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President Ram Chandra Paudel issued the Cooperative (First Amendment) Ordinance, 2083 on Thursday. 

President Paudel, on the recommendation of the Council of Ministers, issued the ordinance in accordance with Article 114 (1) of the Constitution, said Ritesh Kumar Shakya, the Spokesperson for the Office of the President. 

The Nepal Electricity Authority (NEA)'s subsidiary company 'Nepal Digital Infrastructure Company' has come into full operation. 

The Company has been brought into operation to completely transform the information technology and telecommunication sectors of the country, the NEA said. 

"The Company adopting the concept of sharing infrastructure is expected to play a significant role in enhancing urban beauty, expanding internet access in remote areas, and advancing integrated development of information technology systems," said NEA's Executive Director Hitendra Dev Shakya. 

According to the NEA, the subsidiary company will provide infrastructure to internet service providers in a 'plug-and-play' format. 

It is shared that using the NEA's infrastructure will significantly reduce capital expenditure of service providers, offering direct benefit to consumers in the form of cheaper internet. 

The company will lease the optical fiber, underground ducts, and poles with the Authority as 'passive assets.' 

The company will prioritize removing the tangled wires, which is a major problem in the Kathmandu Valley. 

"We expect that sharing underground pipes will not only restore urban beauty but also reduce the risk of fire and accidents caused by intertwined electricity and telephone wires," Shakya said. 

The Development, Economic Affairs and Good Governance Committee under the National Assembly has urged the government to immediately address the problems related to drinking water, sanitation and hygiene in Madhes Province.

At a discussion the committee held on its report on Thursday, its members expressed worry over growing crises of drinking water compounded with poor sanitation and coordination in a short supply. 

Committee member Kamala Panth said the government failed to pay heed in time, resulting in entrenched problems of drinking water and sanitation in southern plains.

"Deep borings are not functioning well for lack of depleting water table, and projects on drinking water are pending for long, thereby posing serious concern for Madhesi people.

Another member Rekha Kumari Jha viewed plans and programs should be forwarded by realizing the plights of the people in Madhes Province.

Wiping out legal hurdles is essential to establish smooth coordination among three layers of government. 

So, public awareness programs should also be launched together, according to Samjhana Devkota.

It was Sabitri Malla underscoring the effectiveness of 'open-defecation free' status in Madhes, to which the forthcoming federal budget could pay attention.

Other members noted the urgency of conducting scientific study on Chure deforestation and depletion of water table, and ending the trend of not enforcing policy and programs.

The Nepal Stock Exchange (NEPSE) plunged by 5. 73 points to close at 2, 738. 72 points on Thursday. 

Similarly, the sensitive index dropped by 0. 07 points to close at 464. 43 points.

A total of 10,977,783-unit shares of 346 companies were traded for Rs 1. 55 billion.

Meanwhile, Shreenagar Agritech Industries Limited (SAIL)  was the top gainer today with its price surging by 12. 57 percent.

Likewise,  Corporate Development Bank Limited (CORBL) was the top loser as their price fell by 10. 38 percent.

At the end of the day, the total market capitalization stood at Rs 4. 67 trillion.

The Supreme Court has issued a mandamus order, asking the government to conclude the long-pending transitional justice by speeding up investigations into the complaints over conflict-era cases.

A constitutional bench comprising Acting Chief Justice Sapana Pradhan Malla, justices Dr Manoj Kumar Sharma, Dr Nahakul Subedi, Abdul Ajiz Musalman and Tek Prasad Dhungana ordered the Truth and Reconciliation Commission and the Commission on Investigation of Enforced Disappeared Persons to ramp up investigation into the complaints and ensure transitional justice to the conflict-era victims.

Spokesperson at SC, Arjun Prasad Koirala, said that the mandamus was issued to clear obstruction to access to justice. Effective investigation was imperative to finalize transitional justice. The SC also reminded the government of directive orders issued previously on it.

The third amendment to the Act relating to the transitional justice mechanism, 2081 was in the spirit of international standard, SC verdicts and laws, according to SC. 

