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In a significant political development, the Ujyalo Nepal Party led by Energy Minister Kulman Ghising has merged with the Rastriya Swatantra Party. 

Ghising will remain in second place as the Vice President of the Rastriya Swatantra Party. 

The agreement was reached following a meeting between Rastriya Swatantra Party President Rabi Lamichhane, Ghising and Kathmandu Metropolitan City Mayor Balen Shah today.

Lamichhane, Shah and Ujyalo Nepal Party Chairman Anup Kumar Upadhyay signed the agreement.

The Office of the Auditor General has released the consolidated financial statements for the federal, provincial, and local governments for the fiscal year 2081/82 BS. 

Auditor General Shobhakanta Paudel presented the report today to Finance Minister Rameshwor Prasad Khanal and Comptroller and Auditor General Toyam Raya. 

The Office of the Auditor General is tasked with the preparation and presentation of the consolidated financial statements and reports regarding the operations of the federal consolidated fund across all three levels of government.

“In the fiscal year 2081/82 BS, while the consolidated fund for the federal, provincial, and local governments recorded a negative balance of Rs 108.99 billion, the cash position remained favorable at Rs 104.1384 billion," the press release from the office said. 

"Considering the balances of various extra-budgetary funds from the federal, provincial, and local governments, the cash and bank balances have stayed positive at Rs 188.9458 billion." The report, which adheres to the Nepal Public Sector Accounting Standards sanctioned by the Government of Nepal and the accounting format approved by the Auditor General, also encompasses details mandated by existing laws for the federal, provincial, and local governments, along with extra-budgetary entities, as stated.

National Assembly (NA) Chairman Narayan Prasad Dahal held a meeting with Prime Minister Sushila Karki at the Office of the Prime Minister and Council of Ministers in Singha Durbar on Monday. 

Matters related to the upcoming elections to the House of Representatives and National Assembly members, and recent activities of the NA among others were discussed on the occasion, the PM secretariat said. 

Chairperson Dahal urged the PM to summon the session of the NA and not to cut the perks and benefits of the NA members, it has been learnt. 

Former Home Minister Ramesh Lekhak has said that he did not give any written or verbal order to use force in the GenZ protests held on September 8 and 9.

Talking to the media today after recording his statement before the inquiry commission formed to investigate the damages caused during the GenZ protest, he said that the decision to use force or not is the responsibility of the security officials deployed at the time as per the law. “There is no legal provision for the minister or the prime minister to issue the order to use force,” he clarified. 

Former Minister Lekhak informed the media that he submitted his views and details in writing to the commission.

According to former Minister Lekhak, a meeting of the Central Security Committee was called on September 7 after receiving prior information from the security agencies and the home administration about the demonstration of the GenZ group to be held a day later. The meeting analyzed the information collected by the security agencies and stated that the organizers had reported that the demonstration would be peaceful.

Clarifying that no decision or plan was made in the meeting regarding use of force, he said that it was concluded that law and security arrangements would be made by coordinating among all the security agencies. Former Home Minister Lekhak mentioned that formal discussions were held with the then Prime Minister in Baluwatar after the Central Security Committee meeting and that emphasis was placed on ensuring that there were no human casualties there as well.

Lekhak said that he resigned on the same day on moral grounds. "I considered it a moral duty to resign from my position after the death of persons," he said.

Minister Lekhak said that the incidents that took place after his resignation have seriously damaged the country's self-respect, democratic values, and constitutional institutions. 

He said that the damage to constitutional organs and public property of the state such as Singha Durbar, Rastrapati Bhawan, and Supreme Court was against the core spirit of the GenZ movement. 

Informing about personal losses, former Home Minister Lekhak said that his two houses in Mahendranagar were destroyed in a fire, his residence in Kathmandu was damaged beyond habitability, and that a serious situation arose while trying to save his mother from an attack by protesters, and that his mother later passed away.