34.7 C 2.4 C Tuesday, April 06, 2021 | 24-12-2077 Nepalgunj Jumla

WITHOUT F EAR OR FAVOUR

C M Y K C M Y K WITHOUT F EAR OR FAVOUR

Nepal’s largest selling English daily Vol XXIX No. 47 | 10 pages | Rs.5 O O Printed simultaneously in Kathmandu, Biratnagar, Bharatpur and Nepalgunj 34.7 C 2.4 C Tuesday, April 06, 2021 | 24-12-2077 Nepalgunj Jumla As Congress and Janata Samajbadi Party hem and haw, politics has stagnated Congress leaders say Deuba must take a lead, but he is still reluctant with one eye on the polls. Maoist Centre’s indecision on withdrawing support complicates things.

ANIL GIRI KATHMANDU, APRIL 5

When the Nepali Congress finally decided to take the lead in forming a new government by unseating Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli, Nepal’s politics, deadlocked since the restoration of the House of Representatives by the POST FILE PHOTO Supreme Court on February 23, was Parties are unclear about new government. finally thought to be moving forward. But three days since the decision, leaders of the party have been the tangle remains. calling for the removal of Oli and pro- There has hardly been any mean- viding an alternative by joining hands ingful dialogue between Nepali with the Maoist Centre and the Congress and the Nepal Communist Samajbadi Party. Party (Maoist Centre) and the Janata Poudel had met Janata Samajbadi Samajbadi Party yet. chair Mahantha Thakur on Sunday “Our President Sher Bahadur Deuba and sought his party’s support to POST PHOTO: DIPENDRA ROKKA should hold talks with Janata remove Oli. Smog hangs over Kathmandu in this image taken on Monday afternoon. Kathmandu Valley’s air, which has remained of low quality lately due to Samajbadi Party leaders includ- According to sources within the wildfires raging in several parts of the country, deteriorated again making Kathmandu the most polluted city in the world on Monday. As per ing [Mahanta] Thakur and anoth- Nepali Congress, although Thakur the IQ Air, a Swiss group that manages real-time worldwide data on air quality, Kathmandu’s AQI level was recorded 330, which is of er senior leader Rajendra Mahato sounded positive on Poudel’s proposal, ‘hazardous’ level, at 9:45 pm. in order to register a no-confi- he did not commit anything with dence motion against Oli,” respect to the formation of the new Congress senior leader Ram government under Deuba’s leadership. Chnadra Poudel told the Post. “I found Thakurji positive on join- Deuba, however, is in Jhapa. ing hands with Nepali Congress but Despite Deuba’s reluctance our president should take an initiative INSIDE Poverty Alleviation Fund to unseat Oli and take the lead on talks with opposition parties in in forming the government order to register a no-confidence under the leadership of Nepali motion,” said Poudel. Antigen test mandatory for Congress, Poudel and other >> Continued on page 2 those entering Kathmandu was scrapped, but it still Valley with any Covid-19 symptom exists. What does it do? KATHMANDU: The government has made antigen testing mandatory for those entering Kathmandu Valley The fund created at the height of insurgency has lost its with symptoms akin to coronavirus infection. According to Chief District relevance with local governments in place, officials admit. Officer of Kathmandu Kali Prasad Rijal the meeting of Kathmandu District Covid-19 Crisis Management Centre held on Monday decided to establish health desks for antigen tests at all the municipalities where the entry points to the Valley are situated. After Kathmandu, Lalitpur and Bhaktapur—two other districts in the Valley—are also following suit, according to officials. “We have decided to make antigen testing mandatory for all those coming to Kathmandu with any symptom of Covid-19,” said Rijal. “We will begin the tests within a day or two.” (Details on Pg 3)

India’s daily coronavirus cases breach 100,000; mutants, behaviour blamed NEW DELHI: India reported a record rise in Covid-19 infections on Monday, becoming the second country after the United States to post more than 100,000 new cases in a day, as politicians stage massive election rallies raising fears of further spreading the virus. Hospitals in the worst affected POST ILLUSTRATION state, Maharashtra, are being overrun by patients. India’s richest state, PRITHVI MAN SHRESTHA home to its commercial capital person of the fund. KATHMANDU, APRIL 5 Mumbai and numerous industries, Of the nine members on the board, reported a record 57,074 new cases as envisaged by the Poverty overnight. The country’s daily infec- The Poverty Alleviation Fund was Alleviation Act-2006, there are at pres- tions have risen about 12 fold since established in 2003 as elected repre- ent only four, including the prime hitting a multi-month low in early sentatives could not work with local minister who is its chair, as the gov- February, when authorities eased communities and government agen- ernment has not appointed the other most restrictions and people largely cies could not reach them because of members. stopped wearing masks and following the Maoist insurgency which was at “The PAF currently has nothing to its peak. do but it continues to exist,” admitted social distancing. (Details on Pg 6) But in the changed political context Bhattarai. under a federal system, local govern- Besides Bhattarai there are 10 staff ‘We dream to be Nepal’s first ments are active and have the primary members and running the institution responsibility of working for the wel- costs around Rs20million a year, billion-dollar IT company’ fare of the people. according to Anjan Neupane, deputy KATHMANDU: In the spring of 2019, in a Cognizant of the changed context, executive director at the fund. small apartment in Lazimpat, four the Cabinet in November 2018 decided With the board failing to take any bright-eyed, hopeful college students to restructure the Rs19 billion Poverty decision to transfer the budget to the come together. Two Development Alleviation Fund and scrap the Act local governments, the Finance Finance students from National that governs it by mid-December. Ministry has diverted the budgeted College, on the cusp of graduating But even more than two years after Rs150 million for other purposes. and itching for their next business the decision was made, it is yet to be “We don’t have the allocated budget project, and two Information implemented. now,” said Neupane. Technology students from Islington The government had allocated In an effort to reduce poverty, the College with a penchant for ethical Rs150 million for the fund in the cur- fund had created 32,000 revolving hacking and software development. rent fiscal year for it to help local gov- funds across the country which were Back then, Subash Gautam, 25, and ernments form 600 cooperatives operated by local communities to pro- Nishchal Narsingh Rana, 25, were involving the users of more than vide credit to people in the communi- planning on opening a management 32,000 revolving funds that had been ties for income generation activities. consulting firm with focus on IT. At set up across the country to provide Its other activities included funding the same time, Subash was also work- credit for income generation. the building of community infrastruc- ing on a digital information platform But the fund cannot make any deci- ture like roads, trails, mule tracks, that connected potential students sion in the absence of a functioning culverts, suspension bridges, truss with representatives from interna- board. “Our board is incomplete and bridges, short distance gravity cable tional educational institutions called cannot fulfil the quorum to hold its ways, riverbed land reclamation, AbroadSanjal with Ajay Gautam and meeting. Therefore we have not been drinking water systems including san- Shishir Shrestha. Ajay Gautam, 22, able to provide the fund to the local itation, water management systems— was bounty hunting for bug and secu- government for facilitation of merg- plastic tanks, sprinkler/drip sys- rity vulnerabilities in many interna- ers of the revolving funds,” said tems—that enhanced livelihoods. tional services. (Details on Pg 8) Nirmal Kumar Bhattarai, vice-chair- >> Continued on page 2

