The April 2015 earthquake had just hit Kathmandu, and a patient was admitted to Alka Hospital. His small black pet puppy had followed the man to his cabin C18. The patient died during treatment, and his body was taken away without the pooch knowing. But for the past eight years, the dog has waited for her owner outside the room. She is grown up now, her silky black coat is &nbsp;dirty and scraggly. But every night since 2015 she has kept vigil outside room C18 at Alka Hospital. In the daytime, she takes the stairs down to the hospital courtyard.  <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/2023111206110_32b88b2b867c4c67436bcb6666c08049190398404a09087501718f8043d492eb.jpg" data-media-id="editor_0" data-image-id="2023111206110_32b88b2b867c4c67436bcb6666c08049190398404a09087501718f8043d492eb" data-rendition-name="original" width="1536" height="1000" loading="lazy" alt="Kali Alka Hospital NT"> </figure>   <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/2023111206110_5aa880cbc690e3c2b51a7d2a38a3a754fcf67db2d04a86c5a25badce7c7deee3.jpg" data-media-id="editor_1" data-image-id="2023111206110_5aa880cbc690e3c2b51a7d2a38a3a754fcf67db2d04a86c5a25badce7c7deee3" data-rendition-name="original" width="1619" height="998" loading="lazy" alt="Kali Alka Hospital NT"> </figure>  “She just sits there waiting for him to show up,” says Alka Hospital administrator Bhagwan KC. “She has never gone anywhere else but this hospital, and at night she is always on the mat outside C18.” The hospital tried to take the dog back to the patient’s family. She refused to go, and when his family came she got very agitated and used to hide and bark. The administration then tried to chase the dog away, but she always came back. “After a while, we just gave up, and have adopted her,” says Goma Thapa, who is a janitor at Alka. The dog has been given the name Kali because of her colour, and she has become a permanent fixture at the hospital. <div class="embed-block"><iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/4HcdzWhXx-k?si=T-4YYY6yG_vHeKKh" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen></iframe></div> Last week when we visited Alka just before midnight, there was Kali sleeping outside C18. Even after eight years, she remembers her best friend and is still waiting for him. Hospital staff feed her, and she does not bother anyone. “She stays here all the time, she eats here, sleeps here, she never leaves, she is like a member of the staff,” Thapa says. “She is an amazing dog. The owner must have loved her a lot.” When she sees someone unfamiliar she still wags her tail, sniffs the person curiously, but then dejectedly goes back to sleep when she finds out it is not her owner.  <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/2023111206110_69e9237d964b606675a2b4c333ecc1c71df650b12ca682b5f7a18bce064d44e3.jpg" data-media-id="editor_3" data-image-id="2023111206110_69e9237d964b606675a2b4c333ecc1c71df650b12ca682b5f7a18bce064d44e3" data-rendition-name="original" width="1458" height="1000" loading="lazy" alt="Kali Alka Hospital NT"> </figure>   <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/2023111206110_be5e5f0d3fb0f85c0504255472c91c5fe3a61780c42146992b024ce6a8216128.jpg" data-media-id="editor_4" data-image-id="2023111206110_be5e5f0d3fb0f85c0504255472c91c5fe3a61780c42146992b024ce6a8216128" data-rendition-name="original" width="1567" height="1000" loading="lazy" alt="Kali Alka Hospital NT"> </figure>  Kali reminds veterinary specialist Bishal Chaudhary of Hachiko, the Japanese Akita which waited outside Shibuya train station in Tokyo for his owner for nine years in the 1920s. “The human mind is episodic, but a dog’s brains is associative, it links its sense of smell with memory of space and time,” explains Chaudhary, who thinks the owner must have taken the puppy to hospital with him several times for checkups before he had died, and she associated the place with him. Hospital administrator KC says Kali is now a part of the Alka family, and there is no question of sending the dog anywhere. Kali is now getting older, she is slower, but she has never given up waiting for her owner. Says KC: “She will live the rest of her life here, right outside cabin C18.”

Hachiko reincarnated in Nepal

Bottom

Few cuisines in the world could be as poles apart as French and Nepali. While the French place great emphasis on complex techniques, Nepali food is characterised by familial cooking and a diverse range of spices. But Rajeev Shrestha, executive chef at Aloft Hotel in Thamel, is all set to bridge this gap and introduce Kathmandu to fine dining, while incorporating the techniques and flavours of both cuisines. “Traditional Nepali ingredients are brought to a new plane via French culinary technology,” says Chef Shrestha, who has had a lifelong infatuation with French food. “But I also want to blend French culinary elements into Nepali cuisine by incorporating wine pairings and creating ornate tasting menus.”  <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/20231126091120_e3442f4655434a60113409391d76b6ef89fbb35a388eb19ee479ae340a7fdb56.jpg" data-media-id="editor_0" data-image-id="20231126091120_e3442f4655434a60113409391d76b6ef89fbb35a388eb19ee479ae340a7fdb56" data-rendition-name="original" width="1750" height="1167" loading="lazy" alt="Aloft NT"> </figure>   <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/20231126101120_f813b81839d3392d849f2279eb807a7ff59b7cbe039dce8696c9367129a7fe80.jpg" data-media-id="editor_1" data-image-id="20231126101120_f813b81839d3392d849f2279eb807a7ff59b7cbe039dce8696c9367129a7fe80" data-rendition-name="original" width="1500" height="1000" loading="lazy" alt="Aloft NT"> </figure>  Born in Kathmandu, Shrestha began his career in hotels in Bangalore and Goa as a management trainee, gaining exposure to fine dining. Inspired by the epicurean delights, Chef Shrestha made the switch from management to gastronomy, seeking experiences and education that would enable him to realise his culinary dreams. Starting out as a Chef de Partie, he gradually rose up through the ranks, gaining the experience and confidence to become a chef in his own right before returning home to Nepal. Today, Shrestha is one of the leading figures in Neo-Nepali cuisine. And to mark the 75th year of the Nepal-France friendship in October, he was invited to the prestigious Toques en Chablais International Gastronomy Festival in France to demonstrate Nepali cuisine, making him the first Nepali chef to have done so.  <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/20231126101116_51ea28824a7ec41ff7d428785579ad643b8a70bf64c7a295327da1577a9471d0.jpg" data-media-id="editor_2" data-image-id="20231126101116_51ea28824a7ec41ff7d428785579ad643b8a70bf64c7a295327da1577a9471d0" data-rendition-name="original" width="1750" height="1167" loading="lazy" alt="Aloft NT"> </figure>  The visit was a collaboration between Aloft Kathmandu, the Charles Baudelaire Institute, and the Nepal Academy of Tourism and Hotel Management. Shrestha not only presented the wonders of Nepali cuisine but also showed the extraordinary power of food to allow people to connect and bridge cultural differences.&nbsp; The trip’s highlight was an interactive workshop led by Shrestha and attended by distinguished diplomats, French culinary students, and Michelin-starred chefs who were introduced to the intricacies of Nepali cooking techniques. “A stand-out dish for both the European audience and myself was Yomari,” recalls Shrestha about the Newari delicacy filled with sweet molasses often shaped like a fish or a conch shell. He adds: “There in France, Yomari became more than a dish but a gateway into not only Nepali cuisine but culture. The French were enthralled.” &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;

Nepali chef’s French connection

Turkish Airlines has launched flights to Detroit, its 13th destination in the US starting 15 November. The carrier will fly three times a week between Istanbul Airport and Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport, increasing to four times a week after 25 December. Turkish Airlines now serves 345 destinations worldwide, including 13 in the US. &nbsp;

Turkish now to Detroit

Sipradi provided aid worth Rs5.5 million to earthquake-affected families in Jajarkot and Rukum West. In partnership with Sipradian Aid Society, Tata Trust India, and Sipradi Trading it collaborated with the districts to distribute tarp, mattresses, food, soap, warm clothes, pillows, and caps to families in need benefiting 4,800 survivors from 1,200 families. Meanwhile, Unilever Nepal contributed Rs10 million to the Prime Minister’s Disaster Relief Fund for rebuilding and rehabilitation and handed a cheque to Prime Minister Dahal. &nbsp;

Quake aid

“Everything that drowned me, taught me how to swim.”&nbsp; - Jenim, Dibie &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;  <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/20231202051224_acfc46bdcf7b028677feeac6c2445937cf940b8774f5fb472b4d3d338805fe32.jpg" data-media-id="editor_0" data-image-id="20231202051224_acfc46bdcf7b028677feeac6c2445937cf940b8774f5fb472b4d3d338805fe32" data-rendition-name="original" width="2700" height="2700" loading="lazy" alt="Miss Moti"> </figure>

Everything that drowned me

With China, and now India, seeing setbacks in civil liberties, the Asia-Pacific was already not in good shape. Now, a new global survey shows that democracy in the region declined even further in the past year. <a href="https://www.idea.int/publications/catalogue/global-state-democracy-2023-new-checks-and-balances" target="_blank">The Global State of Democracy 2023: The New Checks and Balances</a> by the Stockholm-based thinktank <a href="https://www.idea.int/" target="_blank">International IDEA</a> says the most worrying trend in the world is of democratic backsliding and the erosion of constitutional freedoms.&nbsp; “Asia democracies, and aspiring democratisers in the more authoritarian states, still face challenges in revitalising institutions and in preventing further democratic decline,” said Seema Shah, Head of International IDEA's Democracy Assessment Unit during the <a href="https://www.idea.int/events/asia-and-pacific-launch-global-state-democracy-2023?fbclid=IwAR3UY-1y1sT0srM1YdDLY8VS7Q_DoPCKP24jCtH8dULBv4_u98XbDik5WZk" target="_blank">Asia-Pacific launch of the 2023 report in Bangkok on 23 November</a>. Although across the board democratic decline witnessed by countries in the Asia-Pacific region in the past decade appears to have tapered off, the report says that the freedom of press score for the region is now at 2001 levels. Most countries in the region remain below the global average for representation, rule of law and human rights. Aside from entrenched authoritarian regimes like Laos, China and Vietnam, there have been steep declines in democracy indices in Burma and Afghanistan due to conflict and state collapse. However, even countries with higher democracy rankings like like Australia, Philippines, South Korea, Sri Lanka, India and Taiwan saw significant declines in press freedom. The report singles out Malaysia, Maldives, Nepal and Thailand as making progress in democratic participation with high turnout in recent elections, which were mostly free and fair.&nbsp; The report does not rank countries by just regime type or one value for quality of democracy, but relies on IDEA’s Democracy Tracker to monitor four core categories of democratic performance: public participation, representative government, respect for human rights and rule of law.&nbsp; Indeed, while democracy is notoriously difficult to quantify and rank, the categories do a better job in monitoring change. For example, representation is an aggregate measure of the credibility of the electoral process, and how free, fair, inclusive they are, give us a good idea of the quality of democracy in that country.&nbsp; A high participation score tells us how involved citizens are in exercising democracy during and between elections. Rule of law rankings are indicators of judicial independence and fairness, and human rights indices measure respect for civil liberties and social equality. The report gives Nepal higher marks in political participation in 2022, with the country ranked 69th out of 173 states — up four points compared to the previous year, and among the better performers among Asian countries. For comparison, India ranks 83rd, and it has fallen 17 points from its 2017 score.&nbsp; Even so, rising up the country rankings does not necessarily mean Nepal did better in the past year — it could just mean that other countries in the region faced larger declines in democracy indicators. On representation, too, Nepal is 61st, up 18 points since 2017. On human rights, Nepal is ranked 71st, and climbed 3 three points from the previous year. However, for rule of law Nepal is 94th among countries, having fallen 21 points since 2017.&nbsp; The IDEA report notes that Nepal has seen a five-year decline in effective Parliament, which was dissolved by Prime Minister K P Oli due to a power struggle in 2021 and reinstated by the Supreme Court. ‘Political coalitions have continued to be unstable since the November 2022 elections … and the primary political opposition appeared more interested in replacing the governing coalition partners than providing parliamentary oversight,’ the report’s summary for Nepal concludes.&nbsp; The survey has taken note of the erosion of civil liberties and press freedom in neighbouring India, where opposition party leaders have been harassed in the courts and the media. Amnesty International was forced to close its office in 2020 after its accounts were frozen, and raided the offices of the BBC and other media outlets.&nbsp; In India, Nepal and other countries the report cites ‘countervailing institutions’ defending against democratic decay by checking concentration of executive power through the court system, civil society activism, anti-corruption agencies, and the media. There was also community mobilisation for voting, as happened in this year’s elections in Thailand. It is clear from the example of Nepal and other politically unstable countries that an over-reliance on the court system can undermine or even destabilise the executive or legislature. Anti-corruption bureaus can be misused for political witch-hunts, and civil society can be as politically polarised as the parties. In the Pacific and South Asia, global and regional geopolitical rivalries also exert external pressure on democracies. In this respect, countries like Nepal that had to traditionally balance off two giant neighbours (India, China) now also have to factor in the United States. Debt repayment and development assistance are often used as carrots and sticks by world powers to influence domestic politics. The only way developing countries like Nepal can deal with this would be by strengthening domestic accountability and regional cooperation as a stabilising and democratic counterweight.&nbsp; Moontae Jeong in Bangkok  <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/20231127091124_25c36184a2ce580d14356dd7912439f840c044877f72a2a5a038bc3b9c5dd457.png" data-media-id="editor_3" data-image-id="20231127091124_25c36184a2ce580d14356dd7912439f840c044877f72a2a5a038bc3b9c5dd457" data-rendition-name="original" width="1194" height="1596" loading="lazy" alt="State of Democracy"> </figure>  <a href="https://cdn.sanity.io/files/2e5hi812/production/f7b6fb692e1475af3927aff774dbc93f50771ba9.pdf" target="_blank">The Global State of Democracy 2023</a> International IDEA Stockholm 2023 <a href="http://www.idea.int/" target="_blank">www.idea.int</a>

Stemming Asia’s democratic decay

A small Tarai town is not the first place one would expect a fashion designer establishing a thriving business.&nbsp; But Keshar Kala Thapa is a proof that with determination all Nepalis can design their own successful careers. Growing up in Rupandehi district in the central plains of Nepal, Keshar Kala was obsessed with clothing and fabrics from a young age. She turned the pages of fashion magazines, fascinated by what the models wore.&nbsp; Read Also: <a href="https://nepalitimes.com/multimedia/strength-in-numbers-for-female-farmers">Strength in numbers for female farmers,</a> Sahina Shrestha In a household with five children, Keshar Kala’s mother purposely did not buy a television set because it would hamper their studies. But for Keshar Kala, this meant more time to devour the fashion magazines.&nbsp; After her mother finally relented and brought a tv when she was in the tenth grade, the program that Keshar Kala would be glued to would be the Miss Nepal contest.&nbsp;  <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/20231123091148_563024b8afe5e4a5a3eb68f972d9ee573604706b3b546066f687527804ca818d.jpg" data-media-id="editor_1" data-image-id="20231123091148_563024b8afe5e4a5a3eb68f972d9ee573604706b3b546066f687527804ca818d" data-rendition-name="original" width="1500" height="1000" loading="lazy" alt="Keshar Kala"> </figure>  “On magazines and on tv, I was spellbound by the clothes people wore, the ramp they walked on. I did not want to dress like them, but wanted to create something even more elegant for others to wear,” recalls Keshar Kala. The family had a small sewing machine in which her mother sewed shirts and skirts, tailoring all their school uniforms herself. Sometimes all five siblings would have to wear the same matching clothes that their mother stitched. &nbsp;&nbsp; “I did not like our matching outfits, I felt like I was a sheep in a flock and yearned to wear more original clothing,” remembers Keshar Kala. After high school, Keshar Kala found out that fashion designing could actually be a viable profession. She begged her mother to enroll her in an institute in Butwal, and even attended classes for a month but had to discontinue due to financial constraints.  <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/20231123091132_f5ee3242b02d2f3a4767f5a8ce6138116da2e3788bef9633d4f2db1fbeb8c2f1.jpg" data-media-id="editor_2" data-image-id="20231123091132_f5ee3242b02d2f3a4767f5a8ce6138116da2e3788bef9633d4f2db1fbeb8c2f1" data-rendition-name="original" width="3000" height="1859" loading="lazy" alt="Keshar kala 2"> </figure>  She went back to school and graduated with a business degree. Then she gave fashion one more try. She went to fashion school, trained as an apprentice, and then branched out to open her own boutique. Four years ago she registered her training institute. “My friends and family were a bit wary about my decision at first. They couldn’t understand why I would sew clothes when I have a college degree,” says Keshar Kala. “People still do not understand that this can be a viable profession.” &nbsp; Read Also: <a href="https://nepalitimes.com/multimedia/weaving-the-fabric-of-a-new-life">Weaving the fabric of a new life</a>, Sahina Shrestha Keshar Kala now wants to use her skills to train other women to make them financially independent so that fashion is more accessible to Nepali women. She owns and operates Saffron Boutique and Training Center with her husband, Tej Bahadur Kala in Tilottama. “Every designer wants celebrities to wear their clothes and that would always be an honour, but what I find really fulfilling is designing for everyday women,” she says.  <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/20231123091136_b7045e1377f9b2eac480d4d0562c201c6df78ae9ee249ca79e5ceb2134a3094e.jpg" data-media-id="editor_4" data-image-id="20231123091136_b7045e1377f9b2eac480d4d0562c201c6df78ae9ee249ca79e5ceb2134a3094e" data-rendition-name="original" width="1636" height="1046" loading="lazy" alt="Keshar kala 3"> </figure>  At the training center, students enroll for six months at a fraction of the price of many other institutes in the area. The couple makes sure each student has their own sewing machine so that they do not have to waste time waiting for their turn working on fabric. &nbsp; “The environment here is different,” says Aashu Thakuriee, who completed her training from Saffron two years ago and has been working with Keshar Kala. “I like the way she approaches teaching. She creates a comfortable environment for students.”&nbsp; Read Also: <a href="https://nepalitimes.com/multimedia/honey-money?s=08">Honey = Money,</a> Sahina Shrestha While Keshar Kala is busy instructing the students, Tej Bahadur takes care of their son, picking him up from school and preparing dinner. He is also in charge of all the social media handles of the business and coordinates all the client orders and deliveries.  <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/20231123091136_7654547be5dbde82f28db99e223eff7d080c7789773c8c699a736408ea1a7ec1.jpg" data-media-id="editor_6" data-image-id="20231123091136_7654547be5dbde82f28db99e223eff7d080c7789773c8c699a736408ea1a7ec1" data-rendition-name="original" width="3426" height="2160" loading="lazy" alt="keshar kala 4"> </figure>  Tej Bahadur went to South Korea in 2015 as a migrant worker and saw how people of all ages embraced fashion and how quickly the trends changed. He recognised the opportunity in Nepal and when his contract was up in 2020, instead of looking for ways to stay on in Korea, he returned to help his wife in the business. Read also: <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/multimedia/staying-home-to-create-jobs">Staying home to create jobs</a>, Sahina Shrestha Keshar Kala’s business degree has been helpful in managing the venture, she makes calculated risks when investing in fabrics and sourcing them, keeping track of inventory and accounting. The couple go to Sunauli in India, source locally in Butwal or make a trip to Kathmandu to buy their own cloth, but Keshar Kala says that finding good quality materials are still difficult.  <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/20231123091136_8e7e080da1bfef63a312e88e231e90c847bb6044f66a4e230744e98dd7b4ac12.jpg" data-media-id="editor_8" data-image-id="20231123091136_8e7e080da1bfef63a312e88e231e90c847bb6044f66a4e230744e98dd7b4ac12" data-rendition-name="original" width="3357" height="2120" loading="lazy" alt="Keshar kala 5"> </figure>  The couple now wants to expand the business and create clothes that can compete with the imports from other countries. They also want to ensure employment for trainees who cannot afford to set up their own business and make designer wears available for women locally.&nbsp; Says Keshar Kala, “Fashion enhances the inner beauty of people. And everyone from housewives to professionals deserve to feel beautiful.”

