Author: space4knews

Kamal Kumar Swarnakar was arrested by police on Chaitra 16 from the traffic office premises of Biratnagar Metropolitan City-4 for allegedly forging government seals and official signatures. Swarnakar reportedly defrauded service users under the pretext of renewing vehicle registration books and kept the government revenue for himself, according to police reports. Authorities recovered 11 counterfeit blue books from Swarnakar’s residence, and it was revealed that the fraud was facilitated by traffic office staff leaving officials’ signatures exposed.

Swarnakar, 37, from Biratnagar-6, was detained on charges of cheating by falsely renewing vehicle registration books (blue books). He had been handling bookkeeping work at the traffic office premises and exploited his position to deceive clients seeking to renew their vehicle blue books. Morang Police Senior Superintendent (SP) Kavita Katwal stated that Swarnakar used government stamps, signatures, and officials’ endorsements to complete the vehicle renewal process while pocketing the official revenue himself.

Complaints were filed with the police after service users found discrepancies in the blue book details not matching official templates. Swarnakar was arrested on the afternoon of Chaitra 16. “Preliminary investigations indicate that he engaged in counterfeit transactions to quickly repay a debt of 1 million rupees,” SP Katwal remarked, adding that further investigations are ongoing. According to police information, Swarnakar was responsible for renewing the blue book of motorcycle number 9579. The ease with which fraudulent operations were conducted was due to traffic office employees leaving official signatures and stamps exposed, exposing weaknesses within the office. During a search of Swarnakar’s home, police found 11 different counterfeit blue books. The police stated that he accepted responsibility for renewing blue books in the name of the service users but issued fake receipts without remitting the government revenue.

March 4, Kathmandu – The Communist Party of Nepal (Unified Marxist-Leninist), CPN-UML, has urged the government to immediately withdraw its decision to allocate government advertisements solely to state-owned media outlets. The demand came after the Central Secretariat meeting held on Friday at the party’s central office in Chyasal, where members strongly opposed the decision and called for its prompt reversal.

“There is serious concern regarding the government’s decision to give government advertisements exclusively to state media,” informed Deputy General Secretary Lekhraj Bhatt while sharing the meeting’s resolution. The CPN-UML also asserted that this decision undermines the role of a free press and stifles press freedom.

“The meeting strongly condemned the government’s move to weaken the independent press and suppress press freedom. It has demanded the government to immediately withdraw this decision,” the resolution stated.

March 20, Kathmandu – The Communist Party of Nepal (UML) has expressed strong objection to the government’s decision to dissolve student organizations, included in its hundred-point agenda, and has urged the government to withdraw this decision. According to Deputy General Secretary Lekhraj Bhatt, the UML’s central secretariat meeting held at the party’s central office in Chyasal on Friday resolved to call on the government to reconsider and retract the move.

“The current government’s decision to dissolve and ban student organizations has been met with strong opposition,” stated Deputy General Secretary Bhatt. “The government has been urged to reverse this decision.” The government’s agenda specifically mentions the dissolution of student organizations at schools and universities.

March 20, Kathmandu – The Communist Party of Nepal (Unified Marxist-Leninist), CPN-UML, has formally congratulated Prime Minister Balendra Shah (Balen). The party’s Central Secretariat meeting held on Friday at the party’s central office in Chyasal resolved to extend official congratulations to Balen. The party statement read, ‘‘We extend our congratulations to the honorable Prime Minister Balendra Shah and his cabinet for successfully forming the government under his leadership with an overwhelming majority.’’
Prior to this, the parliamentary party leader Ram Bahadur Thapa Badal addressed a meeting of the House of Representatives. His remarks sparked criticism from both within and outside the party. During his speech, he accused the Nepalese Army, the bureaucratic apparatus, and non-governmental organizations of contributing to the rise of the Rastriya Swatantra Party as the leading party. The CPN-UML also held extensive discussions regarding this issue.

In Abu Dhabi’s Al Ajban area in the United Arab Emirates, debris from drones and missiles intercepted by the air defense system injured seven Nepali nationals. Among the injured, six Nepalis are in stable to moderate condition, while one is critically injured. Additionally, debris falling in the Hubson Gas industrial area of Abu Dhabi caused a fire.

March 20, Kathmandu – According to the Abu Dhabi Media Office, six of the injured Nepalis have been reported to be in stable to moderate condition, while one remains critically injured, as reported by Gulf News. The incident also left five Indian nationals injured. The names of the injured have not been publicly disclosed.

The Al Ajban area is located north of Al Ain in Abu Dhabi, near the Dubai-Al Ain border. The United Arab Emirates Ministry of Defense stated that the air defense system successfully intercepted missiles and unmanned drones. However, debris from these interceptions caused damage across various locations in the Al Ajban area.

