W I T H O U T F E A R O R F A V O U R

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Vol XXXI No. 58 | 8 pages | Rs.5
Monday, April 17, 2023 | 04-01-2080
39.5O C 1.5O C
Janakpur Jomsom

Today Congress-UML row

p National

The government spent a substan-

over hearings panel
seats delays vital bills
tial amount of foreign aid in admin-
istrative activities in the fiscal 2021-22,
the Office of the Auditor General said.
As much as Rs25.56 billion was spent
on recurrent programmes. Pg 3

Nepali Congress, Unified Socialist

and Loktantrik Samajbadi have yet
Second largest party seeks five seats on the committee.
to join the Madhesh provincial gov-
ernment led by Saroj Yadav of Janata
The Nepali Congress wants to give it only four.
Samajbadi that has ministers from
Maoist and Janamat parties. Pg 3 q TIKA R PRADHAN
KATHMANDU, APRIL 16
With ruling parties including the
p Interview Nepali Congress opposing the CPN-
UML’s demand that the second-largest
party must have four House members
in the hearings committee, crucial
bills are stuck in Parliament.
Even the scheduled meetings of the
top leaders of the three major par-
ties—the Congress, the UML and the
CPN (Maoist Centre)—have failed to
take place due to the dispute.
In a clear sign of conflict, a
POST PHOTO: ANGAD Dhakal meeting of the three top leaders sched-
delayed them further.
The three party leaders are trading
the blame.
UML leaders claimed that the prime
minister had called the meeting at
Balkot but he himself didn’t show up,
nor did the Congress president.
“This shows that the government is
not serious about endorsing essential
bills,” said Padam Giri, the chief UML
whip. “We have two major issues with
the TRC bill—the victims must get
justice and the bill must be discussed
in the thematic committee.”

The UML stance is said

The campaign to lower
child birth with the slogan
“Having two children is the
blessing of god” has been a
success. Now, the state has to
decide on the next step, says
Prof Yogendra Gurung. Pg 4
A mix of smoke and dust gives Kathmandu a hazy look, on Sunday. uled to take place at UML chair KP
Sharma Oli’s residence in Balkot
could not happen on Sunday after
to be aimed at denying
Forest fires in surrounding districts make Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal
and Congress President Sher Bahadur
Deuba skipped it.
the ruling parties two
thirds majority of panel.
Kathmandu world’s most polluted city
Maoist leaders, however, reasoned
that the ruling leaders were busy with
Cabinet expansion.
“On Friday, the meeting was can-
celled as the UML chair was The meeting of the House of

p Money
Nine months after issuing guide-
lines for socio-economic reintegra-
tion of migrant workers and three
months before fiscal end, the Foreign
Employment Board has approved pro-
posals from 81 local units. Pg 5
p World
A former Indian lawmaker convict-
ed of kidnapping and facing murder
and assault charges was shot dead along
with his brother in a dramatic attack
that was caught live on TV in northern
India, officials said on Sunday. Pg 6
Sports
p Nepal’s air quality is deteriorating.
There are incidents of fire in a half of the country’s forests,
officials say, putting human health, wildlife at great risk.
q ARJUN POUDEL
KATHMANDU, APRIL 16
For the past couple of days, Sundar
Sharma has been suffering from
wheezing, coughing and shortness of
breath. Sharma, who is an under-sec-
retary at the National Disaster Risk
Reduction and Management Authority
and also an expert on forest fires,
blamed the deteriorating air quality,
caused by massive forest fires, for his
worsening asthma.
“This is not just my issue but of
many people throughout the country,”
Sharma said. “Ongoing forest fires
will not only burn forests but also
damage our ecology, affect wild and
endangered animals and will severely
impact human health.”
According to IQAir, Kathmandu
unwell, and it did not happen on
Saturday for the same reason,”
Representatives failed to discuss on
Sunday at least three crucial bills—
said Hitraj Pande, chief whip of
the Maoist Centre. “Then, on
one related to the peace process, the
other to the Constitutional Council
Sunday, the prime minister got Act, and one to money laundering.
cer of the lungs and intestine, kidney busy with Cabinet expansion, The prime minister has been widely
disease and heart problems, in the even though Oli had said he criticised for keeping the judiciary
long run. could sit for a meeting if they headless for long and five positions of
Many people in Kathmandu Valley came to his residence.” the justices vacant for more than a
complain of dry and burning eyes, Frequent cancellations of the year. The Supreme Court has been
irritated nose and sinus, sore throat, top-level meeting, which was headed by the acting chief justice for
wheezing cough and difficulty in expected to finalise the process 14 months.
breathing due to the polluted air. of endorsing crucial bills, has >> Continued on page 2
Currently, cases of Covid-19
have also been on the rise. Health
experts warn that worsening air qual-
ity could lead to an increase in hospi-
talisation cases and even deaths
among people infected with the coro-
navirus.
Air pollution is known
to cause conditions like
pneumonia, bronchitis,

Arsenal dropped two more points

in their quest for the Premier
League title in a 2-2 draw at West
Ham, United as they threw away a
two-goal advantage for the second
week in a row. Pg 7
ranked the most polluted city in
the world in the past two days—
Saturday and Sunday—with smoke
and haze covering the Valley. The
Valley’s air quality reached very
unhealthy levels on Sunday at 7:45 am,
with the Air Quality Index (AQI) read-
ing 216.
Very unhealthy air quality means
health warnings of emergency condi-
tions with the entire population likely
to be affected and many may experi-
ence serious health effects.
Air pollution is known to cause var-
ious respiratory illnesses—pneumo-
nia, bronchitis, conjunctivitis, skin
allergies, stroke and heart problems,
in the short term, and ulcers and can-
stroke and allergies.
“If patients of respiratory illnesses
get infected with coronavirus, the
chances of infection severity and
deaths increase,” said Dr Niraj Bam,
an associate professor at the Institute
of Medicine. “We should be more cau-
tious about our own health and the
health of elderly people in our homes
and take maximum precaution.”
Experts blamed incidents of mas-
sive forest fires for deteriorating air
quality—smoke and haze throughout
the country.
 >> Continued on page 2

Nine booked for corruption in procurement

of equipment for security printing press
Paudel, executive director of Security Printing, and 8 others charged with corruption.
The unused IT Park building in Kavre was repurposed to house a security printing facility.
q PRITHVI MAN SHRESTHA
KATHMANDU, AUG 16
The Commission for Investigation of
Abuse of Authority on Sunday filed a
corruption case at the Special Court
against nine individuals including
File photo
Bikal Paudel, the executive director of
the Security Printing Centre.
The anti-graft body said in a state-
ment that they were involved in irreg-
ularities of up to Rs690.88 million
while procuring equipment for the
printing press.
According to the CIAA, the accused
were involved in preparation and
approval of an unnatural (inflated)
cost estimate, accepting the supply of
substandard electric transformers by
going against the contract, and mak-
ing payment for a generator produced
in a country other than that specified
in the contract.
The accused reportedly made
advance payments for operation of
equipment and post-supply services
without installing the equipment as
per the contract.
CIAA spokesperson Bhola Dahal
said that a case had been filed against
them for misusing the government’s
treasury. The CIAA carried out the
investigation following a complaint
claiming that the contracts for
supplying these machines were award-
ed in collusion between officials and
suppliers.
The anti-graft body has sought pun-
ishment of up to three years of jail,
confiscation of offence amount and
equivalent fines as per Section 8 of the
Prevention of Corruption Act 2002.
Paudel, the main accused, allegedly
misappropriated Rs690.88 million
while others have been charged for
losses amounting to Rs869,097 and
Rs494.63 million for the state.
>> Continued on page 2

C M Y K
 MONDAY, APRIL 17, 2023 | 02

National

p District Digest
Chitwan reports first Covid
death in eight months
CHITWAN: A 64-year-old man from
Bharatpur metropolis’ ward 10 died
at Chitwan Medical College on
Saturday night while undergoing
treatment for Covid-19 infection,
according to Gitanjali Dhakal, public
health officer of Chitwan health
office. The health office puts Covid-19
deaths in Chitwan since the begin-
ning of the pandemic at 451. The dis-
trict had last reported a Covid-19
death on August 8 last year.
According to the health office, there
are currently 10 active cases. Durga
Chapagain, chief of the health office,
requested all to be careful and follow
health protocols amid a rise in Covid
cases.
Construction worker
killed on duty
SALYAN: One labourer died and anoth-
er was injured after they were cov-
ered in debris excavated by a JCB
during construction work in
Bagchaur Municipality-2 on Sunday
afternoon. According to Inspector
Gopal Shrestha, information officer
of the district police office, the
deceased worker was a 17-year-old
man from Bagchaur-1. He died while
undergoing treatment at the district
hospital. The injured worker, 25, is
also receiving treatment at the
same hospital. The JCB and the oper-
ator are under police custody, and fur-
ther investigation is going on,
Shrestha said.
Three injured as microfinance
victims, police clash in Inaruwa
Sindhupalchok locals benefit from
disaster management training
Bhotekoshi Rural Municipality initiated training for local residents wherein they were given lessons
on safety, first aid, search and rescue operations and post-disaster risk management.
q ANISH TIWARI
SINDHUPALCHOK, APRIL 16
Bhotekoshi Rural Municipality is
one of the most disaster-prone
areas in Sindhupalchok, a district
that has been battered by natural
calamities—earthquakes, floods
and landslides—in the last decade.
In a bid to mitigate post-disaster
losses, the rural municipality initi-
ated a five-day session to equip the
first responders, in this case local
residents, with proper training to
handle disasters.
The initiative came at the
request of the locals themselves,
according to Dipak Aryal, member
of the District Coordination
Committee and coordinator of the
training project. The training from
March 28 to April 1 included safety,
search, and rescue exercises and
first-aid skill.
A total of 88 people of different
age groups participated in the
training conducted by the District
Coordination Committee in an
arrangement with the Local
Disaster Management Committee,
District Disaster Management
Committee and Nepal Red Cross
Society, Tatopani.
Bikash Karki, a 20-year-old from
Bhotekoshi Ward 4, who attended
the training, says it gave him the
Tussle between
big parties delays
committees
>> Continued from page 1
But the crux of the discord among the major
parties is the seats their members will be holding
on the Parliamentary Hearings Committee. The
15-member joint committee has 12 members from
the House and three from the National Assembly.
The committee has the power to either endorse or
reject appointments to various constitutional bod-
ies and ambassadorships.
According to leaders of the ruling coalition, the
UML has objected to the proposal presented by the
parliament secretariat on the composition of the
committee. Though the secretariat has proposed
four lawmakers from the Congress, three from the
UML and one each from other parties represented
in the federal parliament, the UML has said it too
should have four members of the committee.
Besides that, the party will get one seat for its
Assembly member.
“Actually, the UML’s only goal was to prevent the
ruling parties from having a two-thirds majority in
the committee,” said Pande, the Maoist Centre
chief whip. “The Congress is dead-set against
UML’s demand.”
The Parliamentary Hearings Committee needs
10 members for a two-thirds majority to reject any
nominations for the constitutional council. If the
UML gets only three members from the House, it
will only have four members in total (including one
guaranteed membership from the Assembly).
“With five members from the UML and one from
Rastriya Prajatantra Party, the UML wants to deny
the ruling parties a two-thirds majority,” said
Pande. “If the UML gets to appoint only three mem-
bers from the lower House, then it will not be in a
Post Photo: anish tiwari position to check the ruling parties’ decisions.”
Trainees were given tips on first aid and making use of locally available materials and equipment in search and rescue. With Congress chief whip Ramesh Lekhak on a
foreign trip, the party also seems ready to buy time
locally available materials and as a boon for the locals, Thami says for inter-party negotiations.

The training has

confidence to handle disasters
properly. “Most of the areas of the
rural municipality are vulnerable
to disasters such as landslides,
floods, earthquakes, and house and
forest fires,” he said.
“The training has come in handy.
equipment in search and rescue.
“They taught us to use things
available at home when faced with
a disaster rather than waiting for
help to arrive with the right equip-
ment,” said 24-year-old Geljen
Sherpa from Ward 1. “We now
the authorities should have initiat-
ed such programmes earlier. “If we
also helped disaster had been trained before, we may
have been able to save lives,” she
survivors to deal said. “However, I am happy that I
got the chance to participate in this
with post-traumatic one. I hope the rural municipality
Endorsing the bill related to the Constitutional
Council, which makes vital constitutional appoint-
ments, will be meaningless unless the major par-
ties agree on the committee’s formation: even if
the bill is endorsed, appointments cannot be made
without parliamentary hearing.
Prime Minister Dahal, however, consulted with

I now feel confident to not only
help myself during disasters but
also guide others out of danger
zones and help security personnel
with rescue.”
Besides safety and risk reduc-
tion measures, the trainees were
given tips on first aid such as con-
ducting CPR (cardiopulmonary
resuscitation) and making use of
know how to make life jackets with
plastic bottles.”
The training has also helped dis-
aster survivors like 29-year-old
Rita Thami from Ward 4 to deal
with post-traumatic stress. “I have
seen landslides and floods up close.
I live in fear every day after five
people from a family in our village
were killed in a landslide,” she
stress.
said. “This training helped me
internalise and process the trau-
matic events. I now feel better pre-
pared to handle such a situation in
future.”
Although the training has come
continues this initiative.”
Bhotekoshi, a transboundary
river originating from the
Himalayas in Tibet, China, is prone
to flash floods. In July 2020, accord-
ing to data from the District
Disaster Management Committee,
around 400 households were dis-
placed by floods and landslides in
the district.
Congress chief Deuba on Sunday as well before
Cabinet expansion.
A UML leader privy to the negotiations told the
Post that the ruling coalition seemed intent on
sharing the UML’s quota in the hearing committee
with the Unified Socialist.
“The UML won’t accept this,” said the leader.
“The Congress and the UML have the difference of
only 10 seats. Therefore, both parties must have
equal representation in the committee.”

