WITHOUT F EAR OR FAVOUR

Nepal’s largest selling English daily Vol XXIX No. 28 | 10 pages | Rs.5 O O Printed simultaneously in Kathmandu, Biratnagar, Bharatpur and Nepalgunj 33.6 C 1.6 C Thursday, March 18, 2021 | 05-12-2077 Janakpur Jumla

POST PHOTO: DIPENDRA ROKKA Farmers weed their wheat crop at Guri in this panorama of Changunarayan captured in Bhaktapur. With neither side Covid-19 immunisation to be halted as vaccine flow stops ready to back down, confrontation in Existing stock will be used for the second dose to be given from April 20. Government should approach other manufacturers too, experts suggest. ARJUN POUDEL schedule to administer vaccines to Earlier, officials at the Health Serum Institute of India; and 348,000 chief specialist at the Health Ministry, KATHMANDU, MARCH 17 those who have not taken it so far,” an Ministry were considering adminis- doses under the COVAX facility. all of the existing stock of over 700,000 UML continues official at the Health Ministry told the tering the vaccine in stock to those So far, over 1,644,000 have been doses and the 1 million doses due to be With the government’s failure to pro- Post, asking not to be named. “We above 60. immunised in the first and second delivered by the Serum Institute of cure enough Covid-19 vaccines to need to secure the second dose for The ministry said there are around phases of the campaign. India soon is required for the second Oli calls a meeting of the ensure smooth supply, it has halted those who took the first, and there is 700,000 doses in stock at various stor- During the first phase of the vacci- dose for those who have already the ongoing immunisation campaign no certainty of getting additional age facilities across the country. nation drive, between January 27 received the first. Parliamentary Party which indefinitely. doses immediately to extend the sec- Nepal has so far received 2.348 mil- and March 4, 438,879 people were “We will administer the second The Ministry of Health and ond phase.” lion doses of vaccine—1 million under vaccinated while over 1.2 million peo- dose of vaccine from April 20 to Nepal faction may skip and Population said that it has no plan to The second phase of immunisation grant assistance from India; another ple have been immunised in the sec- all who took the first dose,” Pokhrel resume the drive immediately. of those over 65 years began on March million of the 2 million doses that the ond phase. told the Post. invite action, leaders say. “Right now, we do not have a new 7 and ended on Tuesday. government has bought from the According to Dr Roshan Pokhrel, >> Continued on page 2

ANIL GIRI KATHMANDU, MARCH 17

When the Madhav Kumar Nepal fac- tion of the CPN-UML announced that Budget delay hampers it would hold a national gathering of party cadres on March 17 and 18, Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli warned against organising such meet- reconstruction of houses ings and urged cadres not to attend it. Ignoring his warning, the gathering did go ahead on Wednesday, raising the possibility of more confrontation with- destroyed last monsoon in the already fractured ruling party. “We dared Oli to take action against us,” Central Committee member Displaced families wonder how long they will have Gangalal Tuladhar said. “Today we organised a gathering of more than to live without proper roof above their heads. 2,500 party leaders and cadres. So how many people will face action? If he starts taking action against us, then what will happen to Oli himself ?” More scathing was what Nepal had to say in the report he presented at the gathering. “As Oli has made mistakes, he should resign,” the report said. “The party should prepare for an acting leadership. Decisions made by the fac- tions should be scrapped.” The two-day gathering was called after Oli on March 12 decided to relieve leaders close to Nepal of their responsibilities such as party vice chairs and provincial committee in-charge. During a meeting between Oli and Nepal as well as a number of leaders of the two factions at the party head- quarters on March 15, neither Oli agreed to scrap the March 12 decisions POST PHOTO: ANISH TIWARI nor Nepal agreed to cancel the gather- The temporary settlement at Baskharka in Jugal Rural Municipality of Sindhupalchok district ing and withdraw his faction’s deci- houses 170 families displaced by the Lidi landslide. sion to form parallel committees across the country. CHANDAN KUMAR MANDAL 170 families to the Baskharka area Addressing the gathering on KATHMANDU, MARCH 17 erecting 98 temporary tents in a com- Wednesday, Nepal said, “Oli’s behav- munity forest. iour has shut the door for party For Jyabarani Tamang, ensuring that Unable to live in tents, some fami- unity. Oli is trying to break our party the tent that shelters her five-member lies have returned to Lidi. They are into pieces.” family including a four-month-old, is staying with their neighbours and rel- Oli and Nepal had a troubled rela- not blown away by strong winds is a atives. But many other families like tionship ever since the Nepal daily struggle. Tamang’s continue to live in tents Communist Party (NCP) was formed She has been living in a tent at a with tarpaulin sheets for roofs. They after the merger between CPN-UML temporary shelter set up at Baskharka are surviving off the food materials and the Communist Party of Nepal of Jugal Rural Municipality in provided by government and non-gov- (Maoist Centre), forcing Nepal to even- Sindhupalchok district following a ernmental agencies. tually side with Pushpa Kamal Dahal, deadly landslide in August last year. “I lost many relatives in the land- the other chair of the now defunct Water drips from the tent roof, and slide which swept away my house and party, to counter Oli’s moves. inside it is cold and wet. The bed is land. Because of such a tragic memo- Oli dissolved the House of laid on the wet ground. ry, I do not feel like going back to Representatives on December 20 as a “With dew at night, the bed turns Lidi,” said Tamang. “However, staying result of the feud, accusing detractors cold and wet, making it difficult to here in this open land is nothing less in his party of not letting him work. sleep. And my four-month-old daugh- than fighting a war every day.” On February 23, the Supreme Court ter is sick,” said Tamang. Families who lost their homes in restored the House in an apparent But she has no option as there is landslides and floods in different parts victory for Nepal. nowhere else she can go. of the country last year fear that they >> Continued on page 2 The only respite from the winds may have to continue to live in tempo- chilled by Jugal Himal for her rary arrangements this monsoon too. are the sun’s rays. “It feels like In Kailali, 211 families displaced getting a new lease of life when- from Chure Rural Municipality by ever it is a bright sunny day out- landslides last monsoon had descend- side,” said Tamang. ed to the Tarai plains and set up a The Lidi landslide in camp inside a community forest of Sindhupalchok killed 33 individ- Gauriganga Municipality, demanding uals of 17 families in total. It also safer relocation. destroyed 17 houses and dam- As local government authorities aged 37 others, displacing over and forest officials tried to evict them 100 families from the village. from the forest area, they were later As the settlement was at risk shifted to an open space at Ward 4 of of another landslide, Jugal Rural Chure Rural Municipality. Municipality relocated a total of >> Continued on page 2

C M Y K THURSDAY, MARCH 18, 2021 | 02 NATIONAL Budget delay hampers reconstruction ...

