- Saturday, 30 August 2025
Baniyani (Jhapa), June 11: Ambassador of China to Nepal, Chen Song, has been engaged in an observation tour of various agricultural and small industries in Jhapa. He is participating in social and educational programmes here since Tuesday.
On Tuesday, Ambassador Chen observed a rice processing industry at Muda located in Arjundhara-10 and an industry for making temporary huts located in Arjundhara-2, while today he is scheduled to observe a cow farm located in Arjundhara-6 and a fish farm located in Arjunadhara-10, said Keshav Dhungel, the personal secretary to Speaker Devraj Ghimire, who is coordinating the ambassador’s visit.
“They are conducting field observations while gathering information about potential investment areas,” he said.
The Chinese ambassador has provided educational materials to 1,900 students from Birtamod and Arjundhara municipalities. On Tuesday, he provided various 19 types of educational materials to 1,500 students of Shanishchare Secondary School in Arjundhara and 400 students of Durga Secondary School in Birtamod.
With the support of the Chinese Embassy, a four-room two-story building constructed at the cost of NPR 5 million at Shukraj Basic School in Birtamod-8 was inaugurated by the ambassador and Birtamod municipality mayor, Pabitra Prasai.
Ambassador Chen mentioned that education is the most important subject and should be given special attention, stating that China’s development is due to education. Ambassador Chen highlighted the long-standing relationship between Nepal and China and mentioned that after the earthquake in 2072 BS, 10 schools were built in various places in Nepal.
Mayor Prasai expressed gratitude for the assistance received from China in areas such as infrastructure, agriculture, and education for the development of Birtamod.
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Slight rise in gold price
Kathmandu, June 11: The price of gold and silver has risen in the domestic market today compared to the price the previous day.
The price of gold has increased by Rs 1,300 and that of silver by Rs 15 per tola (11.66 grammes) today. Accordingly, the price of gold is determined at Rs 191,300 per tola and that of silver at Rs 2,165 per tola today, the Federation of Nepal Gold and Silver Dealers’ Association said.
The price of gold in the international market is 3,341 USD today, according to the international media.
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Economic transformation through tourism: Maoist Centre Chair Dahal
Myagdi, June 11: Chairman of CPN (Maoist Centre) and former Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal ‘Prachanda’ has said that economic transformation can be achieved by proper management and operation of natural resources.
While traveling from Myagdi to Mustang, after observing Bhurung-Tatopani, Rupsey Waterfall, and Andhagalchi in Annapurna Rural Municipality this morning and interacting with local representatives and residents, he pointed out the possibility of utilizing through the proper management of natural resources to promote tourism in the region.
“I discussed the condition of the Kaligandaki Corridor road, the potential of natural resources, operation issues, the need for infrastructure development, and to understand the problems of the people while traveling from Pokhara to Mustang. I see the possibility of developing health tourism by preserving, promoting, and managing the natural hot springs in Myagdi,” he said.
Chairman Dahal emphasized the need to identify, promote, and develop natural resources to create job opportunities in the hydropower projects being constructed in the Kaligandaki and surrounding rivers, as well as to increase tourist attraction to the mountains, waterfalls, and beautiful scenery. He emphasized that promoting tourism can change the economic condition of citizens.
After taking bath at the Bhurung-Tatopani hot spring pond, Chairman Dahal interacted with the chairman of Annapurna Rural Municipality, Bharat Kumar Pun, former chairman Dam Bahadur Pun, local residents, and other leaders and activists.
During the interaction, local residents demanded arrangements for safe and regular transportation by controlling landslides and preventing erosion on the Myagdi section of the Beni-Jomsom-Korala road.
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Total government expenditure stands at Rs 1157.89 in last 10 months of FY 2024/25
Kathmandu, June 11: The total expenditure of the Government of Nepal stood at Rs.1157.89 billion during the ten months of Fiscal Year 2024/25, according to the Ministry of Finance, Financial Comptroller General Office (FCGO).
