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I’m a 21-year-old student, whose panic attacks and anxiety have been worsening lately. I feel like I’m a burden to everyone and everything bad that happens is my fault. Sometimes, I blame everyone else for the terrible things that happen to me. It feels like I’m just looking for people to pin the blame on. Also, I constantly think of locking myself in a dark room because I feel lonely all the time. It happens in moments when I’m minding my own business or having a casual conversation. I don’t know what this is but I know it’s not normal. How can I get out of this?—RR Answered by Kapil Sharma, counseling psychologist, Nepal Institute of Mental Health Transitioning from a teenager to a young adult means going through a lot of changes mentally, so you might be facing some uncertainty issues. That is completely natural. But you have mentioned that your panic attacks and anxiety have been worsening lately which means the intensity of your problem is increasing. Usually, in these cases, some triggering factors push one towards mental breakdown, for instance, panic attacks. Figuring out what that triggering factor is is the first step to take.  You must address whether a certain situation makes you happy, sad, or angry. Sometimes, things around us trigger our breakdowns and, in most cases, we are unable to notice that. One thing I want you to do is to ask yourself why you are getting anxiety or a panic attack in situations like this. Look around yourself. There must be something or someone that triggered your reaction.  When you figure that out, you can move on to managing your emotions. For some, avoiding situations that make them emotionally and mentally unstable is the best solution. But you can also try another exercise, where you need to list down five good things about the person or a thing that has been bothering you psychologically. It will be difficult at first, but you will slowly get used to it with practice. Managing symptoms is one thing, but treating them is another. For that, I suggest you visit a psychiatrist as s/he will be able to give you a proper diagnosis. With proper medication, that is if needed, and the right guidance from a mental health professional, the process of healing will be much more comfortable for you.  Now, your tendency to repeatedly blame yourself has led you to believe that everything is your fault, which I hope you know isn’t true. You can help yourself by trying to figure out whether you have this feeling towards everyone, a particular group, or an individual. Also, it’s better to inquire if something is your fault, rather than making an assumption. That will help you gain self-confidence and stand up for yourself, which will eventually make you feel better. Also, you mentioned your tendency to blame others when you are suffering transcends what you are used to. Again, you should question and rationalize whether it’s just everyone or whether there are any specific people you are infuriated with. At times like this, it’s best to have someone by your side who can support and understand you emotionally.  I understand that sometimes it’s not easy to share your innermost thoughts and feelings. In times like that, express yourself by journaling, where there are no boundaries. You can be as honest as you can. Journaling will not only help you to identify things that have been dragging you toward loneliness but also help you reflect on yourself. It can be a way of answering questions like what you truly want, and how you can work on obtaining that. 

Krishna Tamrakar became a household name when radio ruled the roost and TV culture was still in its infancy in Nepal. She ruled the airwave for six decades as a news broadcaster and program presenter. Born in Banepa, Kavrepalanchok, Tamrakar was 12-year-old when she left for India with social worker Tulsi Mehar Shrestha for schooling. She got her BA degree in Nepal and joined Radio Nepal as a deputy editor and news presenter for a Hindi bulletin in 1962. Tamrakar made a switch to a Nepali language presenter four years after joining the state-owned radio station when King Mahendra banned the Hindi language broadcasts. She was passionate about her radio job for which she even turned down the offer of becoming a gazetted officer. When Tamrakar started her radio career, she was among a handful of women working in the media industry; women presenters were rare during those days. While working for Radio Nepal, Tamrakar also got the opportunity to take part in various training sessions. In 1971, she left for the UK in order to take part in a yearlong training on radio production organized by the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC). She also trained in Germany for two years to hone her skills as a radio presenter. Tamrakar’s work and dedication as a radio journalist did not go unnoticed. In 1999, she was awarded by Albert II, the former king of Belgium, with the Global 500 Roll of Honour, an award instituted by the United Nations Environment Program, for her program on environment. “She was loved by everyone,” says Micheal Chand, a former colleague of Tamrakar. “One would not expect someone this successful and yet modest and humble at the same time.” Despite being much senior and experienced, Chand says Tamrakar was always appreciative of him and other junior staff members at Radio Nepal. “I would tell her how grateful I was to have learned so much from her. And she would reply in her ever so soft and humble voice that she too learned a lot from me.” Chand adds Tamrakar was compatible with everyone, and she never showed any hint of pride despite her immense talent and success as a radio journalist. Tamrakar retired from Radio Nepal in 1983, but she was always involved in various other works, which was a great joy for her listeners across the country. “She had her own unique way of presenting news, which everyone loved,” says Chand. “She was always active even after her retirement.” Tamrakar maintained an active life even after she was diagnosed with cancer in 2016. She beat cancer but as her age progressed, she started developing other health complications. Tamrakar died while undergoing treatment at Annapurna Neuro Hospital in Kathmandu on March 23. She was 84 years old. Birth: 1939, Kavrepalanchok Death: 23 March 2023, Kathmandu 

