- Wednesday, 15 May 2024
Fikkal (Ilam), April 29: Vote count of by-election held in Ilam constituency-2 is continuing. CPN (UML) candidate Suhang Nembang is leading in the vote count. So far, 20, 536 votes have been counted.
According to the updates, he has secured 8,487 votes. Similarly, Nepali Congress candidate Dambar Bahadur Khadka has secured 5,844 votes. Similarly, Independent candidate Dekendra Singh Limbu Thegim secured 4,262 votes while Milan Kumar Yonghang Limbu of Rastriya Swatantra Party secured 1,269 votes. A total of 233 votes have gone invalid.
Recently, counting of votes of all wards of Fakphokatha and Chulachuli rural municipalities has been completed.
A total of 69,287 votes were cast in the constituency which has 115,889 voters. A total of 19 candidates, including 12 political parties and seven independents, are in the fray for the by-election.
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01- NEFSCUN to hold national workshop of account supervisory committees
Kathmandu, April 29: In a bid to maintain good governance in the savings and credit cooperative organizations across the country, the National Federation of Savings and Credit Cooperative Unions Limited (NEFSCUN) is organizing the second national workshop of account supervisory committees of SACCOS on coming May 7-8.
The umbrella organization of the savings and credit cooperative societies is hosting the event in the federal capital city, Kathmandu.
NEFSCUN’s Chief Executive Officer Dr Shivaji Sapkota informed that the second national workshop is to be organized with the theme ‘Institutional Governance and Assurance of Guarantees’.
He said the workshop is expected to further develop knowledge, skills and attitude of the office-bearers of the account supervisory committees of the SACCOS, thereby contributing to keep institutional governance.
Various working papers, including on the role, responsibilities, accountability and global practice of accounts committees would be presented and discussed on the occasion.
Sapkota further shared that the representatives from the World Council of Credit Unions, Asian Confederation of Credit Unions (ACCU), Nepal Rastra Bank, ICAN and the Department of Cooperative are presenting the papers.
The workshop, as shared, will also help identify existing problems of SACCOC movement from regulatory perspective and clarify the roles of the concerned sides, exchange the national and global practices on internal control system of financial cooperatives and chart out way out to resolve the challenges facing the SACCOS in Nepal.
The workshop will include the coordinator and members of the account supervisory committee of SACCOS as well as internal controller.
It may be noted that the first national workshop of the account supervisory committees of SACCOS was held in 2016.
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03- Bajhang by-election: Congress candidate ahead by 249 votes
Chainpur (Bajhang), April 29: Vote count in continuing in Bajhang Constituency 1, Province Assembly (a).
As per the latest updates, Nepali Congress (NC) candidate Abhishek Bahadur Singh is leading the vote count by 249 votes. He has obtained 7,486 votes while his close contender CPN (UML)’s Daman Bahadur Bhandari got 7,239, informed Chief Returning Officer Sudarshan Lamichhane.
Likewise, CPN (Maoist Centre) candidate Janak Bahadur Budha secured 2,894 votes while CPN (Unified Socialist)’s Dil Bahadur Singh obtained 2,102 votes.
So far, the counting of votes of Chhabispathibhera rural municipality, Thalara rural municipality-9, Khaptadchanna rural municipality, Jayaprithvi municipality and Surma rural municipality has been completed. A total of 30,328 votes or 49.12 per cent votes were cast in the by-election in Bajhang Province Assembly (A).
There were 61,748 voters in the constituency. A total of 11 candidates were in the race in Bajhang by-election.
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04- High-speed power supply causes damage in 60 houses
Myagdi, April 29: At least 60 houses of Annapurna Rural Municipality-6 in Myagdi district were damaged on Sunday due to high-speed electricity supply.
Some houses in Odare, Bhuwanithan, Bhunya, Idar and Birauta settlements of Ghar were damaged due to high-speed power supply.
According to ward chair Ram Bahadur Khadka, meter boxes, televisions, computers, refrigerators, mobile phones, laptops and other equipment installed in the houses of the locals were damaged due to high-speed electricity.
The shop of Jit Bahadur Baruwal of Bhunya Tole has suffered a loss of more than one million rupees in the fire.
“A team of people’s representatives and ward police has collected details of the damage caused to 60 houses. Five mills and a meter box kept in the house were damaged in the fire. Five people sustained minor injuries due to electrocution.
Ward chair Khadka said one person has been sent to Beni Hospital for treatment.
The Nepal Electricity Authority (NEA) Beni Distribution Centre has said investigation was underway to know the reasons for the short circuit..
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05- Ohio-based doctor couple’s efforts to strengthen Nepal-US relations
Washington DC, April 29: When the United States was immensely facing trouble due to the COVID-19 pandemic, especially during the peak, Dr. Damodar Poudel and his spouse Dr Sanju Mahato were reaching out to the local communities of the US, especially of Nepali origin with life-saving medical services.
By the time the pandemic was coming to an end, there were a large number of Nepali who had overcome the contagion also with the help of the doctor duo.
Meanwhile, when the US, the first producer of the vaccine against COVID-19, was struggling to provide inoculation service to its public, Dr Poudel was attentive to explore ways in healing pandemic-triggered pain and plights in the country of his root, Nepal.