SUNSARI: At least three people were

injured in a clash between protesters
and the police in Inaruwa of Sunsari
district on Sunday. The clash ensued
after the protestors, victims of micro-
finance companies, tried to block the
traffic on the East-West Highway at
Bus Chowk in Inaruwa.
Superintendent of Police Prabhu
Prasad Dhakal of the District Police
Office, Sunsari informed that three
people were injured during the clash.
Dhakal said that two policemen and a
woman protester were injured after
the protesters pelted stones towards
the police personnel who were trying
to clear the road section. All three
injured persons have been discharged
after treatment at District Hospital
Inaruwa, said Dhakal. Victims of var-
ious microfinance institutions have
been protesting in Inaruwa for a
month. Earlier, they had submitted a
memorandum to the District
Administration Office and had staged
a sit-in in the district headquarters.
Anti-graft body books nine for security printing irregularities
>> Continued from page 1
Along with Paudel, the CIAA has
named Chief Divisional Engineer
Nabin Kumar Pokharel, currently
working for the Ministry of Forests,
Ramesh Prasad Pokharel, assistant
director at National Information
Technology Centre in Singha Durbar,
Section Officer at National Inclusion
Commission Manikman Maharjan
and Section Officer at District
Coordination Committee, Kathmandu,
Sirish Upadhyay as defendants.
The other accused include retired
accounts officer Ram Bahadur Budha,
Managing Director at Engineering
Marketing Concern Pvt Ltd Rohit Man
Pradhan, Director at Meptek Building
Services Pvt Ltd Bhuwan Maharjan,
and Managing Director and
Consultant at Vastushilpa Associates
Mitra Lal Gurau.
These equipment were procured to
help the operation of the security
printing press which the government
planned to set up. But the Office of
Auditor General had raised questions
about the advance procurement of
these equipment.
On December 23, 2019, the Cabinet
led by then Prime Minister KP Sharma
Oli decided to procure a security
printing press under a govern-
ment-to-government agreement.
Earlier, the budget for the fiscal year
2019-20 had announced the procure-
ment of such a press within two years.
Before a final decision was made,
printers, plotters and computers
among other equipment worth Rs24.35
million were bought in fiscal years
2018-19 and 2019-20, according to the
auditing body’s 58th annual report.
In fact, the Security Printing Centre
had spent as much as Rs862.71 million
before a final decision on the procure-
ment had been made. As per the con-
tract signed with the supplier of a fuel
storage tank, the Security Printing
Centre was supposed to make pay-
ment of 80 percent of the total price
after the tank’s delivery while the rest
was supposed to be paid after installa-
tion, test and operation. But, accord-
ing to the auditing body’s report,
Rs147.73 million was released to the
supplier without detailed specifica-
tions of the testing of the tank.
An additional Rs33.22 million,
equivalent to 20 percent, was also paid
before installation, testing and opera-
tion of the tank was completed, the
report says.
Efforts to procure a security print-
ing press itself plunged into contro-
versy after CPN-UML lawmaker and
former minister for information and
communications Gokul Baskota was
allegedly caught on audio negotiating
a Rs700 million “commission” with
the agent for a Swiss company, which
wanted to sell a security printing
press to Nepal.
On the record, Baskota can be heard
negotiating with Bijaya Prakash
Sharma Mishra, the local agent for a
Swiss company vying for a govern-
ment contract regarding security
printing of passports and other sensi-
tive material.
On the record, the two voices dis-
cuss ways of extracting and sharing
commissions. There is a negotiation
over what percentage of the commis-
sion will go to whom and the voice
that has been identified as Baskota
advises that the value of the total deal
be bumped up to Rs27 billion from
Rs25 billion. The episode led to the
resignation of Baskota, a confidante
of then prime minister Oli, from the
post of minister.
The record surfaced at a time when
the government was considering pur-
chasing a security printing press.
The Cabinet meeting, on December
23, 2019, had authorised the Ministry
of Communication and Information
Technology to procure the security
press either from Germany or France
after the Cabinet identified proposals
submitted by companies from both
countries as appropriate for Nepal.
Earlier, the Security Printing
Centre headed by Paudel had estimat-
ed the cost of the entire printing
equipment at Rs33 billion and many
experts had questioned the figure.
Instead of taking a decision by
itself, the communication ministry
asked the Cabinet to decide on the
matter. On April 14, 2020, the Cabinet
authorised the ministry to procure the
printing press through open competi-
tion instead of a government-to-gov-
ernment deal. But the ministry took
no further initiative.
The centre spent Rs487 million on
purchasing the generator, Rs187.74
million on installing pressurised fuel
storage tank, Rs23.72 million on repair
and maintenance of administrative
and residential buildings of the infor-
mation technology park, the auditing
body has said.

Around 600 incidents of forest fires

occurring daily across country of late
>> Continued from page 1
As there is no visible system to cause rainfall
to wash away the pollution, the condition of
smoke and haze will continue in the coming
days.
“The peak of the forest fire season is yet to
come but almost half the [country’s] forests have
already witnessed fires,” Sharma said. “The
remaining forests will do so in the next two
weeks.”
Experts say the peak time of forest fires is
around April 25.
Around 600 incidents of daily forest
fires have been occurring for the past several
days. Most national parks as well as protected
areas throughout the country have been
burning, threatening wild and endangered
species.
“Multiple areas of the Chitwan National Park
national parks until yesterday [Saturday],” said
Pramod Bhattarai, chief conservation officer at
Langtang National Park. “Incidents of fire in
national parks and forests in mountainous
regions have been rising compared to the previ-
ous years.”
Consequently, people at large are bearing
the brunt of smoke that’s been smouldering
for days and bracing for the accompanying
health hazards with no immediate respite on the
horizon.
Despite the problems, the authorities seem
unfazed.
Nepal’s valuable forests, which
took more than six decades of
restoration, face a worsening
Park officials the Post spoke to said they can-
not do much to contain the fires due to their
limited resources.
“Last year, we were given Rs70 million budget
to deal with fire incidents but the budget has
been reduced to Rs5 million this year,” an offi-
cial at the the National Disaster Risk Reduction
and Management Authority told the Post, asking
not to be named as he is not authorised to speak
to the media. “How can we expect better results
with a reduced budget?”
As seasons get unpredictable on a warming
planet, resulting in extreme wet and dry condi-
tions, scientists warn of worse days.
Several studies over the past decade have
warned of how a warming climate can affect
precipitation rates resulting in extremely wet
conditions in some regions and dry conditions
in others, or both in some areas, as is being wit-
nessed in Nepal.

wildfire reality with little

are on fire at the moment,” said Ganesh Prasad
Timalsina, information officer at the Park. “But
the fire has not gone out of control.”
Authorities at the Chitwan National Park say
there have been more incidents of fire in the
community forests and the park authority has
been trying its best to douse them with the help
of the Army, locals and park staffers.
“We have made many fire lines and cleared
them, which helped us to contain the fire from
going out of control,” said Timalsina. “But the
problem is that over 90 percent of the fire inci-
dents are from human causes and we have not
been able to make them aware of the negative
consequences of burning forests.”
It’s not only the national parks, protected
areas and jungles of Tarai region that have been
witnessing fire but also the forests and national
parks of mountainous regions, which concern
experts.
“There were fires in several areas of the
prevention measures in place.
“No political party has raised the issue of air
pollution and the increasing incidents of forest
fires, either in the House meetings or outside,”
said Bhusan Tuladhar, an environmentalist.
“This shows how indifferent we are to a problem
that has affected the entire country.”
Nepal’s valuable forests, which took more
than six decades of restoration, face a worsening
wildfire reality with scarce resources and nearly
zero strategies to prevent or contain them.
“We didn’t get much time today to raise the
issue in Parliament, as the House meeting
adjourned rather quickly,” said Hit Raj Pandey,
chief whip of CPN (Maoist Centre). “We will
raise it in the next meeting.”
A 2019 report by the Ministry of Forests and
Environment also projects the mean tempera-
ture for all seasons in Nepal to increase by 1.7
degree centigrade to 3.6 degree centigrade by
2100.
Wildfires are common in Nepal in the dry sea-
son. They may happen naturally or through
human activities and errors but hotter and drier
conditions make them fierce and uncontrollable.
Human actions—discarding cigarette butts
without stubbing them out, burning dry vegeta-
tion to clear farmlands, and deliberate burning
by grazers and poachers—are considered the
main reasons for forest fires.
Bhattarai, chief conservation officer at
Langtang National Park, said the frequency of
forest fires this year is unusual.
“Forest fires started in December last year in
the absence of winter rainfall,” he said. “But
how can you expect us to douse fires using twigs
of green plants, which is all that we have?”

C M Y K
03 | MONDAY, APRIL 17, 2023

National

A tug of war in Madhesh for

chief minister’s chair
Observers say a power-sharing deal in the province looks trickier.
q NISHAN KHATIWADA Party holds two, while the Maoist Upendra Yadav fights Janamat
KATHMANDU, April 16 party leads one ministry in the prov- Party’s Shiv Chandra Kushwaha and
ince. Only four positions are vacant to UML’s Purushottam Paudel in Bara-2.
It has been more than a week since the appoint more ministers. The Rastriya Swatantra Party has
CPN-UML pulled out of the Madhesh The Nepali Congress province chap- fielded Ramesh Kharel, the former
provincial government. Three coali- ter has also been claiming the chief DIG of Nepal Police, in the constituen-
tion partners—Nepali Congress, CPN ministerial position as the largest cy.
(Unified Socialist) and Loktantrik party in the coalition. Nitesh Gupta, “As an ally in the new coalition, we
Samajbadi Party—are yet to join the publicity head of the party’s Madhesh must have a fair deal in power-shar-
government led by Chief Minister chapter, said: “Odds are high that our ing. As no single party has the num-
Saroj Kumar Yadav of Janata party will lead the Madhesh govern- bers to form a government, we have
Samajbadi Party that includes minis- ment after the by-polls. But we will go our expectations in the coalition gov-
ters from the CPN (Maoist Centre) and by what is agreed upon at the centre,” ernment. We got neither the President,
Janamat Party. said Gupta. the Vice President, the chief minister
The exit of CPN-UML, the sec- The Election Commission has nor the Speaker. So we should get to
ond-largest party in the federal parlia- scheduled by-elections in three federal lead the Madhesh provincial govern-
ment, and the right-wing Rastriya constituencies for April 23. ment in turns,” said Surendra Jha,
Prajatantra Party from the Maoist-led
government at the end of February
brought a new ruling alliance on the
scene. The effects of the new power
equation in Kathmandu, as usual,
have trickled down to the provinces—
some of them have gotten a new chief
minister and in some, the Cabinet
expansion process is underway.
POST PHOTO: KESHAV THAPA In Madhesh Province, the Cabinet
Two women smile to the camera at Baneshwar in Kathmandu on Sunday. expansion seems to be knottier with
many parties in the alliance eying the
chief ministerial post. As per the
earlier agreement, the Janata

Over Rs25 billion foreign aid spent in

Samajbadi Party and the Janamat
Party were to lead the Madhesh
government, by turns.
“But as the UML is in the opposition

