Author: space4knews

An international trade fair showcasing products made by women entrepreneurs has commenced in Lalitpur to promote market expansion and product visibility. The Federation of Women Entrepreneurs Nepal is organizing the ninth edition of the fair from Chaitra 20 to Chaitra 22, featuring participation from 140 stalls representing various domestic, small, and medium-sized women entrepreneurs.

The fair was inaugurated by Vice President Ram Sahaya Prasad Yadav, with representatives from multiple government ministries and diplomatic missions in attendance. The Federation, the sole umbrella organization representing women entrepreneurs, aims to identify, encourage, and boost motivation among women entrepreneurs from across the country’s districts and rural areas through this event.

According to the Federation, the fair plays a crucial role in connecting women entrepreneurs to national and international markets, thereby facilitating the expansion of their market access. “This event is vital for fostering B2B networking and business collaboration between women entrepreneurs, major buyers, investors, and the private sector,” the Federation stated in a press release. Federation President Darshana Shrestha noted that the fair includes participation from women entrepreneurs, business owners, and exporters from various districts across Nepal and will run until Chaitra 22.

The fair hosts 140 stalls exhibiting an array of products including natural silk goods, Dhaka fabric items, carpets, handmade paper products, organic food items, traditional and local cuisine, agricultural produce, herbal materials, various statues, jewelry, and decorative items. Vice President Ram Sahaya Prasad Yadav served as the chief guest. The opening ceremony was attended by heads and representatives from various ministries, departments, and offices of the Nepalese government, along with leadership and delegates from diplomatic missions.

March 20, Kathmandu – The Nepal Oil Corporation has fallen into a financial crisis following the surge in fuel prices caused by the international conflict. The government led by Balendra Shah (commonly known as Balen) has yet to issue any official statement regarding this issue. As the sole authorized agency for the sale and distribution of petroleum products, the corporation faces a financial deficit, but the related ministry—Ministry of Industry, Commerce and Supplies—has not provided any clear response. The Prime Minister himself is overseeing this ministry. The ministry’s secretary, Madhusudan Burlakoti, stated that the corporation will provide a response, as he also serves as the chairman of the corporation’s board of directors.

Due to sustained increases in petroleum prices on the international market, the Nepal Oil Corporation has raised prices of petrol, diesel, and kerosene by NPR 15 per liter. Currently, the retail price of petrol in Kathmandu, Pokhara, and Dipayal has reached NPR 202 per liter, while diesel and kerosene are priced at NPR 182 per liter. During the Russia-Ukraine conflict, the petrol price peaked at NPR 199 per liter. The corporation has adjusted prices utilizing funds from the price stabilization fund.

The increased fuel prices are expected to trigger hikes in transportation and public transit fares, directly impacting consumers and potentially exacerbating inflation. Crude oil prices on the international market are projected to rise from USD 110 to as high as USD 150 per barrel. Continuous price increases throughout the month of Chaitra have led the corporation to raise petrol prices by up to NPR 45 per liter and diesel by NPR 40 per liter this month alone. According to figures released on Thursday, the corporation is incurring losses of NPR 34.37 per liter on petrol and NPR 120.54 per liter on diesel.

The corporation has formally appealed to the public to reduce fuel consumption. Spokesperson Thakur stated, “There is no possibility that the price trend will stop; therefore, cutting consumption is the only option.” Executive Director Dr. Chandika Prasad Bhatt also emphasized that reducing fuel consumption is the only effective way to mitigate the corporation’s losses. He revealed that the government has proposed implementing a rationing system in the market, closing public offices two days a week, temporarily shutting down schools and colleges, and enforcing quota measures, urging the government to take action accordingly.

The government has decided to open the registration list for all government and private hospitals that meet the necessary criteria for health screening of migrant workers going abroad for employment. However, since destination countries like Malaysia, Saudi Arabia, and Qatar enforce their own certification systems, challenges have arisen in implementing this new arrangement. Health practitioners emphasize the need for diplomatic negotiations and agreements with these countries, while the government remains focused on expanding service providers.

Kathmandu, 20 Chaitra – The government’s decision to break its long-standing monopoly on health screening for migrant workers has sparked new debates. Questions have surfaced about whether destination countries such as Malaysia, Saudi Arabia, and Qatar will recognize health screenings conducted by any hospital registered in Nepal.

The Ministry of Labour, Employment and Social Security recently announced that the registration list for health screening will be open to all government and private hospitals that fulfill the required standards, introducing a competitive system. This move is expected to dismantle the syndicate that previously restricted testing to a limited number of health institutions. However, in practice, the regulations imposed by destination countries are posing challenges for implementing the new system.

