by the umbrella bodies of the private sector including the Federation of Nepalese Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FNCCI), Confederation of Nepalese Industries (CNI) and Nepal Chamber of Commerce (NCC) made such recommendation to the government.</span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Times">They have urged the government to immediately announce a financial stimulus package. The private sector lamented that their businesses have been completely halted due to the lockdown since a month but the government is yet to announce a financial stimulus package.</span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Times">The proposal mentions that the private businesses and industries are on the verge of collapse and therefore require government support to boost their morale in such testing times.</span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Times">NCC Vice President Rajendra Malla informed that the private sector is preparing to present the proposal to the government requesting short-term, middle-term and long-term support to minimize the impacts of the lockdown on the businesses.</span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Times">After a week-long discussions, the three organisations representing the private sector decided to seek support from the government in basically four sectors - policy reforms, monetary, labour and employment, and electricity.</span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Times">The proposal includes renewal of loan and deferral of payment to the workers in case the lockdown gets extended.</span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Times">They have also demanded reduction in bank&rsquo;s rate of interest by 5 percent and setting up of a fund of Rs 100 billion for renewal of loan. The private sector has requested the government to provide concessional loan from the fund to the businesses that are facing losses due to the lockdown. </span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Times">The private sector has maintained that it will take some time for their business to get back on track even if the government lifts the lockdown.</span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Times">The Labour Act 2074 has provision for the private sector to keep their employees standby during crisis and to pay 50 percent salary during such times. Therefore, the private sector has urged the government to allow them to pay 50 percent salary to their staffers.</span></span></p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>
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			'sortorder' => '11716',
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		'Article' => array(
			'id' => '11969',
			'article_category_id' => '1',
			'title' => 'Statups on the Verge of Running out of Business',
			'sub_title' => '',
			'summary' => 'April 22: Startup ecosystem enablers, mentors, investors and entrepreneurs have appealed the government to form a ‘Nepal Covid 19 Start-up Assistance Scheme’ to support the start-ups. ',
			'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Arial">April 22: Startup ecosystem enablers, mentors, investors and entrepreneurs have appealed the government to form a &lsquo;Nepal Covid 19 Start-up Assistance Scheme&rsquo; to support the start-ups. According to stakeholders, majority of startups are on the verge of running out of their business.&nbsp; </span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Arial">A committee consisting of entrepreneurs, investors, mentors and academicians have been frequently interacting with the start-ups after the lockdown. Based on interaction and study, it has been revealed that start-ups in the early stage are under the risk of dying and established start-ups with strong market presence are expressing concerns of liquidity crunch. </span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Arial">The committee submitted a &lsquo;Startup Crisis Management Appeal&rsquo; to Finance Minister Yuba Raj Khatiwada and Nepal Rastra Bank, National Planning Commission and Ministry of Industry, Commerce and Supplies on Tuesday. </span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Arial">The written document mentions that even in a moderate risk scenario, businesses will be compelled to lay off employees in the next 4 weeks, if any relief isn&rsquo;t provided by the government. &ldquo;Our request for government response in facilitating the survival of start-ups is not curry-favouring. Rather, there is a strong business case for the need to support these start-ups given how deeply the sector entrenched is for Nepal&rsquo;s economy in the present and the future,&rdquo; mentions the document. </span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Arial">The committee has requested the government to provide assistance in payroll, rent, administrative expenses, and payment to vendors. The ecosystem players have also appealed to provide immediate temporary tax relief, TDS relief, VAT relief and Social Security Fund relief &nbsp;until one year after lockdown ends. Also, the committee has requested for collateral fee loan of Rs 5, 00,000 to Rs 5 million for one year. To qualify as a start-up under Nepal&rsquo;s Ministry of Industry 2017 Start-up Policy draft, companies should have a registered life not exceeding five years, have invested capital not more than Rs 100 million and an annual turnover not exceeding Rs 100 million in any preceding fiscal year. </span></span></p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>
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		'Article' => array(
			'id' => '11978',
			'article_category_id' => '1',
			'title' => 'Number of COVID-19 Cases Reach  47 in Nepal',
			'sub_title' => '',
			'summary' => 'April 24: The number of people infected with coronavirus has reached 47 in the country with confirmation of two new cases on Thursday (April 23).',
			'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Times">April 24: The number of people infected with coronavirus has reached 47 in the country with confirmation of two new cases on Thursday (April 23).</span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Times">The Ministry of Health and Population confirmed the new cases during a regular press briefing.</span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Times">Spokesperson at the ministry Dr Bikash Devkota informed that a 55-year-old woman and 14-year-old boy have been diagnosed with&nbsp;the disease that has infected more than 2.6 million people worldwide.</span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Times">&nbsp;Dr Devkota informed that swab samples of the woman from Udayapur tested and the boy from Janakpur positive at Kathmandu-based National Public Health Laboratory.</span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Times">Two coronavirus patients from Sun City Apartment who were undergoing treatment at Patan Hospital were discharged on Thursday. With this, the number of recovered cases has reached 9. The country still has 38 active cases, most of them in Udayapur.</span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Times">Dr Devkota informed that the health condition of all the infected patients is normal.</span></span></p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>
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			'title' => 'Government Likely to Extend Lockdown',
			'sub_title' => 'Preparations Underway to Announce Next Year’s Budget ',
			'summary' => 'April 24: The government hinted that it would take decision on lifting the lockdown after reviewing necessary concerns, including the steps taken by neighbouring India to control the spread of COVID-19.',
			'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:&quot;Arial Unicode MS&quot;">April 24: The government hinted that it would take decision on lifting the lockdown after reviewing necessary concerns, including the steps taken by neighbouring India to control the spread of COVID-19.</span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:&quot;Arial Unicode MS&quot;">Government spokesperson Yuba Raj Khatiwada said that coronavirus is a pandemic and the Government of Nepal cannot take a unilateral decision in this matter of worldwide concern. The government had imposed the lockdown on&nbsp; March 24. The lockdown is expiring on April 27.</span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:&quot;Arial Unicode MS&quot;">Speaking at a press conference organised on Thursday (April 23) to share the decisions taken by the cabinet, Finance Minister Khatiwada said that saving people&rsquo;s lives was the government&rsquo;s first priority.</span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:&quot;Arial Unicode MS&quot;">According to Khatiwada, the government is considering the measures taken by India to prevent the spread of coronavirus and Nepal&rsquo;s preparedness to fight the pandemic by ensuring medical supplies, necessary infrastructures, people&#39;s awareness and social distancing before lifting the lockdown.</span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:&quot;Arial Unicode MS&quot;">Minister Khatiwada made it clear that the lockdown could be extended if required.</span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:&quot;Arial Unicode MS&quot;">However, he said that the government would relax the restriction to some extent to allow industries providing basic needs to operate under certain criteria like maintaining physical distancing and proper hygiene.</span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:&quot;Arial Unicode MS&quot;">Minister Khatiwada also added that the government is set to announce its policies and programmes as well as the annual budget of the next fiscal year in two phases.</span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:&quot;Arial Unicode MS&quot;">He said that the government will include short-term and mid-term programmes in the upcoming budget.</span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:&quot;Arial Unicode MS&quot;">Meanwhile, the cabinet meeting also approved loan assistance of US$ 100 million fro the International Monetary Fund, informed Khatiwada.</span></span></span></p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>
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	(int) 2 => array(
		'Article' => array(
			'id' => '11976',
			'article_category_id' => '1',
			'title' => 'Sharp Decline in Remittance to Nepal in 2020: WB',
			'sub_title' => '',
			'summary' => 'April 23: The coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic induced economic crisis will cause remittances to Nepal decline by 14 percent in 2020 compared to USD 8.1 billion in 2019, according to a new World Bank report. ',
			'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Calibri"><span style="font-family:Arial">April 23: The coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic induced economic crisis will cause remittances to Nepal decline by 14 percent in 2020 compared to USD 8.1 billion in 2019, according to a new World Bank report. </span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Calibri"><span style="font-family:Arial">In its &lsquo;Migration and Development Brief 32: COVID-19 Crisis Through a Migration Lens&rsquo;, the Washington DC-based multilateral agency projects that the South Asia region will see remittance inflow decreasing by 22.1 percent in 2020. The World Bank has said that this is the biggest slump of remittance to the region in the recent history. </span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Calibri"><span style="font-family:Arial">&ldquo;In India, remittances are projected to fall by about 23 percent in 2020, to USD 64 billion &ndash; a striking contrast with the growth of 5.5 percent and receipts of USD 83 billion seen in 2019. In Pakistan, the projected decline is also about 23 percent, totaling about USD 17 billion, compared with a total of USD 22.5 billion in 2019, when remittances grew by 6.2 percent,&rdquo; the report states. The report estimates that remittances to Bangladesh will dip by about 22 percent to USD 14 billion from USD 22 billion in 2019. Remittances to Sri Lanka are expected to decline by 19 percent this year. </span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Calibri"><span style="font-family:Arial">&ldquo;The coronavirus</span><span style="font-family:&quot;Cambria Math&quot;">‐</span><span style="font-family:Arial">related global slowdown and travel restrictions will also affect migratory movements, and this is likely to keep remittances subdued even in 2021,&rdquo; reads the report. According to the World Bank, the projected remittance growth of 5.8 percent in 2021 will keep total regional flows at about USD 115 billion. </span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:&quot;Times New Roman&quot;"><span style="font-family:Arial">Globally, remittances will decline by about 20 percent this year. According to the report, remittances to low and middle-income countries (LMICs) are projected to fall by 19.7 percent to USD 445 billion, representing a loss of a crucial financing lifeline for many vulnerable households.</span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:&quot;Times New Roman&quot;"><span style="font-family:Arial">The large decline in remittances flows in 2020 comes after remittances to LMICs reached a record USD 554 billion in 2019. The report highlights that even with the decline, remittance flows are expected to become even more important as a source of external financing for LMICs as the fall in foreign direct investment is expected to be larger (more than 35 percent). &ldquo;In 2019, remittance flows to LMICs became larger than FDI, an important milestone for monitoring resource flows to developing countries,&rdquo; says the report.&nbsp; </span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:&quot;Times New Roman&quot;"><span style="font-family:Arial">&nbsp;&ldquo;Remittances are a vital source of income for developing countries. The ongoing economic recession caused by COVID-19 is taking a severe toll on the ability to send money home and makes it all the more vital that we shorten the time to recovery for advanced economies,&rdquo; a statement issued by the&nbsp;World Bank Group quoted the bank&rsquo;s President David Malpass as saying. &ldquo;Remittances help families afford food, healthcare, and basic needs. As the World Bank Group implements fast, broad action to support countries, we are working to keep remittance channels open and safeguard the poorest communities&rsquo; access to these most basic needs.&rdquo;</span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:&quot;Times New Roman&quot;"><span style="font-family:Arial">According to the statement, the World Bank is assisting member states in monitoring the flow of remittances through various channels, the costs and convenience of sending money, and regulations to protect financial integrity that affect remittance flows. &ldquo;It is working with the G20 countries and the global community to reduce remittance costs and improve financial inclusion for the poor,&rdquo; says the bank. </span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:&quot;Times New Roman&quot;"><span style="font-family:Arial">Remittance flows are expected to fall across all regions, most notably in Europe and Central Asia (27.5 percent), followed by Sub-Saharan Africa (23.1 percent), South Asia (22.1 percent), the Middle East and North Africa (19.6 percent), Latin America and the Caribbean (19.3 percent), and East Asia and the Pacific (13 percent).</span></span></span></p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>
',
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			'created' => '2020-04-23',
			'modified' => '2020-04-23',
			'keywords' => '',
			'description' => '',
			'sortorder' => '11727',
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	(int) 3 => array(
		'Article' => array(
			'id' => '11975',
			'article_category_id' => '1',
			'title' => 'Global Hunger could Double due to COVID-19 Blow: UN',
			'sub_title' => '',
			'summary' => 'April 23: The number of people facing acute food insecurity could nearly double this year to 265 million due to the economic fallout of COVID-19, the United Nations’ World Food Programme (WFP) said in a recent statement.',
			'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Cambria">April 23: The number of people facing acute food insecurity could nearly double this year to 265 million due to the economic fallout of COVID-19, the United Nations&rsquo; World Food Programme (WFP) said in a recent statement.</span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Times">According to Reuters, the impact of lost tourism revenues, falling remittances and travel and other restrictions linked to the coronavirus pandemic are expected to leave some 130 million people acutely hungry this year, adding to around 135 million already in that category. </span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Times">&ldquo;COVID-19 is potentially catastrophic for millions who are already hanging by a thread,&rdquo; Reuters quoted Arif Husain, chief economist and director of research, assessment and monitoring at the World Food Programme (WFP), as saying. </span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Times">&ldquo;We all need to come together to deal with this because if we don&rsquo;t the cost will be too high - the global cost will be too high: many lost lives and many, many more lost livelihoods,&rdquo; he told reporters at a virtual briefing in Geneva. </span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Times">According to the news agency, Husain said it was critical to act quickly in order to prevent people already living hand-to-mouth from selling their assets as it could take them years to become self-reliant again. </span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Times">In some cases, such as when farmers sell their ploughs or oxen, it could have knock-on effects for food production for years to come, he added. </span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Times">&ldquo;These were the people we were concerned about,&rdquo; he said, adding he was &ldquo;really worried&rdquo; about people living in countries with little or no government safety nets. </span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Times">&ldquo;Acute food and livelihood crisis&rdquo; is category three of five UN phases meaning a &ldquo;critical lack of food access and above usual malnutrition&rdquo;. </span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Times">Category 5 means mass starvation. UN officials did not give a geographical breakdown of the growing needs, but said that Africa was likely to be hardest hit, Reuters&nbsp; reported. </span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Times">WFP plans to pre-position food stocks over the coming months in anticipation of growing needs. </span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Times">Of those already deemed acutely hungry, many are in conflict zones such as Syria or in countries badly hit by the impact of climate change, according to a UN report. </span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Times"><img alt="" src="/app/webroot/userfiles/images/s_Masciarelli_7082%202.jpg" style="height:533px; width:800px" /></span></span></p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>
',
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	(int) 4 => array(
		'Article' => array(
			'id' => '11979',
			'article_category_id' => '1',
			'title' => 'Cabinet Endorse Electricity Bill ',
			'sub_title' => '',
			'summary' => 'April 24: Hydropower companies no longer require separate licenses for survey and generation of electricity provided that the new law is endorsed by the parliament.',
			'content' => '<h1><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:&quot;Times New Roman&quot;">April 24: Hydropower companies no longer require separate licenses for survey and generation of electricity provided that the new law is endorsed by the parliament.</span></span></h1>

