- Tuesday, 30 December 2025
Kathmandu, Dec 29: The Office of the Auditor General has released the consolidated financial statements for the federal, provincial, and local governments for the fiscal year 2081/82 BS.
Auditor General Shobhakanta Paudel presented the report today to Finance Minister Rameshore Prasad Khanal and Comptroller and Auditor General Toyam Raya.
The Office of the Auditor General is tasked with the preparation and presentation of the consolidated financial statements and reports regarding the operations of the federal consolidated fund across all three levels of government. “In the fiscal year 2081/82 BS, while the consolidated fund for the federal, provincial, and local governments recorded a negative balance of Rs 108.99 billion, the cash position remained favorable at Rs 104.1384 billion,” the press release from the office said.
“Considering the balances of various extra-budgetary funds from the federal, provincial, and local governments, the cash and bank balances have stayed positive at Rs 188.9458 billion.” The report, which adheres to the Nepal Public Sector Accounting Standards sanctioned by the Government of Nepal and the accounting format approved by the Auditor General, also encompasses details mandated by existing laws for the federal, provincial, and local governments, along with extra-budgetary entities, as stated.
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22- NA Chair Dahal pays courtesy call on PM Karki
Kathmandu, Dec 29: National Assembly (NA) Chairperson Narayan Prasad Dahal paid a courtesy call on Prime Minister Sushila Karki today.
The Upper House Chair held a meeting with Prime Minister Karki at the Office of the Prime Minister and Council of Ministers in Singha Durbar on Monday.
Matters related to the upcoming elections to the House of Representatives and National Assembly members, and recent activities of the NA among others were discussed on the occasion, the PM secretariat said.
Chairperson Dahal urged the PM to summon the session of the NA and not to cut the perks and benefits of the NA members, it is stated.
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23- No order to use force in the protest, claims former Home Minister Lekhak
Kathmandu, Dec 29: Outgoing Home Minister Ramesh Lekhak has said that he did not give any written or verbal order to use force in the GenZ protests held on September 8 and 9.
Talking to the media today after recording his statement before the inquiry commission formed to investigate the damages caused during the GenZ protest, he said that the decision to use force or not is the responsibility of the security officials deployed at the time as per the law. “There is no legal provision for the minister or the prime minister to issue the order to use force,” he clarified.
Former Minister Lekhak informed the media that he submitted his views and details in writing to the commission.
According to former Minister Lekhak, a meeting of the Central Security Committee was called on September 7 after receiving prior information from the security agencies and the home administration about the demonstration of the GenZ group to be held a day later. The meeting analyzed the information collected by the security agencies and stated that the organizers had reported that the demonstration would be peaceful.
Clarifying that no decision or plan was made in the meeting regarding use of force, he said that it was concluded that law and security arrangements would be made by coordinating among all the security agencies. Former Home Minister Lekhak mentioned that formal discussions were held with the then Prime Minister in Baluwatar after the Central Security Committee meeting and that emphasis was placed on ensuring that there was no human casualties there as well.
Lekhak said that he resigned on the same day on moral grounds. “I considered it a moral duty to resign from my position after the death of persons,” he said.
Minister Lekhak said that the incidents that took place after his resignation have seriously damaged the country’s self-respect, democratic values, and constitutional institutions. He said that the damage to constitutional organs and public property of the state such as Singha Durbar, Rastrapati Bhawan, and Supreme Court was against the core spirit of the GenZ movement.
Informing about personal losses, former Home Minister Lekhak said that his two houses in Mahendranagar were destroyed in a fire, his residence in Kathmandu was damaged beyond habitability, and that a serious situation arose while trying to save his mother from an attack by protesters, and that his mother later passed away.
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24- “Zero to 8848” Wins ‘Best Asian Film’ Award
Kathmandu, Dec 29: A Nepali documentary film “Zero to 8848” has won the ‘Best Asian Film Award’ for the month of November at the World Film Festival in Cannes, France.
The festival’s jury honoured the film in the “World Mosaic” category.
Zero to 8848 vividly and realistically presents a journey from Kachankawal, located in Jhapa District, Nepal’s lowest-altitude region, to the world’s highest peak Mount Everest (8,848 meters). The documentary is a story of perseverance, patience, purpose, and bravery.
With this award, Zero to 8848 has officially entered the annual competition lineup of the World Film Festival in Cannes, where it will participate in the annual awards ceremony scheduled for June 2026. The film has also been shortlisted for the festival’s ‘Best of the Future’ selection and is eligible for the Audience Award.