unproductive sectors: Auditor general

Development Cooperation Policy-2019 aims to utilise foreign aid in infrastructure and
areas that contribute to sustainable development.
q POST REPORT
KATHMANDU, APRIL 16
The government spent a substantial
amount of foreign aid in administra-
tive activities in the fiscal year 2021-22,
the Office of the Auditor General said.
In its 60th annual report released
last week, the constitutional body
revealed that the government spent as
much as Rs25.56 billion on recurrent
programmes though foreign aid is
supposed to be spent in areas that help
in capital formation.
The government spent the amount
in administrative activities even
though the country received less than
a half of the targeted foreign aid in
the last fiscal year.
The government had hoped for
receiving Rs343.01 billion in foreign
aid in the fiscal year 2021-22 but could
only get Rs160.09 billion. The receipt
was Rs21.32 billion less than that
flowed in the previous fiscal, accord-
ing to the auditing body’s report.
As Nepal’s public debt—both inter-
nal and external—has been growing
rapidly in recent years, there are con-
cerns over proper utilisation of for-
eign aid, particularly loans.
The Development Cooperation
Policy-2019 states that foreign grants
will be used in sectors directly con-
tributing to environmental protection
and climate change, sustainable devel-
opment, rural infrastructure develop-
ment and social sector development.
Likewise, modernisation and devel-
opment of agriculture, health, educa-
tion, drinking water, sanitation,
poverty alleviation and human
development will be given priority
while mobilising grant assistance,
it states.
The policy also says that conces-
sional loans will be utilised in sectors
such as physical infrastructure
(hydropower, solar and renewable
energy, roads and bridges, irrigation,
airports, railways, dry ports and
urban infrastructure development),
agriculture and tourism infrastruc-
ture that contribute to high economic
growth, areas contributing to skills
development and jobs creation, and
foreign currency earning by boosting
exports.
“Measures necessary to ensure
effective utilisation of foreign aid
should be taken given that the govern-
ment has limited capacity of foreign
aid mobilisation and it is being uti-
lised in recurrent activities,” the audi-
tor general’s report states.
The report also pointed out cases of
how foreign aid is being utilised in
recurrent activities.
According to the report, foreign aid
is not being used properly in activities
under the Prime Minister Employment
Programme.
Over the three years until the end
of last fiscal year, as much as Rs13.02
billion was spent under the pro-
gramme, the report said.
“But the amount has been spent on
sanitising culvert, small projects such
as school playgrounds, and building
trails instead of projects that boost
production and help capital forma-
tion,” it added.
The programme is being imple-
mented at federal, provincial and local
levels to provide minimum employ-
ment and ensure social security.
Under this programme, the govern-
ment guarantees 100 days of employ-
ment. As many as 621,073 people got
employment for an average of 45 days
in the last three years, according to
the report.
In July 2020, the government had
received $120 million from the World
Bank to implement the employment
programme for four years with a focus
on improving employment services
and labour market outcomes, especial-
ly for youth.
now and a new power equation has
emerged, the Janamat Party should
get to lead the government in
Madhesh,” said BP Shah, a Janamat
leader.
Asked why the leadership of the
provincial government should change
when his party is a part of the ruling
coalition, Shah said: “There is no cer-
tainty whether this coalition will sus-
tain. The power equation can change
at any time. We are a big power in
Madhesh Province.”
Janamat Party quit the federal gov-
ernment on March 31 as it was miffed
at having been denied the ministerial
berth of its choice. The party’s minis-
ter Abdul Khan tendered his resigna-
tion after the Ministry of Industry
that his party was eyeing was given to
the Congress.
Party General Secretary Chandan
Singh claimed that the Congress had
already agreed to allocate the chief
ministerial post to Janamat, by turn,
even though the latter has been
demanding it should lead the provin-
cial government first. “The ruling coa-
lition has betrayed us of late. We now
lay our claim to lead the Madhesh
government,” said Singh.
In the 107-strong Madhesh provin-
cial assembly, the Nepali Congress has
22 seats, UML 23, Maoist Centre 8,
Rastriya Prajatantra Party 1, Unified
Socialist 7, Nagarik Unmukti Party 1,
Janamat Party 13, Janata Samajbadi
Party 16, and Loktantrik Samajbadi
Party 9, Independent six, and Sanghiya
Samajbadi Party one seat.
The Janata Samajbadi Party is now
leading three ministries, the Janamat
In the 107-strong Madhesh provincial assembly, no party has a majority.
Ramchandra Paudel and Ramsahay
Prasad Yadav—elected from
Tanahun-1 and Bara-2 respectively—
became the President and the Vice
President. Rastriya Swatantra Party
chair Rabi Lamichhane elected from
Chitwan-2 had lost his parliamentary
post after the Supreme Court invali-
dated the citizenship certificate he
submitted during candidacy filing.
Though the outcomes of the elec-
tions won’t alter the situation in prov-
inces, they will offer clues about the
strengths of the emerging, regional
and traditional forces. Since Singha
Durbar politics is volatile, the pres-
ence of 10 parties in the central coali-
tion makes it more fluid.
The Loktantrik Samajbadi Party
has also been eying the position of
chief minister in Madhesh as
it believes that other coalition
partners have got sufficient shares in
the power deal.
“The Janamat Party should be top-
pled from the provincial government.
Its claim has no meaning. We have
staked a claim to lead the Madhesh
provincial government. The Congress
and the Maoist Centre are leading
governments in other provinces,” said
Keshav Jha, a Loktantrik Samajbadi
leader. “Janata Samajbadi has been
given the Vice President and the rul-
ing coalition has backed Upendra
Yadav’s candidacy in Bara-2.”
Post file Photo
another Loktantrik Samajbadi leader.
Janata Samajbadi spokesperson
Manish Suman, however, said that
only the claim of the Nepali Congress
is valid as the largest force in the coa-
lition. “And they can lead the govern-
ment in Madhesh only after the Janata
Samajbadi serves for the first half of
the five-year term. As we have already
got the vote of confidence, and we
have not got the chance to work yet, we
will serve during the first half. The
Nepali Congress can lead the Madhesh
government after two-and-a-half
years,” said Suman.
Madhesh observers agree that a
power-sharing deal in Madhesh looks
trickier. They added that the parties
have been focusing on making
and breaking governments by com-
pletely ignoring the agendas, issues
and development of the Madhesh
province.
A Madhesh observer, Rajanikant
Jha, said even though many govern-
ments have been changed, many min-
isters and chief ministers have come
and gone, none focused on delivery, on
solving local issues and problems, and
on development.
“The provincial government has
also been mired in corruption.
Politicians have been focusing on
recovering their election expenses.
None of them has the vision to make
Madhesh a model province,” said Jha.

Foreign Minister City starts producing methane

NP Saud takes oath
of office and secrecy out of Kathmandu’s garbage
The plant is currently producing eight tonnes of biogas daily and it will
be a while before it starts generating electricity too, officials say.
q POST REPORT
KATHMANDU, APRIL 16

The Kathmandu Metropolitan

Post Photo
Narayan Prasad Saud
q POST REPORT
KATHMANDU, APRIL 16
Newly-appointed Foreign Minister
Narayan Prasad Saud took the oath of
office and secrecy on Sunday.
President Ramchandra Paudel
administered the oath to Saud amid a
ceremony at Shital Niwas.
Saud, a Nepali Congress lawmaker
elected from Kanchanpur constituen-
cy-2, was appointed minister by Prime
Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal on
Saturday.
Saud, a leader close to Nepali
Congress President Sher Bahadur
City has resumed generating ener-
gy out of biodegradable waste at
its Teku-based biogas plant.
The Environment Department
revived the plant last Saturday
with the help of the non-profit
National Innovation Centre. The
plant was established in 2017 but
had remained dormant after a few
days of operation. The centre
repaired a pump and machines to
help bring it back to life.
“We have been producing eight
tonnes of methane gas since last
Saturday,” said Nabin Manandhar,
spokesperson for the KMC.
“We need a balloon to produce
electricity.” Post file Photo
A balloon is used to collect the The biogas plant, which is Nepal’s first, came into operation in June 2017. But soon, it
methane gas, which is then pro- ground to a halt due to a shortage of manpower.
cessed through a generator to pro-
duce electricty, according to Rabin waste in Kathmandu.
Man Shrestha, chief of KMC’s
Environment Department.
The plant was revived Officials at the KMC said they
will buy the balloon, which costs
Manandhar said the drive is with the help of around Rs600,000, within two

Deuba, is the fifth minister from the
party to be inducted in the Dahal-led
Cabinet. He earlier served as
Irrigation Minister.
After assuming office, Saud said
that Nepal will maintain cordial
and peaceful relations with all its
neighbours.
Likewise, Nanda Chapai, a member
of the National Assembly from CPN
(Unified Socialist) party, has been
appointed Minister of State for
Physical Infrastructure and
Transport. The party’s Prakash Jwala
is the minister heading the ministry.
Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal
Dahal administered the oath of office
and secrecy to Chapai on Sunday.
part of the KMC’s plan to reduce
organic solid waste produced in
Kathmandu. Waste management
remains a highly-charged issue in
Kathmandu. When Balendra Shah
was elected Kathmandu’s mayor
last year, he vowed to solve the
city’s long-standing garbage prob-
lem. But his administration has
not been able to make good on that
promise, critics say.
The plant was established dur-
ing Shrestha’s previous tenure as
environment department chief. He
said it remained unused because
he was transferred to another
department.
“The then management of the
National Innovation
Centre.
environment department didn’t
really care about it,” Shrestha
said. “Now I am reviving it again.”
The biogas plant, which is
Nepal’s first, came into operation
in June 2017. But soon, it ground to
a halt due to a shortage of man-
power, officials said.
Shrestha, who was recently
reappointed the chief of the
Department, said the plan will
contribute to reducing organic
weeks and start producing elec-
tricity.
The bioplant, established under
the Integrated Sustainable Solid
Waste Management Project, was
said to produce 14KW of electrici-
ty, 300 kg of organic fertiliser and
13,500 litres of water daily, pro-
cessing three metric tonnes of
organic materials. The KMC and
the European Union had jointly
invested Rs18.2 million in the
plant.
Fresh into his new tenure,
Shrestha said he is determined to
utilise it. “I worked hard to estab-
lish this plant here,” he said. “And
I will make good use of it.”

C M Y K
 MONDAY, APRIL 17, 2023 | 04

Opinion

Democracy in retreat
Our View Top leaders of old parties
lack public trust despite
Difficult but doable their successes in
electoral arithmetic.
The political parties should do more than pay lip
service to give voting rights to Nepalis living abroad. LOK RAJ BARAL

Nepali political parties are never short of dreams to sell to

the masses. It’s a different thing that most of the big dreams
are soon forgotten. Ensuring voting rights for Nepalis abroad
has become a popular electoral agenda. The political parties
and their candidates compete to impress Nepalis abroad with
catchy slogans like note chalne, vote nachalne (“Why can’t we Democracy is in retreat all over the
give migrant workers a vote even as we accept their money?”). world. The widely acclaimed developed
In recent years, nearly all political parties—new and old, big democracy of the United States is no
longer ideal to emulate, nor do democra-
and small—have been competing to appease the migrant
cies in Europe continue to inspire oth-
workers. This is because with direct and easy communica- ers. In South Asia, democratic stability
tion with their kith and kin back home, the migrant workers and its novelties are in peril as revered
have started influencing how folks in Nepal vote. Not just institutions like parliament, judiciary
that. They sustain their families and by extension the econo- and government have been abused irre-
my of Nepal—the money they remit is equivalent to a fourth spective of which party is in power.
of the national GDP. India, which had been the great inspira-
Politicians thus don’t waste any opportunity to pledge vot- tion in the neighbourhood, has under-
mined its significance as well as
ing rights to migrant workers and the latest one has come
from the head of the government. Prime Minister Pushpa rationality due to the excessive domi-
nance of the ruling party whose reli-
Kamal Dahal, addressing a virtual interaction with the repre-
giously paranoid orientation is perva-
sentatives of foreign chapters of his CPN (Maoist Centre) sive. Other national parties, too, are on
party on Friday, once again reiterated his commitment to do decline due to their loosening grip on
everything in his power to ensure the voting rights of Nepalis regional politics.
living abroad. Nepal has its own distinct history of
In principle, nearly every political party commits to the political development, with major par-
right in their election manifestos. The Supreme Court has ties of divergent backgrounds and ini-
issued a mandamus order to the concerned authorities to tial anti-democratic indoctrination.
make legal and logistical arrangements to conduct “external However, such indoctrination has not
voting” in any way possible. The Election Commission is also adapted to the Nepali conditions com-
working on a draft bill to include a provision to this effect and pelling these parties, mostly “commu-
nists”, to remain relevant. But they had
will soon forward it to the concerned ministry and the
no alternatives but to accept the
Parliament. This follows a discussion on the issue in the much-maligned parliamentary system
State Affairs Committee of the lower House. of the Nepali variant. Thus, as with any
With the growing trend of migration for work, study and other non-communist party, they have
other reasons, a large section of the society (over 2.2 million become systemic after going through
by current estimates) is living outside the country at any the wilderness for some years.
point. It is unjust and undemocratic to deprive them of their Political parties are a necessary evil
voting rights. No amount of expense or logistical complexity for democratic evolution since no alter-
justifies that. Former election commissioners and experts in native mechanism is discovered as yet.
this field say it is a daunting task and authorities don’t seem Although these parties were responsi-
ble for introducing democracy and free-
to be giving it the needed attention—but it is by no means
dom with the hope of creating a society
impossible. As our political parties are still hesitant even to based on social justice, these revolu-
adopt electronic voting machines (EVMs) that have been suc- tions have not yet heralded radical
cessfully employed to conduct democratic elections the world transformations. Structurally, however,
over, it would perhaps be unrealistic to hope that they will (or parties were responsible for making
can) ensure voting from abroad in upcoming elections. Yet people sovereign as the constitution
try they must. prepared by their representatives has
These days, there are not many countries Nepalis have not ensured popular legitimacy and social
reached for work or study. In some destinations like Qatar justice. Yet, the parties have not made
and Malaysia, people from all over Nepal have gone; in oth- much progress even if they have been at
ers, there are just a handful of Nepalis. The commission has the pinnacle of power for a long time.
For, all parties are conflict-ridden,
to arrange for different kinds of ballot papers in each case, a
drawing much of their attention to
logistically demanding task. That being the case, even as the internal management. Some new par-
Election Commission is fine-tuning legal provisions, it also ties, like the Rastriya Swatantra Party,
needs to simultaneously work on possible modalities of are “stuck in the muck” in less than a
absentee voting and make political parties agree to a system year of their inauguration. These new
that is feasible in our context. parties show their impatience in join-
ing the government to the extent of
harassing the coalition government
headed by a prime minister whose own
strength is weak.
People are fed up with the political
parties perennially dominated by
self-centred, egoistic leaders who are
least prepared to set people-centric
socio-economic agendas, with which
their own renewal would have been
credible. Nepali politics, unlike India,
is still in a turbulent stage contrary
to successful periodic elections.
Nevertheless, election alone is not the
basis of democratic governance if the
parties fail to deliver. As a result, the
popularity of “major” parties has
waned in recent years, attracting the
disdain of general people. Some read
the anger of people as the signal to
replace the existing political order,
which, in the opinion of some oppo-
nents, has failed to deliver. They
hope the regime will collapse when
it is “given a shove”. Some retrogressive
elements opposed to republicanism
dream of a “return to the golden
age” (monarchical era) as if it had
transformed the country into inclusive
prosperity.
Some blame the republic for beget-
ting all sorts of maladies in the country.
However, it is not the republic but the
political leaders who rotate in power
that have created a mess where politics
is adrift and the capacity of governance
has eroded. Populist slogans of all test-
ed leaders are increasingly becoming
irrelevant to the people as most of their
promises made during elections and
after are being questioned by way of
mocking them. Thus, the top leaders of
old parties lack public trust despite
their successes in electoral arithmetic.
The failure of political leaders to gov-
ern effectively and democratically leads
us to two scenarios. First, sooner or
later, they would have to give grounds to
their juniors whose performance capac-
ity remains to be tested. Second, parties
like the Nepali Congress (NC), the CPN-
UML and the Maoist Centre would, in
all probability, erode further due to
simmering discontent within these par-
ties. Such a situation will likely be
developed within the NC as Deuba’s
leadership has failed to inspire people.
So is the case with UML’s Oli, despite
his sharp-tongued defensive outbursts
against his opponents. Most of his agen-
das were short of reality. Egoistic and
self-centred as he is, Oli’s future role as
that of Deuba is likely to be reduced.
The Maoist party is likely to become
irrelevant to the changing dynamics.
Comrade Prachanda’s third term as
Prime Minister seems to have lost its
direction and efficacy, defying his asser-
tion that the third term in office needs
to be meaningful for the transformation
of the country. His track record so far
has dimmed the prospect of being effec-
tive, as the coalition partners, particu-
larly the NC, have failed to select his
own ministerial team. Other smaller
parties also quarrel over portfolios, put-
ting the prime minister in a difficult
situation. His time is being spent on
trifles that distract him from the major
agendas of the country.
The democratic retreat is also related
to political instability and a lack of
inclusive development. Stability with-
out progress is meaningless as the per-
formance of any government and insti-
tutional durability are the basis of sta-
post file photo
bility, which has two sides: Systemic
and governmental stability. If the con-
stitution and the system continue, gov-
ernmental instability does not harm
much, though governmental efficiency
and capacity to deliver reduce the risk
of constitutional instability. In the
given Nepali context, taking the provi-
sions of the constitution, governments
may come and go depending on the
arithmetic in the House of
Representatives or the leaders’ miscal-
culation of the political process. If lead-
ers are too selfish to perpetuate their
control over both parties and govern-
ment, numbers in parliament alone do
not guarantee the stability of the gov-
ernment. The collapse of the almost
two-thirds majority commanded by the
combined communist parties—CPN-
UML and the Maoist Centre—demon-
strated that leadership is crucial for
putting the political order on track.
Democratic exercises in Nepal are
not as alarming as we think they are.
Inefficient and status quo parties are
being challenged for their inability to
govern, and some new beginnings are
being made to put them on their toes or
face extinction. Elections are held peri-
odically to transform power democrati-
cally. Since the alternative to the exist-
ing order is regressive authoritarian-
ism, which the country has already
experienced, correcting the electoral
system along with the greater realisa-
tion of parties’ leaders to inculcate a
culture of accountability would ensure
democratic stability and progress.
Baral is a professor of political
science and former ambassador
of Nepal to India.