A designer by design

Every morning Makhumaya Tamang, 65, used to pass a group of middle-aged women cycling in Jawalakhel, and gazed longingly at them. One day, she mustered the courage to ask the women why they were cycling and found out that they were getting bicycling lessons. She signed up without hesitation. “I had never before touched a bicycle before, and I thought it was too difficult to learn,” says Tamang who is originally from Ramechhap.&nbsp; Read also: <a href="https://nepalitimes.com/opinion/pedalling-as-a-life-lesson">Pedalling as a life lesson</a>, Eliza Sthapit It took a while for her to learn to balance and pedal, and came close to giving up. Her kurta-suruwal would get snared in the chain, making her fall. So she started wearing a t-shirt and pants which she had never done before.&nbsp;  <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/20231008091024_99562d364851da0d6da458716c180e85e1a751b5f0628bf2a2e71e2b78d4a5de.jpg" data-media-id="editor_1" data-image-id="20231008091024_99562d364851da0d6da458716c180e85e1a751b5f0628bf2a2e71e2b78d4a5de" data-rendition-name="original" width="1500" height="1000" loading="lazy" alt="Women cycling"> <figcaption>Makhumaya Tamang. All photos: GOPEN RAI</figcaption> </figure>  Tamang was a street vendor before the pandemic, and her family and especially her son disapproved of not just her new attire, but also the newfound passion for bicycling at her age.&nbsp; But Tamang did not allow what people said to deter her, and finally after three months she could pedal around the streets with confidence. Now, her son posts videos and photos of her cycling on Facebook, much to her delight. Tamang is one of the over 1,200 women in Patan who have learnt to use bicycles in the last two years as part of an initiative by a local women’s social media group called महिला को लागी महिला (Women for Women) which became active during the <a href="https://nepalitimes.com/here-now/the-real-cost-of-nepal-s-second-wave">second Covid-19 lockdown in 2021</a>. Many of the women were involved in small street side businesses, and lost their income during the pandemic. The group initially tried out <a href="https://nepalitimes.com/banner/to-make-up-for-monsoon-slack-nepal-opts-for-spiritual-tourism">meditation and Vipasana</a>, but soon realised that limited mobility was one of the major challenges the women faced.  <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/20231008091024_deae046c6dde15d6a180c328e372a032f5e15b5e2ef5f294adff57d2c9f59ecc.jpg" data-media-id="editor_4" data-image-id="20231008091024_deae046c6dde15d6a180c328e372a032f5e15b5e2ef5f294adff57d2c9f59ecc" data-rendition-name="original" width="1500" height="1000" loading="lazy" alt="Women cycling"> </figure>  Taking charge of cycling lessons was <a href="https://nepalitimes.com/news/including-the-excluded-in-the-bureaucracy">Maheshwari Bista</a>, who used to head the women’s development wing of Lalitpur Metropolis. “We used to call women for all kinds of training programs at the municipality but they always came 2-3 hours late,” Bista recalls. “When we asked them why, they said they had to wait for a relative to give them a lift.” Bista was convinced that bicycling would be a cost-effective, eco-friendly and empowering initiative for the women. Read also: <a href="https://nepalitimes.com/multimedia/hop-over-the-gender-gap">Hop over the gender gap</a>, Reeti K.C In the beginning there were only a few participants. Rabita Shrestha from the municipality joined up just to motivate others even though she was just recovering from Covid-19. As word spread, more joined the cycling campaign and other municipalities and wards in Kathmandu Valley have also started their own training. The group wants to take this initiative to all 77 districts.  <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/20231008091036_281faf71a9513e58d44e52b60481c283426567b58cde1a936c5d5e6dd20e8a5a.jpg" data-media-id="editor_7" data-image-id="20231008091036_281faf71a9513e58d44e52b60481c283426567b58cde1a936c5d5e6dd20e8a5a" data-rendition-name="original" width="1500" height="1000" loading="lazy" alt="Women cycling"> </figure>  “It has been nearly two years and we have now created this community of bicyclists,” says Shrestha. "But more importantly, our modest initiative has made the women independent, they are no longer confined in their homes. They do not have to depend on others to take their produce to market.”&nbsp; Read also: <a href="https://nepalitimes.com/multimedia/lighting-up-her-darkness">Lighting up her darkness</a>, Naresh Newar Shiban Maharjan, 49, has been making handicraft products, incense, candies, detergents and woollen wear for many years. But after two years of learning cycling, she is now also doing the deliveries to clients herself and her business has grown. “I make my own living now I do not have to ask my husband for money,” adds Maharjan who learnt to cycle within two days and had bought a bicycle on the third day, surprising everyone in her family. “Through cycling, I have gained new friendships at this point in my life.” Read also: <a href="https://nepalitimes.com/banner/life-in-a-pickle">Life in a pickle</a>, Sahina Shrestha&nbsp; Gyani Shova Awale was a sickly child who never ventured out. But learning to cycle has rejuvenated the 48-year-old. “I have been exploring Patan after I learnt cycling, there isn’t a neighbourhood I haven’t been to,” she says. "My health problems have also disappeared.” <a href="https://nepalitimes.com/news/re-cycling-kathmandu-is-not-so-easy">Cycling</a> lessons have also meant real enthusiasm for the sport for some with many others having participated in friendly rallies as well as competitive tournaments like Kathmandu Kora.  <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/20231008091020_8a5d7f6ca83f07195e9eb8b0b6a31ab71ca93281e9bc71c51e084e2eb6e12af6.jpg" data-media-id="editor_11" data-image-id="20231008091020_8a5d7f6ca83f07195e9eb8b0b6a31ab71ca93281e9bc71c51e084e2eb6e12af6" data-rendition-name="original" width="1500" height="997" loading="lazy" alt="Women cycling"> <figcaption>Jamuna Maharjan and Gyani Shiva Awale</figcaption> </figure>  Jamuna Maharjan, also 48, has been to Nepalganj, Pokhara and other major towns to participate in cycling events. A housekeeper at The Inn Patan, she also uses a cycle for her daily commute to and from home. Read also: <a href="https://nepalitimes.com/here-now/pedalling-for-life">Pedalling for life</a>, Sarah Watson “Before cycling, we were like a frog in a well, we knew nothing much of the world outside but we are now much more empowered now,” she says. Lalitpur’s cycling lessons are continuing and more women are joining in. Part of the training is also safety, since <a href="https://nepalitimes.com/banner/no-city-for-cyclists">Kathmandu’s traffic can be dangerous for bicyclists</a>. “Teaching cycling is only a part of the activity, we also train them in safety techniques, and we also lobby for a smart city with cycling lanes,” says Nisha Shrestha, an award-winning filmmaker, who is also behind the initiative. She adds: “We were trying to develop skills and <a href="https://nepalitimes.com/here-now/ex-guerrilla-s-revolution-in-rural-nepal">entrepreneurship among women</a>. But along the way they also learnt how to cycle, and that has been a bonus.”&nbsp;

Life cycle

Featured videos

Alton C Byers and Lhakpa Sonam Sherpa have teamed up to expand, update, and improve the first edition of Khumbu Since 1950 published in 2017. The result is a first-rate photographic documentation of the dramatic changes which have occurred in the villages, forests, and glaciers of the Mt Everest region over the past 73 years.&nbsp; Both the historic and recent photo replicates are of excellent quality, and even the more than 70-year-old enlargements acquired from contact prints of 35-mm negatives appear remarkably clear (it was necessary to use the prints of the negatives because the negatives themselves had been lost).&nbsp; Their own replicas of the historic photographs are outstanding, especially considering that taking them required many hundreds of kilometers of trekking, and thousands of meters of climbing, even some serious semi-technical mountaineering, in search of the exact locations from which the historic photographs had been taken, as far back as 1950 and the first visits by westerners to Khumbu.&nbsp; The photographs have been expanded from the original 133 to 228, many of them never before published and taken by the first western climbers, climber-scientists, anthropologists, and development workers to have visited the region (the lack of historic photographs taken by Sherpas reflects the lack of personal cameras at the time).&nbsp;  <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/20231114041140_2e0b1e0557d5b1d77d58d06db8ebd4539b79c1f893726196d23020c4f0cee754.jpg" data-media-id="editor_0" data-image-id="20231114041140_2e0b1e0557d5b1d77d58d06db8ebd4539b79c1f893726196d23020c4f0cee754" data-rendition-name="original" width="3000" height="2770" loading="lazy" alt="Khumbu NT"> <figcaption>Namche Bazar in 1976 when hardly 1,000 tourists per year were visiting Khumbu. Roofs were made of fir shingles held down with stones. Even then at least five buildings had corrugated metal roofs. In 1976 the Sagarmatha National Park was set up.  Photo: L S SHERPA</figcaption> </figure>   <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/20231114041140_0d36e41949a0b447bc51bec41435ff19398dc61aa96cc19a92db4ee07a4d7737.jpg" data-media-id="editor_1" data-image-id="20231114041140_0d36e41949a0b447bc51bec41435ff19398dc61aa96cc19a92db4ee07a4d7737" data-rendition-name="original" width="3000" height="2769" loading="lazy" alt="Khumbu NT"> <figcaption>Namche at night in 2011. The electrified town 11 years ago had all-night bars, restaurants, and dozens of lodges. Photo: L S SHERPA</figcaption> </figure>   <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/20231114041140_c4ee1cc53a923f960cb190271b9eaf03aa172fa7a294b954bc1ef4942592d5eb.jpg" data-media-id="editor_2" data-image-id="20231114041140_c4ee1cc53a923f960cb190271b9eaf03aa172fa7a294b954bc1ef4942592d5eb" data-rendition-name="original" width="3000" height="2652" loading="lazy" alt="Khumbu NT"> <figcaption>Namche in 2018. By 2019, the number of lodges had grown to 62, and annual tourist numbers were approaching 50,000 per year. Photo: L S SHERPA</figcaption> </figure>  The resultant collection, many of them panoramas originally taken by photogrammetric cameras in the 1950s, covers the fields of anthropology, human and physical geography, landscape change, climate change, and glaciology.&nbsp; This leads to assessments of the impacts of the massive increase in trekking tourism and mountaineering since the early 1970s, together with the effects of current climate warming. It follows that the photographic collection is of vital importance as a historical document, and in the words of Lhakpa Norbu Sherpa “…could very well serve as the foundation for future monitoring, and subsequent management, of the Sagarmatha National Park and Buffer Zone’s changing cultural and physical landscapes”. Byers and Sherpa introduce us to many of the early pioneers of mountaineering, survey, and conservation in the Khumbu. They include John Hunt, Charles Evans, Fritz Müller, Erwin Schneider, Helmut Heuberger, C. von Fürer Haimendorf, Charles Houston, Bruce Jeffries, and Nick Ledgard.&nbsp;  <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/20231114041140_851cc5f9acb90223b408ada9830a0d2bcc2af0bcc4eba07bd9b20278b70f8a5e.jpg" data-media-id="editor_3" data-image-id="20231114041140_851cc5f9acb90223b408ada9830a0d2bcc2af0bcc4eba07bd9b20278b70f8a5e" data-rendition-name="original" width="1520" height="1070" loading="lazy" alt="Khumbu NT"> <figcaption>View from Khumjung monastery in 1964. Note the absence of lodges, and the Khumjung School had not yet been built. Photo: C VON FÜRER-HAIMENDORF</figcaption> </figure>   <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/20231114041140_86d23cc3fc071b75e39e0fb4f510de8ba4ce520132dec998e6ee645d1968c69d.jpg" data-media-id="editor_4" data-image-id="20231114041140_86d23cc3fc071b75e39e0fb4f510de8ba4ce520132dec998e6ee645d1968c69d" data-rendition-name="original" width="1494" height="1000" loading="lazy" alt="Khumbu NT"> <figcaption>The density of houses had more than tripled in Khumjung by 2007, and the Khumjung School and satellite buildings had been constructed. Photo: ALTON BYERS</figcaption> </figure>   <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/20231114041140_ddb8006a5e09260f43fdaa86ea3a87a5e23a4c19179f1899ae5f1c1227fb3c38.jpg" data-media-id="editor_5" data-image-id="20231114041140_ddb8006a5e09260f43fdaa86ea3a87a5e23a4c19179f1899ae5f1c1227fb3c38" data-rendition-name="original" width="1554" height="1000" loading="lazy" alt="Khumbu NT"> <figcaption>Khumjung in 2018, with more lodges along the main Khumjung to Khunde trail Photo: L S SHERPA  </figcaption> </figure>  The book includes a foreword by the late Venerable Ngawang Tenzing Zangpo Rinpoche, Abbot of Tengboche Monastery, who reminds us of “…how quickly our culture and landscapes can change, and thus the importance of balancing this change with adequate protection of all living things.”&nbsp; The preface by Byers describes the evolution of the book, from his first visit to Khumbu as an undergraduate student in geography in 1973 to his more recent work documenting the impacts of climate change, especially the danger of glacial lake outburst floods (GLOFs).&nbsp; Lhakpa Sonam Sherpa tells the story of how, in spite of losing his hearing to meningitis at the age of 19, he has overcome the resultant challenges to become one of Nepal’s foremost landscape photographers, the founder of the new Sherpa Culture Museum in Namche Bazaar, and the recent recipient of a prestigious award for his lifetime achievements from the Government of Nepal.&nbsp; A new chapter, Introduction to the Sagarmatha National Park and Buffer Zone, Khumbu, Nepal: Past Present, and Future introduces the reader to an updated account of the people, history, vegetation, and glaciers of the region, written from the perspectives of one author who has studied the region for over 50 years, and the other who was born there.  <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/20231114041140_7709664117146105ba7410f2430f88b918fff71d9304e842b1492ea373268707.jpg" data-media-id="editor_6" data-image-id="20231114041140_7709664117146105ba7410f2430f88b918fff71d9304e842b1492ea373268707" data-rendition-name="original" width="1421" height="1000" loading="lazy" alt="Khumbu NT"> <figcaption>This photopoint along the trail from Sanesa to Tengboche provides testimony to the greening of many parts of the Khumbu region over the past 50 years.  Taken in 1956, this photograph shows what appears to be mostly bare shrub-grasslands on both the south- and north-facing slopes of the Imja Khola. Photo: FRITZ MÜLLER</figcaption> </figure>   <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/20231114041140_ad83ed869bebe6dae234534d61b192b3ce0bb9e63335b80c08bb4febe25e83f3.jpg" data-media-id="editor_7" data-image-id="20231114041140_ad83ed869bebe6dae234534d61b192b3ce0bb9e63335b80c08bb4febe25e83f3" data-rendition-name="original" width="1173" height="1000" loading="lazy" alt="Khumbu NT"> <figcaption>By 2007, significant tree growth had occurred, especially on the north-facing slopes of the Imja Khola. The reason for this is not entirely clear but could include some combination of the new conservation policies brought in by the national park, the fact that the traditional shingo nawa system of natural resource management had never really died out, changes in livestock population perhaps due to a decreased use of cattle for milk and meat and their increased use as pack animals for trekkers and expeditions, and climate change with warming trends more conducive to tree growth. Photo: ALTON BYERS </figcaption> </figure>   <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/20231114041140_68375116e453a269fcc3115ff8e8448357bdc640ece618c416b8c0f90cc419e3.jpg" data-media-id="editor_8" data-image-id="20231114041140_68375116e453a269fcc3115ff8e8448357bdc640ece618c416b8c0f90cc419e3" data-rendition-name="original" width="1500" height="1000" loading="lazy" alt="Khumbu NT"> <figcaption>In 2018, the replication of Mϋller’s 1956 photopoint revealed that even more tree growth had occurred in the interim. Photo: L S SHERPA</figcaption> </figure>  The book then leads us on a tour of the Khumbu region over time, from Junbesi in 1954, to the Lukla airstrip, to Chermading, Phakding, Namche, Tengboche, Dingboche, to the far reaches of the Imja, Gokyo, and Thame valleys. Dramatic changes in villages, from sleepy traditional communities to bustling international tourist centers, are illustrated in dozens of repeat photographs.&nbsp; The rapid regeneration of Khumbu’s subalpine forests over the past 50 years is clearly evident in a number of different photo pairs, and challenge the hypotheses of ‘deforestation in the Khumbu’ so popular with developers in the 1970s and 1980s. The loss of the region’s snow, ice, and glaciers is particularly sobering, captured by the repeat photograph of cartographer Erwin Schneider’s 1956 image of a debris-covered glacier, which has now turned into a glacial lake containing some 91 million cubic meters of water.&nbsp;  <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/20231114041140_a713c7c529a865f2ec7b01cd7b663f5479f3bae91c482096e481ac12be57fc49.jpg" data-media-id="editor_9" data-image-id="20231114041140_a713c7c529a865f2ec7b01cd7b663f5479f3bae91c482096e481ac12be57fc49" data-rendition-name="original" width="3093" height="1000" loading="lazy" alt="Khumbu NT"> <figcaption>Imja’s debris covered glacier in 1956 was typical of most large glaciers in Khumbu, a sign of glacial stagnation since the end of the Little Ice Age around 1870. A series of small meltwater ponds began to form in the early 1960s that have grown steadily over the past 50 years into the glacial lake seen today. Photo: E SCHNEIDER</figcaption> </figure>   <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/20231114041140_d17445555f0b48348a26dcacfe13a8c17ad78072e5fb5d3d985343e2bcd21b7e.jpg" data-media-id="editor_10" data-image-id="20231114041140_d17445555f0b48348a26dcacfe13a8c17ad78072e5fb5d3d985343e2bcd21b7e" data-rendition-name="original" width="2838" height="1000" loading="lazy" alt="Khumbu NT"> <figcaption>By 2012, Imja glacial lake measured over 2km in length, was 550 m wide, had an average depth of 50m, a maximum depth of 150, and contained 75 million m3 of water. Its calving rate between 1992 and 2002 was 36 m/yr, and between 2002 and 2012 accelerated to 52 m/yr.  Imja is the most studied glacial lake in Nepal if not the world, and has been the source of considerable controversy over whether it is dangerous or not in terms of a glacial lake outburst flood.  Most scientists now agree that while the lake may not be dangerous at present, within 10 to 20 years it could pose a serious risk to downstream communities when the lake lies directly underneath the overhanging ice of the mountains at its head. The lake was lowered by approximately 3m in 2016 by the Nepal Army. Photo: ALTON BYERS</figcaption> </figure>   <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/20231114041140_6cd3b13cb6b108a825ccaca27557302b76b94ee5af2ce3543ec3cce318069b5b.jpg" data-media-id="editor_11" data-image-id="20231114041140_6cd3b13cb6b108a825ccaca27557302b76b94ee5af2ce3543ec3cce318069b5b" data-rendition-name="original" width="6766" height="2262" loading="lazy" alt="Khumbu NT"> <figcaption>Imja glacial lake panorama in 2017. Photo: ALTON BYERS</figcaption> </figure>  Many good things have resulted from tourism and the modernisation of Khumbu, several of the consequences remain chronically troubling. Thousands of tons of plastic, aluminum, electronic, medical waste continue to be burned and buried each year in the hundreds of landfills that now pockmark the region, poisoning the air, water, people, and animals that live there.&nbsp; In spite of nearly 200 years of mountaineering history throughout the world, strategies to effectively manage human waste at high altitudes continue to elude the mountaineer and development practitioner alike. Khumbu Since 1950 is thus a reminder that, in spite of much progress, much work remains to ensure a thorough collaboration between the local mountain people and visiting supporters toward sustainable mountain development. Khumbu Since 1950 is a vital visual tool that will be appreciated and used by visitors, scholars, government, and development workers alike for years to come. The fact that it can now be updated by future Nepali scholars interested in the positive and negative aspects of change over time makes the book all the more valuable.&nbsp;  <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/20231114161128_dfba8a4d937fca9c210065170694c9279c1186748f05a00d55cb5027b96d7a03.png" data-media-id="editor_12" data-image-id="20231114161128_dfba8a4d937fca9c210065170694c9279c1186748f05a00d55cb5027b96d7a03" data-rendition-name="original" width="1153" height="519" loading="lazy" alt="Khumbu NT"> </figure>  Jack D Ives is with the Department of Geography and Environmental Studies, Carleton University Ottawa, Canada. <a href="mailto:JackIves@Cunet.Carleton.ca">JackIves@Cunet.Carleton.ca</a>

