Page 29 - Nepal

Nepal, China to resume two-way trade via key border points from today

'We have agreed to have full operation of Rasuwagadhi/Kerung exit and entry point for two-way trade and people to people movement from April 1,' Secretary Marasini told

Nepal's PM to expand cabinet, Congress to get key ministerial portfolios

The cabinet will acquire full shape as per the understanding reached among the partners in Nepal's ten-party ruling alliance

Dept of Immigration, Nepal govt issues alert for fugitive Amritpal Singh

DG Adhikari said that all passengers who wanted to go abroad using Nepal's airport would be screened at the airport so that Amritpal cannot flee

Amritpal likely in Nepal, India asks not to let him to flee to 3rd country

Nepal on Monday put fugitive radical preacher Amritpal Singh, who is believed to be hiding in the country, on its surveillance list after India requested it not to allow him to flee to a third country and arrest him if he attempts to escape using an Indian passport or any other fake passport. The Department of Immigration has put Singh on its surveillance list following a request from the Indian Embassy here, officials said. "We have received a written note along with a copy of his passport from the (Indian) embassy suspecting that Amritpal Singh might have entered Nepal," said Kamal Prasad Pandey, the Information Officer at the Department. "The Indian Embassy has sent the note asking the Department to put Singh, a member of a separatist group, on the surveillance list," Pandey said. It was suspected that he had entered Nepal and was hiding somewhere around. There was no immediate confirmation about the letter from the Indian mission here. Earlier, the Kathmandu Post newspaper ..

DGCA seeks details from Nepal authorities on AI, Nepal Airlines incident

Aviation regulator DGCA has sought details from the Nepal authorities regarding the incident of an Air India and a Nepal Airlines aircraft coming close to a mid-air collision, according to a senior official. On Friday morning, a Nepal Airlines plane coming to Kathmandu from Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, and an Air India plane coming to Kathmandu from New Delhi almost collided. Authorities on Sunday said warning systems alerted the pilots whose timely action prevented the disaster. A senior DGCA official on Sunday said details are being obtained from the Nepal authorities on the airprox incident. Air India has submitted a report about the incident to the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA). Nepal authorities do not have jurisdiction over Indian pilots. Pending further details, the crew of Air India involved in the incident was being off-rostered, the official added. The Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal (CAAN) has written a letter to DGCA to conduct an investigation into the ma

Air India, Nepal Airlines aircraft almost collided; 2 controllers suspended

A major tragedy was averted on Friday when an Air India and a Nepal Airlines aircraft came close to collision mid-air but the warning systems alerted the pilots whose timely action prevented the disaster, authorities said here on Sunday. The Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal (CAAN) has suspended two employees of the air traffic controller department for "carelessness", according to CAAN spokesperson Jagannath Niroula. On Friday morning, a Nepal Airlines plane coming to Kathmandu from Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia and an Air India plane coming to Kathmandu from New Delhi almost collided. The Air India aircraft was descending from 19,000 ft while the Nepal Airlines aircraft was flying at an altitude of 15,000 ft at the same location, Niroula said. After it was shown on the radar that the two aircraft were in proximity, the Nepal Airlines aircraft descended to 7,000 ft, the spokesperson said. The Civil Aviation Authority has formed a three-member probe committee to investigate the matter.

Nepal's population reaches 29.1 mn, PM Prachanda hails census data

Nepal's total population has reached more than 29.1 million, according to the latest census published on Friday, registering a growth of 0.92 per cent in a decade. Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal 'Prachanda', launching the National Report of the National Census 2022 here, said that the census data have emerged as tools for promoting good governance and measuring the nation's progress towards the achievement of sustainable development goals (SDGs). According to the data published by the Central Bureau of Statistics, out of the 29,164,578 people in Nepal, 14,911,027 are females, while the number of males 14,253,551. At the time of the previous census, the country's total population stood at 26,494,504. According to the report, the population has increased at the rate of 0.92 percent in the last 10 years. The Census would provide a guideline to monitor and evaluate Nepal's commitments on the international forum about demography and its development, and the goals of national developm

