- Wednesday, 9 July 2025
Kathmandu, July 9: The citizens enrolled in the health insurance programme would receive upto Rs 200,000 for their health care services.
Minister for Health and Population Pradip Paudel announced to double the amount of the coverage from the health insurance scheme.The decision would come into effect from July 17, from the beginning of the new fiscal year 2082/83 BS.
Taking to his social sites today, Minister Paudel stated the scheme will cover the treatment fees for eight different diseases.
Minister Paudel has believed that the decision would be a sigh of relief to the patients having difficulties to pay their bills for the treatment of serious illness.
The patients of cancer, heart diseases, kidney diseases, head and spinal injuries, sickle cell, anemia, parkinsonism and Alzheimer would be given upto Rs 200,000 for their treatment under the health insurance scheme, it is said.
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PM Oli gives away sports awards to various winners of international competitions
Kathmandu, July 9: Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli today gave away various sports honors and awards to sportspersons, coaches and the managers for their wins for Nepal in various international competitions.
Bijay Sinjali was honoured by the Prime Minister with a cash prize of Rs 6.5 million for winning the bronze medal in the 3rd Taolu World Cup organised in Yokohama of Japan from October 23 to 28, 2024 by the Japan Wushu Taijiquan Federation.
The award distribution ceremony was held in the Prime Minister’s official residence in Baluwatar by the Ministry of Youth and Sports.
Similarly, the Nepali women’s Kabbadi team also comprising Manamati Bista who brought home a bronze in the Sixth Asian Kabbadi Championship held in Iran on March 4 to 10 this year received a cash prize of Rs 150,000 each.
Likewise, Arjun Nepali who secured silver in the CAVA Men’s U20 Volleyball Championship held in Sri Lanka from October 6 to 12, 2024 received a cash prize of Rs 300,000.
The Cabinet on June 23 announced the honours and awards for winning athletes in accordance with the National Sports Development, Rules-2079 BS.
Likewise, Bipin Prasad Sharma and his team who secured a victory against Singapore in the ACC U-16 East Zone Cup were congratulated by the Prime Minister.
On the occasion, the Prime Minister said the development and promotion of the sports sector was the top priority of the government, adding that dedication, practice and professionalism were among the keys for success in the sports.
“Our efforts continue to promote the sports in an organised way. The promotion of this sector is one of the top priorities of the government and sports personalities are also progressing professionally,” the Prime Minister said on the occasion. He also thanked and congratulated all those players, their coaches and managers who worked hard to promote the country’s pride and prestige internationally.
Likewise, Minister for Youth and Sports, Tejulal Chaudhary, informed the gathering that the size of budget to the sports sector in the upcoming fiscal year has been nearly doubled and the construction of the cricket stadium in Kirtipur reports a significant progress and the country’s sports sector has lately turned vibrant.
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Search operation continues for missing people in Rasuwa flood
Kathmandu, July 9: Nepali Police has been undertaking a search operation for those 19 people reported missing in the flooding in Rasuwa since Tuesday night.
The search is underway in Trishuli and Narayani rivers after the dead body of one among the individuals swept away by flood was retrieved in Chitwan district.
Spokesperson of Nepal Police Bagmati Province Office and Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Sanjay Singh Thapa said a team of police has been mobilized to find out those missing ones in river basin areas in Rasuwa, Nuwakot, Dhading, Chitwan and Nawalparasi districts as well.
According to SSP Thapa, the dead body found in Chitwan was identified to be of Assistant Sub Inspector of Nepal Police Lal Bahadur Shrestha.
A massive flood occurred in Lehende, Bhotekoshi and Trishuli rivers on Tuesday night wrecked havoc causing massive loss of lives and properties.
SSP Singh added that the search operation is ongoing on the suspicion that dead bodies were washed away downward in the flood.
Police have taken forward ascertaining the identities of those who died in the disasters. Only five of nine people who died in the flood and landslide have been identified as of now.
SSP Singh informed that two security personnel, six Chinese nationals and 11 general public were still missing in the disaster.
The swollen rivers swept away 64 vehicles and Miteri Pul (Friendship Bridge) along the Nepal-China border. The actual cause of the flood has not been ascertained yet while meteorologists suspect that glacial lakes in the upper area of Rasuwa might have burst leading to flooding, SSP Singh shared.