C M Y K TUESDAY, APRIL 06, 2021 | 02 NATIONAL As Congress and Janata Samajbadi Party ... >> Continued from page 1 ment, the government has promised to Despite Poudel sounding upbeat about register a motion in Parliament for fur- the Janata Samajbadi joining hands ther discussion,” the Samajbadi Party with Deuba, other leaders of the Nepali leader said. “Therefore, our talks with Congress are not as confident that an the government, in order to extend sup- alternative government is possible. port to Oli, have already reached an “Deuba knows Oli is in the mood to advanced stage.” dissolve the House and hold early elec- According to Mahato, the Congress tions. Therefore, he is not taking any made the mistake of deciding unilateral- steps,” said a Nepali Congress leader, ly to take the lead in forming a coalition who has been in talks with both the by unseating Oli. Deuba and Poudel factions of the party, “Nepali Congress has taken its deci- on condition of anonymity. sion alone and we were not consulted The issue of early elections came up beforehand. Therefore, we are under no at the meeting between Poudel and obligation to support it. Second, there is Thakur too. no need for us to support Oli at a time During the meeting with Poudel on when the government is enjoying a Sunday, Thakur said that Prime Minister majority,” said Mahato. “Third, since Oli has made his position clear that only Nepali Congress has not registered a the local or general elections would no-confidence motion in Parliament, solve the current political deadlock, how can we make our position in according to a source close to Thakur. advance about a potential no-confidence “Besides, Deuba knows very well that motion? We will take a decision only a section of the Janata Samajbadi will after it becomes part of the parliamenta- not support him under any circumstanc- ry process.” es. Therefore, he is not much interested The Maoist Centre, which had sup- in holding talks with leaders of the ported the UML when Oli became the Samajbadi Party and the Maoist Centre,” prime minister in February 2018, has yet the Congress leader who is close to to withdraw its support despite the Deuba and Poudel added. Supreme Court on March 7 invalidating Some Samajbadi leaders have hinted the May 2018 merger of the two parties that in the course of heated political to form the Nepal Communist Party negotiations in the days ahead, it can (NCP) and reviving the two constituent forward its own claim for the post of parties. POST PHOTO: DEEPAK KC prime minister. While Thakur and Mahato have been A woman collects bricks at a construction site in Thimi, Bhaktapur on Monday. “But we have not opened our cards cozying up to Oli, there is another sec- yet,” two leaders of the party told the tion in the Samajbadi Party, including Post. another party chair Upendra Yadav and On the other hand, Oli has been culti- chair of the party’s federal council vating the leaders of the Samajbadi Baburam Bhattarai, that is against sup- Party since the restoration of the House. porting Oli. With 120 seats in the House of As soon as Oli dissolved the House, a Chamari-Thori road project draws ire Representatives, Oli’s UML needs only vertical split had appeared within the 16 additional votes to get to the magic party. While Thakur and Mahato were number of 136 for a majority. The soft on Oli, Yadav and Bhattarai had Local residents have expressed dissatisfaction over the contractor’s handing over of the road in an incomplete state. Samajbadi Party has 32 votes. called Oli’s decision to dissolve the Of the 275 members in the lower House as “unconstitutional and undem- SHANKAR ACHARYA The local people plan to stage a grammes if the contractor company ous reasons. Works on the road sec- house, four—two each from the Congress ocratic”. PARSA, APRIL 5 protest against the contractor’s and the government do not listen to tion in Nirmalbasti, Ward No. 4, were and the Janata Samajbadi—have Janta Samajbadi Party was formed handing over of the incomplete road us,” said Gautam. affected because of a dispute in the been suspended and a UML member following a merger on April 22, 2020 The local people of Thori Rural section. An all-party meeting called The road project was initiated at land acquisition process. In wards 2 has died. between Samajbadi Party Nepal and Municipality in Parsa have expressed in Thori recently formed the the total cost of Rs 1.17 billion. On and 3, the Chitwan National Park did The Samajbadi Party has put forward Rastriya Janata Party—largely prompt- their dissatisfaction over the hand- Incomplete Postal Highway Road October 30, 2017, the contractor com- not allow us to cut down some trees,” a list of demands to the government, ed by an ordinance Oli had introduced to ing over of the Chamari-Thori sec- Construction Struggle Committee to pany Baniya/Kalika JV had agreed he said. “These issues can’t be solved Nepali Congress and the Maoist Centre ease provisions related to the split and tion of Postal Highway. The contrac- organise protests, saying the contrac- to complete the construction of the by the contractor company alone. but no side has given it a clear response registration of parties. Both parties had tor handed over the 30km road tor has violated the terms of agree- road by May 15, 2020. The deadline The government has to step in. Only to them, according to a Janata Samajbadi 17 seats each in the House. stretch to the government in an ment of the road project. for the project was extended due to then can we proceed with the con- leader who did not want to be named. Yadav and Bhattarai want an alterna- incomplete state, local residents say. The meeting was attended by Ram the nationwide lockdown last year struction work.” “But the government is very keen to tive government led by Nepali Congress The Chamari-Thori road project was Prakash Kunwar, chairman of Thori amid the Covid-19 pandemic. According to the contractor com- fulfil our demands, Thakur told Poudel,” but Yadav too is confused by the lack of initiated under the second package Ward No. 1; Kishor Tamang, chair- Uddhav Neupane, the field pany, construction of the road in the leader said. initiative from the Congress in this of the Postal Highway in Parsa. man of Thori Ward No. 2; Bal Kumar in-charge of the contractor company, sections where they faced no objec- Both Thakur and Mahato are regular- regard. Around five kilometres of the road Basnet, chairman of Nirmal Thori says the project remains incomplete tions have been completed. ly holding talks with Prime Minister Oli, “It puzzles me why Deuba is reluctant stretch is yet to be completed, says Consumers Committee under the due to technical difficulties. “It was impossible to broker a deal according to another source inside to take the lead to hold talks with us and Prakash Khanal, a civil society lead- buffer zone of Chitwan National “The construction work of around with the local level and with the park Samajbadi Party. the Maoist Centre,” Yadav told the Post. er and a local resident of Thori Rural Park; and local residents. five kilometres of the road section authorities so the contractor decided A task force comprising representa- “We are open to supporting Deuba.” Municipality Ward No. 1. “We will intensify our protest pro- has been left incomplete due to vari- to hand over the project to the gov- tives from the government and the party The Maoist Centre too wants an alter- “The construction of a 200metre ernment in its incomplete state,” has already collected the list of pending native before it withdraws support to the stretch in the eastern side of Thute said Neupane. “We handed over the cases against JSP leaders and cadres UML government, according to Narayan stream that borders wards 2 and 3 road project to the consultant, which since the 2015 Madhes uprising against Kaji Shrestha, spokesperson for the and around a kilometre’s stretch in in turn handed over the project to the the constitution and it is examining Maoist Centre. Hanumantar Danda of ward no. 2 has Nepal government.” their legal and administrative status. “The crux of the present political con- been left incomplete,” said Khanal. Indian firm National Highways The government and Janata fusion is the Samajbadi Party. They are “The construction of the road stretch and Infrastructure Development Samajbadi Party formed a five-member in a dilemma,” Shrestha told the Post. cannot be termed completed since Corporation Limited was the techni- task force last month with three from the “We are in talks with both the Nepali sections of the road are yet to be cal consultant of the project which former and two from the latter to resolve Congress and the Samajbadi Party but built.” was funded by the Indian govern- cases pending against several party lead- we are yet to reach any conclusion.” For the local residents of Thori, ment. ers and cadres. But the Janata Samajbadi Party the construction of the road is a pri- “The government has to resolve As of Monday, 292 pending cases have blames the Nepali Congress and ority since the Birjung-Thori stretch land acquisition disputes and if it been forwarded from various districts the Maoist Centre for the continuing of the Postal Highway gives them invites re-tender or assigns us to with some pending in district courts and deadlock. direct access to Birgunj. According work again, we are ready to complete others in district administration offices, “We have realised that Nepali to Pradhumna Gautam, a local resi- the construction work,” said according to Samajbadi Party sources. Congress’s decision to seek Oli’s resigna- dent, the local people have been Neupane. “There has been considerable pro- tion and to take a lead to form a coalition demanding authorities to construct The construction of the Postal gress in withdrawing cases against our government was just an eyewash and the road section for the last three Highway, a national pride project, leaders and cadres,” the Samajbadi taken for public consumption,” said a decades. was initiated in the fiscal year Party leader said. Janata Samajbadi central committee “This road is our lifeline because 2006/07 with an aim to complete it On the issue of releasing jailed JSP member on condition of anonymity. this is the only major road that pass- within 2017/18. Postal Highway roads lawmaker Resham Chaudhary, the gov- “The Nepali Congress has not taken any es through Thori. The completion of interlink parts of southern Tarai ernment has already initiated talks with initiative and the Maoist Centre is fully this section will ensure easy mobility and also connect Nepal and India Tharuhat Sangarsha Samiti. confused about the future political and shorter commute time for us,” POST PHOTO: SHANKAR ACHARYA through Bhadrapur in Jhapa and “On the issue of constitution amend- course.” said Gautam. Around a five kilometre stretch of the road is yet to be completed, officials say. Dodhara Chandani in Kanchanpur. Poverty Alleviation Fund was scrapped ... >> Continued from page 1 Ministry of Land Management and alone cannot be credited for this Of its Rs19 billion fund, Rs15 billion Poverty Alleviation. This decision too reduction in poverty but its role can- came from the government, most of is yet to be implemented. not be denied fully,” said a former which in the form of grants from the As the Poverty Alleviation Fund official of the fund. World Bank while Rs4 billion was gen- was formed as an autonomous body In an assessment in 2017, the World erated from within local communities under the Poverty Alleviation Act- Bank termed the outcome of the across the country. 2006, the government had initiated the fund’s programmes as well as the per- The federal government has already process of scrapping the Act through formance of the government on it as handed over the task of monitoring Some Nepal Laws Amendment bill. satisfactory. But the fund has had its the revolving funds to local The process is also stalled at the Prime share of scandals. governments. Minister’s Office. The Commission for Investigation Giving continuity to the Poverty According to Bhattarai, Prime of Abuse of Authority filed two cor- Alleviation Fund would also contra- Minister Oli had wanted to continue ruption cases at the Special Court dict the Guidelines on Operation of the fund in some form despite an earli- against 50 senior officials and staff of Community Organizations and Small er Cabinet decision of scrapping it. the fund in March 2015 and April 2016. Infrastructure Development During the board meeting on April In September 2018, the Special Programmes promoted by the fund. 7, 2019, the prime minister had insist- Court convicted nine Poverty The guidelines, approved by the ed that the PAF would be continued, Alleviation Fund officials, including fund’s board on April 7, 2019, make Bhattarai said. then executive director Raj Babu local governments responsible for Officials at the Prime Minister’s Shrestha, of corruption. keeping records of community organ- Office say various options regarding A probe conducted by the National isations and small infrastructure pro- the future of the fund are indeed Vigilance Centre, a corruption watch- jects promoted by the fund; facilitat- under discussion. dog under the Prime Minister’s Office, ing community organisations to con- “A plan is being prepared regarding also unearthed several irregularities tinue anti-poverty initiatives; moni- the future of this institution,” said in the fund in 2019. toring the operation of revolving Baikuntha Aryal, secretary at the According to a report obtained by funds established at the community Prime Minister’s Office. “But nothing the Post, the centre found possible level; involving community organisa- has been decided.” He refused to go irregularities of Rs185.96 million in tions in policy making of local govern- into the specifics of the plan. the activities under the fund’s ments and monitoring their transac- Poverty in Nepal has declined sig- Infrastructure Sub Project and Income tions; and launching skill develop- nificantly since the fund was created. Generation programme. The centre ment programmes. According to the second National also found equipment from its The guidelines also state that Living Standard Survey 2003-04, 30.8 Kathmandu office valued at Rs41.47 although poverty alleviation falls percent of Nepalis were living under million missing. under the concurrent jurisdiction of the poverty line. The National Former officials too concede that all three tiers of government, forma- Living Standard Survey 2010-11 found the fund does not have a role anymore tion of community organisations and that this figure had gone down to in the changed context. their mobilisation comes under the 25.2 percent. “As poverty alleviation falls under jurisdiction of local governments. According to the National Planning the jurisdiction of all three tiers of Just a week after the Cabinet Commission, 18.7 percent of the popu- government—with local governments decided in November 2018 to scrap the lation lived below the poverty line in playing the role of executing agencies, Poverty Alleviation Fund, it the fiscal year 2018-19. Those spending having an institution like PAF to work appointed Bhattarai the vice-chair less than Rs19,231 per year on food, on poverty alleviation doesn’t make with the responsibility of clearing non-food and housing are considered sense,” said the former PAF official. arrears of the fund and preparing the to be living below the poverty line, “Maybe politics or personal interest exit strategy for the World Bank, according to the National Living has a role in retaining it up to now as among others. Standard Survey 2010-11. the communist government As per the Cabinet decision, all “Even though Nepal made remarka- doesn’t want to be seen as one that functions and liabilities of the fund ble progress in poverty alleviation scrapped an institution formed to should have been handed over to the over the last two decades, the PAF reduce poverty.”

C M Y K 03 | TUESDAY, APRIL 06, 2021 NATIONAL

BRIEFING No-confidence motion against Rai withdrawn MORANG: The Province 1 assembly meeting on Monday withdrew the no-confidence motion against Chief Minister Sherdhan Rai. Indra Bahadur Aangbo, parliamentary party leader of the Maoist Centre, withdrew the motion against Rai. As many as 37 provincial assembly members led by Aangbo of the erstwhile Nepal Communist Party (NCP) had moved the motion against Chief Minister Rai on December 27. Fourteen provincial assembly members from the Maoist Centre, who had signed the motion earlier, have withdrawn their signatures in the provincial secretariat in a written form.

Forest fire destroys two houses DHANKUTA: A fire destroyed two houses at Sahidbhumi Rural Municipality-1 in Dhankuta on Sunday. Police said the houses belong- ing to Nara Bahadur Bogati and Raj Bahadur Bogati were destroyed after a fire from a nearby community forest entered the settlement. Six domesticated animals were charred to death in the incident. The fire damaged around 47 hectares of forest land in Chuliban and Raniban community forests.