<h1><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:&quot;Times New Roman&quot;">The council of ministers has scrapped the provision of two separate licenses for the hydropower companies. A recent cabinet meeting took a decision to this effect by endorsing the Electricity Bill 2077. However, the bill is yet to be endorsed by the House of Representatives and the National Assembly. </span></span></h1>

<h1><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:&quot;Times New Roman&quot;">According to the proposed bill, hydropower companies can now acquire a single license for survey and electricity generation.</span></span></h1>

<h1><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:&quot;Times New Roman&quot;">In the bill also proposes issuing such license only on the basis of competition.</span></span></h1>

<h1><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:&quot;Times New Roman&quot;">According to the bill, all three levels of government will be eligible to grant the permits for generating electricity. The local government will be eligible to issue license for hydropower projects generating up to 3 MW of electricity and the state government will be allowed to permit license for projects generating up to 3-20 MW of electricity.</span></span></h1>

<h1>&nbsp;</h1>

<h1>&nbsp;</h1>

<h1>&nbsp;</h1>

<h1>&nbsp;</h1>
',
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			'description' => '',
			'sortorder' => '11725',
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			'article_date' => '2020-04-24 11:08:49',
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		'Article' => array(
			'id' => '11973',
			'article_category_id' => '1',
			'title' => 'Milk Consumption Down to 20 Percent',
			'sub_title' => '',
			'summary' => 'April 23: Nepal Dairy Association (NDA) has said that milk vans have not been able to operate despite the government not preventing the operation of vehicles carrying essentials during the lockdown period.     ',
			'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:&quot;Arial Unicode MS&quot;">April 23: Nepal Dairy Association (NDA) has said that milk vans have not been able to operate despite the government not preventing the operation of vehicles carrying essentials during the lockdown period.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span><br />
<span style="font-family:&quot;Arial Unicode MS&quot;">NDA general secretary Prahlad Dahal said except in Kathmandu, the milk vans have been prevented from operating in Chitwan, Butwal and Nepalgunj, among other cities. He said they are facing obstruction in the operation of milk tankers and even in selling milk to shops.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span><br />
<span style="font-family:&quot;Arial Unicode MS&quot;">Dahal informed that vehicles carrying milk have been stopped and the helpers also beaten by police in some instances at New Road, Koteshwar and other places in Kathmandu.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span><br />
<span style="font-family:&quot;Arial Unicode MS&quot;">&quot;We have not been provided with any permits. Every day, obstructions have been created to our friends and the milk delivery vans. A milk tanker coming to Kathmandu from Chitwan was stopped on the way and turned back. It is very difficult to run the dairy business with frequent hurdles in transporting milk and other dairy products,&quot; he complained.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span><br />
<span style="font-family:&quot;Arial Unicode MS&quot;">According to him, only 20 per cent of the total milk and milk products is being sold daily at present. Ghimire added that the dairy industry has incurred losses of Rs 2 billion due to the lockdown and products worth Rs 5 billion was in stock.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span><br />
<span style="font-family:&quot;Arial Unicode MS&quot;">Meanwhile, the dairy industries have started distributing milk free of cost after a slump in its sale due to the lockdown. NDA said they started providing milk free of cost rather than dumping it.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span><br />
<span style="font-family:&quot;Arial Unicode MS&quot;">It is said milk is being distributed free at quarantine facilities and to the needy households, including the nursing mothers, in Budhanilkantha municipality of Kathmandu, at Damak of Jhapa and in Rupandehi. </span></span>-- RSS</span></p>
',
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			'sortorder' => '11724',
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			'article_date' => '2020-04-23 09:39:07',
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		'Article' => array(
			'id' => '11972',
			'article_category_id' => '1',
			'title' => 'Health Ministry Confirms Three New Cases of Coronavirus',
			'sub_title' => '',
			'summary' => 'April 23: With three new confirmed cases of coronavirus in the country, the total number of people infected with COVID-19 has reached 45, Ministry of Health and Population said Wednesday (April 22).',
			'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:&quot;Arial Unicode MS&quot;">April 23: With three new confirmed cases of coronavirus in the country, the total number of people infected with COVID-19 has reached 45, Ministry of Health and Population said Wednesday (April 22).</span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:&quot;Arial Unicode MS&quot;">All three persons infected with coronavirus are male. The three persons tested positive for the disease during their swab test held at Dharan-based BP Koirala Institute of Health Sciences, said Dr Bikash Devkota, spokesperson at the Ministry of Health and Population. </span><br />
<span style="font-family:&quot;Arial Unicode MS&quot;">According to the ministry, a total of 40,431 suspects have been tested for COVID-19 across the country so far. This includes 9,011 through polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and 31420 through rapid diagnostic test (RDT) methods. </span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Cambria">&nbsp;<span style="font-family:&quot;Arial Unicode MS&quot;">A total of 8,595 people have been quarantined while 95 have been kept in isolation.</span></span></span></p>
',
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			'description' => '',
			'sortorder' => '11723',
			'image' => '20200423093051_22_111.jpg',
			'article_date' => '2020-04-23 09:30:06',
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		'Article' => array(
			'id' => '11974',
			'article_category_id' => '1',
			'title' => 'CEO Insights India publishes ‘Top 10 emerging startups in Nepal’ ',
			'sub_title' => '',
			'summary' => 'April 23: CEO Insights, a renowned business magazine in India, has published the list of top 10 emerging startups in Nepal-2020. ',
			'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Calibri"><span style="font-family:&quot;Times New Roman&quot;">April 23: CEO Insights, a renowned business magazine in India, has published the list of top 10 emerging startups in Nepal-2020. </span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Calibri"><span style="font-family:&quot;Times New Roman&quot;">Startups from various sectors including trading, tourism, technology, recruitment and consulting have entered the list. </span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Calibri"><span style="font-family:&quot;Times New Roman&quot;">Asia Corporation, established in 2017, is the number one among the 10.&nbsp; The startup provides industrial paper, photocopy paper, animal feeds, mosquito nets, chemical fertilizer, overhaul and maintenance services for helicopters and AI-related products to public and private companies. </span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Calibri"><span style="font-family:&quot;Times New Roman&quot;">Similarly, other companies selected as top startups include Hamro Technology, a fintech firm; Himalayan Wonders, a travel startup; JATA digital, a digital marketing company; Mapleyak, a consulting firm; and Mero Network, a digital marketing startup. Similarly, My Career HR Solutions, a recruitment startup; Palm Mind, an application development-based startup; Sarvanam Software, a software development startup;&nbsp; and Vidinterest, an online video curation and discovery platform &nbsp;are others in the list of top 10 start-ups. </span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Calibri"><span style="font-family:&quot;Times New Roman&quot;">&ldquo;Asia Corporation is inclined towards core values and this is what helps us to operate efficiently and run smoothly,&rdquo; said Sunil KC, founder of Asia Corporation in the April issue of CEO Insights magazine. </span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Calibri"><span style="font-family:&quot;Times New Roman&quot;">The magazine writes that the editorial board spoke to a large number of startups in Nepal and shortlisted them on the basis of innovative business ideas, cutting-edge offerings and unconditional customer support.</span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Calibri"><span style="font-family:&quot;Times New Roman&quot;">&ldquo;Investment is an area which needs huge attention. Apart from that incubation and other platforms from the government is the instant need of hour. With large markets in the neighboring countries, startups in Nepal can surely change the landscape of the country,&rdquo; writes the editorial of the magazine.</span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;</span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Calibri"><img alt="" src="/app/webroot/userfiles/images/Nepal%20Startups%20PDF-5%281%29.jpg" style="height:768px; width:606px" />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span></span></p>
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			'sortorder' => '11722',
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	(int) 8 => array(
		'Article' => array(
			'id' => '11971',
			'article_category_id' => '1',
			'title' => '‘World Bank Agrees to Release Concessional Loan for Youth Employment’',
			'sub_title' => '',
			'summary' => 'April 22: The World Bank has approved the work procedure prepared by the Ministry of Labour, Employment and Social Security for the utilization of Rs 14 billion concessional loan announced by the World Bank under the Prime Minister Employment Programme',
			'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Times"><span style="font-family:&quot;Bangla MN&quot;">April 22: The World Bank has approved the work procedure prepared by the Ministry of Labour, Employment and Social Security for the utilization of Rs 14 billion concessional loan announced by the World Bank under the Prime Minister Employment Programme.</span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Times"><span style="font-family:&quot;Bangla MN&quot;">However, the amount will be mobilized only in the upcoming fiscal&nbsp; year. The government had signed an agreement with the World Bank for the concessional loan for a period of five years on November 24 last year. The agreement states that the government should have mobilized Rs 2 billion from the fund in the current fiscal year. However, the government was unable to spend the amount due to the lack of work procedure. But the government will be spending Rs 4 billion for youth employment in the upcoming fiscal year.</span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Times"><span style="font-family:&quot;Bangla MN&quot;">Joint Secretary at the PMEP Loknath Bhusal informed that the World Bank had set a condition that the fund could be utilized only after preparing the work procedure.&nbsp; He further said that the government was unable to prepare the work procedure due to which the World Bank refused to release Rs 2 billion allocated for the current fiscal year. </span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Times"><span style="font-family:&quot;Bangla MN&quot;">&ldquo;However, we have reached an understanding with the World Bank to utilize that amount in the&nbsp; next fiscal year,&rdquo; said Bhusal.</span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Times"><span style="font-family:&quot;Bangla MN&quot;">The work procedure aims to reduce the unemployment rate across the country by providing employment opportunities to jobless youths.</span></span></span></p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>
',
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			'created' => '2020-04-22',
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			'sortorder' => '11721',
			'image' => '20200422011836_ea579c.jpg',
			'article_date' => '2020-04-22 13:17:58',
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	(int) 9 => array(
		'Article' => array(
			'id' => '11970',
			'article_category_id' => '266',
			'title' => 'Foodmandu Purchases Insurance Policy for its Employees against COVID-19',
			'sub_title' => '',
			'summary' => 'April 22: Foodmandu has purchased insurance policy for its employees against coronavirus.',
			'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:20px">April 22: Foodmandu has purchased insurance policy for its employees against coronavirus. All the staffers involved in field work have been insured against coronaries, the company said in a statement.<br />
A total of 19 staffers of Foodmandu have been insured against COVID-19. The company said it has purchased insurance policy worth Rs 100,000 for the employees who deliver food to the customers.<br />
Foodmandu, which delivers food at the doorsteps of the customers, has been delivering fresh groceries during the lockdown.</span></p>
',
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			'created' => '2020-04-22',
			'modified' => '2020-04-22',
			'keywords' => '',
			'description' => '',
			'sortorder' => '11720',
			'image' => '20200422010536_Foodmandu_Covid-19-Pic.jpg',
			'article_date' => '2020-04-22 13:04:54',
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	(int) 10 => array(
		'Article' => array(
			'id' => '11967',
			'article_category_id' => '1',
			'title' => 'Umbrella Organisation of Bankers Decides to Lower Interest Rate for SMEs',
			'sub_title' => '',
			'summary' => 'April 22: The Confederation of Banks and Financial Institutions Nepal (CBFIN), an umbrella organisation of commercial banks, development banks and financial institutions of the country, has decided to charge one percent less interest on loans up to Rs 10 million from April 13 onward to small and medium-scale enterprises (SMEs).',
			'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Times">April 22: The Confederation of Banks and Financial Institutions Nepal (CBFIN), an umbrella organisation of commercial banks, development banks and financial institutions of the country, has decided to charge one percent less interest on loans up to Rs 10 million from April 13 onward to small and medium-scale enterprises (SMEs). </span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Times">The confederation said that its members decided to lower the interest rate considering the impact of coronavirus on the economy and the borrowers.</span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Times">According to CBFIN, the borrowers can enjoy the facility until further notice.</span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Times">Borrowers who have taken loan from commercial banks at 10 percent interest will now have to pay 9 percent interest during this period.&nbsp; Likewise, individuals and firms borrowing up to Rs 4 million from development banks and Rs 2 million from finance companies can also enjoy this facility.</span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Times">The confederation made this announcement on Tuesday (April 22) while unveiling a special relief package for the borrowers bearing the brunt of coronavirus and the lockdown imposed by the government. A meeting of the confederation members had taken a decision to this effect a day earlier on April 21.</span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Times">Likewise, the confederation has announced 10 percent discount on payment of interest within the month of Baishakh (mid-May). CBFIN said its members will also not slap any fine if the pending loans are cleared within mid-May.</span></span></p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>
',
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			'description' => '',
			'sortorder' => '11719',
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			'article_date' => '2020-04-22 11:54:17',
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	(int) 11 => array(
		'Article' => array(
			'id' => '11966',
			'article_category_id' => '1',
			'title' => 'Western Union Announces Home Delivery Service in Nepal',
			'sub_title' => 'Remittance now Available at Doorstep',
			'summary' => 'April 22: Western Union Money Transfer on Tuesday (April 21) announced that Annapurna Travel & Tours and Hulas Rmittance will provide home delivery service for Western Union money transfers in Nepal.',
			'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:&quot;Times New Roman&quot;">April 22: Western Union Money Transfer on Tuesday (April 21) announced that Annapurna Travel &amp; Tours and Hulas Rmittance will provide home delivery service for Western Union money transfers in Nepal.</span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:&quot;Times New Roman&quot;">The agents&rsquo; home delivery service will enable customers in Nepal to receive cash from their loved ones from abroad, without leaving their homes. </span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:&quot;Times New Roman&quot;">The company said in a statement that Annapurna Travel &amp; Tours and Hulas Remittance will deliver money to the recipients at their doorsteps during the lockdown imposed by the government. The home delivery service will be available throughout the week including Saturday and Sunday from 10 AM to 4 PM.</span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:&quot;Times New Roman&quot;">&ldquo;We and our Agents play a critical role in getting money to places, where and when it is most needed. As a purpose-driven global company, our mandate is to serve communities worldwide and this means not only serving the digitally enabled but also offline communities innovatively. This shared purpose holds true in these current times,&rdquo; said Jean Claude Farah, president of Global Network, Western Union. </span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:&quot;Times New Roman&quot;">&ldquo;The launch of this new agent service - delivering money to customers&rsquo; home &ndash; will help the public access cash, thereby providing essential financial services to a broad range of customers, including those who do not hold bank accounts,&rdquo; added Farah. </span></span></p>
',
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			'description' => '',
			'sortorder' => '11718',
			'image' => '20200422112714_remit.jpg',
			'article_date' => '2020-04-22 11:24:30',
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		'Article' => array(
			'id' => '11968',
			'article_category_id' => '1',
			'title' => 'Imported Goods at Birgunj Customs Point Damaged by Rain',
			'sub_title' => 'Importers unable to clear the goods due to lockdown',
			'summary' => 'April 22: The goods arriving at the customs office in Birgunj are stuck for many days due to the lockdown. ',
			'content' => '<h1><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:&quot;Times New Roman&quot;">April 22: The goods arriving at the customs office in Birgunj are stuck for many days due to the lockdown. The importers have not come to clear their goods from the customs office even though some of them have started deteriorating over the time.</span></span></h1>

