The deaths were caused by a fatal bus accident that occurred in the Mugu district. 18 people were airlifted to Nepalgunj to treat them for their injuries. The airlift was executed with the help of a passenger airplane and an army helicopter.

As per Santosh Shah, In-Charge of Nepalgunj Airport Sub-Inspector, 10 people who sustained severe injuries to their heads were shifted to Kohalpur Medical College. 5 other injured individuals were sent to a nursing home in Nepalgunj.

Shah stated that three other people, who were airlifted by the helicopter, were admitted at the Kohalpur Medical College for injury treatment.

Due to this accident, 32 lives were lost, and 14 more had sustained injuries when the bus met the accident in Pina Gaaun (Saatmod) area in the Mugu district. The incident occurred on Tuesday afternoon.

The incumbent Prime Minister Sher expressed shock when he came to know about the fatalities. He took to the social media platform Twitter to say that he was stunned by the accidents which occurred in Mugu, Kaski, and Accham.

Extending his condolences to the people affected by these accidents, the Prime Minister stated that his government would make the necessary arrangements to alleviate the pain of the families who lost their near and dear in the accident. He also went to say that the rescue operations and treatment expenses would be waived for the affected parties in these incidents.

The Prime Minister also drew attention to regular maintenance and testing of public-private vehicles. He said they were not to carry people more than permitted capacity, and one ought to adopt the required safety measures.

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The post Mugu Bus Accident Death Toll Climbs to 32 appeared first on Nepali Sansar.

A cabinet meeting of the new government held on Friday made the decision to this effect.

Earlier, before his dethroning, Oli was planning to appoint 11 ambassadors after 45 days of the recommendation, even in the absence of the Parliamentary Hearing Special Committee after the dissolution of the House of Representatives. On the same lines, KP Oli had appointed various officials in various constitutional bodies.

According to the Parliamentary Laws, any appointment subject to the hearing can be endorsed if the Hearing Committee fails to give a concrete decision in 45 days.

However, the then Oli-led government misinterpreted those appointments can be made after the period even when the Hearing Committee did not exist.

With the reinstatement of the HoR, the Deuba-led government had rejected Oli’s decision to appoint the ambassadors even though the Hearing Committee has also been revived.

Unfortunately, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs had already sent letters to the concerned nations requesting agreements in the listed names to make appointments as soon as the 45 days are completed.

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Sher was conferred with the Prime Ministerial position using Article 76(5) of the Nepali constitution. He was appointed as PM after Supreme Court’s mandamus secured 165 votes in parliament. Sher needed 138 votes to win the vote of confidence in parliament.

During the vote of confidence, a total of 249 parliament members were present in the House of Representatives (HoR) on Sunday. While 83 parliamentarians vote against Sher, 165 parliamentarians voted in his favor. Only one member stayed neutral during this vote session.

With this victory, Sher will effectively stay as Prime Minister of Nepal until the next general elections are held in 2023. The positive development was taken cognizance by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi as he took to Twitter to congratulate Sher.

“Congratulations Prime Minister @DeubaSherbdr and best wishes for a successful tenure. I look forward to working with you to further enhance our unique partnership in all sectors, and strengthen our deep-rooted people-to-people ties,” Modi tweeted. The Indian PM is the first leader to congratulate Sher Deuba’s victory.

Congratulations Prime Minister @DeubaSherbdr and best wishes for a successful tenure. I look forward to working with you to further enhance our unique partnership in all sectors, and strengthen our deep-rooted people-to-people ties.

— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) July 18, 2021

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The decision was made in the first meeting of the newly formed cabinet on Tuesday.

“The meeting decided to vaccinate one of the total population by mid-October and all eligible citizens by mid-March, 2022,” informed the newly appointed Minister of Law, Justice, and Parliamentary Affairs Gyanendra Bahadur Karki.

The cabinet also decided to provide COVID-19 risk allowances promised earlier to the frontline workers, including health workers, security personnel, and cleaners, within a week. The outgoing Oli-led government had promised the allowances but denied that later.

Moreover, the cabinet meeting also decided to publicize the details of the expenditure made on the coronavirus pandemic by the government so far, mentioned Law Minister Karki.

The COVID-19 vaccination drive has been resumed in the country recently after Nepal has received as many as 1.5 million doses of the JNJ single-shot COVID-19 vaccine from the United States through the COVAX facility.

Meanwhile, Japan has announced to donate around 1.6 million doses of AstraZeneca vaccine to the Himalayan country through the COVAX facility.

“The vaccine will be shipped from Japan to Nepal at the earliest possible date,” stated the Foreign Affairs Ministry of Japan.

“The exact shipping schedule will be confirmed once the procurement arrangements will be finalized by the international organization which is in charge of the matter,” the Ministry added.

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The post Newly Formed Deuba-led Govt Promises to Vaccinate All Citizens by March 2022! appeared first on Nepali Sansar.

