Day: June 24, 2024

Kathmandu: The government is to provide social security allowance from July 16 in 28 districts, where national identity card number has been made mandatory for social security allowance, if identity card of beneficiaries is renewed by obtaining national ID number till August 16. Issuing a press release today, the Home Ministry requested the beneficiaries to get service at their convenient time as national ID number is not required for children, helpless, disabled and senior citizens above 90 years to get allowance. The government had made national ID number mandatory for beneficiaries of Jhapa, Morang, Sunsari, Udayapur, Saptari, Siraha, Dhanusha, Mahottari, Bara, Parsa, Rautahat, Sarlahi, Kathmandu, Bhatapur, Lalitpur, Sindhuli, Makawanpur, Chitwan, Kaski, Tanahu, Rupandehi, Kapilvastu, Dang, Banke, Bardiya, Surkhet, Kailali and Kanchanpur district from July 16. With government's decision, huge crowd of beneficiaries used to gather at District Administration Offices to register their details for obtaining the national ID card. Spokesperson of the Home Ministry, Narayan Prasad Bhattarai, shared that such arrangement has been made after receiving the complaints that senior citizens and disabled persons facing difficulties to get national ID number. Chief District Officers have been directed to make arrangement of details collection at the related ward offices of the local levels in coordination with concerned local government targeting the senior citizens and disabled persons, according to the Home Ministry. The Ministry also requested all local levels for necessary facilitation in national id registration process by coordinating with District Administration Office. It had deputed 438 details registration operators in 28 districts, where national id has been made mandatory, in the first phase in order to provide service in an easy and smooth manner. Source: National News Agency RSS

Parliamentary Standing Committee on Ministry of Commerce today recommended for submitting a revised report aimed at passing Bangladesh Trade and Tariff Commission (Amendment) Bill, 2024 after bringing necessary amendments. The committee made the recommendation at its 3rd meeting held at Sangsad Bhaban with its chairman Tipu Munshi in the chair, a parliament secretariat statement said here. Committee members-State Minister for Commerce Ahasanul Islam Titu, A.K.M Bahauddin, Mahmud Hasan Sumon, Sultana Nadira and Bedowra Ahmed Salam attended the meeting. Source: Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha

A weather station has been set up in Beni, the headquarters of Myagdi district in Gandaki province. The Hydrology and Meteorology Office, Pokhara established the weather station in coordination with the Beni Municipality. The Office said information on climate change and weather would be available easily and on time from the weather station. Office Chief Sujan Subedi said information on temperature, precipitation and wind speed would be promptly available by means of the automatic instruments installed at the weather station and this data would be stored. "Weather-related information available from the automatic instruments installed at the station would be constantly updated and stored in the central server. Arrangements have been made to disseminate the information via the website connected to the server" said Subedi, adding that the stored and archived weather data and information would be useful for disaster preparedness and risk reduction as well as for study and research. The previous weather statio n at Beni was closed after it was destroyed during the skirmish between the then Maoist rebels and the security forces on March 20, 2004. The Beni Municipality has provided the land for establishing the new weather station at its office premises. There are 26 weather stations, including the one in Beni, in Gandaki province. Automatic equipment is installed at 12 of the 26 weather stations. Source: National News Agency RSS

The flood triggered by incessant rainfall last night has taken away a temporary bridge in Melamchi. Melamchi Municipality Mayor Aitaman Tamang said that a temporary bridge has been washed away at Fatte of Melamchi Municipality-11. The temporary bridge was constructed by installing a hum pipe at the site after the flood in 2078 BS washed away the bridge. The temporary bridge was connected to Melamchi bazaar and Melamchi municipality ward No. 7 and 8, Panchpokhari Thangpal rural municipality ward No. 1 and 2 and some wards of Helambu. Due to the bridge being washed away, it has become difficult to go from one place to another within the ward. According to Mayor Tamang, the bridge has been damaged due to the rain at night with the onset of rain. Source: National News Agency RSS

Kathmandu: A historical photo exhibition is to be held on the occasion of the birth anniversary of former President of Nepali Congress and former Prime Minister Girija Prasad Koirala. The photo exhibition entitled 'Krantidekhi Shanitsamma (From Revolution to Peace) will be organized at the party central office, Sanepa, on July 2 in coordination with the Information, Communication and Publicity Department of the NC. Chief of the Publicity Department Min Bahadur Biswokarma said the photo exhibition is an attempt to showcase Girija Babu's tireless contribution and struggle for the establishment of the republic. The NC has also requested everyone to send the rare photographs to the exhibition host by June 29. On the photo exhibition day, a dialogue programme will be held on various topics, he said. NC President and former Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba will inaugurate the exhibition. Source: National News Agency RSS