<h1><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:&quot;Times New Roman&quot;">The goods at the customs office are getting damaged day by day.</span></span></h1>

<h1><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:&quot;Times New Roman&quot;">Representatives of the importers informed New Business Age that their goods have been damaged by the rain and storm.</span></span></h1>

<h1><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:&quot;Times New Roman&quot;">Umesh Sharma, central member of the Nepal Freight Forwarders Association, informed the goods stuck in the yard of Birgunj Customs have been damaged by the rain.</span></span></h1>

<h1><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:&quot;Times New Roman&quot;">He complained that the goods kept in the yards of the customs office were damaged due to lack of proper arrangement of warehouse at the customs point. </span></span></h1>

<h1><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:&quot;Times New Roman&quot;">Similarly, Chief Administrator of Birgunj Customs Office, Dhundi Prasad Niraula, informed that the rain accompanied by storm on Monday washed the goods due to the lack of walls at the warehouse.&nbsp; </span></span></h1>

<h1><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:&quot;Times New Roman&quot;">He informed that the importers had not cleared their goods which had arrived at the customs office before the lockdown.</span></span></h1>

<h1><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:&quot;Times New Roman&quot;">&ldquo;Many importers did not clear their goods which were already here before the lockdown. Even though we have facilitated the clearance of goods, none of the importers have come to clear their goods,&rdquo; he added.</span></span></h1>

<h1><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:&quot;Times New Roman&quot;">The lockdown in both Nepal and India has caused difficulty in transportation of goods. Likewise, the flow of goods from India has also declined.</span></span></h1>