The recurrent expenditure, capital expenditure, and financial expenditure amounted to Rs.773.23 billion, Rs.120.38 billion, and Rs.264.29 billion respectively in the review period.
In the review period, total revenue mobilization of the Government of Nepal (including the amount to be transferred to provincial and local governments) stood at Rs.922.43 billion.
The total revenue comprises of tax revenue amounting Rs.828.94 billion and non-tax revenue Rs.93.49 billion in the review period.
Cash Balance at various accounts of the GoN maintained with NRB remained Rs.360.98 billion (including Provincial Government and Local Government Accounts) in mid-May 2025. Such balance was Rs.93.96 billion in mid-July 2024.
Total expenditure of provincial governments
In the review period, total expenditure of provincial governments stood Rs.100.17 billion and resource mobilization stood Rs.161.77 billion.
The total resource mobilization of provincial governments includes the grants and revenue transferred from the Government of Nepal amounting Rs.123.15 billion and revenue and other receipts of the provincial governments amounting Rs.38.62 billion in the review period.
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BMC announces public holiday for schools following excessive heat
Chitwan, June 11: The Bharatpur Metropolitan City (BMC) has announced public holiday for schools in the metropolis in view of the excessive heat. The holiday is effective from today until Friday, as announced by the metropolis.
According to Subash Chandra Acharya, head of the educational administration division of the metropolis, the decision for public holidays in schools has been made from June 11 to June 13, Friday.
During the holiday period, parents are requested to not let their children go outside during the daytime, to prevent them from swimming in rivers and ponds, and to keep them from engaging in fishing activities.
In recent days, the temperature in Chitwan has reached between 37 and 40 degrees Celsius.
There has been a noticeable increase in heat in the last two days.
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Mundum trail being developed as a spiritual zone
Bhojpur, June 11: The Temkemaiyung rural municipality in Bhojpur has pursued a policy to develop the Mundum Trail into a spiritual zone for yoga, meditation, and other spiritual practices.
Previously, the Federal Government had identified the Mundum Trail as one of Nepal’s top 100 tourist destinations.
According to local authorities, the trail is a sanctuary of natural beauty and tranquility, and plans are underway to develop it as a Tapobhumi, a sacred place for meditation and spiritual practice, while also promoting it as a tourist destination.
Rural Municipality Chairperson Saroj Basnet highlighted that the trail passes through high alpine terrain, which holds potential for development into golf courses, among other activities. However, in order to preserve the trail’s pristine environment, road construction has been prohibited along the area.
Vice Chairperson Ramadevi Rai stated that a Tourism Information Centre has already been established at Chakhewa to cater to the needs of visitors. “We are committed to the holistic development of this region,” she added, reiterating the area’s potential to become a significant Tapobhumi.
The trail offers panoramic views of several prominent peaks, including Charpate, Lhotse Shar, Mera Peak, Mt Peak 38, Chamlang, Makalu, Kanchenjunga, and Kumbhakarna.
Tourism entrepreneur Bibek Kulung said that the climate along the trail is moderate, neither as cold as the high Himalayas nor as hot as the Terai making it suitable for year-round visit.
One of the major spiritual highlights of the trail is Silichung Peak (Silichung Chuchuro), a revered religious site located at an altitude of 4,153 metres, which can be accessed directly from the Mundum Trail.
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Extreme heat prompts school closure in Inaruwa, Itahari
Inaruwa (Sunsari), June 11: Due to extreme heat, schools in the Inaruwa municipality area, including the district headquarters Sunsari, have been given a three-day holiday.
The municipality’s chief administrative officer, Dilli Niraula, informed that the holiday is from today until Friday (June 11-13).
There has been a significant increase in heat in Eastern Nepal, including Inaruwa, in recent days.
Similarly, the Itahari Sub-Metropolitan City has also decided to declare a holiday for all community and institutional schools for one day due to the heat.