M o n day I n t e r v i e w Y o g e n d r a G u r u n g

Nepal could enjoy its demographic dividend for next 40-60 years
The recently unveiled results of the
2021 national census have highlighted
some interesting trends like growing
migration from hills to plains, slower
growth in the population of girls com-
pared to boys and a larger elderly
population. The Post’s Prithvi Man
Shrestha talked to Professor
Yogendra Gurung, head of the Central
Department of Population Studies at
Tribhuvan University, for some
insights.
Nepal’s population witnessed a
growth of 0.92 percent in a decade
since 2011, according to the
Population and Housing Census
2021. Is such slow growth a matter
of concern?
Annual growth of 0.92 percent means
the country’s population has been
increasing rather than declining since
There is a growing trend of living in a nuclear family and not having more than one baby if the first child is a boy.
is called its demographic dividend. People want to move to urban centres heard even some people living in
The government’s policy now should and their priority is the Tarai plains. Kathmandu built their houses in those
be to take advantage of this window of The Terai region has good transport areas and started living there.
opportunity. The nation has to invest facilities and markets on the East-
heavily in health and education. The West highway. There are also farming The census shows that the growth in
goal should be to enhance the skills of opportunities. The proximity to the the number of girl children is lower
the population of this age group. The Indian border is another boost. compared to the growth in the num-
portion of the population attaining Kathmandu is also closer to Tarai ber of boys. How do you see this
higher education is small even in most than to the hilly regions because of phenomenon?
western developed countries but what better transport connectivity. But
they do is to provide essential skills massive migration to Tarai region has In the whole population, the share of
that allow people to stand on their own reduced the farming land, cut agricul- females is higher because of larger
feet. So quality education and skill ture production in hilly and moun- outmigration of males abroad and
oriented education are important to tainous regions. On the other hand, higher life expectancy of women.
achieve demographic dividend. This the Tarai, which is also considered the But that is not so when it comes to
workforce should be healthy as well. country’s food basket, is losing children. This is because of the
Some demographers say that we have agricultural lands to concrete houses. traditional preference for sons com-
already lost 15-20 years of demograph- And while deforestation in Tarai has pared to daughters. There is a growing
ic window of opportunity. Others say accelerated, forested areas in the hills trend of living in a nuclear family and
we have 25-30 remaining years. I think are growing. not having more than one baby if the
that we will have this window for the first child is a boy. If the first child is
next 40-60 years. How can people be motivated to stay a girl, then the family wants a boy
Another aspect of the policy to be in the hilly regions? child. So when the second foetus is a
POST PHOTO: KESHAV THAPA

the 2011 census, if at a slower rate.
Nepal could bring down the popula-
tion growth rate due to nearly six dec-
ades of efforts. The country’s total
fertility rate—the average number of
children born per woman—has also
come down to 2.1 percent, which is
considered replacement level fertility.
Thus, the campaign to lower child
birth with the slogan “Having two
children is the blessing of god” has
been a success. Now, the state has to
think about how we go forward from
this point.
What in your view does such a
forward-looking approach entail?
The census showed that the country
has a 62 percent working age popula-
tion, aged 15-59 years. But as per the
international practice, the 15-64 years
age group is considered working age.
The share of this age group is 65 per-
cent of the total population in Nepal.
Having such a large share of the work-
ing age population is considered a
demographic window of opportunity.
The theory is that the country can
achieve rapid economic growth if
we can mobilise this working age pop-
ulation to boost production and for
nation building.
A country’s ability to achieve eco-
nomic development through the mobi-
lisation of the working age population
reconsidered is whether to continue
population control. In my view, in the
case of dominant ethnic groups and
communities, we have to give continu-
ity to the population control policy,
which means further promoting two
babies per couple. But we also have to
adopt pro-natalist population policies
in the case of endangered ethnic
groups. For example, Kusunda, Raute,
Jirel and Surel are among the endan-
gered communities. Pro-natalist poli-
cy means the state incentivises people
to produce more babies. The govern-
ment should commit more investment
for the health, education and social
security of children born to couples
from the endangered communities. So
far, we have had an anti-natalist popu-
lation policy irrespective of the com-
munities people belong to.
Most of the working age population
seems interested in going abroad to
work and study. In this case, how
does Nepal benefit from the demo-
graphic dividend?
This is today’s reality. Creating
economic and job opportunities at
home is vital to retaining the people
of this group, which has not hap-
pened. But it is difficult to ensure
jobs for all working-age population.
So, even if people go abroad for
work, we have to equip them with nec-
Professor Yogendra Gurung
essary skills. A skilled worker can
earn more than a manual worker. If
Nepali workers are more skilled, they
can earn more abroad and send more
remittances home which helps to
uplift the economic status of the
family back home. There is high
demand for skilled workers even in
Western countries. For example, we
can produce nurses and send them
abroad and they can send more in
remittances. By promoting commer-
cial agriculture, we can engage more
people in the sector and achieve high-
er productivity.
As per the census, the share of chil-
dren compared to the adult popula-
tion in total population has decreased
substantially in the past decade.
How does Nepal deal with an ageing
population?
The share of the population above 64
years is only around 7 percent, which
is not too big. We have to increase the
retirement age of those in govern-
ment services as they are a skilled and
educated workforce and we can bene-
Basically, economic opportunities and
facilities drive people to migrate.
Creating more market centres in the
hilly regions could help. For example,
Biratnagar was declared the head-
quarters of the Koshi province.
fit from their skills and knowledge for Biratnagar was already a big trading
years. As per the current law, a and industrial hub and after it was
bureaucrat retires at 58, which is too declared provincial headquarters, it
early. The state invests much on the attracted more migrants. Had
civil servants. The government sends Dhankuta been declared provincial
them to various countries to train and headquarter, another urban centre
study. Their early retirement means would have developed there, reducing
the state cannot adequately benefit population pressure on Biratnagar.
from their knowledge and experience. In the case of Lumbini province,
We also have to think about the man- Dang was declared the provincial
agement of the older population as headquarters, which is a good move.
their numbers grow. Butwal is already a large city and
Certain efforts are underway from trading hub. After Dang was declared
both government and community provincial headquarters, it helped
levels to build old age homes. But we Dang emerge as another urban centre.
must also ensure that older people are Likewise, there has been certain
productive and engaged in production reverse migration in Ilam, a hilly dis-
activities. If they remain active trict, because of the tea gardens which
and engaged, their economic output created economic opporunties. The
helps the economy. Likewise, active populations in certain municipalities
life helps them live longer and health- and rural municipalities in Rasuwa
ier lives. have also grown because of the open-
ing of Rasuwagadhi border point with
The latest census showed rapid China and development of several
migration of people from rural to hydropower plants along the Trishuli
urban areas and from hilly and corridor. The policy that makes it
mountainous regions to Tarai plains. mandatory for hydropower projects to
What are the implications of this distribute shares to the local popula-
trend? tion has also made people stay there. I
girl, the family aborts the baby. In
2002, Nepal legalised abortion under
certain conditions. There is also
an option of going to India for abor-
tion. In the 10-14 age-group, there is a
deficit of around 82,000 girls com-
pared to boys. When these children
reach marriage age, not all young men
may find brides.
The National Statistics Office didn’t
release the population data based on
ethnicity, language and religion. Was
that the right thing to do?
It did so out of compulsion. Many
complaints were registered at the
National Statistics Office over the
identity of certain communities.
Some ethnic communities wanted to
have a separate identity than the one
assigned to them, while others wanted
to be a part of a larger community
rather than small ethnic groups. This
is however natural because people are
still in the process of exploring their
identities.
There are also vested interests at
play. Some people want to be part of
small and endangered communities
because of the various amenities
accorded to these communities.
Others want to join larger communi-
ties so as to increase the political rep-
resentation of these communities in
the state agencies.