Senior member of the then Constituent Assembly, Kul Bahadur Gurung, and advocate Dr Gyan Bahadur Basnet had filed a writ petition, making defendants to the Prime Minister's Office and arguing that the third amendment to the Act was unconstitutional.

However, the petitioners had demanded quicker conclusion of transitional justice by holding thorough investigation into the complaints. 

The third amendment to the Act has replaced the term 'serious violation of human rights' with 'human rights violation' or 'serious violation of human rights'.

In the writ petition, Gurung and Basnet had demanded inclusion of only 'serious violation of human rights'.

The air quality in the Kathmandu Valley, which had deteriorated sharply last week, has improved. 

The pollution, which increased due to dry weather and forest fires, has gradually started to decrease with the rain.

According to the Air Quality Index (AQI), last week the air quality index rose to 247. 

As this level falls into the 'very unhealthy' category, experts had expressed concern that it could seriously affect the health of the general public.

According to AQI's data, last week Kathmandu was listed as the world's most polluted city, but today it is ranked 26th.

Today, pollution has decreased to an AQI of 79, which still falls into the 'unhealthy' category.

According to the AQI standards, a range of 0–50 is considered 'Good', 51–100 'Moderate', 101–150 'Unhealthy', 151–200 'Unhealthy for everyone', 201–300 'Very Unhealthy', and above 300 'Hazardous'.

Director General of the Department of Environment, Gyanendra Subedi, stated that air pollution has reduced recently due to sufficient rainfall and strong winds.

“When there is no rain for a long time, dust and smoke accumulates in the atmosphere, forest fires increase, and the smoke from them settles in the valley, resulting in high pollution. 

Moreover, polluted air coming from neighbouring India also affects the air quality in Kathmandu,” he added.

He stressed that the concerned authorities must effectively implement sustainable and environmentally friendly development measures to control pollution.

A total of 2, 634 tourists visited the Shuklaphanta National Park in the first six months of the current financial year. 

Among them, 1,629 were men and 1,005 were women, according to the park office.

Similarly, the number of domestic tourists visiting the national park is 2,278. In addition, 244 tourists from SAARC countries, including 49 women and 195 men, and 112 tourists from other countries, including 49 women and 63 men, visited the national park, said Purushottam Wagle, the National Park Information Officer.

During this period, the highest number of tourists visited the park in Chaitra (March 15- April 13), with 621 visitors. 

Similarly, 580 tourists visited the park in Kartik (October 17 – November 15), 293 in Mangsir (November 16 – December 15), 376 in Poush (December 16 – January 14), in Magh, 369, and 386 tourists visited the park in Falgun (February 13 – March 14). 

Information Officer Wagle stated that revenue of Rs 1. 46 million was collected from the visitors as entry fee.

This park, full of biodiversity, rare wildlife and a peaceful environment, is becoming a favourite among tourists. Although there was a slight decline in the number of foreign tourists visiting here after the COVID pandemic, that number has been increasing in recent years.

"This park, which has the largest grassland in Nepal, is home to leopards, deer, and rare wildlife, as well as various plant species. Both domestic and international tourists visit here for observation along with carrying out studies and research about the area with natural beauty and biodiversity," Wagle said.

According to the park's data, 3,762 people, including 132 foreign and 112 SAARC country tourists, visited the park in the fiscal year 2080/81.

In the fiscal year 2081/82, 3,322 people visited the park, including 199 tourists from SAARC countries and 152 foreign tourists from other countries.

Shuklaphanta National Park, spreading over an area of 305 square kilometres, is known for its rhinoceroses. The park has more than 2,323 swamp deer.

A woman and her 13-year-old daughter were injured in a wild elephant attack near Bahundangi Chowk in Mechinagar Municipality-4, Jhapa. 

According to the Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) of Jhapa, Khagendra Bahadur Khadka, Sunita Bajracharya (38) and her daughter Yabadra were injured in the incident. 

Both of them have sustained serious leg injuries, police said.