Page 28 - Nepal

Nepal ex-ministers among 30 people charged in fake Bhutanese refugee scam

Prosecutors in Nepal on Wednesday charged 30 people, including two former cabinet ministers over allegations that they collected large amounts of money from Nepali nationals, promising to help them relocate overseas as Bhutanese refugees. The District Attorney's Office here has filed a 224-page charge-sheet at the Kathmandu District Court. Former Home Minister Bal Krishna Khand and former Deputy Prime Minister Tope Bahadur Rayamajhi were among 16 people arrested and charged, officials said. The remaining 14 are still absconding, they said. Rayamajhi has now been suspended as the secretary of the Communist Party of Nepal (Unified Marxist-Leninist) party. "Claim amount of Rs 270 million has been demanded from those who are sued," District Attorney Mahesh Khatri said. Those involved have allegedly swindled around 875 Nepali nationals of millions of rupees," according to the Kathmandu Post newspaper. The attorney office said all of the 30 individuals were prosecuted on four types o

Nepal's Kami Rita Sherpa climbs Mount Everest for record 28th time

Setting another record, Nepal's legendary climber, Kami Rita Sherpa, summited Mt. Everest for an unprecedented 28th time, just a week after he scaled the world's tallest peak for the 27th time

500 climbers scaled Everest during current expedition season: Nepal tourism

A total of 500 climbers have successfully scaled Mt Everest during the current expedition season to the world's highest peak, Nepal's tourism department said on Monday. Nepal's Tourism Board, which handles the permits for the expedition to the 8,848.86 metres-high Mt Everest and other mountains in the Himalayan nation, issued a record 478 permits to mountaineers from various nations, including India, for the climbing season that started on May 13. "A total of 478 mountaineers received expedition permits to climb Mt. Everest in this season. The 500 who reached the Everest Summit also include the Sherpa guides from different expeditions," the tourism department said. Permits are mandatory for every new person qualified to climb Mt Everest, but there is no such requisite needed for the Sherpa guides, who are permanently authorised. Officials said that so far 12 climbers, four Nepalese, one Indian and one Chinese died during their respective expeditions to Mt Everest. This season of t

A scandal in Kathmandu rocks the Prachanda govt and threatens the system

Indians obsessed with Pakistan going down the tube seem unable to smell the rot that has set in Nepal's polity and administration

India plans start-up exchange programme with Nepal, Bangladesh, Bhutan

India plans to bring in more cross-border start-up exchange programmes with neighbours

Upcoming visit to India will script 'new history': Nepal PM Prachanda

Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal Prachanda on Saturday said that Nepal has made "good preparations" for his upcoming visit to India this time and it will script "new history" in bilateral ties. Prachanda's visit to India has been postponed thrice due to several reasons. The visit to India would be his first foreign trip after the 68-year-old leader of the CPN-Maoist Centre assumed charge as Prime Minister for the third time in December last year. We have made good preparations for the visit to India this time. India has also shown concern and serious preparations have been made for the visit from the Indian side also, that is what I feel, he said. This time I am paying the visit to India with the belief that a new history will be created, Prachanda said during an interaction with Kantipur Daily, a leading newspaper in Nepal. This time, I believe, Nepal will achieve something new from the visit. Nepal-India relations will be taken to a new height, that's what I believe, remarked .

Nepal Foreign Minister Saud prepares for PM Prachanda's India visit

Nepal's Foreign Minister N P Saud on Friday met his predecessors and discussed the possible agenda of the proposed visit of Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal "Prachanda" to India, sources close to the minister said. Prachanda's visit to India has been postponed thrice due to internal reasons. The visit to India would have been his first foreign trip after he assumed charge as Prime Minister for the third time in December last year. Saud held consultations with ex-foreign secretaries and former Nepalese ambassadors to various countries on Thursday, according to an aide to the foreign minister. During the meetings, matters relating to water resources, trade, commerce, border, tourism and culture came up, sources said. Saud was sworn in as Nepal's Foreign Minister last month. Although the date of the Prime Minister's forthcoming visit to India is yet to be fixed, Prachanda is likely to visit India in June, after Saud presents the budget for the new fiscal year in May-end, sources ..

ADB approves $300 mn loan to improve transport connectivity in Nepal

The Asian Development Bank (ADB) has approved a $300 million loan to improve transport connectivity in Nepal to international trade routes, particularly to India and Bangladesh.