Khumbu since 1950

A key component of international climate negotiations is finance for adaptation measures, and like other developing countries, Nepal faces difficulties in this regard. The next climate summit (COP 28) in Dubai 30 November – 12 December will be crucial to make the country’s concerns clear.
The Conference of the Parties (COP) is an annual conference under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) and brings together member nations for coordinated response to address global climate breakdown. &nbsp;
Although it is a forum for nations to assess and revise climate commitments and foster international cooperation, the summits face political and economic obstacles in securing funding for low-income nations to adapt and pay for loss and damage from the climate emergency.
Earlier COPs have set emission reduction targets, non-binding national commitments as well as the need for support from wealthier countries to deal with impact of weather extremes on developing nations. Within this framework, cross-border carbon credits can act as a reward for Nepal's early commitment to emissions reduction and expanding forest cover.
Since industrialised countries are largely responsible for historical emissions, they are expected to provide financial support to developing countries to transition to cleaner fuels. Climate finance can take the form of grants, subsidised loans, technical assistance. However, there are complex discussions around climate funding, and developing nations including Nepal have expressed concerns about promises not kept, inadequacy of pledges, lack of equitable distribution and transparency, as well as redressal for loss and damage from climate impact. &nbsp;
As far back as 2009, Copenhagen Climate Conference set a fund-raising target of $100 billion a year, these pledges remain largely unfulfilled, even as the rise in global average temperatures, the loss of sea ice and wilder weather are being experienced decades earlier than predicted. &nbsp;
Nepal faces many distinct challenges to reduce petroleum use, adapt to climate change and pay for loss and damage. The country’s ability to invest in resilient infrastructure is limited. Expanding glacial lakes, melting permafrost, floods, landslides, glacial lake outburst floods and springs going dry pose a growing risk to lives and livelihoods.
Farmers dependent on rain-fed subsistence agriculture now have to deal with erratic monsoons and irregular rainfall. Changing precipitation patterns and glacier melt are making hydropower less reliable, and major infrastructure has been damaged and destroyed by freak floods on Himalayan rivers.
Although Nepal has expanded forest cover to 45% of its area, doubling it in the past 30 years, there is a limit to sink capacity especially in the Tarai. Poor urban planning, settlements in high-risk areas and low public awareness of vulnerabilities as well as political instability leading to governance shortcomings hinder meaningful adaptation measures. &nbsp;
Building on the 2015 Paris Agreement's objectives to keep global warming to 1.5 Celsius by 2050, the COP26 Climate Summit in Glasgow produced the Glasgow Climate Pact. Strengthening of Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs), an emphasis on adaptation, funding for developing countries, and addressing loss and damage. Member states pledged $356 million to the Adaption Fund, and $450 million was offered for local adaption. COP27 in Egypt last year was criticised for not doing enough to advance larger climate goals, but acknowledged the need for money to remedy loss and damage for climate-induced disasters.
In Dubai, Nepal must forcefully back demands for additional climate finance from industrialised nations especially for infrastructure and renewable energy projects. It should also push for a multilateral agreement to implement a loss and damage mechanism because climate-related harm already poses a serious threat.
Placing a price on carbon emissions, carbon taxes, and other pricing mechanisms are based on the ‘polluter pays’ principle. Fossil fuel taxes encourage consumers to minimise emission by raising the cost of using them. On the other hand, cap-and-trade systems place a limit on emissions and permit companies to exchange emission allowances, causing emission reductions in the areas where they are most advantageous.
These instruments work together to constitute a toolset for reducing emissions, along with financial incentives for renewable energy sources, legislative requirements, carbon offsetting, voluntary carbon markets etc.
A cross-border carbon credit framework can be a method to jointly tackle emissions between India, China, and Nepal in compliance with the COP resolutions and the principles of climate justice. Nepal has pledged to achieve net-zero emissions by 2045, which puts it ahead of China (2060) and India (2070). Nepal’s giant neighbours can be partners in assisting Nepal’s transition to clean energy.
In exchange, India and China could receive credits from Nepal's own carbon reduction efforts. This cooperative model would also support technology transfer, capacity building, and even control trans-boundary air pollution. The continued heavy reliance of China and India on coal and other fossil fuels highlights the necessity of such regional cooperation, while upholding international climate obligations.
COP28 in Dubai is expected to yield significant financial assistance for developing countries like Nepal. The summit's main objectives are transparency, responsibility, and enhanced obligations in the distribution of climate finance. In addition, Nepal and other developing countries expect to be compensated for action they have already taken on clean energy and expanding forest cover.
Combating climate change necessitates concerted effort, financial backing, and efficient laws. As one of the countries most vulnerable to the climate emergency, Nepal should take the lead in global negotiations. After all, melting ice in the Himalaya will not just affect Nepal, but impact more than 1 billion people downstream.
But most importantly, COP28 is an opportunity for Nepal’s delegation in Dubai to push for adaptation and loss and damage fund.
Govind Ghimire is Deputy CEO of NMB Bank.

How Nepal can finance climate action

The Kangchenjunga region is where modern tourism first started in Nepal. &nbsp; As early as the mid-1800s, the region below the world's third-highest mountain had started seeing foreign expeditions.&nbsp; The English botanist J D Hooker traveled throughout the Tamor, Ghunsa, and Yangma river valleys in 1849. ‘Pundit’ Sarad Chandra Das, one of the indigenous spies trained by the British Raj for clandestine mapping and intelligence work in Nepal and Tibet, visited the region in 1879, following the Chabuk Glacier north to cross into Tibet. &nbsp; In 1884 Rinzing Namgyal completed the first recorded circumambulation of the Kangchenjunga massif. In 1899 the British mountaineer Sir Douglas Freshfield replicated Rinzing’s journey with him, Italian photographer Victorio Sella, Sella’s brother, and other notable mountaineers of the time.&nbsp; But it was not until 1955 that Kangchenjunga was first climbed by George Band and Joe Brown. Since then, more than 350 climbers have made it to Kangchenjunga’s various summits. &nbsp; Trekking tourism began in earnest in 1984 when the region was first opened to foreign groups and has averaged only a few hundred tourists per year since 2010. Till last year, most trekkers said they decided to come here because it was the last mountain area in Nepal without a road. That is changing.&nbsp; Read also: <a href="https://nepalitimes.com/here-now/trekking-in-the-time-of-climate-change">Trekking in the time of climate change</a>, Achyut Tiwari  <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/20230929090912_1456c0d0abe065672ab1ce6eafb47b1b2ced22c22034d5a577c59e4131c0dc72.jpg" data-media-id="editor_1" data-image-id="20230929090912_1456c0d0abe065672ab1ce6eafb47b1b2ced22c22034d5a577c59e4131c0dc72" data-rendition-name="original" width="1500" height="1000" loading="lazy" alt="Page 6-7"> <figcaption>Steep switchbacks on a new road from Nepal over the Tiptola Pass up to Tibet.</figcaption> </figure>  The region is actively undergoing more environmental, socio-economic, and cultural changes during the past 10 years, more so than anytime previously in Nepal’s 250-year history as a unified nation.&nbsp; The alpine shrub juniper and dwarf rhododendron throughout the Kangchenjunga Conservation Area (KCA) are in surprisingly good condition, in spite of the hundreds of years of harvesting by yak herders and villagers for fuel, incense, and to increase pasture area. &nbsp; This is largely reflective of low tourism, decreasing livestock numbers, and extremely wet environments found in the KCA. Humid environments tend to be more forgiving of human and cattle disturbances while promoting the rapid re-establishment of protective ground cover such as herbs and grasses.&nbsp; Populations of yaks, dzopkio, and other livestock are rapidly decreasing, as they are throughout much of the Nepal Himalaya due partly to labour shortages because of the outmigration of young people, and also herds being sold for meat in Tibet as well as changing lifestyles. Read also: <a href="https://nepalitimes.com/here-now/participating-to-save-kangchenjunga">Participating to save Kangchenjunga</a>, Ghana S Gurung  <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/20230929090912_57ba334e068885e104dd80e2c039d9b6bbc0d7f03aa4b8f038b661a121e52d51.jpg" data-media-id="editor_3" data-image-id="20230929090912_57ba334e068885e104dd80e2c039d9b6bbc0d7f03aa4b8f038b661a121e52d51" data-rendition-name="original" width="1000" height="1333" loading="lazy" alt="Page 6-7"> <figcaption>Four dzopkio carried the author's  camping equipment, food, and research gear with Mt Jannu soaring in the distance.</figcaption> </figure>   <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/20230929090912_a189ed918701329be149e9005b01f532b69e8ce07428102445326390734eddf9.jpg" data-media-id="editor_4" data-image-id="20230929090912_a189ed918701329be149e9005b01f532b69e8ce07428102445326390734eddf9" data-rendition-name="original" width="900" height="675" loading="lazy" alt="Page 6-7"> </figure>  Young people have been leaving the KCA for jobs in Kathmandu and overseas since the early 1990s, a process that intensified during the Maoist insurgency between 1996-2006. Most of the remaining inhabitants in villages such as Ghunsa are elderly, with the exception of a few younger lodge owners who can make their living from tourism. Climate change and warming trends are accelerating the glacier melt, processes already noted by Hooker in 1849 and Freshfield in 1899. Since then, the problem has become more acute and potentially catastrophic. Glacial floods, rockfalls and ice-debris avalanches have increased the vulnerability of local populations.&nbsp; Villages need to start thinking about mitigating and preventing the impact of floods by building gabions along river channels, moving structures away from vulnerable areas and monitoring threatening glacial lakes and other dangerous features. Himalayan fir (Abies spectabilis), an IUCN Red List species, is being overharvested, as are many other rare and medicinal alpine plants. This trend will be exacerbated by the construction of the new proposed roads and the easier accessibility to formerly remote regions which they provide. Read also: <a href="https://nepalitimes.com/banner/tracing-past-glacial-floods-in-kangchenjunga">Tracing past glacial floods in Kangchenjunga</a>, Alton C Byers  <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/20230929090912_5d3c7af6b71ddf163b14d85b6efbbe6fba1960d0d95be0e451cd09e553edab3e.jpg" data-media-id="editor_6" data-image-id="20230929090912_5d3c7af6b71ddf163b14d85b6efbbe6fba1960d0d95be0e451cd09e553edab3e" data-rendition-name="original" width="1800" height="502" loading="lazy" alt="Page 6-7"> <figcaption>Dozens of glacial lakes like Nangama have formed over the past 25 years as the glaciers melt and retreat. </figcaption> </figure>   <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/20230929090912_a729648e8faf81a3b41e26fe11e229409e84f75e330dc7ce7fa0386198d63ef3.jpg" data-media-id="editor_7" data-image-id="20230929090912_a729648e8faf81a3b41e26fe11e229409e84f75e330dc7ce7fa0386198d63ef3" data-rendition-name="original" width="1000" height="1333" loading="lazy" alt="Page 6-7"> <figcaption>Elizabeth Byers stands next to Rheum nobile (padamchal, or lemonade plant) which used to be common in the KCA but are now rare due to overharvesting and increased access to new roads.</figcaption> </figure>  The most striking change in the KCA, and one with social and environmental impact, has been the construction of new roads throughout the Taplejung district during the past 10 years which are now beginning to encroach into the KCA.&nbsp; The perceived benefits of roads have typically included increased access and connectivity for rural populations, employment opportunities and health benefits.&nbsp; Hastily bulldozed roads are also now encroaching into national parks and protected areas, with little concern for old growth forests, wildlife, local economy, traditional cultures, and the future of adventure tourism.&nbsp; Many of these changes are happening throughout Nepal. New highways, transmission lines, irrigation canals and even new railways are crisscrossing national parks and protected areas. Poaching is reduced, but infrastructure is the new threat to Nepal’s conservation.&nbsp; Read also: <a href="https://nepalitimes.com/multimedia/including-local-knowledge-to-study-climate-change">Including local knowledge to study climate change</a>, Kunda Dixit  <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/20230929090924_3cd5315c71ccda3cd328954695ec0a158d1928e5ba59f29831c49573fdf4f3d5.png" data-media-id="editor_9" data-image-id="20230929090924_3cd5315c71ccda3cd328954695ec0a158d1928e5ba59f29831c49573fdf4f3d5" data-rendition-name="original" width="783" height="586" loading="lazy" alt="Page 6-7"> <figcaption>The spread of the road network (red lines) in the last 12 years has been rapid, threatening the regions rich biodiversity. Map: MOHAN CHAND</figcaption> </figure>  But it is still not too late for Kangchenjunga. The region differs from others because there is still time to assess the feasibility of new roads and their environmental and socio-economic impacts.&nbsp; KCA could choose to remain a ‘traditional' protected area only for foot and beast of burden travel, thus making it unique in Nepal’s rapidly diminishing roadless protected areas.&nbsp; Increased visitation would directly benefit local cottage industries like handicrafts, fresh vegetable production, milk and dairy products, pack animal rental, and others.&nbsp; A functioning natural history museum and interpretation centre in Ghunsa and elsewhere could educate visitors about the rich and unique flora and fauna of the region. &nbsp; Read also:<a href="https://archive.nepalitimes.com/page/go-eat-to-kanchenjunga"> Go East</a>, Sudhir Limbu <h2>Land above the trees</h2>  <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/20230929090912_ffc46c7ecd43e1d4d35b1e18ccec7d750d0828b98b3f532c720553aa0ec7bb7e.png" data-media-id="editor_11" data-image-id="20230929090912_ffc46c7ecd43e1d4d35b1e18ccec7d750d0828b98b3f532c720553aa0ec7bb7e" data-rendition-name="original" width="1051" height="457" loading="lazy" alt="Page 6-7"> </figure>  The Kangchenjunga Conservation Area (KCA), established in 1997, is spread across 2,035km² of protected area in easternmost Nepal. It was turned over to local communities in 2006 as Nepal’s first community-managed protected area. It is home to the world’s third-highest mountain, Kangchenjunga at 8,586m, once thought to be the highest in the world because of its massive summit ridge and visibility from Darjeeling. &nbsp; The region is also believed to conceal a beyul, or hidden valley of treasure and immortality containing sacred teachings that will be revealed to the devout in times of trouble.&nbsp; Elevations in the KCA range from subtropical forests below 1,000m, the fir/birch/rhododendron forests in the subalpine, dwarf vegetation of the alpine zone, to the 8,586m summit of Kangchenjunga, all within a horizontal distance of less than 30km.&nbsp; KCA is one of the last remaining refuges for the rare Red Panda, whose remnant populations live in remote conifer-bamboo forests. Himalayan Black Bear, Common Leopard, Red Dog, Palm Civet, and Yellow-throated Martin are more common, inhabiting both forest and farmland where they can often be a problem for local farmers and their livestock and crops.&nbsp; Large populations of Blue Sheep can be found in nearly every side valley encountered and are a good indicator of the presence of Snow Leopards.&nbsp; Alton C Byers, PhD is a senior research scientist at INSTAAR, University of Colorado at Boulder in the United States. In 2022, he and his botanist wife Elizabeth spent six months in the KCA documenting and quantifying contemporary threats to the KCA’s alpine zone under a Fulbright project. Byers has been involved in other initiatives that are still running in the Everest, Makalu-Barun and Peru’s Cordillera Blanca funded by the National Geographic. Read also: <a href="https://nepalitimes.com/here-now/remembering-nepal-s-conservation-heroes">Remembering Nepal’s conservation heroes</a>, Ghana Gurung

