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Sudurpashchim Royals clinched a 29-run victory over Kathmandu Gorkhas in the fourth match of the Nepal Premier League (NPL) at the Tribhuvan University International Cricket Ground in Kirtipur on Wednesday.

Batting first after Kathmandu elected to field, Sudurpashchim were bowled out for 147 runs in 20 overs. The innings got off to a shaky start with three wickets falling for just four runs. Captain Dipendra Singh Airee steadied the innings with 39 off 30 balls, while Harmeet Singh produced a blistering 53 from 20 deliveries, including six sixes, to lift the total.

Kathmandu’s skipper Karan KC led the bowling attack with four wickets for 30 runs. Rashid Khan and Milind Kumar picked up two wickets each.

In reply, Kathmandu managed only 118 runs in 16.5 overs. Despite a solid start from opener Aakash Tripathi, who scored 34 off 30 balls, the team struggled to build partnerships. John Simpson contributed 24, but regular wickets derailed the chase.

Sudurpashchim’s bowlers delivered a disciplined performance, with Harmeet Singh, Scott Kuggeleijn and Hemant Dhami taking two wickets each. Kathmandu collapsed from 96-5 to 118 all out, falling short of the target by 29 runs.

The Nepal Premier League continues on Thursday with Chitwan Rhinos set to face Lumbini Lions in Kirtipur.

Nepal is seeing an increasing flow of Foreign Direct Investment (FDI), bringing both opportunities and challenges to the country’s economy. FDI occurs when individuals, companies, or investors from other countries put money into Nepalese businesses. This could mean building factories, opening hotels, setting up IT companies, or purchasing shares in existing enterprises.

Unlike simple trade, FDI means that foreign investors become a part of Nepal’s economy, contributing not only money but also skills, technology, and know-how. Over the past few years, the Nepalese government has worked to create a favorable environment for investors by simplifying laws, streamlining approval processes, and offering incentives in priority sectors. These measures are intended to encourage investment across agriculture, tourism, manufacturing, energy, and technology. FDI plays a critical role in Nepal’s development because it brings much-needed capital for growth, generates employment, transfers technology, and strengthens the country’s global economic connections.

Recent data through Sept 2025 highlights a promising trend for Nepal. During the first two months of the fiscal year, Nepal secured Rs 33.09bn in FDI commitments across 236 projects, including 225 small-scale, four medium-scale, and seven large-scale industries. The agriculture sector accounted for the highest value of commitments, with Rs 21.598bn pledged for nine projects. Tourism followed with Rs 6.692bn for 79 projects, while manufacturing, services, and energy sectors received Rs 1.24bn, Rs 2.815bn, and Rs 182.55m, respectively. Additionally, the Information Technology sector secured Rs 562.754m across 120 projects. These investments are expected to generate employment for thousands of Nepalis, provide new opportunities for local businesses to partner with foreign investors, and bring in advanced technologies and modern business practices.

Since the establishment of the Department of Industry, Nepal has approved 7,475 projects with total FDI commitments amounting to Rs 684.51bn. Despite the strong commitments, only a portion of this promised investment has been realized, with net FDI inflows for fiscal year 2023/24 totaling Rs 8.4bn, marking a 36.1 percent increase from the previous year. The total FDI stock in Nepal as of mid-2024 reached Rs 333bn, with the service sector holding the largest share at 40.5 percent, followed by industry and manufacturing at 29 percent each. Investors originate from around 60 countries, with India, China, Singapore, Ireland, and South Korea topping the list, while Bagmati Province continues to receive the highest concentration of investments, accounting for 62 percent of total FDI stock.

Several reforms and government initiatives have contributed to this upward trend in investment. Legal changes have simplified procedures for investors, including the introduction of an automatic approval route for certain projects, allowing investors to receive faster approval without multiple layers of bureaucracy. Foreign investors can now invest through registered venture capital or specialized funds, while some restrictions remain in certain agricultural sectors, such as dairy or vegetable production, unless projects focus on exports.

The Department of Industry has also improved visa arrangements for investors, their representatives, and family members, making Nepal a more welcoming destination for foreign capital. Faster approval processes reduce delays and costs, encouraging investors to launch projects promptly. The government’s support, combined with sector-specific incentives and reforms, has improved Nepal’s appeal as an investment destination and fostered confidence among international companies looking to participate in the country’s economic growth.