>> Continued from page 1 slides, 39 in floods and 35 by lightning placed people to start rebuilding their Months later these families have no strikes. Another 100 went missing and houses,” said Gautam. “Completing safer place to go and continue to live 325 suffered injuries, according to offi- the overall reconstruction within the in open areas. cial figures. next few months will be difficult. We The government had promised to But it is not just the lack of budget have seen the National Reconstruction rebuild private houses damaged due that is the issue. Complete data on the Authority has not completed [rebuild- to monsoon-induced disasters provid- number of houses damaged is yet to ing of houses destroyed in the 2015 ing financial support. However, noth- be collected. The responsibility of col- earthquake] in the last five to six ing has happened yet. lecting and verifying such data was of years.” Resham Dong, 52, a resident of the respective district disaster man- Experts say that bureaucratic red Lamagau, Jugal Rural Municipality agement committees. tape is an old problem in Nepal. has gotten tired of living in the tent As per initial estimates, between “One of the major obstacles of gov- for months now. 2,600 and 2,700 houses will require ernment plans have always been “It feels like I am going to die in this reconstruction, according to Gautam. bureaucratic hassles and budget allo- tent. We have been running for our “Data collection is ongoing. We have cation,” said Basanta Raj Adhikari, a lives since the 2015 earthquake,” said written to all the chief district officers disaster management expert and an Dong. “Sadly, there is no other place to for data collection and verification. engineering geologist. “It is also go. The landslide took away Some have already been sending because the people in power and deci- everything. I don’t know when our them,” said Gautam. “So far we only sion making are not sensitive about misery will end.” have preliminary data, but unless we the disaster-related issue.” As per the government’s working get the final data after verification, it But the only reply Gautam can give procedure to help rebuild the houses, is difficult to give the final tally.” to this is, “We have been regularly reconstruction would be done under a Authorities say most of the damage asking the Finance Ministry also modality similar to the one adopted to has been in about 18 districts, as per through the Home Ministry.” POST PHOTO: SHIVA PURI rebuild homes lost to the devastating preliminary estimates. Suman Dahal, spokesman of the Women return home after collecting firewood from a forest at Brindaban Municipality, Rautahat. 2015 earthquake. The government The National Disaster Risk Ministry of Finance, told the Post that would provide financial support in Reduction and Management Authority he is unaware of the issue of budget three instalments to those who had has demanded nearly Rs1 billion for allocation for rebuilding houses dam- lost their houses to monsoon-related rebuilding the monsoon-damaged aged by last year’s monsoons. disasters last year in all 77 districts. houses. “If the budget is not released by the The plan was to rebuild during the As per the guidelines, beneficiaries Finance Ministry, the political leader- 2021 pre-monsoon period. from mountain districts will get ship can speed up the process,” said Majority of e-rickshaw drivers The plan, however, has hit a road- Rs500,000 in grants, hill districts Adhikari, who is also an assistant block and has become uncertain now Rs400,000 and Tarai districts Rs300,000. professor at the Institute of because of a delay in budget allocation. “The process will speed up once we Engineering. “If the political leader- According to Janardan Gautam, receive the budget,” said Gautam. “It ship can take the initiative it’s not that spokesperson for the National Disaster has been nearly two weeks since we the budget can not be released on without licence in Dharan Risk Reduction and Management have made the request [to the Finance time.” Authority, the plan has not moved for- Ministry]. They must be discussing Meanwhile, the people continue to ward as the Ministry of Finance has the budget allocation as it is a huge suffer. It’s not just Tamang and Dong The number of e-rickshaws operating in the city areas of Sunsari has seen an not yet released the budget. amount. Besides, a budget is required who are only worried about the “We have not received the budget as not only for building houses but it may approaching monsoon in exponential growth in the past five years. of now. We have written to the Finance be needed to procure land for the land- Sindhupalchok. Dil Bahadur Newar of Ministry seeking budget required for less.” Meanwhile, authorities expect Bhirkharka in Barhabise Municipality PRADEEP MENYANGBO the purpose,” Gautam told the Post. to complete data collection within two is fearful that the coming monsoon SUNSARI, MARCH 17 “But without the needed budget, the weeks. may bring a similar tragedy. plan has not moved forward.” “We have thought of at least provid- As many as 22 houses were com- On Monday night, an e-rickshaw hit Families that lost their houses to ing the first tranche of the grant pletely buried in the landslides at 35-year-old Kishor BK, a resident of disasters after June 12, when the mon- before the monsoon,” said Gautam. Bhirkharka and Nagpuje of Barhabise Deurali in Dharan Ward No. 5, at soon entered the country, are eligible “If the budget allocation prolongs fur- Municipality. Shyamchok. BK died during the to apply for the government grant to ther, then even the possibility of dis- “The landslide last monsoon took course of treatment at Dharan-based rebuild their homes. This includes the tributing the first instalment to bene- away everything. It seems the whole BP Koirala Institute of Health houses damaged in the landslide in ficiaries will be slim.” village will be swept down this time,” Sciences the same night. Durlung, Parbat, on the same day. Such delay in budget allocation said Newar. “My heart beats faster The rickshaw driver—Man Bahadur The 2020 monsoon was the deadliest means disaster displaced families will every time it rains.” Limbu of Dharan-15—was found driv- in many years in terms of lives lost. In have to wait longer to move to a per- ing the vehicle without a driver’s the four months between June 12, 2020 manent dwelling. Anish Tiwari from Sindhupalchok and licence. and October 16, 2020, 367 died. Of “If the budget is not received on Mohan Budhair from Kailali The number of e-rickshaws operat- them, 293 people were killed in land- time, it will surely be late for the dis- contributed reporting. ing in the city areas of Sunsari has seen an exponential growth in the past five years. But a majority of the driv- ers do not have a driver’s licence, police say. Covid-19 immunisation to be halted ... In cases of road accidents with pedestrian fatalities where the driver >> Continued from page 1 Subedee, an infectious disease expert, countries is another question. does not have a licence, the vehicle The Health Ministry’s attempt to told the Post. “Authorities should “The government has a compulsion owner and driver are liable to legal procure an additional 5 million vac- explore other options to bring the vac- to rely on the Indian companies, as punishment as vehicular homicide cine doses has not been successful, as cine at the earliest.” vaccines manufactured in other coun- under the Motor Vehicles and POST PHOTO: PRADEEP MENYANGBO officials say the manufacturing com- Nepal has to immunise 72 percent tries are too expensive,” said Koirala. Transport Management Act 1993. The The transport department says there are around 40,000 e-rickshaws in operation in Province 1. pany has not responded yet. of its 30 million population, but only Given the scarcity of the vaccines act has provisions for homicide driv- Earlier, officials said they were around 5.5 percent of the population the world over and their relatively ing with the intention of killing, reck- Police Office Gyanendra Basnet. e-rickshaw drivers under C-1 category. ready to pay even $5.5 for each dose of has received the first dose so far. high costs and therefore the govern- less driving with no intention to kill On Tuesday, police arrested Limbu “We have given authority to the vaccine but the manufacturing com- Children under 14, whose popula- ment’s inability to procure them, and accidents not the result of rash for further investigation. The District Area Police Office in Dharan to take pany also asked for an additional 10 tion is 28 percent, cannot be adminis- authorities say that Nepal will now driving. The penalty ranges from life Court in Sunsari has also remanded legal action against the driver,” said percent for its agents. tered the vaccine, as no coronavirus have to rely on the vaccines that the imprisonment and confiscation of him into custody for three days. Khadka. Around 40,000 e-rickshaws “As per my understanding, India vaccine has been trialled on them. COVAX facility will provide. property to a Rs 500 fine and two years BK’s family has also lodged a writ- operate on the streets of Province 1, has halted the supply to ensure equal Subedee said that the authorities In its commitment forecast in imprisonment. ten complaint at the Area Police Office mostly without fulfilling the due legal distribution to all countries,” Dr should be ready to pay February, the facility said it Limbu was driving under the influ- in Dharan demanding stringent action process to operate them, said Shyam Bhagwan Koirala, chairman of Nepal additional amounts if the country would provide 2,256,000 doses of the ence of alcohol when he hit BK, said against Limbu. They claimed that Kumar Limbu, the information officer Medical Council, a regulatory body of does not get the jabs at the previous vaccines by May. It has committed to police. The e-rickshaw belonged to one Limbu’s reckless driving was the at the Transport Management Office medical doctors, told the Post. rate and if it is still cheaper than providing enough vaccines for of Limbu’s relatives who had rented cause behind BK’s death. in Itahari. Public health experts, however, said other vaccines. 20 percent of the population in poor out the vehicle to him. As per the existing legal provisions, “E-rickshaw drivers should have a authorities should explore other pos- “We should also make our diplomat- countries. “The e-rickshaw driven by Limbu electric rickshaw drivers should have licence and road permission under the sibilities to immunise people at the ic channel active, as vaccines of sever- “I think another round of immuni- has been registered in the Department a licence to drive a three-wheeler. company model for the operation of earliest to contain the coronavirus al other companies have passed the sation will start only after we get addi- of Transport Management. As the According to Bhuwan Bahadur their vehicles. But only a few drivers contagion. They blamed the third-phase trial and companies of tional doses from COVAX,” Dr Shyam diver does not have a licence, legal Khadka, inspector at the District have got licences,” said Shyam Kumar. government decision to rely solely other companies have agreed to pro- Raj Upreti, coordinator of the Covid- action can be taken according to Police Office in Sunsari, the “Those who have failed the written on the Serum Institute of India for the duce them,” said Subedee. 19 vaccine advisory committee, told vehicular homicide,” said Deputy Department of Transport test and driving trial are also found vaccine crisis. “We should not have But whether the government can the Post. “COVAX will supply us the Superintendent of Police in the Area Management provides licence to driving public vehicles.” put all eggs in one basket,” Dr Anup afford vaccines manufactured in other vaccine within May.” With neither side ready to ‘Nirbhik Nari’: Women leaders call for fair and just society POST REPORT back down, confrontation ... KATHMANDU, MARCH 17 >> Continued from page 1 due to our busy schedule, we cannot Women leaders in business, legal and But the celebration was short lived attend it.” human rights fields shared their expe- as the Supreme Court on March 7 But deputy parliamentary party riences on the challenges Nepali invalidated the May 2018 merger of leader of the UML Subas Nembang women face at a discussion session the two parties and revived the CPN- hopes that lawmakers from the organised by Nari, the women’s UML and the Maoist Centre. Nepal faction will attend the Thursday monthly magazine of Kantipur Media Nepal had no option but to return to meeting. Group, in Kathmandu on Wednesday. the UML but Oli upped the ante with “This kind of meeting is called dur- The four-part session, ‘Nirbhik his March 12 decisions. ing parliament sessions. We will dis- Nari’ (fearless women), was organised In his paper presented at the cuss how to present ourselves in to celebrate women and to discuss the Wednesday meeting, Nepal said the Parliament, which is due to sit on challenges faced by Nepali women. party should move ahead towards Friday,” Nembang told the Post. “We Presenting the keynote speech, unity, reorganisation and transforma- hope all our friends will participate in women rights activist Bandana Rana tion to attain the ultimate goal of the meeting. We have already informed said that in order to turn the notion of socialism. them to be present.” fearless women into reality, everyone He also called on the party to be The rift in the party was also evi- should work in solidarity and respon- restored to the state it was in before dent from the developments in Karnali sibly regarding women’s issues from the merger with the Maoist Centre Province with the UML on Wednesday home, society and government level. and follow its statute in functioning. officially withdrawing its support to Rana, who is also a member of the The Nepal faction has said that the Chief Minister Mahendra Bahadur Committee on the Elimination of decision to scrap the position of vice- Shahi of the Maoist Centre. But the Discrimination Against Women under POST PHOTO: SANJOG MANANDHAR chairs and to induct 23 new Central Nepal faction has opposed the deci- the United Nations Human Rights Participants at one of the sessions of ‘Nirbhik Nari’ organised by Nari monthly magazine in Kathmandu on Wednesday. Committee members who belong to sion to withdraw support extended to Commission, said that women are still the Maoist Centre, another decision of the Shahi government as it believes forced to fight for justice despite pro- ment is always ready to create an Ujjwal Bikram Thapa, an activist and director of Prashuti Griha Dr March 12, is against the party statute. there is still the possibility for the gressive law in place. environment for women entrepre- and social worker, said that acid Sangita Mishra also shared the strug- Oli, not one to back down, has now UML and the Maoist Centre to work “No matter how many laws are for- neurs to grow in the business sector. attacks should not be seen only as gen- gles they have faced as women in their called a meeting of the UML together. mulated, women victimisation has not Latika Golyan, founder of Made In der-based violence. “Acid attack is a respective professions. Parliamentary Party on Thursday, and The Oli government still enjoys the decreased,” said Rana. “The lack of Nepal, said women entrepreneurs in heinous crime and people of every “There were attempts to bar me it clashes with the second day of the support of the Maoist Centre but if proper implementation of laws is the Nepal still lack a market for their gender, community and class have from becoming a chief justice,” said Nepal faction’s gathering. the latter were to withdraw it, the gov- reason behind the additional stress on products and that rural women need been its victims,” Thapa said. Karki. “There were men who put me “The party has faced some serious ernment will turn into a minority one women who have been victimised.” skill development training. Thapa urged the government in difficulties and there were men who problems of late,” chief whip of the and pave the way for the formation of Women entrepreneurs said they are “Various programmes under the and the concerned authorities helped me as well.” UML, Bishal Bhattarai said. “Issues a new government. capable of competing in the world public-private partnership could help to strictly regulate the sale and Karki also said that political leaders related to the party, how to present But rather than working out ways to market if the authorities, including in developing the skills,” said Golyan. distribution of acid. try to dictate the judiciary. “Our lead- itself in parliament and how to pro- save his government, Oli at the the government, support them. “The government should also help in Madhav Paudel, chairman of Nepal ers consider justices as their private tect the party unity will be discussed moment looks more focussed on party Shubhangi Rana, one of the found- increasing the quality of products Law Commission, said that laws have pockets.” The event was organised in at the meeting.” But it is not clear matters given his disagreement with ers of social business Pad2Go, a sani- from rural areas and empower women been made to punish the perpetrators partnership with Ncell. whether the lawmakers from the Nepal. tary pad vending machine distributor, entrepreneurs.” of acid attacks and other violence and “As part of our endeavour to cele- Nepal faction will attend the meeting. The Nepal faction’s absence from said that menstruation should not be Similarly, the survivors of various some provisions will be amended with brate women achievers, Ncell is “We are holding a two-day national Thursday’s Parliamentary Party considered only as a women’s issue. forms of gender violence demanded time. “Not the laws, but their imple- delighted to collaborate with Kantipur jamboree of which they are aware,” meeting will invite Oli’s ire, according Nikita Acharya, the founder of the provision of strict punishment to mentation aspect has been weak in Media Group for ‘Nirbhik Nari’ Yogesh Bhattarai, head of the publici- to a leader close to the prime minister. Urban Girl, stressed the need for the perpetrators. Nepal,” Paudel said. women conference,” said Andy ty department of the Nepal faction, “Since Oli has a majority in the government to formulate programmes Pabitra Karki, an acid attack survi- Activist Muna Nepali Damai, who Chong, CEO of Ncell. “Ncell recognis- told the Post. “We received the invita- party’s parliamentary committee, the and policies besides encouraging vor, said that there should be strict herself is a survivor of domestic and es and celebrates those women who tion through SMS only today so we are scheduled meeting is likely to take entrepreneurs. punishment for perpetrators of acid sexual violence, said that the govern- have broken glass ceilings and have not going to participate. We would action against lawmakers from the Secretary at the Ministry of attack. “We want the attackers to expe- ment should protect and support all paved paths for other women to make have participated in the meeting but Nepal camp,” said the leader on condi- Industry, Commerce and Supplies rience the same pain that we have the victims. impactful differences within our soci- we have communicated to them that tion of anonymity. Arjun Pokharel said that the govern- experienced.” Former chief justice Sushila Karki ety and become change-makers.”

