Author: space4knews

The tripartite partnership between Nepal, China, and the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) officially launched the ‘Strengthening Agrifood Systems in Nepal’ project on July 20. This project, set to run for the next 24 months, aims to develop climate-appropriate agricultural systems in Nepal’s hilly and mountainous districts, enhance rural livelihoods, and strengthen food and nutrition security. Funded by the Global Development and South–South Cooperation Fund established by the Chinese government, the project will also focus on building the capacity of local institutions.

The inauguration event was attended by Nepal’s Minister for Agriculture, Forestry, and Environment, Gita Chaudhary, Chinese Ambassador to Nepal Maoming Zhang, and Ken Shimizu, FAO’s representative in Nepal. Minister Chaudhary expressed confidence that this initiative would play a crucial role in achieving food security, rural prosperity, and sustainable development goals. Ambassador Zhang reaffirmed China’s commitment to supporting Nepal’s agricultural modernization and sustainable development objectives.

Under this project, a ‘Digital Agricultural Extension Service’ will provide farmers with technical advice, weather updates, financial services, agricultural insurance, and market information. The initiative aims to particularly increase the participation of women, youth, and marginalized communities while further strengthening the climate adaptation capacity of local organizations. This collaboration is expected to facilitate the exchange of international technical expertise and experiences, significantly contributing to the long-term transformation of Nepal’s agricultural and food systems under local leadership.

The Council of Ministers has returned Nepal Rastra Bank’s proposal to remove the map of Nepal from the one-rupee coin and replace it with an image of Ghara Monastery from Mustang for revision. The government has instructed the Nepal Rastra Bank to resubmit the proposal including the map of Nepal in the new design. The Rastra Bank had proposed reducing minting costs and the weight of the coin by producing the one-rupee coin in white metal and featuring an image of Bhurti Deval on the ten-rupee coin. July 20, Kathmandu.

Nepal Rastra Bank had sent a new design for cabinet approval that replaced the map of Nepal on the one-rupee coin with an image of Mustang’s Ghara Monastery, which the cabinet has returned. The Bank’s Currency and Coin Design Committee had prepared the new design featuring Ghara Monastery, believed to be the oldest in Nepal, located in Mustang. This monastery, established by Padmasambhava over 1,400 years ago, is considered Nepal’s oldest monastery.

The design prepared by the committee was approved by the Rastra Bank’s board of directors and then submitted to the cabinet. According to the Nepal Rastra Bank Act, cabinet approval is mandatory when changing banknote or coin designs. The bank recommended not only altering the design of the one-rupee and ten-rupee coins but also changes in the metal used and the coin weight to the cabinet.

In 2020, Nepal amended laws to include the map depicting Limpiyadhura and Lipulekh in the national seal. Newly minted one- and two-rupee coins as well as the 100-rupee banknote also incorporate the Lipulekh map. Currently, the one-rupee coin is made of yellow metal; preparations are underway to produce it with white metal.

The Ministry of Finance has issued guidelines for the implementation of the current fiscal year 2083/84 budget, mandating that the allocated budget must be fully spent by the end of the Falgun month. Any unspent budget must be returned to the Ministry of Finance by Chaitra 15. Additionally, if the same project is duplicated, only one implementation is allowed, as stated in the guidelines. Provinces and local levels are required to spend conditional grants within the designated sector and submit physical progress reports within the specified timeframe to the relevant office.

Kathmandu, 4 Shrawan – The allocated budget for the current fiscal year must be expended by the end of Falgun, according to the recently issued budget implementation guidelines for fiscal year 2083/84 by the Ministry of Finance. The ministry has stated that any budget not spent by Falgun must be returned by Chaitra 15.

The relevant budgetary programs and authorized spending as recorded in the Ministry’s Budget Information System will be disbursed by the respective treasury and accounting controller’s office. For annual approved programs, any unspent budget by the end of Falgun, or remaining amounts, must be returned to the Ministry of Finance by Chaitra 15.

In cases where duplicate entries of projects exist in the approved budget and program for 2083/84, only one project will be implemented. The duplicated projects will be put on hold and the budget returned to the Ministry of Finance.

