After successfully completing the Mount Everest cleaning campaign in 2019, the NA has started Mountain Cleaning 2021 with a noble objective of cleaning the six mountains, including Mt. Everest, Mt. Lhotse, Mt. Pumori, Mt. Amadablam, Mt. Makalu, and Mt. Dhaulagiri.

The Nepali Government had released over NPR 120 million to the NA to launch the campaign.

According to Major Rupak Jung Thapa, a team of 24 members, comprising 10 NA personnel and 14 from a private expedition company, had reached the base camp of the 8,462 meters-mountain on April 25. The team trekked up to Camp 4 (7,400 meters) of the fifth highest mountain and collected 6,700 Kgs of garbage.

Of collected trash, 4,882 kgs were non-biodegradable and 1,725 kgs were biodegradable.

The NA has handed over the bio-degradable waste to Makalu Rural Municipality Chair Tej Bahadur Pokharel, and non-biodegradable waste will be taken to Kathmandu.

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For the first time in the history of Everest climbing, Nepal conducted the mega Everest Clean-up Drive for over a month in the last spring season.

In coordination with the government and private agencies, the Ministry of Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation conducted the cleaning campaign on the mountain from April 14 – May 29, 2019.

Twelve trained Sherpa climbers, including ice-fall doctors, collected approximately 10,386 kg of garbage from the mountain.

Of the total trash collected, 5,049 kg were recycled (including glass, plastic bottles, and aluminum cans), but the remaining non-recyclable material had to be incinerated or sent to landfill.

[Also Read: COVID-19 Clears Air for Mt Everest ‘Visibility’ From 123 Miles]

Around 5,700 kg of the total litter was collected from base camp, high camps, old Khumbu Icefall route, and other settlements of the mountain.

“The largest clean-up of Mt. Everest saw 10,386 kg of garbage collection from the mountain by 12 Sherpas between 14 April to 29 May 2019,” read the GWR certificate.

“The most common types of litter retrieved were wrappers, thermo-insulation linings and broken glass,” informed Meera Acharya, Spokesperson at the Department of Tourism (DoT).

According to DoT, the Nepali Government spent NPR 27 million for the cleaning program.

Apart from the garbage, the Sherpas also retrieved four bodies of climbers who had died while climbing Mt. Everest.

[Also Read Bahrain Army to Climb ‘Mt Everest’ in 2021]

The Ministry of Forests and Environment, the Department of National Parks and Wildlife Conservation, the Nepali Army, the Nepal Mountaineering Association and the Nepal Tourism Board are some agencies that assisted the cleaning campaign.

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The government informed that it is ready to make full payment at a go for the purchase of assault rifles from the United States, keeping aside the national procurement law that mandates sum to be paid in three installments.

However, the proposal to amend is yet to be tabled in the Cabinet, says the Ministry of Défense.The decision is expected to ease weapon imports for the Nepal Army to equip its soldiers to be deployed across the globe under the United Nations peacekeeping missions.

As the reports say, the government is hurrying up in the weapon procurement process in line with the decisions taken by the United Nations with regard to its peacekeeping operations.

As per the discussions, every member nation of the peacekeeping operations should have their soldiers fully equipped as soon as UN orders for deployment of troops.

This point was also on priority for the Foreign Minister Gyawali during his recent visit to Washington DC, last week.

According to the Ministry of Defense Spokesperson Baburam Gautam, the government is most likely to clear the way soon for releasing the sum and all the arms consignments are ready to be delivered immediately after the payment.

The government is expected to pay NPR 2.19 billion for this deal agreed in a government-to-government deal with the US Army’s Pacific Command and is considering the full payment at a time after a series of requests made to the US Government.

The deal, which includes 6,492 M-16, M4 and A4 rifles, is expected to replace age-old rifles with the Nepal Army. “It is urgent that our soldiers get modern rifles while they serve in war-torn countries,” says Gautam.

Apart from procuring weapons, four Sky trucks are also coming to Kathmandu from US.

In his recent trip, Gyawali also requested for an upgrade to Nepal’s only peacekeeping training center in Panchkhal, Kavre.

“We have also asked for Washington’s support to preparing the Army for disaster management,” he added.