C M Y K 03 | THURSDAY, MARCH 18, 2021 NATIONAL BRIEFING Parliamentary hearing no UML’s Oli faction 86 percent members of target group get Covid-19 shot withdraws support to OKHALDHUNGA: Eighty-six percent of more than ritual, experts say the target group has been vaccinated against Covid-19 in Okhaldhunga, Karnali government according to the District Health Former bureaucrats, committee members say panel is obliged to toe the party line. Office. Pushparaj Pant, vaccination inspector at the District Health Office The nomination of Subedi and Parliamentary Party won’t back Chief Minister Shahi from in Rumjatar, said out of 15,384 indi- Chudal have already landed in contro- viduals eligible to receive the vaccine, versy and the committee will likely CPN (Maoist Centre), leaders say. 13,340 got the jab. receive complaints against them. As per Article 129 (5) of the constitution, a candidate for the post of justice at Two held with brown sugar the Supreme Court needs to have KAKADBHITTA: Police have arrested either 12 years of experience as a first- two Indian women in possession of class officer (joint secretary level) or 150 grams of brown sugar from five years of experience as a judge or Mechinagar Municipality, Jhapa. DSP chief judge of the High Court. Sunil Dahal of Area Police Office, However, it’s been hardly three years Kakadbhitta said the two women since Subedi was appointed judge on from West Bengal were caught with January 4, 2018. the drugs concealed in different parts Similarly, Subedi was appointed of their bodies. The incident comes joint-secretary in August 2007 and was just a week after two other Indian POST FILE PHOTO appointed chief judge after spending a women were arrested in the district Constitutional law experts say the hearing process has become ritualistic as lawmakers on little over 10 years in that position. along with 2kg opium. the committee have failed to perform as per the spirit of the constitution. Chudal’s verdicts, especially over issues related to taxation, have been BINOD GHIMIRE ensure that the committee comprising flagged by experts as “controversial”. One killed in elephant attack KATHMANDU, MARCH 17 people’s representatives rectify deci- Som Bahadur Thapa, former secre- KAKADBHITTA: A young man died after sions made by the government and tary at the parliament secretariat, being attacked by a wild elephant at The Parliamentary Hearing constitutional and judicial councils. said he doesn’t see any possibility of Buddhashanti Rural Municipality in Committee on Tuesday called on the Despite complaints filed against nom- the hearing committee rejecting the Jhapa on Wednesday. Kirtiman Khati, members of the general public to file inees, the hearing committee hasn’t nominations, no matter how contro- 19, who was critically injured in the complaints against two justices nomi- done anything, except quiz them. versial the nominees are. “The hear- incident, died in the course of treat- nated to the Supreme Court by the For instance, despite several com- ing committee is a shadow of the par- ment at the provincial hospital in Judicial Council on March 12. plaints related to their birth certifi- ties and it is just a rubber stamp,” he Bhadrapur, police said. Another The council, led by Chief Justice cates and academic credentials, the told the Post. “Its job is to vet the rec- youth Milan Karki Doli also sus- Cholendra Shumsher Rana had nomi- hearing committee in 2014, Gopal ommendations, but it has completely tained injuries in the incident. nated Nahakul Subedi and Kumar Parajuli, and Joshi were appointed to failed on that front.” Chudal—both high court chief judg- the Supreme Court. The committee in He said the lawmakers in the com- es—to the Supreme Court and 13 oth- July 2017 endorsed Parajuli’s nomina- mittee neither dare to air their inde- Overhead bridges planned ers to the lower court. The committee tion as chief justice even though his pendent views while conducting the MORANG: Biratnagar Metropolitan has given 10 days to the public to file different verdicts had landed into con- hearing nor go against party interests City has initiated the construction of complaints with arguments against troversies while the issue of dubious during the voting process. three overhead pedestrian bridges the nomination of Subedi and Chudal. academic credentials and birth certif- Party leaders who have been on the along the Koshi Highway. According Article 292 of the Constitution of icates remained unsettled. hearing committee partially agree to Mayor Bhim Parajuli, the overhead Nepal makes it mandatory for the chief Similarly, Samim Miya Ansari’s with Thapa. Chin Kaji Shrestha, for- bridges are being constructed at justice, justices, and those nominated to nomination as chairperson of the mer member of the committee and Kanchanbari, Bargachhi and constitutional commissions and ambas- Muslim Commission was endorsed in former chief whip of the Nepali Bhaththimod Chowk. The Rs 24.8 mil- sadorial positions to face a parliamenta- February 2020 though his citizenship Congress, said committee members POST FILE PHOTOL lion project has been awarded to two ry hearing before they are appointed to and academic certificates were alleg- are obliged to work as per the interests Provincial assembly members from the Nepal faction did not attend Wednesday’s construction companies. the positions they are nominated to. edly dubious. of the party. “It’s not that we don’t Parliamentary Party meeting. The fifteen-member committee is Constitutional law experts say the have an independent view. On differ- authorised to reject nominations hearing process has become ritualistic ent occasions we have raised ques- KALENDRA SEJUWAL Nepal faction and also the Minister for Covid-19 tally reaches 275,518 made by the constitutional council, as lawmakers on the committee have tions over the recommendation,” he SURKHET, MARCH 17 Internal Affairs and Planning. KATHMANDU: Nepal did not record any judicial council, and by the Cabinet. failed to perform as per the spirit of told the Post. “However, we don’t go Meanwhile, Minister for Industry, Covid-19 related deaths in the past 24 However, except in the case of Deepak the constitution. “The provision of against the party line.” The KP Sharma Oli group of the CPN- Tourism, Forest, and Environment hours, the Ministry of Health and Raj Joshi, who was recommended for parliamentary hearing makes no sense Shrestha said in 2014 when the UML has announced to withdraw its Nanda Singh Budha said that he will Population said on Wednesday. The the chief justice in June 2018, the if it doesn’t stop appointments of peo- Constitutional Council recommended support to the Karnali Province gov- not resign from his post. country’s overall death toll due to the panel hasn’t rejected any recommen- ple who have a controversial history,” five office bearers, including former ernment led by Mahendra Bahadur “This is a totally one-sided decision. Covid-19 related complications stands dations ever since the hearing process Raju Prasad Chapagain, chairperson Chief Justice Anup Raj Sharma, to the Shahi, Parliamentary Party leader of The decision should have to be unani- at 3,014. In the past 24 hours, the started in 2007 with the promulgation of the Constitutional Lawyers’ Forum, National Human Rights Commission, CPN (Maoist Centre). mous. But that is not the case,” Budha country recorded 94 new coronavirus of the Interim Constitution of Nepal. told the Post. “The provision was intro- the committee had opposed it saying it The decision was taken by a UML said. infections, pushing the overall infec- Article 155 of the interim constitu- duced with a good intention, however, was not inclusive. Among the five, Parliamentary Party meeting held in Leaders of the Oli faction said that tion number to 275,518, officials said tion, for the first time, included a pro- the committee has failed to perform its four were male Brahmins while Birendranagar on Wednesday. Before the decision will be implemented even on Wednesday. vision for a parliamentary hearing to constitutional duties.” Mohna Ansari was the only woman. the merger of the UML and if Nepal’s side disagreed with the Maoist Centre, the UML had backed decision. “The decision has been Shahi to form the provincial govern- made by the majority of assembly ment under article 168 (2) of the members. That is why there will be no constitution. problem in implementing the deci- With support from UML’s 20 sion,” Shah said. lawmakers and the Maoist Centre’s 13, Shahi was elected chief minister on February 15, 2018.The UML Shahi now has two Parliamentary Party meeting, held under the chairmanship of Yamlal options: step down Kandel—considered an ally of Prime Minister Oli—also decided to recall or prove majority three ministers—Prakash Jwala, Dal Rawal, and Nanda Singh Budha— in the provincial representing the UML in the provin- cial government. assembly. According to Gulabjung Shah, whip of the UML, 10 of the party’s 20 mem- bers in the provincial assembly Govinda Prasad Kalauni, provincial attended Wednesday’s meeting. The chief of Karnali Province, is UML’s decision has left the Shahi gov- set to start a process regarding the ernment in crisis. Shahi has two case on Thursday. “This matter options—either to resign or show a will enter the provincial assembly if vote of confidence in the provincial the chief minister expresses his assembly. desire to take the vote of confidence. Of the 40 members in the provincial The process of the vote of assembly, 20 belong to the UML, 13 to confidence will not be started if the the Maoist Centre, six to the Nepali chief minister prepares to resign,” Congress and one to the Rashtriya said Chudamani Kalauni, the Prajatantra Party. Any attempt to top- chief personal secretary of the ple the government requires the sup- province. port of at least 21 members. Provincial According to him, the chief minis- assembly members from the Nepal ter should face the assembly within 20 faction did not join Wednesday’s days. Currently, the provincial assem- Parliamentary Party meeting. “This is bly is not in session. “If the vote of just a meeting of a faction, which is confidence has to be taken, the provin- POST PHOTO: ELITE JOSHI why we are against the decision,” said cial session should be convened imme- Buddhist monks ride toy cars at Kathmandu Funpark on Wednesday. Prakash Jwala, a leader from the diately,” said secretary Kalauni. Tax authority seeks domestic solution to excise sticker shortage problem After awarding contracts to Janak Education Materials Centre to print 1.44 billion pieces of excise stickers, officials are considering ordering a billion more pieces.

PRITHVI MAN SHRESTHA after the Supreme Court in December sary security features. court, in February last year, cleared KATHMANDU, MARCH 17 last year issued an interim order “As we have to invest millions of the path for the tax authority to move against the procurement process in rupees to purchase machines required ahead with the tender process. The Inland Revenue Department is response to a writ petition filed by to print excise stickers, we are seeking The department failed to procure looking for a domestic solution to its Manohar Raj Ghimire of Mirage a guarantee from the tax authority the stickers even after getting clear- excise duty sticker shortage problem Printing Solution and Sishir Nahata that we will be awarded the printing ance from the court as the company after its effort to procure them through of Sprint Printing and Packaging contract for at least three years so that selected for printing and delivering international bidding continues to Company claiming that the tax author- we recover the investment we make to the stickers, Perusahaan Umum face roadblocks for a second year. ity was reluctant to prioritise domes- procure the machine,” said Chitra Percetakan Uang Republik Indonesia In the last two years, attempts by tic firms, as per the court’s order in Acharya, spokesperson for the Janak (Perum Peruri), didn’t show up to sign the department to procure the stickers the first case. Education Materials Centre. “If not, the contract with the department. have been blocked by various orders The department, which has already the government can provide a certain The tax authority made a second from the Supreme Court—one case signed two separate procurement amount under a grant to cover the cost attempt to procure the stickers related to the procurement process agreements with Janak Education POST FILE PHOTO of the new machines.” through international bidding, but it remains sub-judice. Materials Centre to print and deliver Janak Education Materials Centre has sought a three-year contract from the department to In its second attempt to procure was wrangled in another legal battle “We don’t know when the court will 1.44 billion pieces of stickers for tobac- ensure the recovery of its investment in new machines to print the stickers. excise stickers through international which forced the department to seek pass its final verdict on the issue. So, co and liquor, is consulting the centre bidding, the tax authority had issued a help from the Janak Education we are looking for a domestic solution to order another billion pieces of sulting representatives of the Janak far delivered 150 million pieces of fresh tender in October last year for Material Centre even if that meant to address the potential shortage of stickers, officials at both the depart- Education Materials Centre to pro- stickers for tobacco products, the eight billion pieces of stickers. But, a compromising on certain security stickers,” said Arjun Dhakal, informa- ment and centre told the Post. cure another billion pieces of stick- department said. writ petition filed against the procure- features. tion officer at the department. According to Dhakal, the stickers to ers,” said Dhakal. “So far, we haven’t This is the first time that the tax ment process and a subsequent inter- Liquor and cigarette producers say The department’s efforts to procure be supplied by Janak Education taken a concrete decision on the mat- authority authorised a domestic print- im order from the Supreme Court has that they are concerned with the qual- the stickers through international Material Centre under the two pro- ter. But, we understand that this ing press to print excise duty stickers made it impossible for officials to pro- ity of the stickers. “We are also con- bidding in November 2019 faced a set- curement agreements, are expected to option needs to be weighed to ensure in more than two decades. The cure the stickers from abroad any cerned that the tax authority’s failure back after a case was filed at the help meet the demand for at least a the smooth supply of stickers even last time it had done so was in the time soon. to ensure the supply of quality stick- Supreme Court, which eventually can- year. But, according to the depart- after a year.” 1990s. It had decided to get the stickers During its previous bid, the court ers could lead the to use of counterfeit celled the entire procurement process. ment, it takes more than a year to get According to the department, Janak printed abroad to ensure high-securi- had initially issued an interim order stickers and this could hurt genuine As per the law, the stickers must be delivery of fresh stickers if an inter- received its first contract for printing ty features. But, Janak has sought a against the procurement plan after producers of liquor and tobacco,” pasted on all forms of liquor, beer, and national contractor is chosen for the and delivering 690 million pieces of formal procurement agreement for Ghimire of Mirage Printing Solutions Ramesh Shrestha, president of Nepal tobacco before they are sold in the job. stickers meant for tobacco and then multiple years to print the next batch filed a writ petition arguing that the Beverage and Cigarette Industries market. “Given the uncertainty over the another contract to supply 752 million of stickers arguing that it has to pro- tax authority discriminated against Association had told the Post in an The second attempt also hit a snag Supreme Court verdict, we are con- pieces of stickers. The centre has so cure new machines to ensure neces- domestic printing firms. But, the interview in December last year.

