Author: space4knews

April 6, Kathmandu – From tomorrow, members of parliament will be required to log their attendance using an electronic attendance system. The process of collecting biometric data from parliamentarians will commence tomorrow. The Federal Parliament Secretariat issued a notice on Wednesday urging all members to provide their biometric information for the electronic attendance process. Various parliamentary committees have scheduled different times and locations for the collection of biometric data. Since formal photographs will also be taken during this process, members are instructed to attend wearing formal attire featuring the Federal Parliament logo.

Members of the International Relations and Tourism Committee and the Development, Economic Affairs, and Good Governance Committee are required to be present tomorrow from 10:00 AM to 12:00 PM at the Public Accounts Committee Hall. Members of the Finance Committee and Legislative Management Committee must also attend tomorrow at the Finance Committee Hall. Members of the Industry and Commerce and Labor and Consumer Interests Committees will be required to visit the Public Accounts Committee Hall from 2:00 PM to 4:00 PM tomorrow. Members of the Law, Justice, and Human Rights Committee should attend at the Finance Committee Hall during the same afternoon hours.

Members of the Agriculture, Cooperatives, and Natural Resources Committee and the Federalization Strengthening and National Concern Committee are scheduled to appear on Friday from 10:00 AM to 12:00 PM at the Public Accounts Committee Hall. Members of the Infrastructure Development Committee and Public Policy and Delegated Legislation Committee will also gather between 10:00 AM and 12:00 PM at the Finance Committee Hall on Friday. Members of the Women and Social Affairs Committee are expected at the Public Accounts Committee Hall from 2:00 PM to 4:00 PM on Friday, while the State Structure and Good Governance Committee members will attend the Finance Committee Hall during the same afternoon slot. The biometric data of members of the Public Accounts Committee will be collected on April 11 from 10:00 AM to 12:00 PM at the committee’s hall. Additionally, members of the Education, Health, and Information Technology Committee will provide their biometric data at the Finance Committee Hall during the same time and date.

Prime Minister and Chancellor of Kathmandu University, Balen Shah, has entrusted Professor Rishikesh Wagle with the responsibility of Acting Vice Chancellor of Kathmandu University. Following the dismissal of the deans by ordinance, the Examination Controller Wagle has been assigned the vice chancellor duties. April 5, Kathmandu.

After the ordinance led to the removal of Dr. Achyut Wagle from the Vice Chancellor post, Rishikesh Wagle was appointed to this position. The responsibility was delegated by the Chancellor, who is also the Prime Minister, Balen Shah. With the deans also dismissed, the Examination Controller Wagle has taken on the role of Acting Vice Chancellor. Wagle confirmed he had been informed about his new responsibility, stating, “I have received news that I have been given this responsibility.”

Since the permanent appointment process for the Vice Chancellor position is expected to take some time, Rishikesh Wagle has been given the acting role for the interim period. Today, a committee led by Education Minister Shasmit Pokharel has been established to recommend names for the positions of Vice Chancellors at various universities.

Sunrisers Hyderabad secured a commanding 33-run victory over Punjab Kings in IPL 2026, climbing to the top of the standings. Chasing a target of 236 runs set by Hyderabad, Punjab managed only 202 runs for the loss of 7 wickets in 20 overs. Hyderabad captain Pat Cummins and Shivang Kumar each took 2 wickets, helping Hyderabad maintain first place with 14 points from 11 matches. Kathmandu, April 23.

Punjab suffered their third consecutive defeat in Wednesday’s game, dropping to second place on the points table. Cooper Cronin was the standout performer for Punjab, scoring an unbeaten century. He amassed 107 runs off 59 balls, including 7 fours and 8 sixes, but he received little support from the rest of the batting lineup. Marcus Stoinis added 28 runs while Suryansh Shedge contributed 25.

Batting first, Hyderabad posted a total of 235 runs for 4 wickets in their 20 overs. Heinrich Klaasen and Ishan Kishan both registered half-centuries. Klaasen scored 69 runs off 43 balls with 3 fours and 4 sixes, while Kishan added 55 runs from 32 balls, hitting 2 fours and 4 sixes. Travis Head scored 38 and Abhishek Sharma 35. For Punjab, Arshdeep Singh, Lucky Ferguson, Yuzvendra Chahal, and Vijaykumar Vaishak each took a wicket. With this win, Hyderabad tops the table with 14 points from 11 games, while Punjab sits second with 13 points from 10 matches.

