Terming their two-month-long Mission Grassroots, a campaign started to strengthen the party’s ideological and organisational bases, a ‘success’, the CPN-UML has decided
to work in a way so as to win an
absolute majority in the next general elections.
The campaign was designed after the UML leaders felt the urge to reinvigorate the party’s historically strong but weakening organisational base following the reverses in the November 20 polls last year.
The party came second in the 2022 polls, after the CPN (Maoist Centre) forged an electoral alliance with the Nepali Congress. This was in contrast to the 2017 elections in which the party had gained the first position with 121 seats. The party was under tremendous pressure to strengthen its organisational base after the Maoist Centre—the party whose support is crucial for both the UML and the Congress to muster a majority in Parliament—continued to side with the Congress in the power equation.
“This meeting of the central committee has decided to extend the mission grassroots as Mission-84 or Mission-150—to ensure a majority in the general elections set to take place in
2084 BS,” said Krishna Rai, a politburo member. “Our target is to get 150 seats [in the 275-strong federal lower house] in the next polls, for which we will work harder than ever.”
Due to the party’s merger with the Maoist Centre in 2018 to form the Nepal Communist Party (NCP), the party committees were almost defunct with a large number of members inactive. Many had no defined roles in the organisation of the unified party.
“Actually, the mission found that around a third of our members failed to renew their membership, which was perhaps a reason for the passiveness of a large number of party workers,” Rai told the Post.
The party’s main goal was to update the records of organised members, and the grassroots campaign accomplished 50 percent of the set goals. The campaign renewed contacts down to the area committees—the lowest rung of the party organisation.
Bishnu Rijal, who is the deputy head of the party’s publicity department, said the party has received 119,095 new applications for membership, while 13,238 have already joined it recently.
Despite the two-month-long campaign, the party, however, could not improve its performance in the by-elections. The UML got a drubbing in the April 23 by-elections that were held in three different constituencies—Bara-2, Chitwan-2 and Tanahun-1.
Though the party didn’t lose any seats, it got significantly fewer votes in the three constituencies compared to what it amassed in the November 20 polls last year.
The party gave six major tasks to leaders during the mission—renewal and distribution of new memberships, identifying problems at the local
level, facilitating the local units to resolve their internal disputes, sending unsolved issues to the concerned party committees, attracting promising youths to the party, maintaining the committee system, and helping with the documentation of party members.
According to multiple leaders the Post spoke to, the UML believes that the rise of the newer forces was nothing but an expression of dissatisfaction with old parties and that sentiment could be addressed by such campaigns.
The party plans to bring to its organisation at least three percent of the total population in all wards of the country and to win at least 51 percent votes for securing a lower house majority in the next polls.
“We will complete conventions of all our party committees in the next 12 months, finding fresh leaders to rejuvenate the party,” said Thakur Gaire, another politburo member. “By developing a curriculum, we will also train committees at all levels.”
Under its awareness drive, the party will start nationwide campaigns and struggles against corruption and black marketeering besides raising the issues of livelihoods both in Parliament and on the streets.
The party leaders said they have gotten over 100,000 suggestions, comments and criticisms during their two-month-long campaign, many of which are also directed at the UML leadership.
“Some of them criticised the way our leadership managed the party and have asked for a clean-up right from the top,” said a UML politburo member asking not to be named fearing retribution. “They want the party to take collective decisions, instead of the chair coming to unilateral decisions.”
The fifth central committee meeting held after almost a year was focused on the grassroots mission under the broad campaign of rejuvenating the party whose committees continued to slacken.
In the context of the party’s top leaders being accused of corruption, the central committee decided to help the government investigate the charges without protecting anyone.
“Now, we have no confusion. We will help ongoing investigations against all those involved in suspected cases of corruption,” Gaire told the Post.
However, some political analysts closely following the campaign said the UML failed to reach ordinary voters, and that even a strong organisation was no guarantee of electoral success.
“The political document does not convince me that the UML can appeal to voters and become their prime pick in the next elections,” said Jhalak Subedi, an analyst who follows leftist politics. “The UML is unlikely to get a majority unless a large chunk of the voters of the currently ruling parties come around to vote for them. But then, what if they decide to vote for the newer parties instead?”

Cyber crimes have become a global, borderless phenomena. The rapid growth of internet connectivity and information technology has created ample opportunities for criminals. Nepal too is at a high risk of cyber crimes as the country does not have proper legal procedures to address the ever-evolving cyber crimes. In the past few years the country has faced many security breaches on government websites; in late January, about 1,500 government websites were shut down.
The impact of cyber crimes on an individual level is still more alarming. According to the Bhotahity-based cyber bureau of Nepal Police, in the past four years a total of 16,190 complaints have been lodged. It gets an average of 60 to 70 complaints a day, the majority of them related to the hacking of email, social media passwords and other general issues. Officials at the bureau say they are struggling to tackle complex cyber cases without the aid of specialised technical analysis as well as certified experts.
Here is what you need to know about the changing trend of cyber crimes in Nepal:

What are cyber crimes?
Cyber crimes refer to criminal activities that are done with the help of computers, the internet and digital technologies. These include activities like digital identity theft, hacking, cyberstalking, cyberbullying, phishing and other forms of fraud with the use of the internet and electronic devices. They have emerged as a new challenge to the economy, security, social harmony as well as individual well-being.
According to Statista, an online platform specialised in market and consumer data which offers statistics and reports, as of January this year, there were 5.16 billion internet users worldwide, which is 64.4 percent of the global population. Cybercrime statistics show that by 2022, a minimum of 422 million individuals had been impacted. The internet and new technologies have made peoples’ lives easier. However, they have also brought many negative consequences due to weak cybersecurity measures and lax law enforcement. As technology continues to advance, cyber crimes are likely to be a more persistent threat.
Recently, cyberspace has also been used for geo-political attacks. The recent distributed denial of service (DDoS) attack on Nepal’s websites has mostly been used in geo-political conflicts, notably in the Russian-Ukraine war. Netscout, a US-based cybersecurity company, reported over six million DDoS attacks in the first half of 2022, most of which corresponded with national or regional tensions. DDoS attacks in Finland increased by 258 percent year-on-year in response to its announcement to apply for NATO membership.
Nepal’s National Information Technology Centre (NITC) reported that no data was compromised in the recent attack but given the gravity of DDoS attacks, experts highlight the necessity of thorough digital forensic examinations. As per the Global Cybersecurity Index, which measures the commitments of countries to assess legal, technical, and organisational measures, and capacity development and cooperation, Nepal moved up to the 94th position in 2020 from 106th in 2018. But the country’s overall score remains low at 44.99 (out of 100 points) among 182 countries indexed.