C M Y K THURSDAY, MARCH 18, 2021 | 04 OPINION EDITORIAL Language chauvinism

Rigging the match The recent arrests in The president is deeply enmeshed in the ruling party’s Balaju show the need for mess, and that is not good for the republic. greater understanding of language diversity. Damage control actions cause greater damage if not done right. After the Supreme Court judgement on the unconstitu- tionality of the dissolution of the House of Representatives, DEEPAK THAPA Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli was expected to take moral AS I LIKE responsibility for the debacle. He was expected to express remorse for his ill-thought-out attempt at derailing the polit- ical process and commit to adhering to constitutionalism and buttressing political culture. On her part, President Bidya Devi Bhandari was expected On the sidelines of the political drama to feign principled distance from the prime minister’s politi- hogging the limelight was the somewhat cal manoeuvres if not express remorse for her keenness to disconcerting turn in the long-standing protests against the road expansion jump on the dissolution bandwagon. Both of them have done going on in Kathmandu Valley’s exactly the opposite. On Tuesday, during an all-party meeting north-western exit of Balaju. Locals had at Sheetal Nivas, the prime minister and the president were been declaiming that the land appropri- more or less on the same line concerning a way out of the ation process had been unfair and been engaged in acts of disobedience for contemporary political imbroglio. It is not clear whether the years. For their pains, this time, some of meeting had been called at the behest of the prime minister, the protestors were detained by the but it looked like the Bhandari-Oli duo had invited the lead- police. And, when some activists went to ers to intimidate them rather than to seek their opinion on an enquire about their well-being, they, too, were arrested—but for the affront of amicable way out of the mess. communicating in Newari, or Nepal In the presence of the president, Oli said the House was not Bhasa, a language that some of them SHUTTERSTOCK delivering again, and that its dissolution and fresh elections were most comfortable with but which language news broadcast began on busybodies promptly challenged the the time of mass popular mobilisations Radio Nepal. local governments’ authority to desig- against an increasingly unpopular gov- were a political necessity. The president complemented Oli’s the openly eavesdropping policemen could not understand. It all came to an end, however, with nate a language other than Nepali in ernment, the issue of the right to lan- stance by singing paeans to elections as a democratic process Such were the actions of the police the advent of the Panchayat system. the conduct of official business, and guage became another cause célèbre as although she was quick enough to add a disclaimer that it under the nominal leadership of a The process was gradual but with dev- the Supreme Court unfortunately well. And, unlike in the past, when was up to the leaders to decide if they really wanted to go for home minister whose party had astating effect. First was the revocation agreed. champions of the Newari language launched a bloody insurrection to guar- of Kathmandu Municipality’s 1958 Cue to post-2006 Nepal and we find would nearly all be Newars themselves, - early polls. The president seemed keen to enlighten the lead antee every Nepali the right to nurture decision to provide services in Newari the 2007 Interim Constitution and the this time around they found allies ers about the supposedly sincere intentions of the prime and make use of their own mother alongside Nepali. Then, came the ter- 2015 Constitution premised on the among non-Newars as well. These con- minister towards establishing stability in the country. tongue. It is a wonder that the police mination in 1965 of the news broad- restructuring of the state, which sist of those who suffer from Nepali- Together, Bhandari and Oli ended up reinforcing the idea could be so openly provoked by the casts in Newari (and Hindi). And, with included ending all forms of discrimi- language chauvinism themselves but sound of Newari in the face of the fact the New Education Plan of the early nation based on linguistic differences also a progressive bunch of individuals that they had indeed been in connivance all along. At the first that the current Prime Minister is mar- 1970s that made it more difficult to as well. That was indeed a far cry from whose mother tongue is Nepali and instance, it feels ridiculous to think that the ceremonial head ried to someone who grew up speaking study non-Nepali languages, Newari the 1990 Constitution which simply who could feel the pain of the constric- of the state would go out of her way to defend the unconstitu- that same language. Thus, while the appeared doomed. granted every community ‘the right to tions imposed by the state on their tional act of the executive. But precedence has an important audacity of the cops beggars disbelief, Perhaps it was in recognition of the preserve and promote its language, compatriots. The demand now is that it also points to a structural problem stellar role played by inhabitants of the script and culture’ while also allowing all languages spoken in Nepal be recog- place in politics. The president has set several questionable that goes much deeper: the fact that core areas of Kathmandu, Patan and the operation of primary schools in the nised as official languages. precedents in the past few months, be it in her enthusiasm in despite the political changes of 1990 Bhaktapur, along with other Valley local tongue. As was to be expected, the drumbeat rubberstamping controversial ordinances or the House disso- and 2006 and the three democratic con- townships, among the first actions of The 2015 Constitution also granted of negativism is slowly being heard lution, or her shadow presence in the goings-on in the ruling stitutions we have seen in three dec- the new government after the restitu- the seven provinces the authority to and amplified in the media. The spin ades, there has been not much change tion of democracy in 1990 was the res- designate one or more languages as the now is that it is a ridiculous demand part y. in the ruling elite in terms of their toration of the status quo ante with official language of the province along- whereby each and every government Months before dissolving the House, Prime Minister Oli proclivities. Hence, all those who attain regard to the news in Newari and Hindi side the mandatory Nepali. Similar department is being asked to provide claimed a seasoned political player like himself would never positions of authority end up adopting on Radio Nepal. While the 1990 consti- authority has also devolved to local services in all the 100+ languages spo- think of sabotaging the match. There’s no fun if there’s no and buttressing a mindset firmly tution retained Nepali as the official authorities through the mandate given ken in the country. Languages other moored in an unhappy past, which language it also granted recognition to to the Language Commission. More than Nepali have been brought into use match, the prime minister said to a cheering crowd of his includes undermining all the languag- all the languages spoken in Nepal as pertinently, the ‘right to language and in local governments all over the coun- supporters. However, in dissolving the House, he ended up es spoken and used in the country ‘languages of the nation’, thereby pav- culture’ has even been included in the try although so far it is only the main sabotaging the match altogether when it was apparent that other than Nepali. ing the way for these languages to be list of fundamental rights whereby language(s) of the region that has been With its rich history and a prove- used without fear from the state. everyone has the right to use their lan- considered. But the judiciary has he was on the losing side. Now, with the president seemingly nance older than Nepali’s, Newari per- A major blow, however, was the guage and to ‘preserve and promote shown that language need not be a bar- eager to go along, the prime minister is back again, to play a haps invoked a certain kind of envy Supreme Court’s ban in 1999 on the use their language, script, culture, civiliza- rier to receiving government servic- match that has already been fixed. among the rulers. Hence, as outlined in of Newari and Maithili in local govern- tion and heritage’. Despite all these es—just by providing translation sup- President Bhandari is no trouble-shooter for the CPN-UML Suwarn Vajracharya’s PhD disserta- ments. The Court’s decision was based protections accorded by the law, the port when required. tion, a trend started by the Shahs was on a petition against the introduction hapless Newari-speaking activists Nepali-language chauvinists should even if she may have a soft corner for her former party. She taken up by the Ranas in terms of dis- of Newari by Kathmandu Metropolitan found themselves in the slammer. be well aware by now that the language is no second fiddle to the prime minister even if he may be couraging the use of the language in City, and Maithili by the Janakpur That the Supreme Court summarily project of the Nepali state has been a her former comrade. President Bhandari represents an insti- public life, and in later years even District Development Committee and ordered the release of all those arrest- resounding success and there can be no tution that is expected to act as the custodian of the constitu- incarcerating those who wrote and the Rajbiraj Municipality as official ed in the Balaju episode shows how rolling back of its paramount role from published in it. The 1950s’ decade-long languages. In all the cases, these lan- both the law and the courts have bowed our lives. What official status to other tion. If President Bhandari wants to salvage the image of the interregnum between the Ranas and guages were to be used in addition to to the inevitable over time. In fact, the languages would do is grant all Nepalis institution she represents and elevate it from the slugfest of the Shahs was when the use of Newari Nepali. However, the perception, which judiciary has gone one step further and a sense of belonging to the state. intra-party politics where she has allowed it to be taken to, flowered. Newspapers were established was fuelled in part by the Nepali- now provides free interpretation ser- Hopefully, it would also temper the prej- she must make honest efforts towards keeping Sheetal Nivas and Nepal Bhasa also became the lan- language media, was that these lan- vices in all the courts for those who udices of government officials such as guage of instruction in some institu- guages were meant to supplant Nepali’s cannot communicate in Nepali. the police in the Balaju case. Neither at a principled distance from Baluwatar. tions. Most importantly, Newari- official language status. A group of Since the incident happened around can be such a bad thing, can it? Sequencing the post-Covid-19 recovery

the fiscal multiplier, thought it should sum.’ What they spent it on was of no Keynes’s emphasis on be double that. further concern to policymakers. The Nobel laureate economist Paul But in today’s age of automation, no the order of post-crisis Krugman said much the same about government can afford to take such a President Barack Obama’s 2009 stimu- cavalier attitude to the sustainability economic policies is still lus of $787 billion, which came to 5.5 of employment. As early as 1930, in percent of GDP. On the basis of such fact, Keynes foresaw technological highly relevant. uncertain reckonings, President Joe unemployment as a problem that Biden’s $1.9 trillion economic rescue would be outside the scope of demand plan, equivalent to 9 percent of cur- management. ROBERT SKIDELSKY rent GDP, seems about right. Since then, the accelerating threat Keynes was talking about fiscal of job redundancy has enlarged what stimulus. He was famously sceptical Keynes called the ‘agenda’ of govern- of the monetary stimulus attempted ment. In particular, the state must be by both President Herbert Hoover in centrally concerned with the speed of 1932 and FDR in 1933—now called technological innovation, the choice ‘unconventional monetary measures,’ of technologies, and the distribution or, more simply, quantitative easing of the productivity gains that technol- John Maynard Keynes was a staunch (QE). Then, like now, the goal was to ogy enables. champion of US President Franklin D bring about a recovery of prices by In the coming years, the uncompli- Roosevelt’s New Deal. The road to a printing money. cated Keynesian full-employment poli- civilised future, he wrote, went The most controversial of these cy will need to give way not just to a through Washington, not Moscow—a schemes, Roosevelt’s gold-buying training guarantee, but also to an direct rejoinder to those idealists, spree, was designed to offset the col- income guarantee as the character of including some of his students, who lapse in commodity prices. As FDR work changes and the quantity of nec- put their faith in communism. explained in one of his famous fireside essary human labour falls. Sustainable But Keynes was not uncritical of chats, higher hog prices meant higher employment may thus be very differ- FDR. Specifically, he faulted Roosevelt farm wages and buying power. In fact, ent from what we now think of as full for mixing up recovery and reform. large-scale gold buying by the US employment. Recovery from the slump was the first Treasury and the Reconstruction Then there is environmental sus- priority; social reforms, ‘even wise Finance Administration failed to move tainability. Although Keynes under- and necessary,’ might impede recov- the price of hogs or anything else. stood that the state would need to ery by destroying business confidence. Keynes’s reaction was scathing. account for a much larger share of Presaging today’s debates about Rising prices are an effect of recovery, investment, this was mainly a matter post-pandemic economic-policy prior- not a cause of it, he argued, adding that of smoothing out fluctuations in the ities, Keynes argued that proper trying to raise output by increasing the business cycle, not plotting a sustaina- sequencing would be the key to the quantity of money was like ‘trying to ble ecological future. (Conferences on New Deal’s success. get fat by buying a larger belt.’ All that nutrition always bored him.) He was The advisers in FDR’s ‘brain trust’ FDR’s gold-buying program did was to too much of a liberal, or perhaps sim- were reformers, not Keynesians, and replace gold hoarding with currency ply too much of his time, to believe had a different view. Attributing the hoarding. And yet economists continu- that the state’s agenda should include Great Depression to excessive corpo- ally reinvent the wrong wheel. The deliberately shaping the future rate power, they thought that the route 2009-16 QE programmes embodied the through its choice of investment and to recovery lay in institutional change. same misguided theory and similarly consumption projects. As a result, the so-called Keynesian failed to boost the price level. Today, economic reform shadows stimulus was a minor component of Likewise, Keynes criticised those SHUTTERSTOCK recovery to a far greater extent than it the New Deal—emergency treatment provisions of FDR’s National Recovery affect the confidence of a paralysed Keynes’s stress on the importance ity, which was simply not the case in did when Keynes distinguished pending longer-run cures. Administration that tried to engineer financial system. of proper policy sequencing is highly the 1930s. The reason so many people between the two. But his way of set- Keynes himself repeatedly argued recovery by strengthening the posi- Finally, Keynes worried that mixing relevant today. But, as we emerge from were out of work back then was not ting out the relationship is a clear that the New Deal’s extra federal tion of labour. This, too, he thought, up recovery and reform was giving the Covid-19 pandemic, the distinction that they lacked the skills required by starting point from which to build spending was insufficient to bring was the wrong way round: the time to FDR’s administration ‘too much to between recovery and reform—and industry, but rather that aggregate both better. about a full recovery. FDR’s total stim- saddle business with extra costs was think about all at once.’ This observa- consequently between macro and demand was insufficient. ulus package of $42 billion—mostly after recovery was secure, not before. tion should serve as a warning to micro policy and the short and long Keynes thus wrote in December Skidelsky, a member of the British spent in the first three years of his And while Keynes never challenged those who see in an economic crisis run—is less clear cut than it seemed to 1934 that the purpose of the govern- House of Lords, is Professor Emeritus presidency, from 1933-35—amounted to FDR’s promise to drive the money the chance to push all their favourite Keynes (and others) in the 1930s. ment spending a ‘small sum of money’ of Political Economy at Warwick about 5-6 percent of US GDP at the changers out of the temple, he must schemes, regardless of temporal con- For starters, full-employment policy was to get ‘private individuals and University. time. Keynes, taking a rosy view of have wondered about how this would sistency. is now obviously linked to employabil- corporations to spend a much larger — Project Syndicate

C M Y K 05 | THURSDAY, MARCH 18, 2021 MONEY

FOREX Indian sugar mills US Dollar 116.38 Surkhet airport expansion project Euro 138.66 rush to sign export Pound Sterling 161.96 Japanese Yen 10.67 moves ahead after design change contracts as prices Chinese Yuan 17.90 Qatari Riyal 31.96 rally globally Australian Dollar 90.02 The plan had stalled after local residents launched a protest against land acquisition. Malaysian Ringit 28.24 REUTERS CHANDANI KATHAYAT MUMBAI, MARCH 17 Saudi Arab Riyal 31.03 BIRENDRANAGAR, MARCH 17 Exchange rates fixed by Nepal Rastra Bank Indian mills have contracted to export The proposed expansion of Surkhet 4.3 million tonnes of sugar so far Shares airport in western Nepal has got the in the 2020/21 season ending go-ahead after the layout plan was on September 30, a trade body said Nepse 2,432.14pts 1.69% changed to address the concerns of on Wednesday, as a rally in global pric- locals regarding land acquisition. es to a four-year high and an export HIGHEST GAINERS The airport will now be expanded subsidy makes overseas sales CGH JOSHI GLH UMRH PMHPL KKHC 9.92% 9.77% 9.76% 9.7% 9.66% 9.38% towards the northern side only to lucrative. leave the existing infrastructure on Higher exports from the world’s sec- MODERATE GAINERS other sides intact. ond biggest sugar producer could cap UNHPL KPCL RMDC SMFDB PPCL DHPL 8.8% 7.09% 6.01% 5.97% 5.81% 5.65% The Civil Aviation Authority of gains in global prices, which have Nepal had originally intended to been buoyed by lower production MODERATE LOSERS MDB MEN MLBL NHDL NIBPO HURJA acquire land to extend the airport in Thailand, the world’s second big- -0.61% -0.74% -0.75% -0.96% -1.27% -1.48% area by 600 metres on the northern gest exporter.