Motorable bridge unused BIRATNAGAR: A motorable bridge over the Ratuwa stream in Ratuwamai Municipality-3, Biratnagar, has been left unused as the link road to the eastern side of the bridge is yet to be constructed. The 205metre-long bridge was constructed five years ago at the cost of 104.1 million. Around a 100metre-long road has to be constructed to the eastern side of the bridge by POST PHOTO: ELITE JOSHI building an embankment. Bhaktapur residents gather in front of Nyatapola temple demanding that the government lift the restriction on celebrating Bisket Jatra. The restriction was announced due to a surge in Covid-19 cases. Tiger kills yet another person in Bardiya, Capital spending low this time a mahout involved in rhino count in Myagdi local units GHANSHYAM KHADKA Rural Municipality, attributed the low The rhino census has been halted for two days following Sunday afternoon’s incident. On Friday, the count was also MYAGDI, APRIL 5 capital expenditure to a shortage of employees. stalled in Chitwan after a wild elephant attacked and injured the enumerators. The capital expenditure for the cur- “All five wards are without a secre- rent fiscal year 2020/21 in all local tary for months. This has affected CHANDAN KUMAR MANDAL Haribhadra Acharya, spokesperson part of the census, we have decided to “There are no known or official units of Myagdi district is negligible. project implementation,” he said. KATHMANDU, APRIL 5 with the Department of National Park not conduct counting on Monday and records of an individual killed while Less than 25 percent of the develop- Dhungana claimed that work on 130 of and Wildlife Conservation. “The Tuesday,” said Shrestha. “We will on duty for counting rhinos, although ment budget has been spent within the total 135 development projects is Tiger terror has once again rocked recent incident has shown that every- resume counting from Wednesday.” enumerators falling off the elephants the second quarter of the current fis- underway. Bardiya district. On Sunday after- one should be alert and follow precau- The park had mobilised 60 wildlife and getting injured are common cal year. According to him, works on five noon, a man was fatally mauled by a tions while being around and inside technicians and officials and ten ele- incidents,” said Acharya, also an Annapurna Rural Municipality has development projects in various Royal Bengal tiger inside Bardiya the park.” phants for the rhino count. ecologist with the department. “This spent only around 15 percent of its places have been disrupted due to National Park. The latest death has led the park This is second time in a week that time, we have seen two unfortunate total capital expenditure so far. Of the disputes between the local people The latest victim was not someone authorities to suspend all tourism the nationwide rhino census, which events in Chitwan and Bardiya.” total Rs 155.6 million capital expendi- and the consumers’ committees. living around the park, but a park activities around the park area for a began on March 22 from the Chitwan- The park authorities have darted ture, the local body has spent only Rs Subedi claimed that the capital staff member deployed for the ongo- day. The ongoing rhino census was Parsa complex, has been halted. and captured the tiger that is believed 23.5 million within eight months of expenditure will increase ing rhino census. also halted for two days—until On Friday, the team counting rhinos to have killed Tharu. The captured the current fiscal year. The recurrent significantly in the last three months Policeram Tharu, 31, a mahout Tuesday. in Chitwan National Park was tiger would be transported to Central expenditure of the rural municipality of the current fiscal year. involved in the rhino count, was The nationwide counting of one- attacked by a wild elephant, leaving Zoo, according to Shrestha. This is the is around 32 percent. The capital expenditure of Malika attacked by the tiger at Gaidamachan horned rhinos began in Bardiya many enumerators injured. The count fourth tiger that the park authorities “The post of the chief administra- Rural Municipality, Raghuganga inside the core area of the park, offi- National Park on March 31. was halted for one day as a result. have captured in this fiscal year, tive officer remained vacant for two Rural Municipality and Dhaulagiri cials said. “Elephants are used for rhino Officials say Sunday’s case is the following frequent attacks on locals months. As a result, the work progress Rural Municipality is around 22, 23 Bishnu Prasad Shrestha, chief con- counting. Since Sunday’s incident first in which a rhino census team and their livestock. and payment were hugely affected. A and 24 percent respectively. servation of the park, said the inci- also involved a staff member who was member was killed in the line of duty. “Sometimes, such tragic incidents new executive officer has been trans- According to Gopal Sharma, the dent happened while Tharu was cut- happen. We were not expecting this ferred recently. The development chief executive officer of Dhaulagiri ting grass for his elephant. sudden attack on one of our staff, expenditure will certainly increase in Rural Municipality, the project “Once the daily counting of rhinos which led to the halting of the rhino the last three months of the fiscal agreement of 87 development projects is completed, elephants are rested. count for two days,” said Shrestha. year,” said Jaya Prasad Subedi, the was signed in the current fiscal year. Mahouts usually collect grass during “Now, all of us need to be extra account officer of Annapurna Rural “As many as 81 projects have this time or they take their elephants alert. As the problem-causing tiger Municipality. been completed so far. The out for grazing,” said Shrestha. has been captured and removed, there Meanwhile, the local units argue development expenditure seems low, “Tharu was attacked while he was is a kind of assurance that the same that the delay in allocation of budget as the last payment of those projects is cutting grass for his elephant.” tiger will not be attacking anyone by the federal and provincial govern- not issued due to some technical prob- Tharu’s body was recovered at now.” ments is the main reason for the low lems,” said Sharma. He further around 8 pm, nearly three hours after The Bardiya National Park, which budget expenditure. According to claimed that natural disasters were the incident. He was the tenth victim hosts 29 one-horned rhinos as per the Subedi, delay in project agreement another cause behind the low capital of tiger attack in Bardiya this census of 2015, has planned to and shortage of employees are other expenditure. fiscal year. complete counting within two weeks. major factors behind the minimal “Works on some development pro- According to Shrestha, five deaths The government has planned to budget expenditure. jects selected by the rural municipali- took place in the park’s jurisdiction release the result of the rhino census The situation of other local units in ty have been affected, as the local body area—the core area and the park’s in the third week of this month. the district is also the same. had to spend a large amount of budget buffer zone—while five other deaths “The third week of April is our Mangala Rural Municipality in the in rescue, relief and rehabilitation of occurred in the areas under the scope target. If counting teams face frequent district had spent just 16 percent of people affected by the natural disas- of Division Forest Office, Bardiya. disturbances, like in Chitwan and its development expenditure by ters,” he said. Frequent tiger attacks in recent Bardiya, the date of unveiling mid-March. The rural municipality The capital expenditure rate is months have already left locals living the findings could change,” said completed the construction of a 10-bed slightly high in Beni Municipality. around the park and adjoining forests Acharya. “For example, an adverse hospital and a building of Mangala According to account officer Ratna terrorised. weather condition like a powerful Secondary School with the budget. KC, the capital expenditure is 35.91 “Tiger numbers in Bardiya National storm and wind can affect the count- However, it spent 41 percent amounts percent within the second quarter of Park have increased lately. This could ing. Such challenges are considered under the recurrent budget. the current fiscal year. The recurrent also be one of the reasons behind PHOTO: NATIONAL TRUST FOR NATURE CONSERVATION even during the planning phase of Manohar Dhungana, the chief expenditure of the municipality is increasing tiger attacks,” said The tiger that is believed to have killed Policeram Tharu has been captured. rhino counting.” administrative officer of Mangala 51.18 percent. Antigen test mandatory for those entering Kathmandu with any Covid-19 symptom The measure comes as the country recorded more than 200 cases in 24 hours for the first time since January. Health minister warns infections could reach their peak in May/June.

POST REPORT the virus on the basis of symptoms of Covid-19 Ministry, told the Post. “It is impossible to and ensure that there is a quarantine and October 21, the highest in a single day. KATHMANDU, APRIL 5 will be taken for the polymerase chain reaction perform tests on all people.” isolation centre in each municipality. The number of new cases declined after tests even if their antigen test reports are Adhikari concedes that risk of spread of According to the Health Ministry, 266 new the government stopped performing free The government has made antigen testing negative. infection remains as even people who do not cases and four deaths were reported in the testing on asymptomatic patients. Authorities mandatory for those entering Kathmandu “As part of their effort to control pandemic exhibit symptoms can be infected with country in the last 24 hours. have also stopped contact tracing. Valley with symptoms akin to coronavirus they have decided to tighten the flow of coronavirus and there are chances of spread This is the first time that the number of Addressing a meeting of the House of infection. suspicious visitors to Kathmandu Valley of the virus from such people. cases in 24 hours has crossed the 200 mark Representatives on Monday, Minister According to Chief District Officer of by initiating antigen tests at the entry points,” “The important thing is we should follow for the country and the 100 mark for the Valley Tripathi said that new cases of infection Kathmandu Kali Prasad Rijal the meeting of Khagaraj Baral, secretary at the the safety measures including using face since January. have started to rise in recent weeks. Kathmandu District Covid-19 Crisis Covid-19 Crisis Management Centre, told masks, hand washing using sanitisers and The number of active cases stood at 1,832 “If we cannot make public health Management Centre held on Monday the Post. others,” added Adhikari. as of Monday evening. The number of cases measures effective, new cases will rise in decided to establish health desks for antigen Due to the increasing number of cases Monday’s meeting of the Kathmandu in Kathmandu Valley during this period stood the coming days and reach a peak in May tests at all the municipalities where the of infections, Baral said district Covid-19 District Covid-19 Crisis Management Centre of at 137. and June,” said Tripathi. “The government is entry points to the Valley are situated. crisis management centres have been has also decided to bar unnecessary public Nepal has so far reported 278,210 cases of ready to enforce public health measures to After Kathmandu, Lalitpur and Bhaktapur— authorised to take necessary decisions to functions. coronavirus infections and a death toll of 3,036. lessen the infection rate.” two other districts in the Valley—are also control the pandemic. In the case of events that cannot be Four persons died within the last 24 hours due Adhikari, joint spokesperson for the Health following suit, according to officials. Officials at the Ministry of Health and postponed, the authorities have advised the to Covid-19 complications, according to the Ministry, said that India has yet to reach “We have decided to make antigen testing Population said that the ministry has decided hosts to put in place adequate safety Health Ministry. its peak and past experience shows that it mandatory for all those coming to Kathmandu to perform tests only on symptomatic people. protocols and ensure that they are strictly Meanwhile, Minister for Health and takes about one two months to reach the peak Valley with any symptom of Covid-19,” “We have been performing antigen tests implemented. Population Hridayesh Tripathi on Monday in Nepal. said Rijal. “We will begin the tests within a even on people returning from India who have The centre has also directed all the warned that infection of the coronavirus could On Sunday India reported 103,558 cases, the day or two.” Covid-like symptoms,” Dr Samir Kumar municipalities of the district to maintain reach its peak in May/June. highest in one day since the pandemic began Swabs of the visitors suspected of having Adhikari, joint spokesperson at the Health existing quarantine and isolation centers The country had recorded 5, 743 cases on from less than 10,000 in February.

C M Y K TUESDAY, APRIL 06, 2021 | 04 OPINION EDITORIAL Digital nomads Pandemic fatigue Sense must prevail in our battle to contain the spread of the coronavirus.

