WITHOUT F EAR OR FAVOUR

Nepal’s largest selling English daily Vol XXIX No. 61 | 8 pages | Rs.5 O O Printed simultaneously in Kathmandu, Biratnagar, Bharatpur and Nepalgunj 36.6 C 2.6 C Tuesday, April 20, 2021 | 07-01-2078 Nepalgunj Jumla

HOW COVID-19 AFFECTS DIFFERENT AGE GROUPS IN NEPAL

SOURCE: MINISTRY OF HEALTH AND POPULATION Breakdown of confirmed new infections by age group in Nepal from April 13 -19. Although excluded in the graph, new cases above 70 have also increased in the last seven days. INSIDE Government issues a slew of orders Poorly performing local units may see federal grant slashed KATHMANDU: Federal grants to the amid threat of a second wave local governments could be reduced for performing poorly as the federal government is introducing rules and More than 25 people cannot gather at one place; schools and places of worship among others closed till May 14. Testing and treatment made free. measures to evaluate fiduciary risks at the local level. Amid reports of ARJUN POUDEL last year, when more than 1,200 cases Mechinagar, Birtamod, Damak, increased irregularities at the local KATHMANDU, APRIL 19 were confirmed. Rajbiraj, Banepa, Dhulikhel, level, the Ministry of Federal Affairs Intensive care unit beds allocated Siddharthanagar, Birendranagar and and General Administration came up Amid a sharp rise in new cases of the for Covid-19 patients are filling up Bhimdatta municipalities. with a ‘Working Procedure on new variant of Covid-19, the Cabinet across the country. They can, however, hold pre-sched- Evaluation of Risk to Financial on Monday announced a slew of Health facilities in the Kathmandu uled examinations. Discipline at Local Level’ aiming at restrictions and directed provincial Valley have been occupied by serious- Cinemas, banquet venues, dance evaluating governance of the local and local governments to take differ- ly infected people, as people are seek- bars, dohori places, dancehalls, clubs, governments. (Details on Pg3) ent measures to check the spread of ing treatment only after their health health clubs, gyms, swimming pools the disease. conditions start to deteriorate, accord- and futsal courts have been India’s capital to lock down According to the Ministry of Health ing to doctors. shut; assemblies, political rallies, and and Population, 1,277 new cases were The number of people admitted in participation in stadiums have amid devastating virus surge recorded in the last 24 hours of which the intensive care units reached 148. been banned; and only ritual worships NEW DELHI: New Delhi imposed a 98 are in children. Kathmandu Valley Seriously ailing 43 others are on by priests are allowed at temples, weeklong lockdown Monday night to recorded 634 cases—505 are from ventilator support. gumbas, churches and mosques until prevent the collapse of the Indian Kathmandu, 97 from Lalitpur and 32 Among the decisions made on May 14. capital’s health system, which author- from Bhaktapur. Monday, the Cabinet has asked to shut No more than 25 people are ities said had been pushed to its limit Eight people have died of the coro- down schools and other academic allowed to gather at festivals, wed- amid an explosive surge in coronavi- navirus infection in the last 24 hours. institutions in Kathmandu, Lalitpur, dings, other life rituals and funerals, rus cases. In scenes familiar from Active cases stand at 7,254 as of Biratnagar, Birgunj, Bharatpur and as well as in meetings that must be surges elsewhere, ambulances cata- Monday. Pokhara metropolitan cities; Itahari, held face to face if they can’t be held pulted from one hospital to Monday was the second consecutive Dharan, Janakpur, Hetauda, Butwal, virtually. another, trying to find an empty bed day that the number of cases crossed Ghorahi, Tulsipur, Nepalgunj and Passengers are not allowed to stand over the weekend, while patients the 1,000 mark. The last time the coun- Dhangadhi sub-metropolitan cities; in public transport and all must wear lined up outside of medical facilities. try had recorded more than 1,000 cases all municipalities in Kathmandu, POST PHOTO: ELITE JOSHI masks. (Details on Pg6) in a single day was on December 10 Lalitpur and Bhaktapur districts; and Schools in urban areas have been ordered to close until May 14 to stem the spread of Covid-19. >> Continued on page 2

POST PHOTO: DEEPAK KC The spire of Swayambhu stupa seen through fluttering prayer flags in Kathmandu on Monday. Schools close again but there have been no preparation for virtual learning Distance learning was not effective last year and as the virus may not go away soon, a long-term policy is required rather than seeking ad-hoc solutions, experts say.

BINOD GHIMIRE be the same now.” Kathmandu, Lalitpur and Bhaktapur KATHMANDU, APRIL 19 During the in-person classes that he districts; and Mechinagar, Birtamod, attended for around five months, after Damak, Rajbiraj, Banepa, Dhulikhel, Tenth grader Sudip Kumar Thakur, they were allowed from September by Siddharthanagar, Birendranagar and who is preparing for the Secondary the federal government, his school Bhimdatta municipalities. Education Examination scheduled for had to revise the course covered dur- The decision came after the Ministry June, is worried. ing the earlier online classes as most of Health recommending closure of “Schools have been closed again students hadn’t grasped the course schools in 14 districts including forcing us to opt for the online class content well. Kathmandu, Bhaktapur, Lalitpur, again,” said Thakur. “I took the online “The face-to-face learning that Kaski, Rupandehi, Chitwan, Banke, classes for months [last year] but I started a few months back had given Parsa, Kailali, Morang, Dang, Surkhet, couldn’t understand the lessons as the me confidence that I would have good Bara and Baglung, where the number curriculum demanded. It is going to performance in the Secondary of cases have been surging of late. Education Examination,” he Health experts and officials have said. “Now I am doubtful.” been concerned that a growing num- On Monday the Cabinet decid- ber of children are getting infected ed to close the schools in cities this time round. While only 4 percent until May 14 and run online of the total infected were children last classes. These include schools in year this time it is in double digits and Kathmandu, Lalitpur, estimated at 14 percent. Biratnagar, Birgunj, Bharatpur But like Thakur, for hundreds of and Pokhara metropolitan cities; thousands of students online classes or Itahari, Dharan, Janakpur, classes through the radio and televi- Hetauda, Butwal, Ghorahi, sion have not been a good one as far as Tulsipur, Nepalgunj and teaching is concerned although it may Dhangadhi sub-metropolitan cit- have been done to protect their health. ies; all municipalities in >> Continued on page 2

C M Y K TUESDAY, APRIL 20, 2021 | 02 NATIONAL Gandaki Province ill-prepared for fire incidents Government Delayed response, insufficient fire engines, shortage of workers and lack of water refilling stations make disaster mitigation difficult. issues a slew of