The documentary is directed and edited by Niranjan Pandey and Balram Budhathoki. The documentary was conceptualized by journalist and writer Prem Baniya. The film features renowned Hollywood documentary personality Conrad Anker and PasangTendi Sherpa, who has successfully summited Everest 18 times, world cyclist and Everest climber Pushkar Shah, mountaineer Ang Pasang Sherpa, among others.
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25- Social harmony and thriving society should be a collective aspiration for all: Vice President Yadav
Kathmandu, Dec 29: Vice President Ram Sahaya Prasad Yadav has said that achieving social harmony and fostering a prosperous society must be a unified objective for everyone.
During a programme hosted by the National Dalit Commission to unveil the ‘Five-Year Strategic Plan 2082–2087 BS’ and the ‘New Grievance Handling System,’ he highlighted the importance of enhancing the rights of the Dalit community in the pursuit of justice, opportunity, equality, and inclusion.
Vice President Yadav remarked that the strategic plan is designed with a long-term perspective and expressed optimism that it will effectively tackle the challenges faced by the Dalit community while also aiding in the creation of a civilized and prosperous society. “The introduction of the new grievance management system should facilitate a systematic approach to resolving the issues, complaints, and rights-related matters concerning the Dalit community,” he said.
He conveyed his hope that the strategic plan will help prioritize initiatives such as strengthening the commission’s institutional framework, adhering to policies and laws, enhancing improvements through research, combating ethnic discrimination and untouchability, ensuring the Dalit community’s involvement in all state functions, and fostering cooperation and accountability in international treaties and agreements.
Yadav also emphasized that Dalits in the Tarai-Madhes continue to face marginalization in sectors like education, health, and politics, urging the commission to adopt a more proactive stance to integrate them into the mainstream.
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26- Political parties’ representatives line up at EC for submitting PR closed list
Kathmandu, Dec 29: Representatives of the political parties were seen queuing up at the Election Commission (EC) for the submission of closed list towards the Proportional Representation (PR) electoral system under the House of Representatives (HoR) elections, 2082.
The political parties which were busy selecting the candidates in the list of the PR electoral system during the day had reached the EC before 4.00 pm today.
Nepali Congress (NC) central member and publicity department Chief Min Bishwokarma, who reached the Commission to submit closed list of candidates, informed that list preparation has reached the final stage based on the candidate selection criteria made public by the NC earlier.
NC has said that two to three candidates of youth group from each province are included in the closed list.
Nepali Communist Party’s Rajendra Pandey said that preparation was made to submit the list of 110 candidates on the basis of the inclusive principle.
The submission of closed list towards the PR electoral system had begun since Sunday as per the schedule made public by the EC.
On Sunday, some fringe parties had only submitted the closed list to the EC. Big parties, including Nepali Congress, CPN (UML), Nepali Communist Party, Rastriya Swatantra Party and Rastriya Prajatantra Party were supposed to submit their lists today.
As of 5.00 this evening, a dozen political parties had submitted the list, the EC informed.
EC spokesperson Narayan Prasad Bhattarai said that the closed lists submitted by the political parties during December 29 and 30 would be scrutinized from December 30 to January 4.
The EC would publish the final list on 2 February 2026 after completing other due process, the spokesperson said.
A total of 100 political parties have registered their parties to fight in the election towards PR system through 93 election symbols.
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27- ‘Bahadurpur ko dantya Katha’ at Mandala Theater
Kathmandu, Dec 29: Not everyone who holds the position of a king becomes a king in real sense. And the image of a prosperous and happy king does not apply to everyone. This is the theme of a play titled ‘Bahadurpur ko Dantya Katha’ or Bahadurpur’s Fairy Tale currently being staged at Mandala Theatre.
The play being staged at Mandala Theater in Thapagaun, Kathmandu features the creative performance of a king who, despite being a king, is engrossed in empty pomp and showy-ness. The play also depicts the ironic scenes of poverty suffered by a king, who reveled in the vanity of his ancestral wealth, name, and position, but is unable to hone his abilities and indulge in any hard work.
The play has been directed by Saraswati Chaudhary, a theatre artist who has been active on the stage for a long time. A Bengali play, written by Indian playwright Badal Sarkar, has been translated by Bijaya Bishphot.
Actor Prabin Khatiwada plays the character of Bhupati in the play, while other actors including Kamal Mani Nepal and Sarita Giri also have a pivotal role. Ghanshyam Joshi, Rambhajan Kamat, Deepal Baral, Chandra Nepali can also be seen in the play.
The play will be staged until January 12, according to the organisers.
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28- From Jan 1, new information system to centralize foreign citizen records nationwide
Kathmandu, Dec 29: The Department of Immigration has revealed plans to roll out the Foreign Citizen Management Information System starting January 1, 2026.
This initiative aims to bolster the security of foreign visitors in Nepal, streamline information sharing, curb potential criminal activities, and promote tourism in the country.