India’s daily Covid-19 caseload crossed the 100,000 mark for the first time on Monday, making it the second country after the United States to report record cases overnight. According to Reuters, with 103,558 new infections, the country’s daily infections have risen about 12-fold since February, when authorities relaxed most restrictions. The country also added 478 new deaths, raising the death toll to 165,101, according to data from the Health Ministry. In the most affected Maharashtra state, hospitals are being overrun by patients as cases surge, and authorities have introduced a range of restrictions and weekend lockdowns to contain further spread of the coronavirus. Epidemiologists fear this second wave of the pandemic may be due to the more infectious variants of the virus and pandemic fatigue among the people, which has caused them to stop wearing a mask or following physical distancing protocol, putting themselves and others at risk. Last month, India also reported a ‘double mutant’ coronavirus variant, but it is unclear if the new form is more dangerous. Like in India and across the globe, more infectious variants of the virus may also be responsible for the rising number of new infections and critical hospital admissions in Nepal. Public health experts warn that it is time to prepare for the worst-case scenario, and a lackadaisical approach could be detrimental for the public and the country. And the warning signs are all over the place, which we can’t afford to ignore. New infections are increasing in Nepal, with 266 cases and four deaths reported on SUJEEV SHAKYA Monday. At 4 percent of the peak and rising, the country is nomads, who believe in virtual work- and would like to spend time together— attracting a new segment of visitors reporting the highest daily average since October 22. Can Nepal compete places in a city they love to spend time be it hiking, cycling, travelling to dif- and boosting the economy that has With 1,832 active cases as of Monday, doctors fear the exact in. This is not a new phenomenon but ferent countries or just setting up pop- been impacted by the pandemic. caseload could be 10 times higher as only one in 10 infected peo- in attracting this has exploded in recent times, as virtual up kitchens to showcase their food and Nepal has all the right ingredients to ple might be seeking tests while hundreds of returnees from offices become the new normal global- have some fun. The digital nomads do attract the digital nomad. It has new segment ly. When high-speed internet connec- bring back the days of the ‘hippie’ tour- many spots of great scenic beauty. India have not been quarantined even after a significant num- tion started in Ubud, Bali, many people ists in Nepal, where people from There are many great places where one ber of people tested positive in rapid antigen tests. Instead, the of visitors? started to flock to this city; there are different parts of the world converged can just open one’s gadgets, log in and returnees are travelling to their homes in the villages using many such cities in different parts of in the back alleys of Kathmandu and start to work. The internet connection public transportation. As the pandemic stretches into its second the world that can deliver affordability, found their ways to a different part of is good, particularly in the last few SUJEEV SHAKYA great quality of life, and a network Nepal. Some of them stayed back to years. There is enough for people to do year, pandemic fatigue is causing both the government and the with a similar set of people. start ventures and some of them con- in terms of exploring nature. And, of public to ignore the proven test-trace-treat strategy and Covid- THE OTHER With great platforms to connect vir- tinued to visit the country for many course, there are places for fun, food appropriate safety measures. VIEW tually innovating at a great pace, not more decades. and music. Without increased testing and contact tracing and quarantine only physical offices but the require- Air connectivity through Dubai, ment to be in the same city or country The competition is strong Doha and Istanbul airports that have facilities, epidemiologists worry that the current infection rate, of your job or work is becoming less Countries like Estonia have had some remained open in the last year; this like last year, will reach a peak one month after it does in India. relevant. Having personally been trav- pioneering e-residency programmes provides easy, one-stop connections to Testing rates, however, have remained alarmingly low in the In these times, it is not difficult to spot elling during this pandemic, when the for people in the startup world. Since Nepal. And Nepal is located in a spot past several weeks as cases surge and contact tracing is almost people working out of cafes in meetings are generally virtual it does August 2020, the country has launched that makes it possible to deal with Kathmandu or Kigali who have made it not really matter from where you take a a special digital nomad visa that allows timezones across the world—from nonexistent. Health Ministry officials admit that most people their virtual office for the work they call or manage the office. The only key people to stay for one year. Croatia has Japan to the US. The tourism sector seeking tests are healthy people doing so to go abroad. The pub- are doing remotely. I have chatted with thing to bear in mind is the time zone— followed suit. In October 2020, Dubai that has suffered during the last lic, by and large, has dropped safety measures, as evidenced by people who are working out of one should be ready to join meetings at also launched its own virtual working year may find respite by attracting this the sales figure of essentials like masks and hand sanitisers and Kathmandu for jobs in Myanmar—and odd hours. So, if you are willing to take programme where people could get new segment. The government only the emerging number of cases in academic institutions. one operating out of Kigali for a Swiss that occasional 3 am or 1 am call with- visas to come and work remotely out of needs to do one thing, and that is to pharmaceutical company. These people out bothering your sleep routine, then the UAE. introduce a one-year work visa for such We urgently need to understand that the second wave of a have one thing in common: they love you can fit into this new normal. Mexico has attracted a lot of digital digital nomads and ensure that the pandemic can be deadlier, not just to public health but also to travelling and would like to set up their People have been doing personal, nomads from the US and Canada. Cities security check on people and their our economy. The rise in new cases and critical hospital admis- base in a city and country where they social or family calls at hours they like Tulum on the Caribbean coast is tracking is well in place. Every chal- sions indicates that a new wave of infections has already start- can find people with common interests. never used to communicate earlier. rated as one of the favourite spots by lenge throws in an opportunity. As a There are more Facebook pages that The same mindset just needs an exten- digital nomads. There are specialised digital nomad working for a company ed. This is no time to make assumptions and let our guard down. are catering to this segment than ever sion towards work calls. The new work- companies that are emerging and based in Kathmandu out of beautiful With vaccines scarce and no certainty in supply, it is worrying before, as people search to hear from place is the place where you open groups like Selina are putting in more spots in Rwanda for clients in East Asia that both the government and the public are noncompliant with others who are working remotely. your computer, tablet or smartphone to money to build hotel rooms for this and the US, I cannot but vouch for its proven pandemic mitigation strategies and behaviours. Sense connect. segment. In Rwanda, the government is potential. It is upto the Nepali entrepre- The virtual office Apart from work, these people con- already working on a program that will neurs and the government to make it must prevail in our battle to contain the spread of the virus. These are the new breed of digital nect with people with similar interests allow people to get work permits, happen.

Climate safety nets for all

keep temperatures within the 1.5º-2º rently weakest where they are most Only by strengthening poor Celsius ceiling set in 2015 by the Paris urgently needed. Fewer than one in climate agreement. But even 1.5ºC of five people in low-income countries people’s climate resilience warming would have disastrous impli- are currently covered; and in Africa, cations for poverty and malnutrition safety nets are chronically under-fi- can they meet the coming in the poorest countries. The evidence nanced, fragmented, and poorly from climate science points over- equipped to address the critical chal- challenges. whelmingly toward less predictable lenge of responding to child poverty rainfall, more extreme, frequent, and and malnutrition. protracted droughts, and more At COP26, world leaders should task KEVIN WATKINS destructive storms. Meanwhile, the the World Bank and the United World Meteorological Association Nations with developing a strategy to anticipates a long-term decline in food reach the 155 million people facing productivity in Africa, the world’s food-insecurity crises, and to priori- most food-insecure region. tise children in safety-net design. Rich countries are already invest- Increased finance will be crucial, ing heavily in adapting to cli- especially given the post-pandemic fis- mate-change threats. When disasters cal constraints that many developing As preparations for this year’s COP26 strike, their citizens can fall back on countries now face. The G7 has already climate summit in Glasgow intensify, elaborate safety nets, well-financed agreed in principle to authorise a new attention is focused on efforts to pre- health systems, and insurance poli- allocation of the International vent a future catastrophe. But real- cies covering loss and damage to Monetary Fund’s reserve asset, spe- time climate catastrophes already are assets. Flood defences are being cial drawing rights (SDRs). playing out in the lives of millions of strengthened across Europe, and Reallocating these funds to the poorest the world’s poorest and most vulnera- America’s current Farm Bill includes countries would go a long way toward ble people. What will COP26 offer a $39 billion federal insurance pro- creating the fiscal space to invest in them? gramme to protect heavily subsidised safety nets. So, too, would additional Stick a pin in a map of global producers against crop losses. debt relief and the $25 billion in new humanitarian emergencies, and you Contrast that with the situation fac- funding proposed by the World Bank’s will most likely land on a crisis that ing Africa’s farmers. When extreme International Development has been caused or aggravated by weather events destroy crops, kill live- Association. droughts, floods, and storms. In 2019, stock, and drive up food prices, fami- As the host of COP26, the United extreme weather events pushed more lies cope by cutting meals and reduc- Kingdom’s government should focus than 34 million people into hunger ing spending on health and education. its climate-adaptation efforts on galva- and food insecurity. In the 55 countries Lacking insurance and savings, the nising support for safety nets. with food insecurity crises, 75 million poorest households are forced to sell Reversing its recent decision to cut children under the age of five are off productive assets, including live- the UK’s foreign-aid budget by one- chronically undernourished and face stock, effectively closing their route to third would be a good starting point. higher risks of diarrhoea, pneumo- recovery. Livestock losses during Slashing support for nutrition pro- nia, and other killer diseases that Somalia’s 2016 drought cost the coun- grammes and climate-related humani- accompany droughts and floods. try’s farmers an estimated $2 billion— ARES JONEKSON/SHUTTERSTOCK.COM tarian responses in regions like the Save the Children is responding to an extraordinary loss for some of the Three years ago, I met women pastoral thus, they provide a springboard for save poor farmers $50 in lost income Sahel and the Horn of Africa is a these emergencies. In the Horn of world’s poorest people. farmers in Wajir, an arid area in north- recovery. There is abundant evidence and assets four months later. When short-sighted dereliction of leader- Africa, our nutrition programmes are The international community’s pre- ern Kenya, in the aftermath of a devas- from the Sahel, the Horn of Africa, linked to early-warning systems, safe- ship, and an embarrassing retreat treating the children of farming fami- ferred first-line response to climate tating drought. They had managed to and other regions that small cash ty nets can also provide a platform for from multilateralism. lies devastated by successive droughts, disaster is to provide humanitarian avoid cutting meals for children or transfers improve nutrition, increase crisis prevention. In Bangladesh, vul- Safety nets are not an antidote for floods, and the worst desert locust aid. That aid saves lives, but the cur- selling off their livestock because they investment, and boost crop produc- nerable households were provided climate injustice. But, linked to deci- infestation in a generation. In the rent system invariably delivers too lit- were receiving cash through Kenya’s tion, especially when targeted to grants ahead of anticipated flooding, sive action to achieve net zero emis- Sahel region, we are working with tle, too late. Last year, donors provided Hunger Safety Net Programme. As women. And these programmes can enabling them to relocate. Beyond sav- sions by mid-century, they could limit communities hit by drought and dis- only half of the funding requested by soon as the drought struck, early pay- respond rapidly to a crisis. During the ing lives and protecting assets, the the harm suffered by those who bear placed by increasingly deadly con- the UN—a record gap. And much of the ments were automatically triggered 2017 drought, Ethiopia’s safety net programme reached twice as many the least responsibility for the climate flicts over water. But humanitarian aid arrived long after the most vulner- (based on rainfall data). was extended to reach an additional people as a previous humanitarian crisis. We must seize that opportunity efforts are being overwhelmed by the able families had already been forced Well-designed safety nets succeed three million people. response had, and at half the cost. at COP26. scale of the crisis—and worse is to to cut food consumption, withdraw where humanitarian aid often fails, Early action is the key to rapid Targeted safety-net programmes come. children from school, and sell assets. because they catch vulnerable people recovery. Every dollar invested in could offer an efficient and equitable Watkins is CEO of Save the COP26 is one of our last opportuni- There is a better way to support the as soon as they start to fall, instead of recovery during the first few weeks of way to build resilience against climate Children UK. ties to lock in the measures needed to world’s most vulnerable populations. waiting until they hit the ground; a drought in the Horn of Africa can change. Unfortunately, they are cur- — Project Syndicate