C M Y K
05 | MONDAY, APRIL 17, 2023

Money
FOREX

US Dollar 131.27 Social and economic reintegration programmes

for returnee migrant workers set to begin
Euro 144.41
Pound Sterling 162.97
Swiss Franc 146.86
Australian Dollar 88.07 Foreign Employment Board has approved proposals from 81 local units to start the programmes.
Canadian Dollar 98.23 q PAWAN PANDEY
KATHMANDU, APRIL 16
Singapore Dollar 98.70
Japanese Yen (10) 9.81 Around nine months after bringing a
directive for carrying out social and
Chinese Yuan 19.10 economic reintegration programmes
for the returnee migrant workers and
Saudi Arab Riyal 35.00 only three months remaining in the
current fiscal year 2022-23, the Foreign
Qatari Riyal 35.84 Employment Board has approved pro-
posals from 81 local units to start the
Thai Bhat 3.83 programmes.
UAE Dhiram 35.75 The government brought out the
Reintegration Programme (Operation
Malaysian Ringit 29.82 and Management) Directives for
Returning Migrant Workers 2022 in
Korean Won (100) 10.06 mid-July last year.
Exchange rates fixed by Nepal Rastra Bank The board has set aside Rs150 mil-
lion from the Foreign Employment
Shares Welfare Fund for the reintegration
1,931.68pts programmes in the current fiscal year,
Nepse (in percent)
-0.14% according to Rama Bhattarai, director
at the Foreign Employment Board.
highest losers
“The programmes for 3,220 benefi-
AHL SMJC RMF1 MSLB GBLBS UNLB
ciaries, setting aside Rs43,000 for each
-7.83 -6.76 -5.13 -4.59 -4.42 -4.01
of them, have been approved,”
moderate losers
Bhattarai told the Post. “While
UNL GBBD85 BHDC CMF1 UHEWA SLBSL
-3.96 -3.93 -3.89 -3.87 -3.8 -3.75 Rs35,000 will be provided as financial
assistance through the respective
moderate gainers
SCB NLG BNT SGIC OHL SBCF
local unit, Rs8,000 would be spent on
2.74 2.86 2.87 3.29 4.26 5.26 training.”
highest gainers “A local unit which performs well
SHL DLBS TRH KDL MHCL ADLB will be provided an additional amount
5.33 5.64 7.43 9.98 9.99 9.99 of as much as Rs500,000 from the
remaining budget,” Bhattarai added.
The accumulated amount at the
Foreign Employment Welfare Fund is
bullion Price Per tola
around Rs5.35 billion, according to
Rajan Paudel, information officer at
Fine Gold Rs 110,000 the board.
The fund is managed by the board
Silver Rs 1,450 and is used to provide various welfare
and social protection services such as
Source: FENEGOSIDA financial assistance in the event of
death and/or injury of migrant work-
ers as well as scholarships to the chil-
dren of the deceased.
p bizline Every migrant worker has to depos-
it Rs1,500 or Rs2,500 at the fund,
depending on the duration of his
Digital Pradesh Sambad to labour approval.
Beside the government agency, pro-
be held in all seven provinces vincial government or local level, the
KATHMANDU: Digital Pradesh Sambad, directives allow countries with bilat-
a programme to discuss the status eral agreements or diplomatic rela-
and issues of information technology, tions with Nepal or any national and
is set to begin on Monday from Koshi international non-governmental
Province. The discussion, under the organisations to conduct the reinte-
initiation of the ICT Foundation gration programmes.
Nepal, will also be held in the As part of the programme, the
remaining six provinces of the coun- returnees will be provided with jobs
try. Government officials, people’s or entrepreneurial opportunities
representatives and other stakehold- depending on their skills and interests
ers and representatives from non-gov- they have acquired abroad. They
ernment agencies will be a part of will also be given psychosocial
the discussion. “Discussions will be counselling.
held on the digital situation of the
respective provinces, policies, and
action plans to be taken in the
 POST FILE PHOTO
A file photo shows returnee migrant workers waiting for a bus at Gaushala in Kathmandu.
The board had sought proposals
from 156 local units which have imple-
mented the Safer Migration (SaMi)
Programme. “As many as 85 local
units had sent the proposals, demand-
ing Rs430 million for the reintegration
programmes, targeting around 24,000
beneficiaries,” said Bhattarai. “We
selected 81 proposals.”
While the agreements have already
been signed with 21 local units from
Bagmati, 16 from Madhes, 14 from
Gandaki and 13 from Koshi to imple-
ment the programmes, the agree-
ments with 17 local units from
Lumbini and Sudurpaschim provinc-
es would be signed within a week,
Bhattarai added. “We did not receive
any proposal from local units in
Karnali Province.”
Some local units have also made a
commitment to provide additional
financial assistance, besides the one
from the board.
“We have started sending the funds
to the local level,” said Bhattari. “They
will make their own guidelines to
implement the programme.”
The Belkotgadhi Municipality in
Nuwakot is one of the local units
implementing the reintegration pro-
grammes. It has decided to provide the
beneficiaries with an additional 10
percent in financial assistance.
The municipality plans to utilise
the amount to help returnees run
homestays, buy equipment for farm-
ing and start a new business as well as
to address the mental health-related
issues among them, according to Hari
Gajurel, employment coordinator at
the Employment Service Centre of the
municipality.
The employment coordinator is one
of the members of the reintegration
programme implementation commit-
tee at the respective local level.
Though the municipality had sent
the proposal to the board demanding
around Rs8 million and targeting
around 300 beneficiaries, it is set to
receive the fund for assisting 60
returnees. To prevent the misuse of
funds, the municipality has planned to
prioritise workers who would also
have at least 25 percent of their own
investment besides the financial assis-
tance from the board to carry out their
proposed financial activities.
“We will ask the workers to present
the cost estimates for their proposed
financial activities,” said Gajurel.
The labour migration researchers,
however, doubt the effectiveness of
the programmes, citing issues related
to the intended returnees and budget.
The programmes, in the meantime,
should be carried out as a pilot to
learn the issues in detail for making
further improvements, they said.
Jeevan Baniya, assistant director at
the Centre for Study of Labour and
Mobility, Social Science Baha, a
research institution, said the very
definition of integration needs to be
made clear in the first place.
“We are intending to reintegrate
returnees at a certain place without
considering if the skills they possess
match with the market demand in that
place,” said Baniya. “Instead of such a
static approach, the authorities need
to invest in skilling and reskilling
returnees to make them able to work
anywhere across the country, or even
abroad, as step migration and circular
migration are today’s realities.”
“The identification and prioritisa-
tion of the beneficiaries is key to the
effectiveness of the programme,” said
Baniya. “Along with the workers who
return home after unpleasant labour
experiences and without any financial
capital, the families of the injured, ill
as well as dead migrant workers too
need to be prioritised in the reintegra-
tion efforts.”
Though external remittances have
become a lifeline for the country’s
economy, the migrants who spent their
youth abroad and sent money back to
the country have to struggle to reinte-
grate financially and socially, when
they return. In the last fiscal year,
Nepal received Rs1 trillion in remit-
tances. The figure has already reached
Rs794.32 billion in the first eight
months of the current fiscal year.
The positive contributions of remit-
tance have, however, overshadowed
the social costs of labour migration.
The migrant departures have
turned into an exodus amid a lack of
decent opportunities at home.
In the past three fiscal years, even
as the Covid-19 pandemic strangled
the economy and rendered tens of
thousands of people jobless, more
than 1 million Nepalis left the country
to find work in faraway lands.
The number of Nepalis getting
labour permits, including the renewed
entry, has already reached around
544,ooo in the first eight months of the
current fiscal year which ends mid-Ju-
ly 2023, excluding the labour migra-
tions to India. The issue of returnee
migrant workers and their reintegra-
tion, however, started receiving atten-
tion because of the reverse migration
trend seen during the pandemic.
Nearly 204,000 migrant workers in
the fiscal year 2020-21 and and around
471,000 in 2021-22 returned home
through the Tribhuvan International
Airport, according to the Nepal
Labour Migration Report 2022.
While Bhattarai from the Foreign
Employment Board said the pro-
grammes’ implementation and effec-
tiveness would be evaluated to bring
changes to them for expanding them
further in the coming fiscal year,
Baniya, the labour migration expert,
argued a holistic approach through
coordination among the public
and private sector in the federal,
provincial and local level for creating
jobs and entrepreneurship opportuni-
ties was the need of the hour.

Malaysia plans to set up second 5G network Europe’s largest

future,” said Razan Lamsal, president
of ICT Foundation Nepal. “The pro-
gramme this year will focus on how
capable the province is for digital
nuclear reactor
from next year, sources say
transformation.” The programmes in
the provinces will be held at the
respective provincial capitals. While
the programmes in Madhesh will be
held on Wednesday, they will be
enters service
organised in Bagmati on Friday.
According to the organisers, the
events in the Lumbini, Karnali
q REUTERS
KUALA LUMPUR/SINGAPORE, April 16
sage, without elaborating.
A recommendation by major carri-
ers for a second 5G provider was
in Finland
and Sudurpaschim provinces will Malaysia plans to introduce a second rejected by the previous government q AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE
be held next month. (PR) 5G network from next year, four in March last year. DNB deployed its HELSINKI, April 16
sources told Reuters, in the latest network in late 2021 with the partici-
policy shake-up aimed at dismantling pation of two telecommunications Finland’s next-generation Olkiluoto 3
Poland, Hungary ban grain and monopolies and promoting competi- firms on a trial basis. nuclear reactor, the largest in Europe,
food imports from Ukraine tion by Prime Minister Anwar After months of protracted talks, all has gone into regular production after
Ibrahim’s six-month-old administra- but one of the country’s five mobile months of delays, its operator said on
WARSAW: Poland and Hungary have tion. operators agreed in October to use Sunday, hours after Germany ended
decided to ban imports of grain and Malaysia’s 5G roll-out by state agen- DNB’s network, opening 5G services its nuclear era.
other food from neighbouring cy Digital Nasional Berhad (DNB) has to more customers. Olkiluoto 3, now producing around
Ukraine to protect the local agricul- seen repeated delays since its launch The roll-out came under scrutiny 14 percent of the country’s electricity,
tural sector, the two governments in December 2021 because of industry again, however, after Anwar took is expected to remain operational for
said on Saturday, after a flood of sup- concerns over pricing and transparen- office in November and announced a “at least the next 60 years”, according
ply depressed prices across the cy, as well as worries that a single review of the 5G plan, saying it had to the site’s operator TVO.
region. Ukraine expressed regret government-run network would result not been formulated transparently by The European pressurised water
about the Polish decision, saying that in a nationalised monopoly. the previous administration. DNB reactor (EPR), already more than 12
“resolving various issues by unilater- Since taking office in November last denied that claim. years behind schedule, was supposed
al drastic actions will not accelerate a year, Anwar has ordered reviews of The plan for a second network will to come fully online in December, but
positive resolution of the situation”. billions of dollars in government pro- be contingent on DNB and mobile the start was pushed back several
After Russia’s invasion blocked some jects as he looks to strengthen govern- REUTERS operators ensuring that 5G network
Black Sea ports, large quantities of ance and minimise wasteful spending. A file photo shows an advertisement of a 5G network in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. coverage reaches the government’s
Ukrainian grain, which is cheaper
than that produced in the European
He has also vowed to boost competi-
tion to ensure better services for the lock on the market, four sources famil- ministry told Reuters no decision has
target of 80 percent of the country’s
populated areas by the end of this
Plant is capable
Union, ended up staying in Central public. iar with discussions told Reuters, yet been made on 5G. “The matter is year, the sources said. of generating 1,600
megawatts for at least
European states due to logistical bot- Anwar’s government is now plan- declining to be identified due to the still under review,” Ahmad Firdaus A proposal on the plan is expected
tlenecks, hitting prices and sales for ning to introduce a second 5G network sensitivity of the matter. Mohd, press secretary to the commu- to be submitted to the cabinet on
local farmers. (REUTERS) from January 2024 to challenge DNB’s The communications and digital nications minister, said in a text mes- Wednesday, two of the sources said.
the next 60 years.

At China’s largest trade fair, exporters worry about world economy

q REUTERS
GUANGZHOU, April 16
Chinese exporters exhibiting their
products at the country’s largest trade
fair said the weak global economy was
hurting their businesses, with many
freezing investments and some cut-
ting labour costs in response.
The subdued mood at the Canton
Fair in the southern city of Guangzhou
suggests China’s unexpected
jump in exports in March may have
reflected exporters catching up with
orders delayed last year by Covid
curbs rather than renewed economic
strength.
The first major trade event since
China abruptly dropped Covid restric-
tions and re-opened its borders comes
as sharply higher borrowing costs in
the United States and Europe hit
REUTERS demand for Chinese-made goods.
A staff member attends to visitors at an oven retailer at the China Import and Export Fair, also Kris Lin, a representative from
known as Canton Fair, in Guangzhou, Guangdong province on Sunday. Christmas light producer Taizhou
Hangjie Lamps, said this year’s
orders so far are down 30 percent from
last year.
“The difficulties last year came
from logistics and production disrup-
tions but the local government helped
solve the problems. That’s an internal
issue. Now we have external problems.
We can’t solve those,” Lin said.
“This year will be the hardest for
us,” he said, with higher electricity
costs caused by the war in Ukraine
reducing demand for his decorations
even further.
Lin said the company cannot afford
to sell at lower prices, but it may look
to reduce labour costs. The firm relies
on contract workers who get released
in September to October after the
delivery of Christmas orders.
“If orders are weak this year, I will
set my workers free earlier.”
Huang Qinqin, sales director at
Zhong Shan Shi Limaton Electronics,
a producer of exhaust fans, has simi-
lar thoughts on cutting costs after
orders halved in the first quarter.
“In our factory, workers come to
work when there are orders,” Huang
said. This used to mean working over-
time even on weekends, but it is more
common this year for workers to take
weekends off, she said.
A producer of shaving devices from
the eastern city of Ningbo, who
asked to remain anonymous to
unveil future plans, said the firm had
already laid off workers and will
lower prices in coming months if
orders don’t improve.
The worsening outlook for workers
in the manufacturing industries will
raise concerns among policymakers,
who target 12 million new jobs across
China this year, up from last year’s
goal of 11 million.
Dozens of Chinese suppliers told
Reuters they did not intend to spend
much on improving production lines
this year given the weak demand.
times during its testing phase. Built
by the French-led Areva-Siemens
consortium, the reactor was first
started up in December 2021 and con-
nected to the Finnish power grid in
March last year.
“Test production has been complet-
ed and regular electricity production
started today,” TVO said. “From now
on, about 30 percent of Finnish elec-
tricity is produced in Olkiluoto,”
which already had two reactors.
On Sunday, more than 50 percent of
Finnish electricity was being pro-
duced from nuclear power, according
to Finland’s transmission system
operator Fingrid.
The most powerful nuclear reactor
in Europe, with a capacity of generat-
ing 1,600 megawatts, Olkiluoto 3
reached full power in late September
for the first time since construction
began in 2005.
Finland had been hoping to rely on
the new reactor for its electricity
needs earlier this winter, given fears
of energy shortages after Russia, a
major supplier to Europe, invaded
Ukraine and cut off gas exports in
response to Western sanctions.