<h1>&nbsp;</h1>

<h1>&nbsp;</h1>

<h1>&nbsp;</h1>

<h1>&nbsp;</h1>

<h1>&nbsp;</h1>

<h1>&nbsp;</h1>

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<h1><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:&quot;Times New Roman&quot;">&nbsp;</span></span></h1>
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			'sortorder' => '11717',
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		'Article' => array(
			'id' => '11965',
			'article_category_id' => '1',
			'title' => 'Private Sector Demands Financial Stimulus worth 5 Percent of GDP',
			'sub_title' => '',
			'summary' => 'April 22: Stating that the ongoing lockdown to contain the spread of coronavirus has had a chain effect on the overall economy of the country, the private sector has urged the government to announce a fiscal stimulus package worth 5 percent of the Gross Domestic Product.',
			'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Times">April 22: Stating that the ongoing lockdown to contain the spread of coronavirus has had a chain effect on the overall economy of the country, the private sector has urged the government to announce a fiscal stimulus package worth 5 percent of the Gross Domestic Product.</span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Times">A joint proposal prepared by the umbrella bodies of the private sector including the Federation of Nepalese Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FNCCI), Confederation of Nepalese Industries (CNI) and Nepal Chamber of Commerce (NCC) made such recommendation to the government.</span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Times">They have urged the government to immediately announce a financial stimulus package. The private sector lamented that their businesses have been completely halted due to the lockdown since a month but the government is yet to announce a financial stimulus package.</span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Times">The proposal mentions that the private businesses and industries are on the verge of collapse and therefore require government support to boost their morale in such testing times.</span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Times">NCC Vice President Rajendra Malla informed that the private sector is preparing to present the proposal to the government requesting short-term, middle-term and long-term support to minimize the impacts of the lockdown on the businesses.</span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Times">After a week-long discussions, the three organisations representing the private sector decided to seek support from the government in basically four sectors - policy reforms, monetary, labour and employment, and electricity.</span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Times">The proposal includes renewal of loan and deferral of payment to the workers in case the lockdown gets extended.</span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Times">They have also demanded reduction in bank&rsquo;s rate of interest by 5 percent and setting up of a fund of Rs 100 billion for renewal of loan. The private sector has requested the government to provide concessional loan from the fund to the businesses that are facing losses due to the lockdown. </span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Times">The private sector has maintained that it will take some time for their business to get back on track even if the government lifts the lockdown.</span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Times">The Labour Act 2074 has provision for the private sector to keep their employees standby during crisis and to pay 50 percent salary during such times. Therefore, the private sector has urged the government to allow them to pay 50 percent salary to their staffers.</span></span></p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>
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			'sortorder' => '11716',
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	(int) 14 => array(
		'Article' => array(
			'id' => '11969',
			'article_category_id' => '1',
			'title' => 'Statups on the Verge of Running out of Business',
			'sub_title' => '',
			'summary' => 'April 22: Startup ecosystem enablers, mentors, investors and entrepreneurs have appealed the government to form a ‘Nepal Covid 19 Start-up Assistance Scheme’ to support the start-ups. ',
			'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Arial">April 22: Startup ecosystem enablers, mentors, investors and entrepreneurs have appealed the government to form a &lsquo;Nepal Covid 19 Start-up Assistance Scheme&rsquo; to support the start-ups. According to stakeholders, majority of startups are on the verge of running out of their business.&nbsp; </span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Arial">A committee consisting of entrepreneurs, investors, mentors and academicians have been frequently interacting with the start-ups after the lockdown. Based on interaction and study, it has been revealed that start-ups in the early stage are under the risk of dying and established start-ups with strong market presence are expressing concerns of liquidity crunch. </span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Arial">The committee submitted a &lsquo;Startup Crisis Management Appeal&rsquo; to Finance Minister Yuba Raj Khatiwada and Nepal Rastra Bank, National Planning Commission and Ministry of Industry, Commerce and Supplies on Tuesday. </span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Arial">The written document mentions that even in a moderate risk scenario, businesses will be compelled to lay off employees in the next 4 weeks, if any relief isn&rsquo;t provided by the government. &ldquo;Our request for government response in facilitating the survival of start-ups is not curry-favouring. Rather, there is a strong business case for the need to support these start-ups given how deeply the sector entrenched is for Nepal&rsquo;s economy in the present and the future,&rdquo; mentions the document. </span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Arial">The committee has requested the government to provide assistance in payroll, rent, administrative expenses, and payment to vendors. The ecosystem players have also appealed to provide immediate temporary tax relief, TDS relief, VAT relief and Social Security Fund relief &nbsp;until one year after lockdown ends. Also, the committee has requested for collateral fee loan of Rs 5, 00,000 to Rs 5 million for one year. To qualify as a start-up under Nepal&rsquo;s Ministry of Industry 2017 Start-up Policy draft, companies should have a registered life not exceeding five years, have invested capital not more than Rs 100 million and an annual turnover not exceeding Rs 100 million in any preceding fiscal year. </span></span></p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>
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		'Article' => array(
			'id' => '11978',
			'article_category_id' => '1',
			'title' => 'Number of COVID-19 Cases Reach  47 in Nepal',
			'sub_title' => '',
			'summary' => 'April 24: The number of people infected with coronavirus has reached 47 in the country with confirmation of two new cases on Thursday (April 23).',
			'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Times">April 24: The number of people infected with coronavirus has reached 47 in the country with confirmation of two new cases on Thursday (April 23).</span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Times">The Ministry of Health and Population confirmed the new cases during a regular press briefing.</span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Times">Spokesperson at the ministry Dr Bikash Devkota informed that a 55-year-old woman and 14-year-old boy have been diagnosed with&nbsp;the disease that has infected more than 2.6 million people worldwide.</span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Times">&nbsp;Dr Devkota informed that swab samples of the woman from Udayapur tested and the boy from Janakpur positive at Kathmandu-based National Public Health Laboratory.</span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Times">Two coronavirus patients from Sun City Apartment who were undergoing treatment at Patan Hospital were discharged on Thursday. With this, the number of recovered cases has reached 9. The country still has 38 active cases, most of them in Udayapur.</span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Times">Dr Devkota informed that the health condition of all the infected patients is normal.</span></span></p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>
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			'sortorder' => '11729',
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			'id' => '11977',
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			'title' => 'Government Likely to Extend Lockdown',
			'sub_title' => 'Preparations Underway to Announce Next Year’s Budget ',
			'summary' => 'April 24: The government hinted that it would take decision on lifting the lockdown after reviewing necessary concerns, including the steps taken by neighbouring India to control the spread of COVID-19.',
			'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:&quot;Arial Unicode MS&quot;">April 24: The government hinted that it would take decision on lifting the lockdown after reviewing necessary concerns, including the steps taken by neighbouring India to control the spread of COVID-19.</span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:&quot;Arial Unicode MS&quot;">Government spokesperson Yuba Raj Khatiwada said that coronavirus is a pandemic and the Government of Nepal cannot take a unilateral decision in this matter of worldwide concern. The government had imposed the lockdown on&nbsp; March 24. The lockdown is expiring on April 27.</span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:&quot;Arial Unicode MS&quot;">Speaking at a press conference organised on Thursday (April 23) to share the decisions taken by the cabinet, Finance Minister Khatiwada said that saving people&rsquo;s lives was the government&rsquo;s first priority.</span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:&quot;Arial Unicode MS&quot;">According to Khatiwada, the government is considering the measures taken by India to prevent the spread of coronavirus and Nepal&rsquo;s preparedness to fight the pandemic by ensuring medical supplies, necessary infrastructures, people&#39;s awareness and social distancing before lifting the lockdown.</span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:&quot;Arial Unicode MS&quot;">Minister Khatiwada made it clear that the lockdown could be extended if required.</span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:&quot;Arial Unicode MS&quot;">However, he said that the government would relax the restriction to some extent to allow industries providing basic needs to operate under certain criteria like maintaining physical distancing and proper hygiene.</span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:&quot;Arial Unicode MS&quot;">Minister Khatiwada also added that the government is set to announce its policies and programmes as well as the annual budget of the next fiscal year in two phases.</span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:&quot;Arial Unicode MS&quot;">He said that the government will include short-term and mid-term programmes in the upcoming budget.</span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:&quot;Arial Unicode MS&quot;">Meanwhile, the cabinet meeting also approved loan assistance of US$ 100 million fro the International Monetary Fund, informed Khatiwada.</span></span></span></p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>