Over 1000 youths, students participate in anti-corruption rally in Nepal

Over a thousand youths and students participated in a anti-corruption rally here on Monday, demanding action against those involved in the fake Bhutanese Refugee scam. The rally was held as former deputy prime minister Top Bahadur Rayamajhi and former home minister Bal Krishna Khand among several others were arrested last week in connection the scam, under which Nepali nationals were sent to the United States by forging fake documents of them being Bhutanese refugees. On Monday, the student organisations and youth bodies belonging to the ruling Nepali Congress, CPN Maoist Centre, CPN-Unified Socialist and CPN-Maoist Centre took out rallies at Bhrikutimandap area in Kathmandu. Holding placards with slogans "We know nothing but action against corrupt", "Investigate property of those in public post", "Zero tolerance to corruption", "Control price rise", "Our future is corruption free Nepal", the participants demanded fair probe in the Bhutanese Refugee scam. "A group of around 1,500

Nepal's ex-King offers prayers at Ram Janmabhoomi in UP's Ayodhya

Former king of Nepal Gyanendra Bir Bikram Shah, who is on a visit to India, on Sunday offered prayers to Ram Lalla at the Ram Janmabhoomi here. Shah also oversaw the construction of the Ram temple and offered prayers at Hanumangarhi temple. He also paid a visit to the banks of river Saryu at 'Ram ki Paidi'. "Shah, while on a tour to Uttar Pradesh, expressed his desire to visit Ayodhya. Then on the instructions of the state government, arrangements were made for him. He arrived in Ayodhya with his wife and family as a state guest," District Magistrate Nitish Kumar said. Shah stayed for some time at Circuit House and then visited Hanumangarhi temple and Ram Janmabhoomi amid tight security, he added.

Nepali Sherpa Pasang becomes world's 2nd person to scale Everest 26 times

Nepali Sherpa Pasang Dawa on Sunday became the world's second person to scale Mount Everest 26 times, local media reported

Jaishankar meets Nepalese counterpart in Dhaka, discusses way to boost ties

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar met his Nepali counterpart Narayan Prakash Saud for the first time here on Friday and discussed ways to boost bilateral ties in energy, trade, connectivity and hydroelectricity. The two ministers met on the sidelines of the 6th Indian Ocean Conference being held in Bangladesh's capital Dhaka. "A good first meeting with FM N.P. Saud of Nepal. Congratulated him on his new responsibility. Discussed further steps in our steadily expanding partnership. Spoke about energy, connectivity, and our enduring people-to-people ties," Jaishankar tweeted. The two ministers expressed satisfaction over the excellent state of Nepal-India relations and discussed ways to further consolidate cooperation in the areas of trade, transit, connectivity, and hydroelectricity, among others, Nepal's embassy in Dhaka said. Saud assumed the office of the Foreign Minister of Nepal on April 16. Jaishankar is in Dhaka to participate in the 6th edition of the Indian Ocean ...

Nepal sees uptick in tourism after Covid; 28% of total arrivals from India

Nepal's tourism industry is recovering faster in the post-Covid era, with 3,26,528 tourist arrivals by air from January to April this year, of which around 28 per cent were Indians. Tourist arrivals in the country have increased a lot in the recent period, which is very positive and encouraging, said Nandini Lahe-Thapa, senior director of PR and Publicity, at Nepal Tourism Board. The tourism board estimated that around 1.2 million tourist arrivals, an equivalent to the arrivals the Himalayan nation achieved in 2020, were expected this year. We are no longer concentrating on the traditional destinations such as Kathmandu, Pokhara, Chitwan, and Lumbini, she pointed out. Five-star properties are coming up in eastern and western Nepal as well. "New hotels are being constructed, lots of tourism-related activities are coming up, and new cable cars are being operated, Thapa said. We are very positive and hopeful about the prospects of the tourism industry in the country in the post-Covi

Injured mountaineer Maloo to be flown to Delhi as his infection grows

The family of injured Indian mountaineer Anurag Maloo is planning to fly him to New Delhi from Nepal for further treatment as the infection is spreading in his body, a relative and an official of an expedition company said here on Tuesday. Anurag, 34, a resident of Kishangarh in Rajasthan, went missing in mid-April after he fell from around 6,000 meters while descending from Camp III. Mount Annapurna is the 10th highest mountain in the world. He was found alive in a deep crevasse at some 5800-metre altitude on April 20 after three days of continuous search by a team of rescuers. He was rushed to Manipal Hospital in Pokhara and then airlifted to Kathmandu for further treatment. Sudheer, Anurag's cousin, told PTI that the family is planning to fly him to New Delhi for treatment but cannot say anything till all arrangements are done. His infection has spread and needs further treatment, so he will soon be flown to Delhi, an official at the Seven Summit Trek, the organiser of the ...