The bench of five judges led by Chief Justice Cholendra Shumsher had concluded hearings on the petition filed by 146 lawmakers, including Deuba.

Reacting to the SC’s verdict, CPN-UML spokesperson and former foreign minister Pradeep Gyawali claimed that the move is unexpected and contrary to the Constitution.

“Wrong and unjustifiable, but will abide by it,” said Gyawali.

On Tuesday, President Bidya Devi Bhandari has appointed Deuba as the Prime Minister of Nepal, as per Article 76(5) of the Constitution of Nepal.

By the evening, the incoming PM Deuba has taken Oath of Office and Secrecy amid a special ceremony at the Office of President, Shital Niwas. President Bhandari administered the oath.

Earlier, Deuba had rejected the oath as the statement issued by President’s Office failed to mention anything about Article 76(5). Instead, the statement mentioned only the mandamus of the SC to appoint Deuba as the new PM.

Meanwhile, PM Deuba picked four ministerial candidates.

NC Chief Whip Bal Krishna Khand has been appointed as Home Minister and former finance minister Gyanendra Bahadur Karki as Law Minister. Likewise, Maoist Center party leader Janardan Sharma has been appointed as Finance Minister and Pampha Bhusal as Energy Minister.

President Bhandari also administered an oath of office and secrecy to these four ministers.

The Himalayan nation nosedived into a political crisis on December 20, 2020, after President Bhandari dissolved HoR and announced fresh elections at the recommendation of the then Prime Minister KP Oli.

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The post Deuba Becomes New PM of Nepal, PM KP Oli Ousted! appeared first on Nepali Sansar.

Sher Deuba is the President of the Nepali Congress.

Dahal doled out these statements when he went to pay his final tributes to the party member Mahadev Yadav in Janakpurdham.

“The House of Representatives will be reinstated and Deuba will be the next PM.”

Pushpa also opined that certain portions of the constitution need to be amended.

Supreme Court is currently hearing the case of the parliament dissolution. The apex court is expected to give the ruling on July 12.

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In his petition, senior advocate Dinesh Tripathi argued that the president could not appoint these officials without a parliamentary hearing on the dissolved House of Representatives.

He urged the court to release an interim order stopping the officials from work until a final verdict on the case is completed.

Earlier on June 24, President Bhandari appointed 20 officials in various constitutional commissions in line with the recommendation by the Oli-led government.

A Constitutional Council meeting chaired by PM Oli on May 9 had recommended the names for these positions. Though the Constitution says that the officials should be appointed after a hearing by the Parliamentary Hearing Special Commission, President Bhandari appointed the officials.

This has triggered controversy across the country, and Supreme Court has registered the writ petition.

Moreover, the Oli-led government had passed an ordinance to hold council meetings even without the presence of opposition party leaders. This ordinance facilitated the Oli-led government to hold council meetings amid differences with council members, including Speaker Agni Prasad Sapkota and the main opposition leader Sher Bahadur Deuba. Opposing the ordinance, several writ petitions are filed at the Supreme Court.

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The third session of the Federal Parliament began with Speaker Krishna Bahadur Mahara’s welcome note, followed by a letter from the Office of the President about the session call.

This session, also known as the ‘bill session’ discusses drafts of bills and their endorsements. It seeks to amend or replace existing laws that are not in accordance with the Nepali Constitution.

As part of the proceedings, Nepal political parties’ leaders and members have already started giving their suggestions.

Deuba Storms Session With Allegations
On the same day, Nepali Congress President Sher Bahadur Deuba warned the government of a ‘stormy session’.

Deuba slammed the incumbent government for its approach towards certain issues.

Starting with the controversial Nirmala Panta case, he said that the Government failed to maintain peace and security and alleged that it was responsible for protecting those involved in the victim’s rape and murder.

“The police are torturing innocent people in an attempt to extract confessions in the Nirmala case,” he added.

Deuba pointed out that the government was not honest in implementing federalism or amending the constitution. Adding further, he said that the government was not able to win the confidence of Janajatis, Madhesis and Tharus with regard to the constitution amendment.

He also listed the transitional justice process, civil servants rearrangement and purchase of two wide-body aircraft, among other government negligence.

Commenting on the civil service scenario Deuba said, “The government is trying to scare civil servants. It should have tried to enact a new civil service act through the Parliament without taking the ordinance route”.

“We are not going to let those who embezzled government money go scot-free,” he added while calling on the government’s approach to the purchase of the wide-body aircraft.

Criticism From Various Opposition Parties
Rashtriya Janata Party Nepal Presidium Coordinator Rajendra Mahato and Naya Shakti Party’s Baburam Bhattarai also joined Deuba in criticizing the government.

“The government should pursue a balanced foreign policy,” Mahato said while talking of government approach in dealing with international affairs, which he alleges has sparked friction in the international community.