How have cyber crimes evolved in Nepal?
Initially, they started with cases of email and SMS blackmails. But as social media platforms such as Facebook, Twitter, WhatsApp, Skype and LinkedIn became popular, people with criminal mindsets were encouraged to target governments, institutions and individuals.
In January 2017, Nepal saw one of the biggest breaches of the government computer systems, with as many as 58 government websites hacked by a group called “Paradox CyberGhost”. Just two years ago the official website of the President of Nepal was also hacked. And the most recent attack was in Singh Durbar. In late January, about 1,500 government websites were shut, which also affected flights from the Tribhuvan International Airport, raising questions over Nepal’s cybersecurity infrastructure.
Meanwhile, in the past four years, the cyber bureau has recorded 16,190 cases of cyber crimes under different categories like online financial fraud, revenge porn, ransomware attack, defamation, hacking, unauthorised access, among others.
The bureau’s data shows that in the fiscal year 2019-2020 there were only 2,301 cases of cyber crimes lodged. This fiscal year, the number has increased three-fold, to 6,297.
“The number of cyber crimes is steadily inching up, and we are struggling to address all complaints,” said Pashupati Kumar Ray, the bureau’s spokesperson.
Most recorded cyber crimes in Nepal in the past four years are linked to Facebook (4,730), followed by Tik-Tok (447), Instagram (434) and WhatsApp (181). Other platforms such as Twitter, Viber, IMO, and digital wallets are also used by digital fraudsters. Website and email hacking have also become headaches for the victims and the police.

Emerging trends in Nepal
According to the bureau’s data for the past eight months, IT-related financial frauds were the most common cyber crimes. At 955, financial frauds made up 20 percent of the total online crimes in the country, followed by 901 cases of revenge porn, according to Ray. Financial crimes include phishing (attempting to acquire sensitive data such as bank account numbers under a guise), lottery scam including fraudulent offers of work from home and online shopping.
Cases of fake profiles on social media come third, with 898 complaints registered. There were 799 complaints for online blackmailing, and 700 cases of online defamation aimed at assassinating the complainant’s character. In the same period, 648 cases of online harassment and 36 cases of online child sexual abuse were filed.

Why are more Nepalis being targeted?
Cyber crime and Information and Communication Technology (ICT) experts say many people are victimised mainly because they are not literate about cyber security or lack digital awareness. They pointed out Nepalis’ negligence to adopt security measures as another reason.
Cyber security expert Vivek Rana said the youths in the IT sector who used to outsource work are now jobless. They are now looking to make some quick bucks. “We also don’t have cyber regulations and laws to punish offenders. Most of all, the carefree nature of Nepali internet users is to blame.”
Besides that, the lure of easy money has led Nepalis into the traps of online fraudsters.

Who is more vulnerable?
According to cyber bureau, of the total complaints in the past eight months, 36 were of online child sexual abuse.
“Children are more vulnerable because we have found many predators grooming children through online gaming, gifts, and then abusing or exploiting them in some way,” said bureau spokesperson Ray.
There were 38.38 million internet subscribers in the country as of mid-October 2022, according to the Nepal Telecommunications Authority. Internet penetration in the country has now reached far and wide.
Rana says teenagers in rural parts of the country, plus elderly people, are more vulnerable. Many elderly people use mobile phones without understanding the implications of random clicks. The same is true of children. This is why cyber-criminals often prey on them.
“They don’t know much about digital safety. Most of the elderly people share their one time passport [OTP], which is a dangerous practice,” said Rana.

Nepal’s laws and manpower
The country has the Electronic Transaction Act, 2008 as its cyber law. But due to lack of necessary amendments, it fails to cover the ever-evolving cyber crimes or to add to the security of a country’s online infrastructure. The Cybercrime Act-2018 is yet to see the light of the day. With weak laws on online security, Nepal’s cyberspace has become a gold mine for innovative hackers.
Although the government in the first week of March formed a high-level panel to draft a cyber security policy, no one knows when the panel will start working.

What is the way ahead?
Cyber experts say the best way out is to make people digitally aware, for which the government should play a proactive role. ICT expert Satish Krishna Kharel
said there should be a nationwide awareness campaign to check the rise in cyber crimes.
He says awareness should start from schools, while the government should also train and mobilise digital forensic experts in all the seven provinces to prevent large-scale cyber crimes.
Experts further stress the need to give jurisdiction over cyber crimes to all district courts. Plus, all district police offices should have at least a small unit to handle cases of cyber crime locally.
Rana says the banking service providers and digital wallets should adopt and implement online fraud management systems to decrease the risk of financial cyber crimes.
Similarly, the focus should be on creating opportunities for adept ethical hackers who can keep abreast of current evolutions in cyber crimes.

The poll results are expected to energise the largely divided opposition that is banking on forming a united front to challenge Modi in next year’s general election in which he will seek to extend his prime ministership for a third consecutive term. They will also help prospects of the Congress party, which was routed by Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party in the last two national polls and is striving to regain its political prominence nationwide.
The defeat in Karnataka means Modi’s party, which was banking on his popularity, has lost the only southern state it has ever controlled and where its strident Hindu nationalist politics has found relatively slower reception than the rest of the country. Over the past several weeks, Modi had campaigned aggressively in Karnataka, home to 65 million people, and crisscrossed the state by holding huge roadshows.
With vote counting continuing, India’s Election Commission said the Congress had crossed the majority mark of 113 in the state assembly by winning 123 seats and leading in 12 other constituencies. Modi’s party won or was leading in 64 seats. Another regional party, the Janata Dal (Secular), won 20 seats.
Karnataka, one of the wealthiest states in India, voted on Wednesday and full results are expected later Saturday.
Karnataka is the second state Modi’s party has lost to the Congress in the last six months. In December, the Congress unseated BJP in northern Himachal Pradesh, a small state tucked in the Himalayas.
Jairam Ramesh, the Congress general secretary, attributed the party’s win to having fought the election campaign on local issues of “livelihood and food security, price rise, farmer distress, electricity supply, joblessness, and corruption.”
“The PM injected divisiveness and attempted polarisation. The vote in Karnataka is for an engine in Bengaluru that will combine economic growth with social harmony,” Ramesh wrote on Twitter.
Bengaluru, the state capital, is India’s information technology hub and a sought-after workplace for young professionals.
“The markets of hate have been shut down and the shops of love have opened,” Congress leader Rahul Gandhi told reporters at the party headquarters in New Delhi, where his jubilant supporters and party members burst firecrackers and danced to the beat of drums.
Over the past couple of years, Modi’s party had been trying to maximise gains in Karnataka, where communal polarisation between majority Hindus and minority Muslims has deepened after BJP leaders and supporters banned girls from wearing the headscarf as part of their school uniform. According to the 2011 census, India’s most recent, 84 percent of Karnataka’s people were Hindu, almost 13 percent Muslim and less than 2 percent Christian.
Initially, Modi’s party promised to spur development and wooed voters with social welfare measures. However, in the lead-up to the polls it veered toward Hindu nationalism, its usual playbook campaign, and accused the Congress of disregarding Hindu values and appeasing minority groups, particularly Muslims. It also scrapped a 4 percent reservation in job and education quotas for Muslims and distributed them to two Hindu caste groups.
The Congress built its campaign by targeting Modi’s party over rising inflation, allegations of corruption and poor infrastructure development in the state, while promising electricity subsidies, rations to poor families, and financial assistance to unemployed graduates.
The polls were also seen as yet another faceoff between Modi and Gandhi, the scion of the dynastic Congress party leadership who was convicted of making defamatory remarks about the prime minister’s last name during an election rally in 2019. It led to Gandhi’s ouster from Parliament in March and he risks losing his eligibility to run in elections for the next eight years if a court does not overturn his conviction.
Late last year, Gandhi set on a 3,500-kilometre walking tour of Indian cities, towns and villages to rejuvenate the party and win the people’s support. The election in Karnataka is the first of five crucial state polls this year. They are seen as an indicator of voter sentiment ahead of national elections next year.