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	(int) 2 => array(
		'Article' => array(
			'id' => '11976',
			'article_category_id' => '1',
			'title' => 'Sharp Decline in Remittance to Nepal in 2020: WB',
			'sub_title' => '',
			'summary' => 'April 23: The coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic induced economic crisis will cause remittances to Nepal decline by 14 percent in 2020 compared to USD 8.1 billion in 2019, according to a new World Bank report. ',
			'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Calibri"><span style="font-family:Arial">April 23: The coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic induced economic crisis will cause remittances to Nepal decline by 14 percent in 2020 compared to USD 8.1 billion in 2019, according to a new World Bank report. </span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Calibri"><span style="font-family:Arial">In its &lsquo;Migration and Development Brief 32: COVID-19 Crisis Through a Migration Lens&rsquo;, the Washington DC-based multilateral agency projects that the South Asia region will see remittance inflow decreasing by 22.1 percent in 2020. The World Bank has said that this is the biggest slump of remittance to the region in the recent history. </span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Calibri"><span style="font-family:Arial">&ldquo;In India, remittances are projected to fall by about 23 percent in 2020, to USD 64 billion &ndash; a striking contrast with the growth of 5.5 percent and receipts of USD 83 billion seen in 2019. In Pakistan, the projected decline is also about 23 percent, totaling about USD 17 billion, compared with a total of USD 22.5 billion in 2019, when remittances grew by 6.2 percent,&rdquo; the report states. The report estimates that remittances to Bangladesh will dip by about 22 percent to USD 14 billion from USD 22 billion in 2019. Remittances to Sri Lanka are expected to decline by 19 percent this year. </span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Calibri"><span style="font-family:Arial">&ldquo;The coronavirus</span><span style="font-family:&quot;Cambria Math&quot;">‐</span><span style="font-family:Arial">related global slowdown and travel restrictions will also affect migratory movements, and this is likely to keep remittances subdued even in 2021,&rdquo; reads the report. According to the World Bank, the projected remittance growth of 5.8 percent in 2021 will keep total regional flows at about USD 115 billion. </span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:&quot;Times New Roman&quot;"><span style="font-family:Arial">Globally, remittances will decline by about 20 percent this year. According to the report, remittances to low and middle-income countries (LMICs) are projected to fall by 19.7 percent to USD 445 billion, representing a loss of a crucial financing lifeline for many vulnerable households.</span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:&quot;Times New Roman&quot;"><span style="font-family:Arial">The large decline in remittances flows in 2020 comes after remittances to LMICs reached a record USD 554 billion in 2019. The report highlights that even with the decline, remittance flows are expected to become even more important as a source of external financing for LMICs as the fall in foreign direct investment is expected to be larger (more than 35 percent). &ldquo;In 2019, remittance flows to LMICs became larger than FDI, an important milestone for monitoring resource flows to developing countries,&rdquo; says the report.&nbsp; </span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:&quot;Times New Roman&quot;"><span style="font-family:Arial">&nbsp;&ldquo;Remittances are a vital source of income for developing countries. The ongoing economic recession caused by COVID-19 is taking a severe toll on the ability to send money home and makes it all the more vital that we shorten the time to recovery for advanced economies,&rdquo; a statement issued by the&nbsp;World Bank Group quoted the bank&rsquo;s President David Malpass as saying. &ldquo;Remittances help families afford food, healthcare, and basic needs. As the World Bank Group implements fast, broad action to support countries, we are working to keep remittance channels open and safeguard the poorest communities&rsquo; access to these most basic needs.&rdquo;</span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:&quot;Times New Roman&quot;"><span style="font-family:Arial">According to the statement, the World Bank is assisting member states in monitoring the flow of remittances through various channels, the costs and convenience of sending money, and regulations to protect financial integrity that affect remittance flows. &ldquo;It is working with the G20 countries and the global community to reduce remittance costs and improve financial inclusion for the poor,&rdquo; says the bank. </span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:&quot;Times New Roman&quot;"><span style="font-family:Arial">Remittance flows are expected to fall across all regions, most notably in Europe and Central Asia (27.5 percent), followed by Sub-Saharan Africa (23.1 percent), South Asia (22.1 percent), the Middle East and North Africa (19.6 percent), Latin America and the Caribbean (19.3 percent), and East Asia and the Pacific (13 percent).</span></span></span></p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>
',
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			'created' => '2020-04-23',
			'modified' => '2020-04-23',
			'keywords' => '',
			'description' => '',
			'sortorder' => '11727',
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			'article_date' => '2020-04-23 17:56:30',
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	(int) 3 => array(
		'Article' => array(
			'id' => '11975',
			'article_category_id' => '1',
			'title' => 'Global Hunger could Double due to COVID-19 Blow: UN',
			'sub_title' => '',
			'summary' => 'April 23: The number of people facing acute food insecurity could nearly double this year to 265 million due to the economic fallout of COVID-19, the United Nations’ World Food Programme (WFP) said in a recent statement.',
			'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Cambria">April 23: The number of people facing acute food insecurity could nearly double this year to 265 million due to the economic fallout of COVID-19, the United Nations&rsquo; World Food Programme (WFP) said in a recent statement.</span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Times">According to Reuters, the impact of lost tourism revenues, falling remittances and travel and other restrictions linked to the coronavirus pandemic are expected to leave some 130 million people acutely hungry this year, adding to around 135 million already in that category. </span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Times">&ldquo;COVID-19 is potentially catastrophic for millions who are already hanging by a thread,&rdquo; Reuters quoted Arif Husain, chief economist and director of research, assessment and monitoring at the World Food Programme (WFP), as saying. </span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Times">&ldquo;We all need to come together to deal with this because if we don&rsquo;t the cost will be too high - the global cost will be too high: many lost lives and many, many more lost livelihoods,&rdquo; he told reporters at a virtual briefing in Geneva. </span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Times">According to the news agency, Husain said it was critical to act quickly in order to prevent people already living hand-to-mouth from selling their assets as it could take them years to become self-reliant again. </span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Times">In some cases, such as when farmers sell their ploughs or oxen, it could have knock-on effects for food production for years to come, he added. </span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Times">&ldquo;These were the people we were concerned about,&rdquo; he said, adding he was &ldquo;really worried&rdquo; about people living in countries with little or no government safety nets. </span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Times">&ldquo;Acute food and livelihood crisis&rdquo; is category three of five UN phases meaning a &ldquo;critical lack of food access and above usual malnutrition&rdquo;. </span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Times">Category 5 means mass starvation. UN officials did not give a geographical breakdown of the growing needs, but said that Africa was likely to be hardest hit, Reuters&nbsp; reported. </span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Times">WFP plans to pre-position food stocks over the coming months in anticipation of growing needs. </span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Times">Of those already deemed acutely hungry, many are in conflict zones such as Syria or in countries badly hit by the impact of climate change, according to a UN report. </span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Times"><img alt="" src="/app/webroot/userfiles/images/s_Masciarelli_7082%202.jpg" style="height:533px; width:800px" /></span></span></p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>
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			'article_date' => '2020-04-23 10:14:10',
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	(int) 4 => array(
		'Article' => array(
			'id' => '11979',
			'article_category_id' => '1',
			'title' => 'Cabinet Endorse Electricity Bill ',
			'sub_title' => '',
			'summary' => 'April 24: Hydropower companies no longer require separate licenses for survey and generation of electricity provided that the new law is endorsed by the parliament.',
			'content' => '<h1><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:&quot;Times New Roman&quot;">April 24: Hydropower companies no longer require separate licenses for survey and generation of electricity provided that the new law is endorsed by the parliament.</span></span></h1>

