Submit your Article

The Survey Office and the Land Revenue Office will go for a merger. The process has been forwarded to merge the offices in a bid to make service delivery effective and reduce problems facing service seekers in reaching the two separate offices of the same kind in terms of service they provide, said Dr Damodar Regmi, secretary of the Ministry of Land Management, Cooperatives and Poverty Alleviation. The merger will also help save some government expenditures, he added. "There is a need for all to have land ownership irrespective of those having land or landless people. The Survey Office should create an environment conducive for all to have land ownership by collecting details of the lands," he said. Similarly, the Survey Department Director General Janak Raj Joshi said the merger was as per the demand of people.

The Election Commission (EC) has launched a voter education training for volunteers in all three constituencies for the HoR by-election scheduled for April 23. The two-day training to be held on April 10-11 will prepare volunteers, two of them to be deployed at each of Bara constituency 2, Tanahun constituency 1 and Chitwan constituency 2, it has been said. Election commissioner Dr Janaki Kumari Tuladhar inaugurated the training at Tanahun constituency 1, the EC secretary Gokarna Mani Duwadi at Chitwan 2 and under-secretary Surya Prasad Aryal- at Bara 2. The volunteers are tasked with providing voter education. Their remuneration is Rs 1,000 per day.

The Nepal Telecom Authority has directed Smart Telecom Pvt Ltd to operate its services in an easy and smooth manner. The Authority issued this directive to the organization regarding the service of the Smart Telecom Pvt Ltd not functioning at some places of the country. The Authority said telecom service should be operated in an efficient manner where the service recipients could use the service without any obstruction until the permission of telecommunication service terminated. It was the responsibility of the telecom service providers to operate the service continuously by following the rules and laws as telecom service has been classified as the most essential service.    

Lawmaker and Nepali Congress general secretary Gagan Kumar Thapa has suggested to the government to immediately hold dialogue with the Kathmandu Metropolitan City (KMC). Speaking in the meeting of the House of Representatives today, Thapa urged Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal to hold discussions with KMC without any delay and prejudice. "Let dialogue be held promptly with the metropolis regarding its decision of not collecting garbage from Singha Durbar and other places. Topics that have to be sorted out now should be done so. The justified demands (of KMC) should be fulfilled," he said and called for also involving the people's representatives from the Kathmandu Valley in this dialogue process. KMC has not picked up the garbage from Singha Durbar and places citing the Federal Government have not lent enough support to it in its plan of making the metropolis well-managed. Lawmaker Thapa said, "Let the Prime Minister take the initiation today itself and hold talks with KMC to address the conflict seen with the KMC. This matter should be finalized and also it should not be abandoned thinking that the matter is addressed for now. Let the Federal Government bring the required legislation in the parliament. We are ready to work to that end." Stating that a conflict has been seen between Bag Durbar (read KMC) and Singha Durbar (the Executive), he said, "We will debate whether the local government's style, language, tone while pressing for getting its demands heard by obstructing the essential services is right or wrong."

Biska, the cultural and historical festival, which is exclusively observed in Bhaktapur, formally began today. Devotees have flocked to Taumadhi to pay homage to the deity Bhairav since the morning marking the commencement of the festival. After the worship to Bhairav concludes, the chariot procession of the Bhairav will begin, it is said. The Biska festival commenced with the towing of the Chariot of Bhairav after performing all the associated customary rituals. The idols of Bhairav and Betal are installed in the chariot along with the sword and flag brought from Hanumandhoka in Kathmandu. The chariot is pulled in a procession from local Taumadhi to Gahiti. The festival is observed in a grand way for eight nights and nine days with the celebrations of various rituals including the Sindur Jatra and the tongue-piercing ceremony. Chief District Officer Khagendra Prasad Rijal said all necessary preparations are in place to prevent any untoward incidents during the festival and conclude it peacefully. Police Range Bhaktapur's Superintendent of Police Prajit KC said around 700 security personnel have been mobilized for the festival.

The Kathmandu District Court has ordered the police to produce a doctor who was involved in the medical examinations of a minor allegedly raped by cricketer Sandeep Lamichhane before the court. A single bench of judge Shankar Raj Baral on Sunday gave a verdict in this regard. The order seeks the police to present three people including the doctor who actually carried out medical examinations on the girl before the court for recording their statements, according to Court's information officer Deepak Dahal. The court said that the doctor, who was involved in the medical examinations of the girl after she registered a police case against Lamichhane for rape, was on leave and the statement of another doctor was recorded in place of the actual doctor. Lamichhance faces the charge of raping the 17-year-old girl. She filed the case against him on September 6 at the Metropolitan Police Circle, Gaushala. The Patan High Court on January 12 ordered his release on bail.  

The Ministry of Health and Population has urged one and all to be vaccinated against COVID-19 in view of the increasing Covid-19 infection. The Ministry has asked all to take the anti-COVID-19 shots as the infection is increasing daily. Joint spokesperson of the Ministry Dr Samir Kumar Adhikari has called on all to take the first, second and booster dose vaccines considering the increase in the infection cases over the last some days. The number of infection cases that had dropped to nil is now increasing daily. Sixty-four cases were detected on Saturday alone and the total number of infections is 356 at present. In the Kathmandu Valley alone, 15 persons were receiving treatment in isolation, eight in ICU and five in ventilators. Big hospitals in the Valley including in Kathmandu are providing booster dose vaccines at present. Anjana Khadka, Information Officer at the Health Office, Kathmandu, said the booster dose is being given at the Bir Hospital, TU Teaching Hospital, the Shukraraj Tropical and Infectious Disease Hospital, the Civil Service Hospital, Armed Police Force Hospital and Nepal Police Hospital. Similarly, the local governments of Kathmandu are providing the vaccination service at various places as per the need. A genetic study carried out some days back had detected the presence of a new variant of the Coronavirus, Omicron XBB.1.16, for the first time in Nepal. The Ministry has also urged one and all to stay in isolation and go for COVID test immediately after developing any symptoms of the infection.  

Some educational institutions in Tulasipur in Dang district will give discounts of up to 20 percent on the enrollment of children of transport workers. Some educational institutions in Tulasipur have reached an agreement to give a discount to children of transport workers on the initiatives of the All Nepal Transport Workers' Union, said the union central deputy general secretary Ghana Shyam Dangi. As per the agreement, the schools including Divine Temple Academy, Gyan Jyoti Foundation, Sagarmatha Balbatika English School, Aadarsha Academy, P&P Pathshala, Rapti Public English Boarding School, and Trimurti Himchuli English Boarding School will provide up to a 20 percent discount on the enrolment of children of transport workers.  "We all work for life sustenance. But, the situation of transport workers is miserable. So, we took initiatives in this regard," he said. Likewise, some hospitals including Rapti Life Care Hospital and Tulasipur City Hospital will give a discount to children of transport workers, said the union Dang district chairperson, Chhabi Prasad Basnet. A discussion is underway to expand the discount scheme to all educational institutions and health facilities in the district, he added.