Mahato also raised displeasure over the government’s opinion against lawmaker Resham Chaudhary’s oath of office and secrecy.

Dahal, however, maintained a neutral stance when he said that the opposition and ruling parties should work together to enact new laws and implement the new constitution.

“We cannot even imagine authoritarianism. We won’t abandon the democratic system because we fought for democratic values,” he added.

The post Nepal Federal Parliament Winter Session Begins With ‘Criticism’ appeared first on Nepali Sansar.

Nepal Federal Budget 2018-19 drew a mixed response from all sections of the society. While some called it ‘unrealistic’, some called it ‘development-friendly’ for the nation.

Let us look some of the responses to Nepal Federal Budget for the Fiscal Year 2018-19 pre and post release:

KP Sharma Oli, Prime Minister of Nepal, CPN-UML

The Prime Minister is very elated and encouraged at the Federal Budget for FY 2018-19 his government presented in the Nepal Parliament on May 29, 2018. In a response, he said the budget has come as a support to the slogan of ‘Prosperous Nepal, Happy Nepali’.

“The budget has been introduced keeping with practical measures. It would lay the foundation for prosperous Nepal,” he told the press. He said the tax net would be widened to meet the government’s revenue targets.

Sher Bahadur Deuba, Ex-Prime Minister of Nepal, Nepali Congress

Meanwhile, the prime opposition to the ruling Nepali Government and the ex-PM Sher Bahadur Deuba termed the budget as ‘difficult to implement’. He says tax burden would hamper the growth in productivity.

“Time has come for the government with two-thirds majority to walk the talk,” he adds.

Gagan Thapa, Law Maker, Nepali Congress

NC Lawmaker Thapa takes a neutral stand saying the budget has neither gone against the public expectations nor taken any risk.

The politician and lawmaker of the opposition Nepali Congress party Gagan Thapa says the budget has neither gone against the expectations of Nepali public nor took any risk in the process.

Nara Bahadur Thapa, Executive Director, Nepal Rastra Bank (NRB)

“The budget needs to introduce new programs to increase employment opportunities by promoting small and medium industries in particular,” Thapa said speaking at a pre-budget session.

According to him, the central bank opines that the budget would add to the country’s growth trajectory facilitating resource availability on a large scale, curtailing widening trade deficit, addressing concerns of tourism sector, among others.

Shekhar Golchha, Senior Vice-President, Federation of Nepalese Chambers of Commerce & Industry

“Reducing transit costs, developing infrastructure, retaining capable manpower in the country and reviewing the challenges that the country has been facing after joining the World Trade Organization are among other issues, which the government should address through the budget,” Golchha said at a pre-budget session.

Productive sector has been facing threat due to the inefficiency of bank and financial institutions. Hence, the government, through the fiscal budget, and central bank, through monetary policy, must address the problems faced by the industrial sector, he adds.

Govinda Nepal, Former Member, National Planning Commission (NPC)

Govinda wants the government to ensure required financial support and enhanced market access to the country’s agriculture sector, along with a needed boost for the country’s agriculture products to perform well in the international value-chain.

The government to ensure the country’s farming community has timely access to the required agricultural inputs such as fertilisers and seeds, he adds.

Rewat Bahadur Karki, Chairman, Securities Board of Nepal (SEBON)

According to Karki, the government should focus on capital markets to address the growing needs of resources to be invested in the country.

Stating that the government should come up with policies to boost Nepal’s capital markets, Karki said, “As the country has entered a federal system, the initiative could help ease the dearth of capital.”

Gyanendra Prasad Dhungana, President, Nepal Bankers’ Association

Gyanendra Prasad feels that there is a need to address asset-liability mismatch in the country’s financial sector when it comes to long-term funding.

He says, “the problem can be solved to a large extent if the government waives taxes on long-term financing.”

Rameshwore Khanal, Former Finance Secretary

Commenting on the budget, Khanal opined that the Finance Minister might have realized that the distributive and populist programmes similar to that launched by past governments would not add to the country’s prosperity.

Addressing that, the federal budget encouraged investment in the economy considering the factor that low investment’s role as a major constraint for economic growth, he adds.

Let’s hope the new budget will address the existing concerns and add to the nation’s prosperity!

Also Read: 

• Nepal Federal Budget FY 2018-19: Infrastructure Gets Major Push!
• Nepal Federal Budget FY 2019-20: Highlights & Announcements

The post Nepal Federal Budget FY 2018-19: A Mixed Reaction appeared first on Nepali Sansar.

Following the Nepali Congress President Sher Bahadur Deuba’s resignation as the 40^th PM, the CPN-UML Chairman KP Sharma Oli has been announced as the next. i.e. 41^st Prime Minister of Nepal.