Nepal police arrest 10 Indians for illegally acquiring citizenship cards

Ten Indian nationals, including three women, have been arrested here for allegedly acquiring Nepali citizenship cards illegally by producing fake documents, police said. A Kathmandu Valley Crime Investigation Office team apprehended the Indian nationals, all hailing from Bihar, from various parts of Kathmandu on Saturday, Deputy Superintendent of Police Ravindra Regmi said. Of those arrested, seven were males, while three were females. The Kathmandu Valley Police Office revealed their identities at a press conference at its office on Sunday. The Indian nationals were found to have obtained the Nepali citizenship certificates on different dates from the district administration offices of Rupandehi, Bara and Parsa districts by producing fake documents, Regmi said. Police said those arrested have lived in Nepal for a long time, some since as far back as 2006, The Kathmandu Post newspaper reported. The arrests took place after a three-month-long investigation, and those apprehended we

Dry port in Dodhara Chadani: 4-track access road to Nepal border from India

To boost trade and transport services between the two countries, India has opened a four-lane track for road access up to the Nepal border. Nepal-based online magazine e-Pardafas reported

Buddha inspired me to renounce violence, just like Ashoka: Nepal PM

Nepal Prime Minister Pushpakamal Dahal Prachanda on Friday said he was inspired by Lord Buddha to abandon the path of violence after conquering many smaller states and adopt a peaceful path shown by him. Addressing a special function on the occasion of Buddha Purnima organised at Lumbini, the birthplace of Gautam Buddha, Prachanda compared himself with Maurya King Ashoka, who renounced violence after coming into the fold of Buddhism. Recalling the historic incident of Maurya emperor Ashok transforming himself by shunning the path of war and adopting a peaceful way of life by following the teachings of Buddha, Prachanda said the same is true with the Nepalese Maoists, who renounced armed struggle and adopted peaceful politics through signing Comprehensive Peace Agreement (in 2006). It is estimated that the 10-year-long conflict (1996-2006) resulted in the death of over 17,000 people. The Maoist rebels started an armed agitation in 1996 to overthrow the monarchy in Nepal and establish

Nepal's economy slightly rebounds after entering a brief recession

Nepal's economy showed some signs of improvement after entering a brief recession, with the country's statistics department on Tuesday projecting a 2.16 per cent growth rate for the Himalayan nation. Nepal plunged into its first recession in six decades as economic output continued to be weighed down by inflation and political instability. However, the new data published by the National Accounts Statistics Division of the Nepal Government on Tuesday indicated some improvement as the country's economy is projected to witness a growth of 2.16 per cent towards the third and fourth quarters based on the basic price, according to Hem Raj Regmi, Deputy Chief at National Statistics Office of Nepal. However, this growth is low as compared to last fiscal year's (2021-2022) revised estimated growth of 5.26 per cent and the previous year's (2020-2021) final estimate of 4.49 per cent. The department on Tuesday published an annual estimate of the Gross Domestic Product, Gross National Product a

Nepal grants record 466 climbing permits for Mount Everest this spring

A record 466 mountaineers, including 40 from India, have been given climbing permits by the Nepal Government to scale the 8,848.86 metre Mt Everest, the highest peak in the world, this spring. Climbers aiming to scale the peak this season are from 65 different countries including Nepal, India and China, according to data released by the Department of Tourism. A total of 466 climbers from 43 groups have received the permit. Among them 368 are male and 98 are female, it said. This has broken the previous record of 2021, which was 409. The highest number of 96 climbers from China have got the permit followed by 89 from the USA and 40 from India. Similarly, 33 climbers from Hungary, 21 from Canada, 18 from Russia and 15 from the UK among others, received the permit. The number of climbers receiving permits from Nepal might have increased significantly this time as climbing from the Tibet side (northeast ridge route) is not permitted since the COVID-19 pandemic, Ang Tshering Sherpa,

Nepal's President Paudel discharged from AIIMS, to return home tonight

Nepal's President Ramchandra Paudel has been discharged from a hospital in New Delhi after undergoing treatment for a chest-related ailment and he will return to Kathmandu on Sunday night, the President's Office said. Paudel, 78, was airlifted to India on April 19 for treatment at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences, (AIIMS), New Delhi, after he complained of shortness of breath. "President Paudel is flying back to Kathmandu on Sunday through the regular flight of Nepal Airlines after he was discharged from the hospital following his successful treatment," the President's Office said in a statement here. He has gone through various health check-ups and treatment at the AIIMS, the statement said. Doctors involved in Paudel's treatment have advised him to rest for a few more weeks. "His health conditions have now improved significantly, said the statement issued by the President's Office Spokesperson Sagar Acharya. President Paudel has thanked Nepalese and Indian health ...