Major Nepali and English broadsheet dailies published from Kathmandu on Monday have covered a range of issues from political, sociocultural and economic spheres on their front pages today. As in past few days, the newspapers discuss the deadlock in the ruling Nepal Communist Party over the leadership of its school department. Likewise, the suicide of a former government staffer has received significant attention as he was suspected to be involved in a big corruption case of these days.
Here is a summary of important, ignored and interesting stories that have been featured on the cover pages of Kathmandu broadsheets today.
Important
Former staffer accused of irregularities in Lalita Niwas scam commits suicide
Former under-gazetted staffer of the government, Yukta Prasad Shrestha, committed suicide on Sunday by jumping off the eighth floor of a shopping centre in Machhapokhari of Kathmandu, according to newspaper reports. Subba was facing a corruption charge from the Commission for the Investigation of Abuse of Authority for his alleged involvement in the Lalita Niwas land scam.
He was also affiliated to the Parbat district chapter of main opposition Nepali Congress party.
Nepali Congress leaders demand convocation date fixed
Annapurna Post and Rajdhani report that the leadership of main opposition Nepali Congress is under pressure to fix a date for the party’s next general convention. However, the party president Sher Bahadur Deuba is not willing to meet their demands. Instead, he wants to form interim structures of the party at various levels, according to the reports.
Trade deficit goes up by 13.55%
Kantipur reports in its lead story that the country’s trade deficit has increased by 13.55 per cent in the recently concluded fiscal year. The total size of Nepal’s foreign trade in the year 2018/19 was Rs 1.515 trillion. Of that amount, the country imported goods worth Rs 1.418 trillion and export amounted to only Rs 97.1 billion only, according to the report.
It means the trade deficit amount was calculated at Rs 1.321 trillion. The amount is even more by the annual budget amount of that year by Rs 6 billion, according to the report.
Ignored
Six years on, no improvement seen on Nagarkot road
It has been six years since the government handed over the contract of repairing and improving the Kamal Binayak-Nagarkot road in Bhaktapur district to a construction company. However, the assignment with a deadline of two years is still awaiting completion, according to a report in Nagarik.
The report adds that ruling Nepal Communist Party’s chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal’s ‘landlord’ Sharada Prasad Adhikari has won the contract for this project. Locals have accused that the government failed to take action against him because he was close to the top leader.
Meanwhile, Nepal Samacharpatra reports that the Department of Roads is planning to begin repairing the Koteshwar-Kalanki section of Kathmandu Ring Road only after the end of monsoon. The road expanded by the Chinese government is said to have many errors from the security perspective.
Govt preparing for legal reforms in the film industry
Gorkhapatra reports in a three column story that the government is preparing for legal reforms in the Nepali film industry so as to help the industry grow and develop. Minister for Communications and Information Technology Gokul Baskota has appealed for the support of film workers for the reforms, according to the report.
Meanwhile, the Film Development Board hosted an interaction on Sunday to collect feedback on the proposed draft of Film Bill, the report informs.
PM-led tiger conservation panel turns non-operational
The world is marking the World Tiger Day on Monday, and many newspapers have published reports about the status of tiger conservation in Nepal. Nepal Samacharpatra reports in its anchor story that Nepal, who received applause from across the world for its tiger conservation efforts a few years ago, also has a high level panel for tiger conservation under the leadership of Prime Minister.
However, the panel is largely non-operation. The panel convened its meeting only six times in past nine years and it has been three years since the committee last met, according to the report.
BJP leader regrets imposing Nepal blockade
Republica reports in a three column story that an influential leader of India’s ruling Bharatiya Janata party has conceded that the border blockade enforced by India shortly after Nepal promulgated the new constitution in 2015 was a ‘foolish thing’.
Subramaniyam Swami, who is considered close to PM Narendra Modi, said the blockade was enforced on the advice of bureaucrats, according to the report.
Govt searching for new land for domestic airport in Kavre
Arthik Abhiyan reports in a two-column story that the government has once again begun a search for appropriate land to construct a domestic terminal of the Kathmandu airport in Kavre district. Earlier, the Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal had listed two other places of the district as potential sites; however, it had failed to take the process ahead.
But, the government has allocated an amount for the project in its annual budget this year also; hence the Authority is searching for the new land again, according to the report.
Interesting
Many youth in Kathmandu want to revive Nepal Bhasa scripts
Scripts like Ranjana used to write texts of Nepal Bhasha, the major language of Newar community of Kathmandu, are rarely used these days. These scripts have a history that dates back to millenia, but over the years, they have largely been supplanted by the Devanagari script used in Nepali language. However, some young people of the Valley are rekindling interest in these scripts, giving them a modern context but also making certain these ancient alphabetic forms do not disappear, The Kathmandu Post reports in its lead story for the day.
The report informs that Nepal Bhasa traditionally uses nine forms of scripts.