As many as 7,000 people will likely be affected due to the monsoon-triggered landslide and flooding this year in Tanahu district, according to the Emergency Response Plan, 2024 prepared by the District Administration Office, Tanahu. It is estimated that 70,000 people of 15,969 households in the entire Gandaki province will be affected due to monsoon-induced disasters this year. The Plan has listed landslide as the number one risk this year in Tanahu, said Janardhan Gautam, the Chief District Officer and Chair of the District Disaster Management Committee. "The estimates have been made on the basis of the scientific analysis of data. The risk of landslide is much higher in Tanahu district compared to other disasters," CDO Gautam added. Based on the data from 2010 to 2020 made available by the Ministry of Home Affairs, the vulnerable population to monsoon-induced disasters in 2081 BS is around one million and 250 thousand. According to the Chief District Officer, the District Disaster Management Committee i s prepared for responding to the disasters. Four urban municipalities and six rural municipalities in the district are at high risk of landslide. The Plan identifies high risk of flooding, fires, epidemics, drought, road accident, lightning and storm in the district after landslide. It is stated that 48 of the total 85 Wards of ten local levels in the district are at high risk of landslide. Source: National News Agency RSS

Kathmandu: Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs of the People's Republic of China, Sun Weidong, arrived in Kathmandu this morning. He arrived on a three-day official visit to attend the Sixteenth Meeting of Nepal-China Diplomatic Consultation Mechanism taking place in Kathmandu on 25 June 2024. He was warmly welcomed by Krishna Prasad Dhakal, Joint Secretary and Head of the North East Asia Division of Ministry of Foreign Affairs, at the VIP Lounge in Tribhuvan International Airport, Kathmandu. Foreign Secretary Ms Sewa Lamsal will lead the Nepali delegation comprising of senior officials from various ministries of the Government of Nepal at the Consultation Mechanism Meeting while Vice Minister Weidong will lead the Chinese delegation, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated. During the visit, overall areas of bilateral relations and cooperation between Nepal and China will be discussed. The Chinese Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs is also scheduled to pay courtesy calls on President Ramchandra Paudel and Pri me Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal 'Prachanda' during his visit. Vice Minister Weidong will leave Kathmandu on26 June2024. Source: National News Agency RSS

Kathmandu: The meeting of the House of Representatives (HoR) today has been delayed due to the ongoing talks for addressing the demands of the Federal Parliament Secretariat employees. The meeting of the lower house of the Federal Parliament was to convene at 11.00am today and it is delayed, as talks are underway between Minister for Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs Padam Giri and the Employees Union representatives, said the Parliament Secretariat spokesman Ekram Giri. The employees at the Secretariat have been organizing protest programme since the last 20 days, putting forth demands relating to increasing their perks and facilities. Source: National News Agency RSS

Kathmandu: Teams of the Armed Police Force (APF) Nepal have been kept on standby along with necessary means and resources in all provinces for this year's monsoon response. According to the APF Nepal, monsoon response teams have been mobilized in respective places in order to rescue victims of flood, landslide, inundation and disaster during monsoon. APF Nepal Spokesperson Kumar Neupane shared that an arrangement has been made where the teams would carry out long and short patrolling by conducting hazard mapping of possible areas of landslide and inundation as well as make necessary coordination assigning disaster focal persons at the offices across the country. Trained APF personnel would be deputed at national emergency operation centre, province emergency operation centres and the district emergency operation centres established across the country and make necessary coordination. Similarly, a total of 120 motorboats and raft-boats have been kept on standby at 59 APF Nepal offices of 39 districts to imm ediately rescue victims of disaster, he added. Ninety-one divers along with necessary equipment have been kept standby at Brigade headquarters of all seven provinces, APF Nepal Disaster Management Training School, Kurintar, APF No 20 Disaster Rescue Battalion, Sinamangal, No 24 Kalika Battalion, Kaski, and Khurkot Base of Sindhuli. Nine disaster management bases have been established - one each at Mulgat of Dhankuta, Nijgadh of Bara, Adamghat of Dhading, Khurkot of Sindhuli, Kulekhani of Makawanpur, Narchyang of Myagdi, Bhalubang of Dang, Chiple of Surkhet and Amargadhi of Dadeldhura. Source: National News Agency RSS