April 6, Kathmandu – The issue of farmers not receiving fertilizer on time and in easily accessible ways has been a persistent topic in the Parliament. For the past four decades, the political agenda has included the plan to establish fertilizer factories within the country to address this problem. However, no such factory has been built so far, and farmers continue to struggle to obtain fertilizer conveniently. During the first meeting of the Agriculture, Cooperative, and Natural Resources Committee of the House of Representatives elected on February 3, this topic resurfaced. In a meeting held on Wednesday at the committee hall in Singha Durbar, MPs discussed whether to prioritize establishing chemical fertilizer factories or to focus more on organic fertilizer production.

CPN-UML MP Laxmi Prasad Pokharel noted that the issue of fertilizer scarcity has been raised in Parliament since 1958. He stated, “Recently, this issue has also come up in budget discussions. There is political commitment, and now it is necessary to reach a conclusion. The government must resolve to establish a fertilizer factory within Nepal.” His predecessor, National Independent Party MP Rajeev Khatri, stressed the importance of focusing not only on the purchase of chemical fertilizer but also on the production of organic fertilizer. He argued that if a sufficient amount of organic fertilizer were available, farmers would not have to remain vigilant day and night to obtain chemical fertilizers, avoiding situations where they even face police lathi charge.

Rastriya Swatantra Party (Raswapaki) MP Samina Miya expressed concerns about the health hazards caused by agricultural products grown using chemical fertilizers. She urged the government to formulate agricultural production policies that do not harm citizens’ health. She remarked, “There have been revolutions of all kinds, but no agriculture revolution.” She further added, “If organic fertilizers gain emphasis, they will help preserve the soil’s fertility.” Fellow Raswapaki MP Punam Kumari Agrawal called for the government to focus not only on increasing production but also on protecting soil health.

Another Raswapaki MP, Ashika Tamang, advocated for improving the immediate distribution of chemical fertilizers while emphasizing the long-term importance of promoting organic fertilizers. “It is astonishing that Nepal does not yet have a fertilizer factory,” she said. “Even if chemical fertilizers are not available, every municipality should have cold storage facilities for organic fertilizers.” She also brought attention to discriminatory practices in fertilizer distribution, pointing out, “Not a single bag of fertilizer reaches genuine farmers, while some well-connected individuals have up to five bags.”

During the debate between establishing chemical fertilizer factories and seeking alternatives, Raswapaki MP Sujata Tamang called for clear policies on the matter in the upcoming fiscal budget. She urged, “Let us discuss what can be done regarding fertilizers in the next budget.”

According to CPN-UML MP Laxmi Prasad Pokharel, the dream of setting up a chemical fertilizer factory within Nepal has existed for decades but has yet to be realized. The Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock Development notes that chemical fertilizer use began in Nepal in 1950. Before that, agriculture was entirely based on organic methods. Initially, ammonium sulfate was imported from India, and later, chemical fertilizers were imported from Russia via National Trading Limited. The government promoted various programs to increase chemical fertilizer consumption at the time. To facilitate fertilizer imports, the Agriculture Materials Company Limited was established under the Ministry of Agriculture in 1965 and remains operational today. Since 1973, the Nepal government has provided subsidies to farmers for chemical fertilizers. Currently, the main imported fertilizers include urea, DAP, potash, ammonium sulfate, single super phosphate, and ammonium phosphate sulfate.

As fertilizer consumption increased, a feasibility study to establish a domestic fertilizer factory was conducted in 1983 with assistance from Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), but the study remained limited. In the fiscal year 2016/17, the government included this subject in its policy and program. Then Finance Minister Bishnu Paudel announced a policy to establish a chemical fertilizer factory in Nepal. Subsequent studies were also undertaken, and the then Ministry of Agriculture assigned the Investment Board to study the factory. A feasibility report carried out by the Development Corporation of Karnataka, India, concluded that operating a fertilizer factory in Nepal using energies other than natural gas was currently impossible.

In May 2023, during then Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal ‘Prachanda’s’ visit to India, the issue was raised at a high-level meeting. On May 31, 2023, at a joint press conference, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed India’s readiness to provide necessary support to establish a chemical fertilizer factory in Nepal. However, the project has not advanced substantially since then. Political parties have continued to raise this issue consistently.

Before the February 3, 2024 election, Raswapaki released a 100-point commitment plan that included fertilizer factory establishment as item 43. The pledge states, “We will prioritize increased investment in chemical fertilizer and agricultural mechanization to achieve significant agricultural production growth and cost reduction. The Nepal government will manage arrangements to increase agricultural production.” Raswapaki has promised to attract energy-intensive industries such as steel, cement, herbal processing, data server stations, and chemical fertilizer industries.

With these electoral promises, Raswapaki won a clear two-thirds majority in the election and formed a powerful single-party government. The issue of a fertilizer factory has once again been raised in parliamentary committees under their leadership; nevertheless, no concrete response has been provided by the government to date.