Binod Parajuli, Head of Flood Forecasting Division of the Department of Meteorology and Meteorology informed that a study is being conducted to find out the causes behind the devastating flood. The detailed research to the matter is underway since, he explained, the flood occurred without heavy rainfall.
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Province hospitals install 16 dialysis machines
Bhaktapur, July 9: The Ministry of Health of the Bagmati Province has installed 16 dialysis machines in the province hospitals in different districts.
Health Minister Kiran Thapa said the dialysis machines were installed to provide accessible and inexpensive health care services to the kidney patients.
According to Minister Thapa, five dialysis machines were installed in Bhaktapur Hospital, two each in Dhading Hospital, Sindhuli Hospital, Trishuli Hospital and Bakulahar Ratnanagar Hospital.
Likewise, three dialysis machines were installed in Hetauda Hospital.
Meanwhile, Executive Director of Bhaktapur Hospital, Dr Surendra Bhatta, said that the hospital will immediately begin the five-bedded dialysis service.
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Prof Dr Deepak Aryal appointed TU VC
Kathmandu, July 9: Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli has appointed Prof Dr Deepak Aryal as the Vice Chancellor of the Tribhuvan University (TU).
A search committee led by Minister for Education, Science and Technology Raghuji Pant on July 7 recommended three names to the Prime Minister and Chancellor of TU KP Sharma Oli. The search committee recommended the names of current Acting Vice Chancellor Prof Dr Khadga KC, former Dean of the Faculty of Science of Tribhuvan University Prof Dr Vinil Aryal and former Head of the Central Department of Hydrology and Meteorology Prof Dr Deepak Aryal.
The post of the TU VC was vacant since outgoing Vice Chancellor Prof Dr Keshar Jung Baral resigned from his post three months ago.
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RSP, RPP continue to boycott HoR session over visit visa scam
Kathmandu, July 9: The Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP) and the Rastriya Prajatantra Party (RPP) continued their protests in the House of Representatives (HoR) over the recent visit visa scam.
Both parties accused the government of only forming a general administrative committee to investigate the issue, instead of a parliamentary committee or a high-level commission as they are demanding.
Once the session convened, lawmaker Sobhita Gautam of RSP informed the House that the party’s protest would continue until their demand was addressed.
She also questioned the government ‘intention’ in forming the administrative committee to probe the matter which is, as she argued, about the human trafficking and capable of hurting the nation’s image. “We continue to boycott the House as the government has turned indifferent to our demand.”
RPP’s Anisha Nepali also warned that the party would keep boycotting the House until a high-level commission is formed to investigate the visit visa scam.
She also took time to draw the government to the prompt urgency to ensure adequate compensation to the citizens affected by the recent incidents of natural disasters, expressing sorrow over the significant losses of lives and property in disasters.
Once the lawmakers put their views, other members in the lower house representing these parties walked out of the meeting hall.
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Myagdi river blocked; one dead next missing in separate incident of landslide
Myagdi, July 9: The Myagdi river was blocked from this afternoon following a landslide from a cliff at Basbot of Dhaulagiri Rural Municipality-4 in Myagdi district.
Vice Chairman of the rural municipality Resham Punmagar said that the water in the river is blocked to become a lake there and added that the landslide is still happening.
The people in the lower basin areas have been told to apply precautions after the blockage in the river.
The rural municipality chairman Prem Prasad Pun, vice chairman Punmagar, people’s representatives and the security personnel from Takam Police Post are on the way to the site.
Emerging from Mt Dhaulagiri, the Myagdi river joins the Kaligandaki river from Beni bazaar, the district headquarters of Myagdi.
Meanwhile, a 35-year-old man died and next one went missing in a landslide at Lupsipar of Malika Rural Municipality-3 in the district.
Jagendra BK was buried in the landslide and his son Saroj BK, 13, went missing in the site, said Police Inspector Sagar Paudel of District Police Office, Mygadi.
Paudel said that both Jagendra and Saroj were buried in the landslide while they were cutting grass in their farms.
A search for the missing one is ongoing by the police personnel from Area Police Office, Darbang.
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Landslides obstruct Narayanghat-Butwal road section, Siddhartha Highway
Nawalpur (Nawalparasi), July 9: The Narayanghat-Butwal road section along the East-West Highway has been completely shut down after a landslide swept away some sections of the road today morning.
The landslide triggered by rain caused Khursani Khola (river) at Bardhaghat-4 nearby Dauune washed away some section of road leading to obstruction of road, police said.