Following the incident, emergency rescue teams were immediately deployed, and security measures in the affected area have been intensified. The injured have been sent to hospitals for treatment, officials said. Meanwhile, a fire broke out in the Hubson Gas industrial area of Abu Dhabi due to falling debris, temporarily halting operations there. No human casualties have been reported in that incident. Government officials have urged the public to rely only on official sources for information and to avoid spreading unverified reports.

Chaitra 20, Surkhet – A corruption case has been filed against Hari Prasad Adhikari, Deputy General Secretary of the Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP) Karnali Province Committee, along with four others. The Commission for the Investigation of Abuse of Authority (CIAA) lodged the case in the Special Court on charges of embezzling funds from the Malika Community Forest User Committee.

The CIAA announced on Thursday via a press release that over NPR 1.2 million was misappropriated from the Malika Community Forest User Committee located in Chaukune Rural Municipality–5, West Surkhet. The commission stated that the User Committee’s Chairperson Amar Bahadur Dani, Treasurer Savitra Adhikari, Secretary Tejendra Bahadur Bayak Kshetri, and member Hari Prasad Adhikari colluded to misuse funds.

The investigation revealed illegal financial irregularities spanning from fiscal years 2070/71 to 2075/76. “They spent funds without committee approval or invoice verification, processed payments for road construction without any approved plan and fabricated documents, and paid audit fees without conducting proper audits,” the CIAA’s statement detailed.

Additionally, the commission found that proceeds from timber sales were not deposited into the committee’s account. Large sums were embezzled without documentation under the pretexts of nursery management, legal fees for forest-related cases, and witness expenses. The public fund of the user group was used to cover case and witness expenditures amounting to NPR 285,000. It was also alleged that the forest group president personally misappropriated NPR 41,162 purportedly for relocation to Birendranagar for personal gain.

Based on the collusion among the five committee members, an embezzlement totaling NPR 1,218,512 was confirmed. Consequently, the CIAA has registered charges against them in the Special Court in Kathmandu.

Punjab Kings have secured their second consecutive victory in IPL 2026 by defeating Chennai Super Kings by 5 wickets. Chennai, batting first, posted a total of 209 runs for the loss of 5 wickets in 20 overs. Kathmandu, March 20.

Punjab successfully chased the target of 210 runs in 18.4 overs, losing 5 wickets. Captain Shreyas Iyer scored a quick 50 runs off 29 balls, including 4 boundaries and 3 sixes. Opener Priyansh Arya provided an aggressive start with 39 runs off 11 balls. Fellow opener Prabhsimran Singh contributed 43 runs, while Cooper Connolly added 36 runs off 22 balls.

For Chennai, Matt Henry and Anshul Kambodia each took 2 wickets. Losing the toss and opting to bat first, Chennai managed 209 runs for 5 wickets in their 20 overs. Ayush Mhatre top-scored with 73 runs off 43 balls, including 7 boundaries and 5 sixes. Shivam Dube remained unbeaten on 45 runs, while Sarfaraz Khan scored 32 and captain Ruturaj Gaikwad added 28 runs.

Punjab’s Vijaykumar Vaishak claimed 2 wickets, and Xavier Bartlett, Marco Jansen, and Yuzvendra Chahal took one wicket each. With this second consecutive win, Punjab tops the standings with 4 points from 2 matches. Chennai, on the other hand, remains winless after two defeats and sits at the bottom of the table.

Summary: Indian film ‘Sholay’ director Ramesh Sippy is currently in Kathmandu as a special guest at the Nepal International Film Festival. Sippy described ‘Sholay’ not just as a successful film but as a cultural milestone that added a new dimension to the Indian film industry. He expressed optimism about the future of the Nepali film industry and emphasized the necessity for Nepali filmmakers to preserve their cultural identity.

Kathmandu – Renowned Indian filmmaker Ramesh Sippy, the director of the influential and acclaimed film ‘Sholay,’ is presently in Nepal’s capital, Kathmandu. He has been invited as a special guest to the Nepal International Film Festival (NIF). This visit marks Sippy’s third trip to Nepal. He elevated ‘Sholay’ beyond a simple narrative, presenting it as an immersive experience. By innovatively developing his storytelling style, he was able to portray each character with depth. Presenting Bollywood through a Westernized lens, Sippy achieved a balance between the significance of ‘larger than life’ elements and the impact of shorter scenes.

Sippy’s direction transformed ‘Sholay’ into not only a commercial success but a cultural phenomenon that redefined standards in Indian cinema. The 79-year-old director engaged in a discussion with journalist Bishnu Sharma about ‘Sholay,’ Bollywood, emerging narrative techniques, and the dynamics of Nepali cinema.

Sippy stated, “For me, ‘Sholay’ is a unique film I made only once—it was the final one of its kind. I do not wish to recreate it. If I had to make it today, I am uncertain how I would cast it because the actors I had back then were themselves a rare occurrence. Even today there are excellent actors, but considering the current circumstances, casting the characters properly would be very challenging.”

