Author: space4knews

On the second day of the Red Bull 10th PM Cup NVBA Women’s and Men’s Volleyball League 2083, the performances of departmental teams were mixed. In the men’s category, Nepal Police Club and Tribhuvan Army Club secured victories, while Nepal APF Club was defeated. The league features 8 men’s teams and 6 women’s teams competing over 9 days with a total of 45 matches. Kathmandu, 11 Baishakh.

On Friday, at the Dashrath Rangashala Covered Hall in Tripureshwor, in the first men’s match, Police defeated Koshi Province Volleyball Club 3–1 in sets. Police won the first set 25–23, but Koshi leveled the match by taking the second set 25–22. Police then won the next two sets 25–20 and 25–22 to clinch the match.

Similarly, in the third men’s match of the day, Army defeated Budhanilkantha 3–1 in sets. Army claimed the win by scores of 25–19, 20–25, 25–14, and 25–15, marking their second victory. Rukum Paschim Volleyball Club defeated APF in straight sets, winning 25–14, 25–21, and 25–15.

On the women’s side on Friday, APF was also defeated by Butwal’s Everest Volleyball Club. In the NVBA league, three men’s matches and two women’s matches are scheduled for Saturday. In the women’s category, the matches will start at 9 a.m. with Nepal Police Club versus Sudurpaschim, followed by New Diamond against Everest Volleyball Club at 11 a.m.

April 24, Kathmandu – The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has stated that Nepalis currently in Iran are not immediately willing to return to Nepal. According to the ministry, during the attacks by Israel and the United States in Iran, the government took initiatives to facilitate the return of Nepalis from the region. However, the spokesperson of the Ministry, Lok Bahadur Paudel Kshetri, informed that most of them have expressed reluctance to return at this time.

He said that out of the 10 Nepalis residing there, 8 have decided not to return to Nepal, while 2 are presently in the process of returning, according to spokesperson Kshetri. Despite repeated appeals from the government to return home, these individuals have cited personal reasons that prevent their immediate departure.

“They have been repeatedly requested to come back. Initially, they were willing to return, but since yesterday evening, we have received news that they are unable to come back,” said the spokesperson. “Their decision not to return is not due to security concerns or other safety reasons, but rather because of their current circumstances such as employment opportunities.” He also noted that all Nepalis in the area remain in continuous contact with the Nepali Embassy in Qatar. Furthermore, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs has confirmed that efforts for rescue and repatriation are being coordinated through the Nepali Embassy in New Delhi.

April 23, Kathmandu – The Ministry of Federal Affairs and General Administration has drafted a Federal Civil Service Bill that proposes to increase the retirement age of civil servants to 60 years. The ministry’s team is preparing to release the draft bill for public feedback. Minister Pratibha Rawal informed that the bill has been prepared with the aim of extending the retirement age for civil servants to 60 years. According to her, once the bill is passed by the federal parliament, the retirement age will be raised to 59 years in the first year and then to 60 years from the second year onward. ‘We have held detailed discussions with ministry employees and experts about the bill; however, rumors and misinformation circulating on social media are not part of the bill,’ she said. ‘Our focus has been on creating a digital service-oriented framework that promotes incentives based on employee capacity and skills.’

Regarding age limits and service duration, the bill maintains the retirement age for civil servants at 60 years, with implementation carried out in two phases. It proposes reducing the term of office for the chief secretary (14th level) from three years to two years, while the secretary (13th level) will serve a fixed two-year term with a provision for the government to extend it by one additional year if necessary. Contrary to social media rumors suggesting different maximum service durations and separate age limits for undersecretaries, there will be no changes to their service tenure or retirement age. Undersecretaries will be allowed to serve up to 60 years unless promoted to secretary, after which retirement will align with the prescribed term for secretaries. The service terms and age limits for lower-level employees will remain unchanged.