Nepali Army had acquired M16 rifles for the first time in 2003 under US Government’s support to control the Maoist insurgency. Under the deal, Washington had provided nearly 17,000 sophisticated rifles to the Sher Bahadur Deuba administration.

Will have to see how the government acts on this matter pertaining to strengthening its own Army.

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While presenting the report to the President Bhandari, PM Oli said that Nepal seems to have no national or regional security threat at present.

He added that security measures implemented during and after local, provincial and parliamentary elections have also been included in the report.

The annual report presented an in-depth analysis of issues such as terrorism, regional security challenges, criminal activities of divisive forces & armed groups, refugee problems, mutual cooperation among regional countries and the impacts of climate change.

It also praised the Nepali Army’s role in peacefully holding all the three-tiers of elections.

Speaking at the occasion, President Bhandari advised NSC office bearers to execute management-related works in a way that will strengthen Nepal’s overall security system.

Article 266 of the Nepali Constitution on national security mandates that there should be a National Security Council to recommend policy formulation for strengthening national security and the mobilization and control of the Nepali Army.

Nepal Defence Minister Ishwor Pokharel, Home Minister Ram Bahadur Thapa, Minister of Foreign Affairs Pradeep Kumar Gyawali, Finance Minister Dr. Yuba Raj Khatiwada and Chief of Army Staff Purna Chandra Thapa were among others present at the occasion.

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As part of the visit, the Pakistani leader discussed strengthening regional cooperation, trade enhancement, among other key issues with his Nepali counterpart and other Nepali officials.

A release from the Pakistani Foreign Office says Abbasi’s visit to Nepal will boost bilateral ties between the two countries in various sectors such as education, tourism, defense, among others.

Interestingly, this is the first-ever high-level foreign official’s visit to Nepal after the announcement of new Nepali Government under the leadership of KP Sharma Oli as Prime Minister, and he is also the first Pakistani Prime Minister to visit Nepal in the last three years period.

A Rare Honor!

As part of his discussions with Oli, Pakistani premier discussed Nepal’s support for strengthening SAARC and sought cooperation in enhancing cooperation in defense, economic and cultural sectors.

Lauding Nepal’s transition in the political process, Pakistani premier stressed on the need for enhanced economic cooperation along with ties in tourism, education and sports sectors.

Towards enhancing bilateral trade and regional cooperation, the two leaders discussed reactivation of Pakistan Nepal Joint Economic Commission and the Joint Business Council.

Welcoming Abbasi, the Government of Nepal also accorded a special guard of honor to him at Nepal’s Army Pavilion, making him the first leader to receive such honor from Nepal.

For a Strong SAARC

Strengthening South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) to make it more powerful with the support of Nepal is one of the top priorities in Abbasi’s visit.

As part of this visit, the Pakistani premier urged Nepal for its support to conduct the next SAARC summit.

While Nepal hosted the 18^th SAARC summit in 2014, the 19^th SAARC Summit was planned by Pakistan, however could not be happen due to reluctance from majority of the member countries to attend the summit.

A discourse on the progress of the SAARC process will be initiated after the visit as Nepal has been a strong supporter of SAARC process from the very beginning of SAARC in 1985, hosted three summits before and is a strong supporter of it, says Lekhanath Pandey, a Kathmandu-based diplomacy analyst.

Once this visit happens, I guess there would be positive ambits towards moving ahead under the umbrella of SAARC, Pandey added.

Trade, Regional Cooperation and More

SAARC Chamber President Suraj Vaidya termed Abbasi’s Nepal visit as an opportunity that would open more avenues for new ways of bilateral trade.

According to Suraj, this visit also encourages regional trade, business cooperation and bilateral cooperation between the two countries across all areas of interest, while also contributing to the bilateral ties and overall development of SAARC region.

He further opined that the two countries should think of exploring products of comparative advantage.

According to Suraj, a direct air link, enhanced business visits and formation of display centers will favor Nepal-Pakistan trade ties ensuring increased profits for both the countries.

Suraj further added that SAARC should also focus more on poverty alleviation and development of health, trade and commerce sectors.