Karateka Erica Gurung and table tennis player Shyantu Shrestha were honored with the Player of the Year awards at the 20th NNIPA Sports Awards. Shyantu made history by becoming the first Nepali table tennis player to qualify for the Olympics, representing Nepal at the Paris Games. Twenty-six athletes were recognized as Players of the Year during the event, each receiving a cash prize of 15,000 NPR. The awards ceremony was held on 20 Chaitra in Kathmandu.

Organized by the Nepal National and International Players Association, the award ceremony took place in the premises of Chandeswari Temple in Banepa Municipality, Kavrepalanchok. Shyantu earned the Olympic spot by winning the South Asian qualifiers in table tennis, becoming Nepal’s first Olympic qualifier in this discipline and subsequently representing the country at the Paris Olympics. Based on this significant achievement, he was presented with the Player of the Year award.

Star karate athlete Erica Gurung made history by winning a silver medal at the World Karate 1 Youth League and securing a gold medal at the Australian Open Karate Championship. Having consistently won international medals in karate, Erica was named Player of the Year for the second consecutive year. Both Erica and Shyantu also received an additional prize of 100,000 NPR along with their awards. The male athlete of the year award went to taekwondo player Abhishek Baral, while the female athlete of the year honor was given to boxer Swastika Tiruwa.

Abhishek earned a silver medal at the 6th KASAD Asian Taekwondo Championship. Swastika won a gold medal at the ISF Gymnasiade Summer Games and also secured a bronze at the 2021 Asian Junior Boxing Championships held in Dubai. In the para-athlete category, athlete Pravah Angdambe was recognized for her remarkable accomplishments within a year of entering competitive sports. Making her international debut at the Dubai Grand Prix, she won a silver medal in the T-47 long jump at New Delhi with a jump of 3.96 meters, marking the highest medal achievement in Nepali para athletics.

Volleyball coach Kumar Rai was honored with the Gajaraj Joshi Ideal Sports Personality Award, receiving a certificate and a cash prize of 35,000 NPR. Senior photojournalist Udip Singh Kshetri was awarded the NNIPA Journalism Prize along with 35,000 NPR and a certificate for his two decades of experience covering sports photography. Previously, athletes from 26 sports disciplines were recognized under the Player of the Year 2082 awards.

The awards were jointly presented by Ramcharitra Mehta, Member Secretary of the National Sports Council; Kamal Bahadur Bhattarai, Executive Committee Member of RAKEP; Subarna Shrestha; Bhan Bahadur Chand; RAKEP member Jagat Singh Dhami; Jagat Tamta; Banepa Municipality Mayor Shantiratna Shakya; Deputy Mayor Vimala Sapkota Dahal; Players Association President Deepak Shrestha; and Honorary President Deepak Bista. Member Secretary Mehta praised the commendable effort of bringing outstanding athletes from various sports onto one stage for recognition. This was the first time the awards were held outside the Kathmandu Valley.

Summary: Despite investing billions in constructing cold storage facilities to reduce agricultural production losses and ensure fair prices for farmers, many centers remain unused. Of the ten cold storage units in Bagmati Province, only two are operational, while the rest are stalled due to partner agencies failing to release funds despite the infrastructure being completed. The Agriculture Department is preparing to compile an integrated database by collecting details of small and large cold stores across all local levels. Kathmandu, 20 Chaitra.

The cold storage centers, established to minimize production losses in agriculture and provide fair prices to farmers, have for years only been a drain on government payrolls. Although the government allocated billions in grants over the last decade to construct these facilities, much of the funding remains underutilized. The joint federal, provincial, and local government funding model, where partner bodies receive grants based on fixed proportions, has led to favored agencies acquiring projects but abandoning work and misusing funds, resulting in significant setbacks in agricultural infrastructure.

In some instances, buildings have been completed but remain non-functional, whereas in others, grant-received foundations have deteriorated into overgrown plots. For example, the 500-ton capacity cold storage center built under joint investment by Manthali Municipality and the provincial government has remained unused for three years. Although the main structure was finished by Shrawan 2080, it has not been operationalized to avoid becoming unnecessary infrastructure. Out of the ten cold storage centers initiated by Bagmati Province with an investment of nearly 800 million NPR, only two are currently fully operational.

This issue is not confined to Bagmati Province; all seven provinces face similar challenges. Some centers are completed but unused, while others are left incomplete and stalled. The resurgence of discussions around cold storage centers is due to the government’s decision to initiate the ‘One Municipality, One Cold Storage Center’ program aimed at improving agricultural production storage and market systems. Senior leader Balendra Sah of the Rastriya Swatantra Party (Raswapa) has publicly announced 100 governance reforms, including plans to conduct feasibility studies within 10 days for establishing cold storage centers in every district under public-private partnerships.