C M Y K 05 | TUESDAY, APRIL 06, 2021 MONEY Three years have passed, but no consumer court in sight Singapore to accept Covid-19 digital Consumer rights activists accuse the government of deliberately delaying the implementation of the law. travel pass from KRISHANA PRASAIN It usually takes three to six months for teration of food and edible oil are KATHMANDU, APRIL 5 the District Court to give a verdict, common. But few people file a case. while in many cases the guilty firm The number of unscrupulous activi- next month It’s been three years since the amend- does not face any real action as the ties in the market continues to rise. ed Consumer Protection Act 2018, evidence is lost over the period. In the last fiscal year 2019-20, the REUTERS which contained a provision requir- In many countries, a consumer Department of Commerce, Supplies SINGAPORE, APRIL 5 ing the government to establish a con- court is a special purpose court that and Consumer Protection slapped sumer court, was passed. But there deals with cases regarding consumer fines totalling Rs30.46 million Singapore will next month accept isn’t any indication of the consumer disputes, conflicts and grievances. against 581 firms among the 1,869 that visitors who use a mobile travel pass court being set up, and this shows how There are judiciary hearings set up by were investigated during a market containing digital certificates for serious the government is about the government to protect consumer inspection. Covid-19 tests and vaccines, its avia- ensuring the rights of consumers, rights. Consumers can file a case In the previous fiscal year 2018-19, tion regulator said on Monday, becom- observers said. against a seller if they are cheated or the department had collected Rs4.32 ing one of the first countries to adopt In 2018, the government made the exploited. million in fines from 185 dishonest the initiative. first amendment to the law in two dec- The basic consumer rights outlined businesses. Singapore will accept the ades in a bid to better protect the by the United Nations which are wide- Last October, just before the International Air Transport rights and interests of Nepali consum- ly adopted by a number of countries Dashain festival, the police and the Association (IATA) mobile travel ers. One of its highlights was the are the right to safety, right to be Department of Commerce, Supplies pass for pre-departure checks, establishment of a consumer court to informed, right to choose and right to and Consumer Protection conducted a where travellers can get clearance bring unscrupulous traders under a be heard, right to redressal and right raid on the warehouse of Ayan to fly to and enter Singapore by show- legal framework through fast track to consumer education. Distributors and seized tonnes of date ing a smartphone application procedures. Nepal, so far, has not practiced hear- expired foods and other products that containing their data from accredited Consumer rights activists accuse ing consumer grievances as consum- had been relabelled with new dates laboratories. the government of deliberately delay- ers have to file a case at the courts, POST FILE PHOTO and readied for delivery. The pass was successfully tested by ing the implementation of the law due which takes months and years to pass Complaints about food shortages, hoarding, black marketeering, and adulteration of food and Food brands like Snickers, Cadbury, Singapore Airlines. More than 20 car- to vested interests or pressure from a verdict, according to lawyers. edible oil are common. But few people file a case. The number of unscrupulous activities in Pringles, Tang, Oreo and Bournvita riers, including Emirates, Qatar manufacturers and traders. In a recent development, the the market continues to rise. and different products from Unilever Airways and Malaysia Airlines, are Currently, cases of unfair trade Ministry of Industry, Commerce and like Horlicks, Dove shampoo, bathing also testing the pass. practices are filed at the District Court Supplies said it had drafted legislation consumer courts—the National established,” he said. soap and sanitiser worth about Rs40 “The success of our joint efforts or the District Administration Offices, to establish a consumer court and sub- Consumer Disputes Redressal “Little effort is being made million had been relabelled. will make IATA’s partnership which involves lengthy administrative mitted it to the Law Ministry for fur- Commission is the apex body of con- against unethical and unfair trade Regmi said that once the consumer with the government of Singapore a procedures and bureaucratic hassles. ther review. The draft has proposed sumer courts that works for the whole practices, and it is sad to hear that court comes into operation, consum- model for others to follow,” IATA setting up a consumer court in each of country, the State Consumer Disputes the government has delayed the for- ers can file a complaint directly with director general Willie Walsh said in a the seven provinces in the first phase. Redressal Commission, a state level mation of a consumer court, which is evidence and references. statement. FOREX “We have written to the Supreme court that works at the state level, and of the utmost necessity in a country Madhav Timalsina, president of the Asian business hub Singapore, Court requesting the formation of a the District Consumer Disputes like Nepal. ” Consumer Rights Investigation which has had relatively few coronavi- judicial service commission,” said Redressal Forum, a district level court In September 2019, the Ministry of Forum, said that the government did rus cases this year, has been a leader US Dollar 117.57 Bishnu Prasad Regmi, joint secretary that works at the district level. Industry, Commerce and Supplies sub- not consider consumer rights a priori- in developing and using technology Euro 138.12 at the Law Ministry. Advocate Punya Prasad Khatiwada mitted draft legislation to establish a ty. “As a result, the number of unscru- during the pandemic and wants to be Pound Sterling 162.96 “The consumer court needs a dis- said that political cases always receive consumer court to the Law Ministry. pulous activities in the market has among the first countries to reopen to Japanese Yen 10.63 trict judge with two government offi- priority over cases of consumers. The first consumer court in Nepal was increased.” host international events. cials as members to arbitrate cases “The state also does not provide expected to be established by the Consumer rights activists said that Airlines are hoping more countries Chinese Yuan 17.90 related to consumer rights,” he said. funds to fight for consumer protection beginning of 2021. the establishment of a consumer will approve digital passes on apps to Qatari Riyal 32.28 “The formation of the consumer court rights. We look for foreign aid for “We are not sure when a consumer court was mooted a decade ago, but it allow travel to resume faster and avoid Australian Dollar 89.64 will begin once the Supreme Court everything. If we get funding from court will be opened,” said Regmi. has not materialised. “It will remain complications and delays at airports Malaysian Ringit 28.38 responds to our letter,” he said. donors, then only there are chances Complaints about food shortages, on paper only,” said Prem Lal where multiple checks on documents In India, there are three layers of that a consumer court will be hoarding, black marketing, and adul- Maharjan, a consumer rights activist. are required. Saudi Arab Riyal 31.35

Exchange rates fixed by Nepal Rastra Bank

Shares Nepse 2,658.74pts 0.04% Training opens LG to withdraw from smartphone market HIGHEST GAINERS REUTERS “In the United States, LG has target- smartphone division, the smallest of NICLBSL RADHI WOMI SGI HGI CGH 9.99% 9.98% 9.95% 9.89% 6.55% 6.07% SEOUL, APRIL 5 ed mid-priced—if not ultra-low—mod- its five divisions accounting for about ‘a window of hope’ for els and that means Samsung, which 7 percent of revenue, is expected to be MODERATE GAINERS South Korea’s LG Electronics Inc will has more mid-priced product lines wound down by July 31. In South UPPER SJCL PPCL MPFL GLBSL MLBSL 5.34% 5.2% 4.9% 4.74% 4.5% 3.94% wind down its loss-making mobile than Apple, will be better able to Korea, the division’s employees will division after failing to find a buyer, a attract LG users,” said Ko Eui-young, be moved to other LG Electronics MODERATE LOSERS Albanian rug-weavers move that is set to make it the first an analyst at Hi Investment & businesses and affiliates, while else- CIT GFCL RHPL SLBS GHL PIC -2.17% -2.26% -2.39% -2.44% -2.44% -2.58% major smartphone brand to complete- Securities. LG’s smartphone division where decisions on employment will

HIGHEST LOSERS ASSOCIATED PRESS both teaching young people how to ly withdraw from the market. has logged nearly six years of losses be made at the local level. SIC LGIL SAPDBL SMFBS GUFL SIFC KUKES (ALBANIA), APRIL 5 weave wool from the area’s Ruda Its decision to pull out will leave its totalling some $4.5 billion. Dropping Analysts said they were told in a -2.67% -2.82% -2.94% -3.13% -3.14% -3.36% sheep into carpets and other items 10 percent share in North America, out of the fiercely competitive sector conference call that LG plans to retain Hate Ora has been weaving carpets using Persian knots, the local method where it is the number 3 brand, to be would allow LG to focus on growth its 4G and 5G core technology patents and rugs for more than half a century, preferred over Turkish-style knots. gobbled up by Samsung Electronics areas such as electric vehicle compo- as well as core R&D personnel, and PRICE PER TOLA since learning the craft as a child by She herself is learning how to clean, and Apple Inc with its domestic rival nents, connected devices and smart will continue to develop communica- BULLION sneaking into her aunt’s workshop. wash, comb and colour the wool with expected to have the edge. homes, it said in a statement. LG’s tion technologies for 6G. Ora, 64, is now teaching the meth- vegetable and other natural dyes. Fine Gold Rs 87,200 ods she picked up and perfected to her Ora said other efforts to revive the daughter, nieces and other younger carpet industry have failed in Kukes Silver Rs 1,235 women to ensure there is another gen- “because to be successful they have to eration of artisans to continue the employ all the qualified women and SOURCE: FENEGOSIDA tradition. find the market for our products.” Albania once had 13 former state- “Unless the whole carpet-weaving run factories that produced carpets, industry resumes, me, or any other GASOLINE WATCH rugs, fez hats, folk costumes and like me, can hardly attract individual- other handicrafts. Kukes, a town ly Tirana’s attention, where all northeast of the capital, Tirana, alone business and the market is located,” employed more than 1,200 women as she said. weavers. When the country’s commu- Mazloum said the new programme nist era ended in 1990, the local factory trains participants to produce product closed. for which there already is a buyer. At Ora built herself three looms and least half of the women in the pro- bought a big supply of wool fibres and gramme have started wool-working at other needed tools in the chaotic after- home, he said. math. Today, she is one of only a few “It’s a very difficult job, but it is not Albanians still doing weaving work, priced with the real value. It’s under- which doesn’t bring in much money. priced, if you take into consideration Kukes, a town of about 60,000 resi- the time and how difficult this job is,” dents, is one of the poorest in Albania, Mazloum said. which itself is one of the poorest Blerina Kolgjini, an associate pro- countries in Europe. fessor of textiles and fashion at Many of the town’s young people, Albania’s Tirana University, points especially the young men, have emi- out the artistry in the rugs and other grated to Western Europe in search of products displayed at a gallery in jobs. Women often remain unem- Kukes: the quality of the Ruda sheep ployed at home, waiting for remittanc- wool found only in that area, Kosovo es from their husbands, brothers and and Croatia, the density of the knots, other male relatives. the thread thickness and the attention “Resuming this tradition would be to detail “not much different from an added value, increasing employ- worldwide painters’ work.” ment and having a direct social and economic impact on the people’s lives” along with preserving a piece of BIZLINE Albanian culture, Deputy Mayor Majlinda Onuzi said. A non-governmental organisation, Daraz to begin ‘Nawa Barsha’s Social Development Investment, has Grand Sale’ on April 11 received money from German and Swiss development agencies to KATHMANDU: Nepal’s biggest online train 125 women in wool production marketplace, Daraz, has officially and weaving. Founder Elias Mazloum announced the date for their next big said the purpose is to “open a window campaign: Daraz Nawa Barsha 2078— of hope for unemployed people” in Nawa Barshako Bhabya Sale. The the Kukes area and to keep the tradi- campaign will kick off from April 11. tion of handmade carpet-making On the auspicious occasion of the alive. Nepali New Year, Daraz has promised As part of the programme, Ora is to bring its customers amaz- ing deals, exciting offers, special payment partner discounts, and a chance to win grand prizes including a brand new Datsun Redi Go, reads the press release issued by the company. One of the major attractions of the campaign is the additional payment partner discounts for debit/credit card holders. Debit card holders will receive discounts of upto Rs1000 and credit card holders will receive discounts of upto Rs1500. The payment partners are Nabil Bank, Sanima Bank, NMB Bank, Mega Bank, Kumari Bank, Macchapucchre Bank, Sunrise Bank, Standard Chartered, and Himalayan Bank.