C M Y K

world
p Briefing
Gunmen storm Mexican resort,
kill 7, including child
MEXICO CITY: Armed men on Saturday
killed a child and six others after
storming a resort in the central
Mexican state of Guanajuato, author-
ities said, in a region increasingly
plagued by drug cartel violence.
Footage widely shared on social
media showed the aftermath of the
attack in a palm-studded resort in the
small town of Cortazar, about 65 km
south of the Guanajuato city. It was
not clear who was behind the shoot-
ing that killed the seven-year-old,
three men and three women,
Cortazar’s local security department
said. One person was seriously
injured in the La Palma resort. But in
recent years rival drug cartels have
been waging brutal battles to control
territory and trafficking routes
through the state. Video taken soon
after the attack showed shocked
adults and children walking past
piles of dead bodies near a swimming
pool. “Heavily armed sicarios arrived
and this is what happened,” said an
unidentified man, using a word for
hired assassins as he filmed at
the resort in a video shared
on the internet.
Flights out of Taipei delayed
after China launches satellite
TAIPEI: Flights out of northern
Taiwan were delayed Sunday after
China launched a rocket carrying a
satellite that dropped debris into
waters north of the capital Taipei.
While the satellite launch had no
obvious military purpose, it comes
after China held large-scale military
drills in response to Taiwanese
President Tsai Ing-wen’s transit visit
to the United States earlier this
month, during which she met U.S.
House Speaker Kevin McCarthy in
California. Taiwan’s Defence
Ministry issued a statement on public
media, saying it had monitored the
9:36 am launch from the Jiuquan base
in northwestern China. While some
rocket parts had landed within
Taiwan’s air defence identification
zone, they posed no threat to “our
nation’s territory,” the statement
said. China had declared a 27-minute
halt to flights over a section of the
East China Sea, considerably shorter
than the no-fly period over parts of
three days it had originally
announced. Taiwan said it strongly
protested the notice and was able to
get China to reduce the flight ban
time to the brief period on Sunday
morning.
Russia’s Wagner releases over
100 Ukrainian prisoners of war
for Orthodox Easter
MOSCOW: Russia’s most powerful mer-
cenary group, Wagner, sent at least
100 Ukrainian prisoners of war back
to Ukrainian forces to mark Orthodox
Easter, according to a video posted by
the group’s founder, Yevgeny
Prigozhin, on Sunday. “Prepare all of
them, feed and water them, check the
wounded,” Prigozhin was shown say-
ing in a video posted on Telegram by
his press service. A group of
Ukrainian prisoners were then shown
being told that they would be passed
back to Ukrainian forces to mark
Orthodox Easter. “I hope you don’t
fall back into our hands,” an armed
Wagner soldier was told telling the
men before they were ordered into a
truck, some loading packs of water
bottles. More than 100 men, some
limping and some being carried on
stretchers by their comrades,
were shown making their way
in line along a muddy road
as a man standing on a tank
held a white flag.
South Korea repels North
Korean patrol boat after
sea intrusion
SEOUL: South Korea’s military says it
fired warning shots to repel a North
Korean patrol vessel that temporarily
crossed the countries’ disputed west-
ern sea boundary while chasing a
Chinese fishing boat.The North
Korean patrol boat crossed the
so-called Northern Limit Line at
around 11 am on Saturday while pur-
suing the Chinese boat in waters near
South Korea’s Baekryeong island but
immediately retreated after a South
Korean naval vessel fired warning
shots, South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of
Staff said on Sunday. While there
were no exchanges of fire between
the North and South Korean vessels,
the South Korean high-speed vessel
collided with the Chinese boat as it
responded to the intrusion amid poor
visibility, causing bruises and other
minor injuries to some of the South
Korean sailors.
Japan finds crashed military
helicopter, recovers five bodies,
Kyodo reports
TOKYO: Japanese rescuers found the
wreckage of a crashed military heli-
copter and recovered the bodies of
five of the 10 people who had been on
board, Kyodo newswire reported on
Sunday. The aircraft disappeared
from radar on April 6 while flying
over the sea near Miyako island, part
of Japan’s Okinawa prefecture.
A senior Ground Self Defence Force
commander, Lieutenant General
Yuichi Sakamoto, was among
those on the flight. (AGENCIES)
Former Indian lawmaker, Fire in Dubai kills 16,
brother fatally shot live on TV injures 9 in apartment
A police officer says the three assailants came on motorcycles posing as journalists.
Police and media surround the area where Atiq Ahmad and his brother Ashraf were shot in
front of the Motilal Nehru medical college in, Prayagraj, India on Saturday. 
q ASSOCIATED PRESS
LUCKNOW, APRIL 16
A former Indian lawmaker convicted
of kidnapping and facing murder and
assault charges was shot dead along
with his brother in a dramatic attack
that was caught live on TV in north-
ern India, officials said on Sunday.
Atiq Ahmad and his brother Ashraf
were under police escort on their way
to a medical checkup at a hospital on
Saturday night when three men pos-
ing as journalists targeted the two
brothers from close range in Prayagraj
city in Uttar Pradesh state.
The men quickly surrendered to the
police after the shooting, with at least
one of them chanting “Jai Shri Ram,”
or “Hail Lord Ram,” a slogan that has
Israeli police officers disperse demonstrators blocking a highway during protest against plans by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s
government to overhaul the judicial system in Tel Aviv on Saturday.
Sudan in chaos as military ‘Era has passed’ as Beijing subway
rivals face off
Both rival forces claim to have seized key installations.
q REUTERS
KHARTOUM, April 16
Sudan’s army launched air strikes on
a rival paramilitary force’s base near
the capital in a bid to reassert control
over the chaotic country on Sunday
after a power struggle erupted into
clashes that killed 56 civilians and
dozens of fighters.
The fighting that broke out on
Saturday between army units loyal to
General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, and
the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), led by
General Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo,
known as Hemedti, is the first such
outbreak since both joined forces to
oust president Omar Hassan al-Bashir
in 2019.
At the end of a day of heavy
fighting, the army struck a
base belonging in the city of
Omdurman, which adjoins the capital
Khartoum, witnesses said late on
Saturday.
Both the military and the RSF
claimed they had control of Sudan’s
airport and other key installations in
Khartoum, where fighting raged over-
night.
The RSF and the military have been
competing for power as political
factions negotiate forming
transitional government after a 2021
military coup.
In the early hours of Sunday, resi-
dents reported hearing gunfire and
explosions from heavy artillery
through the night. Al Arabiya televi-
sion broadcast footage showing thick
AP/RSS
become a battle cry for Hindu nation-
alists in their campaign against
Muslims.
Uttar Pradesh is governed by India’s
ruling Hindu nationalist Bhartiya
Janata Party.
Police officer Ramit Sharma said
the three assailants came on motorcy-
cles posing as journalists.
“They managed to reach close to
Atiq and his brother on the pretext of
recording a byte and fired at them
from close range. Both sustained bul-
let injuries on the head,” he said. “It
all happened in seconds.”
Multiple videos of Saturday’s
shooting went viral on social media. It
was initially broadcast live on
local TV channels as the brothers
spoke to media while being taken to
drops mandatory Covid mask rule
plume of smoke rising over some dis-
tricts in Khartoum.
Sudan’s MTN telecommunications
company has blocked internet servic-
es in the country on the orders of the
government telecommunications reg-
ulator, two officials from the company
told Reuters on Sunday.
“We’re scared, we haven’t slept for
24 hours because of the noise and the
house shaking. We’re worried about
running out of water and food, and
medicine for my diabetic father,”
Huda, a young resident in southern
Khartoum told Reuters.
“There’s so much false information
and everyone is lying. We don’t know
when this will end, how it will end,”
she added.
Tagreed Abdin, an architect living
in Khartoum, said the power was out
and people were trying to conserve
phone batteries. “We can hear
air strikes, shelling, and gunfire,”
she said.
Doctors unions said it was difficult
for medics and the sick to get to and
from hospitals and called on the army
and RSF to provide safe passage.
Several groups reported being
trapped near the presidential palace
and military headquarters.
a Some 250 students and 25 teachers
were trapped in a school less
than a kilometre from the presidential
palace all day Saturday and overnight
with no food, a teacher told Reuters.
About 50 students who hadn’t been
reached by their families remained
there, he said.
the hospital.
The footage shows someone pulling
a gun close to Atiq Ahmad’s head. As
he collapses, his brother is also shot.
The video shows assailants repeatedly
firing at the two men after both fell on
the ground.
Atiq Ahmad, 60, was jailed in 2019
after he was convicted of kidnapping
a lawyer, Umesh Pal, who had testified
against him as a witness in the killing
of a lawmaker in 2005. In February,
Pal was also killed.
On Thursday, Atiq Ahmad’s teenage
son and another man, both of whom
were blamed for Pal’s death, were
killed by police in what was described
as a shootout.
Two weeks earlier, Atiq Ahmad had
petitioned the Indian Supreme Court
for protection, saying there was an
“open, direct and immediate threat to
his life” from state functionaries of
Uttar Pradesh, according to media
reports. But the court declined to
intervene and instead asked his law-
yer to approach the local state court.
Atiq Ahmad was a state lawmaker
four times and was also elected to
India’s Parliament in 2004 from Uttar
Pradesh’s Phulpur constituency, once
represented by India’s first Prime
Minister Jawaharlal Nehru.
He faced more than 100 criminal
cases and was among the first politi-
cians from Uttar Pradesh to be prose-
cuted under the stringent Gangster
Act in the late 1980s. He also cultivated
a Robin Hood image among mostly
Muslim constituents and used to
financially help many poor families.
But he was also criticised for lever-
aging his political clout to develop a
syndicate that was an active player in
the real estate market amid allega-
tions of forced capture of properties
and other crimes.
Opposition parties criticised the
killings as a security lapse.
AP/RSS
People on social media voiced concerns, saying the virus remains a threat.
q REUTERS
BEIJING, April 16
Beijing’s subway has dropped manda-
tory mask requirements for travellers,
local media reported on Sunday, days
after a Chinese health expert said the
threat of Covid-19 to humans is no
longer at a serious level.
The mask move is in line with
broader measures by China, which
said last week it was now no longer
mandatory to wear face masks when
using public transport, according to
state media.
“It’s as if an era has passed,” a user
said on China’s popular social e-com-
merce app Xiaohongshu, as social
media was abuzz with news of the
rules being eased.
Staff at a Beijing subway station
tore down signs reminding people to
wear masks, Beijing Daily reported.
The pandemic is nearing its end,
based on World Health Organisation
data, said Wu Zunyou, chief epidemi-
ologist at the Chinese Centre for
Disease Control and Prevention,
according to the China Daily.
China, which dismantled its strict
Covid rules in December, said the lat-
est official data indicated the Covid
positivity rate went up slightly in
early April, according to the Global
Times. However, respiratory special-
ists said it was unlikely China would
experience another big wave of infec-
tions nationwide.
MONDAY, APRIL 17, 2023 | 06
building
The apartment is believed to have been shared by multiple
individuals, a common practice for foreign labourers.
Char marks are seen after an apartment fire in Dubai, United Arab Emirates on Sunday.
q ASSOCIATED PRESS
DUBAI, APRIL 16
A fire swept through an apartment
building in an older neighbourhood of
Dubai in the United Arab Emirates,
killing at least 16 people and injuring
another nine, authorities said on
Sunday.
The blaze Saturday in the Al Murar
area of Dubai’s historic Deira neigh-
bourhood struck an apartment
believed to have been shared by multi-
ple individuals, a common practice for
labourers who power the economy in
this city-state known more for its tow-
ering skyscrapers. But the tight quar-
ters, often subdivided by makeshift
barriers of plywood, drywall or show-
er curtains, can become a major risk
in fires.
A statement from Dubai Civil
Defence issued by the city-state’s
Dubai Media Office gave the death
toll. Authorities did not answer ques-
tions from The Associated Press.
On Sunday, char marks could be
seen on the five-story apartment build-
ing, home also to a grocery store, a
smoke shop and other businesses on
its ground floor.
Yellow police crime scene tape cor-
doned off the building, which also still
had a heavy police presence. Massive
Airbus A380s and Boeing 777s owned
by the long-haul carrier Emirates
roared overhead as the neighbour-
hood sits only 3 kilometres from
Dubai International Airport along its
flight path.
On several neighbouring balconies,
a wardrobe’s worth of clothes could be
seen hanging—a common practice
when closets are converted into living
space for labourers sharing an apart-
ment that was initially designed for a
single family. That’s seen throughout
Deira, which is located alongside the
Dubai Creek and is also home to its
gold and spice markets, a major tour-
ist attraction in the city.
A man working nearby at the time
of the blaze put the start of the fire at
just after noon Saturday. He told the
AP that there had been an explosion,
like from a gas cylinder catching fire,
followed by thick black smoke.
He said neighbours believed people
were asleep inside at the time, some-
thing typical for the holy Muslim fast-
A file photo shows people riding on a subway during evening rush hour in Beijing, China.
China has declared victory over
Covid several times, highlighting the
government’s response and handling
of the pandemic.
Some people on social media voiced
concerns over the relaxation of mask
rules, saying the virus remains a
threat. “Let’s hope there will not be a
second wave of infections,” a user on
China’s Twitter-like social media
Weibo site said.
Masks are optional on public trans-
AP/RSS
ing month of Ramadan when the
faithful abstain from food and drink
from sunrise to sunset.
A Dubai police officer stopped the
AP journalist from talking to the man
before he gave his name and told the
reporter to leave the area.
The Dubai Civil Defence statement
described the fire as starting on the
fourth floor. The char marks could be
seen on the fifth floor, where glass
appeared to have been blown out by
the blaze.
Dubai in recent years
has faced a spate of
high-rise fires, fuelled
by flammable siding
material.
“Preliminary investigations showed
that lack of compliance with building
security and safety requirements
caused the fire,” the statement said.
“Relevant authorities are conducting
a comprehensive investigation to pro-
vide a detailed report on the causes of
the” fire.
The statement did not elaborate.
The building’s management declined
to answer any questions when reached
by the AP, citing the ongoing police
investigation. It wasn’t immediately
clear who owned the building.
Dubai in recent years has faced a
spate of high-rise fires, fuelled by
flammable siding material.
However, other fires at warehouses
and smaller structures can strike, par-
ticularly in the summer when temper-
atures top 45 degrees Celsius. On
Saturday, Dubai saw a high of 28
degrees Celsius with strong winds.
Illegal apartment partitioning has
been a problem in Dubai for decades,
worsened when the city-state sees real
estate booms and economic growth
like it now is experiencing.
Authorities have launched crack-
downs in the past, but landlords
persist in offering partitioned
apartments as workers from Africa
and Asia try to save every penny to
send back home.
REUTERS
port and in supermarkets, movie thea-
tres and other indoor places with
large gatherings, Xinhua news report-
ed. Masks remain mandatory when a
person has tested positive for Covid or
is displaying symptoms, during local
outbreaks and in medical institutions
and nursing homes, the report said.
Chinese cities have been scrapping
mask mandates for several weeks,
including Hong Kong, which ended
mask requirements on March 1.
C M Y K
07 | MONDAY, APRIL 17, 2023

