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Loan shark victims have started a Kathmandu-centric protest from today.

They will take out a rally from Balkhu and pass through Tripureshwor and Shahid Gate before converging into a corner assembly at Shanti Batika.

CPN-UML Senior Vice Chairman Ishwor Pokharel on Monday submitted the documents he had prepared for the party’s upcoming general convention to General Secretary Shankar Pokharel, after Chairman KP Sharma Oli did not come to the office.

Earlier in the afternoon, Pokharel had visited the party office in Chyasal, Lalitpur, to meet Chairman Oli with the documents.

The renovation of Gallery Baithak, a historic structure on the premises of Singha Durbar, which was damaged by the 2015 devastating earthquake is unlikely to be completed within the timeframe.

The Special Building Construction Project Implementation Office under the Ministry of Urban Development on June 2, 2024 had signed a contract with Prera ​​Construction Services Pvt. Ltd. for the retrofitting of the building.

According to the agreement, the project valued at around Rs 390 million was to be completed on November 22, 2025.

Earlier on March 23, 2023, the Delegated Management and Government Assurance Committee of the National Assembly had issued a directive that the Gallery Baithak building be preserved as a heritage site.

The then Rana Prime Minister Chandra Shumsher had constructed the Gallery Baithak as a private 'theater' on the premises of Singha Durbar in 1965 BS.

The first Parliament meeting was held in the same building on June 30, 1959 after the 1958 general elections.

The first session of the National Panchayat Assembly was also held in the same building on April 14, 1963.

Similarly, after the 1991 general election, Parliament started holding meetings in the same building.

The first meeting was held in the same building on April 28, 2006 after the formation of the interim government in 2006. The then rebel party, the Maoist also took part in the meeting.

Farmers in the Sunthan area of ​​Panauti Municipality-9, Kavre are currently busy harvesting potatoes. The area produces potatoes twice a year, contributing significantly to local supply.

Nepal, which has not yet become fully self-sufficient in potatoes, has been importing potatoes worth Rs 6 to 8 billion annually to meet domestic demand, according to data from the last five years.

It has been learnt that Nepal imported 287,000 tons of potatoes worth Rs 7.10 billion in the last fiscal year 2024/25.

According to statistics, the annual production of potatoes in Nepal stands at 3.3 to 3.5 million metric tons and the annual demand ranges between 3.3 to 3.7 million metric tons.

Current production is sufficient to Nepal for only 11 months, leaving the country dependent on imports for a month.  

Most of the potatoes grown in Nepal are used for domestic consumption.

It is the main food crop in the hilly areas, while it is used as a vegetable and snack item in urban areas.

In the industrial sector, potatoes are used to make chips and finger chips.