PRAKASH BARAL Madhyanepal Municipality, says the local BAGLUNG, APRIL 19 unit doesn’t have the budget to buy a fire orders amid ... engine. >> Continued from page 1 Saraswati Harijan, owner of Srijana Sundarbazar Municipality Mayor Janak If passengers don’t have masks, the conductor or Furniture in Baglung Municipality, woke up Raj Mishra shared a similar sentiment. the driver must make one available at no more than at 2am on April 11 to find her factory alight in “We can’t take the burden of hiring a Rs 10 per piece. Public transport must have sanitisers flames. In no time was she out of bed and driver and technicians for the fire engine,” as well. All means of public transport must be disin- outside her factory calling for help from her he said. fected every day. neighbours. Local units in Tanahun too have shown no Shops and offices too have to make masks available “My house is just next to the factory. I woke interest in purchasing fire engines, citing for customers and service seekers at a maximum up and rushed outside. The factory and the challenges in the management and operation price of Rs 10 and without masks they are not shop was engulfed in a huge inferno,” said of firefighting services. allowed entry. the 35-year-old. “We informed the police and “Most local units in the district are reluc- Hotels and restaurants can open only from 8 am to with their help tried to control the fire from tant to buy a fire engine because of the high 8 pm and must observe health safety protocols like spreading. The fire engine from Baglung costs of purchase and management of the seating at two metres distance, and not allowing Municipality arrived an hour later. It was too truck,” said Gangalal Subedi, chief adminis- entry to anyone without masks. late by then.” trative officer at Shuklagandaki. Public and private services providers should man- By the time two more fire engines from As of now, only Byas Municipality and age electronic methods to provide service as far as Beni in Myagdi and Kushma in Parbat Bandipur Rural Municipality in Tanahun practicable. Nepal Rastra Bank should facilitate the reached the scene, Harijan had lost proper- have fire engines. However, only one of the implementation of electronic payment systems at all ties worth around Rs 2.2 million. fire engines can be put to use while the other the banks and financial institutions. Forest and house fires are a common occur- lies unused for a lack of maintenance and The Cabinet has also directed the Ministry of rence in Nepal during the dry season, which management. Health and Population to come up with a plan to pre- starts from November-December and contin- Bandipur Chief Administrative Officer vent, control and treat Covid-19. ues until the onset of monsoon in June-July. Mahesh Subedi said, “The rural municipality The ministry has also been directed to make This fiscal year, with low rainfall recorded has not been able to operate the fire engine to arrangements with hospitals to allocate a specific from December to February, Nepal witnessed its full capacity since we don’t have skilled number of beds for Covid-19 care, and make agree- an unusually drought-like situation and an fire engine drivers.” ments with hospitals—private and public—as well as increase in house and forest fires in almost In Kaski district, Pokhara Metropolitan medical colleges for the treatment of those infected. all 77 districts. POST PHOTO: AGANDHAR TIWARI City has four fire engines. However, The Cabinet has fixed prices for different levels of Incidents of inferno—both house fire and Forest and house fires are common occurrences in Nepal during the dry season. Emergency Service Sub-Division Incharge treatment per day: Rs 2,000 for institutional isolation, forest fire—were high in several districts of Ramji KC said that the metropolis is not in a Rs 3,500 for hospital isolation, Rs 7,000 for treatment Gandaki Province. The municipality in its defence says its “We have not yet bought a fire engine position to operate all four fire engines at the of medium complex cases, and Rs 15,000 for complex However, despite the rise in the number of response to fire incidents has been poor because we have to invest around Rs 10 mil- same time. cases requiring ventilator support. fire incidents, all levels of governments in because there’s only one qualified driver for lion to buy and operate the vehicle,” said “It requires five people to operate one fire Hospitals will be reimbursed these amounts by the the province were found to have made inade- the fire engine. Padampani Sharma, the mayor of Phalebas engine. In case of multiple fire incidents, we government on a weekly basis. quate preparations for fire-related disasters. “We have only one post for a fire engine Municipality. “The best we can do is coordi- do not have the manpower to operate all the The Ministry of Health also has to reimburse local The local and district level administrations driver. It takes time to find him and send him nate with another local unit and pool in our fire engines at the same time,” KC said. governments of costs needed for case investigation are struggling to manage even basic firefight- to the incident site,” said Yukta Prasad resources to buy one fire engine for the use of The metropolis’ fire brigade has three fire and contact tracing and provincial governments for ing services such as rapid incident response Subedi, the planning officer at Baglung both local units.” engine drivers and 10 firefighters but only operating health desks and screening people entering and timely dispatch of fire engines. Municipality. In Myagdi district, out of the six local two staff members are on duty at a time. the country as well as for expenses for transporting Delayed response, insufficient fire engines, The District Administration Office in units, only Beni Municipality has a fire The metropolis saw a total of 128 instances the infected and institutional isolation. shortage of trained firefighters and fire Baglung admits that fire fighting efforts have engine. The fire engine at Beni Municipality of fire in the current fiscal year. Designated hospitals and laboratories must test engine drivers, and a lack of water refilling been dismal in the district. is limited to only urban centres given the Annapurna Rural Municipality Chairman and treat for Covid-19 for free as per the guidelines stations coupled with narrow and rough “It is our responsibility to contain fires and poor road conditions in rural villages. Yuvaraj Kunwar said that the local unit also and treatment protocol of the Ministry of Health. roads are making rescue operations difficult rescue victims but we have failed to do so,” “Fire engines need wide roads. We can’t cannot afford to buy a fire engine. The government has tasked the Covid-19 Crisis in most districts of Gandaki. said Shiva Kumar Karki, chief district take the engine into narrow streets and small “We do not have enough budget for a fire Management Center with the setting up of holding According to the Fire Brigade Operation officer of Baglung. “We will coordinate with dirt roads. Many places even within the engine,” he said. “Even if we bought one, we centres of 1,000-person capacity near border points Working Guidelines, it is the responsibility the local units to be better prepared for such municipality do not have wide roads. wouldn’t be able to dispatch the truck to rural with India—Gaddachauki, Gauriphanta, Jamunaha, of the respective local unit to own, maintain disasters.” Therefore, we provide services only in places parts of the local unit for a lack of wide Krishnanagar, Balahiya, Birgunj, Rani, Kakarvitta and regulate fire trucks while the District Two weeks ago, a forest fire spread into a where the truck can run,” said Narayan motorable roads.” and other border points and near the other border Police Office is responsible to take action in human settlement at Paiyu Rural Garbuja, the fire engine driver. “Most of the Rupa Rural Municipality relies on the fire points and international airport in coordination with case of fire. Municipality Ward No. 6 in Parbat, destroy- time, the truck remains unused.” fighting services of Pokhara metropolis. provincial governments. Baglung Bazaar, the district headquarters ing 20 houses and several animal sheds. In Lamjung, all eight local units have “A fire line has been drawn and water pipe- The Cabinet has directed provincial governments of Baglung, witnessed four massive fire inci- On April 12, Lil Kumari Subedi, aged 54, of prepared a disaster management plan lines have been installed in all seven wards of with 10 different tasks like operating holding centres dents in the past two months. As first Kushma Municipality Ward No. 2 lost her and formed disaster mitigation committees the rural municipality,” the local unit and isolation centres, and testing and treatment of responders, the security personnel of Nepal house to a fire caused by a short-circuit. but purchasing fire engines is not on Chairman Nawaraj Ojha said. “For now, we the infected to check the spread of the disease. Army, Nepal Police and Armed Police Force There was no fire engine to save her house. their agenda. call for firefighters from Pokhara in case of It has also directed local governments for tasks like and the local people were involved in dousing Mayor of Kushma Municipality The only municipality with a fire engine in fire incidents. But we plan to purchase our conducting antigen tests and monitoring public the fire in two places. They carried buckets Ramchandra Joshi says the office could not Lamjung is Besisahar. But the fire engine is own fire engine soon.” transport. The general public has been asked to fol- of water to the incident sites in the absence send the fire engine to Subedi’s house since used for purposes other than fighting fire. Without a fire engine, far-flung Madi and low safety protocols like staying in home quarantine of a fire engine to control the infernos. they received the information late. A hardware store in Danaiphant of the Machhapuchre rural municipalities depend until they get their test results if they have come in Of the total 10 local units in Baglung, only “Many places within the municipality do municipality caught fire on April 10. The fire on local resources to fight fire incidents. contact with the infected. Baglung Municipality has a fire engine. The not have road access which makes it difficult engine arrived at the scene some 45 minutes There are a total of 13 fire trucks in A Cabinet meeting presided by Prime Minister KP fire engine, which was purchased six years for the fire engine to reach the incident sites after the first call was made. Gandaki Province. Kaski has four fire Sharma Oli on Monday morning took these decisions ago, is unreliable for it has remained unused on time,” said Joshi. “The fire engine was driven by police per- engines, Syangja has two while Baglung, issuing a 30-point order, which is nine pages long, as and has become rusty for a lack of mainte- While Kushma Municipality has been pro- sonnel and there wasn’t enough water in the Myagdi, Parbat, Tanahun, Lamjung, Gorkha per the Infectious Disease Act 1964. nance, say local people. viding firefighting services to the local peo- tanker,” said Dolraj Bista, a local resident of and Nawalparasi (East) have one each. The Cabinet has given the authority to the chief “We call for the fire engine whenever a fire ple for the past four years, the other local Danaiphant. “We somehow managed to bring Manang and Mustang do not have a fire district officers to enforce the decision and take breaks out but more often than not they tell units in Parbat say they are not interested in the fire under control on our own.” engine, leaving the local people to deal with action as per the Infectious Disease Act 1964 against us that it is out of order,” said Bidesh Kumar purchasing a fire engine. They cite poor road According to Inspector Om Prakash Pun of fire incidents on their own. anyone not following the government directives. Shrestha of Baglung Bazaar, the furniture networks, high expense to purchase and the District Police Office in Lamjung, a police Local administrations have also been given the factory owner’s neighbour. “But even when maintain a fire engine and a lack of skilled personnel was forced to drive the fire (Agandhar Tiwari in Parbat, Ghanshyam authority to enforce additional restrictive measures the fire engine arrives, it’s only half filled. firefighters and fire engine drivers as reasons engine due to the unavailability of a fire Khadka in Myagdi, Aash Gurung in Lamjung, if the number of active cases crosses 1,000 in metro- The local people then have to run helter-skelt- for their decision to not install a fire engine engine drive r. Samjhana Rasaili in Tanahun and Pratiksha politan cities, 500 in sub-metropolitan cities and 200 er to manage water for the fire engine.” in their local units. Ramesh Kumar Pandey, the mayor of Kafle in Kaski contributed reporting) in municipalities and rural municipalities. Schools close again but there have been no preparation for virtual learning

>> Continued from page 1 achievement be affected as schools have shut in cities, but Different studies suggest that the virtual learning con- last year’s problems are still here and nothing has been ducted online and through television and radio was largely done to address them. ineffective. “All tiers of government have failed to learn from last They had pointed out different reasons for the ineffective- year. No concrete measures have been taken to better the ness: lack of student’s access to the virtual learning plat- situation of virtual or alternative learning,” Binay Kusiyait, form, the inability of the teachers to deliver properly a professor at the Tribhuvan University who has conducted through those platforms and lack of interaction, mainly several researches on the school education, told the Post. through the television and radio. While the federal government limited its role to just pro- A study by the National Campaign for Education, an ducing the contents for virtual learning platforms, the local umbrella body of over 300 organisations working in the and provincial government mostly did nothing other than education sector, published in December last year showed airing the contents, according to experts. virtual learning was ineffective for 64.3 percent of students “The government’s focus has been on non-interactive surveyed. The survey carried out among the students, means as they are more accessible,” Basudev Kafle, a profes- guardians and teachers from different districts in the seven sor at the Tribhuvan University who was a member of the provinces suggested that virtual learning didn’t yield satis- High Level National Education Commission that the pres- factory results. ent government had formed in August 2018, told the Post. While students in cities may have the luxury of online POST PHOTO: ELITE JOSHI “However, the student’s learning achievement is poor classes, in rural Nepal teaching learning had taken place Education experts are worried that learning achievements might be affected with schools shut in cities across the country. through the non-interactive medium.” through the radio. Teachers agree that interactive learning is more effective Jit Bahadur Raskoti Magar, an eighth grader from have heard about the closure of the schools again but hav- After an assessment that the students couldn’t get to but its spread across the country is not even as most stu- Deependra Hom Jun Secondary School in Gadhawa Rural en’t heard anything from our teachers.” study properly through the virtual learning platforms, the dents lack access to the broadband internet. Efficacy of Municipality Dang said he only has access to the radio for A survey report by UNICEF Nepal in August found that government pushed the ongoing academic session till June, distance learning will not improve even with another lock- the virtual learning but it was boring. more than two-thirds of schoolchildren in Nepal are which otherwise ends in April, despite reducing the curric- down unless the government comes up with a strong plan to He said he seldom ‘attended’ classes conducted via radio deprived of distance learning opportunities. The Child and ulum load by 30 percent. While the face-to-face learning in equip schools and the students with digital technology. last year because he couldn’t grasp much. Family Tracker Survey, carried out among 7,500 households most of the schools commenced from September, some local “We could have done a lot in one year but we wasted it,” “I had learnt nothing until my school started classes in also show that the poorer the household the less likely it is governments had resumed it as early as July. Baburam Thapa, chairperson of Nepal Teachers’ Federation our physical presence,” he told the Post over the phone. “I that children have access to or use distance learning. Education experts are worried that not only will learning told the Post. “We have urged the government to allocate adequate budget and come up with necessary policies to increase access to the online study in the upcoming budget.” With no end to the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic in sight and the present surge in cases in the country evidence that a lull even in future could only be a sign of the virus hitting back more ferociously, investment in technology is the only long term solution. “One after another wave of the coronavirus has shown digital learning is the future and therefore, all tiers of gov- ernment should give due focus to it,” said Kafle. “I have found teachers’ adaptability to online teaching has increased with last year’s experience. However, that is meaningless unless students have access to the internet-based learning platform.” Government officials, however, claim that they are in a better position to impart virtual learning compared to last year. “We have learnt from last year’s experience. So we are better prepared this time,” Keshav Dahal, spokesperson at Centre for Education and Human Resource Development, the government body to oversee the school education, told the Post. “We have proposed an adequate allocation of the budget for virtual learning in the new budget.” But for students from rural areas like Magar it will be some time before the budget is approved, and his studies may be virtual. In the immediate future if his school closes he doesn’t think he will ‘attend’ classes held through the radio. “The teaching might start through FM radio now,” he said. “However, I find study from the radio boring. I don’t think I will study from the radio.” Experts on the other hand say that a consistent long-term policy is required rather than a reactive one. “Our system runs on ad-hocism which never yields good results,” said Kusiyait.

C M Y K 03 | TUESDAY, APRIL 20, 2021 NATIONAL

BRIEFING Office building remains unused in lack of access road MYAGDI: Although the construction of a building of the survey office at Beni, the district headquarters of Myagdi district, was completed five months ago, the building has remained unused in lack of an access road. Tulasi Paudel, chief at the office, said, “The survey office has been paying Rs 40,000 in monthly rent for its existing office. The build- ing is ready for use but we cannot move there due to a lack of an access road. We are planning to construct a road soon and move to the new building.”