At 11 am on Saturday, Kathmandu’s Maitighar Mandala, which has for long been a Mecca for dissenting citizens, suddenly came alive with a crowd of about 100 people standing on the road, raising placards with slogans in rhyme. “Bhrastachari ko jaalo/ atti nai garna thalyo,”
read one—meaning, in essence, that the corruption network has crossed all limits. “Ek dui teen char/bhrastachari khabardaar,” read another—one two three four/ the corrupt, beware!
The people were up in arms against the fake Bhutanese refugee scam that has whipped up a storm in Nepali politics. Police have already arrested several high-profile politicians and bureaucrats, including a former home minister, in connection to the scam. A former deputy prime minister is on the run after the court issued an arrest warrant against him. In the scam, racketeers, with the support of home ministry officials, allegedly swindled around 875 Nepali nationals of millions of rupees, promising to send them to the United States as Bhutanese refugees. The scam has riled up Nepalis of all walks of life, with many taking to the streets to protest against it.
Ram Sewak Yadav, 50, is one of them. At Maitighar on Saturday, Yadav was repeating the slogans chanted by the leaders of the protest, visibly enraged. Yadav, who is originally from Saptari, had first come to Kathmandu 30 years ago searching for a job. He makes a living painting houses. He heard about the protest on radio and decided to join in. “I thought it’s about time we root out corruption from this country,” Yadav told the Post. “On one hand, corruption cases are more frequent than ever and on the other, unemployment is at its peak.”
Manchala Jha, a writer and former commissioner at the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, was also among the morning crowd. Jha joined the protest because if culprits are spared now, the corruption nexus will expand and get out of control, she said.
“What could be more pitiful than a ministry responsible for maintaining law and order itself getting involved in corruption and human trafficking?” Jha said.
Alongside former home minister Bal Krishna Khand, police have also arrested Tek Narayan Pandey, a former home secretary who was serving at the Vice President’s Office, and Indrajit Rai, who served as security adviser to the then home minister Ram Bahadur Thapa. CPN-UML secretary and former deputy prime minister Top Bahadur Rayamajhi has been absconding since last week after an arrest warrant was issued against him. His son Sandeep has already been arrested.
Saturday’s protest in Maitighar lasted for about an hour. Another protest was scheduled for 12:30 pm in Naxal, where protesters made a human chain. Several politicians
and civil society leaders were also present.
“Leaders and bureaucrats are indulged in corruption because they lust for luxurious lives,” Saraswati Niraula, a 35-year-old homemaker from New Baneshwar who was part of the protest, told the Post. “It’s enough now. We have become aware and we will not remain silent.”
“If most of the politicians and leaders are looting state coffers, what will be left in this country for our children?” said another protester, Sharmila Magar, 40, from Lamjung.
At the Naxal site, the scorching sun was troubling the protesters but they continued to shout slogans while they sweat.
Yadav, the painter, took a rest and got talking to the Post. “It’s already too late to speak up against corruption,” Yadav said, squinting in the midday sun. “I hope the current protests continue and bear fruits.”

Kathmandu: The United States has returned 40 wooden artefacts to Nepal. Nepal’s embassy in Washington DC said the artefacts dating back to the 19th-20th century were illegally exported from Nepal and confiscated in Honolulu, Hawaii by the United States Customs and Border Protection on August 18, 2010. The government had officially requested the United States government to return the artefacts to Nepal in 2011. The trove of the artefacts handed over to the embassy includes a total of 39 engraved and painted wooden panels and a carved wooden shrine. These artefacts signify various aspects of Lord Buddha’s life and his teachings as well as the Buddhist religious and cultural values and practices. The artefacts will be sent to the Department of Archaeology of Nepal as soon as possible, the embassy said. Prior to this, the embassy had sent seven artefacts—stone statues of Uma Mahesvara, Chaturmukh Shivlinga, Nagaraja, Padmanpani and Shakyamuni Buddha—to Nepal on May 18, 2022, and a wooden statue of Nritya Devi and standing stone statue of Lord Buddha on April 28, 2023. As part of its efforts to recover and repatriate the lost and stolen heritages of Nepal, the embassy has been actively engaged with the relevant agencies of the governments of Nepal and the United States, reads the statement.

KATHMANDU: A running bus caught fire at Dhunibesi Municipality-9 along the Prithvi Highway in Dhading district on Saturday. The bus was heading to Kathmandu from Patle of Nilkantha Municipality-1, said police. There was no human casualty as the passengers and bus staff exited the bus after smoke emerged from the vehicle’s engine. There were 33 passengers on board when the incident happened. Police suspect that an electrical short circuit caused the fire.

DHANKUTA: Police seized 500 kilograms of marijuana and a mini truck in Mulghat, Dhankuta Municipality ward 9, on Friday. According to Superintendent of Police Krishna Prasad Koirala of the district police office, the contraband was seized while it was being transported in the vehicle. Police constable Sher Bahadur Tamang suffered injuries while chasing the truck and its driver, who is at large, said police.

Despite promises made by governments to cut carbon emissions over successive Conference of Parties (COP) meetings since 2015, greenhouse gas emissions continued to increase rapidly in 2022. A slight decrease in emissions in 2020 due to the pandemic demonstrated how such a reduction would save the earth from a series of possible climate catastrophes. The message, however, seems to have been ignored bluntly in favour of the greed for fossil fuel-led economic growth. The latest and most prominent example is the United States. Despite opposition from environmentalists due to its adverse impacts on climate change, the Biden administration approved a huge oil drilling project in Alaska a month ago. Such decisions make it less likely that the global community will achieve a 43 percent reduction in greenhouse gas emissions by 2030 as outlined by the Paris goals of limiting global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius.