Currently, Malaysia recognizes tests only from 36 designated health institutions in Nepal. Similarly, Saudi Arabia, Oman, and Bahrain accept tests solely from 30 health institutions under the ‘GAMCA’ framework. Qatar mandates testing exclusively through health institutions approved by its Visa Center. As destination countries continue to apply their own certification systems, questions have arisen about the effectiveness of Nepal’s open registration, especially if these countries do not validate tests from newly registered hospitals, potentially halting workers’ visa procedures.

Health professionals identify this as a significant challenge. They argue that merely changing the registration system within Nepal unilaterally is insufficient; diplomatic and technical consensus with destination countries is essential. “The Nepal government must hold talks with the Malaysian government. This is not a system created arbitrarily, but a list based on standards repeatedly established by the Malaysian government,” they pointed out.

While the health sector does not oppose the government’s decision, they emphasize that progress must come through dialogue to meet the criteria set by destination countries. “We will support government implementation efforts, but agreements with governments of Malaysia, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Oman, and others are critical,” they said. They cautioned that visa processes will stall if health screenings are not performed at hospitals designated by these countries.

“If I cannot get tested as before or if GAMCA does not approve a medical examination, the visa process for Saudi Arabia will not move forward, and the same applies to Malaysia. Therefore, discussions with relevant countries are necessary to align procedures with their requirements,” they stressed.

The ministry acknowledges that clarity on this issue is still pending. According to officials, the current focus is on expanding the pool of service providers and fostering competition; coordination with destination countries is expected to be addressed in the next phase.

The government claims that the new system will extend services to government hospitals and ease access for migrant workers outside the Kathmandu Valley. However, questions remain about the success of efforts to dismantle the syndicate until international recognition and coordination are assured.

Ministry spokesperson Pitambar Ghimire stated that the outdated practice allowing only certain hospitals or health centers to conduct health screenings will be replaced with an ‘open’ system. “We have opened registration and service delivery to approved hospitals,” he said. “Only hospitals that meet the prescribed infrastructure, standards, and procedures listed in the guidance will be registered.”

He noted that authorized hospitals undergo monitoring by an expert committee after preparing the necessary infrastructure, and only those approved by the committee are added to the list and permitted to provide health screening services. Regarding acceptance by destination countries, Ghimire said discussions had yet to take place.

“We have not yet engaged in matters concerning how destination countries establish their standards or certification lists,” he explained. “This is a separate issue requiring further study and dialogue.”

Currently, the government is emphasizing the expansion of service providers and boosting competition. “Once hospitals are registered, competition in the market will improve service quality and affect pricing,” he remarked.

Under the new system, health screenings will be accessible even through government hospitals, with anticipated service expansion to provinces beyond the Kathmandu Valley. “Previously, workers had to depend on limited centers, but now they can avail services from nearby hospitals, which will ease the process for migrant workers,” he added.

The decision aims to end the syndicate controlling health screening and increase competition and accessibility. However, its effectiveness remains uncertain until international recognition and coordination are finalized.

On 17 Chaitra, a ministerial decision opened registration for health screening of migrant workers going abroad, authorizing health institutions approved or owned by the Nepal government to conduct these tests. This step follows regulations outlined in the Health Institution Registration, Renewal and Monitoring Procedures, 2072, Section 3.

The Foreign Employment Act, 2064, Article 72, Subsection (1) mandates that migrant workers undergo testing at government-approved health institutions before departure. Furthermore, Rule 45(k), Sub-rule (9) of the 2064 Regulations states that the requirement for testing at government-owned health institutions shall not be impeded.

Accordingly, the ministerial decision opened registration for health institutions owned or approved by the Nepal government to conduct health screenings for migrant workers.

Following the strike in Bhadra led by the Gensiji movement, the government headed by Sushila Karki increased the health examination fee from NPR 6,500 to NPR 9,500. Then-Prime Minister Karki issued a ministerial decision mandating 34 types of compulsory health tests and approving the associated fee.

Later, Rajendra Singh Bhandari, former AIG of Nepal Police and appointed labor minister, canceled the fee hike decision. Despite business groups filing lawsuits against this move, courts declined to issue interim orders. Then-Minister Sharatsingh Bhandari issued a ministerial decision on 8 Chaitra 2081 to add NPR 9,500 to all test packages, but it was never implemented.

The government-initiated Project Bank concept, designed to enhance budget allocation and expenditure efficiency, currently remains largely a formality. The National Planning Commission has issued directives along with a checklist to ministries and subordinate agencies to improve data entry for projects. The commission has identified issues with the upload of uncertified documents, ambiguous reports, and unapproved environmental study reports.