Seized sal timber decaying at forest offices RAUTAHAT: Around 6,000 cubic feet of sal timber seized from various parts of Rautahat district during the last one decade have started to decay at the forest offices. According to the Division Forest Office in Rautahat, illegal timber seized from various parts of the district have been kept at the forest offices for a long time. Ram Prasad Sah, assistant division forest officer, said, “We can- not sell or do anything with the tim- ber until the related court cases are finalised. Forest offices are trying their best to auction off POST PHOTO: BEEJU MAHARJAN the timber.” People cross a makeshift bamboo bridge over the Manohara River at Balkumari, Lalitpur on Monday. Poorly performing local Overflowing sewer, dug-up road greet governments may see patients at some of Capital’s big hospitals ANUP OJHA be solved permanently as it is very sensitive. However, the local shop owners say the KATHMANDU, APRIL 19 Local, federal and central governments road section is the most vulnerable, and that should work together to solve this problem,” gets dug time and again under various pre- federal grant slashed On Friday Bishnu Khanal, 46, took his moth- said Dahal. texts and left in a sorry state. er-in-law Narayani Nainawasti, 86, for her eye Meanwhile, the road that leads to Prasuti Urban planners say that hospital areas are surgery to the TU Teaching Hospital, Griha from Thapathali Chowk has been dug sensitive zones, therefore the local govern- The Ministry of Federal Affairs and General Administration has introduced Maharajgunj, but when he stopped the taxi in for over a month, and has been left full of dirt. ments and the hospital administration them- front of the BP Koirala Lions Center for Samjhana Dhungana, whom the Post met at selves should be extra cautious. a working procedure to evaluate performance of local governments. Ophthalmic Studies, he was shocked to see the maternity hospital’s gate who was dis- “If there is a drainage issue inside the hos- the overflowing sewage at its gates. charging her niece who gave birth on pital premises, the hospital administration PRITHVI MAN SHRESTHA Financial Comptroller General Office. “It’s stinking sewage, and I had to be very Saturday, said she was shocked to see the should look into the problem, and in case of KATHMANDU, APRIL 19 The indicators related to process management careful in crossing the leaked sewage as she bumpy road section and the trouble faced by Thapathali and Bir Hospital, it’s the local have got the weight of 53 percent while indica- could barely see what was there,” said the pregnant women visiting the hospital. body that should work on it without any Federal grants to the local governments could be tors related to result will have weight of 13 per- Khanal. “Last week when we brought my niece dur- delay,” said Thapa. reduced for performing poorly as the federal gov- cent and the indicators related to financial disci- Like Khanal, hundreds of patients, dozens ing night-time for child delivery, it was rain- After the local election in 2017, it’s the local ernment is introducing rules and measures to pline will have weight of 34 percent. of doctors and hospital staff are compelled to ing and the road was bumpy and was slippery government’s responsibility to look after the evaluate fiduciary risks at the local level. The local governments scoring lower than 40 put up with the foul smell and need to be extra at the same time, and now it’s sunny and it’s city’s infrastructure and its maintenance, but Amid reports of increased irregularities at the will be judged very poor in maintaining good careful while walking on the road. Not only too dusty. Imagine its impact on pregnant the Kathmandu Metropolitan City has been local level, the Ministry of Federal Affairs and governance, those scoring 41-80 percent will be for eye patients, the leaked sewage has women and the newborn,” said Dhungana, 30, saying that it’s the Kathmandu Upatyaka General Administration came up with a ‘Working categorised as medium level and those scoring troubled those who need to visit the who came from Kapan. Khanepani Limited’s Department of Water Procedure on Evaluation of Risk to Financial over 81 percent will be judged good in ensuring emergency ward. Apart from the bumpy and dusty road, Supply and Sewerage which should look into Discipline at Local Level’ aiming at evaluating good governance, according to the working “People go to the hospital for treatment but leaking sewage in front of the Norvic Hospital the issue and there is a blame game going on. governance of the local governments. procedure. the foul smell and this mismanagement is a perennial problem and though Norvic is “For the problem at Thapathali it’s KMC’s “The result of the evaluation will be consid- Some of the key indicators include: whether makes normal people irritated. This is so taken as a hospital for VVIP people, its entry responsibility, but for the Bir Hospital KUKL ered as an indicator of how good the local gov- the local government presented budget on time embarrassing to see the stinking sewage on gate stinks of the sewage and the road has is responsible, but the KMC has been volun- ernments are in financial governance,” the and got it endorsed; whether the list of projects the premises of such a big and reputed hospi- working procedure states. “The results of evalu- to be implemented were prepared after tal,” said Khanal who came from Dhobhichaur. ation could be the basis for providing financial ensuring resources; and whether the develop- It’s not only Khanal, Babulal Lama, 50, who grants to the local governments concerned.” ment plan were prepared based on land use poli- has been running canteen on the premises of As per the working procedure, District cy, transportation master plan, environment the eye hospital for the past seven years said Coordination Committees will be responsible for plan, local infrastructure development master the leakage of drain has been taking place for conducting evaluation of the local governments. plan and local economic and social development the past four years and the hospital adminis- The status of governance will be evaluated based plans. tration has done nothing to resolve the on 100 indicators which are related to govern- Likewise, the evaluators will observe whether problem. ance related risks in the areas of process man- the concerned local government has taken fiscal Urban planners say that the drainage and agement, results and fiscal discipline. discipline measures such as collecting revenue garbage problem on the hospital premises “We have informally discussed with the and spending budget based on financial act and should be managed by the hospital itself. National Natural Resources and Fiscal the budgetary provisions and whether fiscal “The hospital should be more sensitive about Commission about tying up the grant with equalisation grant has been used for meeting the issue,” said Kishor Thapa, a former gov- results of the evaluation report,” said Gopi administrative expenditure. ernment secretary and an urban planning Krishna Khanal, joint secretary at the Ministry Likewise, the evaluators will also see whether expert. of Federal Affairs. “The commission will take the budget allocated for capital expenditure has “Because of the foul smell, people hardly the final decision in this regard.” been transferred to recurrent expenditure. come to my canteen. Even doctors and staff He added that the ministry has not made any They will also study whether a local govern- are facing this problem but nobody bothers to concrete recommendation about how to increase ment has been able to fund its administrative repair the system,” said Lama. or decrease the funding based on the evaluation expenditure from its own resources, whether a When the Post contacted Kamal Ghimire, of the performance in governance. meeting of the local executive body has been administration chief of the Ophthalmic The federal government introduced the work- held at least once a month and whether public Studies, he acknowledged the problem and ing procedure at a time when the Commission procurement law and rules have been properly said the problem is beyond the hospital’s for the Investigation of Abuse of Authority has followed. capacity to solve. “We all are suffering, we are been receiving an increasing number of com- Likewise, whether any local body has provided trying our best to solve this issue but we have plaints about irregularities at the local level. financial assistance to political parties and their failed about it,” said Ghimire. According to the anti-graft body’s annual sister organisations and whether there has been He blamed the Bhat-Bhateni Superstore, report for 2019-20, complaints related to the internal and external audit in time are other which has been constructing an annex at the Ministry of Federal Affairs, which is the contact bases of evaluation. hospital, for the sewage overflow. ministry for local governments, were the highest Other issues to be overseen during the evalua- “Bhatbhatani has been constructing an emer- (30.07 percent) followed by the Ministry of tion are whether a local government unit has gency building for TU Teaching Hospital, but Education (16.36 percent) and the Ministry of spent over 80 percent of the capital budget, it didn’t consider the management of drain- POST PHOTO: ANUP OJHA Land Administration (8.29 percent). whether the local government has spent condi- age, until Bhatbhatani opens it, the problem Urban planners say hospitals themselves should manage drainage and garbage problems on their premises. Most complaints related to the Ministry of tional grant on specified sectors and whether the won’t be solved,” said Ghimire. Federal Affairs are about local governments, consumer committees receiving any contract, When the Post contacted Min Bahadur been left bumpy for over a month. tarily helping to resolve the problem at according to the commission. have sub-contracted their work. Gurung, the chairman and managing direc- Krishna Prasad Pandey, 40, who has been Thapathali,” said Ram Thapa, Chief of This is also evident from the fact that in 2013- Whether elected representatives received tor of Bhat-Bhateni Group to inquire about running Palpali Bhojanalaya for the past Physical Infrastructure Department at 14, when the elected local governments had not perks and benefits based on the provincial law, the problem, he said the accusation is base- 14-years in the area said his business has the city. been formed, only 14.6 percent of the total com- whether elected representatives submitted the less. “As per our charity efforts, we are con- gone down due to the dusty road. “People Meanwhile, Milan Kumar Shakya, acting plaints filed at the CIAA were related to the erst- details of their property and that of the family structing a building for the hospital and have refuse to come here to eat because of the dust, manager at KUKL says it has already installed while Ministry of Local Development, which is members to relevant offices on time and whether allocated Rs 150 million for the work, do you also we can’t live without masks, more than a bypass drain line. “The logged water might now known as the Ministry of Federal Affairs a fully electronic bidding process has been imple- think we do not consider the drainage sys- of the coronavirus, we are fed up with the have leaked from the drinking water pipe. I and General Administration. mented for awarding contracts will also be tem?” said Gurung. “That is why there is no dust,” said Pandey. will send our official to inspect the area,” said The anti-graft body’s data show that com- evaluated. working condition in Nepal,” Gurung added. “If the road that leads to the country’s two Shakya. “Last time we solved the problem plaints about irregularities at the local level Khanal said the District Coordination This is not only the case of the TU Teaching finest hospitals seated in juxtaposition has because the whole blame was put on us were highest in 2018/19 when 26.87 percent of the Committees, whose role has been largely invisi- Hospital, the sewage problem has been a per- not been maintained for over a month, you though the city office is equally responsible complaints were related to the Ministry of ble under the federal set-up, would evaluate the ennial problem for Bir Hospital, the country’s can imagine other places,” said Pandey. He for it, we are committed to addressing this Federal Affairs. And in 2017/18, the ministry’s performance of the local governments and would oldest hospital. With multiple complaints said he is fed up with cleaning his eatery problem.” share in such complaints was 18.2 percent, submit it to concerned local government, the from the general public, doctors and staff every morning with water as a pile of mud There has been a lot of commitment from according to the commission. provincial government and the federal affairs from the Trauma Center and Bir Hospital, the gets inside with the little customer who the officials in the bureaucracy towards solv- A survey report titled ‘Study on Corruption at ministry in the centre. Kathmandu Metropolitan City and comes. ing the issue. Before being elected as the city’s the Local Level,’ unveiled by the anti-graft body “At a time when the District Coordination Kathmandu Upatyaka Khanepani Limited When the Post contacted ward-11 chairper- new mayor in May 2017, Bidya Sundar Shakya in January last year, showed that more than 50 Committees are complaining that they have not had said they had sorted out the problem a son Hiralal Tandukar under whose jurisdic- in his election manifesto had pleaded to solve percent of the survey respondents said that cor- been given any work responsibilities, it will be a few months ago. tion the construction work has been taking Kathmandu’s drainage problem as his first ruption at the local level either remained as it huge responsibility for them,” said Khanal. “But when it rains, the roads in front of the place at Thapathali, to inquire about the priority, but the problem is intact even after was in the past or is thriving. But the local government officials are of the Bir Hospital and Trauma Centre get water- treacherous road condition, he admitted of three years. However, Khanal claimed that the working view that even though the move taken by the logged with drain water,” said Nanda Lal Sah, being late. “It’s because we need to be very Another urban planner Suman Mehar procedure was not designed with perceived federal government was good, the involvement 40, who runs a juice shop below the overhead conscious while digging the area as there are Shrestha says such a tendency among govern- issues of corruption at the local level. “In fact, of the federal government in preparing the work- bridge that links the Khula Manch and the underground telephone cables, Melamchi ment officials shows how weak our bureau- the working procedure was introduced to identi- ing procedure was not a good idea. Bir Hospital. When the Post reached the area water pipe lines and electricity lines, this cracy is at the implementation level. fy the shortcomings at the local level and how the “As per the constitution, the District on Sunday, still the western side of the road, area is very complicated,” said Tandukar. “Everyone knows that hospitals are sensi- centre could help bridge the gap to ensure good Coordination Committee has the jurisdiction of that is linked with Bir Hospital and Trauma He said a total of Rs 30 million has been tive locations, doctors keep on lecturing about governance,” said Khanal. evaluating the performance of the local govern- Centre’s footpath and up to New Road Gate, allocated for repairing the inner road from personal hygiene but looking at the hospitals “Governance at the local level might have been ments,” said Ashok Byanju Shrestha, president one could see the sewage with foul smell on Thapathali to Babarmahal, and for overall and the mismanagement of their surround- affected not only due to irregularities or corrup- of the Municipal Association of Nepal, a group- the roadside. management work such as laying the drain- ings and the infrastructure shows how back- tion but also due to the lack of human resources, ing of municipalities. “Instead of empowering “Now summer has come. It will be really age pipe and maintaining and widening the ward we are in practical approach,” said expertise and other resources. Our intention is them to prepare working procedures and moni- difficult to breathe here if this sewage prob- footpaths. Shrestha. to unearth the issues and to correct undesired toring the performance of the local govern- lem is not addressed properly,” Shah said. “There is a separate committee formed that “If the problem of hospital’s drain or practices affecting good governance.” ments, the federal government is getting involved When the Post contacted Dr Peeyush Dahal, includes the traffic police, and officials from hygiene is not addressed on time, this may He said that the indicators were determined in all these tasks does not send a good message dean at the National academy of Medical Norvic Hospital and Prasuti Griha to coordi- someday cause another pandemic; this is a based on the recommendation of the anti-corrup- with regard to the implementation of federalism Sciences, at Bir Hospital he said this problem nate the work. We will complete this work as serious issue and it should be addressed with- tion agency, Office of Auditor General and in the country.” was a genuine concern. “This problem should soon as possible,’ said Tandukar. out delay,” said Shrestha.