Sports | Medley

Arsenal held again

q Associated Press
LONDON, April 16
Arsenal threw away another two-goal
lead to draw 2-2 with West Ham on
Sunday and prompt further questions
over the Premier League leader’s
title bid.
A week after drawing with Liverpool
by the same score, Mikel Arteta’s team
were held by relegation-fighting West
Ham at London Stadium.
Gabriel Jesus and Martin
Odegaard had fired Arsenal into a
controlling lead, but a Said
Benrahma penalty and another goal
from Jarrod Bowen meant the
Gunners could only extend their lead
over second-place Manchester City to
four points.
Defending champions City have a
game in hand and also host Arsenal at
Etihad Stadium later this month.
City had cut Arsenal’s lead to three
points after beating Leicester 3-1 on
Saturday.
But there was little sign of the
Londoners feeling the pressure in the
early stages on Sunday, taking the lead
in the seventh minute through
Jesus and Odegaard added a second in
the 10th.
West Ham were handed a route
back into the game when Gabriel
fouled Lucas Paqueta in the box and
referee David Coote pointed to
the spot.
Benrahma converted in the 33rd to
make it 2-1 going in at halftime.
Arsenal had the chance to
restore a two-goal advantage nine
minutes after the restart, also from
the spot. Antonio was penalised for
handling in the box, but Bukayo Saka
could not take advantage with his shot
going wide.
The visitors were almost immedi-
ately made to pay for that wasteful-
ness, with Bowen volleying an equaliz-
er in the 54th.
It was a similar story to last week
when Arsenal led 2-0 at Liverpool,
only for the Merseyside club to fight-
back and salvage a draw.
It could have been worse for Arteta
when Antonio rose to meet a cross
later on, but his effort hit the outside
of the post.
Police outdo Satdobato, Sankata top APF
Coach Sanoj Shrestha’s Satdobato miss their opportunity to climb to the top of A-Division League table following a 0-0
draw with Police. Salyan Khadki’s team defeat APF 1-0 in a bad-tempered match that saw three players sent off.
Sankata Club’s Nelson Yuniwo Konfor (left) and Armed Police Force Club’s Awas Lamichhane battle for the ball during their Martyrs Memorial
A-Division League football match at the Chyasal Stadium in Lalitpur on Sunday. 
q SPORTS BUREAU on 17 points with Jawalakhel Youth
KATHMANDU, April 16 Club but the latter occupy the summit
due to superior goal difference.
Satdobato Youth Club missed their Jawalakhel had shocked record
opportunity to retake the top spot in eight-time champions Manang
the Martyrs Memorial A-Division Marshyangdi Club 3-0 on Saturday to
League after they were held to a goal- move to the top.
less draw by relegation-threatened Satdobato were far from their best
Nepal Police Club in a drab match at and lacked intensity but Police failed
the Dasharath Stadium in Kathmandu to take advantage despite creating a
on Sunday. number of opportunities in the final
The draw means Satdobato are level minutes of the first half.
Post Photo: Hemanta Shrestha
Anjan Rai should have put Police in
front in the 40th minute when
Satdobato defenders took it too long to
clear the ball allowing Rai to fire from
near the penalty spot but his
left-footed effort sailed over the bar.
Police’s Buddhabal Tamang wasted
a chance in the 42nd minute after
he reacted too slow to pick up a
well-placed cross from captain
Ramchandra Wajee.
Tamang also missed another oppor-
Quote of the day
I want, I desire, Erling Haaland can
break all the records as possible.
That means he’s scored a lot of goals,
that means that helps us.
-Man City manager Pep Guardiola says after Haaland
equals Mo Salah’s record tally of 32 goals in a
38-game Premier League season.
tunity to take the lead as he dived
without calculation and way too early
in his attempt to meet a cross from
Saujan Rai.
Satdobato showed an improved
display after the break but failed to
capitalise on a few chances they
created.
Dipak Raj Singh Thakuri set up
Niraj Chaudhary with a near-perfect
through ball three minutes into the
second half but Police’s Wajee quickly
warded off the danger.
Satdobato’s best chance came in the A-Division League
65th minute when Umesh Rai’s corner
fell in the foot of unmarked Abdul
Latif Abubakari but the Ghanaian
Results
ended up firing wide from the six Satdobato 0-0 Police
yard box.
Police climbed a spot up to the 13th Sankata 1-0 APF
position after collecting a point. They
have five points from nine matches.
Table
Earlier, Sankata Club defeated Teams P W D L GF GA PTS
Armed Police Force (APF) Club 1-0 in Jawalakhel 9 5 2 2 15 10 17
a bad-tempered match that saw three Satdobato 9 5 2 2 11 8 17
players sent off at the Chyasal Manang 9 4 3 2 10 8 15
Stadium. Sankata 9 4 3 2 8 4 15
Nine-man Sankata’s Cameroonian
CBU 8 3 5 0 9 5 14
forward Junior Onguene Nkengue
scored the decisive goal in the 29th Three Star 8 4 2 2 9 7 14
minute from the spot kick that was Machhindra 9 3 4 2 14 12 13
awarded to Sankata after Mali Army 9 3 3 3 15 13 12
midfielder Adama Doumbia brought APF 9 3 2 4 9 9 11
down Ayush Ghalan inside the Khumaltar 9 3 1 5 13 20 10
penalty box. Sherpa 8 2 3 3 10 10 9
The match had already been pushed NRT 9 1 4 4 13 17 7
30 minutes back after the jersey colour
Police 9 1 2 6 6 13 5
of Sankata and APF goalkeepers
clashed. Friends 8 1 2 5 8 14 5
And more drama came when
Sankata’s Manish Dangi and APF’s
Playing Monday
Dipesh Dhimal needlessly scuffled in Sherpa vs Friends
the APF box after the break. Both Three Star vs CBU
were shown second yellow and sent
off in the 69th minute.
Sankata’s Andre Thierry Biyik was english Premier League
sent off in the 76th minute for insult-
ing the match referee.
The win sent Sankata up to fourth
Results
in the standings. APF lie in the ninth Man City 3-1 Leicester
position with 11 points.
West Ham 2-2 Arsenal
Playing Monday

Final squad named for ACC Premier Cup Street Workout Championship on April 22
Leeds vs Liverpool

Indian Premier League

q SPORTS BUREAU
KATHMANDU, April 16
Nepal announced a 14-member squad for the ACC
Men’s Premier Cup 2023, set to start on Tuesday.
Cricket Association of Nepal (CAN) named the
team without making changes to a side that
swept the final and deciding home tri-series
against United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Papua
New Guinea of ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup
League 2 to progress into the 2023 Zimbabwe ICC
Men’s Cricket World Cup Qualifiers.
Nepal are pitted alongside Oman, Qatar,
Malaysia and Saudi Arabia in Group A. Group B
consists of UAE, Hong Kong, Kuwait, Singapore
and Bahrain.
Captain Rohit Paudel will eye another extraor-
dinary journey as he aims to lead the Rhinos to
the Asia Cup 2023 for the first time.
The winners of the ACC Premier Cup will
qualify for the Asia Cup set to take place in
September this year. The matches will be held at
TU Cricket Ground and Mulpani Cricket Ground
from April 18 to May 1.
Arjun Saud, Sundeep Jora, Surya Tamang and
Kishor Mahato have been named as the reserve
players.
Squad
Rohit Paudel (C), Kushal Bhurtel, Aasif Sheikh, Gyanendra Malla, Kushal
Malla, Aarif Sheikh, Sompal Kami, Dipendra Singh Airee, Gulshan Jha,
Karan KC, Sandeep Lamichhane, Bhim Sharki, Pratish GC, Lalit Rajbanshi
q SPORTS BUREAU
KATHMANDU, April 16
Nepali Youth Fitness and Calisthenics (NYFC) is
set to organise Street Workout Championship
on April 22 at Narayan Chaur in Naxal,
Kathmandu.
Organising a press conference in Kathmandu
on Sunday, NYFC president Sukadev Karki
informed that the event will be held in two cate-
gories—bar workout and circuit workout.
The participants will compete in five sections
including men’s open bar, men’s open circuit,
women’s circuit, senior men’s circuit above 40
and men’s under-16 age categories. The organis-
ers have expected a participation of around 400
players in total and 200 in the final.
The best performer in bar and circuit workout
will be declared the winner and also win the title 22nd match, Wankhede
of the fittest athlete. The best performer will be Toss: Mumbai Indians, fielded first.
decided on the basis of workout at a particular
time frame. Kolkata Knight Riders 185-6
The fittest athlete will get a cash prize of V Iyer 104 (51)
Rs51,000, a certificate and a gold medal. The top
three finishers in bar and circuit workout catego-
H Shokeen 2-34
ries in all five sections will be given Rs20,000, Mumbai Indians 186-5 (17.4/20 overs)
Rs15,000 and Rs10,000, respectively. I Kishan 58 (25), S Yadav 43 (25)
The expected cost of the event is Rs2 million
and the chief sponsor Himalaya Quista Pro will S Sharma 2-27
provide Rs400,000. Mumbai win by five wickets.
According to NYFC, they have installed equip-
ment for open workouts in 35 different places of
Player of the match: Venkatesh Iyer
the countries under collaboration with corporate Playing Monday
houses with the motto of a ‘Healthy Nepal’. Royal Challengers Bangalore vs Chennai Super Kings

ARIES (March 21-April 19)
Today will ask you to work from behind the scenes
while planting seeds for the future. However, you’ll
want to take a break in order to embrace whimsy,
encouraging you to seek escape. You’ll sense a shift
as evening settles in.
HOROSCOPE
CANCER (June 22-July 22)
Your hopes and dreams may show signs of manifest-
ing today. However, you’ll need to remember that
you’re ultimately responsible for what lies ahead, so
try to implement structures that can facilitate change.
Take a moment to commune with your higher power.
LIBRA (September 23-October 22)
You’ll feel motivated to work hard and get organized
today, marking the perfect excuse to check in with
your body with some light stretching and breath-
work. The energy will shift spicing to your love life
as evening settles in.
CAPRICORN (December 22-January 19)
Pay attention to any bright ideas that pop into your
head today. Investing in your future through strategy
and brainstorming will be supported by the skies
right now, so be sure to put that beautiful mind of
yours to work.

TAURUS (April 20-May 20)
Don’t be ashamed to rely on your connections today.
It is perfect for asking for referrals and references if
you need them, though you’ll need to put yourself
out there in order to get ahead. Feel free to get lost in
your devices.
LEO (July 23-August 22)
Be sure to invest in your most important business
relationships today. The hands you shake now could
have significant impacts on your future, marking the
perfect excuse to network and mingle. Take a moment
to release any tension or stress.
SCORPIO (October 23-November 21)
It’s okay to let your ego have some fun every now and
again. Consider embracing your playful and whimsi-
cal nature, bringing a dreamy and euphoric energy
to the table. You’ll feel inspired to nurture your
health and live.
AQUARIUS (January 20-February 18)
Check in with your financial and domestic goals
today. However, you’ll want to take a time out in order
to embrace softness and leisure as the afternoon rolls.
The vibe will shift sharpening your wits and prob-
lem-solving skills.

