Bizhub joins hands with Amity

Kathmandu, July 1:

Bizhub Consulting Service Pvt. Ltd. has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Amity Global Versity Pvt. Ltd, a sister organisation of Amity University, India to work jointly on various professional and knowledge development programmes.

Vice resident of the university Sandip Rewankar and founder of Bizhub Pradip Sigdel signed the MoU on behalf of their respective organisations.

“The MoU has provided us an opportunity to conduct professional and knowledge development programmes, trainings and seminars on various issues. Amity and Bizhub will jointly organise many such programmes in the days to come,” said Sigdel.

Bizhub is working in the area of training and consultation.

“Bizhub is a company run by the Chartered Accountants, and the company has focussed on capacity building trainings and seminars. We will conduct trainings and seminars on the new creative models developed by Amity University in the future,” he said.

Amity has been awarded as the best research university in India.

Bizhub expressed hope that such programmes would be beneficial to both the business community and academia.

Published in The Rising Nepal daily on 2 July 2018. 

EPG prepares final joint report

Hopes to usher bilateral relations to a newer height

 

Kathmandu, June 30: The Eminent Persons Group (EPG) on Nepal-India Relations has prepared the final joint report.

The ninth meeting of the EPG held here on Friday and Saturday finalised the report and announced that it had completed its duties and responsibilities assigned by Nepal and India.

Although the EPG had said that the eighth meeting held in New Delhi in April 2018 would be the last meeting, the ninth meeting was called as the New Delhi meeting failed to sort out some issues. However, the group has finished its work in time.

"The EPG has sorted out all the issues between the two countries amicably. The group will now submit the joint report to the prime ministers of both the countries at the earliest," said Dr. Bhekh Bahadur Thapa, coordinator of the EPG in Nepal.

He said that the deliberations between the Nepali and Indian teams had created a document that would take the relationship between the two countries to a newer height.

The issues of the joint report will come into open discussion after submitting it to the prime ministers of Nepal and India.

India has agreed to address the issue of the 1950 Treaty of Peace and Friendship.

Similarly, Nepal has assured the Indian side that the border regulation issue between the two countries would be addressed to curb terrorism, extremism, illegal currency and drug trafficking.

Cordial relations between the present governments of the two countries had also contributed to the timely conclusion of the joint report.

The EPG was formed during the first prime ministership of KP Sharma Oli, and the issue was included in the joint press statement of PM Oli and his Indian counterpart Narendra Modi issued during Oli's visit to India early this year.

The EPG Nepal team has Bhekh B. Thapa as coordinator and Nilambar Acharya, Rajan Bhattarai and Surya Nath Upadhyaya as members while the Indian team includes Bhagat Singh Koshyari as the coordinator and Jayant Prasad, BC Upreti and Mahendra P. Lama as members.

Published in The Rising Nepal daily on 1 July 2018. 

Minister with farmers’ programme launched in Province 4

Kathmandu, June 30: Minister for Land Management, Agriculture and Cooperatives of Province 4 Lekh Bahadur Thapa has launched the 'Minister with the Farmers' programme with the aim of listening to the issues of the farmers and supporting them.

He interacted with the farmers of Gandaki Rural Municipality – 8, Ghyalchowk on Saturday as part of the programme.

"The programme has been launched to have face to face interaction with the farmers. The provincial government is serious about the problems the farmers are facing in farming, irrigation, market access and storage of their products," said Thapa.

According to him, the province government will provide about 50 per cent grant to the farmers for vegetable and fruit farming, beekeeping, poultry and pig farming, and animal husbandry. However, priority will be given to the farmers' groups and agri-cooperatives.

“The grant will be provided on the basis of the result. We want to promote commercial agriculture,” said Thapa.

The provincial government has allocated Rs. 400 million for the programme. The money will be spent on the programmes that directly impact the lives of the common people.

Farmers of Ghyalchowk had updated the minister about the problems they were facing in irrigation and storage.

They said that the middlemen had been making huge profits instead of the farmers.

"Farmers are not getting a fair price in the villages, but the middlemen and traders are earning a lot by selling the vegetables in the cities. The government should support the farmers with easy access to the market," said Ram Prasad Regmi, chairman of Gandaki-8.

Such programmes can motivate the youth to take up commercial agriculture and stay in their village instead of leaving their homes in search of jobs in the Gulf and elsewhere, he said.

According to Regmi, ward No. 8 has received Rs. 9 million for irrigation projects from the provincial government. The ward office is also planning to create a matching fund to manage the remaining budget for such programmes.

Local farmer Sabitra Khatiwada said that the 'Minister with the Farmers' programme was good and the people were happy to see the minister listening to their problems in their own village.

Published in The Rising Nepal daily on 1 July 2018. 

Apartment market sluggish after earthquake

Kathmandu, June 30: A recent study on the housing market of the Kathmandu Valley has concluded that the average price of a house or apartment unit is more than Rs. 15 million.

A study on 'Outlook of Housing Market of Kathmandu 2018/19' by Brihat Property Solutions Pvt. Ltd. has found that the valley has 1,090 housing units - 541 individual houses and 549 apartments - on sale.

More than 40 per cent of such housing units are priced at Rs. 11 million to Rs. 15.5 million.

It has indicated towards the opportunity for more housing projects in the valley.

"About 3.1 per cent housing units are sold every month on average. So, if new housing projects are not announced, the remaining units will fulfill the demand for about six to seven months," the report said.

The report has included 43 housing and apartment projects as samples – 23 of them launched prior to the Gorkha Earthquake 2015 and 20 post-quake.