Ever since the homework for cabinet expansion began, the name of Prakash Saran Mahat as the new finance minister was doing rounds. And, on Friday it became official as Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal gave him the responsibility of the Finance Ministry. Mahat's entry into the Finance Ministry has come at a critical juncture with the government struggling in revenue collection and resource management, growing discontent of businesspersons against banks and financial institutions, and rising bad loans in the financial sector. While the continued recovery of the country's external sector is expected to give some breathing space to the new finance minister, declining imports and the slowdown in economic activities have put the government's budgetary operation, primarily in revenue collection, in a shaky position. The government revenue has declined drastically over the last couple of months as economic activities in the country have come to a grinding halt. The private sector's displeasure over high-interest rates is yet to subside and the financial sector is facing a possible storm in the form of rising bad loans and problems in loan recovery. The challenges in front of Mahat are not different from his predecessor Bishnu Poudel who had to leave due to the breakup of the earlier ruling alliance when he was trying to install much-needed urgency in the system. Now, Mahat has to start from where Poudel has left and bring the crisis-ridden economy on track. Taking a clue from Poudel who'd reach out to the private sector as well as the Nepal Rastra Bank governor, Dr. Mahat while assuming office on Friday tried to strike the right chord by saying that he is expecting support and collaboration from all stakeholders. "The entire state mechanism will work to resolve the current economic crisis. There should be coordinated roles of the central bank and Finance Ministry for resolving the issues," he said on Friday. The statistics show a deficit in government budgetary operation due to the widening gap in revenue collection and expenditure. As of April 2, the government's budget is in deficit by Rs 180 billion. The income of the government is Rs 655.22 billion while the expenditure has crossed Rs 836 billion. It is increasingly becoming difficult for the Finance Ministry to meet current expenses from the income of the government. "The revenue collection and foreign assistance have not risen according to the target. On the contrary, the government's expenditure has increased massively," said economist Chandramani Adhikari, "There must be concrete steps taken for resource management." According to him, the government should emphasize the collection of arrears as well as plug the revenue leakages to increase resources. By announcing a committee to formulate a cash flow plan on Friday, newly appointed finance minister Mahat has shown he is aware of the problems. The committee will be led by the chief of the budget and program division of the ministry. The committee will have representation from Financial Comptroller General Office (FCGO), Nepal Rastra Bank, and the Public Debt Management Office. Given the high-interest rates, lending of BFIs has remained dismal as the private sector held back their new investment plans. And, the country's economic growth in the first quarter is limited to 0.8 percent. The private sector says improving government expenditure to increase cash flow in the market has to be done urgently. "The money flow in the market has been severely disrupted. The government has to spend to increase the cash flow in the market. However, the government's income is not as per the target," said Pashupati Murarka, former President of Federation of Nepalese Chambers of Commerce and Industries (FNCCI). Economist Bishwas Gauchan is of the view that structural reforms are needed to resolve the current crisis. "Though there has been some improvement in the economy due to the government's tightening of imports. However, in reality, the problem is where it lies," he said, "To resolve the problem in the long term, structural reform is necessary." According to Gauchan, Nepal's economy has been based on remittances for a long time. "Now we need to find an alternative to remittances to boost the economy," he said. Gauchan pointed out that most of the loans have been used for consumption activities, for buying real estate and vehicles and not for the productive sector. "Now, there must be a policy to use banks' loans to productive sectors while discouraging loans to the real estate sector,'' he said. Immediately after his appointment, Dr. Mahat reached out to the central bank governor Maha Prasad Adhikari as well as telephoned leaders of the private sector bodies. This has given a positive message. But his real test will begin as he sits down with his team at the finance ministry for drafting next fiscal year's budget. How he will manage the expectation of the private sector that wants interest rates in single digits as well as manage prudency in fiscal management will be crucial. His brother and former finance minister Dr. Ram Saran Mahat is still remembered for prudent fiscal management as he guarded the state treasury with zeal. Will the new finance minister take a cue from his celebrated brother?

