Author: space4knews

Jorpati Milk Cooperative in Bhaktapur has been found to produce counterfeit milk by mixing in inedible chemicals, selling it to the District Development Committee (DDC) and the open market. After the detection of harmful chemicals such as sugar and soda in milk collected from Panauti in Kavre and Butwal, the contaminated milk was destroyed. The Department of Food Technology and Quality Control has filed 82 cases against milk adulteration during the first nine months of the current fiscal year. Kathmandu, 25 Jestha.

Milk is regarded not only as a food item but also as a reliable source of purity, strength, and nutrition. From children to the elderly, a daily glass of milk is considered a complete dietary necessity. However, recent government reports and lab tests reveal that a ‘silent poison’ is entering our kitchens through milk. To prevent spoilage and maximize profits, some dairy industries and collectors are committing serious offenses against public health.

The Department of Food Technology and Quality Control uncovered these severe irregularities during an inspection of a dairy industry operating in Bhaktapur on 31st Baisakh. The inspection team found 30 kilograms of a greasy substance resembling bakery shortening ready to be melted in a pasteurizer tank. They also seized 56 kilograms of dextriose monohydrate, 9.86 kilograms of maltodextrin, and 30 kilograms of bakery shortening— all used to adulterate the milk.

After finding substandard quality and adulteration in milk supplied to some vendors in Butwal Sub-Metropolitan City, the local government issued a public notice. The inspection revealed the addition of harmful chemicals such as soda to extend shelf life. Maherjan interprets these adulterations not merely as commercial fraud but as multifaceted deception.

After Physical Infrastructure Minister Sunil Lamsal visited Siraha and Dhanusha districts for an on-site inspection of the Kamala Bridge, locals expressed their frustration vocally. The bridge has remained stalled for 15 years, with 17 ministers before Lamsal having inspected the site. With an increase in VIP and non-technical visits, site inspections are increasingly seen less as result-driven exercises and more as mere formalities or trending events.

May 8, Kathmandu. On Saturday evening, Infrastructure Development Minister Sunil Lamsal conducted a field inspection of the Kamala Bridge on the Hulaki Highway that connects Siraha and Dhanusha. The minister’s visit triggered dissatisfaction among locals, given that 17 ministers had previously inspected the bridge without progress. Despite promises from the minister to take action this time, the absence of a clear work plan led to protests forcing him to leave the site.

The Kamala Bridge has seen no progress in construction for 15 years, causing hardship for local residents. According to locals, the issue lies not at the local government level but within the state apparatus and its longstanding practices. Engineer Pravin Yadav, coordinator of the Hulaki Kamala Bridge Struggle Committee, stated that although the minister asserted, “We have come not to talk but to work and will show results,” the people did not trust these words. The absence of a definitive construction plan fueled their anger.

Since assuming office, Minister Lamsal has repeated the same unsuccessful patterns of his predecessors. Nepal’s infrastructure project management system is broken. Rather than accelerating work, visits from VIPs only increase frustration. Former Physical Infrastructure Secretary Keshav Kumar Sharma noted that while leadership field inspections should not be dismissed, dissatisfaction arises due to repeated similar visits, and such visits should play a meaningful role in resolving problems.

Since the current government’s formation, ministers have toured not only their own sectors but others as well, exerting pressure on construction companies and staff. Sharma acknowledged that sometimes progress is made following high-level visits, but it remains critical to break the perception that “a new face is still the same person.”

Minister Lamsal is a professional engineer who dedicates significant time to his field inspections. Shivhari Ghimire, General Secretary of the Nepal Constructors Association, expressed confidence that the minister has a good understanding of planned challenges and that field visits can yield positive outcomes. Although it is natural for a departmental minister to inspect infrastructure projects, post-government formation practices have relegated such inspections to mere pressure tactics and formalities.

Former Home Minister Sudhan Gurung conducted a site inspection in March at the Daunne section of the Narayangadh-Butwal road, which raised questions. He had also irregularly monitored the parliament building construction as a non-technical lawmaker. Recently, a team led by Parliament Speaker Dol Prasad Aryal conducted an inspection of the ongoing Dodhara Chandani Dry Port construction in Sudurpashchim. Incidents like these suggest that VIP site visits have become fashions and rituals rather than aimed at substantive results.