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

BRIEFING Cyclone kills at least India’s daily coronavirus cases breach 97 in Indonesia, Putin signs law allowing him to serve two more terms East Timor MOSCOW: 100,000; mutants, behaviour blamed Russian President Vladimir Putin on Monday gave final approval REUTERS to legislation allowing him to hold More infectious variants of the virus may have played a role in the second surge, some epidemiologists say. MALAKA, APRIL 5 office for two additional six-year terms, giving himself the possibility REUTERS Floods and landslides triggered by to stay in power until 2036. Putin NEW DELHI, APRIL 5 tropical cyclone Seroja in a cluster of proposed the change last year as part islands in southeast Indonesia of constitutional reforms that India reported a record rise in and East Timor have killed 97 people, Russians overwhelmingly backed Covid-19 infections on Monday, becom- with many still unaccounted for in a vote in July. Lawmakers ing the second country after the and thousands displaced, officials said approved the new bill last month. The United States to post more than 100,000 on Monday. legislation will allow Putin to run in new cases in a day, as politicians stage At least 70 deaths were reported in presidential elections again after his massive election rallies raising fears several islands in Indonesia’s West current and second consecutive of further spreading the virus. and East Nusa Tenggara provinces, term expires in 2024. Hospitals in the worst affected state, while 70 others were missing, after the Maharashtra, are being overrun by cyclone brought flash floods, patients. India’s richest state, home to landslides and strong winds amid Ferry sinks after colliding in its commercial capital Mumbai and heavy rain over the weekend, disaster numerous industries, reported a agency BNPB said. Bangladesh; at least 25 dead record 57,074 new cases overnight. In East Timor, which shares the DHAKA: Rescuers have recovered 25 The country’s daily infections have Timor island with Indonesia, at bodies from a river outside risen about 12 fold since hitting least 27 people were killed by Bangladesh’s capital after a ferry col- a multi-month low in early February, landslides, flash floods and a falling lided with another vessel and cap- when authorities eased most restric- tree, while 7,000 displaced, its sized, an official said Monday. The tions and people largely stopped government said. ferry ML Rabit Al Hasan sank wearing masks and following social On Lembata island, authorities Sunday night after being hit by a distancing. feared bodies had been washed away. cargo vessel in the Shitalakkhya With 103,558 new infections, India “We are using rubber boats to find River in Narayanganj district, just has now reported 12.6 million cases. bodies at sea. In several villages, flash outside Dhaka, officials said. Fire and Deaths jumped by 478, still one of the floods hit while people were sleeping,” civil defence official Ershad Hossain lowest fatality rates in the world, rais- Thomas Ola Langoday, deputy head of said rescuers recovered five bodies ing the total to 165,101. Lembata district government, told overnight and 20 others on Monday. India has recorded the most number AP/RSS Reuters by phone. Nine other people remained missing, of infections in the past week any- People wait to get inoculated in New Delhi, India, on Monday. About 30,000 people have been he said. where in the world. More infectious impacted by floods in Indonesia, some variants of the virus may have played already taking shelter in evacuation a role in the second surge, some epide- centres, but rescue operations have Israel’s Netanyahu on trial as miologists say. Bangladesh enforces weeklong lockdown amid virus surge been made difficult after five bridges coalition talks ramp up “The new variant, or variants collapsed and falling trees blocked of concern, probably explains a DHAKA: Bangladesh enforced a lock- services were to remain operational. the capital, Dhaka. Traffic police some roads, BNPB spokesman Raditya JERUSALEM: Israel’s legal and political lot of it, rather than simplistic expla- down for a week from Monday, shut- Banks operated for only two and a intercepted bikers and checked Jati said. dramas converged Monday as Prime nation of behaviour,” said Rajib ting shopping malls and transporta- half hours daily. Industries were their documents. A continuing storm had also halted Minister Benjamin Netanyahu faced Dasgupta, head of the Centre of tion, to help curb the spread of corona- allowed to operate as long as they Local TV stations reported that the evacuations in some places, local court in his corruption trial while his Social Medicine & Community Health virus as the rate of infections and helped their workers commute. lockdown in many towns were being authorities said. bid to form a government after anoth- in New Delhi’s Jawaharlal Nehru deaths have increased in recent weeks. The government has asked people enforced loosely. Hundreds of houses and other facil- er inconclusive election reached a University. Health authorities said they were not to go out from 6pm to 6am. The nationwide lockdown is the sec- ities such as a solar power plant were critical phase. The 71-year-old veteran India has found hundreds of cases facing overwhelming pressure for But owners and workers of shop- ond for the South Asian nation after it damaged, BNPB said. Ships and motor premier arrived at the Jerusalem of the virus variants first detected intensive care units in hospitals in ping malls in Dhaka’s Elephant Road shut down for two months from late boats sank as the cyclone set off waves courthouse where he was met by in the United Kingdom, South Africa recent weeks because of the severe area took to the streets, demanding March last year. as high as 6 metres. supporters but also opponents who and Brazil. cases of infections. that authorities allow them to run On the eve of the lockdown, Prime Powerful currents continued to called him Israel’s “crime minister”. Subhash Salunke, a former WHO Domestic flights, river transport their shops. Minister Sheikh Hasina urged people flow through villages in the Malaka Israel’s first premier to be indicted official who advises Maharashtra on and railway operations were suspend- Some three-wheelers and cars to help curb the spread of the virus in district on Timor island on Monday, in office was ordered to appear in its Covid-19 strategy, said cases in the ed on Monday while only emergency were seen running on the streets of a speech in Parliament. (AP) even though the rain had stopped. person at Jerusalem’s District Court state would continue to rise for anoth- Some residents there hauled for opening arguments in a case er couple of weeks. He said a way out themselves to their roofs to escape where is charged with bribery, was vaccinating all adults in its hard- at home since starting its campaign first with the AstraZeneca shot and a more than 65 million doses. flood water rising to 3-4 metres. fraud of breach of trust. As court est-hit cities such as Mumbai, Pune in the middle of January. The government-backed one. “It was highlighted that all “We had to dismantle the zinc roof. proceedings got underway, President and Nashik. country’s per capita Covid-19 vaccina- In a meeting held by Indian Prime efforts are underway to secure We went out through the back door Reuven Rivlin began two days of “If we start doing this, by the end tions, however, are lower than many Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday, adequate quantities of vaccines to and pulled ourselves out with a rope,” talks to determine which party of April we will see a downward other countries. officials discussed raising the meet the rising domestic require- Agustina Luruk, 36, told Reuters leader has the best chance of forming trend,” he said. India is currently vaccinating only country’s vaccine output further. The ments as well as to meet the genuine as she and her three daughters a stable government following the India, the world’s biggest maker of people above the age of 45, having government has in recent weeks needs of other countries,” his office waited to be evacuated by the side of a March 23 election. (AGENCIES) vaccines, has injected 77 million doses covered health and front-line workers slowed vaccine exports, after shipping said in a statement here. muddy road. Minorities in Myanmar borderlands face fresh fear since military coup

ASSOCIATED PRESS JAKARTA, APRIL 5

Before each rainy season Lu Lu Aung and other farmers living in a camp for internally displaced people in Myanmar’s far northern Kachin state would return to the village they fled and plant crops that would help keep them fed for the coming year. But this year in the wake of February’s military coup, with the rains not far off, the farmers rarely step out of their makeshift homes and don’t dare leave their camp. They say it is simply too dangerous to risk running into soldiers from Myanmar’s army or their aligned militias. “We can’t go anywhere and can’t do anything since the coup,” Lu Lu Aung said. “Every night, we hear the sounds of jet fighters flying so close above our camp.” The military’s lethal crackdown on protesters in large central cities such AP/RSS as Yangon and Mandalay has received In this May 6, 2018 photo, internally displaced ethnic Kachins rest at their hut in compound of much of the attention since the coup Trinity Baptist Church refugee camp in Myitkyina, Kachin State, northern Myanmar. that toppled Aung San Suu Kyi’s elected government. But far away in rebel armies with only occasional the borderlands has been hard it since Myanmar’s borderlands, Lu Lu Aung periods of ceasefire. the coup as well. and millions of others who hail from The violence has led to accusations Communications have been crip- Myanmar’s minority ethnic groups of abuses against all sides, such as pled, banks have closed and security are facing increasing uncertainty and arbitrary taxes on civilians and has become increasingly uncertain, waning security as longstanding con- forced recruitment, and according said the director of a Myanmar-based flicts between the military and minor- to the United Nations has displaced organisation supporting displaced ity guerrilla armies flare anew. some 239,000 people since 2011 alone. persons who spoke on condition of It’s a situation that was thrust to the That doesn’t include the more than anonymity for security reasons. forefront over the past week as the 800,000 minority Rohingya who “There is no more humanitarian military launched deadly airstrikes fled to Bangladesh to escape a military help and support,” she said. against ethnic Karen guerrillas in campaign the UN has called ethnic In eastern Karen State, where the their homeland on the eastern border, cleansing. airstrikes have displaced thousands, displacing thousands and sending Since February anti-coup protests there are concerns that the arrival of civilians fleeing into neighbouring have taken place in every border state, rainy season could exacerbate a Thailand. and security forces have responded humanitarian situation already Several of the rebel armies have much as they have elsewhere with made difficult by reports that Thailand threatened to join forces if the killing tear gas, rubber bullets and live has sent back many of the civilians of civilians doesn’t stop, while a group ammunition. But residents and who fled. Thailand has said those made up of members of the deposed observers say the post-coup situation who went back to Myanmar did so government has floated the idea of in geographically isolated border- voluntarily. creating a new army that includes lands has been made worse by Near Bangladesh in coastal Rakhine rebel groups. increased skirmishes between the State, where the Rohingya were driven Ethnic minorities make up about 40 military and armed ethnic organisa- from and where violent clashes with percent of Myanmar’s 52 million tions jockeying for power and the Arakan Army group have been people, but the central government territory. ongoing for years, the junta last month and the military leadership have Lu Lu Aung, who hails from the removed the group from its list of ter- long been dominated by the country’s Kachin ethnic group, said she partici- rorist groups, raising hopes a lower- Burman ethnic majority. Since pated in protests, but stopped as ing of hostilities. The Arakan Army, independence from Britain in 1948, it was now too dangerous. She said unlike a number of other armed more than a dozen ethnic groups have Myanmar security forces and aligned groups, had not criticised the coup. been seeking greater autonomy, with militias recently occupied their old The group, however, since released some maintaining their own inde- village where they planted crops and a statement that declared its right to pendent armies. no one left the camp because they defend its territory and civilians That has put them at odds with feared they would be forced into work against military attacks, leading some Myanmar’s ultranationalist generals, for the army. to fear a fresh escalation in fighting. who have long seen any ceding of ter- “Our students can no longer contin- Other armed groups have issued ritory—especially those in border ue the schooling and for the adults it’s similar statements. Some such as the areas that are often rich in natural so much difficult to find a job and Karen National Union have provided resources—as tantamount to treason make money,” she said. protection for civilians marching in and have ruthlessly fought against the Humanitarian aid for civilians in anti-coup protests.