The body of 25-year-old Arjun Das from Amarabati in Janaki-9, Kailali, was discovered in a local community forest last year. Police investigation showed that he was murdered following a dispute among drug users. In another incident, Anshu Sada of Siraha was abducted and held for ransom by his own friends in October last year. The 18-year-old was later found dead in a hotel room in Biratnagar. His family had failed to pay Rs 10,000 to the kidnappers, who reportedly wanted the money to feed their drug habit. The above two cases represent the larger picture of drug-related crimes and tragedies in Nepal. A study commissioned by the Ministry of Home Affairs in 2019 revealed that 130,425 youths, including 8,732 women, were using drugs. Police bulletins report cases related to drug crimes,  be it of possession, smuggling or illegal use, every day. The situation is alarming, says Poshraj Pokharel, spokesperson for Nepal Police. “Drug use and trade is flourishing, particularly in the Tarai districts that share open border with India.” Records at the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) of Nepal Police show that 15,606 cases of drug smuggling and transactions have been registered across the country between the fiscal year 2018/19 and January of this year, in which 23,779 people, including 772 Indian nationals and over 70 other foreign nationals, were arrested. Other police data show that law enforcement agencies seized 335 kilograms of marijuana, 600 kilograms of hashish, 3 kilograms of heroin, 40 kilograms of opium, and 15 kilograms of cocaine in the fiscal year 2018/19. In the fiscal year 2019/20, police confiscated 8,883 kilograms of marijuana, 490 kilograms of hashish, two kilograms of heroin, and 256 kilograms of opium. Police arrested 5,790 people on charges of drug use and trade in the fiscal year 2020/21. Among those arrested, 3,976 are in the 19-35 age group. Data from the Drugs Control Section of the Ministry of Home Affairs suggest that 21 percent of the prisoners across the country were convicted in drug-related crimes, and about 50 percent of them are in the 14-21 age group. Where do drugs come from? Police say about 80 percent of hard drugs such as cocaine and heroin are trafficked from India. They are also smuggled in from countries like Benin, Guinea, Colombia, Peru, Bolivia, Brazil, and Ethiopia. Police suspect international drug cartels are mostly using Nepal as a transit destination. They say many migrant workers are being used as mules to shift the drugs between countries. Recently, Doha and Dubai airports have become transit hubs for drugs entering Nepal. Police believe international drug smugglers are enticing returning migrant workers to transport drugs to Nepal by offering them money. Economic temptation is driving many people to become drug couriers, resulting in arrests and punishments that can impact their families. Large quantities of drugs worth millions of rupees are seized in Nepal every year, further underscoring the magnitude of the problem. Chakraraj Joshi, spokesperson for the NCB, says cocaine is the most common and expensive drug that is being smuggled into or via Nepal. “But we haven’t found any cocaine users in Nepal yet,” he says, supporting the police suspicion that most of these hard drugs are headed to other destinations. Drugs and illegal substances that are commonly in use in Nepal are marijuana, hashish, brown sugar, heroin, and opium. Over 6,000 in rehab centers According to Bishwamitra Kuikel, the head of the Drugs Control Section at the Ministry of Home Affairs, around 6,000 youths are undergoing treatment in 249 rehabilitation centers throughout the country. “Drug addiction can have a crippling effect on not just the lives of the users, but also on their families, and on society and the country.” Drug addiction is also a significant factor in the increase of criminal activities in the country. Pokharel, the Nepal Police spokesperson, says approximately 70 percent of criminal cases in the country are in some ways related to drugs. “As drug use can affect mental awareness and mood, and distort the thinking ability, its users have no compunction about committing crimes in order to get their fix. They’ll do anything out of desperation,” he adds. Drug users commit a range of crimes, from theft, fraud and robbery to murder.  With over 35 million drug users worldwide, a significant proportion of them are young people and teenagers, making them susceptible to committing crimes. As drug use increases, so does the rate of criminal activities in Nepal. According to Bikas Raj Khanal, head of the NCB, the lack of awareness and proper parenting is causing the youth to become drug users. “Easy availability of drugs due to the open border and peer pressure from friends are also contributing factors,” he says. Symptoms of addiction Drug use can lead to significant changes in behavior, including a preference for solitude, a lack of appetite, telling lies, and displaying unnatural behavior. Other symptoms of addiction can include decreased interest in school, not communicating with family, asking for money frequently, getting angry more often, disappearing for periods of time, and spending more time with friends who use drugs. The use of drugs can also have physical, mental, and social effects on an individual. Physically, drug users are at risk for various diseases, such as HIV/AIDS, hepatitis, and other sexually transmitted infections, as well as weight loss and loss of appetite. Overdose is also a serious risk, which can lead to death. Mentally, drug users may experience monotony, frustration, depression, loss of cognitive ability, memory loss, and negative emotions. Socially, drug addiction can create problems within families, relationships, and communities. Youths are the target There are over 35m drug users worldwide, and a significant proportion of them are young people and teenagers. A 2019 survey shows that the majority of drug users, around 69.5 percent, were between the age group of 20-29 years. The Drugs Control Section of the Ministry of Home Affairs states that the use of both natural and medicinal narcotics is spreading in Nepal. Natural drugs are mainly marijuana, hashish, hemp, and opium, while medicinal narcotics include prescribed medicines like nitrosan, nitravet, proxyvon, norphin, codeine, corex, phensedyl, and phencodin. Some medicines, when taken without a doctor's advice, can become addictive and harmful.