Experts argue that Nepal’s development programs have suffered due to audit and monitoring systems. Instead of facilitating construction, intense supervision has become dominant. Superintendent Engineer Kuver Nepali of the Road Department stated, “More than three dozen monitoring bodies inspect a single project. District-level development centers are even burdened with pilgrimage and guest hospitality management.” The distortions visible before the Jana Andolan movement unfortunately persist in the current environment.

The Nepal Mobile Entrepreneurs Association has expressed serious concern over the incident in Siraha where students’ mobile phones forcibly confiscated during exams were destroyed. In a statement, the association noted that submerging mobiles in water does not destroy the chips, increasing the risk of data theft. The incident reportedly caused financial losses exceeding NPR 10 million. The association has called for a thorough investigation to ensure justice for the students and urged the formalization of the second-hand mobile phone market. Kathmandu, 25th Jestha.

The association emphasized that due to lack of adherence to exam decorum, forcibly seizing and destroying phones cannot be justified when alternative measures exist. They clarified that since submersion does not damage the mobile’s internal chips, the risk of data theft remains high. In the statement released by Association President Ramesh Kumar Ghimire and General Secretary Chatendra Acharya, they stated, “Given Nepal’s lack of domestic mobile production capacity and complete reliance on imports from the international market, this incident imposes an additional economic burden on the Nepalese people.”

The association also asserted that the destroyed devices’ value exceeds NPR 10 million, causing economic damage to the country. They appealed to the government to legalize the second-hand mobile phone business, which they believe will increase stable revenue for the government and help keep currency circulating domestically. In Siraha, against examination regulations, seven iPhones, 489 Android mobile phones, and five smartwatches were forcibly confiscated from students who brought them into the exam hall.

Kim Yo-jong, sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, has described the United States’ demand for nuclear disarmament as a “timelessly irrelevant illusion.” She emphasized that North Korea’s status as a nuclear-armed country represents a “red line” that cannot be crossed. Kim made it clear that Pyongyang will never compromise on issues concerning its defense and sovereignty. (May 25, Kathmandu)

Following a recent meeting between President Donald Trump and Xi Jinping, the U.S. announced an agreement on a shared goal of a nuclear-free Korean Peninsula. However, the official Chinese statement made no reference to this matter. Meanwhile, North Korea’s state news agency KCNA reported that Kim Yo-jong described the American remarks as “false information.”

Kim Yo-jong referred to the U.S. demand for nuclear disarmament as an “anachronistic dream.” She asserted, “It is imperative to continually strengthen the capacity to deter nuclear war for self-defense… This is an unconditional, unalterable, and final decision.” As head of the Workers’ Party’s General Affairs Department, Kim added, “North Korea’s position as a nuclear-armed nation constitutes a red line that cannot be crossed. Whether accepted or not, this is an undeniable reality.”

North Korea has consistently framed its nuclear weapons as a central pillar of its self-defense. Kim reiterated Pyongyang’s stance that it will “never make any compromises regarding its defense and sovereignty.”

Civil servants will now be able to access healthcare services at Gandaki Hospital located in Pokhara, Kaski. The Ministry of General Administration has adopted a policy to extend healthcare services for civil servants to the provincial level. Health services for civil servants have already commenced at Bharatpur and Narayani Hospitals starting today. Kathmandu, 25 Jestha.

Civil servants will also be able to receive medical treatment at Gandaki Hospital. The services previously available only at the Civil Servants Hospital (Civil Hospital, Kathmandu) will now also be offered at Gandaki Hospital. The Ministry of Land Management, Cooperatives, Federal Affairs, and General Administration is preparing to provide healthcare services to employees at provincial hospitals in line with the policy to expand civil servant hospital services to the provincial level.

Agreements have already been made with Narayani Hospital, Birgunj (Parsa) for Madhesh Province and Bharatpur Hospital, Chitwan for Bagmati Province. The Ministry has confirmed that health services for civil servants have started operating at both hospitals from today.