Gearing Revenue Mobilisation

Finance Minister Shanker Prasad Koirala has directed revenue administration officials to work efficiently to meet the daily target of Rs 1 billion revenue mobilisation. Speaking at a programme organised by the Big Taxpayers’ Office on December 23, Koirala urged the officials to be more professional and efficient and meet the revenue target. He also motivated them to fully utilise the time of mid-December to mid-January as this period is the time to collect more revenue in the country. “Don’t lose your professionalism thinking that the current government will be gone soon. The revenue collection target will be same whoever comes as the finance minister,” he said.

 

WB Funds Agri-Development

The World Bank (WB) has approved US$ 150 million for two projects designed to help improve connectivity and raise agricultural productivity across 33 districts. The project titled “Strengthening the National Rural Transport Programme”, which has received USD 100 million intends to enhance the availability and reliability of transport connectivity in 33 districts. They are Arghakhanchi, Banke, Bara, Bardia, Bhojpur, Dang, Dhading, Dhanusha, Gulmi, Kailali, Kanchanpur, Kapilvastu, Kaski, Mahottari, Makwanpur, Nawalparasi, Nuwakot, Palpa, Parsa, Pyuthan, Rasuwa, Rautahat, Rupandehi, Salyan, Sakhuwasabha, Saptari, Sarlahi, Siraha, Surkhet, Syangja, Tanahu, Tehrathum and Udaypur, according to a press statement from the Bank. Similarly, the Irrigation and Water Resources Management Project, which is under implementation since December 2007 has received US$ 50 million. The assistance will help rehabilitate 80 additional farmer-managed irrigation schemes (FMIS) in 40 districts of the Western, Mid-Western and Far-Western Regions of Nepal.

 

Load-shedding for Half the Day

Energy Minister Umakanta Jha has said the load-shedding time will not exceed 12 hours a day this winter. Talking to journalists at Bharatpur on December 25, Jha said the country witnessed 15-hour power outage a day last winter. “But, this time it will be limited to 12 hours a day,” said Minister Jha who had reached there to inspect the Narayani river embankment. He added that the government was preparing to import 200 MW of electricity from India to keep the load-shedding duration below 12 hours a day.

 

Biratnagar Golchha Office Gutted

An estimated property worth over Rs. 50 million was destroyed when the Biratnagar office of Golchha Organisation caught fire on December 26. It took firefighters one and a half hours to douse the fire which was detected at around 9 in the morning. According to sources, the fire was caused by a short circuit in the third floor of the building that housed the account section of the office. The fire is said to have destroyed office equipment, furniture and important records of the office. There was human casualty.

 

Far-west Industrial Trade Fair

With the aim of promoting industrial and economic development of the Far-western Development Region, a 10-day ‘Far-West Industrial Trade Fair’ is going to be organized in Mahendranagar from January 10, 2014. The Fair will feature 150 stalls of various products from various districts of Far-West. The Fair is being organised with support from the ministries of agriculture development, commerce and supplies, Bhimduttanagar Municipality and the private sector. The organisers expect over 150,000 visitors and a transaction of over Rs 120 million during the fair.