New evidence and facts
As planetary heating continues unabated, new evidence and facts about its impacts are emerging every day. Following a dramatic rise in sea surface temperatures, scientists warn that an extreme El Niño is likely to occur this year, which will not only have a direct impact on the monsoon rain that we so desperately depend on for our regional economic activities, including food production, but may also further add to global warming with consequences thereupon. The impacts of planetary heating on the jet streams and the persistent warming of the Indian Ocean have already been felt in the suppression of the westerlies that bring much needed rain and snow during the winter months. Now the steady warming of the oceans is also expected to impact ocean circulation—one of the key stabilising forces of the global climate system. On the terrestrial front, a recent study on the melting glaciers indicated that our understanding of the issues needs to be revisited as new facts emerge. Accordingly, the previous assessments of loss of lake-terminating glaciers in the Himalaya seems to have underestimated the loss by at least 6.5 percent. In sum, the climate crisis has already deepened.
These climate worries continue to pile up on top of many other pressing problems that we face at home. “Delivery” has become a catchword in our political discourse in recent times implying that successive governments have failed to fulfil their promises of growth and development, with people growing disillusioned with the key political parties that have been in power for over three decades. The snowballing results of years of poor governance and mismanagement of economic affairs have started to surface. The economic distress caused by the reconstruction and rehabilitation after the earthquake in 2015, further weakened by the global pandemic since 2020, has already left a deep incision in the national economy. We’d hardly seen any signs of recovery to the pre-pandemic rhythm, and now the country seems to be sliding back into a recession not seen in the last six decades. Key economic sectors plunged sharply. The mining and quarrying, transportation as well as construction sectors have seen negative growth in the second quarter of the fiscal year.
Nepal hasn’t lived through such troubling times in recent memory. Agriculture has suffered due to floods and landslides, untimely rains and prolonged droughts. Reconstruction and rehabilitation of damaged infrastructure and displaced people are an additional burden on the national coffers which have seen better days. Development priorities have been in disarray for decades. The production sectors have been losing confidence due to our import-centric policies, without which the government couldn’t even maintain base revenue levels. Imports are largely supported by the remittance sent home by migrant workers. Frequent change in governments has drained the existing institutions of their ability to deal with the worsening economic situation. Our immediate priorities have pushed climate concerns to the periphery of the policy arena.

Situation of urgency
On a very optimistic note, one could argue that we can always deal with economic issues by taking stringent measures to enhance our institutional capacity and improve governance. This is because we know where the problems are emanating from and how they manifest, but it’s not as simple with the added pressures of mounting climate impacts. Examples of floods and droughts that we have witnessed lately are only a preview of what awaits us. What will happen when the westerlies are further suppressed by planetary heating, or when an extreme El Niño develops bringing with it its severe consequences? How will the resulting events impact our economic, physical and social infrastructures? Under the guidance of experts, the answers to these questions should be sought in Parliament, which has a key role to play in monitoring how public funds are used effectively to assist communities in reducing growing climate risks while executing development programmes.
The newly elected federal Parliament recently formed its parliamentary committees. Unsurprisingly, it failed to form a dedicated environment/climate committee to assure us that the country affords high priority to the protection of our environment. Cross-cutting issues such as the environment and climate change cannot be dealt with in other committees where programmes with sectoral scopes are discussed. Considering the gravity of the growing climate impacts and the fact that we need to centre climate change in the decision-making process, it should have been afforded the highest priority while forming committees so that the diverse constituencies facing these impacts would have been represented during these crucial Parliament deliberations. Unfortunately, that is unlikely to happen now.
We have less than seven years left to meet the Agenda 2030. The time for piloting and learning is gradually slipping away as climate consequences are already being felt over a wider area—be it in terms of climate-induced disasters or a loss of environmental assets. It’s time to put talk into action by recognising climate change as the cross-cutting, intersectional issue that needs to be at the heart of all decision-making of governments from the federal to the local levels. Both private and public agencies that deal with economic activities must be equally engaged and invested. But key questions remain. How can we bring climate change into all decision-making, particularly that of local governments, when we don’t even have a clear understanding of climate impacts at that level? And who will provide directives to do so to all 753 local governments located across such diverse geography?
Despite years of efforts to emphasise economic growth and progress in all spheres of society, deliberations in Parliament and emphasis in the manifestos of the political parties, we couldn’t stop our economy from slipping into a recession. In such a circumstance, there is very little we can expect from the current modus operandi to protect our economy and environment from climate woes, which sadly remain mostly absent from public discourse. This is a matter of serious concern, and we must feel a sense of urgency when acknowledging it. The success of climate policies, plans and strategies will depend primarily on how, and with what degree of gravity, we begin to make decisions climate-responsive at all levels of government.

Technological prowess plays an important role in improving the efficiency and effectiveness of sustainable development. Today, the strength of a nation is measured not only by the volume of its military forces but also through its métier in technological innovation. So developed countries strengthen their existing science and technology bodies by providing them with
logistical and academic support. Moreover, contemporary research and development centres are being established throughout the world. The oldest and independent scientific academy in the UK—the Royal Society—has proven its mettle in promoting excellence in science for the benefit of humanity since 1660. It is a prestigious feat for a researcher to become a fellow
of the Royal Society. The USA-based National Academy of Science (NAS) is equally active in promoting science and technology through various innovative approaches. In addition, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) has been doing groundbreaking research in aeronautics and space exploration since 1958.

NAST in Nepal
In Nepal, the Nepal Academy of Science and Technology (NAST) was established in 1982 to promote scientific research and development. Over the years, it has significantly contributed to developing science and technology in the country. However, due to ongoing political instability and bad governance, the institution appears to have deviated from its mission. Science and
technology seem to be the least prioritised field at the moment. This is supported by the fact that the independent portfolio of the Ministry of Science and Technology (MoST) was discontinued in 2018 and was merged into the then Ministry of Education. The science and technology sector is a secondary concern even within the combined ministry.
Reports reveal that about 70 percent of the workforce at NAST has been curtailed over the last four decades. At the time of its establishment, NAST had 231 employees, which has since been reduced to only 67 permanent employees. Moreover, the government allocates only a meagre annual budget to NAST, which is mostly used to pay the salaries and provide facilities to the employees. Hence, productive and eloquent research and innovations have not been executed for many years. Searching on various reputed research portals, no substantial NAST-affiliated research articles were identified in 2022 and 2023. The Covid-19 pandemic has opened doors for high-impact research in this field. Scores of Covid-19 related research papers attributed to reputed institutes are found on various portals, accounting for only one such NAST-affiliated research on PubMed. These examples show that NAST lags behind in the global scientific arena in executing formidable research.

Political influence
To add to the misery, NAST seems severely influenced by the ongoing political turmoil. The leading national institution for science and technology should have been an independent, self-regulatory and apolitical entity. However, politically appointed office bearers stack its organisational structure. The Chancellor and Co-Chancellor of NAST are the sitting prime minister and education minister, respectively. Even the academic assembly consists of the majority of political appointees, such as the Vice-Chancellor (VC) of the National Planning Commission and VCs of national universities. Furthermore, the VC of NAST is also a political appointee, and with every government change, a sympathiser of the ruling coalition makes his/her way into the post of the executive head of NAST.
It has been more than four months since the tenure of the incumbent VC was over, and a new VC has yet to be appointed. The selection committee has not even done the preliminary homework to nominate the new VC. Likewise, the secretary of NAST is facing grave controversies related to his academic credentials and research. With these organisational bottlenecks, it is obvious that the academy would not have functioned optimally.