The acting mayor of the sub-metropolitan city, Sangita Chaudhary, announced in a notice on Tuesday to this end.
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Community forestry should work to benefit impoverished communities
Patan (Lalitpur), June 11: Minister for Forests and Environment Ain Bahadur Shahi Thakuri emphasized that community forestry should operate in a way that benefits extremely poor and marginalized communities.
At the ‘Third National Community Forestry Workshop’ organized today in Lalitpur by the Department of Forests and Soil Conservation, Minister Shahi expressed confidence that the community forestry management system would contribute to the conservation of natural resources and sustainable forest management.
“Together with the success of the collaborative forest management approach, there are various challenges we face. With the practice of federal structure, some policy and legal complexities have emerged in different layers. The differences between federal laws and provincial laws have also added challenges in some areas. There is a need to maintain uniformity in the distribution of forest produce and revenue sharing between consumers and the government in the coming days,” said Minister Shahi.
He emphasized that consumers should be made stakeholders in the forest-based products they receive from the forests.
The Minister of State for Forests and Environment, Rupa Bik, shared that participatory forest management can be achieved, citing the example of a collaborative forest management system. She mentioned that challenges in collaborative forest management are increasing due to a lack of policy reforms, institutional capacity expansion, and cooperation among relevant bodies.
Dr. Rajendra Prasad Mishra, the secretary of the Ministry of Forests and Environment, expressed happiness that collaborative forests are different from community forests and that they have been able to benefit a population of 5.1 million from 900,000 families.
The Dean of the Institute of Forestry Studies at Tribhuvan University, Thakur Silwal, expressed confidence in conducting a study on the benefits derived from the learning and understanding achieved so far, and how many people have benefited from it, during an analytical data seminar on the condition of the consumer.
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Minister Gurung hopes for early consensus to resume House proceedings
Kathmandu, June 11: Minister for Communications and Information Technology, Prithvi Subba Gurung, has said that both ruling and opposition parties are engaged in comprehensive dialogue, expressing hope that an agreement to resume regular House proceedings will be reached soon-possibly within a day or two.
Speaking at a press conference organized at the Ministry of Communications and Information Technology to announce recent Cabinet decisions, Minister Gurung, who also serves as the government spokesperson, said this.
Commenting on the opposition’s demand for the resignation of the Home Minister over the recent visit visa scam, he argued that such a demand is unwarranted, as the Commission for the Investigation of Abuse of Authority (CIAA) has already launched an investigation into the alleged involvement of a government employee.
“It makes little sense to seek the resignation of the line minister over the misconduct of an employee,” Gurung said. “If ministers begin resigning over individual employee’s wrongdoing, it would hamper the overall functioning of the government.”
He further stressed that the Home Minister should be allowed to address all concerns raised against him through parliamentary procedures, urging the opposition to play a constructive and cooperative role in facilitating this process.
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Decisions of Council of Ministers latest meeting made public
Kathmandu, June 11: The decisions of the Council of Ministers meeting held on June 9 have been made public today.
According to Minister for Communications and Information Technology and Government Spokesperson Prithvi Subba Gurung, the Cabinet has approved several key decisions.
The government has decided to upgrade Lamkichuwa Hospital in Kailali from a 15-bed to a 50-bed facility and hand over its operation to the province government.
The meeting also endorsed the participation of National Planning Commission member Dr. Jaya Bahadur Tondon in the MuniWorld Expo 2025, which is scheduled to take place in Israel from Jeth 31 to Asar 6 (June 14 to 20).
Similarly, Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Bishnu Prasad Paudel will attend the annual meeting of the Board of Governors of the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank, which is set to be held in Beijing, China, from Asar 10 to 12 (June 24 to 26).
The Cabinet has approved Nepal’s participation and the agenda for discussions at the 13th meeting of the Nepal-China Tibet (Xizang) Trade Facilitation Committee, to be held in Lhasa from June 16 to 20. A delegation, led by a Joint Secretary from the Ministry of Industry, Commerce, and Supplies, will represent Nepal in the meeting.