Budget transfers or activity modifications may be made for projects operated in provinces or local levels using supplementary or special grants. Such changes must be sent to the Ministry of Finance with recommendations from the National Planning Commission, without affecting the sector or objectives.

Provinces and local governments must spend conditional grant funds solely on programs within the specified sector. Details of the program duration, procedures, estimated costs and work plans, monthly cash flow, along with revenue and expenditure estimates approved by the respective Provincial Assembly, Village Assembly, or Municipal Assembly, must be submitted to the relevant treasury and accounting office by the end of Shrawan.

Physical progress and expenditure reports on the financial transfer of conditional grant funds must be submitted to the relevant office by Mangsir 15, Chaitra 15, and Asar 15. Annual financial statements are to be made available to the respective office by the end of Shrawan of the following fiscal year.

For conditional grant programs inclusive of foreign aid, financial agreements and the project implementation directives are mandatory. Failure to comply will result in the donor agencies withholding reimbursement of expenses. All relevant documents must be provided to the concerned provinces and local levels. When aid is mobilized, reports must be submitted in a timely manner to the concerned ministry, the agency requesting reimbursements, and the treasury and accounting office.

According to the Appropriation Act 2083, if programs included in one level’s budget are operated by another administrative level, accounting and both internal and final audits must be conducted as per federal regulations. Procedures, directives, standards, or guidelines needed for programs that involve budget carryovers must be prepared by the end of Shrawan and posted on the website within seven days. Any additional financial liability will require prior approval from the Ministry of Finance.

Under the Appropriation Act 2083, temporary staffing required for approved annual project implementation must receive cabinet approval by the end of Shrawan. Procurement processes that create multi-year liabilities must fit within the medium-term expenditure framework. For foreign aid projects, procurement must proceed within the limits of aid agreements.

Until foreign loan or grant agreements become effective, allocated foreign-source funds and supplementary budget titles remain frozen. Payments can be made after financial agreements are effective and with Ministry of Finance approval. Prior to releasing budget from foreign sources, receipt of funds from these sources must be confirmed. New projects and programs can only begin expenditure after financial agreements become effective. If payment methods differ, they must be revised and submitted by the end of Shrawan.

Regular reimbursements must be requested per the reimbursement directives. Details demanded by project management offices must be submitted to the Office of the Auditor General. Loan reimbursement details on foreign debt must be provided to the Public Debt Management Office. If reimbursement procedures are delayed within the prescribed time, the next quarterly disbursement will be withheld.

Potential financial risks in project and program implementation must be assessed, with risk mitigation measures undertaken. To ensure effective implementation of major infrastructure and plans, a robust financial risk management system will be strengthened alongside improvements in capital expenditure.

During inspections of hotels and restaurants nationwide, authorities found unfit cooking oil, expired ingredients, and unhygienic kitchens, resulting in fines amounting to millions of rupees. The Home Ministry instructed Chief District Officers to take strict legal action against businesses that jeopardize consumer health and to establish proper grievance redress mechanisms. The Restaurant and Bar Association Nepal (REBAN) acknowledged the need for kitchen improvements and appealed to the government to support entrepreneurs through training and awareness programs.

4 Shrawan, Kathmandu – From the outside, hotel and restaurant signboards appear attractive, and menus list various delicious dishes. Families visit these places expecting quality meals. But are consumers aware of the conditions inside the kitchens or the quality of ingredients used? Are they unknowingly paying premium prices for substandard products?

A recent surprise nationwide inspection conducted by the Food Technology and Quality Control Department, Commerce Department, and local administrations revealed that many hotels and restaurants provide customers with harmful ingredients under the guise of fine dishes. Inspections in the Kathmandu Valley and other districts led to fines worth hundreds of thousands and the destruction of hundreds of kilograms of unfit ingredients.