President Droupadi Murmu speaks to Nepal counterpart Ram Chandra Paudel

President Droupadi Murmu on Friday spoke to her Nepalese counterpart Ram Chandra Paudel and congratulated him on assuming the top office. The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said both presidents noted the unique and multifaceted bilateral relations and discussed ways to further strengthen the strong bonds of friendship between the two countries. President Murmu, who is presently on tour in Kerala, called up Paudel and congratulated him on assuming the office of the President of Nepal, the MEA said. "Both Presidents noted the unique and multifaceted relations between India and Nepal. They also discussed ways to further advance bilateral cooperation and strengthen the strong bonds of friendship between the peoples of our two countries," the MEA said. "The President expressed confidence that under the guidance of President Paudel, India-Nepal bilateral relations would reach even greater heights," it said. Paudel took the oath of office and secrecy as Nepal's third president on Mar

Ram Sahay Prasad Yadav elected as the third Vice President of Nepal

Ramsahaya Prasad Yadav, a senior leader from the Madhes region, was elected as Nepal's Vice President on Friday, in a further boost to the coalition government headed by Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal 'Prachanda'. Ramsahaya Prasad Yadav, a candidate from the Janata Samajbadi Party (JSP), comfortably defeated his nearest rival Ashta Laxmi Shakya of CPN-UML to become the Himalayan nation's third Vice President and the first from the Madhes region, bordering India. Yadav, 52, secured 30,328 votes against 16,328 secured by Shakya, according to the Election Commission. Yadav had the support of the Nepali Congress, CPN-Maoist Centre, CPN-Unified Socialist, and other fringe parties. Rastriya Prajatantra Party did not take part during the vice presidential voting held on Friday. Likewise, Mamata Jha from Janamat Party has secured 2,537 votes. Parmila Yadav, from the JSP Nepal itself, though she announced her withdrawal in the middle-way, got 48 votes. There are 333 federal parliament .

Gaps in commitment, actual investment by China, says Nepal PM Dahal

Nepal's imports from China fell to $1.84 billion in 2022 from $2.38 billion a year ago, while exports totalled $5.39 million, down from $8.37 million in the same period, official data showed

Senior leader Ram Chandra Paudel sworn in as Nepal's third President

Senior Nepali Congress leader Ram Chandra Paudel on Monday took the oath of office and secrecy as Nepal's third President. At a special ceremony at Sheetal Niwas, the President's Office, Acting Chief Justice Hari Krishna Karki administered the oath to 78-year-old Paudel. Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal, Speaker Dev Raj Ghimire, National Assembly Chairman Ganesh Prasad Timilsina and other high-ranking government officials were also present on the occasion. Nepali Congress senior leader Paudel was elected the third President of the country on Thursday, defeating Subas Chandra Nembang of the CPN-UML. Out of 52,628 weightage-based votes, Paudel secured 33,802 while Nembang got 15,518 votes. Former Speaker and multiple-time minister, President Paudel has traversed a long political journey to make it to the country's highest state position.

Nepal elects Ram Chandra Poudel of Nepali Congress as new President

This is the third presidential election in Nepal since the country became a republic in 2008 Kathmandu

Nepalese lawmakers vote to elect new President; results by 7 pm

Nepalese lawmakers on Thursday voted to elect a new President, the outcome of which could impact the stability of the government headed by Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal "Prachanda"

Writ petition against Nepal PM for 5,000 killings in Maoist insurgency

A writ petition was on Tuesday registered against Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal Prachanda at the Supreme Court of Nepal, seeking an order to investigate and arrest him for admitting to being responsible for the killing of 5,000 people during the decade-long Maoist insurgency. The petition brought by advocate Gyanendra Aran and other victims of Maoist insurgency was registered on Tuesday, Supreme Court sources said, adding that another writ by Kalyan Budhathoki was in the registration process. Advocates Gyanendra Aaran and Kalyan Budhathoki, who are also conflict victims, filed separate writ petitions at the Supreme Court demanding that Prachanda be investigated and prosecuted for admitting to being responsible for the killing of at least 5,000 people during the decade-long Maoist insurgency. A bench of justices Ishwar Khatiwada and Hari Krishna Phuyal on Friday ordered the court administration to register the writ petitions brought by the two. "I am accused of killing 17,000 ..