C M Y K TUESDAY, APRIL 20, 2021 | 04 OPINION EDITORIAL Building institutions When lightning strikes Technology and research is crucial to enabling an early warning system that can save lives.

Lightning kills more people than floods and landslides in Nepal, but lack of preparedness and precaution, disaster experts say, continues to kill and injure hundreds of people besides electro- cuting livestock and incurring damage to property worth mil- lions every year. According to meteorologists, thunderbolts are also turning deadlier every year with the increased intensity of storms. For such a major disaster that kills hundreds and despite readily available technology to provide real-time data on cloud movements and other atmospheric activities, lightning doesn’t receive the attention it should. Between 1971 and 2019, some 1,927 people were killed, and 20,569 others were affected due to lightning strikes, according to a recent study which looked into lightning incidents, fatality rates and economic loss. The latest analysis revealed that the overall countrywide lightning fatality rate for the period was 1.77 per million per year. That’s two deaths in every million people attributed to lightning, with the fatality rates highest in Dolakha followed by Okhaldhunga, Ramechhap, Nuwakot and Makwanpur. Previously available data also shows that the Chure and Mahabharat hill ranges are highly vulnerable, and districts like Makwanpur, Rukum (West), Dang, Udayapur and Ilam are major hotspots that report the highest number of thun- der strikes and fatalities. Lightning incidents usually occur during the pre-monsoon period, and they do not draw the same attention as do floods and SHUTTERSTOCK landslides with their scale of damage and mass casualties. ble from all the job vacancies posted need to reform these religious institu- and perhaps their operations also pro- The focus on the publicly. Many times, I have been asked tions. The United States has trans- mote the culture of organisation build- However, if we crunch the numbers, we will find that lightning to sign off as an individual consultant; formed in the past two centuries based ing rather than the easy way out of is the second deadliest catastrophe in the country after the individual must be that apparently would make procure- on the concept of institutions. So, working with individuals. Gorkha earthquakes, killing some 9,000 people. The latest data replaced by a culture of ment processes easier. We also hear Apple exists after the death of Steve We have seen the weak corporate with the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management about organisations who bill their peo- Jobs and Microsoft survives even after culture in Nepal making business lead- Authority shows that at least 70 people and 717 head of cattle ple individually, ask them to collect the Bill Gates stepped down. ers reluctant to open up the Nepali institution-building. money individually and give it to the economy for international firms, as were killed in 247 lightning incidents last year, and property promoter of the organisation. Corporates should show the way they will have to compete with corpo- damage due to lightning is estimated at Rs7.2 million. We hear of many great individuals My wife and I both grew up in the cor- rates with deep global institutional There are three things the government must immediately SUJEEV SHAKYA in many fields. But what of the organi- porate culture at the offices of the knowledge and competencies. Even in pursue parallelly to increase our level of preparedness and pre- sations these individuals have built? Soaltee Hotel, where the late Prabhakar large business organisations, it is diffi- THE OTHER How have they ensured that the knowl- Rana was leading the first corporatisa- cult to name one or two exemplary vent tragedies and damage. There are only nine lightning detec- VIEW edge repository is institutionalised? In tion effort in Nepal. We learnt the con- professionals in their management tion network sensors at different airports of the country, and a country of 40,000 NGOs, why is it that cept of corporation ownership being team. This has been reflected in many only one weather radar in Surkhet, which are not fully function- we cannot even name ten that have different from the management. We private sector institutions in Nepal. al. Lightning detection stations and weather radars provide been exemplary institutions? Dr Bhekh learnt how corporation management I have pointed out how it is impor- real-time data, which would be crucial to enabling an early Bahadur Thapa decades ago managed comprises of many individuals, where tant to build a strong secretariat like A couple of years ago, an international to secure endowment money for the no single one is indispensable and suc- the Chambers and Private Sector warning system that can save lives. The government must not agency awarded our institution a con- Institute for Integrated Development cession planning is key. Three decades Federations in many countries and delay installing the two more weather radars as planned and tract, but they insisted that the con- Studies (IIDS). That has ensured the later, we are grappling to teach others even offered to volunteer to handle must assess hotspot data to identify if more sensors are neces- tracts and payments will be done to institution builds on the endowment these simple issues. such reforms. But anything that is to do sary. It must do this sooner and utilise the existing technology individual consultants and not the and institutionalises it. Currently, For clients, we need to continually with institutionalisation, there contin- institution itself. We did not agree and Swarnim Wagle is trying to continue to tell them how it is important to hire a ues to be tremendous reluctance. When at the optimum level so that meteorologists can provide life-sav- we decided to forgo that contract. They build IIDS. company rather than an individual. I was working on reform of the Non- ing data to the public. Investment in research and technology were perplexed and rather insisted we There are many lessons to learn Deliverables in a company can be han- Resident Nepalese Association will go a long way for the country as extreme weather events should change our ways. We responded from global institutions that have built dled by a succeeding employee, but (NRNA), I had some hope of recalibra- become the new normal. that if international agencies in Nepal endowments for sustainability and car- such deliverables come to a halt if an tion, but was proven wrong; building Second, the Nepal National Building Code requires installing are propagating this, it is no wonder ried on for centuries. Harvard individual contractor is sidelined by an strong secretariats is what people do that there are few institutions being University has existed for four hundred emergency. We insist on having not want, as the focus moves from the earthing systems or lightning protection devices in private and built in Nepal. years, and the or University of non-poaching clauses in our contracts, individual to the institution. public buildings. Ward offices could strictly implement this In Nepal, besides banks and a few Heidelberg for more than six hundred. since we find that some clients find it The politics in Nepal is a result of provision if they make it mandatory before issuing a building international agencies, every sector is Even in Nepal, at the Hiranyavarna easier to poach one of the team mem- the lack of institutional accountability. permit and certificate of completion. Third, the government run through individuals, not institu- Mahavihara in Patan, the institutional bers than hire the company. In a coun- If the greater politics is to change, the tions. In the development sector, the management of the temple has been try where such basic corporate culture focus will have to shift to building insti- must communicate effectively to ensure that the public adheres practice is even more common where passed down from generation to gener- has not seeped in, we jumped to the tutions and people leading institutions to the building code and knows what to do when lightning the design is to promote a culture of ation for more than nine centuries. In concept of Corporate Social have to sacrifice their greed of wanting strikes. Like the earthquake drill, the 30-30 rule of lightning, individual consultants rather than con- contrast, so many Buddhist vihara Responsibility (CSR) to better use avail- to be the centrepiece at the cost of the which recommends that one head indoors and stay put for the sultant organisations. The procure- institutions established by monks in able funds when donors have allotted it. organisation. I am always open to next 30 minutes after the last clap of thunder, can help save ment processes are designed to pro- the 20th century have already Hopefully, we will find some develop- working with those that have the drive mote the hiring of individuals rather disintegrated. ment partners interested in pushing to strengthen their institutions for the many lives. than organisations. These are so visi- Just a year ago, I wrote about the this corporatisation culture in Nepal long run.

Britain’s benefit madness

unemployment, sickness, and mater- he is forced to attend a CV workshop The UK’s income-support nity. and be coached to apply for jobs that By the 1960s, the interruptions had he is medically unfit to do. scheme reflects a welfare become much more frequent, not Blake, who is digitally illiterate, because unemployment had risen, but goes to a public library to use the com- ideology that fails to distin- because the number of claims for puter there. When the librarian tells so-called national assistance (benefits him to ‘run the mouse up the screen,’ guish fantasy from reality. not covered by insurance) rose faster he takes the mouse and moves it than the working-age population. The across the monitor. initial growth stemmed largely from He then writes a CV by hand and ROBERT SKIDELSKY an increase in the number of single gives it to various employers, who tell mothers and an additional entitle- him that there is no work to be had. ment to disability benefits. Later But the officials at the Jobseeker’s increases in the number of claimants, Allowance office are unimpressed. including in the early 1980s, were fue- ‘That’s not good enough, Mr Blake— led by a rise in unemployment and how do I know you’ve actually been in precarious work. contact with all these employers?’ says The current situation, with about 20 one. ‘Prove it.’ This is pure Kafka, the Mahatma Gandhi probably never said, percent of the working-age population algorithmic grinding of a senseless ‘The greatness of a nation can be ‘living on the state,’ has existed since machine. judged by how it treats its weakest the 1990s. The growing numbers inevi- There is of course a method in the member.’ But that doesn’t make it any tably resulted in the spread of madness: Universal Credit can be seen less true. And nowadays, the United means-testing and conditionality, as a deliberate tool to shape a current- Kingdom is in danger of receiving a which, together with demands to sim- ly redundant segment of the work- failing grade. plify an increasingly fragmented sys- force into the forms required by low- According to the Joseph Rowntree tem, led to the introduction of the skilled labour markets. But the dis- Foundation, 14.5 million people, or 22 current Universal Credit regime, ease is misdiagnosed: the problem is percent of the UK’s population of 65 whose long rollout began back in 2011. aggregate under-demand for labour, million, live below the ‘poverty line’ The new scheme consolidated six ben- not a surplus supply of the wrong (defined as less than 60 percent of efits for working-age people, in or out kind of labour. median income). Of a working-age of work, into a single monthly pay- The only escape from such a system population of 42 million, some 5-6 mil- ment. is to replace fantasy with reality. If the lion, or about 12 percent, are either But the key move had come earlier, UK’s private sector cannot in normal unemployed or underemployed (work- in 1995, when the UK’s then-Conserva- times provide decently paid jobs for all ing less than they want to). About tive government replaced the unem- those willing and able to work, the state eight million working-age citizens, or ployment benefit with a Jobseeker’s should step in with a public-sector job 20 percent of the total, qualify for Allowance. In contrast to the era of guarantee. That would immediately what the British call ‘benefit,’ where- Keynesian full-employment commit- halve the number of Universal Credit by all or part of their income is paid ments, claimants would receive the claimants ‘searching for work’ and, by by the state. allowance in return for undertaking a eliminating Marx’s ‘reserve army of These figures are approximate, and mandatory ‘job search,’ defined as the unemployed,’ substitute upward some of the details are disputed. But ‘work activity.’ Every claimant had to for downward pressure on wages. the broad picture is that, even setting prove that they were spending 35 Community-provided work, howev- aside Covid-19, the UK’s capitalist sys- hours a week—the equivalent of a full- 1000 WORDS/SHUTTERSTOCK.COM er dire, is more rewarding than a tem normally cannot provide a living time job—looking for work. Failure to credit to engage with work search as a reveal that insanity—the inability to Likewise, the UK’s benefits system soul-destroying slog from firm to firm wage for about one-fifth of the coun- engage in the necessary ‘work activi- condition of receiving universal cred- distinguish fantasy from reality—has assumes, insanely, that all claimants in search of nonexistent jobs. Work is try’s working-age population. ty’ would result in their allowance, or it,’ Couling said. ‘You have to look for taken over a system. It is true that you are digitally literate. The moving film the ultimate escape from poverty, but This represents a huge change from ‘wages,’ being docked or cut off. a job if you are going to get a job.’ have to look for a job in order to get I, Daniel Blake, about an unemployed the futile sort demanded by the UK’s the late 1940s, when Britain estab- The philosophy behind this parody As the DWP explained, ‘deliberately one. But you will not find one, even if carpenter who had recently had a benefits contract puts many of socie- lished its redoubtable welfare state. of the work contract was clearly mirroring a contract of employment, you search over time, if there are none heart attack, portrays Blake’s increas- ty’s weakest members on a path to The philosophy that inspired it, explained by Neil Couling, a senior the claimant commitment makes clear available. The fantasy behind the ingly desperate efforts to submit a nowhere. reflected in the 1942 Beveridge Report civil servant at the UK’s Department that welfare is no different from work scheme (which also underpins neo- benefits claim online. Although his held that the state would guarantee for Work and Pensions (DWP), in his itself.’ This means that ‘just as those classical economics) is the assump- cardiologist has said he is unfit for Skidelsky, a member of the British full employment, that work would pro- evidence to the House of Lords Select in work have obligations to their tion of full employment, with unem- work, the authorities say he lacks House of Lords, is Professor Emeritus vide the income for a decent life, and Committee on Economic Affairs in employer, so, too, claimants have a ployment being simply a consequence enough ‘points’ to qualify for disabili- of Political Economy at Warwick that the welfare system would deal March 2021. ‘The system does require responsibility to the taxpayer.’ of able-bodied workers’ preference for ty benefits. So, Blake has to apply for a University. with ‘interruptions’ to work caused by the 2.5 million people on universal Pronouncements like this one leisure. Jobseeker’s Allowance, which means — Project Syndicate