Rejuvenating NAST
Despite all the shortcomings, NAST is dedicated to promoting science and technology in Nepal. It is contributing to various scientific aspects, including the launching of a Nepali satellite into space to research on electric vehicles, biofuel and bio-fertilisers. Obviously, the academy still has a lot more to execute. In order to enhance its effectiveness and efficiency, a few things need to be implemented.
First is its alienation from political influence. This is the most difficult, but if implemented, the most effective measure to resuscitate the academy partially converted into a political entity for decades. There are some instances where an active political cadre instead of a career researcher had been appointed as VC. This practice should be ended. NAST should be transformed into a self-regulatory body free of political influence. The provision of the prime minister and the education minister being the chancellor and co-chancellor, respectively, should be obliterated.
Second, NAST should have a clear mission and objectives aligned with the country’s needs. The organisation should focus more on the areas of strategic importance to Nepal, such as agriculture, health, energy, and the environment. It should also focus on developing the skills and knowledge of its staff so that they can contribute to scientific research and development. This involves training programmes and opportunities for staff to attend national and international workshops, conferences, and other scientific events.
NAST should collaborate with other organisations—within Nepal and internationally—to enhance its research and development activities. This would involve collaborations with universities, research institutes, and other organisations to share expertise and resources. The experience and suggestions of Nepali citizens working in leading research institutes abroad will also be beneficial as many international research institutes are interested in cooperation with Nepali counterparts. NAST should utilise these opportunities.
Furthermore, research funding mechanisms should be strengthened to ensure that NAST has sufficient internal resources to accomplish its mission and objectives. This would involve developing partnerships with the private sector, seeking funding from international organisations, and working with the government to secure funding for research and development. The provision of tenure tracking should be strictly implemented in promoting the academic and research staff, research-funding accusation being the main criteria.
In conclusion, restructuring of NAST is necessary to enhance the effectiveness and efficiency of the organisation in promoting scientific research and development in Nepal. The academy should be distanced from political influence, and competent researchers with a sound track record should be appointed to lead the institution. These efforts will help to ensure that NAST is better equipped to contribute towards the development of science and technology in Nepal, thereby supporting the country’s economic and social development.

Joshi is Senior Scientist and Neurobiologist at Martin-Luther University Halle-Wittenberg, Germany.

China has stopped Nepali exports through the Tatopani border point saying there is no demand for the products, according to officials.
The northern neighbour had re-opened the Tatopani border point on May 1 allowing trade to resume after a break of eight years. Three container-loads of bamboo stools, rattan chairs and mattresses then passed across Miteri Bridge on Chinese trucks as Nepali vehicles are not permitted to enter China.
But the next day on May 2, the border was slammed shut again.
“Three containers loaded with plastic utensils have been stranded at the customs yard since May 2,” said Dayananda KC, chief of the Tatopani Customs Office.
“A Chinese agent informed us that there is no demand for such goods,” he said. “The traders are paying Rs5,000 to Rs10,000 in charges daily to the customs.”
The Tatopani-Khasa trade route across the northern border was first closed after the earthquake of April 2015 destroyed the infrastructure. Following the re-opening of two-way trade, traders and locals had become very excited. But the elation did not last long.
KC said five to six containers were arriving in Nepal daily from China. “Imports have increased due to the large volume of goods imported for various development projects, particularly hydropower,” he said.
Before the April 2015 earthquakes, Nepal’s exports to China were booming. Nepal used to send handicrafts, herbs, noodles and hundreds of other goods to Khasa, Shigatse and Lhasa in Tibet.
“Chinese traders have stopped placing orders for Nepali goods. We are in a wait-and-see mode,” said Bijaya Sherpa of the Silk Group.
“As soon as the border was re-opened, Chinese traders had ordered some goods. The Silk Group was preparing to ship various products worth Rs1.96 million. But it’s uncertain now.”
Rajkumar Basnet, president of the Sindhupalchok Chamber of Commerce and Industry, said the Kerung border point was fully open, but exports through Tatopani had been stopped.
“Imports too are not happening as expected. China has reduced trade through Tatopani border under different pretexts. We have become fed up submitting memorandums to the government regarding the opening of the border in a full-fledged manner,” Basnet said. “When will the Tatopani border point operate normally?”
According to him, it takes 12-15 days for goods ordered from any Chinese market or company to arrive in Tatopani from Khasa.
The Tatopani border point, some 115 km northeast of Kathmandu, has historically been the main land route for trade with China.
In the past, porters and mule caravans carried merchandise over the Himalayan passes to various points in Tibet.
Arniko Highway linking Kathmandu and Kodari, which opened in the late 1960s, retraces the old trade route.
The Tatopani Customs Office used to collect more than Rs15 million in revenue daily before the border closed following the earthquake.
Prior to that, apples, garlic, wool, clothes and equipment for hydropower projects used to arrive at the Tatopani border. More than 600 workers loaded and unloaded goods at the customs yard.
According to officials, around 13 goods-carrying containers used to cross the border into Khasa from Nepal, while 100-150 Chinese containers used to arrive daily in Nepal during the town’s heyday.
Local trader Dorje Lama said exporting goods to China involved many hassles.
“Chinese authorities check the goods by unloading them. As a result, it takes around a month for a container to get clearance,” Lama said.
“This rule has been reapplied since May 1, and imports have started to decrease.”
Kumar Shrestha, chairman of Bhotekoshi Rural Municipality-2, said that locals and traders who were elated that their business would recover after China announced reopening two-way trade are disappointed again.
“Everybody is fed up with the abruptly changing policy of China. This shows that China has still not prioritised the Tatopani border,” he said.
Traders and workers of various companies like Silk, Rewang and Rising Star, who were hopeful about the resumption of hassle-free trade through Tatopani, are gradually starting to move to Kerung further west.