About Rs. 8.28 billion has been invested in the housing sector in the Kathmandu Valley by those 43 companies so far to construct 5,419 units of houses and apartments.

The study found that the investment on housing and apartment has about 12.5 per cent return per annum, which includes 3.2 per cent rental income and 9.5 per cent increment in the price of the property.

It said that individual houses were more expensive than the apartments and their price appreciation was also higher. However, the apartment market has been slowed down after the earthquake.

Housing expert from Thailand Dr. Sopon Pornchokchai said that most of the housing projects in the valley were targeted at the upper-middle and upper class people, and there were very few projects suitable for the middle and lower-middle class people.

He was the leader of the study team.

He suggested promoting low cost turn-key housing projects, wave off taxes on high-rise buildings, and charge higher tax on vacant land in the urban areas.

The study was conducted in March this year. Brihat had conducted such studies in 2012 and 2015.

The size of the housing market in the valley has reached Rs. 300 billion.

According to Nepal Housing and Land Developers' Association, about 82 housing and 117 apartment projects have been executed in the valley so far, which created 4,900 individual houses and about 14,500 apartments.

Published in The Rising Nepal daily on 1 July 2018. 

NEA signs PPA with Tanahun Hydro

Kathmandu, June 29: Nepal Electricity Authority (NEA) Friday signed a Power Purchase Agreement (PPA) with Tanahun Hydropower Limited (THL) for its 140-megawatt capacity project.

Executive Director of the NEA Kulman Ghishing and Managing Director of THL Pradip Kumar Thike signed the agreement on behalf of their respective organisations.

The agreement will remain effective for 30 years from the commercial operation date of the project or generation license – applies to the shorter period between the two.

According to the company, the project will start its commercial operation from April 12, 2024.

The NEA will buy energy from the THL at Rs. 12.40 per unit and Rs. 6.08 per unit during the dry and wet season respectively. The project will generate 178.9 million unit energy during the dry season and 323.6 million unit during the wet season.

“There can be 3 per cent increment to the purchase rate for maximum eight times. The NEA will buy additional energy produced by the project at half of the PPA price,” said the company.

Energy produced by the project will be hooked to the Damauli-Bharatpur 220 KV transmission line.

The company is in the process to conclude the procurement process for the construction of the main structure which will start from November this year and will be completed within five years.

The total cost of the project is 505 million US dollars.  The Asian Development Bank will invest 150 million dollars, Japan International Cooperation Agency 184 million dollars, European Investment Bank 85 million dollars and Nepal government/NEA 87 million dollars.

Published in The Rising Nepal on 30 June 2018. 

PMO to monitor ministries' work

Kathmandu, June 29:

Prime Minister K. P. Sharma Oli said on Friday that the Prime Minister's Office (PMO) would monitor the work of all the ministries. 

“The PMO is going for the monitoring to end corruption and promote good governance so that people could feel the difference in the governance system,” the Prime Minister said while responding to queries raised by the lawmakers in the House of Representatives about the budget being allocated to the PMO, National Planning Commission (NPC), and President and Vice-President’s offices on Friday.  

He said that the NPC was being restructured with the aim of making the development activities more effective.

According to him, there was no meaning in expressing grievances on the larger budget being allocated to the PMO as it includes the budget for the reconstruction of quake-damaged structures and private houses, and disaster prevention and relief.

Prime Minister Oli said that as the government was marching ahead with new policies and strategies, people were facing difficulties in understanding the government moves.

“The everyday path can be walked on even during the night, but there is fear even during the day when the path is completely new. There will be apprehension about the ups and downs, and curves and bends. The present government is following the second path. The government is testing itself,” he said.

He assured one and all that the government would not deviate from the democratic norms and principles since democracy was not offered to the Nepali people as a gift by some power, but it was earned through revolutions and movements of the people.

The Prime Minister said that post-quake reconstruction was the priority of the government.

“Former Chief Executive Officer of the National Reconstruction Authority was focused on politics and the election, which affected the speed of the reconstruction process. It will be expedited now,” he said.

According to him, poverty would be alleviated soon, and the country would be on the path of prosperity.

He also said that the government would not tolerate any strikes and protests in the hospitals and other public service areas. He reiterated that the government had no intention to limit the freedom of speech and opinions.

Published in The Rising Nepal daily on 30 June 2018. 

Buddha Air starts Kathmandu-Varanasi flight

Kathmandu, June 29: Buddha Air is all set to start Kathmandu-Varanasi, India flights twice a week – Monday and Friday.

Minister for Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation Rabindra Adhikari and Managing Director of Buddha Air Birendra Bahadur Basnet bid farewell to the passengers of the first flight Friday afternoon at the Tribhuvan International Airport.

The passengers included tourists and prilgrims.

Minister Adhikari congratulated the company for the new business initiative and expressed his confidence that the two flights a week would contribute to the success of Visit Nepal Year 2020.

According to the company, Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh Yogi Adityanath will welcome the pilgrims visiting Varanasi from Nepal via Buddha Air flight.

The company has also announced religious and holiday packages for tourists and pilgrims.

Varanasi package includes classic Kashi, Buddha Trail with Sarnath, Bodhgaya, Ayodhya, Ilahabad and Ilahabad. Similarly, Kathmandu package for the Indian pilgrims and tourists include Pashupatinath, Muktinath and Janaki visit.

The Kathmandu-Varanasi flight duration is 50 minutes and two-way promotional tickets are priced at Rs. 14,000.

Published in The Rising Nepal on June 30, 2018.