- Sunday, 16 February 2025
Kathmandu, Dec 19 : The Kathmandu Metropolitan City (KMC) is going to host an Information Technology Conference in coming Nepali month of Chaitra.
The conference, for which exact date is yet to be set, is aimed at rendering easy, convenient and technology-based public services to the KMC residents, said Nabin Manandhar, Spokesperson at the KMC.
Spokesperson Manandhar shared that the major agenda of the conference is to seek means to connect innovation, newest technology and newest thinking through the conference and how to rope in youths, stakeholders and international communities.
“The KMC must devise policies, plans and programmes in order to institutionalize the achievements gained by the KMC as well as to be A responsible, transparent and responsive government and to adopt new innovations,” asserted the Spokesperson.
He added, “The recommendations collected from the conference and the summary would help formulate policies for the KMC to provide technology-based public services to its residents.”
The conference would promote digital inclusiveness in policy-level, in governance and community thereby ensuring its reach to the social sector, private enterprises, industries and commerce sectors. Interactive workshops among the specialists and stakeholders would be held during the conference who would exchange their ideas and knowledge on leverage the technologies to optimize operations and create efficiencies, it was shared.
Furthermore, various power-point presentations and discussions will be organized on the topics surrounding technologies employed by the government for good-governance and public service delivery, access of IT among the service-seekers and interrelation among the government, stakeholders and public offices and use and expansion of IT among others.
The event would serve as a platform for networking among the IT professionals, entrepreneurs, youths and government mechanism, the organisers have said.
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Sri Lankan Ambassador calls on PM Dahal
Kathmandu, Dec 19 : Sri Lankan Ambassador to Nepal Sudarshana Pathirana paid a courtesy call on Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal ‘Prachanda’ on Tuesday.
During the meeting held at the Prime Minister’s office in Singha Durbar, several matters related to Nepal and Sri Lanka relations were discussed, said the PM’s secretariat.
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NSL: Ilam defeats Lalitpur
Kathmandu, Dec 19 : Sporting Ilam defeated Lalitpur City Football Club in the match held under the Nepal Super League (NSL) football tournament today.
In the match held at Dasharath Stadium in Tripureshwar, Ilam defeated Lalipur by 1-0, the only goal scored by Fode Kamara in the 59th minute of the match. This is Lalitpur’s first defeat in the competition. As a result, after playing seven games, Lalitpur remains in third place with 10 points.
With this win, Ilam climbed to the fifth position with 8 points from eight games.
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SC order against removal of Dr Paudel
Kathmandu, Dec 19 : The Supreme Court has issued an interim order not to immediately implement the decision of the Ministry of Health and Population to remove Dr Santosh Paudel from the post of Director of Bir Hospital.
A division bench of Justices Sushmalata Mathema and Til Prasad Shrestha issued an interim order not to implement the decision to remove Dr Poudel. The order comes in response to a writ petition against the decision at the apex court.
It may be noted that the MoHP had decided to remove Dr Paudel as the Director of Bir Hospital on November 30.
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Economy gradually improving, Minister Mahat claims
Manahari (Makawanpur), Dec 19 : Finance Minister Dr Prakash Sharan Mahat has claimed that the country’s economy was gradually improving.
He urged the investors to make their investment confidently stating that bank’s interest rate is also going down. Minister Mahat, who is also the Nepali Congress (NC) spokesperson, was speaking at the first district convention of the NC Makawanpur district committee.
On the occasion, Mahat stated that economy is at ease situation as the bank’s interest rate has declined, share market and real estate have improved, tourism arrival is good and the remittance inflow has posted impressive growth.
“Country’s economy is improving. We have created favorable environment by bringing (relaxed) monetary policy. A huge amount of loan was circulated in the time of comfortable situation. But, the loan investment was poured into the share market and real estate when economic activities could not happen during the time of COVID-19. Present crisis is created due to that impact,” Minister Mahat argued.
He shared that the banks and insurance companies have paid the tax to the government along with the decision to bring them under the tax ambit. Following the government’s direction to the authority concerned to collect revenues gained from bargain purchase gains through premium of further public offering, mergers and acquisitions and sale of auction shares, over Rs 12.8 billion in revenue was collected in the state coffers recently.
Minister Mahat stated that the loan to be received by the government would be focused on production and result-oriented sectors adding that such investment would be made in hydropower, technology-driven agriculture, tourism and road networks development.
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Minister Saud emphasizes periodic plan for capacity enhancement
Kathmandu, Dec 19: Minister for Foreign Affairs NP Saud has said that he had been continuously emphasizing on enhancing capacity of human resources by investing considerably on education and health.
Addressing a programme organized by the UNDP here on Tuesday to unveil Regional Human Development Report-2024, Minister Saud said that Nepal has considered the concept of human development in its development plans and programmes. “The Human Development Index is one of the three criteria to graduate from Least Developed Country status and it was the first criteria we met years ago,” he said.
He admitted that Nepal could not maintain stability in achieving the goals of the Sustainable Development Goals due to both internal and external reasons.