C M Y K 05 | TUESDAY, APRIL 20, 2021 MONEY India may build Import controls go as foreign exchange reserves swell new coal plants due Experts say that Nepal should increase earnings from other sources and not depend too much on remittance. to low cost despite PRITHVI MAN SHRESTHA said Nara Bahadur Thapa, former KATHMANDU, APRIL 19 executive director of the central bank. “At a time when economic activities climate change The government and the central bank are slowing and the economy has have progressively removed controls contracted, allowing utilisation of for- REUTERS on foreign exchange spending with eign exchange is a good idea. It helps NEW DELHI, APRIL 19 currency reserves rising to comforta- create jobs and helps the growth of ble levels. the economy.” India may build new coal-fired power Experts say that tossing out import According to experts, it is a sensible plants as they generate the cheapest restrictions is the right thing to do idea for the government to seek to power, according to a draft electricity now, but authorities should keep an raise more revenue from the import of policy document seen by Reuters, eye out for possible disruptions to previously restricted goods, given the despite growing calls from environ- remittance inflows due to Covid-19, increasing resources needed. mentalists to deter use of coal. what with tourism knocked out and “Obviously, some traders have start- Coal’s contribution to electricity export incomes reduced to a trickle. ed to benefit from the removal of the generation in India fell for the second Foreign aid and foreign direct ban on the import of betel nuts, peas, straight year in 2020, marking a depar- investment are the two other major peppercorns and dates dried,” said ture from decades of growth in coal- sources of foreign exchange. While senior economist Keshav Acharya. “A fired power. Still, the fuel accounts for foreign aid to Nepal has been on the majority of the imported goods are nearly three-fourths of India’s annual rise, foreign direct investment has re-exported to India which has been power output. remained at a crawl. helping Nepal to earn Indian currency Environmental activists have long As a start, the cabinet on October 8 as its requirement is high, but the rallied against India adding new coal- last year lifted restrictions on the country often faces a shortage.” fired capacity. Solar and wind energy import of foreign alcohol and luxury The central bank has enlarged the prices are falling to record lows, which vehicles costing more than $50,000 for list of goods that can be imported by would help the world’s third-largest the official and personal use of for- paying US dollars. Nepal has also been greenhouse gas emitter cut emissions. eign diplomats, diplomatic organisa- purchasing Indian currency by selling US Special Presidential Envoy for tions and foreign officers. US dollars for a long time. Climate John Kerry this month said In March, the freedom to import Experts say that Nepal should not India was “getting the job done on cli- such fancy automobiles was extended REUTERS forget the fact that the source of for- mate, pushing the curve,” as he began to all, and the government also allowed US one hundred dollar notes are seen in this picture illustration. eign exchange earnings is limited, talks with government leaders aimed the import of betel nuts, peas, pepper- even though the recent relaxation in at cutting carbon emissions faster to corns and dried dates by imposing peas, peppercorns and dried dates. with the start of the new fiscal country’s foreign exchange reserves. foreign exchange spending may have slow global warming. quantitative limits. “Constant pressure from importers as year. As of the first eight months “Immediately, there is no risk to the cheered individuals and firms. But a 28-page February draft of the Furthermore, Nepal Rastra Bank well as potential revenue collection of the current fiscal year, remittance foreign exchange reserves even after Remittance is the biggest source of National Electricity Policy (NEP) lowered the daily import quota of gold from the import of these items are increased by 8.6 percent to the recent import relaxations on a foreign exchange earnings, and any 2021—which has not been made to 20 kg from 10 kg, and permitted other factors.” Rs642.14 billion. number of products as remittance setback in the economy of the labour public—showed India may add new commercial banks to issue dollar When the restrictive measures were Apart from comfortable foreign inflow has been growing and the level destinations could affect Nepal’s for- coal-fired capacity, though it recom- cards for the procurement of foreign applied last year, the Commerce exchange reserves that encouraged of foreign exchange reserves is very eign exchange earning capacity as the mended tighter technology standards goods and services. Ministry was not even consulted even the government to do away with good,” said Dev Kumar Dhakal, country’s export earnings are limited to reduce pollution. Authorities had placed controls on though it is responsible for proposing import controls, the Commerce spokesperson for Nepal Rastra Bank. and the recovery of the tourism sector “While India is committed to add the import of these items in April last to impose or remove such restrictions. Ministry was under pressure from He said that even though the is uncertain amid the new wave of the more capacity through non-fossil year in a bid to conserve foreign The government had placed controls different stakeholders including other new wave of coronavirus pandemic coronavirus pandemic. sources of generation, coal-based gen- exchange following concerns that on the import of these items last year government agencies to be kinder, could affect jobs in the Middle “Even though we should not worry eration capacity may still be required Nepali migrant workers might at the Finance Ministry’s behest. officials said. East and other labour destinations, about foreign exchange reserves to be added in the country as it contin- lose incomes with the pandemic Remittance inflows had shrunk in “Various stakeholders asked us why the possibility of a steep drop in because of increasing revenue, we ues to be the cheapest source of gener- potentially spreading in the labour the early months of the lockdown we were continuing to restrict the remittance is unlikely considering should also seek to increase the ation,” the NEP draft read. destinations. which started on March 24 last year. import of these items when economic last year’s experience. contribution of other sources of All future coal-based plants When the impact of the virus out- Contrary to expectations of a steep activities were going on normally,” The central bank not only lifted foreign exchange such as exports,” should only deploy so-called “ultra break on remittance was less than drop in remittance, inflows dipped by said Dahal. restrictions on the import of certain said Thapa. super critical” less polluting technolo- expected, the government started loos- a marginal 0.5 percent in the last fiscal “Even the Customs Department was products but also allowed banks to According to a recent report of the gies “or other more efficient technolo- ening the purse strings last year. As of year 2019-20. dissatisfied with the import controls issue dollar cards. World Bank, Nepal has untapped gy”, it added. the first eight months of the current Even though the popular labour as it saw import duties as a way for the “While the availability of adequate export potential worth an estimated State-run NTPC Ltd, India’s top fiscal year, the country’s foreign destinations in the Gulf Cooperation government to boost revenue when it foreign exchange is one reason behind $9.2 billion. electricity producer, said in September exchange reserves stood at $12.37 bil- Council countries and Malaysia were was facing a resource crunch.” allowing firms and individuals to The multilateral funding agency it will not acquire land for new coal- lion, sufficient to import merchandise severely impacted by the Covid-19 pan- Immediately after the government make payment through dollar cards, it said Nepal could boost its exports fired projects. Private firms and many and services for11.3 months. demic that left millions of expat work- removed the restrictions, traders was also necessary as such payments twelvefold, which represents an run by states across the country have “The main reason behind relaxing ers with no choice but to pack their thronged the Department of were taking place informally.” opportunity to create around 220,000 not invested in new coal-fired plants import controls on a number of items bags and leave, money continued to Commerce and Supply Management He said that this measure had new jobs, the report titled Development for years saying they were not eco- is the comfortable foreign exchange flow into the country. to apply for approval to import not affected foreign exchange reserves Update says. nomically viable. situation lately and revived economic In April last year, the World betel nuts, peas, peppercorns and much. “This shows that we can earn A source with direct knowledge activities,” said Prakash Dahal, joint Bank had projected remittances to go dried dates. Experts say that it is not necessary more from exports than remittance,” said a government panel of various secretary at the Ministry of Industry, down by 14 percent. The Central The massive demand prompted the for the government and central said Thapa. “We have to make power sector experts and officials will Commerce and Supply. “Why should Bureau of Statistics too had forecast a department to suspend the issuance bank to control the flow of foreign efforts to realise this potential. If we discuss the draft and could make we restrict the import of these items reduction of Rs163 billion, or more of import quotas to traders. exchange as long as the country has make an effort, we can boost exports changes before seeking cabinet without any reason?” than 18 percent. Central bank officials believe that sufficient reserves. to a certain level in the short run approval. India’s power ministry did The ministry had proposed to relax Experts were pleasantly surprised the relaxation of import restrictions “Having a large amount of foreign and realise the full potential in the not immediately respond to a request imports of luxury vehicles, betel nuts, to see remittance starting to swell on these items will not strain the exchange is unutilised resources,” long run.” for comment on Sunday.