C M Y K 07 | TUESDAY, APRIL 06, 2021 SPORTS | MEDLEY APF end Army’s winning run in volleyball Chhetri leads Province 1 They win the women’s departmental derby 19-25, 25-10, 25-17, 25-22 to get back into contention for final spot. to thumping victory

Sports Club on Tuesday before locking SPORTS BUREAU horns with Army in the final round. KATHMANDU, APRIL 5 APF have seven points after three matches and have a relatively easy National team captain Rubina fixture next—which is set against Chhetri-led Province 1 registered Bharatpur Metro Khelkud on their first win inflicting second defeat Tuesday—before they take on New to Lumbini Province in the Lalitpur Diamond on the final day. Mayor Women’s Championship twen- Another competitor New Diamond ty20 cricket at the TU cricket grounds also have seven points after three in Kirtipur on Monday. matches. Despite boasting the likes of Skipper Chhetri and Kajal Shrestha Prativa Mali, Aruna Shahi and Salina played an unbeaten 106-run opening Shrestha, they have yet to show their wicket partnership to register a true instinct in the league. Their only thumping 10-wicket victory over competitive match against a competi- Lumbini Province. tive opponent—the Army—came on Province 1 had lost to Armed Police Friday, which they lost 3-2. Force (APF) Club by eight wickets in They next play Police on Tuesday, the opening match on Saturday. It was before facing APF on Wednesday. the second defeat in a row for Lumbini Meanwhile, Bharatpur finally regis- who had faced a 27-run defeat against tered their first league win, frustrat- Lalitpur Mayor’s XI in their first fix- ing Dhorpatan Sports Club in the ture on Sunday. straight sets of 25-21, 25-12, 25-13. They Electing to bat first, former national have three points after four matches. captain Nary Thapa-led Lumbini post- Dhorpatan have already played all ed a paltry total of 104-2. Chasing the their fixtures and exit the tournament target, Province 1 had a cakewalk winless. chasing the target in 13.2 overs. Skipper Chhetri cracked 68 runs off 49 Help Nepal near final berth deliveries. The player-of-the-match’s Tip Top Help Nepal Sports Club con- innings included 12 fences and a six. tinued their winning streak in the Her opening partner Shrestha contrib- men’s volleyball of the national NVA uted 25 runs off 32 balls. club league championship on Monday. Earlier, Saraswati Ganga Magar POST COURTESY: NSC They beat Police 25-22, 25-16, 25-20 to contributed not out 50 runs off 66 Armed Police Force Club’s Reshma Bhandari (8) attempts to block a shot during a volleyball match against Tribhuvan Army Club. rack up their fourth straight victory deliveries for Lumbini. She hit five that gave Help Nepal 12 points. They boundaries. Captain Thapa was also SPORTS BUREAU when they claimed the first set 19-25. them 3-2. now need one win from their remain- unbeaten on 20 runs off 15 balls. KATHMANDU, APRIL 5 But APF made a strong comeback to The defeat has made Army’s march ing two fixtures to secure a spot in the Lumbini opener Nitu Bhandari scored win the other three sets 25-10, 25-17, towards the final difficult with only final. They next face Army before 18 runs before she was run out. Armed Police Force (APF) Club put 25-22 and chalked up their second win one fixture remaining while their taking on APF in the final round. Barsha Rana returned to the pavilion brakes on Tribhuvan Army Club’s at the NSC covered hall in closest rivals Nepal Police Club, who APF could have joined Help Nepal without opening an account. winning streak in the women’s section Tripureshwor. are square with Army on eight points, on top but their winning run came to a Province 1 bowler Sabnam Rai took of the fifth National NVA Club League The win puts APF back in conten- have played only three matches. halt instead after surrendering to one wicket. Women’s and Men’s Volleyball tion for the final race, who endured That leaves Police the only unbeat- Army 25-15, 25-18, 28-26 in the day’s There will be two matches on POST PHOTO: HEMANTA SHRESTHA Championship on Monday. even worse fate on Saturday’s depart- en side in the six-team competition. other action. Both APF and Army Tuesday with APF vying against Skipper Rubina Chhetri’s 68 runs gave Army appeared to be heading into mental derby when Nepal Police Club But their journey is not easy as well. have nine points after four matches. Lalitpur Mayor’s XI and Province 1 Province 1 their first win of Lalitpur Mayor the last round of the league unbeaten came back from two sets down to beat They face Hongwanji New Diamond Police have six points. taking on Sudurpaschim Province. Women’s Championship twenty20 cricket. Manang out of Aaha-Rara Gold Cup

SPORTS BUREAU Kathmandu-based ‘A’ division outfit a to take advantage four minutes later POKHARA, APRIL 5 place in the last four of the when he collected the ball released by knockout tournament contested goalie Sunar but ended up smashing Defending champions and six-time by eight teams. Sankata will meet too quickly that his feeble shot was winners Manang Marshyangdi Club Armed Police Force (APF) Club, who grabbed easily by goalie Raja Babu were knocked out from the first round edged hosts Sahara Club in the open- Thapa. after they succumbed to a 1-0 defeat ing match, in the semi-finals on Manang then threw away another against Sankata Club in the Aaha- Wednesday. opportunity three minutes before the Rara Gold Cup football tournament in Manang were a better side in the break as forward Nishan Limbu failed Pokhara on Monday. first half and kept Sankata under to score in one-on-one situation with Sankata’s Guinean winger Fode pressure, with their goal scoring goalie Thapa. Fofana scored the winner two minutes opportunity coming as early in the A minute later winger Fofana before the interval to send the champi- second minute when Ekraj made a fine finish at the far post from ons packing and register their first Budathoki’s strike in skipper Anjan the area converting a pass from ever victory over Manang in the tour- Bista pass was blocked by defender Subash Gurung as Sankata went into nament. On Sunday, Martyrs Subash Gurung. the break with a goal cushion to Memorial ‘A’ Division League champi- Fofana could have Sankata in front ultimately seal the victory over the ons Machhindra were knocked out by in the 23rd minute but he fired high giants. African Root Association with a 2-1 above the bar with only goalie Bishal On Tuesday, four-time champions POST PHOTO victory. Sunar as his obstacle. Three Star Club will vie against Manang Marshyangdi Club skipper Anjan Bista (right) and Sankata Club captain Saroj Dahal in action during their quarter-final match of the The victory also secured the Manang captain Bista had a chance six-time winners Nepal Police Club. Aaha-Rara Gold Cup football tournament. The defending champions and six-time winners Manang exited the tournament in the first round. HOROSCOPE ARIES (March 21-April 19) **** CANCER (June 22-July 22) *** LIBRA (September 23-October 22) *** CAPRICORN (December 22-January 19) **** Tuesday’s cosmic landscape offers up a strange mix Cancerians need to know they’re safe before they let As a Libra, you’re a romance connoisseur. Today it You’re ready to hit the ground running, Capricorn. of hot and cold energies, Aries. The logical Aquarius people into their inner worlds. This narrative is will be easy for you to take action, be direct, and go It’s an ideal day to pour your efforts into getting moon merges with realistic Saturn and go-getter strong today, as you’re likely to be in an extra sensi- after whoever or whatever you want with confidence. ahead at work. The cosmos offer dessert too, as lovers Mars on her path, asking you to reassess your cur- tive, withdrawn moon. Today you will able to deal This cosmic union brings a welcome boost to estab- Venus and Mars align to lace the day with sensual, rent approach to accomplishing the goals at hand. with intimacy and anger issues head-on. lishing connections with romantic interests. romantic energy.

TAURUS (April 20-May 20) *** LEO (July 23-August 22) *** SCORPIO (October 23-November 21) *** AQUARIUS (January 20-February 18) *** Your ruling planet, lover Venus, receives an energiz- A blend of two different energies is at play today, Leo. Tuesday’s cosmic landscape is looking to soften any Turn your attention towards your most pressing ing visit from energetic Mars today. This union fires The solution-seeking Aquarius moon meets up with tensions that have been building, Scorpio. It’s an needs, Aquarius. What can you do to help yourself up your self-expression, increases your desire to take stabilizing Saturn and energizing Mars on her path, ideal energy to take advantage today, as it relates to feel more in sync with your body and feelings today? action, and adds an undeniable romantic charm to providing a realistic reassessment of your social the romantic ongoings in your world. You’re hard to Thankfully, the lovers, Venus and Mars, align and add your personality. involvements. miss and possess an undeniable pull. warmth and romance to the day.

GEMINI (May 21-June 21) **** VIRGO (August 23-September 22) **** SAGITTARIUS (November 22-December 21) *** PISCES (February 19-March 20) *** As a Gemini, you know what it’s like to live with a As a Virgo, it’s natural for you to see flaws in any A perplexing blend of energies permeates the day It’s okay to embrace being a full-on hermit today, dualistic perspective. Tuesday’s skies should be no plan. Don’t let that ability hinder you from moving ahead, Sagittarius. The serious Aquarius moon Pisces. The heady Aquarius moon spends the day surprise then, as contradicting energies are at play. forward with your own projects. Today you will spends the day alongside realistic Saturn and chatting with realistic Saturn and motivated Mars, Today you will have a welcome boost to romantic plough forward with budding career concepts. self-motivated Mars, potentially putting mental road- helping you deal head-on with self-created blockages endeavours. blocks in your path. that stand in your path of personal fulfilment. CROSSWORD SUDOKU

YESTERDAY’S SOLUTION

C M Y K TUESDAY, APRIL 06, 2021 | 08 CULTURE & LIFESTYLE (C.R.P.D.) - 3/052/053 ‘We dream to be Nepal’s first billion-dollar IT company’ How a group of like-minded people came together to start the cyber security firm Nassec, and how they’re now developing their most important project till date: ReconwithMe, a vulnerability assessment tool that will be on par with its global counterparts.