HIGHEST LOSERS side, 400 metres on the southern side, The exports will help India reduce PFL BOKL NHPC GMFIL GFCL GHL 25 metres on the eastern side and 200 stockpiles and support local prices of -1.58% -1.7% -1.81% -1.9% -2.78% -8.95% metres on the western side. the sweetener, crucial in ensuring mil- Locals launched a protest saying lions of cane farmers get govern- the plan would displace hundreds of ment-mandated prices. PRICE PER TOLA residents, schools and other infra- “Around 4.3 million tonnes BULLION structure, and that the expansion plan of export contracts have already went against the master plan for been signed,” the Indian Sugar Fine Gold Rs 86,900 Surkhet Valley. Mills Association (ISMA) said in a Due to poor visibility at the airport statement. Silver Rs 1,270 site, authorities had proposed to “This is a great achievement install a lighting system stretching 460 especially because these contracts SOURCE: FENEGOSIDA metres on the southern side. have been signed in just 2-1/2 The local residents argued that the months, since the date the export expansion project was not based on a quotas were allocated by the GASOLINE WATCH technical study, and that they were POST FILE PHOTO government on 31st December, 2020,” tired of giving up land repeatedly for Surkhet airport can currently accommodate 42-seater planes. After expansion, it will be able to handle larger aircraft like the 72-seater ATR. it said. the airport. Out of the total contracts, nearly 2.2 Surkhet airport is the gateway to required around 3 bighas of land. schools and a number of cooperatives. Acharya said that all three tiers of million tonnes of sugar has already the Karnali region, and is strategical- The airport was enlarged again in Panthi said that extending the air- government and locals, including been shipped, the ISMA said. ly important for the transportation of 2004. After 16 years, the government port on the northern side as has been leaders of opposition parties, had The South Asian country has food grain, clothes, medicines, con- initiated another expansion plan, the agreed would affect only Amar Jyoti agreed to amend the airport’s approved a subsidy of 5,833 rupees struction materials, school equipment fifth in as many decades. Secondary School and a few houses design to reduce its social and eco- ($80.38) a tonne for exports of 6 mil- and other commercial goods to the Last November, the cabinet belonging to locals. nomic impact. lion tonnes in the current year. roadless mountainous area in the approved Karnali province’s proposal “We will prepare a new layout “We have called off our protest. “A container shortage and higher north. to expand the runway of Surkhet air- plan within 15 days, and discuss After the new design, the provincial freight charges are limiting Indian “The Civil Aviation Authority of port to 1,555 metres by acquiring 30 with the affected people to prepare a government will need to seek the con- exports,” the dealer said. Nepal, Karnali provincial government bighas of land at an estimated cost of list of families that will need to be sent of the affected people for land Indian mills have produced 25.87 and locals have reached an agreement nearly Rs8 billion. As per the agree- relocated.” acquisition and prepare an appropri- million tonnes of sugar in the to expand the airport towards the ment, the federal and Karnali provin- Local businessman Nirak KC said ate relocation plan.” current marketing year, nearly 20 northern side only,” said Umesh cial governments will share the costs that the project had decided to acquire Surkhet airport can currently percent more than a year ago as out- Kumar Panthi, chief of Surkhet air- on a 50/50 basis. extra land even though earlier it had accommodate planes as large as the put jumped in Maharashtra and port. “Accordingly, we will prepare a In 2004, when the airport was not seen any need to do so. “That 42-seater ATR aircraft. After the Karnataka, the ISMA said. new design.” expanded, many schools like Hastabir resulted in a dispute as locals were not expansion project, it will be able However, this year many mills The runway of Surkhet airport, Primary School were relocated. The happy. Now, the design will be amend- to handle larger aircraft like the are closing operations early due to constructed in October 1966, was then project would affect Amar Jyoti ed and there will be less destruction.” 72-seater ATR. limited supplies of sugar cane, the 1,000 metres long. Six years later, Secondary School and Amar Deep Tika Ram Acharya, coordinator of In 2019, a total of 2,990 flights took trade body said. it was lengthened by 250 metres. Community School which contains the ad hoc committee formed by resi- off and landed at Surkhet airport, and In the current marketing year, In 2001, the airport area was 4,000 students and Hastabir Primary dents and civil society leaders to stop 19,941 travellers passed through here. 502 sugar mills have started opera- expanded slightly for safety reasons, School which has 700 students. In the planned development, said they The airport handled 812 tonnes of tions, but 171 mills stopped crushing by approximately 60 metres, which addition, there are three private had stopped all protests. cargo last year. by mid-March end, it said. BIZLINE Tourism-starved Europe Blacklisted Chinese firms eye lawsuits CAN Info-Tech 2021 to kick off on May 12 charts course for summer KATHMANDU: The 27th CAN Info-Tech after Xiaomi win against Trump ban 2021 has been scheduled for May REUTERS discrimination. Others said tests or 12 at Bhrikutimandap Exhibition Hall BRUSSELS/BERLIN, MARCH 17 quarantine might still be necessary. REUTERS in both the White House and State in Kathmandu. According to the EU countries will be under pressure WASHINGTON, MARCH 17 Department who also works at Steptoe. organiser, the five-day event will be The European Union will unveil on to agree a common position swiftly for In a joint filing on Tuesday, the gov- participated by national and interna- Wednesday plans to reopen summer their 450 million people. The task is Chinese companies targeted by a ernment said it had not decided on the tional ICT companies and will feature travel with a new coronavirus pass complicated, however, by uncertainty sweeping investment ban imposed by “appropriate path forward” in the ICT accessories, game parlour, robot- intended to help revive the bloc’s over whether those inoculated can former President Donald Trump are Xiaomi case in light of the judge’s ics, emerging technology, e-waste multi-billion tourism and leisure still transmit the virus, a sluggish considering suing the US government decision. management, Wi-Fi and internet industries that have been pulverised vaccine rollout and some public scep- after a federal judge on Friday sus- A spokeswoman for the US learning centres. The organizer is by the pandemic. ticism about the campaign. pended a similar blacklisting for Department of Justice, which is expecting around 300,000 footfalls. The proposed, EU-wide “green digi- The head of the European People’s Beijing-based smartphone maker defending the case, declined to com- Tickets can be bought online from tal certificate” would collate informa- Party parliamentary group, Manfred Xiaomi. ment. A spokeswoman for the March 22. tion on vaccinations, tests and Covid Weber, welcomed the certificates idea, Lawyers familiar with the matter Department of Defence referred ques- recovery to let travellers cross borders but said they should only recognise said some of the banned Chinese com- tions to the White House, which has freely again after a year of curbs that vaccines approved by the relevant EU panies are in talks with law firms not responded.Xiaomi and 43 other Bajaj opens new showroom have left beaches and famous land- body, the European Medicines Agency including Steptoe & Johnson and companies were added in the waning in Phidim marks deserted. (EMA). It has so far only mandated Hogan Lovells, emboldened by US months of the Trump administration KATHMANDU: Hansraj Hulaschand & The 27-member EU’s executive will Western-made vaccines. District Judge Rudolph Contreras’ to the blacklist, which was mandated Co Pvt Ltd, the sole authorized dis- also put forward an option to allow in “Health and safety concerns cannot preliminary order halting Xiaomi’s by a 1999 law requiring the Defence tributor of Bajaj motorcycles in outsiders with proof of vaccination, be ignored in a political bargain over inclusion on a US list of alleged REUTERS Department to publish a compilation Nepal has inaugurated a fully facili- including those inoculated with access to the freedom of movement in Communist Chinese military The logo of Xiaomi is seen inside the of companies “owned or controlled” tated showroom—Samriddhi and Russian, Chinese or other non-West- Europe,” Weber said. companies that are subject to an company’s office in Bengaluru, India. by the Chinese military. Brothers Auto Pvt Ltd—in Phidim. ern doses. But with the number of EU The stakes could not be higher for investment ban. Seeking to cement a tough line on Bajaj, one of the largest selling and Covid-related deaths above 550,000 and Europe’s ailing tourism industry, The Trump administration’s move ria: its development of 5G technology China and box his Democratic succes- most trusted automobile brands in less than a tenth of the population where thousands of jobs have been to blacklist Xiaomi Corp, which and artificial intelligence, which the sor, Joe Biden, into hardline policies, Nepal launched the new showroom inoculated, countries including shed as business closed around knocked $10 billion off its market Defense Department alleges are Trump signed an executive order that with a vision to provide fully facilitat- France, Belgium and Germany fear the continent. share and sent its shares down 9.5 “essential to modern military opera- was later expanded to bar all US inves- ed Bajaj’s sales, services and spare percent in January, would have forced tions,” and an award given to Xiaomi tors from holding securities in the investors to completely divest their founder and Chief Executive Lei Jun named companies beginning on parts throughout the country. stakes in the company. from an organization said to help November 11, 2021. “Companies are reaching out to law- the Chinese government eliminate Other companies listed include Sunil KC nominated as adviser yers to challenge the listings and the barriers between commercial and mil- video surveillance giant Hikvision, grounds for the listings,” said Wendy itary sectors. China National Offshore Oil Corp to FNCCI’s International Wysong, managing partner of the The judge noted that 5G and AI tech- (CNOOC) and China’s top chipmaker, Investment Promotion Hong Kong office of Steptoe & nologies were fast becoming standard Semiconductor Manufacturing KATHMANDU: Sunil KC, Vice President Johnson, a worldwide law firm head- in consumer electronics, and that over International Corp. of Nepal-India Chamber of quartered in Washington. Wysong and 500 entrepreneurs had received the SMIC, Hikvision and CNOOC did Commerce and Industry (NICCI) a person familiar with Hogan Lovells, same award as Lei since 2004, includ- not immediately respond to requests has been nominated as adviser to another global law firm, declined to ing the leaders of an infant formula for comment. the International Investment name the companies involved in dis- company. “The facts that led to Luokung Technology Corp, a map- Promotion at Federation of Nepalese cussions. Xiaomi’s designation are almost ping technology company on the list, Chambers of Commerce and Industry Contreras flagged the US govern- laughable, and I think it absolutely is also sued the US government earlier (FNCCI). KC is a young entrepreneur ment’s “deeply flawed” process for going to lead to additional companies this month, and is expected to seek and knowledgeable person in Nepal- REUTERS including the company in the invest- seeking relief,” said Washington law- preliminary relief similar to that Seagulls are seen on an empty beach of the Promenade des Anglais in Nice, France. India relations along with interna- ment ban, based on just two key crite- yer Brian Egan, a former legal adviser awarded to Xiaomi. tional diplomacy and he has been actively working in the field of eco- nomic diplomacy since a long time, according to a press statement issued by NICCI.

Basnet appointed Zambia’s Some UK financial firms blame Covid-19 Honorary Consul in Nepal KATHMANDU: The High Commission for missing target of women in senior roles of the Republic of Zambia in India has appointed Nepali businessman REUTERS target of at least 33 percent of female representation Desh Bandhu Basnet as Zambia’s LONDON, MARCH 17 in senior management. Honorary Consul in Nepal. The A group of 81 firms were due to hit their target by appointment was announced by Her Most financial firms and institutions signed up to a the end of 2020, but 44 of them failed to do so, citing Excellency Judith K K Kan’goma UK finance ministry backed charter met their 2020 deliberately ambitious targets, and recruitment or Kapijimpanga, the Ambassador of targets for women in senior management as those who promotion freezes due to Covid, the review said. Zambia to India in a ceremony held fell behind blamed hiring freezes due to Covid-19, a Asset manager BlackRock missed its 30 percent in Embassy with the consular juris- review said on Wednesday. target last year, but achieved it in early 2021. diction over Kathmandu Valley The fourth annual review from think tank New Others who missed in 2020 include Invesco, the (Kathmandu, Lalitpur, and Financial for Britain’s finance ministry, said the Financial Conduct Authority, insurer AXA UK, Bhaktapur) to handle the Consular Women in Finance Charter faced its biggest test yet Funding Circle, Legal & General Group, London Stock and Economics issues on behalf of after the Covid-19 pandemic struck in 2020. Exchange Group, Bank of England, Tesco Bank, and the Republic of Zambia. Her Over 70& of the 209 signatories, including the the Financial Reporting Council. Excellency handed over the letter of finance ministry, have met their self-imposed targets, Two-thirds of the 209 signatories are seeking to commission, national flag, and the or were on track to meet future targets, the review quantify and qualify the impacts of Covid on women seal of the office to Basnet. said. Just over 60 percent of the signatories have set a in their workforce.