FOREX Australia-New Zealand travel Chip shortage casts shadow over US Dollar 120.11 Euro 144.67 China’s auto industry recovery Pound Sterling 167.20 bubble opens with joy, tears Japanese Yen 11.11 REUTERS week to week, or even industry was hit hard by Chinese Yuan 18.46 ASSOCIATED PRESS SHANGHAI, APRIL 19 month to month because of the pandemic. WELLINGTON, APRIL 19 the chip shortage. But China is also where Qatari Riyal 32.98 A global shortage of semi- “It’s really like fire-fight- news of the chip shortage Australian Dollar 93.43 As the passengers walked a little dazed through the conductors is hitting autos ing ... In some cases, we first emerged last year. The airport gates, they were embraced one after another by production in China, jeop- have switched to another problem was worsened by a Malaysian Ringit 29.13 family members who rushed forward and dissolved ardising hopes the world’s chip so we changed suppli- fire in Renesas Electronics’ into tears. biggest car market might ers,” he said, ahead of the chip factory in Japan in Saudi Arab Riyal 32.03 Elation and relief marked the opening of a long-an- spearhead a recovery in the Shanghai auto show which March. In 2019, automotive Exchange rates fixed by Nepal Rastra Bank ticipated travel bubble between Australia and New sector, industry executives opens on Monday. groups accounted for Zealand at the Wellington Airport on Monday. Children warn. “It is like a perfect roughly a tenth of the held balloons and banners and Indigenous Maori per- Automakers around the storm,” BMW’s China chief $429 billion semiconductor Shares formers welcomed the arrivals home with songs. world have had to adjust Jochen Goller said at market, according to The start of quarantine-free travel was a long time assembly lines due to the Shanghai show, adding the McKinsey, with NXP Nepse 2,661.93pts -1.39% coming for families who have been separated by the shortages, caused by manu- shortage had put pressure Semiconductor, Germany’s coronavirus pandemic as well as to struggling tourist facturing delays that some on BMW’s purchasing. Infineon and Renesas. HIGHEST LOSERS operators. It marked the first, tentative steps toward semiconductor makers However, he said BMW had CGH SAPDBL IGI RHPC SBL BFC -9.51% -5.5% -3.95% -3.52% -3.37% -3.23% what both countries hope will become a gradual reo- blame on a faster-than not lost production due to pening to the rest of the world. expected recovery from the the issue, as it made early kf;kf]6{ x/fPsf] ;"rgf MODERATE LOSERS Danny Mather was overcome to see his pregnant coronavirus pandemic. orders of chips. KSBBL SMB STC SINDU HBL KBL ldlt @)&&.!!.!) ut] -3.21% -3.14% -3.11% -3.02% -3.01% -2.99% daughter Kristy and his baby grandson for the first Volkswagen AG, China’s William Li, chief execu- gf/fo0fu9af6 lzjgu/ hfFFb} time in 15 months after they flew in from Sydney for a AP/RSS biggest foreign automaker tive of Nio Inc, told Reuters MODERATE GAINERS ubf{ d]/f] lgDg ljj/0f ePsf] GDB80/81 UPPER NHDL PFL KMCDB MFIL visit on the first flight after the bubble opened. What Passengers arriving from Sydney at the Wellington which hopes to sell over on Monday he expected a 2% 2.1% 2.29% 2.3% 3.05% 3.06% did they say to each other? International Airport hug loved ones in New Zealand. four million vehicles in the “relatively big impact” kf;kf]6{ x/fPsf] x'Fbf kfpg] HIGHEST GAINERS “Not a thing,” he said, laughing. They just hugged. country, said the situation from the chip shortage on dxfg'efjn] glhssf] k|x/L GUFL LEC HIDCL NRN MLBSL JLI “It’s just so good to see her and I’m just so happy to “The bubble marks a significant step in both had not improved in the its electric vehicle produc- sfof{no jf lgDg 7]ufgfdf va/ 3.64% 3.87% 4.81% 5% 9.94% 9.98% have her back.” countries’ reconnection with the world and it’s second quarter. tion in the second quarter. ul/lbg' xf]nf . Kristy Mather said it was overwhelming to be reu- one we should all take a moment to be very proud of,” The German group’s China, where over 25 mil- nited with her family and it was amazing the bubble she said. China chief, Stephan lion vehicles were sold last Name: Birendra Binod Dhakal had opened. Travellers who lined up at Sydney and Melbourne Woellenstein, told report- year, has been a ray of hope Add.: Shivanagar-09, Chitwan PRICE PER TOLA “I wished it had happened earlier, but it’s happened airports early Monday said they were excited or ers on Sunday it was hard for automakers, including BULLION now,” she said. “I just wanted to get on that first flight relieved to finally fly to New Zealand after more than a to gauge how much produc- Volkswagen and General P.P. No.: 08167096 because you never know, it may go south. Let’s hope it year. Some were visiting family and friends, while tion Volkswagen might lose Motors, after the global Mobile No.: 9801564171 Fine Gold Rs 91,000 sticks around.” others were attending funerals. Danny Mather said he wanted to keep New Zealand Both countries have managed to keep out the Silver Rs 1,300 safe from the virus but also thought the time was right virus by putting up barriers to the outside world, to open the bubble. including strict quarantine requirements for SOURCE: FENEGOSIDA The idea of a travel bubble between Australia and travellers returning from other countries where the New Zealand had been talked about for months but virus is rampant. faced setbacks because of several small virus out- “They did very well with the precautions and breaks in both countries, which were eventually everything, better than the entire world. Everywhere GASOLINE WATCH stamped out. else cannot go anywhere safely,” said Ameera Elmasry, To mark the occasion, Wellington Airport painted who was at the Wellington airport to greet her son an enormous welcome sign near its main runway and Shady Osman, a doctor who she hadn’t seen in 16 Air New Zealand ordered some 24,000 bottles of spar- months. “It’s very good what’s happened now.” kling wine, offering a complimentary glass to adult passengers. Air New Zealand’s Chief Operating Officer Carrie Hurihanganui said the carrier had previ- ously been running just two or three flights a day between the two countries but that jumped to 30 flights on Monday carrying 5,200 passengers. She said the day marked a turning point and people were excited. “You can feel it at the airport and see it on peo- ple’s faces,” she said. The leaders of both countries welcomed the bubble, saying it was a world-leading arrangement because it aimed to both open borders and keep the virus from spreading. “Today’s milestone is a win-win for Australians and New Zealanders, boosting our economies while keeping our people safe,” Australian Prime Scott Morrison said. New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said her country was welcoming the new arrivals.

C M Y K TUESDAY, APRIL 20, 2021 | 06 WORLD

BRIEFING EU sanctions 10 India’s capital to lock down amid Myanmar junta Rwandan report says France ‘bears significant responsibility’ officials, two firms over genocide devastating virus surge KIGALI: France “bears significant AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE responsibility” for enabling the geno- Ambulances catapulted from one hospital to another, trying to find an empty bed over the weekend. BRUSSELS, APRIL 19 cide in Rwanda and still refuses to acknowledge its true role in the 1994 The EU on Monday imposed sanctions horror, said a report commissioned ASSOCIATED PRESS for decades and a failure to prepare for on 10 Myanmar junta officials and by Kigali that was released on NEW DELHI, APRIL 19 the current surge has left hospitals two conglomerates linked to the Monday. “It is our conclusion that the buckling under the pressure of mount- military over the coup and bloody French government bears significant New Delhi imposed a weeklong lock- ing infections. crackdown on protesters, European responsibility for enabling a foreseea- down Monday night to prevent the In the Himalayan Jammu state in officials said. ble genocide,” concluded the nearly collapse of the Indian capital’s health India’s north, the weekly average of “The military regime is continuing 600-page report into France’s role in system, which authorities said had COVID-19 cases has increased 14-fold its course of violence and manoeu- the pogrom that saw some 800,000 been pushed to its limit amid an explo- in the past month. In Telengana state vring the country into a dead people killed between April and July sive surge in coronavirus cases. in southern India, home to Hyderabad end. That is why we are increasing 1994. The years-long investigation In scenes familiar from surges else- city where most of India’s vaccine the pressure to bring the military by US law firm Levy Firestone Muse where, ambulances catapulted from makers are based, the weekly average to the negotiating table,” German said France knew a genocide was one hospital to another, trying to find of infections has increased 16-fold in Foreign Minister Heiko Maas said coming but remained “unwavering in an empty bed over the weekend, while the past month. after virtual talks with his EU its support” for its Rwandan allies. patients lined up outside of medical Meanwhile, election campaigns are counterparts. facilities waiting to be let in. continuing in West Bengal state in “In addition to the listing of indi- Ambulances also idled outside of cre- eastern India, amid an alarming viduals, two economic conglomerates Hunger-striking Navalny to go matoriums, carrying half a dozen increase there as well, and experts that are attributed to the military are dead bodies each. fear that crowded rallies could cata- also affected,” he added. to prison hospital, officials say “People keep arriving, in an almost lyze the spread of the virus. Top lead- European diplomats said the two MOSCOW: Russian opposition leader collapsing situation,” said Dr. Suresh ers of the ruling Bhartiya Janta Party, firms hit with asset freezes and visa Alexei Navalny, who is in the third Kumar, who heads Lok Nayak Jai including Prime Minister Narendra bans were the Myanmar Economic week of a hunger strike, will be Prakash Narayan Hospital, one of Modi, have campaigned heavily to win Corporation (MEC) and Myanmar admitted to a hospital in another pris- New Delhi’s largest hospitals for treat- polls in the region. Economic Holdings Ltd (MEHL) on, the Russian state penitentiary ing COVID-19 patients. By contrast, in New Delhi, officials which dominate sectors including service said on Monday, after the poli- Most desperately need oxygen, have begun to impose stringent meas- trading, alcohol, cigarettes and con- tician’s doctor said he could be near Kumar said. But the city is facing AP/RSS ures again. The Indian capital was sumer goods. death. The prison service, FSIN, also shortages of oxygen and some medi- A boy wearing a face mask looks through the window of a train at a railway station in Gauhati, shut down over the weekend, but now The officials targeted are mostly said that Navalny had agreed to take cine, according to Chief Minister India, on Monday. authorities are extending that for a members of the ruling State vitamin therapy, but an ally of the Arvind Kejriwal, who told reporters week: All shops and factories will Administration Council seen as 44-year-old Kremlin critic cast doubt that the new stringent measures being close, except for those that provide responsible for undermining the on that and the hospital transfer, say- imposed were required to “prevent a India to fund capacity boost at Serum essential services, like grocery sto- democracy in the southeast Asian ing his lawyers should confirm both. collapse of the health system,” which ries. People are not supposed to leave nation, diplomats said. The service said in a statement that had “reached its limit.” Institute as vaccines run short their homes, except for a handful of The measures—which will go into Navalny would be transferred to a Just months after India thought it reasons, like seeking medical care. force when they are published in the hospital for convicts located in a had seen the worst of the pandemic, NEW DELHI: India is set to accept the source said on Sunday, declining to be They will be allowed to travel to EU’s official journal—come after the penal colony in Vladimir, a city 180 the virus is now spreading at a rate Serum Institute of India’s (SII) request identified as he was not authorised to airports or train stations—a differ- bloc hit junta chief Min Aung Hlaing kilometres east of Moscow. faster than at any other time, said for a 30 billion rupee ($400 million) speak publicly on the matter. Given ence from the last lockdown when and 10 other senior officials with sanc- Bhramar Mukherjee, a biostatistician grant to boost its capacity to make the the surge in domestic demand, any thousands of migrant workers were tions last month over the February 1 at the University of Michigan who has AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccine, a gov- funding from the government is forced to walk to their home villages. seizure of power and bloody suppres- Pakistan Islamists free been tracking infections in India. ernment source with knowledge of unlikely to help alleviate a slump in That previous harsh lockdown last sion of protests. 11 abducted police The surge is devastating for India the matter told Reuters. SII, the vaccine exports. India has delayed big year, which lasted months, left deep Western powers are seeking to and has weighed heavily on the global world’s biggest vaccine maker, sought shipments this month, exporting only scars. Politicians have since been reti- increase pressure on Myanmar’s ISLAMABAD: Islamist radicals in efforts to end the pandemic since the the funds to increase its monthly about 2 million doses compared with cent to even mention the word. When new leadership by targeting their key Pakistan on Monday released 11 country is a major vaccine producer capacity to more than 100 million 64 million doses between late January similar measures were imposed in moneymakers. police abducted during violent but has been forced to delay exports of doses by the end of May, from up to 70 and March. A finance ministry spokes- Mahrashtra state, home to the finan- The US and Britain have already anti-blasphemy protests against shots abroad, hampering campaigns million currently. “We are clear that man declined to comment. SII, which cial capital of Mumbai, in recent days, imposed sanctions on the MEC France over the weekend, the interior in developing countries, in particular. we will give whatever support is nec- will soon also start making the officials refused to call it a lockdown. and MEHL, and Washington has minister said as his government In a sign of the high stakes, the chief essary to develop and boost the availa- Novavax Covid-19 vaccine, did not Those restrictions are to last 15 days. hit Myanmar’s state gem company opened negotiations with the group executive of Serum Institute of India, bility of vaccines in the country,” the respond to a request for comment. Kejriwal, the Delhi official, urged as well. after a week of violence. All main the world’s largest maker of vaccines, calm, especially among migrant work- Myanmar has been in turmoil businesses, markets and shopping asked U.S. President Joe Biden on ers who particularly suffered during since the military seized power from malls and public transport were Twitter last week to lift the U.S. virus passed a staggering 3 million in cases, British Prime Minister Boris the previous shutdown, saying this civilian leader Aung San Suu Kyi, closed in major cities in response to a embargo on exporting raw materials people Saturday. Johnson called off a trip to New Delhi. one would be “small.” triggering a massive uprising that strike call by the Tehrik-e-Labaik needed to make the shots. India reported over 270,000 infec- The city of 29 million people has But many feared it would spell eco- the junta has sought to quell using Pakistan (TLP), prompting the main The rise in cases comes amid set- tions on Monday, its highest daily rise fewer than 100 beds with ventilators, nomic ruin. Amrit Tripathi, a laborer lethal force. KSE-100 stock index to open more backs in the worldwide vaccination since the pandemic started. It has now and fewer than 150 beds available for in New Delhi, was among the thou- The military has ramped up its than 500 points lower. The police were campaign and deepening crises in recorded more than 15 million infec- patients needing critical care. Similar sands who walked home in last attempts to crush dissent following kidnapped during clashes outside the many places beyond India, including tions and more than 178,000 deaths. strains can be seen in other parts of year’s lockdown. mass demonstrations, with at least 737 TLP’s headquarters in the eastern Brazil and France. Over the weekend, Experts agree that even these figures the vast country, where the fragile “We will starve,” he said, if the cur- civilians killed and the press increas- city of Lahore. (AGENCIES) the global death toll from the corona- are likely undercounts. Amid the rise health system has been underfunded rent measures are extended. ingly under attack. China, US agree on need for stronger climate commitments