Saving Kangchenjunga

Frontpage topic

It has been over 13 years since Nepal passed a law criminalising <a href="https://nepalitimes.com/opinion/using-numbers-to-fight-gender-based-violence">domestic violence</a>. Legislators were clear that the law was only a starting point when they passed it in 2009.&nbsp;
Yet, the seeming lack of interest to revisit this legislation and plug gaps has one thinking if Parliament has closed the door on tackling the country’s largest crime problem.&nbsp;
<a href="https://nepalitimes.com/from-the-nepali-press/alarming-rise-in-violence-against-women">Domestic violence is a pandemic</a>. It is estimated that almost 30% of the population are victims of violence within the home. No other crime in Nepal is this pervasive. It is arguably at the root of most crime and violence in later life: surveys of prison populations demonstrate that most offenders report growing up with violence in the home. A broken home will morph into a broken society.&nbsp;
For decades, domestic violence was globally treated as a private affair and not the concern of the police or the criminal justice system. Nepal did well to criminalise domestic violence, the third country in South Asia to do so following India and Sri Lanka. Currently all SAARC countries barring Afghanistan have criminalised domestic violence, with Pakistan passing a law in 2020.
According to Nepal’s law <a href="https://nepalitimes.com/here-now/nepali-women-flee-abuse-for-overseas-work">domestic violence</a> is any act of physical, psychological, sexual or economic (deprivation) violence against any member of a household. This includes family members living under the same roof, couples living together (and not married) and domestic helpers. &nbsp;
Nepal’s legal framework for domestic violence has a soft approach. The emphasis is on reconciliation as opposed to punishment. This is in stark contrast to most other laws which are heavily punitive.&nbsp;
According to the domestic violence law, once a victim files a complaint of <a href="https://archive.nepalitimes.com/article/nation/violence-against-women-in-high-income-families,2154">domestic violence</a>, the presiding authority may attempt to reconcile the victim and offender for a period of one month. Victims’ consent to reconcile is a legal requirement.&nbsp;
I conducted research several years ago as part of my PhD observing how police handle cases of domestic violence in Nepal. At the police station I observed that victims are told that the perpetrator will be invited for a “discussion” (in reality an attempt at reconciliation). No effort is put into asking the victims what they really want, and whether they understand the nature of consent.
The courts follow a similar pattern. A judge will almost always refer a domestic violence suit to a session of mediation in an attempt to elicit a reconciliatory settlement. There is no requirement that court appointed mediators have any training on handling trauma suffered by both perpetrators and victims of violence. Mediation sessions can therefore prove to be disastrous for the mental health of parties and aggravate threats to victims. &nbsp;&nbsp;
The domestic law widens access to justice by allowing victims to file complaints in any of the four agencies of her/his choosing: the police, National Women’s Commission (NWC), local authorities or the district court.&nbsp;
However, the NWC is in Kathmandu and victims are spread across the land. To go to court one needs a lawyer. The domestic violence law (except in cases of acid attack) requires victims to find their own lawyers.&nbsp;
It is unrealistic for most victims of domestic violence to be able to afford the fees of private lawyers. Besides, as lawyers we know that most victims lose in court on grounds that they are unable to provide sufficient evidence of violence. Going to court is futile, more often than not.&nbsp;
The punishment for domestic violence is absurdly lax: maximum 6 months imprisonment or a fine of up to Rs.25,000 with slightly higher punishment for government office bearers or repeat offenders. Compare this to the punishment for general assault (कुटपिट) with five times higher imprisonment of up to 3 years and/or a fine of up to Rs 30,000. The law deems the attack of a stranger on the street more harmful than an attack at home. Perpetrators are also not remanded while the case is ongoing in court — allowing them access to victims to threaten intimidate or punish them.
Punishment and prosecution is not the panacea for addressing domestic violence. Failures of Western countries like the US and UK to tackle this crime problem with mandatory arrest and prosecution laws are evidence of this. However, Nepal’s approach of conducting reconciliation with largely untrained human resource is not working either. &nbsp;
Nepal’s legislature must visit the domestic violence law with urgency. The provision on reconciliation needs to be examined to see if it should be permitted for all cases or whether we need to take Bhutan’s approach of only allowing it for first time offenders who commit less serious acts of violence.&nbsp;
The legislature must align the domestic violence law with other Nepali criminal laws pertaining to assault (physical, mental, sexual) so that messaging about the seriousness of domestic violence is unequivocal.&nbsp;
Comparatively, the most promising response to this crime is seen when law enforcement and other services such as social workers, medical professionals and members of communities respond jointly to a crisis. Might this response be written in law?&nbsp;
Moreover, offender treatment is of paramount importance to mitigate against risks of reoffending. Nepali lawmakers need to consider this element within the legal framework&nbsp;
Recently, Chief Justice Bishowambhar Prasad Shrestha announced setting up family benches (court rooms dedicated to looking at cases involving family law such as domestic violence) in district courts.&nbsp;
They are in operation now, and the judiciary needs to do some serious work around defining what constitutes evidence in matters of domestic violence. Good practice internationally shows that the rules around which evidence is admitted in court is relaxed when it involves domestic violence. The fact that most victims lose in court should have the chief justice’s attention.&nbsp;
As we participate in another 16 day campaign against gender based violence that commenced on 25 November, commitments of the legislature, judiciary and executive government need to yield concrete steps to strengthen Nepal’s domestic violence law.&nbsp;
Aastha Dahal is a Kathmandu-based lawyer with a PhD in criminology from the University of Cambridge.

Not just 16 days against gender-based violence

When Kalpana first held hands with her future husband, her mind drifted from across the flat fields of her home town to the wide streets of Kathmandu, which was soon to be her new home. She stood up, looked at his face and smiled, the wheat-packed belly of the field spread behind him looked like a golden curtain and she wished they could have a photo taken of that moment. She thought, maybe a new phone with a good camera will be possible in Kathmandu and I can post lots of pictures on Facebook.
A year since that moment, Kalpana finds herself in the enclosed room of a certain parlour in Kathmandu. No, she isn’t getting her eyebrows done and neither is she getting a haircut. It is where she works now. Ten to Five.
“The working hours are not so bad, actually,” she says at first. “The money is not that great, but my employer says there will be tips.”
In her hometown, Kalpana had trained to peel eyebrows using thread, to heat wax in tin containers and pull them off with cloth strips and to massage the face and shoulders of women as they lay down for a facial session. Her friends had advised it was the best skill to pick before heading to Kathmandu. “Easy to find jobs,” they had said. “And if you’re going to go abroad, even better. Women do really well at beauty parlours.”
Now in Kathmandu, Kalpana finds that things run contrary to the narrative she had heard on repeat back home.
She had spent a few weeks in Kathmandu visiting relatives as a child and so of course she knew the city. But the Kathmandu that met her in her guise as an adult has felt distant, claustrophobic and indifferent. Bus rides are no longer breezy, but an ordeal. She struggles to find space to even stand without being crushed by other passengers most days. The feeling is packed with familiarity and yet it is alarming with someone’s elbow going over her face, some crotch pressed to her side and someone’s garlic breath upon her hair. Sometimes, during bus rides she shuts her eyes until the conductor shouts: Balaju! Balaju!
Five thousand rupees a month. The vermin! Kalpana sighs throughout bus rides.
In the first few weeks at the parlour, work seemed like a place to hang out with other women, gossip, eat buff momo for a hundred and fifty rupees once a week. Mostly, a bowl of spicy WaiWai with chana for sixty rupees. Kalpana found her feelings bordering on a familiar excitement, like the one she felt during her school days, when stealing moments away with her childhood friends.
Within less than two months of work at the parlour, Kalpana says her duties soon began to evolve. The owner lady told her that business was slow and shutters were coming down in the city and she had to think of a way to keep it going. She said she would either have to sell the place or reinvent.
Kalpana had worried at that time that selling the business would mean she would be laid off. The three thousand rupees a month that she was able to save after paying for bus fare and khaja would be gone. These days, she sometimes wishes the owner lady had actually sold or closed down her business. That didn’t happen, of course.
Her employer quickly turned things round. She added a sign to the business saying “massage”. And the high beds they were formerly using to provide facial services soon turned into massage tables. The lady took turns training all three girls who worked alongside Kalpana, showing them where to press, where to apply force, where to knead, where to rub and where to roll.
In her new role as a masseuse, Kalpana sometimes finds that the persons she is assisting are no longer just women. There are sometimes men-- often, pot-bellied, middle-aged men who come in quietly and leave in a shuffle.
“One time, this man asked me for an inappropriate kind of service and I didn’t know if I was mad or frightened. I walked out of the room and called Didi. But Didi said some clients are hard to please and she replaced me for the rest of the session.”
Kalpana’s hands are tiny, like those of a schoolgirl and one cannot imagine how such small hands could even cover the span of a calf or work their way across the spine. Tiny hands.
“My husband doesn’t know. He still thinks this is a parlour, which it is, too. He might kill me if he knows I’ve been working as a masseuse also. Marnu huncha. If I could find another job, I’d leave. Even as house help.”
Some days I think I’ll wake up one morning, leave for work, get on the bus from Balaju and just keep going, fall asleep on the bus, buy some badam and suntala, eat them on the bus, then sleep again and go back home at six. They would never know, right? I mean, until the money runs out?”
Suburban Tales is a monthly column in Nepali Times based on real people (with some names changed) in Pratibha’s life.

Warm my hands

In September 2024, world leaders will gather to forge a new consensus on bridging the digital divide to deliver a better present and safeguarding our future. The United Nations has proposed a Global Digital Compact to be signed at that Summit to connect 2.7 billion more people, and develop principles and standards for data protection and privacy, sharpen accountability for malicious acts online and convene stakeholders to align AI technology.
The signing of the UN Global Digital Compact is on the horizon. What will Nepal’s role be? Where are we with our own research, planning and preparation? Who will represent Nepal in negotiations, and what are our objectives? Are we forming alliances with countries facing similar challenges to address the downsides of generative AI, or are we demanding the presence of content moderation teams on the ground from large tech platforms?
In October, I &nbsp;attended the UN Internet Governance Forum (IGF) in Kyoto (pictured, above), &nbsp;and the experience made it clear that every country needs to be ready for the digital age. Nations and the international community must therefore team up and do their part to succeed in the fast-changing digital world.&nbsp;
In one of our Parliament committee meetings, members proposed ideas aimed at curbing the spread of fake news, including a suggestion to require individuals with more than 10,000 social media followers to register their accounts. While the intent behind these proposals is to combat disinformation, it could have a potential impact on free speech and dissenting voices. These proposed laws could inadvertently silence those who challenge the status quo.
Recently, the Nepal government banned TikTok following the Cabinet's social media directives. The misinformation/disinformation campaign requires effective management, but resorting to platform shutdowns is an extreme measure.&nbsp;
This decision raises concerns as it encroaches upon the fundamental right of freedom of expression. Shutting down platforms without a proper legal basis can be perceived as an authoritarian move, undermining the principles of open dialogue and democratic governance.
Additionally, a recent pivotal development is the breaking up of the old Information Technology Bill, which was originally abandoned due to controversial social media governance provisions. This bill is now being segmented into a Cyber Security Bill, a Social Media Bill, and a Software Technology Bill.
In 2013, a Master Plan on Information and Communication Technology in Education was formulated and launched with the technical support of UNESCO but was never implemented. Now, we have moved on to ICT Masterplan 2 prompting a question if our approach to Nepal's digitisation is on the right track. Are our investments yielding results? Are the organisations in place equipped with the appropriate Terms of Reference (ToR) to effectively support this endeavour?
Furthermore, there is a pressing need to establish clear standards for the plethora of software procured across various ministries and government levels. What about Annual Maintenance Contracts (AMCs)? Are these comprehensive, covering end-to-end procurements? Specifically, we must inquire whether contracts for entities like the passport office or national ID issuance include hardware component costs within the AMC, while separately addressing the maintenance and depreciation of physical assets.
During our examination of the digitisation process, we were made aware of cabinet-approved Digital Framework Nepal, but the document is collecting dust in a drawer. Soon after, we organised IT Bill Hackathon with software companies in Kathmandu to further identify problems within our system. One of the key lessons was the opaqueness of the legal language to the tech community, and their challenges to exist within legal frameworks that are complex to navigate and lack adequate support for their growth.&nbsp;
If we take a step back, we will find that digital literacy among Nepalis varies greatly. While some are proficient, many lack basic skills like creating strong passwords, accepting cookies, and using public Wi-Fi safely. Open-source software adoption is limited, illustrated by the Election Commission website's reliance on proprietary software. Efforts for digital literacy and inclusion lack coordination, with uncertainty about roles and stakeholders. A more unified approach is needed to enhance digital literacy and inclusion in Nepal.
In Kyoto I learned how different countries are adopting unique strategies for digitisation and software development. For example, even in a technologically advanced nation like France, approximately 80% of data analysis required for decision-making can be effectively executed using MS Excel.&nbsp;
This raises the pertinent question of whether our incessant drive for procurement leaves us overlooking the potential for adaptation and localisation from the Digital Public Goods library, a valuable resource that often goes untapped. There are many things Nepal can do, immediately and in the long term.&nbsp;
Nepal can immediately establish government teams to engage with the public and encourage new ideas and for organisations to participate. It should create a platform for knowledge-sharing on technology, both within Nepal and globally.
It is crucial to transition from closed-loop systems to open-source solutions, making source code accessible and transparent. This way, codes developed with taxpayers' money can be reviewed by the public, fostering accountability.&nbsp;
During various IGF panels featuring parliamentarians and researchers, the consensus was clear: the digital age necessitates robust data policies. A vital component of this is comprehensive data legislation. Such an act must establish clear guidelines regarding the collection, storage, and usage of data, encompassing healthcare, consumer, and individual national identification such as citizenship, passport, PAN, or national ID.&nbsp;
Defining what data is collected, how and where it is stored, and for how long, as well as specifying how data is used, who has access, and under what conditions access can be overridden, are among the critical issues that require precise demarcation.&nbsp;
This Data Act would apply to government agencies, non-governmental agencies, and private companies operating in Nepal, serving as the foundation for the country's national and international data-sharing policies while fostering competitive marketplaces to support SMEs. We have to make sure that people in Nepal are well-informed about the internet's management, that they have a say in it, and that the government is transparent and responsible in how they oversee it.
Nepal needs to look into best practices across the world, and we should invest our efforts in researching them. Moreover, we need to make sure that the research is well-communicated to the legislators and lawmakers, otherwise we risk repeating what we did with the TikTok ban where the Home Ministry conducted a study but lawmakers had no clue. This level of information gap even from the government to the legislation will instead create barriers in the democratic lawmaking process.
Once we are ready at the national level, we need to think globally. The Global Digital Compact is as fundamental as agreeing on human rights issues. But we must be clear about how we will put these international agreements into action at home.&nbsp;
One question that emerged prominently in the IGF was the significance of realistic implementation plans. It is at this stage that many developing countries encounter roadblocks, owing to resource constraints and capacity limitations. For a practical digitisation plan, we need clear goals, resources, and choices we are willing to make. We must focus on what works for our specific challenges, instead of getting carried away with big ideas.
For instance, an educational mobile application alone cannot substitute for a lack of teachers in the classroom, nor can an agriculture app solely resolve the issue of market access for farmers. Often, the core issues are rooted in supply chain management and other fundamental areas. While digitisation is the way forward, trends should not distract us from the real challenges we face. Focusing on genuine problem-solving, rather than the appearance of technological advancement, is the key to realising tangible benefits from digitisation.
Again, planning on a national level is just the beginning; we also need help from the international community to set our goals and standards. This two-pronged approach is essential for dealing with global digital challenges. Even though there has been progress, more than 60% of Nepal still do not have access to fiber internet. This means we are not getting all the advantages of the internet. Nepal must train a big tech workforce that is skilled in different digital areas like cybersecurity, software, data management, and more. We should work together to boost our talent and connect them with the world.
It is heartening to see the wealth of resources available, and the ways to foster these connections. Potential resource pools — training in cybersecurity, opportunities to present research at IGF, and the chance for Nepalis to showcase their work in workshops -- can all be utilised to create a thriving digital ecosystem.
As we approach the signing of this compact, we must unite and brainstorm on how to make these aspirations a reality. Together, we can pave the way for a brighter digital future for Nepal.
Sumana Shrestha is a Member of the House of Representatives and a member of the Education, Health and Information Technology parliamentary committee. She is with the Rastriya Swatantara Party.&nbsp;