Other decisions include the approval, in principle, to draft a bill aimed at amending and integrating laws related to the construction sector. Additionally, the Cabinet has approved the transfer of one Colonel of the Nepal Army, accepted the resignation of one Brigadier General, promoted four Lieutenant Colonels to Colonel rank, and approved a foreign visit for one Lieutenant General.
The Cabinet has also approved, in principle, the drafting of a bill related to the preservation of ancient monuments. Moreover, it decided to change the administrative centre of Shantinagar Rural Municipality in Dang from Chiraghat at Ward No. 4 to Jumlekula, and that of Mahalaxmi Municipality in Lalitpur from Kamalpokhari in Ward No. 4 to Lubhu Devisthan in Ward No. 8.
In the health sector, Dr. Keshar Bahadur Dhakal and Dr. Shreekrishna Shrestha have been promoted to the 12th-level officer positions (Additional Health Secretary) in the Nepal Health Service. The Cabinet has also endorsed the ‘Nepal Standards (Certification Mark) (Third Amendment) Rules, 2082’.
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Communications Minister vows to start Tamang language news service at RSS
Kathmandu, June 11: Minister for Communications and Information Technology, Prithvi Subba Gurung has expressed commitment to start news service in the Tamang language at the National News Agency (RSS).
The Tamang Journalists Association had submitted a memorandum today demanding the launching of news service in the Tamang language at RSS.
Receiving the memorandum, Minister Gurung expressed his commitment to start news services in the Tamang language at the news agency.
“Sooner or later, we will start a news service in the Tamang language at RSS,” said Minister Gurung.
RSS has been providing the news service in the Nepali, English, the Nepal Bhasa and Maithili languages.
The team led by the Association president Netra Tamang met with Minister Gurung and submitted the memorandum.
A year has passed since the Bagmati Province government declared the Tamang language as the working language of Bagmati Province.
According to the 2021 census of Nepal, there are more than one million 423 thousand people who speak the Tamang language in Nepal.
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Buddhist Federation calls for starting Bhot language news service in government media
Kathmandu, June 11: The Nepal Buddhist Federation has urged the government to make provision for the production, publication, and broadcasting of news, information, and programmes in the Bhot language through the government media.
The Federation handed over a memorandum to Communications and Information Technology Minister Prithvi Subba Gurung today, urging him to take initiative for the production, publication, and broadcasting of news, information, and programmes in the Bhot language through national media houses such as Gorkhapatra, Radio Nepal and Nepal Television.
Federation President Nurbu Thundu Sherpa (Geshe Thubten Jinpa), stated that it is the responsibility of the government to protect and promote the Bhot language, which is primarily used by the residents of the mountainous and hilly regions of the country. He expressed confidence that the Bhot language would receive priority during the tenure of the Minister of Communication, Gurung, who advocates for the promotion of mother tongues.
In the memorandum submitted by the federation today, it is mentioned that since Nepal is a multilingual, multicultural, and multi-religious nation, it is the constitutional duty of the state to protect and promote the language, culture, and identity of diverse communities.
The memorandum also stated that the Bhot language is not only a means of communication but is also extremely important from educational, religious, cultural, and historical perspectives, and that documents with historical evidence proving that the original texts of Buddhism were translated into the Bhot language around the seventh century have been discovered.
In the context of the Gonpa education system operated in Nepal, since the year 2065 BS, the Curriculum Development Centre has been preparing the curriculum and textbooks in the Bhot language for secondary level education, and teaching and learning is being conducted in Gonpa and community schools.
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Minister reiterates commitments to increasing citizens’ access to safe water
Morang, June 11: The Nepal Water Supply Corporation (Nepal Khanepani Sansthan), Biratnagar, has officially taken ownership of the Jatuwa Water Supply and Sanitation Project, which has the capacity to supply 1.7 million litres of water daily to local residents.