C M Y K THURSDAY, MARCH 18, 2021 | 06 WORLD BRIEFING Town a battle zone as Myanmar WHO reports 10 percent EU court outlaws practice of trapping songbirds with glue junta enforces martial law spike in new Covid-19 BRUSSELS: The traditional French practice of trapping songbirds with The army has increasingly deployed heavier force to quell demonstrations across country. glue is illegal and cannot be author- cases worldwide ised by the state, the EU Court of Justice said on Wednesday, handing a AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE ASSOCIATED PRESS/ REUTERS victory to bird lovers. France is the YANGON, MARCH 17 GENEVA/ NEW DELHI, MARCH 17 only country in the European Union UN worried about to allow the catching of birds, in Plumes of smoke rose on Wednesday The World Health Organization South Asia’s children parts of the south, by pasting glue on above a part of Myanmar’s biggest reported a 10 percent rise in new sticks or tree trunks, or using snares city under martial law which has coronavirus cases globally last week, NEW DELHI: The coronavirus pandemic and nets, despite a 1979 EU ban. “A turned into a battle zone, with burn- driven by surges in the Americas may have indirectly contributed to member state may not authorise a ing barricades and security forces fir- and Europe. around 228,000 additional child deaths method of capture of birds ... which ing at unarmed anti-coup protesters. WHO said in its weekly update on in 2020, 11,000 maternal fatalities and is likely to cause other than negligi- Traumatised residents have fled the status of the global outbreak 3.5 million unwanted pregnancies in ble harm to the species concerned,” the industrial neighbourhood in published on Wednesday, the world- South Asia, the UN said in a report on the court said in a statement. Yangon that has become one of the wide number of new Covid-19 cases Wednesday. flashpoint sites in a nationwide upris- peaked in early January at nearly 5 The study commissioned by ing against the military’s coup nearly million cases, but then dropped to UNICEF blamed “drastic cuts in the Court says ‘unconstitutional’ to seven weeks ago. about 2.5 million cases per week in availability and use of essential pub- bar same-sex marriage The junta has increasingly deployed mid-February. lic health services” because of the TOKYO: A Japanese court ruled on heavier force to quell the demonstra- The UN health agency noted that pandemic. Wednesday that not allowing same- tions, with more than 200 protesters last week was the third consecutive “The fall-off of these critical servic- sex couples to get married is “uncon- reported to have been killed in the week there was a global rise in new es has had a devastating impact on the stitutional,” setting a precedent in crackdown. cases, after weeks of declining infec- health and nutrition of the poorest the only G7 nation not to fully recog- Sunday was the deadliest day tions. WHO said Covid-19 numbers in families,” said regional director nise same-sex partnership. The ruling since the coup, with a local monitor- the Americas and Europe accounted George Laryea-Adjei. by a district court, the first in Japan ing group documenting more than for more than 80 percent of all new “It is absolutely vital that these on the legality of same-sex marriag- 70 people killed—the bulk of them in cases and deaths in the last week. services are fully restored for es, is a major symbolic victory in a the industrial Hlaing Tharyar town- AP/RSS children and mothers who are in des- country where the constitution still ship in Yangon that has become the Anti-coup protesters take cover behind a makeshift barricade on a road as armed security perate need of them, and that defines marriage as being based on battle zone. forces approach them in Yangon, Myanmar on Wednesday. Dogs can detect Covid-19 everything possible is done to ensure “the mutual consent of both sexes”. The junta on Sunday imposed mar- that people feel safe to use them,” Following the ruling, plaintiffs and tial law on Hlaing Tharyar and later camped on a bridge leading into the Assistance Association for Political in sweat, project shows Laryea-Adjei said. (AFP) supporters unfurled rainbow flags on other protest hotspot townships— township’s main roads on Tuesday Prisoners, a local monitoring group. and banners in front of the court. effectively placing nearly two million evening, wearing hard hats, gas masks But protesters continued taking to BANGKOK: Thai sniffer dogs trained to While a new law will be needed before people under complete control of mil- and carrying shields. the streets Wednesday, with local detect Covid-19 in human sweat proved Medicines Agency have said there is same-sex marriages can actually take itary commanders. They had also erected barricades media broadcasting images of people nearly 95 percent accurate during no evidence to date the vaccine is place, the plaintiffs’ lawyer called the Residents—many of them migrant made out of tyres, wood, sandbags and marching through northern Hpakant training and could be used to identify linked to the blood clots and that its ruling “revolutionary.” workers—have since fled back to their bamboo poles. and central Sagaing region. coronavirus infections at busy trans- benefits continue to outweigh the home states, piling their belongings Some of those barricades were In the country’s second largest city port hubs within seconds, the head of risks of side effects. and families onto flat-bed trucks and burnt, leading to heavy black smoke Mandalay, saffron-robed monks a pilot project said. Meanwhile, India’s daily coronavi- 10 million displaced by climate the backs of motorbikes. rising above the mostly deserted marched alongside demonstrators Six Labrador Retrievers participat- rus infections jumped by 28,903 on Those who stayed reported scenes streets. carrying the red flags of Suu Kyi’s ed in a six-month project that included Wednesday, data from the health min- disasters in six months akin to war. Some protesters threw petrol bombs National League for Democracy party. unleashing them to test an infected istry showed, for the highest increase SINGAPORE: About 10.3 million people “There was constant gunshots the at the security forces, but otherwise The United Nations on Tuesday patient’s sweat on a spinning wheel of since December 13 and taking the were displaced by climate change-in- entire night and we didn’t get to appeared defenceless as they hid again condemned the deaths in six canned vessels. nationwide tally to 11.44 million. duced events such as flooding and sleep,” one resident told AFP, adding behind makeshift shields. Myanmar, adding it was worried “The dogs take only one to two sec- Deaths swelled by 188, the highest droughts in the last six months, the people were worried about even walk- In a residential area of a neighbour- about reports of torture and deaths of onds to detect the virus,” Professor figure in two months, to stand at majority of them in Asia, a humani- ing on the streets for fear of getting ing township, video footage verified by those in custody. Kaywalee Chatdarong, the leader of 159,044. India has the world’s highest tarian organisation said on targeted by security forces. AFP showed volleys of gunfire going “The death toll has soared over the the project said. (REUTERS) tally of infections after the United Wednesday. The International Another resident, a medical stu- non-stop for roughly 15 seconds. past week in Myanmar, where securi- States and Brazil. Nearly 62 percent of Federation of Red Cross and Red dent, said there was a heavy military Information on arrests and violence ty forces have been using lethal force infections in the past 24 hours and 46 Crescent Societies said about 2.3 mil- and police presence around the main have been trickling out of the conflict increasingly aggressively against In Europe, WHO said new con- percent of the deaths were reported by lion others were displaced by conflict parts of the township. areas on social media—the flow peaceful protesters,” UN rights office firmed cases rose by about 6 percent the western state of Maharashtra, the in the same period, indicating the “They were checking cars, motor- slowed due to the junta’s throttling of spokeswoman Ravina Shamdasani while deaths have been “consistently country’s worst affected. vast majority of internal displace- bikes and the mobile phones of people mobile data. told reporters. declining.” It said the highest num- The federal government has blamed ments are now triggered by climate going around the streets,” he told AFP. Much of Myanmar has not been “Deeply distressing reports of tor- bers were recorded in France, Italy crowding and a general reluctance to change. Though the figures cover “If they detected anything related able to use their mobile internet since ture in custody have also emerged.” and Poland. wear masks for the spike, ruling out only a six-month period from to politics and the civil disobedience the early hours of Monday. The office had determined that “at The spike in cases comes as more the virus mutations that have been a September 2020 to February movement, they arrested people,” he The country is also placed under least five deaths in custody have than a dozen countries, mostly in factor in Western countries. 2021, they highlight an accelerating said, adding that authorities also a nightly internet shutdown for occurred in recent weeks,” she said, Europe, have temporarily suspended Maharashtra, home to India’s com- global trend of climate-related threatened residents to make them eight hours. adding that “at least two victims’ bod- their use of AstraZeneca’s Covid-19 mercial capital of Mumbai, is among displacement, said Helen Brunt, of remove barricades around the area. More than 200 people have died in ies show signs of physical abuse indi- vaccine amid reports that it is linked the states that have already tightened the IFRC. (AGENCIES) Hardline anti-coup protesters had anti-coup unrest, according to the cating that they were tortured.” to blood clots. WHO and the European rules to curb the spread of the virus. US massage parlour shootings leave eight dead, many of Asian descent

ASSOCIATED PRESS who died were women of Korean ATLANTA, MARCH 17 descent. The ministry said its Incident prompts Consulate General in Atlanta is trying A 21-year-old Georgia man has been to confirm the nationality of the arrested in the killings of eight people fear that it could be women. at three Atlanta-area massage par- yet another hate US Secretary of State Antony lours, many of them women of Asian Blinken, who is in South Korea meet- descent, authorities said. crime against ing with Foreign Minister Chung Eui- Police said the motive wasn’t imme- yong, mentioned the killings during diately known, but the ethnicity of Asian Americans. an opening statement. many of the victims prompted fears “We are horrified by this violence that the killings could be yet another which has no place in America or any- hate crime against Asian Americans. been briefed on the “horrific shoot- where,” he said, noting that four of The attacks began on Tuesday ings” and administration officials the women were believed to be of evening, when five people were shot at have been in contact with the mayor’s Korean descent. Youngs Asian Massage Parlor in office and the FBI. The killings came amid a recent Acworth, about 50 kilometres north of Surveillance video recorded a man wave of attacks against Asian Atlanta, Cherokee County Sheriff ’s pulling up to the Acworth business Americans that coincided with the Office spokesman Capt Jay Baker about 10 minutes before the attack spread of the coronavirus across the said. Two people died at the scene, and there, authorities said. United States. three were taken to a hospital where The same car was spotted outside “Our entire family is praying for two died, Baker said. the Atlanta businesses. A manhunt the victims of these horrific acts of About an hour later, police respond- was launched, and Robert Aaron violence,” Governor Brian Kemp said ing to a call about a robbery found Long, of Woodstock, was taken into on Tuesday evening on Twitter. three women dead from apparent gun- custody in Crisp County, about 150 FBI spokesman Kevin Rowson said shot wounds at Gold Spa in the miles (240 kilometers) south of the agency was assisting Atlanta and Buckhead neighbourhood of Atlanta. Atlanta, Baker said. Cherokee County authorities in the While there, the officers learned of a Video evidence “suggests it is investigation. call reporting shots fired at another extremely likely our suspect is the Crisp County Sheriff Billy Hancock spa across the street, Aromatherapy same as Cherokee County’s, who is in said in a video posted on Facebook Spa, and found a woman who appeared custody,” Atlanta police said in a state- that his deputies and state troopers to have been shot dead. ment. Authorities haven’t specified were notified Tuesday night that a “It appears that they may be charges. murder suspect out of north Georgia Asian,” Atlanta Police Chief Rodney South Korea’s Foreign Ministry was headed toward their county. Bryant said. said in statement Wednesday that its Deputies and troopers set up along the AP/RSS White House press secretary Jen diplomats in Atlanta have confirmed interstate and “made contact with the A man dressed as St Patrick walks down O’Connell street in Dublin, Ireland, on Wednesday. St Patrick’s Day parades across the country were Psaki said President Joe Biden has with police that four of the victims suspect,” he said. cancelled for the second year due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Mars’ ‘missing’ water is buried beneath surface, study says

AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE et in roughly 100 to 1,500 meters (330 to um behind. But given how much water nent. According to the teams’ simula- WASHINGTON, MARCH 17 4,4920 feet) of ocean. the planet is believed to have started tions, the planet lost between most Because the planet lost its magnetic with, and the current rate of hydro- of its water between four to 3.7 billion Billions of years ago, Mars was home field early in its history, its atmos- gen escape observed by spacecraft, the years ago, which means “Mars to lakes and oceans—but where all the phere was progressively stripped current deuterium-to-hydrogen ratio was pretty much like we see how it is water went to transform the planet away, and it was assumed this was cannot be explained by atmospheric today for the past three billion years,” into the desolate rock we know today how it lost its water. loss alone. said Scheller. has been something of a mystery. But the authors of the new study The study’s authors instead say She added she was excited about Most of it was thought to have been believe that while some of the water there was a combination of two mech- what the Perseverance rover, which lost to space, but a new study funded did disappear, the majority remained. anisms: the trapping of water in min- landed last month for a multiyear by NASA proposes that it didn’t go Using observations made by Mars erals in the planet’s crust as well as science mission on the planet, might anywhere but is trapped within min- rovers as well as of meteorites from the loss of water to the atmosphere. be able to contribute to the area of erals in the crust. the planet, the team focused on hydro- “Anytime that you have a rock and research. “We’re saying that the crust forms gen, a key component of water. it’s interacting with water, there’s a “The Perseverance rover is actually what we call hydrated minerals, so There are different kinds of hydro- series of very complex reactions going to investigate exactly these pro- minerals that actually have water in gen atoms. Most have just one proton that form a hydrated mineral,” said cesses and reactions that cause the their crystal structure,” Eva Scheller, in their nucleus, but a tiny fraction, Scheller. sequestration of water in the crust,” lead author of the new paper in about 0.02 percent, have both a proton This process, called “chemical she said. The team’s model contains Science, told AFP. and a neutron, making them heavier. weathering,” also takes place on multiple scenarios, which they to com- In fact, Scheller’s model suggests These are known as deuterium, or Earth—for example, in clay, also found pare to new data acquired by the rover. anywhere between 30 - 99 percent of “heavy” hydrogen. on Mars. “We can start to say, ‘These parts of the initial water remains trapped Because the lighter kind escapes the But on our planet volcanoes recycle the model aren’t working right and NASA VIA REUTERS inside these minerals. planet’s atmosphere at a faster rate, the water back into the atmosphere. these parts are’ and that’s going to Wheel tread marks are left in the soil of Jezero Crater on Mars, as NASA’s Mars rover Early Mars was thought to have the loss of most of the water to space Mars, however, doesn’t have tectonic help us get closer and closer and clos- Perseverance drives on Martian surface for the first time. enough water to cover the whole plan- would leave relatively more deuteri- plates, making the changes perma- er to the answer,” said Scheller.