Improving internet governance in Nepal

They are nature worshippers and do not have temples. They divide their clans by totems named after animals, plants, or flowers, none of which they harm. They are the Uranw aboriginal people of southeast Nepal and theirs is the only Dravidian language in the country. The Uranw now number just 40,000, and most are landless. Though living on the margins of mainstream Nepali society, their unique culture and language is not just surviving, but thriving. Their tenacious existence in the face of modernity is a consistent feature of their millennia old folklore and mythology in the Subcontinent. So is their sense of loss of land, status, and privilege. Girl: You are going to chop the branches of the Karam tree You are running inside crabs' holes Boy: You are going to collect the Kakodo flower You are travelling inside crabs' holes Sung during an important process of the Karam Puja, this is the origin story of the Uranw who believe they were born from crab holes. Their supreme being is Dharmesh who created the world, the earth, water, land, animals, plants, and all living beings.&nbsp; One day, Pachho, the goddess of nature, said to Dharmesh, let us go to the earth and take a look. They came upon a place called Sirasita Nale, which is believed to be the Saraswati River on the banks of which the Indus Valley civilisation once flourished.&nbsp;  <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/20231202011248_8781c67f8a58ea312e2ad80e377ae8d06713710fcae6a358fdb184e05f8f1f3e.jpg" data-media-id="editor_0" data-image-id="20231202011248_8781c67f8a58ea312e2ad80e377ae8d06713710fcae6a358fdb184e05f8f1f3e" data-rendition-name="original" width="1600" height="1066" loading="lazy" alt="Uranw in Nepal"> <figcaption>The community with the statues of Dharmesh, Pacho, and the two first Oraon children.</figcaption> </figure>  Dharmesh spotted two crabs inside a hole, a brother and sister. Dharmesh brought them out, and taught them how to live in harmony with nature. The two created and multiplied, and the Uranw are descended from them. The myth links the Uranw to the Indus Valley, a Dravidian civilisation. “It is accepted that the Uranw ruled in Rohtasgadh of Bihar until the sixth century. Then the Mughals came and finally prevailed,” explains Bechan Uranw of the Uranw Adivasi Pratisthan. In their book Oraon of Nepal Janak Rai and Bechan Uranw write that neighbouring kingdoms envied the prosperity of the Uranw nation. They found a vulnerability: the festival to commemorate ancestors during which the men would be inebriated on rice beer.&nbsp; ‘Uranw men and women kept long hair back then. So, it was hard to tell men and women apart,’ the authors write. ‘But the women gathered and routed the invaders. The Uranw fighters led by their princesses Singi Dae and Kaile Dae defeated the Mughals twice.’ The Mughal commanders could not believe that they were defeated by women, and brought in reinforcements and killed everyone with long hair: men and women. Today, Singi Dae and Kaili Dae are worshipped as clan deities. Until the 16th century, the Uranw had a prosperous and powerful kingdom with a king named Uraongan Thakur. After the Mogul defeat, they scattered to Bengal, Assam, and some followed the Kosi River upstream into Nepal, where they have been living since the beginning of the 1700s. The Unranw were immune from malaria and could live in the Tarai jungles, and had a free run of the place. The Shah kings needed the Uranw not just to clear the forest and make the Tarai habitable and fertile, but also to support them.&nbsp; From the Rana regime through to the reign of King Mahendra, hunting brought the Uranw close to the royalty, and also gave them high status, including exemption from the state land tax.&nbsp; The Uranw were also awarded a medal in 1956 on King Mahendra’s birthday, and a postage stamp (pictured) was issued in 1976 depicting them dancing with the caption 'Jhangad Nach'.  <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/20231202011244_c32445580ec4674fdb8d93ba27c6838f4830c10121e627e86e4894f0a5535811.jpg" data-media-id="editor_1" data-image-id="20231202011244_c32445580ec4674fdb8d93ba27c6838f4830c10121e627e86e4894f0a5535811" data-rendition-name="original" width="1500" height="291" loading="lazy" alt="Uranw in Nepal"> </figure>  But hunting and foraging based lifestyle was slowly vanishing across the Tarai, to be replaced by farming. The Uranw did not own the land, so could not prosper.&nbsp; Bechan Uranw and Janak Rai write in their book that settlers from the hills who had access to political power began to appropriate Uranw land through trickery, manipulation or force, relegating the Uranw to be sharecroppers in their own land. Lack of education was a factor in the Urawn not having land titles. “In the past, the Uranw did not want to educate their children. What is the point of education, people asked,” Bechan explains. The fate of the Uranw is similar to many of Nepal’s indigenous communities that lived in the malaria-infested Tarai before outside settlers arrived, and have now been relegated to the margins. In her Master’s thesis, Bina Bhattarai writes that landlessness has driven most Uranw to become day labourers pulling rickshaws or rearing livestock.&nbsp; Adaptation to the dominant community changed Uranw culture, on the one hand acculturating them to new things, and on the other hand, marginalising them.&nbsp; Sundi Mundi is an important part of the Tihar festival for the Uranw of Nepal, and they share their festival songs with the Mundas. While some of them are in the Dravidian tongue of Kudukh, many of them are in Sadri, an Indo-European language.&nbsp; The Kudukh is the northernmost of the Dravidian languages, and differs from how they are spoken in southern India. Telugu, Kannada and Malayalam have long, documented histories, with Tamil considered India's second oldest language. Their well-developed script and rich literature rival any ancient language in the world. But the Kudukh of the Uranw does not even have a script, let alone written literature or documented history.&nbsp; In areas dominated by Indo-European languages, most Uranws began speaking whatever language community they lived close to – those in Bengal speaking Bengali, those in Assam taking up Assamese, and those in Nepal speaking Nepali. To communicate between and among these languages, they relied on Sadri. “Living with dominant communities naturally impacts language as well, and many of our songs are in Sadri language, or close to Hindi. Constant migration meant that we had to learn other languages along the way,” says Sangeeta Uranw (pictured), a theatre artist.  <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/20231202011248_97fd0737f1bff00e5bdf15c7824d07b6a7fd9f3aa45e08d3878557c0a5266746.jpg" data-media-id="editor_2" data-image-id="20231202011248_97fd0737f1bff00e5bdf15c7824d07b6a7fd9f3aa45e08d3878557c0a5266746" data-rendition-name="original" width="1500" height="696" loading="lazy" alt="Uranw in Nepal"> <figcaption>Sangeets Uranw</figcaption> </figure>  Sadri is close to Bhojpuri and has become the language of the Uranw too. In losing the influence of their language, the Kudukh speakers have also lost the name of their language, and are called Dhangad or Jhangad, as in the 1976 Nepali postage stamp. “Dhangad or Jhangad means a servant who works in rice fields. In Nepal, the name was associated with people who cleared forests (jhadi). It is a disrespectful term given to us by outsiders, so we do not use it,” says Bechan. “Even the name Uranw was given by other communities, but it means 'man’, so we have accepted it. But we continue to call ourselves Kudukh.” Today, the Uranw are striving to improve their lot through education, identity groups like the Uranw Adivasi Janjati Pratisthan, and national and international alliances. In Oraon of Nepal, Janak Rai and Bechan Uranw document another story full of their sense of loss. It also portrays their dreams of a revival of all that they had. The Karam Puja is a major festival of the Uranw community that venerates nature and human connections without any deity, idol, or temple. As with most agrarian communities, the festival is linked to the agricultural cycle and the Karam Puja follows the planting of rice. The Karam tree (Nauclea parvifolia) is central to the festival. Community members plant seeds which will sprout, and on the day of festival branches of the marked Karam tree are brought together with crab flowers. They store them all on the roof of a community leader called Neg. On the evening of the puja, the community members all go to an open ground with offerings of food. “When everyone walks to the same place with lamps in hand, the whole village shines,” says Sangeeta Uranw. <div class="embed-block"><iframe src="https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/raithane-bhakha/embed/episodes/Tales-tell-of-travails---Uranw-folklore-e2auer7/a-aaguqrv" height="102px" width="400px" frameborder="0" scrolling="no"></iframe></div> The Karam branch is brought down from the Neg's house and installed in the middle. It is worshipped with all the offerings, and the people then proceed to sing and dance around the branch through the night.&nbsp; “The Karam Puja contains the Uranw philosophy that work and worship (karma and dharma) must go together,” says Bechan Uranw.&nbsp; The men line up in one row and the women line up in another and dance in sync, changing steps every few minutes to the note of a whistle. Many of these dance steps have found their way into Nepali films, some of them becoming iconic 'folk dance' moves. Men and women of all ages, and relationships participate enthusiastically, and the dance goes on all night, and all next day. “It's so much fun, you don't get tired,” says Sangeeta Uranw. “People come from different villages, boys and girls are smiling at each other and flirting, and maybe your crush is there too, dancing in the group.” The morning after, one group takes the Karam branch and goes from house to house, where people give them food and other offerings they may have. The rest of the people continue to dance until evening. Finally, the Karam branches are let afloat in a nearby river, ending the festival.&nbsp; Sewa Bhattarai’s series, On The Margins, focuses on folk music, folklore, and mythology of Nepal's marginalised communities.

The Subcontinent's original people live on in Nepal

The 2015 earthquakes in Central Nepal that killed over 9,000 people had many lessons for us, most important of which was the need to be prepared for future disasters. After all, it was not a question of if there would be another quake, but when. And sure enough, it came with the 6.4 Jajarkot earthquake of 3 November. At least 160 people were killed outright, buried under the rubble of their fragile homes. Dozens more have died of cold and diseases since. After the 2015 disaster, there was a general consensus about putting safety measures into place: building seismic-resistant structures, retrofitting public buildings, and the need for emergency preparedness. Prior to this, there was no such understanding at the political level, within government or the public. Another big lesson learned was how a separate institution, independent from the regular government structure, can more effectively carry out reconstruction, post-disaster. Reconstruction was fraught with challenges, political interference being the foremost. But the National Reconstruction Authority (NRA) coordinated effectively between internal and external assistance, and helped to carry out the process successfully. The NRA was also crucial in managing resources, setting guidelines, and developing a single goal-oriented approach that would incorporate everyone from the public to the Prime Minister. Read also: <a href="https://nepalitimes.com/here-now/grief-stricken-survivors-are-cold-and-hungry">Grief-stricken survivors are cold and hungry</a>, Sagar Budathoki But we did more than rebuild the houses. What was achieved was technology transfer on a massive scale, including knowledge about safe building even for mud-mortar, stone and wooden structures. It also showed us how to make cash distribution transparent and take it directly to the people with zero-tolerance for corruption. We created a National Consultative Council for all the political parties to work together as well as the bureaucracy, private sector, and civil society. At the district level, a mechanism was put in place for MPs and representatives from all three levels to collaborate. There were vertical and horizontal links between all levels. The NRA was superseded by the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority (NDRRMA) in 2019 which has since put forward plans to make Nepal a disaster resilient country by 2030. Blueprints, frameworks and maps have been created for earthquake and flood preparedness and relief. They were submitted to the government, but it has been filed away with no action taken. As soon as the reconstruction work was complete, it seems we forgot about disaster preparedness. And so, when the Jajarkot earthquake struck, we were unprepared again. We cannot prevent or predict earthquakes, but we sure can prepare. Even so, all we seem to be capable of is to react after a disaster hits. More than 60,000 houses were partially or completely damaged in the Bajhang, Doti, and Jajarkot earthquakes that have struck in the past year. Most of the partially damaged houses have to be demolished. Read also: <a href="https://nepalitimes.com/banner/in-a-disastrous-state">In a disastrous state</a>, Sonia Awale  <figure><img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/20231124081136_7326ad8a1402b30c2a9698697e9922a4dc54d5ad84a5bc0dc1a68e3d2da66c3f.jpg" data-media-id="editor_2" data-image-id="20231124081136_7326ad8a1402b30c2a9698697e9922a4dc54d5ad84a5bc0dc1a68e3d2da66c3f" data-rendition-name="original" width="2250" height="1499" loading="lazy" alt="2023 Western Nepal earthquake NT"></figure>  The NDRRMA allocates Rs400,000 in subsidy for houses to be rebuilt in the mountains. This adds up to Rs24 billion, and if we add other expenses including technical assistance, technology transfer and others, the total comes to Rs30 billion. But if we had followed the preparedness plan, we could have retrofitted and made houses across Nepal safer at a lower cost. They could have withstood a moderate earthquake like the one in Jajarkot and the casualties would have been much lighter. What we had proposed was a safety steel rod in every mud-mortar house, retrofitting and Rs100,000 to the owner so that the structure is safe from earthquakes as well as water and fire disasters. In fact, 300,000 houses across the country could have been retrofitted with just Rs30 billion with the government providing the initial Rs100,000 in subsidy for people to reinforce their concrete homes. The World Bank was ready to invest $10 million to survey the state of houses across the country for retrofitting, but it never took off. Reconstruction of the structures damaged by the Jajarkot earthquake will now proceed. The good news is that after the 2015 earthquake, we now have experience and expertise in doing that. We also have local governments, unlike the last time. They will be at the frontlines of reconstruction and resettlement. NDRRMA can provide strategic guidelines, gather resources, coordinate and train human resources, monitor the reconstruction work carried out through the local and state levels, and give policy directions. This exercise in turn will capacitate all three structures of government, and in the long term, all three levels of the government will be better equipped to deal with disasters. Read also: <a href="https://nepalitimes.com/opinion/rebuilding-resilience-7-years-later">Rebuilding resilience 7 years later</a>, Anil Pokharel It is an opportunity to put our federal structure to good use, empower local leaders, resolve doubts about the system, coordinate the three levels of government and mobilise the support of the international community. Shelter is the topmost priority following any disaster, especially now that winter has set in on the western mountains. Survivors need relief materials including money for temporary housing. We need to identify beneficiaries, distribute grants by establishing a banking system, develop human resources and other frameworks. Only after that do we start reconstruction. Experts, government agencies and local representatives should coordinate with all levels of government to determine the role and share the work. Initiatives should be taken now in terms of raising resources. We have created a framework for dealing with disasters at the national level in the form of the Disaster Resilience Framework.Similarly, provinces and local levels should also create theirs. The framework has five elements: 1. Provide financial and technical support to make homes and schools safer through local governments. 2. Assess the damage and estimate the amount needed. 3. Put the Disaster Management Act into operation at all three levels of government. 4. Look at disaster insurance instead of just doling out money to people to rebuild. The government can pay the premium for the poorest families 5. Establish emergency centres with relief stockpiles at the federal, provincial and local levels. The Far West and Karnali provinces are underserved. Reconstruction, if done intelligently, is also an opportunity to uplift these areas economically. Disaster preparedness should be integrated into the education system so young Nepalis know that the country is disaster-prone and it is best to be prepared. Disasters do not kill people but poorly built structures do-- local levels should carry out risk assessment while developing land use plans. Most of all, what is needed now is the readiness to implement the blueprints, frameworks, experience and knowledge that we gleaned after 2015. Otherwise this tragedy will also be in vain. Read also:<a href="https://nepalitimes.com/here-now/epicentre-of-two-disasters-in-west-nepal"> Epicentre of two disasters in West Nepal</a>, Sonia Awale