It was the moment Dr Poudel straightly decided to initiate lobbying with the US authorities to send vaccines to Nepal. “The Embassy of Nepal along with other Nepali organizations were also lobbying for vaccines through different channels. I also tried my way. I had started sharing concerns with the leaders of the two major political parties – Republican and Democratic – utilizing my already established contacts,” Dr Poudel shared.
He added, “Through the leaders, especially Sherrod Brown, the Senior from Ohio, my message reached to the high-placed officials of the US government. Congressman Brad Wenstrup also raised the issue in the Vaccine Committee of the US Congress.”
Dr Poudel’s attempt turned fruitful as it was spectacular in calling for the attention of the US authorities in sending vaccines against COVID-19 to Nepal during the most troubled times.
Nevertheless, the doctor duo’s contributions did not go unrecognized. The City of Reynoldsburg passed a resolution to recognize their contributions and Senator Brown’s office also gave certificates of appreciation in 2021.
Born in Farping, Kathmandu, Dr Poudel completed his MBBS from Maharajgunj Medical Campus, a constituent campus of the Institute of Medicine (IoM), and earned his M.D. from Ohio. After earning the degree, he has been working in the health sector of the US for two decades. He is also Board-certified Obesity specialist and has a fellowship in Primary Care Psychiatry.
He also provides free services to Nepali patients with poor economic conditions at his Columbus-based Clinic.
“Excessive consumption of junk food and lack of physical activities have been the major causes of the rise in obesity among people living in the US, including Nepali.
A study has even predicted that obesity will be seen in around 55-60 per cent of the population in the US by 2040,” said Dr. Poudel responding to a query.
Dr. Poudel is currently the Regional Medical Director of Hopewell Health Centre, the Ohio-based Federally Qualified Health Centre. The Centre provides services to over 26 locations in Ohio.
It may be noted that the Nepal government (cabinet) has recently appointed him Consulate General to Ohio State.
Talking to RSS Dr. Poudel said, “Nepal and the US both have much more to exchange and work in reciprocity. It will be very beneficial for Nepal’s social and economic development if the latest technologies from the US can be adopted in Nepal in various sectors. It is only possible with a mutually cordial relationship between the two countries.”
He further said, “Improving the relationship between Nepal and the US is my first responsibility and I will fulfil the role entrusted to me.”
According to Dr Poudel, Nepal can cash in on the rise in the demand for goods such as medicine, herbs, tea, coffee, shoes and garments among others in the US.
“There is a need for a study to make US markets accessible to Nepali entrepreneurs”, he suggested.
Dr Poudel has also been connecting US officials to the local-level people’s representatives of Nepal.
Dr. Poudel, who once shared a platform as a panelist with billionaire Michael Bloomberg while the latter in the US Presidential race in 2020, has also been using his connections to invite the US State and city officials to the festivals celebrated by the Nepali diaspora.
Dr Poudel is a community faculty and Assistant Professor at the Ohio State Medical School. His active engagement has also facilitated an agreement signing between Nepal’s National Innovation Centre (NIC) led by Mahabir Pun and the Agriculture Department of the Ohio State University for research activities.
The engineers from the NIC were also provided with training for research and innovation at the Northeast Ohio Medical University following Dr. Poudel’s coordination.
Dr Poudel has played a vital role in re-launching the Nepal Caucus in the US Congress. Currently, there are four Congressman from Ohio who has joined Nepal Caucus. Congressman Mike Carey from Ohio is the co-chair of the Caucus. The Nepal Caucus is a bipartisan coalition that promotes relations between the US and Nepal across a broad spectrum of strategic interests such as economic developments, scientific research and natural disaster relief among others.
Dr. Poudel is currently the President of the NIC-USA, a coordinating body with Pun’s NIC; Chief Patron of the Central Ohio Nepalese Association (CONA); and a working committee member of the Bangkok-based Association of Nepali Origin (ANO).
He has also worked as an advisor to the Non-Resident Nepali Association (NRNA) US chapter.
“I have always tried to strengthen the US-Nepal relations at governments and people’s level and will continue to do so,” said Dr. Poudel.
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06- Communications Minister expresses grief over fire incident in Rajpur Hadbas
Ghorahi (Dang), April 29: Minister for Communications and Information Rekha Sharma has expressed grief over the incident of fire in Rajpur rural municipality-7, Hadbas village of Dang.
The fire that broke out in Hadbas on Sunday had gutted 24 houses and 10 cow sheds.
Minister Sharma, who was elected to the House of Representatives from Dang constituency-2, expressed sorrow over the incident and called for all actors and stakeholders to join hands for relief and rescue of the homeless families at the grief-stricken moment.
Noting that the rising incidents of fire at the onset of summer season have caused huge loss of life and property of citizens as well as forests and biodiversity including crops, Minister Sharma urged all the concerned agencies to remain sensitive to contain life-threatening forest fire.
According to Minister Sharma, the government has already directed the concerned agencies to be seriously effortful to minimize the damage caused by the fire and control the fire at the earliest possible.
She shared that all the three levels of government, including security personnel, are working passionately to minimize the damage.
Minister Sharma urges one and all adopt high alertness and caution to avoid the human-induced disaster like fire and forest fire.
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