Indian billionaire Mukesh Ambani’s streaming platform JioCinema announced premium pricing of 999 Indian rupees ($12) a year, its first step to move away from a free content model to fight global rivals such as Netflix and Disney in the country.
The move comes weeks after a Reliance’s Viacom18 struck a content deal with Warner Bros, that will make available popular HBO and Warner titles such as “Succession” and those featuring the character Harry Potter on the JioCinema platform.
The JioCinema website on Saturday showed the new premium pricing for Hollywood content, with the much-awaited Succession series available for streaming.
Several of HBO’s top-rated shows, including Succession, had aired in India on the Disney Hotstar platform until March 31 as part of a deal between the two companies that ended on that date. JioCinema has become popular for showing the IPL cricket tournament on the platform for free in the ongoing season. The new pricing, according to the website, is only for premium content, while the matches continue to stream for free.
Viacom18 won the IPL digital streaming rights from 2023 to 2027 for around $2.9 billion, rights which Disney previously held.
Karan Taurani, a senior vice president of India’s Elara Capital specialising in the media and entertainment sectors, said Reliance’s streaming offer price was at the lower end versus rivals that but more content would be needed to succeed.
“Only with pure play HBO content you may not get a large scale [of customers] ... 999 definitely is at the lower end of the band, many of the other platforms, they are all in the range of 1,000 plus and it goes up to 2,000” rupees, he said.
JioCinema is in talks with various production studios and has plans to introduce dozens of TV shows and movies on the platform in the coming months, in Hindi and other languages, Reuters reported last month.

Diwas Sapkota is chief executive officer of Fonepay, Nepal’s leading digital payment platform.
He has served in key positions at the firm since its establishment in 2019. Prior to joining Fonepay, he worked in financial institutions like Everest Bank and Nepal Clearing House.
The Post’s Subin Adhikari caught up with Sapkota to talk about the growth of digital payment service in Nepal and its challenges. Excerpts:

What is the current trend of digital payment in Nepal? What inspired F1Soft to launch Fonepay? How is Fonepay different from other digital wallets in the market?
Digital transactions have grown tremendously after the Covid-19 pandemic. In the last couple of years, we have seen a fourfold growth in terms of user numbers. Nepal Rastra Bank, the government and other financial institutions are also giving various incentives for digital payments. Therefore, many users are attracted towards digital payment
systems.
Fonepay was launched in 2019 as a payment system operator (PSO). We are not a digital wallet, but we provide a platform for digital inter-bank transactions to digital wallets, traders and individuals. The digital wallets, which worked individually in the past, have got integrated through our platform now.

Who do you think are Fonepay’s competitors?
At present, there are 10 PSOs operating in Nepal. However, we are the market leader. Almost 90 percent of the financial institutions and digital wallets are integrated with our company. We are encouraging people to transact digitally by providing offers such as cash-back, gift hampers and a free Quick Response (QR) Code to traders. We are leading the entire ecosystem of digital transactions. Therefore, we have been able to build a strong network of 57 partners composed of digital wallets, banks and other financial institutions. We have more than 1 million merchants and 18 million individual users who are benefitting from services like interbank fund transfer, QR and utility payments.

Are you looking for a possible expansion of Fonepay?
Digital transactions are yet to expand beyond Kathmandu. There are various government organisations, businesses and individuals who need to be brought into the digital ecosystem. Moreover, we are also aiming to go international by developing products for foreign companies using local talents, and also by collaborating with them to localise the services and features already available in the international market.
The cost of mobile data is still high for the average Nepali. How has it prevented the public from switching to digital payment?
Obviously, the expensive mobile data, low internet penetration and unreliable network coverage is making the public hesitant to pay digitally, particularly while shopping. To help overcome this issue, we have recently launched the “offline payment” feature through which users can send a certain amount of money to the receiver even if they are offline during the transaction. We are hopeful of making it easy for customers up to some extent. However, the government must try to lower the cost of mobile data and the internet to promote the entire digital ecosystem.

The presence of digital payment in several sectors like public transport and government offices, which handle a high number of daily transactions, is still negligible. What are the factors preventing such institutions from going digital?
Such institutions handle a large number of customers every day, therefore, we also need to keep an eye on internet speed. Until there’s fast internet and seamless integration between payment partners and their systems, it will be tough to shift to digital payment at once. Along with digital payment, their accounting, billing and funds management systems should also go digital for effective operation. Making only payments digital while keeping other things manual is meaningless. But the increasing use of digital payment is creating pressure on them to shift to digital. It’s a gradual process, and we can expect that a majority of them will go digital within a couple of years.

Is Fonepay operating in cross-border markets? Do you have a plan to go international?
Indian markets such as Sunauli and Jogbani see a large number of Nepali customers, so merchants prefer using the QR developed by Fonepay. This is due to the demand for a safe digital payment platform in these markets for Nepali buyers. It shows the trust and preference of the public for Fonepay’s product. We want to enter the Indian market through an official channel, or by taking permission from the Indian government. We want our products to be accepted by all financial institutions in India, and for that, we need support and favourable policy from the Nepal government.
Digital transactions also have some potential risks of fraud and scams. What are you doing to prevent such activities?
Fonepay is a leading promoter of digital and financial literacy. We have been creating and disseminating several educational videos and blogs on our social media to make users aware of the safe use of social media and digital transactions. The majority of those incidents occur through social media.
Therefore, talking only about digital transactions isn’t enough. We are teaching the basics of safe internet and social media usage. We have also proposed that Nepal Rastra Bank create a fund into which all digital payment service providers and system operators would contribute a certain percentage of their income to launch awareness campaigns and financial literacy.

What are your plans for issuing an IPO?
We are working to issue an IPO within a year. If we succeed, we will be the first tech company in Nepal to be listed on the stock exchange. The IPO will give us additional funds for further expansion. Moreover, it will also strengthen our connection with the public.
Being a listed company has both advantages and disadvantages. We will not be able to have an aggressive growth strategy if we go public. But, going public means we are going on a sustainable growth path, and that will add value to the entire ecosystem of digital payment in Nepal.

KATHMANDU: Samsung has launched the Galaxy A24 LTE in Nepal. The mid-range smartphone is equipped with a 6.5-inch Super AMOLED display with a 90Hz refresh rate. The Galaxy A24 LTE’s camera line-up is led by the 50 MP primary rear camera, supported by a 5 MP ultrawide and 2 MP macro lenses. This combined with the 13 MP front camera lens and phone’s built-in OIS makes for an ideal setup to capture some amazing moments. Plus, the phone also holds a powerful 5000mAh battery, with fast-charging Type-C cables, reads the press release issued by the company. The 6+128GB variant of the Galaxy A24 is priced at Rs28,999 while the 8+128GB variant  will be available at Rs31,999.

CALIFORNIA: Apple said on Friday it would open its first online store in Vietnam next week, as the iPhone vendor doubles down on emerging markets to drive growth amid slowing sales in China. The opening on May 18 comes just weeks after the Cupertino, California-based company opened its first Apple stores in India—Mumbai and Delhi. Apple CEO Tim Cook is betting that emerging markets will provide more opportunities for growth, with younger populations and relatively few iPhones. Apple did not say when it plans to open physical stores in Vietnam, which has a population of 100 million people. “We’re proud to be expanding in Vietnam,” said Deirdre O’Brien, Apple’s senior vice president of retail. Online stores often precede the opening of retail stores.