Learning from Jajarkot what we didn't after 2015

Nepali Times e-paper #1188

Since the 1950’s Nepalis have dreamt of developing the country’s enormous hydropower potential for industrialisation and export to India.&nbsp; Nepal chose to avoid the path followed by Bhutan of handing over design, financing, and construction of hydropower to India. Policy makers tried instead to maintain control by soliciting assistance from bilateral donors and multilateral development banks to finance power projects using grants and concessionary loans.&nbsp; But as the size of investments increased, it resulted in greater reliance on international aid and technical assistance. Projects were typically designed by global consultants and constructed by international contractors through competitive bidding and once completed were handed over by the government to Nepal Electricity Authority (NEA) to own and operate.&nbsp; By the 1980’s a flaw in this approach had become clear: it had created another kind of dependence and loss of control. The electricity produced was expensive since these projects, although funded through grants or loans on concessionary terms, were transferred to NEA’s books at the full cost of the assets which needed to produce returns.&nbsp; A more debilitating effect was that almost no technical or financing capacity was transferred to NEA for the next power plant without more aid. As international assistance was always in short supply, Nepal’s hydropower development proceeded slowly and the electrification rate lagged at 15% in 2000. There was little prospect for exporting power since it was so expensive, and there was chronic domestic shortage.&nbsp; In his book What Went Right: Sustainability versus Dependence in Nepal’s Hydropower Development, Mark Liechty who is professor of anthropology and history at the University of Illinois at Chicago skillfully narrates the inspirational story of Nepal’s alternative hydropower development. &nbsp; At centre are Norwegian missionary <a href="https://archive.nepalitimes.com/blogs/kundadixit/2009/11/19/norwegian-guru/">Odd Hoftun</a> and his colleagues, who over the course of five decades, did not just build power projects but laid the foundation for a vibrant domestic energy sector with thousands of competent Nepali engineers and technicians, hundreds of independent power producers, and dozens of construction companies, equipment manufacturers and engineering consultancy firms.&nbsp; This book should be required reading for development practitioners and aid agencies interested in critically examining how to get the best returns from international development assistance. Liechty recalls the strategy to develop hydropower that was quietly taking shape in Butwal in parallel with the Kathmandu-centeric public sector-led model funded by the county’s major donors. The ‘Butwal Model’ emphasised vocational training and learning opportunities in the manufacture of components and by building actual power plants.&nbsp; Training of skilled manpower was born out of necessity in a region of the country with no industrial base, very few schools, and certainly none that imparted specialised technical skills required for hydropower development. The second element was the formation of local private companies to design, construct, and operate hydropower projects initially to electrify the training institute and supply nearby urban and rural communities, and eventually to feed surplus power to the NEA grid as the Butwal companies constructed larger power plants.&nbsp; As the companies grew in size and sophistication, they attracted increasing numbers of Nepali engineers, trained at universities and technical colleges in India and Kathmandu, who sought more a challenging professional work environment than at NEA. International experts from over a dozen countries, worked as volunteers alongside Nepalis training technicians, managers and entrepreneurs on the job.&nbsp; The training was as important as the construction of hydropower plants. The power projects were also initially funded with international aid, <a href="https://nepalitimes.com/review/norway-nepal-a-love-story">mainly from the Norwegians</a>, but it was sympathetic to the vision of using project design and construction as an opportunity to build lasting human capacity in Nepal.&nbsp; Hoftun came to Nepal as a Norwegian Christian missionary and was primarily responsible for conceiving and initiating the Butwal hydropower development model. His development philosophy grew organically as a series of practical steps required to meet needs, rather than as a fully thought through answer from the beginning. <a href="https://nepalitimes.com/news/odd-hoftun-missionary-engineer">Hoftun died aged 95</a> earlier this year. Hoftun believed in frugal use of resources, a framework of moral business practices, and a belief that private companies working under ethical principles were the most efficient vehicles for Nepal’s economic development. That philosophy resonated with Hoftun’s Nepali colleagues such as Balaram Pradhan, who may not have shared his religious faith, but found strong overlap with their own commitment to national development.&nbsp; Hoftun first came to Nepal in 1958 to build Tansen Mission Hospital, the only modern medical facility at the time in the region. He had to train masons, carpenters and electricians realising on completion that he had also developed a cadre of technicians.&nbsp; He established the Butwal Technical Institute (BTI) 40km south of Tansen to provide on-the-job training to Nepali teenagers in metal welding, carpentry and electrical vocational skills. Requiring a reliable power source for BTI he invited the skilled workers trained in Tansen to construct, in stages, the 1 MW <a href="https://nepalitimes.com/review/norway-nepal-a-love-story">Tinau project</a> starting in 1965, with the first 50 kW completed in 1970 and the final stage in 1978.&nbsp; The <a href="https://archive.nepalitimes.com/news.php?id=14224#.ZBMygi8RqLc">Butwal Power Company (BPC)</a> was formed in 1965 as an electrical utility to oversee construction as well as to operate the power plant and supply power to BTI along with the residents and small-scale industries of Butwal. This virtuous cycle of building ever larger &nbsp;hydropower projects and training more people went on for 30 years, with the 5MW <a href="https://nepalitimes.com/review/norway-nepal-a-love-story">Andhi Khola</a> (1990) and the 12MW Jhimruk (1994).&nbsp; <a href="https://archive.nepalitimes.com/article/nepali-times-buzz/power-for-nepal-review,2884">Hoftun’s approach</a> of starting with labour intensive technique to dig tunnels and utilising refurbished second-hand hydropower equipment from Norway resulted in Tinau and Andhi Khola being built at a fraction of the cost of power plants being constructed for NEA. Hundred percent construction by Nepali companies meant that even the Jhimruk power plant which used mechanized drilling and all new electro-mechanical equipment was completed at around one third the per MW cost of larger NEA-owned projects.&nbsp; This alternative model came with challenges. Liechty details conflict Hoftun faced with fellow missionaries who believed their commitment was to serve the poor in Nepal through health and education rather than economic development through private companies. Working with government meant getting permissions every step of the way from bureaucrats who did not always Hoftun’s development philosophy.&nbsp; Liechty also documents how the model hits its limits when Hoftun attempted to mobilise financing for the <a href="https://archive.nepalitimes.com/news.php?id=16217">60MW Khimti</a> in partnership with international private companies, the World Bank and Asian Development Bank. As project size grew and international commercial financing was required, the Butwal model also obey diktat of donors. Khimti was eventually financed and constructed after meeting all the requirements of international lenders but at significantly higher cost, and in the process BPC’s ownership &nbsp;came down from an initially planned 50% to just 15%. &nbsp; I was one of the Nepali engineers that joined the Butwal effort after completing my overseas engineering degree and was able to see firsthand how Nepali companies and technicians were able to construct high quality hydropower projects at affordable costs.&nbsp; That experience moved me to form the Alliance for Energy in 1993 with other <a href="https://archive.nepalitimes.com/news.php?id=11082">likeminded activists</a> to oppose the construction of the <a href="https://archive.nepalitimes.com/news.php?id=1864">201MW Arun III</a> being planned by NEA using the conventional model with no prospect for increasing national capacity and reducing aid dependence.&nbsp; Our concern was that at a price tag of $1.1 billion the project was unaffordable for Nepal compared to viable alternatives. Arun III would cost ten times as much per MW as Andhi Khola. We were also concerned that it was overly risky for the country to develop a single, expensive mega project, at one end of the country. It would be wiser to support a dozen smaller projects throughout Nepal to generate the same amount of power, using the Butwal model and in the process augment in-country capacity.&nbsp; The World Bank and other funders withdrew their support to Arun III in 1995, accepting NEA could not satisfactorily meet its environmental, social and management responsibilities. The Alliance had proposed donor-financed alternatives, but even without them Nepal now has a vibrant and competitive hydropower sector with over two hundred <a href="http://www.ippan.org.np/ippan-members">Independent Power Producers</a> with financing from <a href="https://www.martinchautari.org.np/storage/files/sinhas-vol20-no2-lecture-bikash-pandey.pdf">dozens of Nepali banks</a>. Many of the leaders of these companies got their start in hydropower at BPC and its sister companies.&nbsp; Liechty’s book provides important documentation of what it takes to do good development in one of the world’s poorest countries – in contrast with conventional development assistance as practiced by international donors when they prioritise building infrastructure rather than building capacity.&nbsp; It may be slow but building domestic capacity is the only way for countries to develop sustainably. This book will hopefully inspire a new generation of activists, entrepreneurs, engineers, and economists to demand that development aid coming in their name be required to meet a higher bar.&nbsp;  <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/20231113051112_a219c653de5332dec6c53f816721fbb6380ff234297a967370bf6b788f83632d.jpg" data-media-id="editor_12" data-image-id="20231113051112_a219c653de5332dec6c53f816721fbb6380ff234297a967370bf6b788f83632d" data-rendition-name="original" width="476" height="532" loading="lazy" alt="What went right book review"> </figure>

Small is bountiful

Besides Dasain-Tihar-Chhath Nepal is known for a fourth annual autumn festival: Jazzmandu. The event has grown since its inception in 2002 with new and prolific artists from across the globe flying into Kathmandu to showcase their talent and experience the unique atmosphere of the Valley. The melange of chosen venues reflect the ethnic and cultural diversity of Nepal as well as the performers from around the world. Surya Nepal Jazzmandu this year encapsulated and perpetuated the power of music and its ability to bring people together. From the pulsating groove of Plurism’s African rhythm and the mellow emotive voice of Lucile Chriqui to the bright tones of Samundra band’s rendition of Nepali folk music, this year’s jazz reflected the diversity of this music genre. A free concert for the students of St Xavier's School gave students exposure to the unique delights of jazz. There were concerts at Jazz Upstairs and the Dutch group Under The Surface performing at Electric Pagoda with experimental electronic sound. Multinational Forro performed at Jazz Upstairs while Swiss South African group Faku took on an intimate set at EDN in Sanepa.  <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/20231111031148_0218034eabe8f4742526ba8f477548fc840c797cc3db8c0f603f1f20f0937a97.jpg" data-media-id="editor_0" data-image-id="20231111031148_0218034eabe8f4742526ba8f477548fc840c797cc3db8c0f603f1f20f0937a97" data-rendition-name="original" width="1500" height="1000" loading="lazy" alt="Jazzmandu"> </figure>  The Jazz Bazaar at Gokarna Forest Resort gave guests a captivating musical showcase with the full Jazzmandu line-up. The historic Baber Mahal heard the rich tradition of Brazilian music. The penultimate evening in Patan was a culmination of the week with both foreign and Nepali artists performing a magical fusion of Nepali classical music and jazz. The festival attracted a diverse audience from Kathmandu residents, tourists and expats. Said deputy EU ambassador Joëlle Hivonnet: “Jazzmandu is getting better every year. Although it does not attract world-renowned artists like Motreux or Marcia, it manages to bring upcoming artists and covers a variety of styles. I particularly enjoy bands that mix Nepali and western Instruments.” The Lucile Chriqui quartet, a formidable new force in French Jazz, ascribed their experience of Jazzmandu and Nepali culture as an experience like no other: “It feels like being on tour in one city.” The band held a charity concert to raise funds for the burn victims at the Sushma Koirala Memorial Hospital. “It was amazing to perform for such an important cause. We realised the power of music as a tool for connection,” said Chriqui.  <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/20231109101144_9f276596e90a0c96204f75c1b18f2ecb05cf28c531cbdc22c8c0a3a73109deba.jpg" data-media-id="editor_1" data-image-id="20231109101144_9f276596e90a0c96204f75c1b18f2ecb05cf28c531cbdc22c8c0a3a73109deba" data-rendition-name="original" width="2000" height="1334" loading="lazy" alt="Jazzmandu"> <figcaption>Lucile Chriqui</figcaption> </figure>  The band wants to take back to Paris the special energy and friendliness they experienced from the Nepali volunteers which inspired them to try and connect more with tourists visiting their own country, and the unique pace of life in Kathmandu especially compared to Paris where “one hour feels like a minute”. Chriqui also hopes to continue to experiment sonically, inspired by the timbre of Nepali traditional instruments. “Maybe I’ll also take home a singing bowl too,” she quips. Next year Nepal’s pioneering music event will turn 20. Co-founder Navin Chettri says, “Initially, we were met with some reluctance and confusion regarding jazz but now there is no need to explain, Jazzmandu has put both jazz and Kathmandu on the map.” When asked what’s in store for the special 20th anniversary, Chettri replied gleefully: “No spoilers.” &nbsp; <h2>Jazz at the Gate</h2> In contrast to other Jazzmandu evenings, where the setlist was structured to showcase each act separately, ‘Jazz at Patan’ on 7 November celebrated the cultural exchange between jazz and Nepali classical sounds with musicians from around the world.  <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/20231111031148_b06d5c6058914a65a5f1e1a35b7d37eeebafdf149a026b330adbc2774caf8e93.jpg" data-media-id="editor_2" data-image-id="20231111031148_b06d5c6058914a65a5f1e1a35b7d37eeebafdf149a026b330adbc2774caf8e93" data-rendition-name="original" width="1500" height="1000" loading="lazy" alt="Jazzmandu"> </figure>  The meticulous fusion of repertoires and celebration of cultures abandoned the formulaic composition of ‘mainstream’ music structure, and transgressed genre to create a spiritual and meditative sound described by attendees as “grounding”, “unique” and “irreplicable”. The lantern-lit, well-catered evening at Yala Maya Kendra facilitated an intimate experience for attendees who put stress and hunger aside allowing the technical prowess, professionalism, and self-expression of the bands to remain the focal point of the evening. Artist Sisonke Xonti highlighted the privilege of performing in front of a live crowd again, a crowd that another artist Nick Aggs described as “the best at Jazzmandu”. “In order to celebrate the unique sound of each artist, there needs to be a reciprocated level of intimacy and respect between artist and audience,” added Aggs. Singer Lucile Chriqui was left feeling that the crowd was “truly listening and connected”. She added: “So much energy, so much love represented the very essence of Jazzmandu, which is to connect with people and demonstrate that music is a divine, universal language”. Guests felt transcendental: one concertgoer was in disbelief at the ability of the artists to champion all instruments and voices and extolled the “inexplicable” connection she felt between everyone within the 100-year-old Rana-era courtyard. The evening ended with a standing ovation, and the crowd ambled out of the venue still processing the magic of what they had witnessed. Jazz at Patan had a multicultural audience, and celebrated the oneness of humanity and was an event to be experienced at least once in a lifetime. Uma Dhital