PRAJESH SJB RANA web applications and although it has a host of features like OWASP vulnerabili- n the spring of 2019, in a small ty checks and common vulnerabilities apartment in Lazimpat, four bright- and exposures (CVEs) checks. The team eyed, hopeful college students come at Nassec is confident that ReconwithMe together. Two Development Finance can outperform tools like Rapid 7, which students from National College, on only perform CVE scans, whereas the cusp of graduating and itching ReconwithMe, in comparison, offers more Ifor their next business project, and two features and can detect up to 6000+ vul- Information Technology students from nerabilities as of now and will scan for all Islington College with a penchant for eth- publicly available vulnerabilities in the ical hacking and software development. future. While the tools still can’t compete Back then, Subash Gautam, 25, and with more robust tools like Acunetix, Nishchal Narsingh Rana, 25, were plan- Subhash assures us that the tool is just in ning on opening a management consult- its early adoption phase right now and ing firm with focus on IT. At the same while it is a minimum viable product time, Subash was also working on a digi- right now, they’ve already planned on a tal information platform that connected roadmap for the features like network potential students with representatives scans, app scanning, block-chain security, from international educational institu- and code-checking to be implemented in tions called AbroadSanjal with Ajay the near future. Gautam and Shishir Shrestha. Ajay “Our tool is quite compressive. You can Gautam, 22, was bounty hunting for bug schedule scans, prepare reports and and security vulnerabilities in many even request for help from cyber security international services, having already professionals at Nassec directly from found and reported security flaws in web the tool,” says Subhash. “There are still services like Facebook, Microsoft, Sony, many hurdles to overcome for us to and Etsy. Ajay was supported by his high- properly market this product. We see a school friend, Shishir Shrestha, 21, a market for this more in the international front-end developer. sphere than locally. But due to the Living in the same hostel, the four had current financial state of Nepal, been in close contact with each other and accessing international payment would occasionally discuss their gateways can be very difficult.” projects. Subash, Ajay and Shishir were “But we are very confident in our prod- struggling to get AboardSanjal off the uct and we’re going to make it work. We ground and with more hurdles and has- PHOTO: PRAJESH SJB RANA want to make cyber security accessible to sles, the trio was looking to branch out of National Agency Security System’s team at their office in Lazimpat, Kathmandu. everyone, especially to the many budding the business as confidence in the product startups all across the world. By offering dwindled. Nischal, at this time, was work- Nassec and it was here that the company like blockchain technology companies known vulnerabilities, and attack the tar- a reliable vulnerability assessment tool at ing as a Field supervisor at a local NGO. It found one of its first cyber security con- iBriz.ai and Bitsbeat.” get systems with these vulnerabilities to an affordable price, we believe, business- was at one of these informal meetings tracts. Subash met representatives from Regardless of the immaturity of the check if a system breach can occur via es, organisations and institutions will be that the friends decided to work together AntiHack, a Singapore-based cyber secu- local market, the people at Nassec contin- any of those means. Ajay had already able to access and monitor their security to form a company. They figured that the rity firm, who agreed to outsource some ued their efforts into educating and built a command-line version of the tool at a reasonable cost,” says Subhash. business acumen and technical expertise of their projects to Nassec. spreading awareness about cyber securi- that he used personally during his own Rapid7’s Security Information and they all shared would go hand-in-hand. After building ties with AntiHack, ty through blog posts and their YouTube security assessment tasks, and all cyber Event Management tool costs USD52 per Subash and Nischal would look after the Nassec had a major international client channel ‘Infosec Daily’. And slowly, the security personnel use some form of an asset/annual, Nessus is USD2990 for an business and operations, with Subash as but to scale up their business, Subash and quartet at Nassec had grown into a busi- assessment tool to aid them during the annual subscription; Acunetix costs co-founder/CEO and Nischal as chief Nishchal started looking to expand into ness with multiple departments with 18 identification phase. USD4500 for the standard and USD7000 for financial officer, and Ajay and Shishir local markets. While they worked with a employees in the span of two years. The “Many cyber security professionals in premium for use on one website. would look after the technical side, with few clients like XcelTrip, a travel and pandemic lockdowns marked the point of Nepal use expensive tools like Acunetix, ReconwithMe hopes to challenge all of Ajay as co-founder/CTO and and Shishir tourism website, and local ecommerce most growth for the company, with a dras- Rapid 7, and Nessus for security audits in these international players through cut- as developer. Capitalising on Ajay’s fame site Gyapu, the local market proved to be tic change in direction from a ser- Nepal,” says Subash. “While these tools throat pricing at USD225/annual for the in cyber security circles they decided to too immature. vice-based to a product-based business. are widely used across the cyber security basic plan (2 targets), and USD360/annual form a company together focusing on “Nepali businesses and startups still “It was a drastic change for sure, but I industry, they’re also very expensive for the Startup plan (5 targets). cyber security. don’t understand the need for cyber secu- always wondered how long we’d keep which drives up security audits costs. “ReconwithMe is a very viable product, With the team together, the quartet rity. Instead of treating VAPT functioning as a service-based business, Ajay already had a prototype of the prod- but finding a market internationally and registered the National Agency Security (Vulnerability Assessment and working for others,” says Ajay. “I wanted uct, all we needed to do was build on it.” competing with international competitors System Pvt Ltd (Nassec) as a cyber securi- Penetration Testing) as a necessity, many to build something for myself and that The move to the development of is not going to be easy,” says Subash. “We ty company and rented a small office local businesses still consider cyber secu- was when I suggested creating a tool that ReconwithMe was when Nassec hope that through ReconwithMe, we will space in Lazimpat. While trying to find a rity as added cost. This lack of awareness automated parts of the identification pro- experienced the most growth. Front-End be able to inspire the next generation of market for themselves locally in April of made it extremely difficult for us to find cess during vulnerability assessment, Developer Srijan Katuwal, 21; Product youth to develop, market and compete in 2019, Ajay, for his efforts in identifying local clients,” says Subash. “We’ve built and that is how ReconwithMe was born.” Designer Siddhartha Neupane, 20, and the international market while working and reporting potential security flaws in tools that show Nepali business owners Vulnerability assessment tools are Business Development Executive Yash from Nepal. But for now, we dream to be Facebook, was invited to the social media the vulnerabilities in their system securi- automatic scanners that help cyber secu- Rana, 25, reinforced the Nassec team Nepal’s first billion-dollar IT company.” company’s BountyCon 2019 that hap- ty and even though they know that the rity professionals identify potential secu- and work on ReconwithMe started in pened in Singapore. Along with Ajay, problem exists, they’re hesitant to even rity risks in a target asset; be it web August, 2020. Rana is a Kathmandu-based writer Subash tagged along on the trip hoping to pay Rs 50,000 to get it fixed. But regard- applications, networks or databases. Nassec’s vulnerability assessment tool who has been covering all things tech find potential business partners for less, we were still getting offshore clients These tools work off of a database of is far from perfect: it currently only scans for the past decade.

‘Trial of the Chicago 7’ takes top honours at SAG Awards The 27th Screen Actors Guild Awards, presented by the Hollywood actors’ guild SAG-Aftra, were a muted affair—and not just because the red carpet-less ceremony was condensed to a pre-recorded, Zoom-heavy, one-hour broadcast.

It was the SAG Awards where Boseman The Academy Awards gave one of his most memorable speech- es. At the guild’s 2019 awards, Boseman frontrunner—Chloé spoke on behalf of the “Black Panther” cast when the film won the top award. Zhao’s ‘Nomadland’— “We all know what it’s like to be told that there is not a place for you to be featured,” however, wasn’t Boseman said then. “Yet you are young, nominated for gifted and Black.” The Academy Awards frontrunner, best ensemble. “Nomadland” missed out on a best-ensemble nomination possibly because its cast is composed of largely non-professional actors. Zhao’s film previously won at the largely not in English won SAG’s top highly predictive Producers Guild Awards, award. Last year, the cast of “Parasite” as well as at the Golden Globes. “The Trial triumphed, becoming the first cast from a of the Chicago 7,” up for best picture at the non-English language film to do so. Oscars and four other awards, could pose a The SAG Awards are a closely watched challenge to the frontrunner. Oscar harbinger. Actors make up the larg- In an interview following the pre-tap- est branch of the Academy of Motion ing of the award for “The Trial of the Pictures Arts and Sciences, and SAG win- Chicago 7,” Langella called the virtual ners often line up with Oscar ones. Last experience much more civilized. “I’m in year, “Parasite” went on to win best pic- my bedroom slippers,” he said from New ture at the Academy Awards, and all of York’s Hudson Valley. “I have no pants the individual SAG winners—Renée on,” added his co-star Michael Keaton. Zellweger, Brad Pitt, Laura Dern, Joaquin Eddie Redmayne, who plays Tom Phoenix—won at the Oscars, too. Hayden in the film, credited Sorkin and Those awards this year went to a group casting director Francine Maisler for entirely of actors of color, potentially assembling such a disparate group of setting the stage for a historically diverse actors—including Sacha Baron Cohen, slate of Oscar winners: Chadwick Mark Rylance, Yahya Abdul-Mateen II Boseman, best male actor for “Ma and Jeremy Strong—into an ensemble. Rainey’s Black Bottom”; Viola Davis, best “It was like a clash of different types of female actor for “Ma Rainey’s Black music, whether it was jazz or rock or clas- Bottom”; Yuh-Jung Youn, best female sup- sical—but all of that coming together porting actor for “Minari”; and Daniel under Aaron. He was the conductor, AP/RSS Kaluuya, best male supporting actor for almost,” said Redmayne. “It was a joy day In this video grab provided by the SAG Awards, the cast of ‘The Trial of the Chicago 7’ accepts the award for outstanding performance by a cast in a motion “Judas and the Black Messiah.” and day out to watch these great and dif- picture during the 27th annual Screen Actors Guild Awards on April 4. Of those, Davis’ win was the most sur- ferent and varied actors slugging it out.” prising in a category that has often In television categories, the ensembles JAKE COYLE Chloé Zhao’s “Nomadland”—wasn’t nom- parallels between that era’s unrest and belonged to Carey Mulligan (“Promising of “Schitt’s Creek” (for comedy series) and NEW YORK inated for best ensemble, making this today’s while accepting the award on Young Woman”) or Frances McDormand “The Crown” (for drama series) added to year’s postponed SAG Awards less of an behalf of the cast. (“Nomadland”). It’s Davis’ fifth individu- their string of awards. Other winners he starry cast of Aaron Oscar preview than it is most years. “’God give us leaders,’ said the Rev. al SAG award. included Anya Taylor-Joy (“The Queen’s Sorkin’s 1960s courtroom Still, the win for Netflix’s “The Trial of Martin Luther King before he was shot “Thank you, August, for leaving a lega- Gambit”), Gillian Anderson (“The drama “The Trial of the the Chicago 7” marked the first time a down in cold blood on this very date in cy for actors of color that we can relish Crown”), Jason Sudeikis (“Ted Lasso”), Chicago 7” took the top prize film from any streaming service won the 1968—a profound injustice,” said Langella, the rest of our lives,” said Davis, refer- Jason Bateman (“Ozark”) and Mark Sunday at a virtual Screen guild’s ensemble award. Written and citing events leading up to those drama- ring to playwright August Wilson. Ruffalo (“I Know This Much Is True”). Actors Guild Awards where directed by Sorkin, “The Trial of the tized in “The Trial of the Chicago 7. “The As it has throughout the awards season, The awards are typically the highest Tactors of colour, for the first time, swept Chicago 7” had been set for theatrical Rev. King was right. We need leaders to best male actor again belonged to Boseman profile event for the Screen Actors Guild, the individual film awards. release by Paramount Pictures before the guide us toward hating each other less.” for his final performance. Boseman, who though the union’s faceoff earlier this The 27th SAG Awards, presented by the pandemic hit, leading to its sale to Netflix. The win came over two other Netflix died last August at age 43, had already set year with former President Donald Hollywood actors’ guild SAG-Aftra, were The streamer is still after its first best-pic- releases—“Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom” a record for most SAG film nominations— Trump may have drawn more headlines. a muted affair—and not just because the ture win at the Oscars. and “Da 5 Bloods”—as well as Amazon’s four—in a single year. He was also posthu- After the guild prepared to expel Trump red carpet-less ceremony was condensed Frank Langella, who plays the judge “One Night in Miami” and A24’s “Minari.” mously nominated for his supporting role (credits include “The Apprentice,” “Home to a pre-recorded, Zoom-heavy, one-hour who presided over the 1969 prosecution of Had Lee Isaac Chung’s Korean-American in “Da 5 Bloods” and shared in the ensem- Alone 2”) for his role in the Capitol riot, broadcast on TBS and TNT. The per- activists arrested during the 1968 family drama “Minari” won, it would ble nominations for both Spike Lee’s film Trump resigned from SAG-Aftra. ceived Academy Awards frontrunner— Democratic National Convention, drew have been the second straight year a film and “Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom.” — Associated Press

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