Kathmandu, July 7: President Ramchandra Paudel has today, on the recommendations of the Judicial Council, appointed three new Justices to the Supreme Court.
Senior advocate Meghraj Pokharel, High Court Janakpur’s Chief Judge Shreekant Poudel and High Court Dipayal’s Chief Judge Shanti Singh Thapa have been appointed Justices of the Apex Court of the country, according to a press statement issued by Shailaja Regmi Bhattarai, Spokesperson at the Office of the President.
The Head of the State entrusted the three Justices with the responsibility in accordance with Article 129 (2) of the Constitution, the press statement read.
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Patriotic songs representing all seven provinces released
Kathmandu, July 7: Nepal Academy of Music and Drama has released the best seven patriotic songs and two ‘music videos’ representing the seven provinces at a function here today.
Two music videos and seven audio recordings of songs filled with patriotism were released at the event held at the office building of the Academy in Naxal.
At the ceremony, Chancellor of the Academy, Nisha Sharma Pokharel, said that music videos and songs have been recorded to promote patriotism and nationalism, along with raising public awareness.
Shambhu Rai, Vice-Chancellor of the Nepal Academy of Music and Drama, requested everyone to watch the music videos and listen to the audios that were made public and uploaded on the academy’s ‘official YouTube channel’ and give their feedback.
Among the videos released, the music video of the song titled ‘Tite Tite…’, which spreads awareness about education was composed by Prakash Sapkota, music by Mahesh Khadka and vocals by Shantishree Pariyar. The artists include Bina Rawat and Ali Tamang.
Similarly, the song of the endangered Lahabire Bhaka, which has been sung by the Wayung, Thulung and Wambule communities of the eastern hills of Okhaldhunga, has music by musician Lahang Subba and vocals by singers Kumar Prayas, Paresh Rai and Tej Kumar Rai and singers Indrakala Rai, Manmabi Rai and Rashmi Rai. Both the music video is directed by Abhi Lama.
The songs from the seven provinces selected in the National Song Writing Competition-2081 have lyrics by Tej Kumar Rai from Koshi Province, music by Mahesh Khadka, and vocals by Sandeep Paneru and Priya Pokharel Paneru.
From Madhesh Province, the lyrics of Lilaraj Dahal are composed by Basana Sapkota, and the vocals are by Prahlad Timalsina and Manisha Sunar. Similarly, from Bagmati Province, the lyrics of Srijana Aryal are composed by Shanti Ram Rai and the vocals are by Roshan Rai.
From Lumbini Province, the song of Basant Kumar Acharya is composed and sung by Ashish Abiral. From Karnali Province, the song of Kshitij Samarpan is composed by Mahesh Khadka, and sung by Milan Khapangi and Mina Chaudhary.
From Sudurpaschim, the song writted by Dhiran Nath is composed by Shanti Ram Rai and the vocals are by Roshan Rai, while from Gandaki Province, the song by Baburam Shrestha is composed by ShreeKrishna Bam Malla, and sung by Laxmi Malla, Sarika Ghimire, Usha Gajurel and Yogesh Kaji Shah.
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One person dies after being hit by train
Mahendranagar (Dhanusha), July 7: One person died after being hit by a train going from Janakpurdham to Jayanagar on the eastern railway line from Deuri Pawarha station today.
According to District Police Spokesperson Barun Bahadur Singh, 40-year-old Binod Sah of Sinurjoda, Laxminiya Rural Municipality-2, died after being hit by the train on the Jayanagar-Janakpur Kurtha railway line.
The police said, quoting a railway employee, that the man walking on the railway line wearing ‘earphones’ did not hear the horn even when it was honked several times. Eventually, the train hit him leading to his death.
The police said that further investigation into the incident is underway.
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Parliamentary special committee formed to probe cooling-off period controversy
Kathmandu, July 7: The House of Representatives (HoR) has formed a seven-member parliamentary special committee to study and probe the wrongdoings committed in the drafting of the report on the Federal Civil Service Bill, 2080 BS.
The HoR Speaker, Devraj Ghimire, announced the parliamentary special committee in today’s HoR meeting formed as per the HoR Regulations.
Nepali Congress lawmaker Jivan Pariyar will lead the committee which comprises Nepali Congress lawmaker Sushila Thing, CPN (UML) lawmakers Narayan Prasad Acharya and Ishwari Gharti, CPN (Maoist Centre) lawmaker Madhav Sapkota, Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP) lawmaker Ganesh Parajuli and Rastriya Prajatantra Party (RPP) lawmaker Roshan Karki as the members.
The committee shall investigate the theoretical agreement, decisions and e-records taken place in the HoR Committee on State Affairs and Good Governance Committee and the contradictory report prepared in regard to the civil servants’ cooling-off period.
The special committee is given the term of reference to find out the reasons behind the drafting of a contradictory report, which is against the major spirit of the bill passed by the State Affairs and Good Governance Committee of the HoR.