The state of kitchens in upscale Kathmandu establishments is particularly alarming. During a government inspection at Corner Point Restaurant and Bar on New Road, dead rats were found floating in the oil used for pizza bases. The Commerce Department fined this restaurant NPR 201,000 for using expired fruit syrup posing a significant public health risk. At Jire Khursani Darbar Restaurant in Madhyapur Thimi, Bhaktapur, laboratory tests confirmed harmful microbes in meat transported under unsafe conditions. Following the discovery of about 14 kg of raw meat, 5 kg of tandoori meat, and 18 kg of meat without provenance, a fine of NPR 205,000 was imposed.

Similarly, expired artificial food coloring and lemon salt were found in a cramped kitchen at The Black Gold Restaurant on Darbarmarg, Kathmandu. At Express Eats in Chandol, expired chow mein and cooking oil with a Total Polar Materials (TPM) content of 38 percent—considered extremely hazardous and carcinogenic—were identified. The inspection team immediately disposed of the contaminated oil.

The situation is even more severe along the highways of Kavre district. In Namobuddha Municipality, fines totaling NPR 300,000 were issued to seven businesses alone. ‘Royal Mom and Newari Khaja Ghar’ in Namobuddha-7 was operating unregistered for one and a half years. Inspectors found shrimp and rats inside the kitchen and observed that raw meat and salad were cut on the same chopping board. As a result, a fine of NPR 250,000 was issued. ‘Newari Khaja and Bhansa Ghar’ was fined NPR 25,000 for maintaining a dirty kitchen and storing expired materials, while ‘Utsav Chicken House’ received a NPR 15,000 fine. ‘Lotus Bakery’ was instructed to improve cleanliness after being found using expired artificial colors in cake production.

Sarlahi district is in a similarly dire state. In Barhathwa, Sarlahi, inspectors destroyed 15 kilograms of rasbari sweets containing dead shrimp and bees in an unregistered snack shop. In Malangwa, the frying oil used at New Annapurna Hotel and Samrat Staffline Hotel in Hariwan registered TPM levels of 50 percent, a level dangerous for human health.

Large hotels such as Lalbandi United Hotel, Bagmati’s Sita Palace Hotel, and Sita Palace Holidays in Hariwan received fines of NPR 100,000 each for maintaining dirty kitchens, rotten vegetables, and expired ingredients. Other hotels in Malangwa were given final warnings for using unfit coloring agents, storing expired products, and unsanitary conditions.

In Chitwan, on 9 Ashad during the National Independent Party (RASWAPA) general convention, Home Minister Sudhan Gurung found fish bones in his omelet at Lords Hotel. The hotel was fined NPR 300,000 for serving substandard food.

These examples are just a few; such conditions have been found across the country. On 15 Ashad, the Home Ministry directed all chief district officers to take strict legal measures against hotels and restaurants serving stale, spoiled, or unfit food, emphasizing zero tolerance for any harm to consumer health. The inspections aim not just to fulfill procedural requirements but to yield effective outcomes.

To resolve consumer difficulties in reporting unfit food, grievance redress units including hotlines or rapid service desks will be established at all CDO offices. Complaints from the public will be prioritized and resolved swiftly.

REBAN has also requested the government to include representatives from professional business associations in inspection teams. Sharad Kumar Dahal, REBAN General Secretary, said business operators are prepared to take action if issues persist after first and second warnings. He noted, ‘All of us in the business community are willing to improve, but the government must create a conducive environment and opportunities.’

Dr. Balkumari Sharma, spokesperson for the Food Technology and Quality Control Department, said many issues highlighted by inspections have yet to be resolved. She emphasized that businesses must take full responsibility for their operations and cannot claim lack of training as an excuse. Weekly inspections are conducted in coordination with Kathmandu Metropolitan City, while daily monitoring involves the Commerce Department, district administrations, and consumer committees.

The Ministry of Health and Food Hygiene has intensified actions after uncovering egregious negligence and unfit materials in hotels and restaurants nationwide. Senior Health Education Administrator Dr. Bhakta Bahadur KC stated that compliance with food production and distribution regulations is mandatory. He added, ‘We are ready to address citizen complaints and grievances, and the minister is closely supervising and issuing directives on this matter.’