<h1><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:&quot;Times New Roman&quot;">The council of ministers has scrapped the provision of two separate licenses for the hydropower companies. A recent cabinet meeting took a decision to this effect by endorsing the Electricity Bill 2077. However, the bill is yet to be endorsed by the House of Representatives and the National Assembly. </span></span></h1>

<h1><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:&quot;Times New Roman&quot;">According to the proposed bill, hydropower companies can now acquire a single license for survey and electricity generation.</span></span></h1>

<h1><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:&quot;Times New Roman&quot;">In the bill also proposes issuing such license only on the basis of competition.</span></span></h1>

<h1><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:&quot;Times New Roman&quot;">According to the bill, all three levels of government will be eligible to grant the permits for generating electricity. The local government will be eligible to issue license for hydropower projects generating up to 3 MW of electricity and the state government will be allowed to permit license for projects generating up to 3-20 MW of electricity.</span></span></h1>

<h1>&nbsp;</h1>

<h1>&nbsp;</h1>

<h1>&nbsp;</h1>

<h1>&nbsp;</h1>
',
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			'description' => '',
			'sortorder' => '11725',
			'image' => '20200424110929_20150811013038_ep3(5).jpg',
			'article_date' => '2020-04-24 11:08:49',
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	(int) 5 => array(
		'Article' => array(
			'id' => '11973',
			'article_category_id' => '1',
			'title' => 'Milk Consumption Down to 20 Percent',
			'sub_title' => '',
			'summary' => 'April 23: Nepal Dairy Association (NDA) has said that milk vans have not been able to operate despite the government not preventing the operation of vehicles carrying essentials during the lockdown period.     ',
			'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:&quot;Arial Unicode MS&quot;">April 23: Nepal Dairy Association (NDA) has said that milk vans have not been able to operate despite the government not preventing the operation of vehicles carrying essentials during the lockdown period.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span><br />
<span style="font-family:&quot;Arial Unicode MS&quot;">NDA general secretary Prahlad Dahal said except in Kathmandu, the milk vans have been prevented from operating in Chitwan, Butwal and Nepalgunj, among other cities. He said they are facing obstruction in the operation of milk tankers and even in selling milk to shops.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span><br />
<span style="font-family:&quot;Arial Unicode MS&quot;">Dahal informed that vehicles carrying milk have been stopped and the helpers also beaten by police in some instances at New Road, Koteshwar and other places in Kathmandu.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span><br />
<span style="font-family:&quot;Arial Unicode MS&quot;">&quot;We have not been provided with any permits. Every day, obstructions have been created to our friends and the milk delivery vans. A milk tanker coming to Kathmandu from Chitwan was stopped on the way and turned back. It is very difficult to run the dairy business with frequent hurdles in transporting milk and other dairy products,&quot; he complained.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span><br />
<span style="font-family:&quot;Arial Unicode MS&quot;">According to him, only 20 per cent of the total milk and milk products is being sold daily at present. Ghimire added that the dairy industry has incurred losses of Rs 2 billion due to the lockdown and products worth Rs 5 billion was in stock.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span><br />
<span style="font-family:&quot;Arial Unicode MS&quot;">Meanwhile, the dairy industries have started distributing milk free of cost after a slump in its sale due to the lockdown. NDA said they started providing milk free of cost rather than dumping it.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span><br />
<span style="font-family:&quot;Arial Unicode MS&quot;">It is said milk is being distributed free at quarantine facilities and to the needy households, including the nursing mothers, in Budhanilkantha municipality of Kathmandu, at Damak of Jhapa and in Rupandehi. </span></span>-- RSS</span></p>
',
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			'sortorder' => '11724',
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			'article_date' => '2020-04-23 09:39:07',
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	(int) 6 => array(
		'Article' => array(
			'id' => '11972',
			'article_category_id' => '1',
			'title' => 'Health Ministry Confirms Three New Cases of Coronavirus',
			'sub_title' => '',
			'summary' => 'April 23: With three new confirmed cases of coronavirus in the country, the total number of people infected with COVID-19 has reached 45, Ministry of Health and Population said Wednesday (April 22).',
			'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:&quot;Arial Unicode MS&quot;">April 23: With three new confirmed cases of coronavirus in the country, the total number of people infected with COVID-19 has reached 45, Ministry of Health and Population said Wednesday (April 22).</span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:&quot;Arial Unicode MS&quot;">All three persons infected with coronavirus are male. The three persons tested positive for the disease during their swab test held at Dharan-based BP Koirala Institute of Health Sciences, said Dr Bikash Devkota, spokesperson at the Ministry of Health and Population. </span><br />
<span style="font-family:&quot;Arial Unicode MS&quot;">According to the ministry, a total of 40,431 suspects have been tested for COVID-19 across the country so far. This includes 9,011 through polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and 31420 through rapid diagnostic test (RDT) methods. </span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Cambria">&nbsp;<span style="font-family:&quot;Arial Unicode MS&quot;">A total of 8,595 people have been quarantined while 95 have been kept in isolation.</span></span></span></p>
',
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			'created' => '2020-04-23',
			'modified' => '2020-04-23',
			'keywords' => '',
			'description' => '',
			'sortorder' => '11723',
			'image' => '20200423093051_22_111.jpg',
			'article_date' => '2020-04-23 09:30:06',
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	(int) 7 => array(
		'Article' => array(
			'id' => '11974',
			'article_category_id' => '1',
			'title' => 'CEO Insights India publishes ‘Top 10 emerging startups in Nepal’ ',
			'sub_title' => '',
			'summary' => 'April 23: CEO Insights, a renowned business magazine in India, has published the list of top 10 emerging startups in Nepal-2020. ',
			'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Calibri"><span style="font-family:&quot;Times New Roman&quot;">April 23: CEO Insights, a renowned business magazine in India, has published the list of top 10 emerging startups in Nepal-2020. </span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Calibri"><span style="font-family:&quot;Times New Roman&quot;">Startups from various sectors including trading, tourism, technology, recruitment and consulting have entered the list. </span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Calibri"><span style="font-family:&quot;Times New Roman&quot;">Asia Corporation, established in 2017, is the number one among the 10.&nbsp; The startup provides industrial paper, photocopy paper, animal feeds, mosquito nets, chemical fertilizer, overhaul and maintenance services for helicopters and AI-related products to public and private companies. </span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Calibri"><span style="font-family:&quot;Times New Roman&quot;">Similarly, other companies selected as top startups include Hamro Technology, a fintech firm; Himalayan Wonders, a travel startup; JATA digital, a digital marketing company; Mapleyak, a consulting firm; and Mero Network, a digital marketing startup. Similarly, My Career HR Solutions, a recruitment startup; Palm Mind, an application development-based startup; Sarvanam Software, a software development startup;&nbsp; and Vidinterest, an online video curation and discovery platform &nbsp;are others in the list of top 10 start-ups. </span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Calibri"><span style="font-family:&quot;Times New Roman&quot;">&ldquo;Asia Corporation is inclined towards core values and this is what helps us to operate efficiently and run smoothly,&rdquo; said Sunil KC, founder of Asia Corporation in the April issue of CEO Insights magazine. </span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Calibri"><span style="font-family:&quot;Times New Roman&quot;">The magazine writes that the editorial board spoke to a large number of startups in Nepal and shortlisted them on the basis of innovative business ideas, cutting-edge offerings and unconditional customer support.</span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Calibri"><span style="font-family:&quot;Times New Roman&quot;">&ldquo;Investment is an area which needs huge attention. Apart from that incubation and other platforms from the government is the instant need of hour. With large markets in the neighboring countries, startups in Nepal can surely change the landscape of the country,&rdquo; writes the editorial of the magazine.</span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;</span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Calibri"><img alt="" src="/app/webroot/userfiles/images/Nepal%20Startups%20PDF-5%281%29.jpg" style="height:768px; width:606px" />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span></span></p>
',
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			'description' => '',
			'sortorder' => '11722',
			'image' => '20200423100348_098pgcover.jpg',