Similarly, the special committee is given the ToR to name the officials involved in the wrongdoing and state whether they deserve legal actions for preparing the contradictory report.
The special committee shall also submit recommendations to avert such errors and apply precautions in the future.
The special committee is given 21 days to submit its report.
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Bill to amend some Nepal Acts tabled in HoR
Kathmandu, July 7: The Bill designed to amend some Nepal Acts-2080 BS has been tabled in today’s House of Representatives (HoR) meeting with a message received from the National Assembly.
Secretary of the HoR, Harkaraj Rai, presented the Bill in the meeting.
Likewise, Secretary Rai notified the House about the messages received from the Upper House regarding the Bills such as Appropriation Bill-2082 BS, Economic Bill-2082 BS and National Debt Collection Bill-2082 BS.
Earlier, Speaker of the HoR Devraj Ghimire had read out the letter sent by the Office of the Prime Minister and Council of Ministers.
Report presented
Meanwhile, annual reports of various parliamentary committees were submitted in today’s meeting.
Kusum Devi Thapa, President of the Committee for Agriculture, Cooperatives and Natural Resources, presented the Committee’s report.
Similarly, Minister for Defence Man Bahadur Rai, on the behalf of Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli, submitted the 62nd annual report of the Office of Auditor General.
During the meeting, Minister for Youth and Sports Tejulal Chaudhary sought permission to present the National Sports Development (First Amendment) Bill-2082 BS aimed at organizing and regulating the sports sector.
Speaker Ghimire thereafter announced that no objection was raised against the proposal seeking presentation of the Bill and the meeting also unanimously approved the proposal.
The next meeting of the House of Representatives will be held at 1:00 pm on Tuesday.
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PM Oli calls for effective publicity to attract more tourists to Nepal
Kathmandu, July 7: Prime Minister and CPN (UML) Chairperson KP Sharma Oli has urged effective publicity to attract more foreign tourists to Nepal.
He stressed that organizations like the Nepal Tourism Board and the Department of Tourism should aggressively publicize Nepal’s attractive and scenic tourist destinations in a modern (digital) style.
Speaking at a national seminar on ‘Tourism in Nepal: Status, Challenges and Prospects’ organized by the party’s Central Department of Tourism and Civil Aviation here today, he said, “We should be able to tell the world that it is not enough to just earn a lot of money, we should live a real life. We should see what the real mountains are like.” We should be able to tell the world that we can experience real happiness by watching rhinos riding an elephant, so let’s visit Nepal.
He stressed that the government has prioritized the development of tourism infrastructure, while calling on the stakeholders to pay attention to creating a tourism-friendly environment. There should be no fear in making digital content and promoting the things mentioned in scriptures such as Lord Ram was born in Nepal and Sita died in this land, he said, “Why can’t we say that Nepal is the sacred birthplace of Ram?”, Prime Minister Oli said, “Vishwamitra taught Valmiki in our Chatara village. Ram and Lakshmana left the Ashwamegh horse on this land. Dasharatha is from here. I did not say these things they are mentioned in the scriptures. There should be no reference to politics in promoting such topics.”
Stating that he could not understand why Nepal, which has knowledge, fertile land, learned ancestors, and hardworking people, should not be developed, Prime Minister Oli expressed the view that the citizens of a country known as a working nation in the world should trust in their own might and work to build the country without relying on external aid.
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26- Senior Advocate Nepal appointed member of Judicial Council
Kathmandu, July 7: President Ramchandra Paudel has, on the recommendation of the Prime Minister, appointed Senior Advocate Mahesh Kumar Nepal as a member of the Judicial Council.
A resident of Bhojpur in Bhojpur Municipality-8, Nepal was appointed as a member of the Council today pursuant to Clause (d) 1 of Article 153 of the Constitution, according to a statement issued by Spokesperson of the Office of the President, Shailaja Regmi Bhattarai.
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Three names recommended for TU Vice Chancellor
Kathmandu, July 7: The committee formed to recommend the names to be appointed as the new Vice Chancellor of Tribhuvan University has recommended three names to Prime Minister and Chancellor KP Sharma Oli today.
The committee led by Minister for Education, Science and Technology Raghuji Pant has recommended the names of current Acting Vice Chancellor Prof Dr Khadga KC, former Dean of the Faculty of Science of Tribhuvan University Prof Dr Vinil Aryal and former Head of the Central Department of Hydrology and Meteorology Prof Dr Deepak Aryal.
The post of TU VC remains vacant since outgoing Vice Chancellor Prof Dr Keshar Jung Baral resigned from his post.
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Fragrance of victory in defeat: Prime Minister Oli
Kathmandu, July 7: Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli has thanked the Nepali women footballers who succeeded in putting up a fight against Uzbekistan team, ranked much higher in the FIFA rankings.
Taking to this social media account today, Prime Minister Oli has said that the defeat on penalties despite playing brilliantly in Uzbekistan’s home ground was only a technical failure. “The defeat on penalties despite playing brilliantly in Uzbekistan’s home ground was only a technical failure, this defeat carries the sounds of victory. It has paved the way for success in the coming days,” Prime Minister Oli has said.