SAARC Pakistan Chamber’s Vice President Iftikhar Ali Malik urged on the need for promoting investment opportunities between the countries.

Stating that Nepal and Pakistan are vital to SAARC, Malik stressed on enhancing bilateral trade through enhanced cooperation in key sectors such as infrastructure, pharmaceuticals, automotive and agriculture industries.

Media Calls On

Welcoming Abbasi’s visit to the Himalayan nation, a delegation of Nepali CEOs and journalists from leading Nepali media houses called on the Pakistani premier for his update on key matters like China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) highlighting Nepal’s participation in the One Belt-One Road (OBOR) project, among others.

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The celebration saw key events such as a special program by Nepal Army (NA) Pavilion in Tundikhel, Kathmandu, a gun-salute to the Head of the State, a minute silence program to all the martyrs who struggled for the country’s progress, among others.

The day also saw special performances by the staff of security agencies and also flower showers from helicopters.

President Bidya Devi Bhandari, Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli and other dignitaries of the nation extended their warm wishes to the country’s citizens on this special day.

Speaking at a program held as part of the occasion, the new PM KP Sharma Oli said, “Respect to sovereignty, national unity, people’s security, institutionalize rule of law, good governance, stability, development and prosperity will be the government’s future guide line.”

Stating that “a mega campaign has been started to bring happiness in the face of Nepali people by fulfilling their desires,” Oli appealed to all the political parties and the general public to work for the overall development of the country.

“Time has come to transform the people’s long cherished dreams. All need to be united to take the country towards the path of prosperity by mobilizing resources,” added Oli.

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With the slogan ‘Better to die than be a coward’, Nepali Gurkha soldiers have been at their best in safeguarding their nation and have wide reputation for their efforts over the years.

Impressed by their fighting abilities in Indian wars, British Army joined Nepali Gurkha soldiers under them for pay since 1815.

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Nepal’s legislative election 2017 has been a long-awaited aspect for Nepal and the world as well, as the country is expected to enter a new era of development with the upcoming elections.

Besides the formation of new constitution and unexpected political alliances that shook the country’s political landscape, this election has also opened avenues for various other interesting aspects.

Business Community Makes a Special Entry

In a major move, dozens of businessmen including the famous people have decided to foray into politics through the upcoming polls.

Majority of the business community people who acquired part tickets include industrialists, contractors, overseas and tourism entrepreneurs.

While a few are contesting for parliamentary seats, a substantial number of businessmen are also contesting in provincial polls.

Tek Bahadur Gurung (an overseas entrepreneur), Prakash Singh Karki (President of Nepal Freight Forwarders’ Association), Ramesh Dhamala (Former President of Trekking Agencies’ Association Nepal) are among many others from the business community contesting in the provincial and parliamentary polls.

Decline in Rate of Political Clashes, says Army

In an announcement on November 02, 2017, the Nepali Army concluded that the formation of electoral alliances has significantly reduced the threat of political clashes during the upcoming polls.

The Army made this statement after a detailed analysis on the current security situation across the country, as per the individual departmental reports.

As per the government’s election security strategy, Army stands as the final security layer after temporary security staff, Nepali Police and Armed Police Force.

Digital Trend Catches Up!

Moving away from traditional methods of pasting posters, writing on walls and distributing pamphlets, Nepali political parties and candidates started using digital and social media platforms such as YouTube, Facebook and Twitter, among others for their election campaigns for upcoming polls.

Contesting candidates and their supporters were found to have inundated social media pages with their campaigning audio and video material.

The era of election posters is gone. The most effective publicity tool in the digital age is social media,” says Janaki Lal Basnet, NC’s provincial assembly candidate from the Dang District.

“I have been planning to expedite my poll campaign online,” says CPN-Maoist Center leader Krishna Bahadur Mahara.

“I have tried to modernize my poll publicity, using QR code even in traditional publicity tools,” says State Minister for Information and Communications Tapta Bahadur Bista.

Worries Over Women Participation

Despite large expectations, the upcoming polls are most likely to register only a less percentage of women representatives in the Nepali Parliament, says Nepali Constitution experts.