			'article_date' => '2020-04-23 10:02:30',
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	(int) 8 => array(
		'Article' => array(
			'id' => '11971',
			'article_category_id' => '1',
			'title' => '‘World Bank Agrees to Release Concessional Loan for Youth Employment’',
			'sub_title' => '',
			'summary' => 'April 22: The World Bank has approved the work procedure prepared by the Ministry of Labour, Employment and Social Security for the utilization of Rs 14 billion concessional loan announced by the World Bank under the Prime Minister Employment Programme',
			'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Times"><span style="font-family:&quot;Bangla MN&quot;">April 22: The World Bank has approved the work procedure prepared by the Ministry of Labour, Employment and Social Security for the utilization of Rs 14 billion concessional loan announced by the World Bank under the Prime Minister Employment Programme.</span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Times"><span style="font-family:&quot;Bangla MN&quot;">However, the amount will be mobilized only in the upcoming fiscal&nbsp; year. The government had signed an agreement with the World Bank for the concessional loan for a period of five years on November 24 last year. The agreement states that the government should have mobilized Rs 2 billion from the fund in the current fiscal year. However, the government was unable to spend the amount due to the lack of work procedure. But the government will be spending Rs 4 billion for youth employment in the upcoming fiscal year.</span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Times"><span style="font-family:&quot;Bangla MN&quot;">Joint Secretary at the PMEP Loknath Bhusal informed that the World Bank had set a condition that the fund could be utilized only after preparing the work procedure.&nbsp; He further said that the government was unable to prepare the work procedure due to which the World Bank refused to release Rs 2 billion allocated for the current fiscal year. </span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Times"><span style="font-family:&quot;Bangla MN&quot;">&ldquo;However, we have reached an understanding with the World Bank to utilize that amount in the&nbsp; next fiscal year,&rdquo; said Bhusal.</span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Times"><span style="font-family:&quot;Bangla MN&quot;">The work procedure aims to reduce the unemployment rate across the country by providing employment opportunities to jobless youths.</span></span></span></p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>
',
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			'created' => '2020-04-22',
			'modified' => '2020-04-22',
			'keywords' => '',
			'description' => '',
			'sortorder' => '11721',
			'image' => '20200422011836_ea579c.jpg',
			'article_date' => '2020-04-22 13:17:58',
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		'Article' => array(
			'id' => '11970',
			'article_category_id' => '266',
			'title' => 'Foodmandu Purchases Insurance Policy for its Employees against COVID-19',
			'sub_title' => '',
			'summary' => 'April 22: Foodmandu has purchased insurance policy for its employees against coronavirus.',
			'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:20px">April 22: Foodmandu has purchased insurance policy for its employees against coronavirus. All the staffers involved in field work have been insured against coronaries, the company said in a statement.<br />
A total of 19 staffers of Foodmandu have been insured against COVID-19. The company said it has purchased insurance policy worth Rs 100,000 for the employees who deliver food to the customers.<br />
Foodmandu, which delivers food at the doorsteps of the customers, has been delivering fresh groceries during the lockdown.</span></p>
',
			'published' => true,
			'created' => '2020-04-22',
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			'keywords' => '',
			'description' => '',
			'sortorder' => '11720',
			'image' => '20200422010536_Foodmandu_Covid-19-Pic.jpg',
			'article_date' => '2020-04-22 13:04:54',
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	(int) 10 => array(
		'Article' => array(
			'id' => '11967',
			'article_category_id' => '1',
			'title' => 'Umbrella Organisation of Bankers Decides to Lower Interest Rate for SMEs',
			'sub_title' => '',
			'summary' => 'April 22: The Confederation of Banks and Financial Institutions Nepal (CBFIN), an umbrella organisation of commercial banks, development banks and financial institutions of the country, has decided to charge one percent less interest on loans up to Rs 10 million from April 13 onward to small and medium-scale enterprises (SMEs).',
			'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Times">April 22: The Confederation of Banks and Financial Institutions Nepal (CBFIN), an umbrella organisation of commercial banks, development banks and financial institutions of the country, has decided to charge one percent less interest on loans up to Rs 10 million from April 13 onward to small and medium-scale enterprises (SMEs). </span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Times">The confederation said that its members decided to lower the interest rate considering the impact of coronavirus on the economy and the borrowers.</span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Times">According to CBFIN, the borrowers can enjoy the facility until further notice.</span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Times">Borrowers who have taken loan from commercial banks at 10 percent interest will now have to pay 9 percent interest during this period.&nbsp; Likewise, individuals and firms borrowing up to Rs 4 million from development banks and Rs 2 million from finance companies can also enjoy this facility.</span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Times">The confederation made this announcement on Tuesday (April 22) while unveiling a special relief package for the borrowers bearing the brunt of coronavirus and the lockdown imposed by the government. A meeting of the confederation members had taken a decision to this effect a day earlier on April 21.</span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Times">Likewise, the confederation has announced 10 percent discount on payment of interest within the month of Baishakh (mid-May). CBFIN said its members will also not slap any fine if the pending loans are cleared within mid-May.</span></span></p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>
',
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			'modified' => '2020-04-22',
			'keywords' => '',
			'description' => '',
			'sortorder' => '11719',
			'image' => '20200422115500_qqqq.jpg',
			'article_date' => '2020-04-22 11:54:17',
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	(int) 11 => array(
		'Article' => array(
			'id' => '11966',
			'article_category_id' => '1',
			'title' => 'Western Union Announces Home Delivery Service in Nepal',
			'sub_title' => 'Remittance now Available at Doorstep',
			'summary' => 'April 22: Western Union Money Transfer on Tuesday (April 21) announced that Annapurna Travel & Tours and Hulas Rmittance will provide home delivery service for Western Union money transfers in Nepal.',
			'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:&quot;Times New Roman&quot;">April 22: Western Union Money Transfer on Tuesday (April 21) announced that Annapurna Travel &amp; Tours and Hulas Rmittance will provide home delivery service for Western Union money transfers in Nepal.</span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:&quot;Times New Roman&quot;">The agents&rsquo; home delivery service will enable customers in Nepal to receive cash from their loved ones from abroad, without leaving their homes. </span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:&quot;Times New Roman&quot;">The company said in a statement that Annapurna Travel &amp; Tours and Hulas Remittance will deliver money to the recipients at their doorsteps during the lockdown imposed by the government. The home delivery service will be available throughout the week including Saturday and Sunday from 10 AM to 4 PM.</span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:&quot;Times New Roman&quot;">&ldquo;We and our Agents play a critical role in getting money to places, where and when it is most needed. As a purpose-driven global company, our mandate is to serve communities worldwide and this means not only serving the digitally enabled but also offline communities innovatively. This shared purpose holds true in these current times,&rdquo; said Jean Claude Farah, president of Global Network, Western Union. </span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:&quot;Times New Roman&quot;">&ldquo;The launch of this new agent service - delivering money to customers&rsquo; home &ndash; will help the public access cash, thereby providing essential financial services to a broad range of customers, including those who do not hold bank accounts,&rdquo; added Farah. </span></span></p>
',
			'published' => true,
			'created' => '2020-04-22',
			'modified' => '2020-04-22',
			'keywords' => '',
			'description' => '',
			'sortorder' => '11718',
			'image' => '20200422112714_remit.jpg',
			'article_date' => '2020-04-22 11:24:30',
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	(int) 12 => array(
		'Article' => array(
			'id' => '11968',
			'article_category_id' => '1',
			'title' => 'Imported Goods at Birgunj Customs Point Damaged by Rain',
			'sub_title' => 'Importers unable to clear the goods due to lockdown',
			'summary' => 'April 22: The goods arriving at the customs office in Birgunj are stuck for many days due to the lockdown. ',
			'content' => '<h1><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:&quot;Times New Roman&quot;">April 22: The goods arriving at the customs office in Birgunj are stuck for many days due to the lockdown. The importers have not come to clear their goods from the customs office even though some of them have started deteriorating over the time.</span></span></h1>