REUTERS said China could soon respond to a SHANGHAI/WASHINGTON, APRIL 19 new U.S. pledge with one of its own, The United States building on the “momentum” of the China and the United States agree that Shanghai talks. stronger pledges to fight climate is expected soon to “The statement in my view is as change should be introduced before a deliver a pledge to positive as the politics would allow: It new round of international talks at sends a very unequivocal message the end of the year, the two countries reduce greenhouse that on this particular issue (China said in a joint statement on Sunday. and the United States) will cooperate. The statement came after a meeting gas emissions. Before the meetings in Shanghai this between Chinese climate envoy Xie was not a message that we could Zhenhua and his US counterpart, assume,” Li said. Biden will hold a John Kerry, in Shanghai on Thursday president took office, and followed a virtual summit for dozens of world and Friday, China’s environment contentious exchange between offi- leaders this week to discuss climate ministry said. cials from the two countries in March change, to be livestreamed for public “The United States and China are in Alaska. viewing. Global climate talks are committed to cooperating with each The talks also mark a resumption of scheduled November 1-12 in Glasgow. other and with other countries to tack- climate dialogue between the world’s The statement said the two coun- le the climate crisis,” their joint state- two biggest greenhouse gas emitters. tries also agreed to discuss specific ment said. The two countries will con- Bilateral discussions ground to a halt emission reduction actions including tinue to discuss “concrete actions in during the administration of Donald energy storage, carbon capture and the 2020s to reduce emissions aimed at Trump, who withdrew from the 2015 hydrogen. They said they would take keeping the Paris Agreement-aligned Paris agreement after claiming it action to maximise financing for temperature limit within reach.” unfairly punished U.S. businesses. developing countries to switch to Kerry arrived in Shanghai on The United States is expected soon low-carbon energy sources. Wednesday night under tight Covid-19 to deliver a new pledge to reduce U.S. The Paris agreement encourages protocols and was transferred to a greenhouse gas emissions in a bid to countries to submit more ambitious secluded hotel not open to the public. win back trust from foreign allies. climate pledges if they are able to He subsequently traveled to Seoul. Biden brought the United States back do so. China has already promised His stop in Shanghai was the first into the Paris climate accord. enhanced actions as it tries to high-level visit to China by a Biden Li Shuo, senior climate adviser for meet its goal to become “carbon neu- AP/RSS administration official since the new the environmental group Greenpeace, tral” by 2060. Boxers train outside as indoor gyms are still close due to the coronavirus, next to the beach in Bandol, south France, on Monday. Xinjiang actions could meet criteria for crimes against humanity, rights group says

REUTERS inside China, which is not party to programmes in Xinjiang. BEIJING, APRIL 19 the court. China has said it will not Chinese officials initially denied Report says there join the court because its statutes the mass detentions, but have US human rights group Human violate national sovereignty and since said people were participat- Rights Watch (HRW) laid out in a was evidence of its processes are open to political ing in voluntary vocational train- report on Monday how China’s ongoing rights interference. ing and de-radicalisation pro- actions in Xinjiang could meet cri- However, the HRW report says grammes, and they have since teria for crimes against humanity, abuses targeting that national government prosecu- “graduated”. calling for coordinated investiga- tors could individually or collec- In March, the European Union, tions into “widespread” abuses in Turkic Muslims. tively conduct preliminary investi- United States, Britain and Canada the region. gations similar to the ICC, and imposed sanctions on Chinese offi- It said there was evidence of facilitate sanctions or prosecu- cials over alleged human rights ongoing rights abuses targeting Clinic and provides a legal frame- tions against individuals involved. violations in Xinjiang. China Turkic Muslims, which include work for how Beijing’s actions in It encouraged states to utilise responded with corresponding Uighurs, Kazakhs and Kyrgyz Xinjiang could meet the criteria universal jurisdiction laws, sanc- sanctions on several lawmakers, people. China has consistently for crimes against humanity as tions on companies linked to researchers and institutions. denied all accusations of abuse defined by the Rome Statute of the Xinjiang and UN complaints mech- HRW cited instances of enforced in Xinjiang. International Criminal Court anisms to pressure Beijing based disappearances, labour transfers, “Given the gravity of the abuses (ICC). UN experts and rights on their findings. sexual violence and other abuses against Turkic Muslims, there is a groups say China has detained It also recommended the launch based on evidence including wit- pressing need for concerned gov- over a million Uighurs and other of a UN-mandated commission of ness testimonies, government doc- ernments to take strong, coordi- ethnic minorities in Xinjiang since inquiry to investigate China’s poli- uments and media reports. nated action to advance accounta- 2017 as part of a broad crackdown cies in the region. Beijing has called Uighur wit- bility,” HRW said. in the region. Several Western governments nesses abroad “actors” and says The report was compiled with In December, the ICC said it have levied sanctions over alleged efforts to investigate Chinese the assistance of Stanford Law would not pursue an investigation rights abuses against China, which policy in Xinjiang are led by REUTERS School’s International Human into the mass detentions because has said it will not allow an “anti-China forces”, primarily in Ethnic Uighur demonstrators take part in a protest against China, in Istanbul, Turkey last October. Rights and Conflict Resolution the alleged crimes took place independent investigation into its the United States.

C M Y K 07 | TUESDAY, APRIL 20, 2021 SPORTS | MEDLEY Openers Bhurtel, Sheikh guide Nepal to emphatic win Tottenham sack Mourinho The duo share century stand for the second match in a row as the hosts crush Malaysia by nine wickets to pull second victory from as many matches. REUTERS SPORTS BUREAU man-of-the-match. LONDON, APRIL 19 KATHMANDU, APRIL 19 Leg spinner Lamichhane grabbed two wickets in his 3.5 overs bowling Jose Mourinho was sacked as manag- Openers Kushal Bhurtel and Aasif and conceded 25 runs. Dipendra Singh er of Tottenham Hotspur on Monday Sheikh once again shone for hosts Airee, Shahab Alam, Kushal Malla after 17 months in charge of the Nepal as they registered an emphatic and Kami pocketed one wicket each. London club and six days before they nine-wicket win over Malaysia in the Abinash Bohara bowled an over and will appear in the League Cup final. Tri-Nations T20 Series at the TU crick- conceded eight runs. Tottenham confirmed in a state- et grounds in Kirtipur on Monday. Nepal made a solid start to their run ment that the Portuguese had left The duo, who marked their T20I chase as Bhurtel hit a six to Pavandeep along with his coaching staff. “The debuts in the Series opener against Singh in the second ball of the innings Club can today announce that Jose the Netherlands with half-centuries and collected eight runs in the first Mourinho and his coaching staff Joao each on Saturday, shared a century over. He hit three fences and five sixes Sacramento, Nuno Santos, Carlos stand for the first wicket. The 25-year- in his unbeaten knock of 41 balls. Lalin and Giovanni Cerra have been old Bhurtel scored an unbeaten 61 run His opening pair Sheikh cracked relieved of their duties,” it said. and became the first Nepali player to four fences and a six in his quickfire The 58-year-old former Porto, score back-to-back T20I half centuries knock of 29 balls. He shared 102-run Chelsea, Inter Milan, Real Madrid and as Nepal pulled off their second victo- partnership for the first wicket with Manchester United manager ry from as many matches. Bhurtel before being caught by Anwar Mourinho had been in charge of 86 His opening partner Sheikh con- Rahman off Virandeep Singh in 11.1 games at the club, having replaced the tributed 42 runs as Nepal surpassed overs. Dipendra Singh Airee, who con- popular Mauricio Pochettino in the 110-run target in 12.1 overs losing tributed six runs, finished the chase November 2019. Having taken charge one wicket. Medium pacer Karan KC as he smacked Anwar Rahman four in with the club in 14th place in the gave Nepal a perfect start with a the first delivery of the 13th over as Premier League, they finished in sixth three-wicket haul as Malaysia was Nepal reached 113-1. spot last season. bowled out for 109 runs in 16.5 overs. Nepal’s newly appointed coach Dav His first full season in charge began The outcome assured Nepal top Whatmore, who was taking charge of well with the club beating Manchester position in the standings with four the team in an official match for the United and Manchester City and top- points after the completion of first first time since his appointment in ping the table in December. But they round matches. The Netherlands and December, said: “It is nice to win the have since slumped with fans disgrun- Malaysia are second and third with game. The performance has been tled by the style of football and mysti- two points each but the Dutch side extremely strong in the two games we fied by the lack of game time given to stand second on the basis of superior have played so far.” the likes of Gareth Bale and Dele Alli. net run rate. About his openers, the Australian Tottenham have also become overly “The important thing is that we coach said: “Both of them were pretty reliant on the goals of Harry Kane won the game,” said Bhurtel when good and they both were fighting for who took his tally to 21 for the season quizzed about his back-to-back one spot in the team. Paras’ (Khadka) in the league with a double against half-centuries. “It’s a nice feeling to injury ensured that they made it to the Everton on Friday, but who is being win both matches in a convincing starting lineup. Having faith in them- linked with a move away from the way,” he added, who shared a record POST PHOTO: HEMANTA SHRESTHA selves, good wickets and strong bat- club. The 2-2 draw at Everton left 116-run first wicket partnership with Kushal Bhurtel (right) and Aasif Sheikh run between the wickets during the Tri-Nations T20 Series against Malaysia at the TU cricket grounds. ting lineup gave confidence to those Tottenham in seventh place and they Sheikh in their nine-wicket victory two boys.” have won only one of their last five over the Netherlands. shaky start to their innings and kept and six runs respectively. Faiz was run who scored 15 runs, was the other Nepal will play against the league games, all but ending their top- “I played a pressure free game on losing wickets at regular intervals. out while Singh, who scored 87 against batsman to score in double digits. He Netherlands in their next fixture on four hopes. They also suffered an against the Netherlands as it was my Opener Anwar Aurdin was the first the Netherlands on Sunday, was was bowled by leg spinner Sandeep Tuesday. embarrassing Europa League last-16 debut match. I had worked really hard wicket to fall as he was caught by bowled by Sompal Kami. Aziz was the Lamichhane. Meanwhile, Cricket Association of exit against Dinamo Zagreb, losing for this moment and I did not want to wicketkeeper Binod Bhandari off fourth wicket to fall as he was caught Nepal used seven bowlers including Nepal (CAN), issuing a statement on the away leg 3-0 having won the first miss this opportunity,” said Bhurtel, Karan KC with eight runs under by Sheikh off Dipendra Singh Airee in Kushal Malla who replaced Aarif Monday, said that spectators would leg 2-0. adding that he and Sheikh had ful- his belt. 7.5 overs. Sheikh in the starting lineup in com- not be permitted in the remaining The timing of Mourinho’s sacking filled the role they were assigned by While other opener Syed Aziz Sharvin Muniandy was the second parison to the last match against the matches of the Series. The cricket denied him the chance of landing the team. “I have been playing as an scored 27 runs off 24, the highest in best scorer for Malaysia with 20 runs Netherlands. KC was the pick of the governing body took the step as per Tottenham’s first trophy since 2008 as opener for a couple of years now and the innings, skipper Ahmad Faiz and off 15 deliveries. He was caught by bowling claiming three wickets in his the decision of the Council of Minister he had taken the club to this Sunday’s it is not that tough job.” Virandeep Singh were next two bats- Bhurtel off KC in 15.3 overs. three-over haul conceding 17 runs. owing to the surge in the number of League Cup final against Manchester Put into bat first, Malaysia made a men to be removed cheaply for three Wicketkeeper batsman Shafiq Sharif, The medium pacer was named the- Covid-19 infections in the country. City. Tottenham chairman Daniel Levy turned to Mourinho as the man to do the same for Tottenham but has consistently fallen short on the pitch. UEFA blasts ‘disgraceful’ Super League plan, threatens clubs with ban However, results and performances have tailed off alarmingly this season and since the end of January REUTERS after 12 of Europe’s top clubs announced the united against this nonsense of a project,” wealth and power of a small elite of clubs. Tottenham have won only five of 14 MANCHESTER, APRIL 19 breakaway, UEFA president Aleksander Ceferin Ceferin said. The breakaway clubs will be guaranteed annu- Premier League matches. launched a scathing attack on the plan, which JP Morgan is providing a 3.5 billion euro ($4.21 al places in the competition - in contrast to the Mourinho has always been known European football’s governing body UEFA on has been widely condemned across the game and billion) grant to the founding clubs to spend on current UEFA Champions League, which for his pragmatic style and the steely Monday said clubs and players joining the pro- beyond. infrastructure and recovery from the impact of requires teams to qualify via their domestic mentality of his teams but Tottenham posed breakaway Super League could be banned “We’re still assessing with our legal team but the Covid-19 pandemic. leagues. have dropped 20 points from winning from all of its competitions and the World Cup as we will take all the sanctions that we can and we The bitter battle for control of the game and its While having guaranteed spots in the league positions this season. it condemned a “disgraceful and self-serving will inform you as soon we can,” he said. “My multi-billion dollar revenues entered a new goes against long-standing tradition in European Tottenham said former midfielder proposal”. opinion is that as soon as possible they have to be phase with a letter sent by the 12 clubs to UEFA football, the clubs argue the Super League will Ryan Mason will be in charge of the The US investment bank JP Morgan is financ- banned from all our competitions and the players on Monday in which they said they would take create a more sustainable financial model. first team on Monday. ing the new league, which includes clubs such as from all our competitions.” legal steps in unnamed courts to protect their “The formation of the Super League comes at RB Leipzig manager Julian Real Madrid and Manchester United and is a “UEFA and the football world stand united interests as they set up the league. a time when the global pandemic has accelerated Nagelsmann is tipped as one of the rival to UEFA’s established Champions League against the disgraceful and self-serving proposal The breakaway has been heavily criticised by the instability in the existing European football favourites to take over from Mourinho, competition. we have seen in the last 24 hours for a select few football authorities, fan organisations and politi- economic model,” the clubs said in their found- although he is also touted to replace Addressing an emergency meeting the day clubs in Europe motivated by greed. We are all cians across Europe who say it entrenches the ing statement. Hansi Flick at Bayern Munich. HOROSCOPE ARIES (March 21-April 19) **** CANCER (June 22-July 22) *** LIBRA (September 23-October 22) *** CAPRICORN (December 22-January 19) **** You’re quickly becoming aware of certain changes This is the time of year when your goals begin to You’re becoming increasingly more aware that How can you get closer to the passions in your heart, that need to be made, Aries. Today’s first quarter gain traction, Cancer. You’ve worked so hard to get before you can move forward with your goals, you Capricorn? That’s what this time of year is all about. moon in expressive Leo has you becoming aware of here, let yourself enjoy the elements of your efforts. have to fearlessly face some deep inner work, Libra. Today’s skies bring the first quarter moon in the present tension existing between your raw tal- heart-centered Leo to life, helping you deep dive into ents and your ability to put them on display. this story.