While the current constitutional rules allow 33 percent women representation in Nepali Parliament, the constitutional experts feel that might not work out in the new constitution to be formed out of upcoming polls.

“If we assume that 55 women are elected in the House of Representatives and 22 in the Upper House that will mean only 77 women in the 334-member Parliament, 33 short of the required number,” says Chandra Kanta Gyawali, a constitutional expert.

According to Gyawali, the number of women contestants fielded looks concerning.

The political parties fielded only around 50 percent women candidates in the parliamentary PR polls, Gwayali adds.

The top three parties fielded only nine women contests women for the first phase of the parliamentary FPTP polls.

While the Nepali Election Commission is doubting 33 percent women seats in the Nepali Parliament, CPN-Maoist Centre claims to have fielded 60 women candidates under the PR list and UML claims that the party’s PR list has 60 percent women candidates.

The post Nepal Legislative Elections 2017: Highlights and Salient Features appeared first on Nepali Sansar.

Nepali athletes, Bhim Bahadur Gurung, Tirtha Bahadur Tamang, Samir Tamang, Bed Bahadur Sunuwar, Uttam Khatri, Rejina Bhandari and Purna Tamang won various awards at different international ultra-races in the recent times.

In recognition to their achievements, the Chief of Army Staffs General Rajendra Chhettri honored all the seven athletes with cash rewards and letters of felicitation in a program held at the Nepali Army Headquarters in Kathmandu on October 16, 2017.

“You are not just the pride of the Army but of the entire nation,” said the General while expressing NA’s willingness to support the Nepali athletes in all the possible ways that can boost their career growth.

Samir Tamang
In 2013, Samir won 6 medals including 3 gold medals and was also the winner of the Luntau Hong Kong 100 km race, MSIG Hong Kong and Austria 50 km.

Tirtha Bahadur Gurung
Tirtha also received 1 gold and 5 other medals in various global competitions. He was also the winner of Oxfarm Trail Walker Hong Kong, Dali City China, Vibram Hong Kong, Serzeenal Marathon Switzerland and UTMR Italy and Switzerland challenges held in 2013. 

Bhim Bahadur Gurung
Bhim was also the award-winning athlete, who claimed five gold medals and 1 silver medal at various international competitions. He won gold medals for in the Oxfarm Trial Walker Hong Kong, World Series Sky Running in China, Ultra Trail Sky Running in France, World Series Salmon and Sky Running in Italy competitions.

Purna Tamang, Bed Bahadur and Uttam
While Purna was the winner of the North Face Hong Kong Marathon, Bed Bahadur received gold medals for the Oxfarm Trail Walker Marathon Hong Kong and Asian Mountain Marathon.

Uttam had won two gold medals for the Oxfarm Trailer Walker Marathon in 2013 and 2014.

The Only Woman Athlete
Rejina was the only female athlete of these seven sportspersons who won international awards. Rejina won the 64-km Ultra Marathon Running and Trubelstock Ultra Marathon in Switzerland.

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Fulpati is the second most important event of the 15-day long Dashain festival, celebrated on the seventh day after Ghatsthapana.

As part of the ritual, an assortment of jamara, belpatra, banana stalks and sugarcane sticks tied with red cloth, along with Kalash (filled with holy water on the Ghatsthapana day) is carried to Dashainghar in Hanuman Dhoka of Basantapur, Kathmandu on a decorated palanquin.

Following the tradition, six men of the Magar indigenous nationality carry Fulpati from Gorkha Durbar of the Gorkha district to Jivanpur in Dhading, which is then carried to Kathmandu by six other men belonging to the Kathmandu Brahman community.

Gurujyuko Platoon, Nepali police, Nepali Army and related high-ranking officials, panchebaja bands, decorated kalsyoulis, Asha Gurja team and a special procession in cultural attire leave Hanuman Dhoka for Jamal, to receive Fulpati.

Marking the Fulpati day celebration, the Nepali Army stages a parade at Tundikhel in Kathmandu and various government officials including high-level officials like President offer Tika and Jamara on the occasion.

According to Hanuman Dhoka Herchar Addha Chief Aruna Nakarmi, the Fulpati tradition began during the King Prithvi Narayan Shah’s rule.

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