The bill also proposes changes to the maximum entry age and cooling-off period. Under the new proposal, men must join the civil service by age 32, women by 35, and persons with disabilities by 39. Previously, the limits were 35 for men and 40 for women. Additionally, the bill stipulates that retired civil servants must wait at least two years before accepting any government appointment. During this cooling-off period, they are prohibited from filing candidacy or holding elected office. Although the Constitutional Committee previously debated the cooling-off period, no consensus was reached.

The bill introduces the concept of executive positions equivalent to secretaries, allowing qualified individuals from various sectors to be directly appointed through tests or competitive selection. Their tenure in these posts will be two years, similar to the terms of secretaries and top-tier civil servants, with the option to extend by one year.

Provisions addressing conflicts of interest are also included. Civil servants will be required to declare any personal interests and maintain relevant records, with a prohibition on making decisions involving those interests. Employees found violating this rule will face departmental action. The Ministry of Law had prepared two draft proposals on this matter in 2022, but they were not implemented. Furthermore, the bill recommends excluding current civil servants from preparatory classes and examinations for entry into the civil service.

Long-discussed arrangements for chief administrative officers at the local level are also addressed. The bill proposes deploying chief administrative officers directly from the federal level to the offices of provincial chief ministers. Currently appointed officers will be assigned to local governments through the chief minister’s office. The tenure for these officers will be five years once the act is enacted. A separate quota will be set at the provincial level for the transfer of certain employees from the federal level. Employee transfers may occur between two local governments with mutual consent, but the receiving local government will assume full responsibility for the transferred staff. Similar management provisions will apply to provincial service employees as well.

April 24, Birgunj – The Armed Police Force Nepal in Parsa has confiscated 22 electric scooters that were smuggled into the country from India without paying customs duties. Mohan Niraula, Deputy Superintendent of the Armed Police Force Nepal, No. 13 Battalion Headquarters in Parsa, announced on Thursday that the scooters, valued at approximately NPR 1.73 million, were seized from multiple locations across Parsa.
According to him, the scooters were seized as follows: 14 at the main customs checkpoint in Birgunj Metropolitan-16, 7 at Sirsiya checkpoint, and 1 at Prasaunibhatta in Bindabasini Rural Municipality-5, totaling 22 electric scooters. – Rastriya Samachar Samiti

April 24, Kathmandu – The government has confirmed that the release process of Nepali citizen Amrit Jha, who was detained by Iranian authorities in the Strait of Hormuz, is still underway. Speaking at a press conference on Friday, Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesperson Lok Bahadur Paudel Kshetri provided an update on Jha’s case, emphasizing that the procedure remains active.

Earlier, Foreign Minister Shashir Khanal had announced on social media that Jha had been released. However, widespread criticism followed when it was discovered that Jha was still incarcerated in an Iranian prison.

“The local court in Bandar Abbas, Iran, has already delivered a verdict on the case related to the ship associated with Amrit Jha, who was detained before the conflict started. Out of the seven individuals involved, four have already been released. The release procedures for the remaining detainees, including Jha, are ongoing,” explained spokesperson Kshetri. He added that due to the complex current situation in Iran and its judicial system, some legal procedures remain pending and will take a few more days to complete.

The spokesperson also noted that the government continues to make persistent efforts at various levels to secure Jha’s release. While the entire release process is in progress, the Ministry has clarified and defended itself regarding Minister Khanal’s earlier statement about Jha’s release.

April 24, Baitadi – Dan Bahadur Airi, a 45-year-old ward member of Surnaya Rural Municipality Ward No. 2, has died after being injured by shrapnel from a locally made gun explosion in Baitadi. Airi sustained shrapnel wounds to his neck when the gun, which he had loaded himself, discharged on Wednesday evening. After receiving initial treatment at Baitadi District Hospital, he was referred to Dhangadhi. Following treatment at Maya Metro Hospital in Dhangadhi, he passed away around 3 p.m. on Friday while returning home, according to Inspector Baldev Bardu, spokesperson of Baitadi District Police Office. The deceased’s body has been kept at Baitadi District Hospital for post-mortem examination, authorities said.