The initial phase of this information system will be implemented within Kathmandu Valley. Today, the Department of Immigration hosted an event to collect feedback from relevant organizations and agencies on the systematic rollout of this system.
Director and Spokesperson for the Department, Tikaram Dhakal, announced that a special event will be held to inaugurate the system. He noted that input was gathered from necessary organizations for this initiative.
In its first phase, the system will be mandatory for star hotels located in Kathmandu Valley. The second phase, commencing on March 1, will see the system implemented across all star hotels, airlines, tour and travel companies, and money exchange services nationwide, with plans to gradually extend it to all types of hotels, guest houses, and services offered by both public and private institutions.
To ensure the effective implementation of this information system, all agencies providing services to foreign nationals must register within the system.
Spokesperson Dhakal also emphasized the urgency of prompt enrollment, given the limited time before the system’s launch and the current low number of participating agencies.
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29- Country enters election mode with submission of closed list of PR candidates: Minister Kharel
Gorkha, Dec 29: Minister for Communications and Information Technology Jagadish Kharel has said that the country has entered into full election mode with the political parties’ submission of the closed list of Proportional Representations (PR) candidates for the March 5 election.
The deadline for submission was today, as per the Election Commission’s call for submission of the closed list of the PR candidates running for the House of Representatives’ election.
Addressing the Smart Post Office Service announcement and launching day here on Monday, Minister Bhandari reiterated that the country officially entered into election process with the registration of the PR closed list at the Election Commission.
Stating that the debate over whether the election will be held on March 5 has now ended, the Minister assured that the election will be held in a peaceful and fearless manner within the stipulated time.
Noting that elections have been held in extreme circumstances in the past, Kharel expressed his confidence that the interim government and political parties would be able to conduct the election in a peaceful and fear-free environment.
“The first and foremost condition for the election is to ensure peace and security. The interim government is creating a favorable environment for the election where voters can cast their ballot without any fear,” said Minister Kharel, also the Spokesperson of the government. “Since the security agencies are fully prepared, there will be no problem regarding peace and security.”
He also pledged that the interim government will lead by example by successfully conducting the election. It may be noted that the interim government formed in the wake of Gen-Z movement on September 8 and 9 this year under the premiership of Prime Minister Sushila Karki is mandated to conduct the fresh election and accordingly announced the March 5 for the same.
On the occasion, Minister Kharel urged all the eligible voters to actively participate in the upcoming election for the greater good of the country and elect the right capable candidates.
As for the issues such as e-voting and granting voting rights to the Nepalis abroad, Minister Kharel shared that the government was discussing these issues and is continuing its efforts in this regard.
Furthermore, he informed that serious discussions are underway on inter-district and alternative voting system.
Calling on all the stakeholders to make the election successful, he instructed the concerned authority to expand postal services to every household through the Smart Post Office Service.
Also speaking in the event, Communications Secretary Radhika Aryal commended that Gorkha district had become exemplary by becoming the first district to launch Smart Postal Office Service.
Aryal emphasized that with the development of the information technology, postal services also need to be transformed to leverage gains. According to her, the government is working towards this end.
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30- Nepal-India Joint Agriculture Working Group meeting concludes
Kathmandu, Dec 29: The 9th meeting of the Nepal-India Joint Agriculture Working Group on promoting bilateral cooperation in agriculture sector concluded.
The two-day meeting hosted by the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock Development concluded today in Kathmandu.
Ministry’s Joint-Secretary Dr Hari Bahadur KC and Additional Secretary of Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare of the Indian government Dr Pramod Kumar Meherda had co-chaired the meeting.
This is the first meeting under the ‘New Memorandum of Understanding on Agriculture Cooperation’ signed between the two countries in 9 April 2025.
During the meeting, representatives of both the countries had delivered presentations about their countries’ agriculture policy, priorities and current challenges.
Presenting the fact that bilateral agricultural trade between Nepal and India exceeded 1.6 billion US dollars in 2024-25, both sides expressed their commitment to further balance and strengthen trade relations, informed Dr. Januka Pandit, joint secretary and spokesperson of the Ministry of Agriculture.
The Indian side, in line with the ‘Neighbour First’ policy, expressed a desire to assist Nepal in agricultural research, technology transfer, and infrastructure development.
In the context of trade facilitation, Nepal expressed gratitude that India has recognized laboratory testing of eight types of its agricultural products and requested the expansion of the list and ensured access to the Indian market.
Dr. Pandit informed that the meeting held in-depth discussions on cooperation in modern technical fields such as digital agriculture, climate-resilient farming, natural farming systems, and food security.
According to him, both countries have decided to prepare and implement a biennial action plan within the next three months.