Church Boys United lost their momentum in the title race after they suffered a 1-0 defeat against Tribhuvan Army in the Martyrs Memorial A-Division League in Kathmandu on Saturday.
A win or a draw against Army would have reinstalled CBU to the top of the 14-team standings. But Gillespye Jung Karki surprised them with a decisive header moments before the break as CBU failed to reopen a three-point.
The defeat also ended CBU’s four-match winning streak in the league. It was also CBU’s second loss against the departmental side and their only third defeat overall.
CBU came to the Dasharath Stadium knowing they could not afford to lose if they were to command the league and keep the pressure up on Jawalakhel.
But Army kept CBU under constant threat, with Sesehang Angdembe testing goalkeeper Guillaume Yves Priso with a speculative long range shot in the 7th minute.
Dinesh Hemjan then forced Priso a finger-tip save with almost similar long-ranger from 30 yards out in the 19th minute, this time the shot was more precise and finer and almost beat Priso.
Jung Karki had scored the winner in Army’s 1-0 first leg win over CBU on April 25 and the forward stung CBU again, lifting a long free kick from Jitendra Karki over two defenders and Priso with his head and into the top corner in the 43rd minute.
CBU could not overcome the pressure after the restart as Army held on to their slim lead to span their four-match winless streak.
The win moved Army up to sixth in the table.
Jawalakhel will especially rejoice the CBU’s defeat as they keep the top position having played equal 17 games. Both teams are level on 30 points but Jawalakhel have a better head-to-head record.

Machhindra, Satdobato win
Earlier, Machhindra continued their revival with a 1-0 statement victory against other title chasers Three Star Club at Chyasal Stadium.
After a slow start to their season, reigning champions Machhindra have now re-established themselves as serious title contenders, and their
victory over Three Star is an absolute evidence of their intent to win a third consecutive title.
The latest setback came on earlier this week when they lost 2-1 against CBU that broke their five-match unbeaten streak. But they put aside their hangover and went in front after 10 minutes through Yuta Suzuki, whose deflected shot off a rebound found the back of the net after Three Star goalkeeper Purna Chemjung denied Olawale Afeez.
Three Star dominated the possession throughout the game after conceding but failed to find the target as their winless run continued for six straight matches. The defeat also denied them the opportunity to cut the gap to two points.
Machhindra climbed to third position with 27 points.
Three Star dropped to fifth spot after Satdobato Youth Club thrashed Armed Police Force Club 3-0 in the day’s late fixture at the Dasharath Stadium to move up to fourth.
Dipak Raj Singh Thakuri scored a brace and provided an assist to help Satdobato end their four-match winless run.
William Opoku Asiedu put Satdobato in front in the 13th minute with a beautiful volley after Thakuri squared for him with a lofted pass.
Thakuri doubled Satdobato’s advantage in the 36th minute when his powerful low drive from the edge of the area hit the woodwork before finding the net.
Thakuri then rounded off Satdobato’s victory in the 77th minute with his 12th goal of the season
following a brilliant individual effort. Thakuri is level with Jawalakhel’s Nkoto Masoabi in the goal-scoring chart, which is led by Khumaltar Youth Club’s Messouke Oloumou who has 13 goals.
The win moved Satdobato up to the fourth position with 26 points.

Defender Rasmus Kristensen scored a late equaliser to give Leeds United a share of the points in a thrilling Premier League 2-2 draw with Newcastle United that saw Leeds miss one spot kick, concede two more, and have a man sent off in stoppage time.
Leeds are still in the relegation zone but move up one spot to 18th on 31 points, one point behind Everton in 17th, while Newcastle remain third in the table on 66 points.
“A point today is massive for us, especially with how we did it,” Leeds goal-scorer Ayling told BT Sport.
Leeds took the lead in the seventh minute as Rodrigo got his head on a Patrick Bamford cross and though Nick Pope saved superbly, Leeds captain Luke Ayling was on hand to fire home a rebound.
The home side could have gone two up in the 28th minute when Joelinton bundled over Junior Firpo in the box, but Bamford’s spot kick was saved by Nick Pope, and it was to prove a costly miss minutes later when Newcastle striker Alexander Isak was hacked down by Maximillian Wober.
A penalty was awarded and Callum Wilson stepped up and stroked his effort low into the bottom-left corner to level just over three minutes after Bamford’s miss.
Newcastle were awarded a second penalty midway through the second half when Firpo handled the ball, and this time Wilson blasted straight down the middle to put his side in front.
The drama wasn’t over however, and when Newcastle failed to clear a corner in the 79th minute, Kristensen popped up on the edge of the area to hammer home a deflected equaliser and re-ignite the home crowd’s hopes of top-flight survival as they held on for the draw.
Firpo was sent off in second-half stoppage time for a second yellow card, but Newcastle were unable to make the most of their advantage, much to the delight of the home crowd, who applauded the Leeds players off the pitch.
“We had a chance to go 2-0 up and then that (the Newcastle penalty) happened. In weeks before we’d probably lose that four or 5-1,” Ayling said.
“The fans have been with us all season. It’s been hard for them sometimes. They stuck with us today ... hopefully we can kick on from here.”