Kathmandu, Chaitra 20, 2079 (April 3, 2023) – The Project Bank concept, implemented by the government to improve budget allocation and spending efficacy, remains limited to a procedural exercise. Previous governments exploited this system for their own interests, and even after the new administration took charge of ministries, the approach has largely been to maintain the system superficially. This has led to dissatisfaction within the National Planning Commission.

In light of these challenges, the Planning Commission has sent formal communication to ministries and their subordinate bodies, instructing them to make further improvements in project data entry. Currently, various stages are ongoing for the preparation of the upcoming fiscal year 2083/84 budget. Although the initial deadline for project entry into the Project Bank was March 15 (1 Chaitra), the commission extended it to April 5 (22 Chaitra). Nevertheless, most of the submitted project documents are incomplete, uncertified, and unclear, necessitating revisions.

Accordingly, on April 1 (16 Chaitra), the commission finalized further decisions and issued guidelines with a checklist to the ministries, departments, and relevant entities for corrective action. The concerned bodies must now resubmit project details already entered into the Project Bank Management Information System using a new format.

Prior to budget presentation, the trend of adding numerous projects often driven by political motives resulted in thousands of large projects being included. The government has committed to making the Project Bank implementation more effective in the forthcoming budget cycle. The Project Bank policy mandates inclusion of projects only if they have completed preparation phases or are under active implementation.

Areas Requiring Further Improvement

The commission points out that major issues include the absence of official office stamps and proper signatures on proposed reports, along with uncertified and unclear documents. Moving forward, detailed project study or engineering reports must be officially certified by authorized personnel and bear the office stamp before uploading. When submitting reports, key sections such as cover pages, cost estimates, design drawings, and other critical pages must be clearly visible, certified by department heads or project chiefs, and affixed with the office stamp.

Environmental Study Reports

Currently, environmental study reports entered by ministries lack official letters of approval or signatures/stamps of approving authorities. Some unauthorized study reports have also been uploaded. Henceforth, ministries and agencies must certify approved environmental study reports through departmental or project heads and upload them with the official office stamp. For projects requiring Environmental Impact Assessments (EIA), the Ministry of Forests and Environment and other relevant ministries must upload the respective approval letters. If unnecessary, a letter stating reasons must be uploaded.

Land Acquisition for Projects

The commission has instructed corrections because documentation related to land acquisition is often incomplete, uncertified, and irrelevant. Details such as area required, type of land, estimated costs, etc., must be clearly indicated and certified by the department or project chief with an office stamp. If land acquisition is unnecessary, a clear statement to that effect must be included in the documentation.

Procurement Plans

Currently, ministries and agencies frequently upload annual procurement plans or frameworks certified by project heads but without official office stamps. The commission has directed that procurement plans must be certified by an accountable financial officer according to existing procurement laws before uploading. It further clarified that annual procurement plans must be certified by the departmental or project head and include the official stamp.

Implementation Work Plans / Result Frameworks

There are existing issues with ambiguity, lack of certification, and repeated copy-pasting in project submissions. From now, the top section of implementation work plans must openly state the project name and be certified by the department or project chief and stamped officially. Similar issues were noted in result frameworks, for which the commission recommends analogous improvements. Monitoring and evaluation work plans also require similar corrective actions.

Request to Avoid Uploading Ongoing or Annual Nature Projects

The commission has urged agencies not to enter projects that are ongoing or implemented annually into the Project Bank. When entering study projects, the cost associated with the study phase must also be disclosed.

Google has publicly released its new artificial intelligence model, ‘Gemma 4,’ under the fully open source Apache 2.0 license. Users can download the model to their own devices and operate it without internet access, helping to keep data secure and private. Gemma 4 is available in four sizes, ranging from 2 billion to 31 billion parameters, and supports more than 140 languages.

This time, Google has made significant progress by making Gemma 4 not just ‘open weight’ but fully ‘open source.’ Developers and users worldwide can download, modify, and use Gemma 4 for commercial purposes without paying any royalties. The key difference between Gemini and Gemma 4 is that Gemini is Google’s proprietary, paid technology, whereas Gemma 4 is an open model.

Key features of Gemma 4 include high capacity, multimodal processing, and availability in various sizes. It can process audio and video, perform speech recognition, and analyze charts. According to Google, Gemma 4 can easily run on billions of Android devices and general-purpose laptop GPUs. The Apache 2.0 license enables companies to maintain full control over their data and infrastructure while developing AI agents and coding assistants.