<h1><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:&quot;Times New Roman&quot;">The goods at the customs office are getting damaged day by day.</span></span></h1>

<h1><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:&quot;Times New Roman&quot;">Representatives of the importers informed New Business Age that their goods have been damaged by the rain and storm.</span></span></h1>

<h1><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:&quot;Times New Roman&quot;">Umesh Sharma, central member of the Nepal Freight Forwarders Association, informed the goods stuck in the yard of Birgunj Customs have been damaged by the rain.</span></span></h1>

<h1><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:&quot;Times New Roman&quot;">He complained that the goods kept in the yards of the customs office were damaged due to lack of proper arrangement of warehouse at the customs point. </span></span></h1>

<h1><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:&quot;Times New Roman&quot;">Similarly, Chief Administrator of Birgunj Customs Office, Dhundi Prasad Niraula, informed that the rain accompanied by storm on Monday washed the goods due to the lack of walls at the warehouse.&nbsp; </span></span></h1>

<h1><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:&quot;Times New Roman&quot;">He informed that the importers had not cleared their goods which had arrived at the customs office before the lockdown.</span></span></h1>

<h1><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:&quot;Times New Roman&quot;">&ldquo;Many importers did not clear their goods which were already here before the lockdown. Even though we have facilitated the clearance of goods, none of the importers have come to clear their goods,&rdquo; he added.</span></span></h1>

<h1><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:&quot;Times New Roman&quot;">The lockdown in both Nepal and India has caused difficulty in transportation of goods. Likewise, the flow of goods from India has also declined.</span></span></h1>

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',
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			'created' => '2020-04-22',
			'modified' => '2020-04-22',
			'keywords' => '',
			'description' => '',
			'sortorder' => '11717',
			'image' => '20200422121942_birgunj2 2.jpg',
			'article_date' => '2020-04-22 12:18:50',
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	(int) 13 => array(
		'Article' => array(
			'id' => '11965',
			'article_category_id' => '1',
			'title' => 'Private Sector Demands Financial Stimulus worth 5 Percent of GDP',
			'sub_title' => '',
			'summary' => 'April 22: Stating that the ongoing lockdown to contain the spread of coronavirus has had a chain effect on the overall economy of the country, the private sector has urged the government to announce a fiscal stimulus package worth 5 percent of the Gross Domestic Product.',
			'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Times">April 22: Stating that the ongoing lockdown to contain the spread of coronavirus has had a chain effect on the overall economy of the country, the private sector has urged the government to announce a fiscal stimulus package worth 5 percent of the Gross Domestic Product.</span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Times">A joint proposal prepared by the umbrella bodies of the private sector including the Federation of Nepalese Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FNCCI), Confederation of Nepalese Industries (CNI) and Nepal Chamber of Commerce (NCC) made such recommendation to the government.</span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Times">They have urged the government to immediately announce a financial stimulus package. The private sector lamented that their businesses have been completely halted due to the lockdown since a month but the government is yet to announce a financial stimulus package.</span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Times">The proposal mentions that the private businesses and industries are on the verge of collapse and therefore require government support to boost their morale in such testing times.</span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Times">NCC Vice President Rajendra Malla informed that the private sector is preparing to present the proposal to the government requesting short-term, middle-term and long-term support to minimize the impacts of the lockdown on the businesses.</span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Times">After a week-long discussions, the three organisations representing the private sector decided to seek support from the government in basically four sectors - policy reforms, monetary, labour and employment, and electricity.</span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Times">The proposal includes renewal of loan and deferral of payment to the workers in case the lockdown gets extended.</span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Times">They have also demanded reduction in bank&rsquo;s rate of interest by 5 percent and setting up of a fund of Rs 100 billion for renewal of loan. The private sector has requested the government to provide concessional loan from the fund to the businesses that are facing losses due to the lockdown. </span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Times">The private sector has maintained that it will take some time for their business to get back on track even if the government lifts the lockdown.</span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Times">The Labour Act 2074 has provision for the private sector to keep their employees standby during crisis and to pay 50 percent salary during such times. Therefore, the private sector has urged the government to allow them to pay 50 percent salary to their staffers.</span></span></p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>
',
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			'created' => '2020-04-22',
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			'keywords' => '',
			'description' => '',
			'sortorder' => '11716',
			'image' => '20200422103111_stimulus 2.jpg',
			'article_date' => '2020-04-22 10:30:27',
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	(int) 14 => array(
		'Article' => array(
			'id' => '11969',
			'article_category_id' => '1',
			'title' => 'Statups on the Verge of Running out of Business',
			'sub_title' => '',
			'summary' => 'April 22: Startup ecosystem enablers, mentors, investors and entrepreneurs have appealed the government to form a ‘Nepal Covid 19 Start-up Assistance Scheme’ to support the start-ups. ',
			'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Arial">April 22: Startup ecosystem enablers, mentors, investors and entrepreneurs have appealed the government to form a &lsquo;Nepal Covid 19 Start-up Assistance Scheme&rsquo; to support the start-ups. According to stakeholders, majority of startups are on the verge of running out of their business.&nbsp; </span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Arial">A committee consisting of entrepreneurs, investors, mentors and academicians have been frequently interacting with the start-ups after the lockdown. Based on interaction and study, it has been revealed that start-ups in the early stage are under the risk of dying and established start-ups with strong market presence are expressing concerns of liquidity crunch. </span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Arial">The committee submitted a &lsquo;Startup Crisis Management Appeal&rsquo; to Finance Minister Yuba Raj Khatiwada and Nepal Rastra Bank, National Planning Commission and Ministry of Industry, Commerce and Supplies on Tuesday. </span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Arial">The written document mentions that even in a moderate risk scenario, businesses will be compelled to lay off employees in the next 4 weeks, if any relief isn&rsquo;t provided by the government. &ldquo;Our request for government response in facilitating the survival of start-ups is not curry-favouring. Rather, there is a strong business case for the need to support these start-ups given how deeply the sector entrenched is for Nepal&rsquo;s economy in the present and the future,&rdquo; mentions the document. </span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Arial">The committee has requested the government to provide assistance in payroll, rent, administrative expenses, and payment to vendors. The ecosystem players have also appealed to provide immediate temporary tax relief, TDS relief, VAT relief and Social Security Fund relief &nbsp;until one year after lockdown ends. Also, the committee has requested for collateral fee loan of Rs 5, 00,000 to Rs 5 million for one year. To qualify as a start-up under Nepal&rsquo;s Ministry of Industry 2017 Start-up Policy draft, companies should have a registered life not exceeding five years, have invested capital not more than Rs 100 million and an annual turnover not exceeding Rs 100 million in any preceding fiscal year. </span></span></p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>
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			'image' => '20200422122900_Startup copy.jpg',
			'article_date' => '2020-04-22 12:27:59',
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