Any luck, Bire dai?” the young boy shrieked at the top of his voice and sank into the muddy patch by the lake. He held a plastic bag that contained the materials required to set up a fishing trap. A few yards away from the young boy, Bire stooped and ran his hands over the water’s surface. His eyes were wandering through the dense forest on the other side of Fewa Lake. It looked as though he was contemplating deeply, perhaps about national politics or his economic state. At a distance, children were getting ready to dive into the water.
After not getting a response from Bire, the young boy understood that Bire had not caught a single fish. He was always the first at the junction, but his effort hadn’t produced much success.
“Anything wrong, Bire dai?” the young boy inquired again.
“It’s been three hours and not even a single fish. You were sound asleep, so I didn’t bother waking you up. Have you eaten something?”
Strings of perspiration trickled down Bire’s neck to the frayed collars. The heat was unbearable, so he splashed a handful of water against his sweaty face.
The lake was shimmering on this sunny day; the reflection of tall trees fell gently on the lake. The young boy, whose name was Saney, continued to get his stuff ready for fishing. Each day both would come by 11 in the morning and spend their day by Fewa Lake in hopes that fishes would fall into the trap they set. If they were lucky, fishes would take the bait, and they would earn enough for a day or two. On rare occasions, they got to save money for the future as well.
It looked like luck was not in their favour today. This had happened before too. Every fisherman understood that fishing required patience more than any other thing. On days they couldn’t catch a single fish, they would return home with their shoulders drooped in defeat. When they saw a local bus trailing along on their way home, they would talk about their plan to buy a similar bus. Bire would be the driver, and Saney would collect the fare from the passengers.
That way, their poverty would give way to prosperity.
Bire and Saney were not the original residents of Pokhara. Bire had come to Pokhara from the hills of Baglung and had found a small Saney in the Bindhyabasini temple on the eve of Maha Shivaratri. Bire had gone to offer prayers, and as he was about to ascend the steps of the temple, he spotted a little kid trying to get hold of the railing. At first sight, Bire thought it was someone’s kid and didn’t pay much attention. He noticed a woman selling raw coconuts and went towards her direction.
But even after Bire returned, the kid stood at the same spot, struggling to get his hands on the railing. It was at that moment Bire grew concerned for the little kid. Bire ambled towards the kid. The kid averted his gaze and looked down at its own slipper-less feet. It looked like he feared facing people’s eyes, which made Bire uneasy.
Kneeling, Bire confronted the kid and asked in a soft voice, “Where are your parents, babu?” The kid pointed his finger at the approaching crowd. Bire thought the kid’s parents were coming to get him. Later he discovered he was wrong, as everyone slipped past him and nobody paid attention to the kid.
“Whose kid is this?” Bire asked in a desperate tone. People turned towards Bire and the poor kid, but no one came forward. He tried to communicate with the kid, but the kid wouldn’t speak. Devotees kept frequenting the temple, holding trays and cradling various flowers. Bire waited an hour, hoping someone would show up, claim the kid and take him away. The kid hadn’t raised his head once throughout the incident.
By judging the kid’s appearance, Bire could tell that the kid had suffered enough in his short life. His pants were tattered in places, and a stream of snot ran down his nostrils. At that moment, Bire was overwhelmed with compassion. Standing beside the temple under the scrutiny of god, Bire thought to himself: “I don’t have any siblings. What if I don’t have someone to look after me as I age? Someone that can take care of me?” He pondered some more. “I have always needed a companion, and god blessed me with this little kid on this auspicious day. My little companion.”
From that day onwards, Bire became “Bire Dai” to the little kid. “From now on, your name is Saney,” declared a gleeful Bire.
When Bire left his village, he sold his little property and aspired to live lavishly in the city. Plus, something propelled his guts: a girl named Nanu, whom he had feelings for since childhood, also lived at a hostel in Pokhara. Nanu had no idea of Bire’s feelings for her, for he had never mustered enough courage to spill them out. He had jumped to the chaos of the city without any proper understanding of how things worked there. Once in the city, he didn’t bother searching for Nanu because he knew she would reject him. She was a studious girl! Why would she like someone like him?
At one point in his life, he’d considered going to the Gulf. But after hearing from people about their hardships, he didn’t even bother to get a passport. His fate had tossed him to Pokhara, a place of possibilities, where he was to toll and change his life.
Initially, he started working as a mason, but the contractor was brutal to him and refused to pay on time. There was no option other than tolerating the cruel contractor, so Bire kept working for months until he was offered to work as a goods loader at the shopping centre. The work was easy, but the money he earned barely covered his and Saney’s expenses. With great reluctance, he gave up the job.
One evening, an officer who’d known Bire from his construction work days nudged him at the market and asked if he could paint the house walls. He mulled this over for a moment and decided to do it. Though it was not an area of his expertise, he couldn’t let go of this golden opportunity. Over the months, he found himself inclined to painting.
But the problem was that demand for painters was high only during festival seasons.
When he wasn’t occupied with his painting chores, he would go fishing at Fewa Lake. Saney, who had grown bigger, would cling to Bire’s waist when Bire announced he was going fishing. Saney never liked going to school. He always said, “School doesn’t pay us money. So why should I go and pay them instead?” Bire laughed at Saney’s logic.
How these two lived together without digging into each other’s past showed their love for each other. A question or simple revelation might ruin everything, and both were aware of this. It didn’t matter that they were not connected by blood. What mattered to them was the warmth of the bonding they shared.
After they met, it was as if two missing parts of a puzzle had been sorted into something meaningful. The past year had been hard on them as Bire didn’t get much work. But with Saney grown already, Bire was hopeful that their brotherhood would yield them prosperous times in the future. They had no idea what the future held for them, but they knew that when one stumbled, the other would put in all the effort to prevent his partner from falling.

Gautam is a writer from Pokhara.

Hot water springs located at the coast of Sanibheri in Pokhara, Sisne Village, Ward 4 and the banks of Remai River in Pelma, Putha Uttarganga, Ward 1, seem stranded because of a lack of conservational efforts and publicity. Locals believe that if these springs, which naturally spout hot water all year long, are conserved and promoted, then they can help develop the commercial tourism of the area.
80-year-old Dev Bahadur Khatri from Pokhara remembers swimming and bathing in the hot water spring at Sanibheri as a child. “It has been here for a long time. I used to come here a lot when I was younger. The spring has been producing hot water continuously ever since.”
Another local, Yamraj Khadka, said that even though the village municipality has launched campaigns time and again to try and preserve the hot water spring, they haven’t yielded any results. “The government should have made a result-oriented plan for conservation and implemented it. But all they do is randomly and haphazardly invest in incompetent plans,” stated Khadka.
Krishna Regmi, chairman of the Sisne village municipality, considers the hot
water spring the major tourist attraction of the village. He said the municipality will make a comprehensive plan utilising the past investment to protect and promote
the spring.
Chairman of Putha Uttarganga, Ward 1, Jas Bahadur Sirpali, claims that there are 12 hot water springs around the Rimui River in Polma. Veerman Vick, a local, said that the hot water spring being so near the Remai River is quite significant. “A hot water spring being beside a river that originates in the mountains is unusual. This will spark the interest of many national and international tourists. So, we should conserve and publicise the stream,” he added.
People from all over Nepal come to bathe in the hot springs of Pokhara and Pelma—especially in winter. Because of the absence of good roads, only locals and residents of nearby villages can reach the hot springs of Pelma. Pokhara’s hot springs, on the other hand, get a lot of footfall. Inhabitants of East Rukum and many neighbouring districts all come to bathe there.
Janak KC, a local of Pokhara, said that because only a dam is built in the Pokhara spring, which is located near the district’s headquarter Rukumkot, there is a risk of damage to the structure during the monsoon season when floods are possible in the Sanibheri River. “A more thought-out plan for its conservation is needed. What we are doing now isn’t enough,” he said.
On the other hand, only a pond has been built in the Pelma hot springs. Local Purna Kami believes that the conservation efforts should include collecting the hot water from all the springs in a single place. “People come to bathe in these springs because it is said that the hot water cures skin diseases,” said Kami.

If you are looking for a place to spend the weekend with your family, Hyatt Regency might just tickle your fancy. Hang out at the hotel and enjoy their lavish buffet every Saturday.
Bask in the sun near the swimming pool and relish your lunch at the poolside. Sesame, a recently opened restaurant inside the hotel premises, offers a variety of cuisines on its menu—ranging from Indian and Thai to Continental. And all of this—including soft drinks—will cost a mere Rs3955.
The offer is only available during the daytime on Saturdays. Interested individuals have to book their tables atleast 24 hours in advance via a phone call.

Where: Hyatt Regency Kathmandu
When: Every Saturday
Time: 12:30 pm to 4:00 pm
Price: Rs 3955
Contact: 9801031235