C M Y K 07 | THURSDAY, MARCH 18, 2021

C M Y K THURSDAY, MARCH 18, 2021 | 08 SPORTS | MEDLEY BRIEFING Can Man City realise ‘utopia’ of quadruple? Nishikori eyes FC Chitwan rope in striker top-five return Khawas and coach KC The Mancunians, who lead the Premier League by 14 points with eight games remaining and are in the final of League KATHMANDU: FC Chitwan have Cup and quarter-final of the FA Cup, look far more solid in the Champions League keeping a seven straight clean sheet. recruited Nepali international striker Bharat Khawas as their REUTERS marquee player and former national MANCHESTER, MARCH 17 team assistant coach Meghraj KC as their coach for the franchise-based Football managers can be as obsessed Nepal Super League (NSL) football as any political leader with the need tournament. The first ever franchise for ‘message discipline’ as Manchester football tournament featuring seven City defender Oleksandr Zinchenko teams is set to take place from April discovered this week. 24 to May 8 at the Dasharath Stadium The Ukrainian spoke openly and in Tripureshwar. According to a positively before Tuesday’s statement issued by FC Chitwan, they Champions League win over Borussia have also recruited Sailesh Moenchengladbach about the chance Karmacharya as their assistant the team has to win an unprecedented coach. However, the wage of the trio quadruple of titles this season. His REUTERS is not disclosed. Khawas is also the manager, Pep Guardiola, was less than Japan’s Kei Nishikori, the first Asian man captain of ‘A’ division outfit impressed with the player veering to reach a Grand Slam singles final at 2014 Tribhuvan Army Club and he would from the party line, rebuking “Mr US Open, has struggled for consistency. lead Chitwan as captain in the NSL. Zinchenko” and declaring that “four Chitwan FC is owned by Game On, a titles is a utopia”. REUTERS part of IME group. (SB) LONDON, MARCH 17 Manchester City lost Japan’s Kei Nishikori feels like he is Nadal withdraws from Miami in the second stage of his career after MIAMI: Rafael Nadal withdrew from to Liverpool, Spurs the last few years were interrupted by next week’s start of the ATP Miami injuries but the 31-year-old says his Open on Tuesday, tweeting that he and then Lyon in goal remains to get back to the top needs to skip the event to prepare for echelons of the sport. the upcoming European clay-court previous quarters. Nishikori became the first Asian campaign. The 34-year-old Spanish man to reach a Grand Slam singles left-hander, who shares the all-time final at the 2014 US Open but, plagued record of 20 men’s Grand Slam Guardiola’s stance is a fairly typical by injuries, he has struggled for con- singles titles with Roger Federer, has concern of managers who worry that sistency and has fallen to No 41 in the not played since being ousted from by talking up the end goals, players world. last month’s Australian Open quar- will lose the focus needed to accumu- “If I want to come back to my level ter-finals by Greece’s Stefanos late the wins that bring the success. before, I have to be tough,” Nishikori Tsitsipas. “Sad to announce that I But while such a mentality is under- told reporters on Tuesday after taking won’t be playing in Miami, a city that standable and no doubt based on good down 13th-ranked Belgian David I love,” Nadal tweeted. “I need to fully psychology, by no objective standard Goffin 6-3 7-6(3) in the ATP 500 event in recover and get ready for the clay can the idea of City winning all four Dubai. court season in Europe. Nadal seeks a titles this season be considered utopi- “I try to think this is my second fifth consecutive French Open title an. With eight games remaining, City journey. I’ve had many injuries. This and 14th career crown on the lead the Premier League by 14 points is a new journey for me, I have to be red clay of Roland Garros starting and it is a matter of when, not if, they AP/RSS happy.” in May. (AFP) complete their third title in four sea- Goals from Kevin De Bruyne (left) and Ilkay Gundogan gave Manchester City their 24th win in their last 25 games in all competitions. The aggressive baseliner rose to a sons. City are in the final of the career-high ranking of fourth for the League Cup and are favourites to beat Ilkay Gundogan, Bernardo Silva and first time in 2015. UEFA wants fans in Euro Tottenham Hotspur in the final on Kevin De Bruyne take up the central The last time he was ranked in the LAUSANNE: European football’s gov- April 25, even though Spurs are one of Real Madrid ease into quarters positions at key moments. top 10 was in October 2018 but a year erning body is working on a plan to only three teams to beat them this Phil Foden’s emergence as a regular later Nishikori underwent elbow sur- ensure that every match at this year’s season. REUTERS Captain Sergio Ramos put Real fur- feature in the side has injected some gery and spent 10 months on the side- delayed pan-continental Euros will be They are expected to beat Everton MADRID, MARCH 17 ther at ease when he converted a pen- additional pace into the team and lines. staged in front of fans. Held over in the FA Cup quarter-final on alty on the hour, although the Italian Guardiola has been able to address his He targeted a return at the 2020 US from 2020 due to the coronavirus pan- Saturday and while they will be wary Real Madrid easily overcame Atalanta side managed to get one goal back concerns from earlier in the campaign Open but pulled out after testing posi- demic this summer’s championship is of Manchester United, the only team 3-1 at home in their Champions League thanks to a free kick from Luis Muriel that his side were rushing their tive for the novel coronavirus. due to be held in 12 different coun- to beat them in any competition since last-16 second leg on Wednesday to in the 83rd. attacks. City under Guardiola have Nishikori played some matches tries. That says UEFA provides the the Spurs loss in November, stroll into the quarter-finals 4-1 on But any hope they had of making a always dominated possession and after returning in Austria in opportunity to chop and change the Guardiola’s team are still favourites. aggregate. recovery was quickly dashed a minute been relentless in their passing but September but his season was again venues if a host city is insisting on That leaves the Champions League, Karim Benzema scored a sixth goal later by a low strike from Real substi- they now do so with additional speed cut short by a shoulder injury he suf- holding a match behind closed doors. where the bookmakers also see the in five games to put the 13-times tute Marco Asensio. and a devastating cutting edge. But, as fered during a five-set loss at the “If a city proposes a no fans scenar- Mancunians as the most likely win- European champions in charge after Real, who were knocked out in the their manager never tires of pointing French Open. io” the matches due to be held there ners, but where Guardiola’s caution is 34 minutes following a poor kick out last 16 by Manchester City last term out, in the Champions League, the In a sign that he could climb up the “could” be switched “to cities able to most justified as City have fallen in by Atalanta goalkeeper Marco and Ajax Amsterdam the season margins of error are much tighter rankings again, Nishikori defeated welcome supporters”, UEFA told AFP the quarter-finals for the last three Sportiello which was intercepted by before, reached the last eight for the than in domestic competition and youngsters Canadian Felix Auger- on Wednesday. The federation’s presi- seasons. They will find out who their Luka Modric. first time since 2018. they will need to maintain their cur- Aliassime and Alex De Minaur of dent, Aleksander Ceferin, assured last eight and possible semi-final rent level of form if they are to turn Australia—both former top-20 play- Croatian newspaper Sportske Novosti opponents are in Friday’s UEFA draw. the ‘utopia’ into reality. ers—during his quarter-final run at on Sunday that the June 11-July 11 Last year, in the ad-hoc single leg them down—but this season’s team true to the core thinking that has been After the comfortable 2-0 win Rotterdam earlier this month. event would not be “staged in front of format in Lisbon, City contrived to look far more solid. With Ruben Dias central to his success at Barcelona, against Moenchengladbach and “I’ve been playing well the last two empty stands”. Host cities have until lose to unfancied Olympique Lyonnais. having transformed the troublesome Bayern Munich and the Etihad advancing into quarters with 4-0 weeks,” Nishikori said. “My goal is to April 7 to let UEFA know what their The previous year they lost to centre of City’s back-line, they have Stadium. aggregate victory on Tuesday, come back to top 10, top five hopefully. scenarios are in terms of attendance Tottenham over two legs and in 2018 not conceded a goal in the Champions Striker Sergio Aguero’s long-term Guardiola was still very much on mes- “I know it’s going to be a long way ahead of an executive committee were well beaten by Liverpool. League since October’s opening group injuries resulted in City playing regu- sage. “On Saturday, (in the FA Cup) if back, because everyone is playing meeting on April 19, on the eve of the In all of those games, City had game against Porto. larly without a traditional centre-for- we deserve it we will go through well. I have to step up little more but federation’s annual congress in spells where they lost control of the Guardiola has evolved the team’s ward and as a result they have mas- against Everton and if not we I’ve been enjoying the challenge these Montreux. (AFP) game and where their defending let tactical approach, while remaining tered a system where midfielders will be out.” couple of weeks.” HOROSCOPE ARIES (March 21-April 19) ** CANCER (June 22-July 22) *** LIBRA (September 23-October 22) *** CAPRICORN (December 22-January 19) **** As an Aries, it’s easy for you to initiate new As a Cancer, it’s well known that your moods Today’s skies offer a welcome sense of equilibri- Enjoy the leisurely flow of Thursday’s skies, projects, but you can struggle when it comes to can turn on a dime. That switch is rooted in um and understanding, Libra. The moon march- Capricorn. A sense of equilibrium and peace following through. Thursday’s skies make it your connection with the shape-shifting moon. es through sensual Taurus and spends the day imbues the day ahead, as the steady Taurus easy to stay on task and get productive. in a supported connection with the energy-giv- moon aligns with sweet Venus and the ener- ing sun and other-oriented Venus. gy-giving sun.

TAURUS (April 20-May 20) **** LEO (July 23-August 22) *** SCORPIO (October 23-November 21) *** AQUARIUS (January 20-February 18) *** It’s easy to feel good and get things done under It’s easy to make strides on the career front Thursday’s cosmic landscape is sweet and sen- A welcome sense of peace imbues itself into the Thursday’s skies, Taurus. The moon glides today, Leo. The hardworking Taurus moon sual, Scorpio. The moon glides through the end day ahead, Aquarius. Your focus today remains through your sign and reaches out to bond-build- spends the day in a positive alignment with the of down-to-earth Taurus and forms harmonious on home and family matters that need patching ing Venus and the energy-giving sun, making it energy-giving sun and sweet Venus, making it connections to bond-building Venus and the up, as the practical Taurus moon aligns with an ideal day. easy to form alliances. energy-giving sun. connection-concerned Venus.

GEMINI (May 21-June 21) *** VIRGO (August 23-September 22) *** SAGITTARIUS (November 22-December 21) *** PISCES (February 19-March 20) *** Your introverted Twin and extroverted Twin are Thursday’s skies are peaceful and receptive, As a Sagittarius, you’re great at seeing the big You’re bound to be two different people in the both making an appearance today, Gemini. The Virgo. The moon glides through the tail end of picture vision of things but can struggle when course of the day, Pisces! The first half of the first half of the day is dedicated to immersing steady Taurus, forming supportive pacts with it comes to handling the little things. Today’s day is spent in movement, messages, and busy yourself in alone time where you can steadily bond-building Venus and the life-giving sun. skies help you to hunker down on your work but pleasant exchanges—as the steady Taurus work on career projects. efforts and form positive alliances. moon receives a variety of supportive aspects. CROSSWORD SUDOKU

YESTERDAY’S SOLUTION

C M Y K 09 | THURSDAY, MARCH 18, 2021 SPORTS Nagarkoti’s lead trims down Buttler lauds Morgan after 100th T20 AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE to two-stroke after third round AHMEDABAD, MARCH 17 Match-winner Jos Buttler praised England captain Eoin Morgan as a He cards two-over 74 while second placed Sukra Bahadur Rai plays one-under 71. “pioneer” after his landmark 100th Twenty20 appearance in Tuesday’s SPORTS BUREAU nine at one-under 35. At the back nine, victory over India. KATHMANDU, MARCH 17 he played even-par 36 despite dropping Buttler, whose unbeaten 83 eclipsed two shots at the par-five 11th hole. He India skipper Virat Kohli’s swash- Leader Bhuwan Nagarkoti’s lead was saved shots on the 14th and 15th holes. buckling 77, said Morgan was an trimmed down to two-stroke going Amateur Subash Tamang played inspiration to up-and-coming England into final rounds after the third round one-over 37 on the front nine and cricketers. Morgan, 34, has revamped of the Surya Nepal Central Open at one-under 35 after taking the turn. He England’s approach to limited-overs the Gokarna Golf Club on Wednesday. dropped a shot on the fourth and sixth cricket, highlighted by their 2019 ODI Nagarkoti, who opened the day with holes against a birdie on seventh. He World Cup win—four years after they a five-stroke lead, played a card of two- played a bogey at the very first hole failed to get out of their pool in 2015. over 74 for a 56-hole total of nine-un- after taking a turn but he amended it “He’s been a pioneer for English der 207. Sukra Bahadur Rai, who card- with birdies in the 12th and 18th holes. white-ball cricketers—he was a pio- ed one-under 71, is behind Nagarkoti Lama carded one-over 37 on the neer as a player to start with and cer- with a third day total of seven-under front nine with birdies on the first and tainly as a captain and leader,” Buttler 209. Amateur Subash Tamang, the third holes while he dropped two shots said. “He has always been someone twin gold medalist of the 13th South on the sixth hole and one on the fol- who has been ahead of the curve.” Asian Games, played an even-par 72 lowing hole. At the back nine, he Dublin-born Morgan became the and is overall third at five-under 211. played two-over 38 with bogies on 14th first England men’s player to play 100 Sanjay Lama played three-over 75 to and 16th holes. T20 internationals in the eight-wicket remain fourth at even-par 216. Amateur Shrestha Einhaus played a win, which put the tourists 2-1 up in Amateur Vijay Shrestha Einhaus card of two-under 34 at the front nine the five-match series. played one-over 73 for the third day with birdies on the third, fourth, sev- Morgan has “taken England’s total of one-over 217. Rame Magar, enth and ninth holes against bogeys white-ball cricket to places it’s never who carded four-over 76, is one stroke on the second and eighth holes. At the been before and he’s done it in a quite behind Shrestha Einhaus. back nine he dropped a shot each on incredible way”, Buttler said. “He’s a Pros Rajendra Shrestha Pradhan, 10th, 12th, 14th and 16th holes against selfless guy but it’s no mean achieve- Rabi Khadka and amateur Ajit BK are a birdie on the 18th. ment to reach 100 caps.” AP/RSS jointly in seventh position with 56-hole POST PHOTO: HEMANTA SHRESTHA Magar played a card of three-over Morgan, who will lead England at Captain Eoin Morgan made his 100th T20 appearance in England’s eight-wicket win over India. total of three-over 219. Shrestha Amatuer Subash Tamang, who played 39 at the first half and one-over 37 at the T20 World Cup in India later this Pradhan played three-over 75 while even-par 72 in the third round, is overall the back to drop one spot behind. year, said receiving the 100th cap from ful,” said the captain. lots of guys who would love to bat in Khadka and BK carded one-over 73 third for a 54 hole total of five-under 211. Shrestha Pradhan played even-par 36 his “great friend” Buttler was an emo- Buttler, 30, admitted he sometimes that opening position. For most people each. Amateur Tashi Ghale played a on front nine and three-over 39 on the tional moment. felt under pressure to retain his open- it’s probably the best place to bat in card of 75 for the third round total of ing the turn, he dropped a shot each back nine to be tied in seventh place “It nearly brought me to tears to be ing spot, a position he has held since the game. But I know I’ve got the five-over 221. on par-five 12th and 15th holes for two- along with amateur BK and Khadka. honest,” Morgan said of Buttler’s 2018. full backing of Morgs to go and do Nagarkoti played an even-par 36 in over 38. BK played even-par on the front nine short address to the team. “Playing in “I don’t know if it will ever end, it, which gives me a lot of confidence. front nine with birdies on the first and Second placed Rai played birdies on and one-over after taking his turn. 100 games is a proud moment for me people seem to quite enjoy talking I know Morgs is keen for me to third holes against bogeys in the par the third and fifth holes against bogey Khadka played four-over on front nine but the words that he said really did about it. I certainly feel the pressure open in this team and I do it with his four sixth and ninth holes. After tak- on the fifth hole to wrap up the front and three-under on back nine. warm my heart and I am very grate- of that sometimes,” he said. “We have backing.” Ibrahimovic set to return in AC Milan’s Europa League decider with Manchester United AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE at 1-1, with Milan having the slight behind Milan occupying top spot in Milan having been top themselves lit- this season. They follow their trip to Republic last week. PARIS, MARCH 17 advantage thanks to Simon Kjaer’s Serie A for large periods of this sea- tle more than a month ago. Italy with an FA Cup quarter-final at Steven Gerrard’s side have already stoppage-time away goal in the first son and his return to Old Trafford for Sunday’s 1-0 defeat by Napoli was Leicester City on Sunday, putting been crowned Scottish champions, Zlatan Ibrahimovic looks set to face leg at Old Trafford last week. the first leg had been highly anticipat- their fourth straight match without a their season at a crossroads with although they will also have one eye Manchester United in AC Milan’s Italian media reported on Tuesday ed before he picked up his injury. win at the San Siro, preceded by draws Manchester City 14 points clear of on the Old Firm derby with Celtic at Europa League showdown with the that the veteran forward trained with Coach Stefano Pioli knows that he against Udinese and Red Star Belgrade their local rivals at the top of the the weekend. Four-time European English giants on Thursday as the the rest of the Milan squad and should doesn’t need Ibrahimovic to get past and a 3-0 derby thumping at the hands Premier League. champions Ajax and Roma are both resurgent ‘Rossoneri’ aim to announce be available for the first time since he United after a superb display in of Inter. Five defeats in 13 league United boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer virtually assured of passage into the their return to the big stage. left his side’s 2-1 win at Roma with a Manchester last week, and his side matches in 2021 also has second-placed has Marcus Rashford back after the next round as they are 3-0 ahead in The Swede should be in good spirits thigh injury at the end of last month. could well start the game with their Milan looking over their shoulders at England forward played the full 90 their ties with Young Boys and after announcing his return to inter- Since then he has made headlines on a talisman on the bench. However to a series of rivals for a place in the minutes of their 1-0 win over West Shakhtar Donetsk. national football after nearly five different kind of stage, co-hosting the ensure passage to the last eight, Milan Champions League, a competition in Ham at the weekend. Of the remain- Also strong favourites to go through years away on Tuesday, and appears to Sanremo music festival which is pos- will need to turn around a dismal which the seven-time European cham- ing ties, only Rangers’ with Slavia are Tottenham Hotspur, Arsenal, be winning the race to face his old sibly Italy’s biggest pop cultural event. recent record at San Siro which has pions have not played since 2014. Prague looks to be in the balance as Villarreal and Granada thanks to club in the second leg of their last-16 With 14 goals in 14 league games, contributed to their slipping nine The next few days will also be cru- they will kick off at Ibrox all square at their two-goal leads going into their clash at the San Siro. The tie is locked the 39-year-old was a major reason points behind Serie A leaders Inter cial for United’s chances of silverware 1-1 following their draw in the Czech second-leg matches.