TAURUS (April 20-May 20) *** LEO (July 23-August 22) *** SCORPIO (October 23-November 21) *** AQUARIUS (January 20-February 18) *** Can you feel the rush of fresh energy emerging No one can dim your shine this time of year, Leo. No We can’t go through life alone, Scorpio. You’re begin- This time of year submerges you into the deepest around you, Taurus? It’s important that you ride that one except yourself. That’s the critical lesson emerg- ning to focus your attention on the authenticity of levels of your being, Aquarius. It’s important for you wave and let it reinvigorate you. ing under today’s first quarter moon in your sign. the exchanges in your closest one on one relation- to explore the unturned stones of your past and feel ships. whatever feelings come up.

GEMINI (May 21-June 21) **** VIRGO (August 23-September 22) **** SAGITTARIUS (November 22-December 21) *** PISCES (February 19-March 20) *** Your quiet Twin reigns supreme this time of year, As a Virgo, you’re great at looking at the world It’s likely that tensions are stirring between your day It’s becoming increasingly important that you start Gemini. Let it guide you inward, where you can begin through a micro lens. You’re talented at seeing all job and the big-picture vision you have for your life, speaking your truth, Pisces. This time of year helps to shine a light onto painful blockages and damaging the details of life and how they function, but it can be Sagittarius. you find a confidence in your self-expression that has cycles that inhibit your growth difficult for you to step back and absorb the big pic- long since felt absent. ture. CROSSWORD SUDOKU

YESTERDAY’S SOLUTION

C M Y K TUESDAY, APRIL 20, 2021 | 08 CULTURE & LIFESTYLE (C.R.P.D.) - 3/052/053 Sony Xperia: Technologically impressive but narrow market Despite Sony smartphones’ innovative features, they’ve struggled to stay relevant in the highly competitive smartphone market.

PRAJESH SJB RANA phone displays since 2012. ucts. While the new phones are KATHMANDU But even with all of these inno- seriously impressive, they’re vations behind Sony smart- With its line of designed for a very niche market he smartphone land- phones, they’ve struggled of professionals who, in many scape has changed to stay relevant in the smart- smartphones, cases, already have professional exponentially since phone market, with Sony’s smart- gear that they would prefer over the 2000s and many of phone sales dropping from 11.9 Sony continues to the Xperia. And while yes, having the market leaders of million in 2014 to a mere 0.6 mil- innovate and push a multi-purpose device that you the dumb phone era lion in Q3 2020. An embarrassing can depend on for professional Tsuch as Nokia, Sony Ericsson and number to say the least since the industry work does add to the appeal of the Motorola are husks of their for- many other manufacturers like devices, they cater to a very small mer selves losing major market Apple and Samsung achieve those forward. segment of the market. Sony share to companies like Samsung, numbers in a few weeks after phones are also expensive, with Apple and Chinese upstarts like launch. the Xperia 1 II running for over Xiaomi and OnePlus. Sony’s flagship phones have smartphone so you get almost all $1000. During the 2000, Sony Ericsson always been impressive. They of the software features of the A Considering Sony’s focus on mobile phones were all the rage offer good specifications and I am series cameras through Sony’s professional tools, it was surpris- due to the company’s focus on a fan of their utilitarian, no-non- Pro apps—Photo Pro and Cinema ing to see how normal non-pro multimedia and innovative sense business look. Sony flag- Pro. users are neglected in the feature designs. Phones like the Walkman ships have also offered some real- These apps not only provide set. Basic smartphone functional- phones delivered expectational ly high density displays for a very granular control over your cam- ity like Night mode is missing audio quality for the time, with long time. In 2019, the company era settings but also come with on the Camera app, meaning some popular models featuring revamped their Xperia line of advanced features like focus that users of the device will have up-to four speakers. The company phones with an easier naming tracking, object and eye tracking, to go into the Pro app and fix set- was also known for their innova- scheme. This rebrand started histograms, metering modes to tings manually for a decent tions in smartphone camera sys- with the Xperia 1 in 2019 and con- mention a few. Even in the Cinema low-light photo. Even the front-fac- tems with many non-Sony phones, tinued with the Xperia 1 II in 2020. app, the Xperia shoots at 4k vide- ing selfie camera is an unceremo- even today, equipped with Sony’s Sony also offers smaller and os with wide dynamic range with nious 8 MP sensor with very smartphone sensors. Sony cheaper versions of their phones support for colour profiles, audio little bells and whistles. Ericsson was also one of the first although they are very premium tracking and manual focus track- Non-pro features such as these smartphone companies to priced devices. ing too. would be far more important embrace the Android ecosystem Both the Xperia 1 and the 1 II Considering everything on for regular smartphone custom- where the likes of Nokia are some seriously impressive paper, the Xperia 1 II is an excep- ers than external monitor sup- and Blackberry resisted the devices. The Xperia 1 II uniquely tional device but this year, Sony port and full creative freedom mobile operating system for a offers a very tall aspect ratio at launched the Xperia Pro, an even during normal photo shoots or long time. 21:9. The tall nature of the phone more professional device with the selfies. In 2010, Sony bought out while fitting more comfortably in capabilities of using the smart- The new Sony smartphones Ericsson’s share in the company your hand, also offers larger phone’s 4K HDR screen as a mon- are really impressive technologi- and rebranded the company as screen real estate while using the itor for the A7S or other profes- cally, but in a sense, it feels Sony Mobile and since then we’ve phone. The screen is also one of sional camera setups while also like the company is further seen some great devices from the the very few smartphones with a providing cutting-edge 5G tech- drawing themselves into a company that have continued to 4k OLED HDR display. It comes nology to enable live-streaming corner by focusing solely on a push the smartphone industry equipped with a top-of-the line from the phone and camera very small and niche segment further. Snapdragon 865 SOC with 256GB setup itself. The phone also of the market. But even if The Xperia line of phones were of storage and either 8 or 12 GB of has a 4,000 mAh battery and can you are a creative professional, one of the first few phones that RAM. While the horsepower reverse charge the camera as the Xperia phones are difficult to had an IP rating with waterproof- under the phone is flagship level, well. Unsurprisingly, this mon- recommend since as a profession- ing and Sony smartphones have Sony has also done some interest- ster of a professional phone goes al, the phone would definitely always offered exceptional audio ing things with their camera mod- for $2500. come in handy from time-to-time quality through their implemen- ule. The Xperia 1 II is equipped PHOTO COURTESY: SONY Which brings us back to Sony’s but in many cases, you have tation of HiRes Audio since their with a quad camera setup at the Xperia Pro, Sony’s latest smartphone offering, boasts top-of-the-line features. declining market share. The dedicated equipment that will 2015 Xperia Z5 flagship. The back with three 12 MP sensors at revamped Xperia phones are real- overshadow the Xperia. Even Xperia line has also incorporated wide (24mm), telephoto (70mm), Sony also released their of the best cameras to come ly good to say the least, but with though the company is losing many of Sony’s display technolo- and ultrawide (16mm) and a 0.3 Sony A7S III last year, their full- out in 2020. For the Xperia 1 the refresh it feels like Sony just market share, they haven’t gies as well with the Bravia MP depth sensor all equipped frame mirrorless camera that series, Sony has managed to slapped a fresh new coat of paint stopped innovating and pushing Engine augmenting their smart- with Zeiss optics. has been arguably considered one port the A7S’ system into the on their already exclusive prod- the industry forward.

Published and Printed by Kantipur Publications Pvt. Ltd., Central Business Park, Thapathali, Kathmandu, Nepal, P. B. No. 8559, Phone: 5135000, Fax: 977-1-5135057, e-mail: [email protected], Regd. No. 32/049/050, Chairman & Managing Director: Kailash Sirohiya, Director: Swastika Sirohiya, Editor: Sanjeev Satgainya