Despite these positive developments, challenges remain in ensuring that FDI commitments translate into actual investments. Historically, only about 31.9 percent of approved projects are realized due to delays in project implementation, long setup times, or changes in investor priorities. Weak infrastructure, including limited access to reliable electricity, water, and transport networks, continues to impede large-scale projects, particularly in less developed regions. Governance and risk management remain concerns for investors, as corruption, bureaucratic delays, and uncertainties about property rights can affect the safety of capital and the return on investment.

Long-term projects, such as hydropower plants, industrial complexes, and large-scale tourism initiatives, require stability, robust regulatory frameworks, and efficient administration. Furthermore, foreign investors often need guidance on repatriation of profits and management of financial obligations to avoid excessive debt accumulation. These factors highlight the importance of addressing institutional weaknesses, upgrading infrastructure, and ensuring transparent and predictable legal processes.

Corporate law firm in Nepal have emerged as vital partners in supporting foreign investors. These firms provide comprehensive legal guidance on FDI regulations, company registration, tax obligations, and compliance requirements. They assist investors in setting up businesses, whether as joint ventures with local partners or as wholly foreign-owned entities.

Legal experts also draft and negotiate complex agreements, including Share Subscription Agreements, Share Purchase Agreements, and Technology Transfer Agreements. Law firms support investors in obtaining regulatory approvals, managing visas, and resolving disputes, ensuring contractual rights are protected. By advising on finance structures, dividend repatriation, and ongoing compliance, corporate law firms reduce risk and improve the likelihood of successful long-term investment.

With the right legal and regulatory support, combined with continued reforms and government incentives, Nepal has the potential to leverage FDI as a powerful engine for sustainable economic growth, regional development, employment generation, and technological advancement, ultimately benefiting the country’s economy and its citizens.

Prabin Kumar Yadav

Kathmandu School of Law

The government has missed its revenue target for the first four months of the current fiscal year, collecting just 77.49 percent of the planned amount. The government has set a target to raise Rs 1,480bn in fiscal year 2025/26 which began in mid-July. However, revenue collection by the end of the first four months stood at Rs 329.51bn, significantly below the target for the period. The government had aimed to mobilize Rs 425.23bn by mid-November.

The shortfall is particularly stark for the fourth month (mid-October to mid-November). Total collection during the period stood at Rs 78.33bn against the targeted Rs 103.7bn. Total revenue collection over the first four months of the current fiscal year, however, was marginally up compared to the same period of the previous fiscal year. According to the finance ministry, total revenue collection in these four months was up 6.53 percent compared to the same period of the last fiscal year when the government mobilized Rs 329.02bn.

Breakdown of the revenue data shows that customs duty remained the largest contributor to the government revenue. But mid-November, the government collected Rs 74.59bn from customs duty. Of this, imports generated Rs 60bn, exports brought in Rs 660 million, while infrastructure tax amounted to Rs 5.66bn. Other customs-related income included Rs 240 million in miscellaneous revenue, Rs 2.45bn in agriculture reform fees, Rs 3.75bn in road maintenance charges, and Rs 1.76bn in road construction and upgrade fees.

Value Added Tax (VAT) remained the government’s largest single revenue source in the revenue period, generating Rs 101.71bn in the first four months. VAT from domestic production, sales and services contributed Rs 44.92bn, while VAT from imports reached Rs 62.19bn. Excise collection reached Rs 62bn during the period. The government also mobilized Rs 2bn from education service fees and Rs 61.15bn in income tax. Non-tax revenue stood at Rs 1.27bn.

Despite the slight year-on-year growth, the inability to meet periodic targets has raised concerns about the government’s ability to achieve its ambitious annual revenue goal. Officials say sluggish imports, subdued economic activity and lower consumption continue to weigh on revenue performance.

The government missed its revenue target by nearly 17 percent in the previous fiscal year as well. Of the Rs 1,419bn it had aimed to collect, only Rs 1,178bn was raised, underscoring a continuing trend of underperformance in revenue mobilization.