Jazzing up the ‘Mandu for 20 years

What do we call a people without fixed addresses, without land or proof of citizenship? And what do we call a people who have no desire to possess any of these things?’ In 2011, when photographer Kishor Sharma made his first encounter with &nbsp;<a href="https://nt.exposure.co/last-but-not-least">Nepal’s last truly nomadic community</a> in the highlands of Salyan two days walk from the nearest road, he struggled to be accepted and understand their lifestyle. But as he gradually won their trust, and they his respect, the original plan to document in photographs the reclusive forest-dwellers turned into an exercise in visual poetry. Recording the lives and times of the <a href="https://archive.nepalitimes.com/news.php?id=434">Raute </a>cannot just be done in a narrative text or through flat photography. “You are the world, we are the Raute,” they remind the lensman. It is a life of wandering, a culture that predates history and the modern nation state, before healthcare and the need to learn the alphabet, before buses and mobiles.&nbsp; Read Also: <a href="https://nt.exposure.co/last-but-not-least">Last but not least</a>, JAN MØLLER HANSEN Sharma revisits the Raute clan three years later, and shows them a photo on his laptop of tribe member Surendra that he had taken earlier. Surendra had died, but his relatives did not want a printout of his photo.&nbsp;  <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/20231019111040_dded3a3a20e2701ee88db1bf18b2341ecaab8615ca52cf5304031ea022fe2205.png" data-media-id="editor_3" data-image-id="20231019111040_dded3a3a20e2701ee88db1bf18b2341ecaab8615ca52cf5304031ea022fe2205" data-rendition-name="original" width="1493" height="848" loading="lazy" alt="Raute map"> </figure>  ‘Photographs contain remembrances of things past, Rautes with their wandering souls, do not like to be stuck with old memories,’ Sharma writes in the evocative bilingual text accompanying the photographs. But globalisation, the modern Nepali nation, its administration and police are never too far away. Rautes have frequent encounters with townspeople who look down upon them, but also fear their wild ways. Raute life is also being rapidly monetised, a process accelerated by a monthly Rs5,000 allowance they receive from the state. But the stipend is always late, and that has now become their greatest complaint.  <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/20231019111044_471bf9b8cc775d13f100fc771a72665591e9cf6e33bba7e0d5319fe3f7b8e8c5.jpg" data-media-id="editor_4" data-image-id="20231019111044_471bf9b8cc775d13f100fc771a72665591e9cf6e33bba7e0d5319fe3f7b8e8c5" data-rendition-name="original" width="533" height="800" loading="lazy" alt="Imagine no possessions2"> <figcaption>Samjhana Shahi near a Raute camp in Achham.(Photo: Kishor Sharma)</figcaption> </figure>  Sharma spent six years, off and on, among the Raute in Salyan, Achham and Dailekh, and won their confidence. But one thing they never cared to share with him is their practice of monkey hunting. They do not like outsiders joining in the hunt which they see as a sacred duty to ensure survival. They do not use guns or knives, but net traps, and never kill more than they can eat.&nbsp; Read Also: <a href="https://nepalitimes.com/multimedia/the-last-of-the-kusunda">The last of the Kusunda</a>, Sewa Bhattarai It has been a few weeks, and it is time to change camp. The Raute are bundling up their possessions. Bir Bahadur tells Sharma: “It is time to move again.”  <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/20231019111044_dca2f1a446666ac761b6ff1e03754f23f4172d91ab19effd8da6846d1755c344.jpg" data-media-id="editor_6" data-image-id="20231019111044_dca2f1a446666ac761b6ff1e03754f23f4172d91ab19effd8da6846d1755c344" data-rendition-name="original" width="533" height="800" loading="lazy" alt="Imagine no possessions"> <figcaption>A Raute man. (Photo: Kishor Sharma)</figcaption> </figure>  Many readers may see in Kishor Sharma’s Living in the Mist, a photographic visual confirmation of an endangered nomadic group with a vastly different lifestyle from ours.&nbsp; But others may find survival lessons for ‘modern’ globalised humans of a frugal, gentle and dignified people who only take from nature what they need. They cannot own land because the land owns them. &nbsp; Instagram: <a href="https://www.instagram.com/kishorksg/">@kishorksg</a>  <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/20231019111044_f74be3b6c6dd7d663844211b4f21379565680673c5b5e3f40c51ade081ab7a8a.jpg" data-media-id="editor_8" data-image-id="20231019111044_f74be3b6c6dd7d663844211b4f21379565680673c5b5e3f40c51ade081ab7a8a" data-rendition-name="original" width="1080" height="720" loading="lazy" alt="Exhibition"> </figure>  <a href="https://www.photocircle.com.np/publications/living-in-the-mist-by-kishor-sharma/">Living in the Mist Exhibition</a> Patan House, Dhaugal Till 30 November (Closed 21-30 October and 12-15 November)&nbsp;  <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/20231019111032_4c4d3c90f14c5db68dfb737113d96b705d74e7b73639dc9973d2f3c7ac82ab8e.png" data-media-id="editor_10" data-image-id="20231019111032_4c4d3c90f14c5db68dfb737113d96b705d74e7b73639dc9973d2f3c7ac82ab8e" data-rendition-name="original" width="1121" height="681" loading="lazy" alt="living in the mist"> </figure>

Imagine no possessions

During the Dasain festival last month, Sarala Thapa went to her parents' home in Kapilvastu district. It would be a celebration without her brother Rupak, who had gone to Russia. But the ocassion turned tragic when three people showed up at the doorstep in Banganga Municipality to tell them that Rupak had been killed in action on the Ukraine front, 9,000km away.&nbsp; Since then, the family has been unable to process that Rupak is gone. The 24-year-old had gone to Russia two years ago on a student visa, and like dozens of Nepalis had joined the Russian Army, lured by the promise of a handsome salary and eventual Russian citizenship.&nbsp; “My brother called four months ago to say that we might not hear from him during his six-month training period and that he would call us once training was over,” says Sarala. “It has not been six months yet.” Ward Chair Sanju Saru Magar had received a phone call from Kathmandu about Rupak having been killed during the conflict in Ukraine. The caller asked them to convey the information to Rupak’s family but was unable to say if Rupak’s body could be brought back. Ward council member Rajkumar Tharu was among those who went to Rupak’s house in early November to notify his family of his death. It was their second attempt to deliver the news to the family. Ward member Tharu, who is also neighbours with the Karki family, says that Rupak's father Man Bahadur and mother Laxmi &nbsp;were unable to accept that their child had been killed. Read also:<a href="https://nepalitimes.com/news/3-more-nepalis-in-russian-army-killed"> 3 more Nepalis in Russian army killed</a>, Nepali Times “They were still sure that their son would call them once he had finished training,” says Tharu. “They also found it difficult to believe because we could provide them with no other detail surrounding his death.”&nbsp; Ward president Magar says that the person who called to break the news identified themself as a Russian Embassy official, but upon checking on True Caller, they found the number to have been of a foreign employment company. Meanwhile, the unconfirmed news of Rupak’s death spread like wildfire in the district in Nepal that is the borthplace of the Buddha.&nbsp; "We tried multiple times to reach the number again, but we could not get back in touch,” says Magar. "We had to notify his family with what little information we had.”&nbsp; On Monday, Nepal's Foreign Ministry officially published the names of six Nepalis who had been killed while serving in the Russian Army. Rupak Karki’s name was second on the list.&nbsp; Others who have died include Sandip Thapaliya of Gorkha, Dewan Rai of Pokhara, Pritam Karki of Syangja, Raj Kumar Roka of Dolakha, and Ganga Raj Moktan of Ilam. Read also: <a href="https://nepalitimes.com/news/nepalis-in-the-russian-army-want-to-quit">Nepalis in the Russian Army want to quit</a>, Bhadra Sharma  <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/2023120601124_bc2da1af54f8b2d74c8a04aecffd318a2384a2f44c72cb2120d6198bb25a73b7.jpg" data-media-id="editor_2" data-image-id="2023120601124_bc2da1af54f8b2d74c8a04aecffd318a2384a2f44c72cb2120d6198bb25a73b7" data-rendition-name="original" width="1500" height="1000" loading="lazy" alt="Nepalis in Russian Army NT"> <figcaption>Sandip Thapaliya, who died on 28 June, is said to be buried in the same gravesite as Rupak Karki. </figcaption> </figure>  Following confirmation from the Foreign Ministry, Lumbini provincial assembly member Bishnu Panthi along with other elected officials as well as the local police reached Rupak Karki's house on Tuesday morning to officially notify his family of his passing.&nbsp; But the government officials were only able to tell the family that Rupak had been killed in action in the Russia-Ukraine war, not when or how he had died, says Rupak’s uncle Gautam Karki. “There is still a lot of shock and confusion here,” says Gautam. “Rupak’s parents are unable to believe that their only son has died without seeing his body.” Rupak’s father Man Bahadur rears chickens, while his mother Laxmi is an office assistant at a local microfinance company. The couple’s older daughter Sarala is married. Rupak himself had been learning Korean to try to find work in South Korea. But he along with his neighbour Yuvaraj Poudel decided to go to Russia in early 2022 after learning that it was easier to acquire a student visa and find work there. The two reached Russia through a Kathmandu-based foreign employment agency in May 2022.&nbsp; A year later, Rupak entered into a Special Military Operations (SMO) agreement with the Russian Ministry of Defense to serve in the Russian Army. Yuvaraj Poudel, who went to Russia with Rupak, was also recruited and is in regular contact with his family.&nbsp; The Russian website Book of Memories of Ivanovo, states that Rupak Karki was killed on 30 June on the Ukraine front while participating in the 'special military operation'. The website includes photographs of a grave with his name in Cyrillic and a photograph in the city of Novo-Talitsy in the Ivanovo Oblast, a Russian administrative region 324 km north-east of Moscow. The website describes its objective as ‘preserving the memory and organising information about Ivanovo warriors and their military comrades’. Read also: <a href="https://nepalitimes.com/news/nepali-captured-in-ukraine">Nepali soldier captured in Ukraine</a>, Nepali Times Another Russian news website Cursiv, citing a book of remembrance from the Ivanovo region, states that Sandip Thapaliya and another person whose nationality has not been disclosed were buried in the same region along with Rupak Karki. Sandip Thapaliya was said to have been killed in the Ukrainian city of Bakhmut in July, and his body was thought to have been buried near the frontline. According to the memorial, Sandip was killed on 28 June during a ‘combat mission’.&nbsp; Photographs appear to show names and dates of birth on the tombs of Rupak and Sandip, with wreaths placed atop their graves.&nbsp; An unnamed Nepali prisoner of war in Ukrainian military captivity has sent a tearful video to his family asking them to bring him home. In the video he has said there are “other” Nepali prisoners also in Ukraine. Nepal’s Foreign Ministry revealed last month that a Nepali recruit in the Russian Army, Bibek Khatri of Bardia was also a prisoner of war in Ukraine and that the government was using diplomatic channels to bring him back. On Tuesday, Nepal Police took 10 foreign employment recruiters into custody for allegedly sending Nepalis to Russia on visitor visas for recruitment into the Russian military. Reports said the agencies had sent at least 200 Nepalis to Russia promising huge salaries and Russian citizenship. Read also: <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/here-now/recruitment-of-nepalis-into-indian-army-paused">Recruitment of Nepalis into Indian Army paused</a>, Jibraj Chalise and Durga Rana Magar

Graves of Nepali soldiers in Russia

<a href="https://archive.nepalitimes.com/blogs/thebrief/2015/12/21/axiata-buys-80-stake-in-ncell/comment-page-1/">Malaysian conglomerate Axiata</a> surprised everyone on 1 December when it suddenly announced its exit from Nepal after selling its stake in the telecommunication service provider Ncell. But breaking up may be hard to do.&nbsp; The company said that it had entered into a Share Purchase Agreement (SPA) with UK-based Spectrlite UK Limited for the sale of the St Kitts and Nevis-registered Reynolds Holdings Limited, which owns about 80% equity stake in Ncell. The group said in its statement its decision to withdraw from Nepal was ‘based on a thorough evaluation of the prevailing business environment in Nepal, which led to the conclusion that continuing operations under the current conditions of unfair taxation and regulatory uncertainties was no longer sustainable for Axiata.’ Axita’s last quarterly report stated that a meeting of its board of directors had decided to sell its shares in Ncell on 29 September. Axiata acquired Reynolds from the <a href="https://archive.nepalitimes.com/article/interview/Nepal-very,1104">Swedish company TeliaSonera</a> for $1.365 billion in 2016. In contrast, the group’s terms of the SPA with Spectrlite UK include a fixed consideration of $50 million— the amount that Axiata will receive from the sale.&nbsp; This sounds fishy to Nepali regulators and government authorities who suspect that Axiata’s exit from Nepal could be an attempt by the group to evade taxes. Nepal Telecommunications Authority (NTA) has said that it was not notified as per rules of Axiata’s sale of Ncell, and has sent a letter to Axiata saying the company should have got approval first. Nepal’s telecommunications regulation stipulates that the NTA must approve the sale and purchase of more than 5% of the paid-up capital of a business. <a href="https://archive.nepalitimes.com/blogs/thebrief/2016/06/03/taxing-time-for-ncell/">Ncell’s acquisition became disputed in 2016</a> because the agreement between the selling and purchasing parties had occurred outside Nepal, which meant that the Nepal government had not been paid the capital gains tax from the profits of the sale.&nbsp; Ncell was subsequently levied Rs62.65 billion in capital gains tax by the Nepal government, which Axiata challenged in the Supreme Court. After <a href="https://nepalitimes.com/here-now/supreme-court-weighs-in-on-ncell-tax-dispute">the court ruled in the government’s favour in February 2019</a>, the conglomerate took the case to the International Centre for Settlement of Investment Disputes (ICSID) in May of the same year. The international arbitration institution also ruled in Nepal government’s favour in June 2023.&nbsp; As it stands, the sale and purchase agreement has come under scrutiny not only because of Axiata’s non-compliance with legal procedures, but also because of the murkiness of the purchasing company, Spectrlite UK which was registered in the UK by a Singapore-based Nepali-origin businessman Satish Lal Acharya only two months ago, with records showing its paid up capital as just $1.&nbsp; Sunivera Capital Ventures, which owns the remaining 20% shares of Ncell, is also owned by Acharya. The businessman therefore now has complete ownership of the service provider.&nbsp;  <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/20231205141212_52cc834141b8b196220b71fb3e0b07af57801b5e28b690b470196eaa8e8e71ba.jpg" data-media-id="editor_4" data-image-id="20231205141212_52cc834141b8b196220b71fb3e0b07af57801b5e28b690b470196eaa8e8e71ba" data-rendition-name="original" width="1500" height="1000" loading="lazy" alt="Ncell"> </figure>  Despite having sold Ncell’s shares for $50 million, Axiata’s agreement with Spectrlite also includes a conditional consideration, per which Axiata will receive a share of ‘distributions contingent upon the future business performance and net distributions declared by Ncell until 2029, and any windfall gains secured by the Purchaser (Spectrlite UK) during this period’, read the group’s statement.&nbsp; This means Axiata will continue to receive a share of Ncell's income until 2029 — getting 80% of its profits in 2023, 40% in 2024 and 2025, 30% in 2026 and 2027, as well as 20% in 2028 and 2029. This is <a href="https://nepalitimes.com/news/nepal-has-strong-case-on-ncell-arbitration">not the first tax dispute in Nepal involving Axiat</a>a. The Large Taxpayer Office in Kathmandu had levied the company an additional Rs60 billion tax upon change of ownership. Section 57 of the Income Tax Act states that if the ownership of any entity changes by 50% or more as compared to its ownership until before the last three years, the entity shall be deemed to have disposed of the property under its ownership or the liability borne by it. The ICSID ruled that Axiata has discharged its tax liability after paying the capital gains tax to the government, but the case is still pending in Nepal’s Supreme Court. Moreover, Axiata is also said to have been unhappy with expensive fees for the renewal of its mobile telecommunication license. NTA charges Rs20.1 billion for licence renewal, and it is valid for 10 years. But Ncell’s 25-year license operational period (as mero Mobile) coming to an end within the next six years in August 2029.&nbsp; Section 33 of the Telecommunications Act also stipulates ownership of land, building, plant, equipment and other structures related to the telecommunications service developed with more than 50% of its investment by a foreign person or corporate body shall shift to the government after the licence expires. It is assumed that Axiata sold its shares in Ncell to avoid those risks. If Satish Lal Acharya, a businessman of Nepali origin, has majority ownership of Ncell, the license can be renewed, however Acharya is a Singapore resident and it is unclear whether or not he has renounced his Nepali citizenship.&nbsp; With the change in ownership, Ncell’s liabilities have also shifted to Acharya. Last year, Ncell received a credit rating from ICRA Nepal to obtain loans exceeding Rs28 billion. Axiata and the Nepal government could be entering a long and complicated legal battle over Ncell’s sale, purchase and sale of ownership. NTA Chair Purushottam Khanal has said that he will seek clarification from Axiata. Officials at the Internal Revenue Office also say that it will be difficult for Axiata to avoid paying taxes.&nbsp; The Public Account Committee of Nepal’s Parliament on Monday sent letters to the Internal Revenue Department, the Office of the Company Registrar and the NTA seeking information on the purchase and sale of Ncell.&nbsp; Chair Rishikesh Pokhrel of the Committee, said the body has sought clarification as to the legality and the financial effects of the transaction. The Patan High Court after an initial hearing last week following Axiata’s announcement issued an order asking the company to present its reasons for the sale of shares. The High Court has scheduled the next hearing for 11 December.