Located in Biratnagar-14, the project was handed over during a formal ceremony held today in the presence of Minister for Water Supply Pradeep Yadav.
Speaking on the occasion, Minister Yadav said that ensuring citizens have reliable access to clean, safe, and adequate drinking water is a top priority of the government.
He reaffirmed the government’s commitment to the “One House, One Tap” initiative, promising its effective implementation. The Minister also announced that a tender will be issued in the upcoming fiscal year to operate 40 overhead water tanks that remain unused in the Terai districts of Koshi Province.
Ek Raj Karki, Minister for Water Supply, Irrigation, and Energy of Koshi Province, urged the federal government to complete unfinished water projects and bring them into operation. Highlighting water scarcity as a major factor driving migration from the hills to the Terai, he called for urgent governmental intervention to address the issue.
Province Assembly member Gita Rani Mahato emphasized the need to respond to the growing public demand for access to water.
Chairperson of the Nepal Khanepani Sansthan Board of Directors, Dr. Dhundiraj Bhattarai, and General Manager Arjun Bahadur Dhakal expressed their commitment to providing safe drinking water to citizens at an affordable cost.
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Status of capital market in last 10 months of FY 2024/25
Kathmandu, June 11: The NEPSE index stood 2620.27 in mid-May 2025 compared to 1998.89 in mid-May 2024. Stock market capitalization in mid-May 2025 stood Rs.4358.71 billion compared to Rs.3169.48 billion in mid-May 2024, the Nepal Rastra Bank (NRB) stated in its latest report – Current Macroeconomic and Financial Situation of Nepal (Based on Ten Months Data Ending Mid-May 2024/25).
Number of companies listed at NEPSE reached 271 in mid-May 2025. Out of the total listing, 132 are Bank and Financial Institutions (BFIs) and insurance companies, 91 hydropower companies, 23 manufacturing and processing industries, seven hotels, seven investment companies, four trading companies and seven others.
The number of companies listed at NEPSE was 272 in mid-May 2024.
Share of BFIs and insurance companies in stock market capitalization is 52.4 percent in mid-May 2025. Such a share for hydropower companies is 15.5 percent, investment companies 8.0 percent, trading companies 5.6 percent, manufacturing and processing industries 5.6 percent, hotels 2.7 percent and the share of other companies is 10.1 percent.
The paid-up value of 8.74 billion shares listed at NEPSE stood Rs.861.39 billion in mid-May 2025.
Securities worth Rs.58.43 billion were listed at NEPSE during the ten months of FY 2024/25. Such securities comprise bonus shares worth Rs.21.08 billion, ordinary shares worth Rs.20.38 billion, right shares worth Rs.11.65 billion, mutual fund worth Rs.1.25 billion, FPO worth Rs.106.89 million, and others worth Rs.3.96 billion.
Securities Board of Nepal approved the total public issuance of securities worth Rs.34.05 billion in the review period which includes right share worth Rs.13.19 billion, mutual fund worth Rs.11.80 billion, debenture worth Rs.6.82 billion and ordinary shares worth Rs.2.24 billion.
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HoR Session: Oppositions continue obstruction
Kathmandu, June 11: Opposition parties continue to obstruct the House of Representatives (HoR) business today, too, demanding the Home Minister’s resignation over the visit visa scam.
The obstruction by the oppositions continues for the past two weeks.
Once the today’s session commenced, those lawmakers representing the oppositions including the CPN (Maoist Center) stood from their respective seats, demanding Home Minister Ramesh Lekhak step down from the post.
The HoR session was postponed before it could enter its agenda. Though Speaker Devraj Ghimire urged the protesting members to help building an atmosphere for resuming the House business, it had not been possible.
Despite several rounds of meetings between the ruling and opposition parties on resolving the issue, the consensus has not reached yet.
The session has been rescheduled for 3:00 pm on June 12, Thursday.
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