Game of thrones in Nepal: The great game in the Himalayas

Nepal has become a playground for international geopolitics, and its politics of musical chairs has become murkier

Nepal welcomes over 120,000 tourists in 2023, Indians top the list in Feb

Nepal has welcomed more than 1,20,000 tourists in the first two months of this year, the Himalayan nation's tourism department said on Wednesday, with Indians accounting for the highest numbers of arrivals in February. Nepal has witnessed a dramatic surge in tourist arrivals with many countries easing their travel restrictions since the Covid-19 pandemic broke out more than three years ago. It has welcomed 128,329 tourists by air during the first two months of 2023, according to the Nepal Tourism Board (NTB). In February alone, the country welcomed 73,255 foreign tourists, a whopping 270.6 per cent rise compared to the same month last year, the NTB said. The highest number of tourists last month were from India, with 18,401 arrivals, according to the NTB. The US is the second highest tourist-generating market for Nepal as 7,887 tourists visited the country in February 2023, the NTB said. With China allowing its citizens to travel abroad, its effect has been seen in Nepal's touris

Oli's party withdraws support to Prachanda; no immediate threat to govt

Nepal PM's first foreign visit to Qatar cancelled after fresh jolt to the fragile two-month-old ruling coalition

Nepal preparing MoU with NHPC, state-run VUCL to develop hydropower project

Nepal is preparing an MoU in which India's hydroelectric major NHPC will collaborate with state-run VUCL to develop a 480 MW semi-reservoir hydropower project in the western part of the country at an estimated cost of Rs 92 billion, an official said on Friday. The move comes days after Nepal and India inked an agreement to increase the power import and export capacity through the Dhalkebar-Muzaffarpur transmission line from 600 MW to 800 MW. "Our government has asked NHPC (National Hydroelectric Power Corporation), a government of India company, to collaborate with Nepal's Vidyut Utpadan Company Ltd (VUCL), to develop a hydropower project," Baburaj Adhikari, information officer at the Ministry of Energy, Water Resources and Irrigation told PTI. According to the draft MoU, the Nepal government is planning for a 51:49 NHPC-VUCL joint venture. If this MoU gets inked, the Phukot Karnali Hydropower Project, which is a semi-reservoir project with a capacity of 480 MW, will be constructed

Earthquake of 5.2 magnitude struck western Nepal, no casualty reported

A 5.2-magnitude earthquake struck western Nepal Wednesday afternoon. The Nepal Earthquake Monitoring Centre said the quake struck at 1.45 pm and it was recorded in the Bajura district, 450 km west of Kathmandu. However, there were no reports of any damage from the Earthquake yet, said officials. Earlier, on January 24, one person was killed when Bajura was hit by a 5.9 magnitude earthquake.

India, Nepal agree to add 200 MW to Dhalkebar-Muzaffarpur transmission line

Nepal and India have inked an agreement to increase the power import and export capacity through the Dhalkebar-Muzaffarpur transmission line from 600 megawatts to 800 megawatts, authorities here said on Sunday. The agreement was reached at the Energy Secretary-level Joint Steering Committee (JSC) meeting in Mount Abu, Rajasthan, on Saturday, according to a press release issued by the Ministry of Energy on Sunday. During the 10th meeting of Nepal India Energy Secretary-level JSC, discussions were held on various important issues such as expanding the power of existing, under-construction and proposed transmission lines, Arun Third hydroelectric power, and related transmission line projects and international power export and import," the press release said. The meeting was co-chaired by Nepal's Joint Secretary at the Ministry of Energy, Water Resources and Irrigation, Madhu Prasad Bhetwal and Alok Kumar, Secretary at the Ministry of Electricity, India. According to the press release,