The Troubled Cooperative Management Committee today announced the names of major defaulters from 10 troubled cooperatives. The committee has instructed these borrowers to urgently contact the office to clear their loans, warning that if they fail to do so, recovery actions will be initiated according to the law. The committee also stated that the names of major defaulters from other troubled cooperatives will be released in due course, urging all borrowers to repay their outstanding loans. Kathmandu, 23 Baishakh.

The committee has begun publicly disclosing the names of significant borrowers from troubled cooperatives. According to the committee, names from 10 cooperatives declared troubled have been released today. More names from other troubled cooperatives will be disclosed in stages, the committee added.

In a formal notice, the committee urged the related borrowers to get in touch with the committee’s office immediately to settle their dues. Failure to comply will result in legal recovery proceedings. Additionally, as more names of defaulters will be published in sequence, those borrowers are also requested to promptly contact the office and clear their loans.

Today, the committee released the names of major borrowers from the following cooperatives: Ghedung Multipurpose Cooperative, Hamro Sagarmatha Multipurpose Cooperative, Tapai Hamro Multipurpose Cooperative, Nagrik Kalyan Multipurpose Cooperative, Ideal Yamuna Multipurpose Cooperative, Tulsi Multipurpose Cooperative, Nepal Financial Cooperative, Oriental Cooperative, Gautam Shri Cooperative, and Nepal Cooperative Financial.

April 5, Kathmandu – Sobita Gautam, Minister of Law, Justice, and Parliamentary Affairs, held a meeting with Virginie Cortebelle, the Ambassador of France to Nepal. Ambassador Cortebelle visited the ministry on Wednesday afternoon to meet Minister Gautam. During the meeting, Ambassador Cortebelle extended her congratulations and best wishes to Minister Gautam. The two also engaged in a comprehensive discussion on various topics where collaboration with the ministry could be enhanced, the minister stated.

Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP) MP KP Khanal has called for the initiation of agricultural ambulance services to assist farmers in delivering their harvested crops to markets promptly. He described the agricultural ambulance as a critical oxygen supply for the agriculture sector’s ICU and emphasized the necessity to launch this service in the upcoming fiscal year.

During a meeting of the Agriculture Committee at Singha Durbar on Wednesday, MP Khanal stated, “Just as ambulances arrive when a person falls ill, an ambulance service must also be available when farmers’ crops are in a precarious condition.” He further added, “Vehicles worth millions sustain the country, yet if we cannot provide farmers—who truly sustain the nation—with agricultural ambulances costing five to seven lakh rupees, what achievements can we claim in key agricultural areas?”

He also highlighted the importance of soil testing and stressed the need to end the situation where farmers discard their produce on roadsides, resulting in consumers paying higher prices. Khanal said, “The agricultural ambulance is essential to break the monopolies of middlemen and to convert farmers’ hard work into cash.” He drew attention to the fact that approximately 20 to 35 percent of Nepal’s locally produced fruits and vegetables get spoiled before reaching the market due to inadequate transportation and storage facilities.

Prime Minister Balen Shah is preparing to recommend the appointment of the Chief Justice by convening a Constitutional Council meeting on Thursday afternoon. Following a new ordinance that allows decisions by a majority of three members within the Constitutional Council, concerns have risen that the most senior judge may not be recommended. The possibility of appointing a judge other than the senior-most judge as Chief Justice, breaking tradition, has caused uncertainty and anxiety within judicial circles. April 23, Kathmandu.

Prime Minister and Chairman of the Constitutional Council, Balen Shah, has called a meeting of the Constitutional Council for Thursday afternoon. The Secretariat of the Constitutional Council sent letters to the members on Wednesday, including an agenda to recommend the Chief Justice appointment. According to a statement issued by the Prime Minister and Council of Ministers’ office, the letters were sent to Speaker Dol Prasad Aryal, National Assembly Chair Narayan Prasad Dahal, Law Minister Sobita Gautam, Leader of Opposition in the House of Representatives Bhishma Raj Angdembe, and Deputy Speaker Ruby Kumari.

According to Article 129(3) of Nepal’s Constitution, “A person who has served as a Supreme Court judge for at least three years shall be eligible for appointment as Chief Justice.” However, this time, rumors are circulating that the National Independent Party and Prime Minister Balen Shah may break this precedent and appoint a judge other than the senior-most as Chief Justice. Meanwhile, several senior Supreme Court judges are reportedly concerned and confused about this development.

Sources connected to the Supreme Court and the Prime Minister’s Office indicate that there are reasons to suspect the judicial practice of appointing the Chief Justice may be broken this time. Firstly, some senior leaders of the National Independent Party have expressed that they might break the previous precedent in the leadership selection of the judiciary this time. The Prime Minister-associated team showing interest in certain other judges recommended has strengthened their suspicions.