In addition, an agreement was made to collaborate on addressing issues related to the supply of chemical fertilizers, agricultural infrastructure development, food quality, and quarantine technical problems. It was decided to hold the upcoming meeting in India.
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31- APIGA Nepal 2025 ends with call for Local Youth Leadership
Kathmandu, Dec 29: The Asia Pacific Internet Governance Academy (APIGA) Nepal 2025 successfully concluded its intensive two-day capacity-building workshop.
Organized by the Federation of Computer Association Nepal (CAN Federation) in collaboration with ICANN and KISA, the event focused on nurturing a new generation of Nepali leaders equipped to navigate the complexities of global internet governance.
As Nepal moves toward a “Digital Nepal” framework, APIGA Nepal 2025 provided tertiary students and young professionals with a deep dive into the multi-stakeholder model.
Keynote speaker, Senior Vice President of the CAN Federation, Chiranjibi Adhikari, emphasized that reforming the digital ecosystem must be treated as a national priority to match evolving global standards.
Attendees engaged in hands-on exercises to master the intersection of technical cybersecurity and international policy—a skill set increasingly demanded in the Nepalese ICT sector.
The workshop concluded with a commitment to maintaining an ongoing connection with the Asia Pacific internet community. Participants, now part of the APIGA alumni network, are expected to lead future digital policy campaigns, ensuring that Nepalese voices are heard in global forums such as ICANN and the Internet Governance Forum (IGF).
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32- Agreement on party unification between RSP and UNP
Kathmandu, Dec 29: A tripartite agreement has been signed among Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP) and Ujjyalo Nepal Party (UNP) and Balendra Shah in a bid to unify the two parties.
The agreement signed on Monday states that the party’s leadership structure will include Rabi Lammichane as the Central Chairperson and Kulman Ghising as the Vice-Chairperson.
Similarly, Dol Prasad Aryal and Swarnim Wagle will serve as other Vice-Chairpersons.
The MoU was signed by RSP Chairperson Rabi Lamichhane and UNP Chairperson Anup Kumar Upadhyaya with Balendra Shah signing as a witness.
As per the agreement, the party will retain the existing name and the electoral symbol (Bell) of the RSP.
Similarly, the agreement also mentions that under the principle, leadership and election symbol ‘Bell’ of RSP, there will be call to other civil, reform-oriented alternative political forces, groups and individuals to join to advance the issues of democratic good-governance, prosperity and social justice.
Furthermore, both the parties have expressed their commitment towards building an equitable advancement of Nepalis.
Both the parties have also acknowledged the need to establish egalitarian governance with a pluralistic democratic that believes in the liberal economy with social justice and thus agreed to collaborate to form a new political force to achieve these goals.
Likewise, the sacrifices of martyrs and the injured ones in the September 8 and 9’s Gen-Z movement have been taken as the source of inspiration.
Embracing the spirit of the movement waged by the youths against corruption and ill-governance, both the parties have pledged to appropriately address the demands raised by the injured and the family members of the martyrs.
The agreement states, “While remaining committed to a bright and self-reliant economy, delivery-based politics, establishment of merit system, zero-tolerance against corruption and commitment towards good-governance, we dedicate ourselves to the honest implementation of a roadmap to make Nepal a respectable middle-income country within the next ten years.”
The agreement further reads, “We also expressed commitment towards honest implementation of institutional and structural reforms required for the national goal of prosperity and social justice and laying the foundation for social-economic advancement and cultured political practice.”
It is also mentioned that after unification, campaigners of the UNP, youth activists and experienced exporters will be integrated into the party structures and responsibilities will be assigned based on the merit, inclusivity and public image.
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33- Communication Minister Kharel urges to create environment for polls
Gorkha, Dec 29: Minister for Communications and Information Technology Jagadish Kharel has urged Chief Minister of the Gandaki Province Surendra Raj Pandey to help enable environment conducive for elections.
In a meeting between the two at a programme here today, Minister Kharel urged the Chief Minister to fully discharge the spectacular role in order to create atmosphere conducive for the House of Representatives (HoR) elections. “I earnestly request to play the role without any limitation from the government side and also as a central leader of the responsible political party”, Minister Kharel.
The government spokesperson also took the opportunity to clarify that there was no doubt and question regarding the elections in the stipulated time.
“Question whether election will take place has ended with the submission of closed list of proportional representation candidates to the EC by all parties today”, he claimed, adding, “We are eager to hand the assets of the political parties to them sooner after the elections”.
Also on the occasion, Chief Minister Pandey had clarified that he had also been in favor of elections from the beginning. “Now the environment is turning positive for the polls, which is a matter of joy”, he said, urging the government to perform a bit more responsibly.
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