The Nepali national women’s football team lost to Uzbekistan by 4-2 in a tie-breaker after the match ended in a 3-3 tie under the AFC Women’s Asian Cup qualifiers held in Uzbekistan on Saturday.
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Bagmati Province Assembly endorses Rs 67.47 billion budget for upcoming fiscal year
Bagmati, July 7: The Bagmati Province Assembly on Monday passed the proposed Rs 67.47 billion budget for the upcoming fiscal year 2025/26 by a majority.
The Bagmati Province government had unveiled the budget towards the mid of June this year. The meeting of the Province Assembly also endorsed the Bill to implement financial proposal and the Appropriation Bill-2081 BS by a majority.
Furthermore, the meeting approved the proposal seeking supplementary budget for the Bagmati Province government. The proposal to make the proposal the part of the Appropriate Bill was also endorsed by a majority.
The meeting also passed the proposal seeking allocation of some fund from the Provincial Consolidated Fund for the services and business of the provincial government for the fiscal year 2025/26.
Moreover, proposal seeking approval for the financial proposal of the provincial government was also endorsed by a majority. Both proposals were presented by the Province’s Minister for Economic Affairs and Planning Kundanraj Kafle.
During the meeting, Province Assembly members Devendra Shrestha, Shuspa Bhujel, Urmila Kumari Lama and Srijana Sayaju had registered the proposal to cut down unnecessary expenses.
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Environment Conservation Award to DG Kandel
Patan (Lalitpur), July 7: The Rinpoche Nawang Tenzing Lama Environment Conservation Award was presented to Director General of Department of National Parks and Wildlife Conservation Dr Ramchandra Kandel.
At a programme organized by Tenzing Hillary Everest Marathon on Monday, National Assembly Member Sonam Gyalzen Sherpa handed over the award to Dr Kandel. The award carries a purse of Rs 307,777 and a letter of appreciation.
On the occasion, NA Member Sherpa stated that Mt Sagarmatha and Khumbu region have thrived as they are the parts of the national park. “So it hurts me if someone protests the national parks. The national parks should be preserved to protect environment. Now, we should pay attention on how we can advance conservation drive. The national parks should be preserved for generations,” Sherpa added.
Receiving the award, Dr Kandel said that partnership with the local community could be more instrumental in conservation efforts. He also announced to mobilize the cash received as award for conservation jobs through an organization.
Founder Chairman of Everest Marathon Bikram Pandey Kaaji said that the award was established to work in the areas of trekking, marathon and conservation and to conserve environment.
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Greater Janakpur Area Development Council Chair Shah arrested
Janakpurdham, July 7: Police have arrested Greater Janakpur Area Development Council Chair Sheetal Sah on charges of forgery and fraud.
Superintendent of Police at the District Police Office Narahari Regmi shared that Shah was taken into custody today on charges of illegally dismissing four employees by forging the signature of the council’s Executive Director Baijanath Paswan.
Executive Director Paswan had filed a complaint in this regard at the District Police Office, Dhanusha. After receiving the test report from the forensic science laboratory regarding the forged signature, an arrest warrant was obtained from the District Court but Shah has been absconding since then, said SP Regmi.
Shah was produced before the District Court, Dhanusha, seeking permission for judicial custody for further investigation.
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PMO holds discussions to operate Nagdhunga tunnel
Kathmandu, July 7: The Office of the Prime Minister and Council of Ministers held discussions with stakeholders on Monday for the construction of Tokha-Chahare tunnel, operate Nagdhunga tunnel and resolve the issues surfaced in road expansion of the Syaphrubensi-Rasuwagadhi section.
The discussion focused on expediting the infrastructure development works from the beginning of the new fiscal year and ensuring reforms in the traffic management along the major highways during the upcoming festive season.
Regarding the construction of the Tokha-Chahare tunnel, the Ministry of Forest and Environment, and other agencies have been directed to facilitate on their part to resolve the misunderstanding and complete the tasks to be done from the Chinese side for development of environmental impact assessment report and its approval and as well as the feasibility study of the project, Prime Minister’s personal secretary Binod Bahadur Kunwar said.
Likewise, legal provision and modality for the operation of the Nagdhunga tunnel and the issues to be address there were also discussed.
Similarly, the contract for the blacktop of remaining 19 kms of the Syaphrubensi-Rasuwagadhi section would be done in the upcoming fiscal year and the Ministry of Physical Infrastructure and Transport will facilitate the issues there. So far, 38 kms of the road section is completed after its blacktop.
PM’s Economic Advisor Dr Yubraj Khatiwada, Public Relations Advisor Kiran Paudel, secretaries Raj Kumar Shrestha, Keshav Kumar Sharma, Rajendra Prasad Mishra, Rabilal Pantha and others were present at the meeting.
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