Kathmandu: Suspended Chief Secretary Dr Baikuntha Aryal has been transferred to the National Planning Commission (NPC). Today's cabinet meeting held at Singha Durbar took the decision to transfer Dr Aryal to the NPC by creating a special position of Gazetted Special Class as the Chief Secretary. Dr Aryal was suspended after the Commission for the Investigation of Abuse of Authority filed a corruption case against him at Special Court on Sunday. He was automatically suspended from the post as per the existing laws after a case against him was filed. Saying no one should resign from the post or job if a case is filed against him/her, Government Spokesperson and Minister for Communications and Information Technology, Rekha Sharma, shared that in case of suspension, new chief secretary could not be appointed until the post becomes vacant. The Acting Chief Secretary would carry out the works of the Chief Secretary for the time being and a special post was created for an outlet, she mentioned. Stating that nex t decision would be carried out based on the verdict of the Special Court, Minister Sharma further said that the special post was created during the tenure of Dr Aryal and the post would be automatically dismissed after completion of Aryal's tenure. The meeting also decided to transfer the amount of financial equalization grant which was remaining to transfer to local levels in the current fiscal year, added the Communications Minister. Out of Rs 87.35 billon amount allocated in the current fiscal year, a decision was taken to transfer the remaining Rs 16.99 billion to local levels. Source: National News Agency RSS

Kathmandu: The Melamchi Water Supply Board has suspended the water supply from the Melamchi River in Sindhupalchowk to the Kathmandu Valley beginning today. As said by Board Executive Director Ratna Lamichhane, with the flood in the river, it turned murky, leading to the closure of the water supply to the Valley. The supply will be restored once the rain thwarts. Though earlier, the Bard earlier planned to halt the supply from June 13, the schedule was postponed as no significant rains occurred amidst this. Later, the Board also prepared for closing the project last Friday and the supplies continued as water flow in the river did not increase as it was estimated, it is said The government regularises the water supplies from Melamchi during the monsoon bearing in mind its possible consequences on its headworks and other structures. According to the Meteorological Forecasting Division, this year monsoon entered the country on June 10, three days earlier than the tentative date and generally exits on October 2. The Project management consultants and the Asian Development Bank (ADB) were advising the Board to halt the supplies to save the project's structures from the monsoon-related hazards. "We decided to close it after the river waters turned muddy." Source: National News Agency RSS

Visiting Minister of the International Department of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee Liu Jianchao today said Beijing believes that the upcoming bilateral visit of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina is going to be a very fruitful one. "I think that the forthcoming visit by the Prime Minister is going to be a very fruitful one," he told reporters after his meeting with Foreign Minister Dr Hasan Mahmud at a city hotel. The Chinese leader is now visiting Bangladesh to discuss issues of mutual interest between Bangladesh and China. "We are very much looking forward to the visit by the honorable Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in about two weeks' time," Liu said. Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina is likely to pay her bilateral visit to Beijing any day in between July 8 to 11, Dr Hasan said after the meeting in a separate briefing. Liu, who arrived in Dhaka on Saturday on a four-day official visit, said Beijing does have lots of expectations regarding the Bangladesh Prime Minister's upcoming visit. "Ou r two governments and government agencies will work out a general plan for the cooperation between our two countries in time to come," said the Chinese Minister. Regarding today's meeting, Liu said they had a very in-depth and comprehensive discussion on bilateral relations, the history of the relationship, and friendship. "Thus, the friendship was cemented throughout these years, nearly fifty years after ...since our bilateral relation was established in 1975," he said. The Chinese Minister said China shares the interest and also the very strong inspiration, enthusiasm in working with Bangladesh in its drive for prosperity, for example the Vision-2041 and also the goal to achieve Smart Bangladesh. And, China and Bangladesh can work in the areas of infrastructure, agriculture, investment, and manufacturing and also trade of course, he said. "China remains a friend, as a neighbor and a partner for your modernization drives. So, we will do it within the framework of the Belt and Road Initiative," he added. The Chinese Minister said they also touched upon some regional and international issues. "We do have very identical views on most of the issues and also stress on the interactions and the context when communicating between the political parties in two countries," he said. The Chinese leader said they believe that the government policies very often originate from party lines. "So we believe that the kind of interactions among the political parties are very useful, it helps people to better understand each other and also it helps the governments to formulate reasonable and correct policies for each other," the Chinese minister said. He said such interactions are important and this is the process of mutual learning. Asked about probable documents to be signed, the Chinese leader said they expect agreements are going to be in many areas. "We do sign agreements and you know, we promise and we deliver," he added. Responding to a question, he said they appreciate the generosity and humanitarian support from th e Bangladesh government; and noted that the Rohingya issue is becoming more difficult. He said China will continue to play a role in pursuing a solution to the problem by working with different parties related to it. Source: Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha