Author: space4knews

The 14th edition of the Kantipur Half Marathon will take place on Vaisakh 5 in Kathmandu, featuring four different race categories. Winners of the main 21.1-kilometer race for both men and women will each receive a prize of NPR 150,000. Kantipur Media Group (KMG) has implemented technology to accurately measure the official timing of the participants completing the race.

Organized by Kantipur Media Group (KMG), the Kantipur Half Marathon will include four race events. The main event covers a distance of 21.1 kilometers, while the other three categories are the Corporate and Influencer Run (5 km), Extreme College Run (7 km), and Wheelchair Race (3 km). The theme for this year’s event is “Run for Nepal.”

In the main categories, both the male and female winners of the Kantipur Half Marathon will each receive NPR 150,000. Participants finishing from second through sixth place will be awarded NPR 75,000, 50,000, 30,000, 20,000, and 10,000 respectively. The wheelchair race winner will receive NPR 35,000, while second and third place finishers will earn NPR 25,000 and 15,000 respectively. This year, all participants who complete the race will receive medals.

The race will start in front of Kantipur’s office at Tripureshwor and follow the route through Tripureshwor, Koteshwor, Jadibuti, Lokanthali Gaththaghar, Thimi, Sallaghari, then turn at Jagate Chowk, continuing back through Koteshwor and ending at Tripureshwor. Registration for participants remains open until Chaitra 31 and can be completed through Kantipur Events. Notably, Kanchhimaya Kojule has won the women’s title five times, while Harikumar Rimal has secured the men’s title four times.

March 6 (23 Chaitra), Myagdi. This spring season, 44 climbers have been granted permits to scale the Dhaulagiri and Annapurna mountain ranges. They have received official permission to ascend Dhaulagiri, which stands at 8,167 meters in Dhaulagiri Rural Municipality-4, Myagdi, and Annapurna, which is 8,091 meters tall, located in Annapurna Rural Municipality-4.

According to the Department of Tourism, 17 climbers, including 8 women divided into two groups, have obtained permits to climb Dhaulagiri. For Annapurna, four groups comprising 27 individuals, including 8 women, have secured climbing permits as per the latest official report. Sharmaila Banjade, Branch Officer of the department, stated that the revenue generated from Dhaulagiri climbing permits amounts to NPR 7,564,650, while Annapurna climbing permits have generated NPR 12,049,175.

She further explained that during the spring season, 170 climbers across 24 groups obtained permission to ascend 12 mountains, including Annapurna and Dhaulagiri, generating a total revenue of NPR 108,730,000. The number of climbers applying daily is increasing steadily. In the previous autumn season, 36 climbers received permits for Dhaulagiri, while no permits were issued for Annapurna. Last spring, two groups totaling 15 climbers obtained permits for Dhaulagiri, and 66 climbers had permits for Annapurna expeditions and were in preparation. Climbing teams have already reached the base camps of Annapurna and Dhaulagiri and are actively preparing for their ascents. –Rastriya Samachar Samiti

Chaitra 23, Kathmandu: The Supreme Court has directed that the investigation against former Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli and then Home Minister Ramesh Lekhak be completed by Chaitra 26 (Thursday). The bench comprising Justice Binod Sharma and Justice Sunil Kumar Pokharel rejected the demand to keep Oli and Lekhak in custody. However, the Supreme Court ordered their release from custody until the investigation is completed by Chaitra 26.

The court stated, “Oli and Lekhak shall be released from detention according to criminal procedure to complete further investigation and carry out any necessary subsequent actions.”

Oli and Lekhak were arrested on Chaitra 14 in connection with allegations of excessive use of force resulting in 19 deaths during the Janajivi Movement on Bhadra 23. They have been held in custody under a murder case with permission from the Kathmandu District Court.

The government has established a five-member investigation committee under the Ministry of Land Management to clarify the current condition of land within the four forts of Phewa Lake. The committee will collect accurate records of all land parcels in the Phewa Lake area and submit a report within seven days. March 23, Kathmandu.

The Ministry of Land Management, Cooperatives and Poverty Alleviation formed the five-member committee chaired by the Director General of the Department of Land Management and Records. The committee will study the present condition of land and existing structures within the boundaries of the four forts of Phewa Lake and undertake detailed documentation of all land parcels within the lake area.

The ministry stated that a comprehensive study will be conducted on the status, registration, and utilization of both private and government land within the lake area. The committee is formed to enhance the protection and management of the Phewa Lake region. It has been given seven days to prepare and submit a detailed report including verified information on all land plots within the lake’s domain. Recently, after Prime Minister Balen Shah expressed concern for the conservation of Phewa Lake, Pokhara Metropolitan City launched a campaign to clear encroachments from the Phewa Lake area.

March 6, Kathmandu – Acting Chief Justice of the Supreme Court, Sapana Pradhan Malla, emphasized that although women have made history, they have not been accorded their rightful place in it. Speaking at the ’50 Influential Women 2082′ event organized by OnlineKhabar, she noted that such programs break the silence surrounding these overlooked contributions. “For many years, women have contributed to our society, yet history has not recognized their place,” she said. “Their voices and contributions have never been sufficiently acknowledged. Events like this shatter the silence that history tends to maintain.”

Furthermore, she asserted that inclusion is not a favor or a gift but a constitutional right for all. “Inclusion is not a gift; it is a provision guaranteed by our Constitution that acknowledges the existence of equality,” she added. “However, change is only possible through courageous steps, and this initiative serves as a prime example.” She expressed gratitude for the event organized by OnlineKhabar for playing a significant role in bringing to light the courageous stories of women.

March 6, Hetauda – Bagmati Province Chief Minister Indrabahadur Baniya has stated that he has no knowledge of any power-sharing arrangement previously made between the Nepali Congress and the Communist Party of Nepal (UML) regarding the alternating chief ministership. While the UML, a coalition partner, has recently raised the issue of leadership transfer based on an earlier agreement with Congress, Chief Minister Baniya expressed his unfamiliarity with the matter.

“I am not aware of any power-sharing deal. The party leadership is also unaware of such information,” Baniya stated during an interaction with journalists at the Chief Minister’s office on Monday. “Here we have ministers from both Congress and UML, but even they do not have knowledge of this.”

Last year in Shrawan (July-August), when the Congress and UML formed a joint government, an agreement was made to alternate the chief ministership every 20 months. At that time, Bahadur Singh Lama, a leader from Congress supported by UML, was appointed Chief Minister. According to Congress MPs aligned with Lama, there was an understanding that UML parliamentary party leader Jagannath Thapaliya would assume leadership after Lama. Thapaliya has been advocating for a leadership transfer after Falgun (February-March) in line with this prior agreement.

However, one year into Lama’s tenure, Indrabahadur Baniya, who had secured majority support within the Congress parliamentary party, filed a no-confidence motion to remove him. Following internal party disputes during the fiscal year 2081/82 budget, Baniya gained majority support among other MPs and with backing from then party chairman Sher Bahadur Deuba, displaced Lama and assumed the chief minister position himself. Baniya took office on Shrawan 20, 2082 (early August 2025).

On Shrawan 9, 2082, 21 MPs led by Baniya filed a no-confidence motion against Lama. On Shrawan 13, the vote resulted in 22 in favor and 15 against the motion, causing Lama to lose his position as parliamentary party leader. Subsequently, on Shrawan 14, Baniya won the party leadership election, paving the way for him to become chief minister. Previously, on Poush 13, 2079 (late December 2022), Baniya had been defeated by Lama by 5 votes in the party leader election.

March 23, Kathmandu – Due to the conflict between the United States and Iran and the resulting fuel crisis, the government has declared a two-day public holiday. As part of a strategy to extend office hours and reduce working days from six to five per week, the government announced a change in office hours starting today (Monday). According to government spokesperson and Education Minister Sasmita Pokharel, offices except educational institutions will operate from 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM. She stated, “Office hours except for educational institutions are set from 9 AM to 5 PM.”

In Nepal, the standard workweek in public and service sectors is 40 hours, previously allocated as 7 hours daily with 5 hours on Friday. The new policy mandates 8 hours per day for five days a week. Following the government’s decision, courts nationwide have also announced opening hours from 9:00 AM starting Monday. Security agencies and other official services will adjust their schedules accordingly. The private sector has committed to revising their schedules as well, though clear directives for educational institutions and informal sector workers remain pending.

This is the second time in three decades that such an initiative has been attempted. Historical records show that this is Nepal’s third attempt at instituting a two-day public holiday, with prior efforts being unsuccessful for various reasons. In 1991, the Administrative Reform Commission recommended adopting a five-day workweek to improve employee productivity and manage traffic. The government led by Congress leader Krishna Prasad Bhattarai introduced this system in 1999, initially limited to the Kathmandu Valley, and it lasted approximately two years to enhance service delivery and facilitate citizens.

Again, in 2022, under Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba, the two-day holiday was reinstated with offices operating from 9:30 AM to 5:30 PM starting May 15. It was introduced amid trade deficits and foreign currency shortages, aiming primarily to reduce fuel consumption. However, this arrangement proved ineffective within a month. While many countries have maintained a two-day weekly holiday for years, Nepal typically adopts it as a crisis response measure.

The government’s current implementation of a two-day public holiday appears directly linked to ongoing fuel shortages and traffic congestion. Earlier in 2020, the Ministry of Tourism had studied the possibility of introducing two-day public holidays to revive the economy and boost domestic tourism post the COVID-19 pandemic. Led by Joint Secretary Kamal Prasad Bhattarai, the working group prepared a report revealing that out of 127 countries, 115 observe a two-day weekend, and 91% of these maintain a 40-hour or lower weekly work schedule.

Previously, Nepal’s centralized system forced citizens from remote areas to travel to administrative centers to access services, which has since decentralized, allowing most services to be available locally. The committee concluded that introducing a two-day public holiday would not disrupt service accessibility as it once might have.

Based on the 2020/21 budget, the committee estimated annual savings of approximately NPR 165 million from reduced expenditures due to two-day holidays. Their study also suggested that such holidays help reduce family stress, provide adequate rest and entertainment, increase productivity, and encourage domestic tourism. Approximately 500,000 public service, military, police, and private school employees and their dependent families, totaling about 2.5 million people, would benefit from increased family time. The report also forecasted that if around 800,000 people took short trips locally, it would positively impact internal tourism and the economy.

The committee claimed that two-day public holidays would have three main positive effects: enhanced productivity among employees and offices, cost savings, and support for domestic tourism. Furthermore, the study highlighted that two-day holidays could promote gender equality and facilitate balanced family life. It recommended that public sector organizations implement a two-day workweek and encouraged the private sector to adopt similar practices.