The government has failed to meet targets on spending fronts as well. According to the Financial Comptroller General’s Office, government spending over the first four months of 2025/26 remained sluggish, with capital expenditure performing especially poorly. Of the total Rs 407.88bn allocated for capital spending this fiscal year, only Rs 25.62bn—just 6.28 percent of the target—had been utilized during the review period. 

Overall treasury expenditure reached Rs 470.10bn, or 23.93 percent of the annual allocation. Recurrent spending stood at Rs 321.89bn, equivalent to 27.26 percent of the target, while financing expenditure, which is used to service public debt, amounted to Rs 122.58bn, or 32.67 percent of the target. The government met 81.87 percent of its spending targets in the previous fiscal year.

Prime Minister Sushila Karki has called an all-party meeting on Wednesday.

According to the Prime Minister's Secretariat, the meeting has been called for 4 pm at the Office of the Prime Minister and Council of Ministers today to discuss the current government's priorities.

The interim government, headed by Prime Minister Karki, is committed to ensuring the successful conduct of the House of Representatives election set for March 5.

The Bala Chaturdashi festival is being observed throughout the country today by commemorating the departed souls.

Devotees have gathered in the Shiva temples including the Pashupatinath Temple since last night to observe the festival.

In the night, they light lamps in commemoration of the departed family members and spend the night observing a vigil. In the wee hours the next day, the devotees sow the Satbeej (seven kinds of grains) along the premises of the shrines this morning. 

The festival formally began on the night of the 13th day of the waning moon in the month of Mangsir and is concluded today by spreading the Satbeej along the premises of shrines of Hindu god Shiva.

A large number of devotees have thronged the Pashupatinath Temple to observe the Bala Chaturdashi festival. Those unable to visit reached the temples of Shiva nearby their residences and localities and observed the festival.

Four houses were destroyed in a fire at Temba Bazaar in Mikkakhola Rural Municipality-4, Taplejung on Tuesday.

Vice Chairman of the rural municipality, Dandu Lama Sherpa, informed that the houses belonging to Indra Kumar Sanwa, Raj Kumar Sanwa, Anil Sanwa, and Bishnu Sanwa were gutted in the fire.

Everything in the houses turned into ashes. However, the human loss was prevented in the fire.

Detailed information on the incident is awaited, according to the District Police Office, Taplejung.

The Weather Forecasting Division has predicted fair weather across the country today.

There is no impact of any noticeable weather system in Nepal at present.

However, it will be partly cloudy in the hilly regions of Koshi, Bagmati, Gandaki and Karnali Provinces in the afternoon.

Few places in the mountainous belt of Koshi Province may have light rains and snowfall.

The weather remains 20-to-22-degree Centigrade maximum in the Kathmandu Valley. The minimum temperature recorded at 5:30 am was 9.4 degrees Centigrade today.

Irrespective of numerous projects and plans forwarded and put in place by government and NGO initiatives on health, sanitation and public awareness in Madhes Province, an appalling fact has been revealed that a local level alone has over 4,000 households without toilet facilities.

Lahan Municipality of Siraha district was found to have no toilets for 4,200 households. It was disclosed after a recent survey conducted by the municipality itself. 

Of 24,700 houses in the municipality, 17 percent were deprived of access to toilets, posing a serious threat to health and sanitation.

Municipality Mayor Mahesh Prasad Chaudhary shared this information by organizing a press conference on Tuesday.

Contradictorily, Lahan Municipality was declared an open defecation free zone in 2017. "It is worrying that such a huge number of households are running without basic needs. Time has come to change the situation by reaching every household," he said.

Dalit, landless, poor and disaster-prone settlements are continuing open defecation. The local level made the preliminary analyses that lack of fecal sludge management center clean water was perpetuating the problem. Even the toilets built earlier were left useless, unrepaired.

Proper places for setting up toilets would be identified for the landless people. Even the settlement of the landless squatters could be changed along with the sanitation facility, he added.

The municipality has further planned to mobilize people's representatives, social activists, community associations, schools and youth groups for three months to visit the houses and remind the people of the need for toilets.

"Toilet is not only for defecation but an indication of health and dignity," Mayor Chaudhary said, adding that the sanitation drive is successful only when it has people's participation.

Meanwhile, World Toilet Day is observed every year on November 19.

Across the globe, 3.4 billion people are still living without safely managed sanitation.