GEMINI (May 21-June 21)
Take a tactical approach to your professional ambitions
today, allowing you to smooth out any rough edges
you’ve been traveling with recently. You’ll sense a shift
this evening, inspiring you to socialize and make new
connections online and within your community.
VIRGO (August 23-September 22)
Be sure to make good on any promises you made in
the past today. Honor your word, and good vibes will
flow when you practice kindness and generosity. A
romantic and dreamy energy will spice up your
afternoon.
SAGITTARIUS (November 22-December 21)
Allow your heart to guide you without abandoning
good sense today. These vibes are all about honoring
your truth and living well while understanding your
role in making these sentiments a reality. Allow your
cares to temporarily melt away.
PISCES (February 19-March 20)
Your words will have the power to alter your future
right now. Allow softness and grace to guide you, but
don’t be afraid to advocate for your dreams. You’ll
feel motivated to lay down some groundwork for your
financial future.
astrology.com

Crossword Sudoku

Yesterday’s Solution

C M Y K
 MONDAY, APRIL 17, 2023 | 08

Culture & Lifestyle

(C.R.P.D.) - 3/052/053

From homemaker to YouTuber

How a mother-son duo from a village in Dhading built one of Nepal’s most popular cooking channels.
q Urza Acharya interviews. As evident from the comments times, KanchhiKitchen has featured
Kathmandu left in her videos, she is beloved by Nepalis newer, non-traditional recipes. Fresher

K
anchhi Maiya Bhandari grew
up in a small village in Dhading.
Married at 15, her first child
was born when she was only 16.
That was what life was back
then. “I did everything I could to please
my family,” recalls Kanchhi Maiya. Every
day she woke up earlier than everyone—as
early as 3am in the morning—to feed the
goats and cows. Then she sent her kids off
to school. She catered to her husband and
her in-laws. She cooked. She walked for
hours to collect firewood from the nearby
jungle. She made dinner. And when the
night gave into dawn, Kanchhi Maiya did
it all over again.
Why do it?
Even as she recalls her difficult life in
the village, there is no anger. No remorse.
Just acceptance. “My mother taught me,
even as a child, to cook and clean well,”
she says. “Kanchhi, you’ll get married and
will have to live elsewhere. Make sure to
work hard.” This is what she was taught.
And Kanchhi Maiya played that role per-
fectly—for years and years.
It was when Covid hit that her world
turned upside down. Within a few months,
she lost her parents and her husband. This
abrupt loss left a grave of emptiness in her
heart, making it difficult for her to even
get up in the mornings. “I lost people that
brought happiness and love into my life. It
was difficult to go on,” she says.
Kanchhi Maiya’s son, Prakash, couldn’t
bear to see his always cheerful mother in
and even foreigners. Big and multiple
heart emojis accompany all the comments,
with people admiring her welcoming
smile and grace. A comment on her video
reads, “Though I’m currently in a foreign
desert, the peaceful and organic scenes of
your village make me feel like I’m there
too.” Another says, “It is because of the
hard work that you’ve reached here.
Thank you.”
For Kanchhi Maiya, this level of recog-
nition has been unimaginable. “My life
has changed completely. I want to tell all
the didi-bainis that we must keep working
and trying new things even as we get old,”
says Kanchhi Maiya, adding that the chan-
nel has given her a new-found confidence
and a feeling of self-reliance.
Prakash says that in this digital age,
there is a tendency for people to leave the
aged behind, considering them too
old-fashioned to use the internet or social
media. “I want to show from our YouTube
channel that our elders aren’t useless,”
he says. “In fact, they’d be the happiest if
we use the internet or social media to
teach them something or just spend time
with them.”
What next?
The positive reception of KanchhiKitchen
has opened up new doors for both Kanchhi
and Prakash. The kitchen has gotten a full
re-vamp, and the camera has shifted to the
much more powerful Sony A7iii. Prakash’s
sister bought him a new laptop where he
edits videos on Adobe’s Premier Pro. The
production quality of KanchhiKitchen is
also what has drawn viewers to the chan-
nel. The videos are well-shot and edited—
no jerks, seamless cuts and refreshing
B-rolls that show snippets of the village; a
PHOTO: Courtesy of KanchhiKitchen/Facebook flower in bloom, a close-up of the village
dog or of leaves rustling in the wind. “In
Image Channel. But what he enjoyed most today’s chaotic world, I want our viewers
characters have also been added, and
Prakash’s wife, Sonu Khadka Bhandari,
also makes cameos in the cooking videos.
“We also want to open a homestay where
people can stay, enjoy the village life and
interact with Kanchhi Maiya and eat the
food she cooks,” he says. There’s also
another idea of taking KanchhiKitchen
outside the set; a new program where
Kanchhi Maiya will travel, experience
new cuisines and draw influences from
them. The talk of travelling makes
Kanchhi Maiya’s face light up. “I would
love to travel. Ghumna ta jhan ramailo
lagcha,” she says.
The optimism, in the eyes of both
Kanchhi Maiya and Prakash, for the
future is grounded. The videos—the new
one featuring something more delectable
than the previous—are published three
times a week. Clearly, the ambitions for
the future of KanchhiKitchen are big. But
how far will these plans go? Neither
Kanchhi Maiya, Prakash, nor the viewers
know. But amidst all this success, Prakash
understands. “If one day my mother tells
me she doesn’t want to make videos
anymore, I’ll stop from that very moment,”
he says.

When Prakash opened

such a state. He had to do something. “My
mother has always been a great cook. I
decided to draw her attention to what she
enjoys the most,” says Prakash. He real-
ised he needed to take his mother outside
the house and near nature—the jungle or
the river banks when they’d have a picnic,
was filming whatever he was doing.
“Whenever I went somewhere as a guide, I
made short videos and posted them on
social media,” he says. One day he got his
hands on a second-hand camera—a Canon
7D—sold to him by a foreigner trying to
lighten his suitcase before flying back.
to watch our videos and be at peace, at
least for a few minutes,” says Prakash.
KanchhiKitchen, he told his However, it’s not all rose petals. There
are YouTube trolls. There is still a bit of
mother, ‘Please don’t expect scepticism. He admits there have been
challenges, especially regarding retaining
much from it. We will try
PHOTO: Courtesy of Prakash Bhandari
viewership and developing new ideas to Kanchhi Maiya holding her son Prakash alongside

for a year. If it doesn’t work,

grill some fish or make some chicken
curry. He filmed all of this with his sec-
ond-hand iPhone 5.
Prakash decided to post one of the vide-
os from their outings on YouTube.
Uploaded on February 26, 2021, and titled
‘Tasty Chicken Curry Cooking in
Riverside and eating with Friends’, it is
the second video uploaded under the chan-
nel ‘KanchhiKitchen’. As of now, this
video has over 1 million views.
As the name suggests, the channel is a
‘slice-of-life’ ambient cooking show or food
vlog where Kanchhi Maiya cooks various
dishes—from typical Nepali food like
dhido and sel-roti to foreign classics like
pizza and grilled chicken. Within a short
span of time, the channel has accumulat-
ed over 300,000 subscribers and a total of
60 million views.
The conception
Before Covid, Prakash was a trekking
guide. At one point, he also had a stint at
But it was only after Covid that the cam-
era found its purpose. That and his sec-
ond-hand iPhone 5 are what filmed the
initial videos for KanchhiKitchen. After
encouragement from his friend Pradip
Guragain, Prakash convinced his mother
to let him shoot one cooking video a week.
But Prakash was realistic. The tricky
thing about social media, and YouTube
especially, is you never know when the
channel will start kicking off—it could be
days, months or never. He told his mother,
“Please don’t expect much from the chan-
nel. We will try for a year. If it doesn’t
work, I’ll find work in Saudi.”
Prakash’s idea was to re-introduce the
public to the authenticity of village life. A
typical firewood stove, dishes made out of
wood and clay, baskets made out of bam-
boo—he paid extra attention to the details
that added substance to a village kitchen.
“There’s something different about our
kitchens—it’s drawn from local and
natural elements. I wanted to preserve
attract audiences. This is why, in recent her husband, Bishal Bhandari.
I’ll go to Saudi.’
that,” he says.
Kanchhi Maiya reveals that she was a
little sceptical of her son’s idea at first.
“The villagers used to look at us and say,
‘K gareko hola?’ It was difficult to make
them understand,” says Kanchhi Maiya.
In fact, Kanchhi Maiya is in no way the
typical YouTuber—young, tech-savvy or
even literate. A few years ago, she was just
a homemaker in one of the houses in
Nilkuntha, 12, Bhaduwar, Dhading, whose
entire day was spent on unacknowledged
household labour.
But now, Kanchhi Maiya is a celebrity.
The villagers come up to her and appreci-
ate what she’s doing. Some even try to
emulate it. She was recently invited to an
event in Hotel Yak and Yeti to talk about
her YouTubing journey. She gives
PHOTO: Courtesy of KanchhiKitchen/Facebook

Does cancel culture work? Slice of countryside

life videos attract 1.2
Point Counter Point
million views
Aashima Chalise it can breed discrimi- Saisha Shrestha Amidst this, the online q Keo Bosaba
nation, censorship, culture also doesn’t PHNOM PENH, Cambodia

The concept of “can-
celling” refers to
the act of publicly
calling out indi-
viduals or enti-
ties for problem-
atic behaviour or
beliefs, with the
aim of holding
them accountable
and demanding
change. In some
cases, this can lead to
boycotts, public shaming,
and other forms of social pres-
sure that can result in the person
or entity being effectively “can-
celled” or blocked from having a
prominent public platform or
career.
John Stuart Mill, an influential
philosopher and advocate of free
speech, argued that individuals
should have the freedom to express
their opinions and ideas as long as
they do not cause physical harm or
incite violence. However, he also
recognised that there are limits to
this freedom, and when the line is
crossed, and harm is caused, it is
necessary to have measures in
place to hold individuals accounta-
ble and maintain social order.
Creating a safe and inclusive
environment for everyone involves
promoting and enforcing a culture
of respect and responsibility. This
requires making individuals aware
of the consequences of their
actions and ensuring that everyone
abides by the general principles of
human decency.
The concept of cancel culture
has generated intense disagree-
ment, with some claiming it is an
essential tool for advancing social
justice and holding influential
people and institutions responsible
for their deeds, while others claim
and racial
dominance.
By calling
out individu-
als or groups
who engage in
harmful or
offensive
b e h a v i o u r,
cancel culture
sends a message
that such actions
are unacceptable
and will not be tolerat-
ed. This can deter others
from engaging in similar behaviour
and promote a culture of greater
awareness and responsibility.
Cancel culture can bring atten-
tion to important issues that may
have been previously overlooked. It
may increase awareness and start
necessary debates about societal
issues, including racism, sexism,
and homophobia, by highlighting
bad actions, attitudes, and beliefs.
Changes in societal norms and
expectations may be significantly
influenced by cancel culture.
Calling out negative conduct and
making people and institutions
responsible may pressure change
and advance a more inclusive and
fair society.
Cancel culture may be an effec-
tive tool for defending oppressed
communities against the prejudice
and persecution they have histori-
cally faced. Cancel culture helps to
make marginalised populations
safer and more inclusive by expos-
ing and holding responsible those
who engage in abusive conduct.
Chalise is currently pursuing
Bachelor’s in Multimedia
Technologies at Islington College.
She is a passionate traveller and
also enjoys debating.
Unless you live
under a rock,
you probably
know how
cancel culture
works. A pub-
lic figure
comes along,
says some-
thing offensive,
and the public
backlash ensues,
followed by a call to
cancel that person–
that is, to revoke their cul-
tural cachet and withdraw support.
While, agreeably, cancel culture
was born to maintain accountabili-
ty and social justice, its intent has
become blurry these past years.
And this problem arises because
its limits have not been defined.
For instance, in this era of per-
formative wokeness and virtue sig-
nalling, social media has become a
Bigg Boss setting where our words
are constantly monitored, and the
smallest of slip-ups will lead to
elimination–being cancelled. In
doing so, cancel culture is inching
dangerously close to the territory
of cyber-bullying–a modern form
of ostracisation.
And this ostracisation can be
very hostile to free speech. The fear
of being cancelled causes people to
self-censor, which can harm public
discourse. Hence, it is no surprise
that more than four in 10 people
(45%) say they have, at least once,
not expressed an opinion for fear of
being cancelled, according to the
Where America Stands survey. This
points to a very alarming problem.
Cancel culture has become a
means to promote exclusion over
education, condemnation over com-
passion, and is deaf to redemption
and change.
M
leave room for ambi-
guities. People are any people feel pressure to adhere to the
quick to cancel standards seemingly demanded by modern
somebody without society.
taking the time to This might include maintaining a certain
discover the full standard of fashion or wearing perfect make-
story. It reiterates up, chasing a successful corporate career or other modern
the sentiment of trends. Attempting to adhere to impossible standards is the
“guilty until prov- reality of life for many of today’s young people.
en innocent”. Chhom Srey Pach has eschewed such standards and
Alluding to it shares her daily life with more than a million social
would be Mary media users.
Prudie’s case. She was She produces video content which focuses on the cuisine
accused of plagiarism for which is unique to her home province, Banteay Meanchey. In
her artwork, which later her videos, she rarely bothers to wear makeup. Nor does she
turned out to be false.She says, “I seem concerned about whether her clothes will impress
had just finished cancer treatment, her viewers.
and there were 100 people in my She does not appear to be striving to give the impression of
DMs every day telling me to kill being at the cutting edge of the latest trends but gives the
myself.” impression that she is being true to herself.
Yet, it’s instructive to note that It’s been almost 5 months since she started producing
cancel culture hasn’t succeeded in video content. In that time, she has accumulated more
toppling any major figures— than 1.2 million followers on her Facebook account, a
high-level politicians, corporate staggering amount when compared to most local content
titans, let alone institutions. People creators.
like JK Rowling, Kanye West and She graduated from business school this year, but still
Morgan Wallen are examples of speaks with the distinctive accent of a Banteay Meanchey
supposedly cancelled celebrities native. Her audiences seem to accept this as one more
who are still making a good living. indicator of how genuine she is.
However, people like Mary As the daughter of a farmer, she brings a unique aspect to
Prudie, who have fewer resources to living and eating–one which is intriguing to those who grew
defend themselves or recover from up in cities and towns. In fact, most of the food she shares in
cancellation, seem to be affected the her videos comes from her father’s farm.
most by cancel culture—which Some of her videos see her cooking in the mountains or in
seems counterproductive at best. the fields. Some feature picnicking on rafts in a drainage
The emergence of cancel culture pond, catching fish or even digging up potatoes. The unusual
employs digital mobs to police our content seems to attract people, and she has amassed many
speech and rule out people as good fans who are pleased to see reminders of what they see as a
or bad. It has created a community simpler time.
ruled by censorship and corroded It is not easy to produce two full videos a day, and she and
public discourse. Against this back- her twin brother work the equivalent of a full-time job to
drop, I ask all of you: “Is cancel keep the content coming.
culture really effective?” Things have improved. Her huge viewership figures have
attracted the interest of several sponsors–usually people
Shrestha is an architecture student with businesses that want her to mention them or use their
at Pulchowk Campus and the products.
co-founder of Sahayatri, an
organisation to promote global This article was originally published in The Phnom Penh
health literacy. Post.

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