C M Y K THURSDAY, MARCH 18, 2021 | 10 CULTURE & LIFESTYLE (C.R.P.D.) - 3/052/053 How this group of filmmakers is trying to involve more women in filmmaking With more than 200 members, Nepali Female Filmmakers, a group of passionate filmmakers, is providing a safe and supporting environment for upcoming female filmmakers in Nepal.

ANKIT KHADGI Biratnagar Film Workshop and KATHMANDU Sustainable Himalayan Foundation, the group also provid- hen filmmak- ed a grant of Rs25,000 to two aspir- er Shanta ing filmmakers. Nepali started On the other hand, the group making films, had also organised masterclasses she realised with filmmakers like Deepak that there was Rauniyar, Marta Mateus, and oth- Wa dearth of women involvement in ers, with a motive of helping filmmaking in Nepal. aspiring filmmakers to learn and “I used to work as a line produc- improve their filmmaking skills er for many international pro- as well as various screenings of jects,” says Nepali, who runs her each other’s projects, so the film- own production house, the Shanta makers can meet each other and Nepali Productions. “Sometimes, I build their networks. was involved in projects that Since its arrival, cinema has required female technicians, but largely been a man’s medium. finding even one was tough.” From direction to scriptwriting to And this bothered Nepali. lights to editing, most of the “When I started to work as a departments—whether it be in filmmaker, I couldn’t find a woman Hollywood, Bollywood or even in working in films who could be a our film industry—are led by men, guide or role model, someone who due to which the voices and per- could inspire me. I think this is spectives of women do not find the main reason why many inspir- sufficient space. ing female filmmakers of my gen- Although the members are eration couldn’t continue film- just starting out with their making even if they had a passion initiative of helping each other to work, as they didn’t have any- both creatively and personally, one to look up to,” says Nepali. most of the members are driven But a major concern Nepali had by a common motive: to create a was the impact this scarcity would safe and fair playing field where have on the upcoming generation. women also get equal opportunity As the Nepali cinema industry to tell their own stories so there’s lacks films led by women and only an authentic portrayal of women a few are working in departments in the media. like direction, writing, light, “If you look at the portrayal of sound, editing and others, she women in Nepali films, they are knew how difficult it could be for just limited to the roles of a girl- the upcoming generation of friend, mother, wife or daughter- female storytellers to continue in-law of the heroes. There’s hard- working, especially in an environ- ly any inspiring female character ment that was mostly dominated in Nepal films and this is because, by men. since the beginning, it’s mostly And that’s why, to provide a safe men who have been involved in and supporting environment for films, shaping the narrative of the upcoming generation of PHOTO COURTESY: NEPALI FEMALE FILMMAKERS how a woman should be,” says female filmmakers, through which For members of the group, the solidarity and the support they are receiving from each other is fulfilling both emotionally and intellectually. Nepali. they could learn about filmmak- “Every person has a different ing and help each other to pursue members felt they had to do. However, according to the mem- experience. However, the best per- their passion for telling stories, “In Nepal, if you are a female bers, it was during the lockdown son to tell a woman’s story is a Nepali, along with a few other filmmaker, you need to work dou- ‘In Nepal, if you are a female that they realised that they needed woman, someone who has lived filmmakers, formed a group called ble than your male counterparts filmmaker you need to work double to work efficiently, so more inspir- the experience. And that’s why we Nepali Female Filmmakers in just to prove yourself. Plus there ing female filmmakers could get need more women in filmmaking 2019. are times when people don’t take just to prove yourself,’ says Prasuna equal space, they say. so they can tell their own stories,” “Although filmmaker itself is a us seriously and do not have faith “The lockdown gave us time to she adds. gender-neutral word, we con- in our talent and craft,” says Dongol, a filmmaker. think. Previously, there was no For members of the group, who sciously used the word ‘female Prasuna Dongol, a filmmaker, and community for us [female film- otherwise rarely receive the filmmaker’ for our group. Being one of the initial members of the makers] where we could just share opportunity to work with other aware of the realities of women in group. award-winning filmmaker. approach and expand one’s net- our experiences and feelings. But women in films, the solidarity and the film industry, we felt the need Dongol too in the earlier days of And for the group members, work. And due to the lack of such after forming Nepali Female the support they are receiving to distinguish ourselves,” says her career had to experience a lot this was a major factor in starting information, many are demotivat- Filmmakers, I have realised how from each other is both emotional- Nepali. of struggle to find work, due to the and continuing their initiative in ed to work, as they are unable to such groups are important espe- ly and intellectually fulfilling. When they started out, the lack of a strong community and the long run, as they wanted to find jobs in films,” says Nepali. cially for filmmakers like us who “Before we had no place where group was just limited to group in the industry, she says. create an environment for aspir- To keep such problems at bay, have to work in a patriarchal we could even share our Facebook. All they wanted to do “When I came back to Nepal after ing female filmmakers to thrive the group then started sharing structure,” says Rajeela Shrestha, concerns. However, Nepali Female was to help each other through completing my studies in film and and get work so they can be any opportunity they found with a filmmaker, and a member of the Filmmakers has provided a space various possible mediums. media from the UK, I had to strug- inspired to work more. each other—from grants to even group. for us where we can talk about any Neither were they certain about gle to get work. In our industry, if “The gap in mainstream cinema work opportunities. Likewise, Currently, there are more than issue, which we women who are the scope and the future of the you want to work, you can easily in Nepal is so wide that for those they also started even sharing 200 members in the group, consist- involved in filmmaking have to group nor about how they could get work only if you know some- women who are interested in film- their ideas, scripts, and stories, ing of diverse storytellers from all face and can relate to each other help other aspiring female film- one from within or if you are making, it’s difficult to know providing each other various valu- corners of the country. Likewise, and express ourselves in a much makers. But it was something the well-established,” says Dongol, an where to find jobs, whom to able suggestions. two weeks ago, along with comfortable way,” says Shrestha. Racial diversity in children’s books grows, but slowly Children’s books written by authors of colour in 2020 increased by 3 percent to 26.8 percent compared with 2019.

one barrier to achieving diversity in chil- with Penguin Random House to launch dren’s books is the myth within the pub- the Black Creatives Fund to support Black lishing industry that books about people writers and illustrators in 2021. of colour don’t sell. Oh also recommends supporting inde- “Because of this myth, publishing never pendent publishers centering diversity gives these books a chance,” Oh said. and hiring cultural sensitivity readers to In reality, books written by and about ensure adequate representation. Another people of colour have made it on the New option is for mainstream publishers to York Times’ bestsellers’ list, including create imprints focused on diversity. For “Hair Love” by Matthew A. Cherry, example, HarperCollins recently launched “Sulwe” by Lupita Nyong’o and “We Are Heartdrum, a Native American-focused Water Protectors” by Carole Lindstrom. imprint. When George Floyd was killed in police Such efforts, both within mainstream custody last year, kindergarten teacher publishing houses and through grassroots Brittany Smith in New Jersey wanted to organising, is vital, said Nina Crews, illus- help students and teachers make sense of trator of “A Girl Like Me.” what happened so she made a reading list “When you see yourself reflected in the of antiracist books for children. pages of a book, you’re part of the conver- Soon after, the list went viral on Twitter sation, part of the story. You’re not and many of the books sold out at major bookstores. Teachers and school districts incorporated them into curriculums and libraries. Smith said finding books with Keeping this diversity for her students requires extra momentum going digging and sometimes she feels limited in her choices. She hopes 2020 changed that. largely falls on the “Last year showed us there is a need and want for these books,” she said. “I just shoulders of the hope this doesn’t stop.” Keeping it going will largely fall on the publishing industry. shoulders of the publishing industry, which itself is lacking in diversity. That includes publicists, marketing teams, ignored. It gives you a sense of ownership agents, editors and booksellers, as well as to the world that you’re in,” Crews said. AP/RSS the teachers and librarians who get the “Every child deserves that.” In this file photo, illustrator of ‘A Girl Like Me’ reads to children at an early childhood education centre. books into children’s hands. A 2019 diver- The consequences of children not see- sity baseline survey by Lee & Low Books, ing themselves in the characters they read CHRISTINE FERNANDO University of Wisconsin-Madison’s of books both by and about Native people an independent children’s book publisher about can be profound. CHICAGO Cooperative Children’s Book Center. stayed flat, Horning said. Books both by centering diversity, found that 76 percent Angela Joy, author of the 2020 book But despite the gains, progress has been and about Black and Asian people saw of the publishing industry was white. “Black Is a Rainbow Color,” said that as n the world of children’s books, vil- slow. Children’s books written by authors small but steady increases. Diversity was most lacking on the editori- people of colour become conditioned to lagers can protect their water from a of colour in 2020 increased by 3 percent to Horning notes that it can take years for al side, where 85 percent of employees only see white people as deserving of black snake, dark skin is as beauti- 26.8 percent compared with 2019. a children’s book to be written, illustrated were white. being in books, they may start to internal- ful as the night sky, and a little girl’s Children’s books written about racially and published, so whatever progress was Several grassroots efforts are trying to ize that, further discouraging them from two puffs of hair can make her feel diverse characters or subjects, however, made in 2020 may not be apparent until get around those barriers. For instance, feeling comfortable representing their like she’s floating above the clouds. grew by only 1 percent to 30 percent, 2022 or 2023. We Need Diverse Books offers grants for own communities. When her own daugh- IKids are seeing more of these possibili- according to preliminary data provided to Still, Horning would like to see more marginalized writers and illustrators, ter writes, Joy said she pictures white ties in the books they read as authors The Associated Press by the CCBC, which people of colour writing about their own markets books, organises book awards people rather than characters who look make a bigger push to reflect the diversity has been tracking statistics on children’s communities. and mentorship programs, distributes like her. around them. Racial diversity in chil- book representation since 1985. “We want people to feel empowered to children’s books to schools, and has schol- “It breaks my heart,” she said. “I want dren’s books has been picking up since Meanwhile, books about Latino charac- tell their own stories,” she said. arship and internship programs to help my child to see that she is worthy of being 2014, reversing a 25-year plateau, accord- ters saw a slight decrease in 2020, from 6.3 Ellen Oh, CEO of the grassroots advoca- young people of colour enter the publish- in the stories she reads and writes.” ing to Kathleen T Horning, director of the percent to 6.2 percent, while the number cy nonprofit We Need Diverse Books, said ing industry. Most recently, it partnered — Associated Press

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