Announcing Oli’s appointment, the President Office has issued a statement, wherein, it said Oli’s appointment has been made based on the majority his candidature has won from the parties represented in the House of Representatives.

The Communist Alliance, CPN UML and CPN-MC, has received a comfortable majority in the 275-member House of Representatives in the recently-concluded Nepal General Elections 2017.

Having emerged as the largest political party in the recent elections, Oli-led CPN-UML party has gained all the required support and claimed to form the new Nepali Government in partnership with the CPN-MC party led by Pushpa Kumar Dahal.

This is the second time that Oli is serving as the Nepal PM after October 2015 when he was appointed as the 38^th PM of the country following the promulgation of the new Nepal Constitution in September 2015.

Oli’s appointment, back again to the post, is coming at a time when the country is witnessing a transformation to a Federal form of governance as recommended by the new constitution.

In a move encouraging a healthy political environment in the country, Oli promised to review all the decisions, of national interest, put forth by the earlier government led by Sher Bahadur Deuba.

World Leaders Congratulate Oli

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi congratulated Oli on his appointment as the new Prime Minister of Nepal and extended government’s possible support for the overall development of Nepal.

Chinese Prime Minister had also congratulated Oli expressing China’s willingness to further strengthening of Sino-Nepal ties.

Congratulating Oli on his appointment as the new Nepal PM, the United States Ambassador to Nepal Alaina B Teplitz tweeted, “We look forward to continuing our work with the new government to build a more democratic, prosperous, and stable Nepal.”

In another message, Bangladesh PM Sheikh Hasina also said, “The citizens’ trust placed in you for the second time demonstrates the high evaluation of your efforts for their welfare. I look forward to closely cooperating with your government for assuring peace and prosperity for the peoples of our region.”

Major Task Ahead

The major tasks ahead for Oli include ensuring stable governance while also maintaining balance in the international relations as Nepal shares borders with the two Asian giants India and China.

Besides, the implementation of new Nepal Constitution is another issue on priority for the new Nepali Government.

Though the Left parties were often referred to as pro-China, Oli’s stance towards governance and policy-making appears balanced with a similar level of cordial relationship with India as well.

This was evident in the recent high-profile visits of Indian officials such as Indian Minister Sushma Swaraj, Indian Army Chief Bipin Rawat, among others to Nepal and Indian Prime Minister Narendra’s conversation with Oli over his candidature to the PM post.

“Oli is going to be pragmatic as prime minister to balance India and China,” Editor of a Nepal-based media house reportedly said in a statement.

Dealing with Foreign Policy

Oli-led new Nepali Government has a special focus on strengthening of bilateral ties and diplomatic relations with the neighboring nations based on the independent foreign policy.

“As per the directions made by the Nepali Constitution, we will develop the relation with friendly nations, especially the neighboring countries, international unions and organizations, on the basis of independent foreign policy,” the Communist Party of Nepal-Unified Marxist Leninist (CPN-UML) and Maoist Centre (CPN-MC) said in a statement on December 17, 2017.

“The Indo-Nepal ties are not just about government-to-government relations, but about people-to-people ties. India will work with any party that comes to power in Kathmandu. Similarly, the Nepal of PM will work with Delhi irrespective of his ideology. India remains a key factor in Nepali politics, society and religion and this fact cannot be ignored,” a Nepal-focused political expert said in a statement earlier this month.

With regard to Indo-Nepal ties, Oli said, “As one of the recently elected people’s representatives and leader of the largest party in the federal parliament, I’m eager to work together with Excellency and your government for the betterment of our two countries.” 

“The election of representatives at all levels of government should set the stage for responsive governance based on the principles of transparency, inclusivity, and rule of law,” the US Department of State Spokesperson Heather Nauert had said in a statement expressing US’ willingness to work in collaboration with the new Government of Nepal.

Constitution, Industrialization and More

Implementation of new Constitution is another matter on priority, on which, Oli said, “Everyone has participated in the elections under the structure envisioned by the constitution and the results are accepted. Its shows, there is no confusion remaining over constitution.”

Industrial development has also been on top of Oli’s developmental agenda under the new governance.

“We should accelerate our pace to the road of political and economic aspects of the country. Our aspirations, needs and plans should base development and prosperity,” Oli had stated earlier at the 37^th Annual General Assembly of the Management Association of Nepal in Kathmandu, earlier this week.

Oli looks at industrialization as the means to boost country’s productivity and job creation.

Legalization of underground money is another item in Oli’s priority list which he feels is utmost important for the country’s overall development.

“Its legalization should be allowed. It should be allowed to be laundered. A way for laundering should be provided. I wish the hidden money could be invested. It could help idle people get employed. Maybe we can think about it?” Oli had said in a statement earlier this month.

Oli was also keen on protection of child and human rights as part of successful governance.

The post Oli is Back Again As 41st Nepal PM appeared first on Nepali Sansar.