DSP and Information Officer at the District Police Office, Nawalparasi (Bardaghat-Susta Paschim), Bir Dutta Panta shared that a freight vehicle heading towards west has stranded in the middle of the road following the landslide.
The goods-carrying truck has also been buried by landslide debris to some extent, said DSP Panta, adding that efforts were underway to remove the truck as well as the debris as the rain has stopped.
Around 50 metres of landslide occurred at the road that being upgraded to four-lane. Even a slight rainfall affects vehicular movement in the road section.
Meanwhile, various places along the Siddhartha Highway have been obstructed due to landslided, police added. The rain-triggered landslides have blocked roads at Burtang-Siddhababa and other areas too.
The local authority has urged the travelers to observe precaution and remain alert as landslides and rocks continue to fall along the section of the Siddhartha Highway.
Furthermore, the authority has prevented vehicles plying on Siddhababa-Ramdi road section, Tansen-Ridi road section, Rampur-Humin-Tahu-Aryabhanjyang road section, Hathork Chahara-Tingire road section and other major auxiliary roads.
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Lawmakers demand diplomatic efforts, cross-border information sharing mechanism for disaster preparedness
Kathmandu, July 9: The Members of House of Representatives (HoR) have expressed grief over the losses of significant number lives and property from the devastating flood along the Nepal-China border in Rasuwa on Tuesday night. They urged the government to pursue diplomatic measures to address the growing risk of such disasters arising from trans-border situations.
Several lawmakers expressed concerns about the ‘risk of mountain outbursts’ in various parts of China and urged the government to establish an information-sharing system and diplomatic cooperation. They echoed the need for timely measures to reduce potential losses.
Lawmakers Rajendra Bajgain, Madhav Prasad Sapkota, and Sher Bahadur Kunwar were among those alarmed by the damage caused by the Lhende Stream (which later merges with the Bhotekoshi River) along the Nepal-China border in Rasuwagadhi. They also called on the government to intensify search and rescue efforts for the missing persons.
Narayan Prasad Acharya drew the House’s attention to a fatal accident on the Siddhartha Highway, where a rock fell on a motorcycle en route to Palpa from Butwal. The incident resulted in one death and one injury. He urged the government to take preventive measures to avoid such accidents in the future.
Narayan Prakash Saud raised the issue of a shortage of agricultural fertilizers and seeds in the country, where 62 percent of the population depends on farming. He advised the government to take steps for establishing a fertilizer industry within the country.
Ranendra Baraili talked about the protest by gold and silver dealers following the announcement of a luxury tax on these metals, seeking to settle the issue through talks. He said that consumers are now burdened with a 43 percent additional cost, which includes customs duty, luxury tax, making charges, and dealer profit.
Shanti BK denied the allegation that some Nepali who had been the part of the Prime Minister’s delegation to the UN event in Spain recently did not return.
Cloud cover hampers ascertaining causes of flood in Bhotekoshi
Kathmandu, July 9: Meteorologists and hydrologists are having a tough time in determining the exact causes behind the massive flood in the Bhotekoshi river on last Tuesday night due to clouds still hover the sky in high altitude places in Nepal and China sides.
The Department of Hydrology and Meteorology said that dense cloud formation has hindered taking clear images of places surrounding Nepal and China border with the help of satellites thereby making it more difficult to assess the situations on the ground.
It may be noted that the flood occurred in Lehende river, Bhotekoshi river and Trishuli river despite no heavy rainfall in Nepal and China’s territory. The weather station in Rasuwa showed that there was light rainfall in Rasuwa district between Monday and Tuesday.
Meteorologists suspect that glacial lakes in the upper area of Rasuwa or in Chinese territory could have triggered the flood.
Hydrologist and Chief of Flood Forecasting Section of the Department, Binod Parajuli further said that a large accumulation of snow or ice might have temporarily the river’s flow and later burst, suddenly surging the river.
“It is evident that the flood did not occur due to a heavy rainfall. We are currently conducting study to find out the actual cause behind the flood,” Parajuli mentioned.
He admitted that it was not feasible for them to visit the site and conduct research at this moment but they were trying to unravel the cause with the help of satellite data. “Due to clouds, there is still problem to identify the cause of flood,” he said.
Likewise, International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD) also said that cloud cover have obstructed analysis of satellite images. —