According to him, the newly launched report has highlighted the risks and dangers arising from climate change. Underscoring proper attention to the problems facing the Himalayan nations due to climate change, the Minister said that this very topic was the main message underlined in the recently held climate conference-COP-28.
Assuring that the incumbent government was effortful to provide the youths with quality education, skills enhancement and creating enabling environment for entrepreneurship, Minister Saud expressed his confidence that such endeavors would receive continuous support from important stakeholders such as the UNDP.
“Nepal’s population is dominated by youths and this section of population is our asset,” he observed, sharing that the government was working towards enabling favorable environment for them to attain quality education at home and to foster entrepreneurship for self-employment.
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SC seeks written response from govt on Ncell share deal
Kathmandu, Dec 19 : The Supreme Court (SC) on Tuesday issued a show cause order in the name of the government in response to a writ petition regarding the sale of telecommunication company Ncell’s share.
A single bench of Justice Prakash Man Singh Raut issued the order in the name of the government to furnish written response within 15 days and has invited both the sides for discussions on whether to issue an interim order.
The next date for hearing has been fixed for January 1, 2024. The SC has asked to furnish the written response through the Attorney General within 15 days except for the time incurred for travel.
Member of House of Representative (HoR) Amresh Kumar Singh had lodged the petition at the SC naming Office of the Prime Minister and Council of Ministers, Ministry of Communications and Information Technology, Nepal Telecommunications Authority, Office of the Company Registrar, Inland Revenue Department and Ncell itself as the defendants on Ncell’s share sale deal.
The matter has been controversial because the shares were reportedly traded at a very low amount. In 2016, Sweden’s TeliaSonera Company sold 80 percent of its shares in Ncell to the Axiata for 1.365 billion US dollars but the same shares has now been sold for 50 million US dollars.
Questions have been raised from different walks of life over the legitimacy and transparency of the business deal as it was agreed without informing the regulatory body as well. According to Telecommunication Regulations, 2054 BS, the approval of Nepal Telecommunication Authority must be obtained before buying and selling shares of the telecom company. Similarly, Regulation 4 (a) of Nepal Telecommunications Authority Regulations, 2076 BS also provides that permission or approval of the NTA must be obtained before buying and selling or transferring shares of the shareholder.
The writ petition has stated that the share trade deal was carried out by breaching transparency and causing losses to the country and violating the legal processes.
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Radical changes to be made in IT sector: Minister Sharma
Kathmandu, Dec 19 : Minister of Communications and Information Technology Rekha Sharma has said that the government is making necessary preparations for bringing about radical changes in the information technology sector, as minor reforms would not suffice.
In an interaction with the IT Journalists Forum here on Tuesday, she said necessary homework is being carried out for policy, legal and structural reforms. Stating that the National Cyber Security Policy 2080 was introduced for the first time in Nepal, Minister Sharma shared that a law is currently being drafted based on the policy.
Stating that the digital Nepal framework has not been seen acceleration in implemented even after four years, she said the restructuring of a part of the framework i.e. Digital Nepal Acceleration (DNA) project has reached its final stage.
Minister Sharma said that although the CIT Ministry can build digital infrastructure for the implementation of the Digital Nepal Framework it is also linked with education, health, tourism, agriculture, finance, urban development, etc. Lack of uniformity in the understanding of all government agencies will cause problems so the attention of all government agencies has been drawn to it.
The frequency policy and asset management regulations issued by the government this year is a departure in the telecom sector, she clarified that there was no need to be afraid when working with the national interest in mind.
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NC President Deuba for further strengthening party with ideals and principles
Gandaki, Dec 19: Nepali Congress (NC) President Sher Bahadur Deuba has called for further strengthening the party by institutionalizing the party’s ideals and principles.
Inaugurating the NC’s Gandaki Province conference in Pokhara on Tuesday, party President Deuba instructed party leaders and cadres to deliver in ways of making the party the biggest one.
Stating that Nepal is a country of indigenous communities, tribal communities and Dalits, Deuba, also former Prime Minister, viewed that everyone should be united and taken forward. “None of the parties have a two-thirds majority. There is, thus, obligation to forge alliance with one another to form a government. This is also a need.”
According to him, the emergence of other political parties which subscribed the ideals and principles followed by the NC also signified party’s victory in a way or other.
Similarly, NC Vice-President and Minister for Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs Dhanraj Gurung pointed out the need to take forward the party by acknowledging the sentiments of the cadres.
Likewise, party General-Secretary Gagan Kumar Thapa saw plenty of opportunities for the NC to deliver and demonstrate. He viewed that the party should work in ways of removing frustration of the people.
He also underlined that the party should be run in compliance with the party statute. Another General-Secretary Bishwa Prakash Sharma said that since the NC had overcome many crises, it could easily resolve the existing problems. He suggested the party leaders and cadres to be concerned about the country than the election all the time.
Senior leader Dr Shekhar Koirala called for positive attitude and active role of all party leaders and cadres to unify the party. Various leaders expressed their views the programme chaired by Gandaki district President Sukraraj Sharma.
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