Axiata may find breaking up hard to do

The United Arab Emirates which is hosting the COP28 climate summit in Dubai is itself suffering from alarmingly high levels of air pollution caused by its oil extraction industry, an international rights group said in a report released on Monday.
Even as the UAE works to position itself as a global climate leader at the COP28, its president of the conference Sultan Al Jaber has been criticsed for insisting that there was no scientific basis to prove that fossil fuel phaseout would limit global average temperatures top 1.5C, and send humanity “back to the caves”.
‘The United Arab Emirates’ fossil fuel industry contributes to toxic air pollution with a devastating impact on human health even as its government works to position itself as a global leader on climate and health issues at the United Nations climate conference COP28,’ the report by <a href="https://www.hrw.org/report/2023/12/04/you-can-smell-petrol-air/uae-fossil-fuels-feed-toxic-pollution">Human Rights Watch (HRW)</a> said.&nbsp;
The 26-page report, <a href="https://www.hrw.org/report/2023/12/04/you-can-smell-petrol-air/uae-fossil-fuels-feed-toxic-pollution">You Can Smell Petrol in the Air: UAE Fossil Fuels Feed Toxic Pollution</a> documents alarmingly high air pollution levels in the UAE creating major health risks for its citizens and residents. The UAE is one of the world’s <a href="https://www.iea.org/reports/oil-market-report-december-2022">largest</a> oil producers and home to seven so-called <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.enpol.2022.112950">carbon bombs</a>.&nbsp;
Air pollution and climate change are directly linked, as the burning of fossil fuels contributes to air pollution and drives climate change. The World Health Organisation (WHO) has identified air pollution as the ‘<a href="https://www.c40knowledgehub.org/s/article/WHO-Air-Quality-Guidelines?language=en_US">single biggest environmental threat to human health</a>’ globally.&nbsp;
<a href="https://www.hrw.org/middle-east/north-africa/united-arab-emirates">HRW</a> says it analysed government air pollution data since 2018, satellite-derived measurements, and interviewed 12 migrant workers, including low wage workers engaged in outdoor work. Data from 30 monitoring stations in September 2023 showed almost three times the daily recommended levels of WHO’s air quality guidelines.&nbsp;
According to the latest <a href="https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/EN.ATM.PM25.MC.M3?locations=AE">World Bank data</a>, the mean annual exposure to PM2.5 in the UAE is more than eight times higher than the WHO considers <a href="https://apps.who.int/iris/bitstream/handle/10665/345329/9789240034228-eng.pdf">safe</a> for human health. Approximately 1,872 people die every year from outdoor air pollution in the UAE, based on <a href="https://www.who.int/data/gho/data/indicators/indicator-details/GHO/ambient-air-pollution-attributable-deaths">WHO estimates</a>. 
 
The UAE government says that the country has poor air quality but mainly ascribes this to natural dust from sandstorms. However, <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-021-23853-y">academic</a> studies have <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2020.140091">shown</a> that natural causes are not the single, or in some cases even the major, factor in air pollution. 
 
Migrant workers described breathing air that burned their lungs, feeling out of breath at work, having itchy skin, and other health problems that they believe could be related to toxic air. Yet, they said they had not been provided with information about the risks of air pollution, its sources, who is most affected, and how they can protect themselves.&nbsp;
<a href="https://www.hrw.org/tag/cop28-climate-change-conference">HRW</a> says that the planned expansion of fossil fuel operations also undermines the UAE government’s objectives to reduce high air pollution levels. While the government recognises that its air pollution is a problem, its current air quality standards are much weaker than the WHO recommends.&nbsp;
“Air pollution is a dirty secret in the UAE,” Pearshouse said. “If the government doesn’t allow civil society to scrutinize and speak freely about the connection between air pollution and its fossil fuel industry, people will keep experiencing health conditions that are entirely preventable.” 
 
 You Can Smell Petrol in the Air’: UAE Fossil Fuels Feed Toxic Pollution is available at: 
 <a href="https://www.hrw.org/report/2023/12/04/you-can-smell-petrol-air/uae-fossil-fuels-feed-toxic-pollution">https://www.hrw.org/report/2023/12/04/you-can-smell-petrol-air/uae-fossil-fuels-feed-toxic-pollution</a>

Fossil fuels poison air

Distance learning has a different meaning in Mustang, the arid and cold plateau on Nepal’s border with China. It means that every November, students, teachers, admin staff pack everything up and move down to Pokhara. It is just too cold to study in the unheated classrooms when howling winter wind can send the mercury plummeting down to -20°C. Hundreds of students and teachers used to do the 10 day trek to Pokhara, but these days they can just pack everything in a pickup for the 12 hour journey down the Kali Gandaki River.&nbsp; In Chosar, Geeling, Lo Manthang, schools are already padlocked and sometimes the parents have moved down with their children as well for the winter hibernation. Since 2004, the Nepal government has been supporting schools in high Himalayan regions to conduct ‘mobile schools’ so that students and teachers get funds to move entire classrooms to lower altitudes in winter. The federal government now provides each school with Rs350,000 for their moves, and if that is not enough local rural municipalities also chip in. Pemba Lhamo is a Grade 10 student of Dibya Deep Secondary School in Chosar in Upper Mustang and has just arrived in Pokhara. His mother has also accompanied him, and she is trying to earn some money on the side by starting a small souvenir shop for tourists by the Lakeside.&nbsp;  <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/20231203081240_c016fca61e13b6c3519098fee2db9bce5d1bd3f9249f36af10c34dae8dc1339d.jpg" data-media-id="editor_0" data-image-id="20231203081240_c016fca61e13b6c3519098fee2db9bce5d1bd3f9249f36af10c34dae8dc1339d" data-rendition-name="original" width="1500" height="1125" loading="lazy" alt="Students in Grade 4 of the Dibya Deep School in Chosar just before it moved down to Pokhara in winter."> <figcaption>School in Gheeling in Upper Mustang at the end of summer, before it gets too cold. Photo: KUNDA DIXIT</figcaption> </figure>  “I’m enjoying the sun here and Pokhara is much more fun, and because my mom is here I don’t miss my village as much,” says Pemba, who wants to be a doctor when he grows up and is a scholarship student at his school.&nbsp; But his classmates Kusang Angmo, Yangji Dolka, Pema Sangmo, Nanki Lhamo, Yangden Sangmo all miss the clean air, clear blue sky and the mountains of home. The annual school hibernation from Mustang takes place from November to March. When the temperature starts climbing again in spring, the students travel back to Mustang and continue their classes. &nbsp; Pokhara is less than 1,000m above sea level and has a sub-tropical climate with the daytime temperature staying in the mid-20s even in winter. This is a far cry from Upper Mustang where wind gusts and sub- zero temperatures make the wind chill factor unbearable. There are now 611 students from 16 schools from Upper Mustang in Pokhara, and most have their own arrangements with local private schools, while some have constructed their own buildings in Pokhara. Rahmat Dhuniya from Kapilvastu is the principal of Dibya Deep in Chosar. Like many of the teachers in government schools in Mustang, he is from the plains and this makes it doubly difficult for him to adjust to the &nbsp;thin air, and winter in the mountains.  <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/20231203081240_b7ffd7a1c9535731f81edbeb4cb4dfa22e9b7432c0ee2059a5bbc6c66de39680.jpg" data-media-id="editor_1" data-image-id="20231203081240_b7ffd7a1c9535731f81edbeb4cb4dfa22e9b7432c0ee2059a5bbc6c66de39680" data-rendition-name="original" width="2970" height="1980" loading="lazy" alt="Winter school 2"> <figcaption>Photo: DURGA RANA MAGAR</figcaption> </figure>  “I grew up in the Tarai so it was hard for me at first, but then it wasn’t any easier for the locals either in winter,” says Dhuniya.&nbsp; Dibya Deep is now constructing its own building in Pokhara. But until it is completed, it coordinates with Bhawani Kalika School in Bijaypur to run classes in two shifts: 5:30-9:30AM for Grades 1-7 and 10AM-4PM for Grades 8, 9 and 10. Pal Ewam Namgyal Monastic School in Mustang, which has 126 students, is also running classes from nursery to high school in Pokhara’s Bhakunde. Students have enrolled here to become nuns and monks, and have classes on Buddhism in addition to core courses. Because it is a monastic school, students enrolled here are from all over the country. Hira Khadka, 15, is from Rukum and studies in Grade 4. “I like Pokhara, it is much warmer than Mustang,” she says. “The view of Phewa Lake from my classroom window is great too.”  <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/20231203091224_1a764fac4df31dba726e4802f615d3ac64ee77cc0cddb0c0f289eb2d2d07f2b7.jpg" data-media-id="editor_2" data-image-id="20231203091224_1a764fac4df31dba726e4802f615d3ac64ee77cc0cddb0c0f289eb2d2d07f2b7" data-rendition-name="original" width="2537" height="2000" loading="lazy" alt="winter school 4"> <figcaption>Photo: DURGA RANA MAGAR</figcaption> </figure>  Chhayang Lhamo Gurung, 17, from Upper Mustang is a Grade 9 student. She says: “The school here in Pokhara has more facilities and is more convenient than the one in Upper Mustang. I like it better here.” Deepa Gurung Thapa Magar who teaches Nepali at Pal Ewam Namgyal finds it difficult to adapt to the harsh environment of Upper Mustang when the school moves back up in the summer.&nbsp; “I'm from Pokhara so it is difficult for me up there in the cold weather. But I brave it anyway because it is an adventure on its own," adds Magar. This temporary migration from the mountains to the Valley below and vice versa is not easy for the students and teachers alike but they are making the best of the circumstances to try and continue their education amidst many challenges in Nepal’s education system.&nbsp;

Hibernating students of the Himalaya

A rapid assessment of the epicentre of the earthquake that hit just before midnight on 3 November shows that lack of accurate information about the status of survivors and their needs continues to be a challenge. Our trip to the hardest hit areas from Khalanga to Nalgad in this remote district in the mountains of western Nepal involved the rescue of a month-old infant whose mother was reported to have died from the cold.&nbsp; There has been inaccurate and sensationalised reporting in the media after people died from the cold. While it is true that winter has set in the mountains and the long term illnesses can be exacerbated by the cold, stress or unhygienic conditions, many of the deaths have been due to acute illnesses and existing preconditions. There have also been reports of relief items being stuck in bureaucratic bottlenecks and piling up in municipal offices instead of being distributed to those in need. While that may have happened in the early days of the earthquake, on this week’s trip that was not what we saw.&nbsp; In any natural disaster, it is important to recognise that the scenario for relief can rapidly change from day to day, thus making a rapid response and clear communication channels vitally important.&nbsp; We are concerned that inaccurate journalism based on hearsay without fact checking can foster an environment of cynicism and criticism, discouraging collaborative efforts. It can also affect the morale amongst first responders, spreading distrust.&nbsp;  <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/20231201131252_0b36cd97d9d54136ebbc601ca2170c1402ec22944d1f8c5d837ba1e3dfc8ef13.png" data-media-id="editor_0" data-image-id="20231201131252_0b36cd97d9d54136ebbc601ca2170c1402ec22944d1f8c5d837ba1e3dfc8ef13" data-rendition-name="original" width="1368" height="1058" loading="lazy" alt="Jajarkot earthquake NT"> </figure>   <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/20231201131252_9f96af647fb9e343ef22159c2191e7aaac8574f6cce70891237a91d24747fcc2.png" data-media-id="editor_1" data-image-id="20231201131252_9f96af647fb9e343ef22159c2191e7aaac8574f6cce70891237a91d24747fcc2" data-rendition-name="original" width="748" height="1142" loading="lazy" alt="Jajarkot earthquake NT"> </figure>  Read also: <a href="https://nepalitimes.com/opinion/comment/learning-from-jajarkot-what-we-didnt-after-2015-695vpzle">Learning from Jajarkot what we didn't after 2015</a>, Sushil Gyewali Relief must be survivor-centred and not be sensationalised or politicised with fake news. A centralised database that can foster collaboration is being put up with accurate and up to date information on the <a href="https://jajarkot.himalayandisaster.org/">Jajarkot Earthquake Response website</a>. Partners on the ground can also fact-check and debunk false reports, and we urge reporters to seek out these primary sources instead of relying on sensationalised clickbait. Rubble and destruction&nbsp;  <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/2023120112124_66e5ce77ae433644dabf10e3391e39021e92857248896af39bf19ad128e05e8b.jpg" data-media-id="editor_4" data-image-id="2023120112124_66e5ce77ae433644dabf10e3391e39021e92857248896af39bf19ad128e05e8b" data-rendition-name="original" width="1333" height="1000" loading="lazy" alt="2023 Jajarkot after earthquake NT"> </figure>  As we approached the epicentre with three vehicles filled with jackets, sanitation kits, blankets, the destruction was shocking. Even in the relatively accessible areas like the district headquarter of Khalanga the houses are still in ruins. A month after the earthquake the rubble still has not been cleared. Things get worse the deeper we go into the mountains. On the way to Nalgad, there are rows upon rows of destroyed houses. Most people are living under tarp and bamboo tents, in one of them there were seven members of a family huddled inside. One man in Kalanga had broken his arm, and was sifting through the rubble of his home with his other hand. He was sheltering in a nearby school with many other neighbours.&nbsp; A school in Nalgad was still functioning, and students were attending classes in tents. Their school was damaged and there was fear of aftershocks.&nbsp; Multiple political groups and nonprofits are helping clear the rubble in places, but no active rebuilding has started yet.&nbsp; Read also: <a href="https://nepalitimes.com/here-now/grief-stricken-survivors-are-cold-and-hungry">Grief-stricken survivors are cold and hungry</a>, Sagar Budathoki CGI-based temporary homes might be better than tents for this winter. But rapid, affordable, earthquake resistant and sustainable rebuilding must start as soon as possible using the experience and plans developed after the 2015 earthquake. Rural municipalities must be key partners in all rebuilding efforts. Relief organisations can divide up their efforts to avoid duplication. There are prototypes for <a href="https://www.dezeen.com/2015/07/11/prototype-bamboo-shelter-nepal-earthquake-victims-built-by-unskilledworkers-three-days/amp/">winterised temporary shelters</a> and <a href="https://habitatnepal.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/Bamboo-Temp-Shelter-Nepali-web.pdf">long term solutions</a> for reconstruction: Immediate Relief and Humanitarian Aid&nbsp;  <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/2023120112124_fa55e5f5c7e0c08e34679ea94f7eee9d393899fe41c45d32ca0d8b3b52d00ee6.jpg" data-media-id="editor_8" data-image-id="2023120112124_fa55e5f5c7e0c08e34679ea94f7eee9d393899fe41c45d32ca0d8b3b52d00ee6" data-rendition-name="original" width="1333" height="1000" loading="lazy" alt="2023 Jajarkot after earthquake NT"> </figure>  Nepal has a one-door policy currently to manage aid coming into disaster zones. Each district’s disaster relief committee is led by the Chief District Officer (CDO), who is in charge of relief items coming to the region. Jajarkot district has received tons of relief material, and local distribution was initially the bottleneck. There are still reports of items not getting to those that live in remote and roadless areas.&nbsp; We saw this week that the distribution management appeared to have improved. Items lying in municipality offices and district offices were in the process of being delivered. The municipal system makes it easy to coordinate with local ward chairs to find the areas of acute need.&nbsp; Our trucks had to be registered with the CDO with an itemised list and approved for further transport deeper into the district. The process seemed seamless. In Nalgad municipality, where few relief organisations are present, the mayor’s office and the Nepal Army have coordinated with NGOs to distribute blankets, clothes to more remote regions.&nbsp; Read also:<a href="https://nepalitimes.com/news/earthquake-vacates-villages-in-nepal"> Earthquake vacates villages in Nepal</a>, Anita Bhetwal The municipalities are coordinating better, and working closely with relief aid partners. But there is still a need for logistics management and strategic distribution of relief material to difficult to reach villages. Special care must be given to villages at higher altitudes where it will soon start snowing. Relief organisations must respect the one-door policy, and not bypass this effort to coordinate relief and avoid waste and overlap. The Ward chairs have their feet on the ground and are the best source for exact need. They should be made partners in all aid distribution locally.&nbsp; Healthcare&nbsp;  <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/2023120112124_b094ac6d0dfcdc924f571e1308307ebaa4b6b1d2b7d5c0ebcfe290466cd3abf0.jpg" data-media-id="editor_10" data-image-id="2023120112124_b094ac6d0dfcdc924f571e1308307ebaa4b6b1d2b7d5c0ebcfe290466cd3abf0" data-rendition-name="original" width="1333" height="1000" loading="lazy" alt="2023 Jajarkot after earthquake NT"> </figure>  Jajarkot has a well-equipped district hospital, and each municipality has a &nbsp;health centre. There are smaller health posts in wards within the municipality. The nearest high level facility with ICU capacity is in Surkhet.&nbsp; Jajarkot district hospital had a large number of traumas during the first weeks after the earthquake. The hospital has five medical officers, and one MDGP (consultant) physician, and can provide basic emergency care, maternal and child care including caesarean section and vaginal delivery, and has a robust pharmacy. The hospital’s patient census was not impressive during our visit.&nbsp; The Nalgad municipality health centre was busy with only one medical officer available. Large tents from UNICEF had been erected outside for additional inpatient ward and emergency space. There seems to be a gap from the district to support the local municipality's needs.&nbsp; We came across many groups coming to Jajarkot to conduct health camps. Though increased engagement has benefits, it is not so useful to have camps near the health centres or the district hospital as there are already facilities there. &nbsp;Doctors told us that they had extreme excess of certain supplies and not enough of others.&nbsp; Read also: <a href="https://nepalitimes.com/banner/in-a-disastrous-state">In a disastrous state</a>, Sonia Awale Groups organising health camps should focus on two areas: 1) bring specialist care that otherwise does not exist in this region, 2) reaching areas away from local health infrastructure. They must also coordinate with the district hospital and municipality health centre to assess their utility. Funds used for health camps could instead help strengthen local health facilities. The districts should divert some of their resources (doctors, nurses, etc) to some of these busy health centres in local municipalities like Nalgad. It does not make sense for one doctor to see a large number of patients in Nalgad, while the district hospital is not busy.&nbsp; Safeguarding Women and Children  <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/2023120112124_2e48aaab35412bd26e577239a96e036781290ce1391da4a9b5d90d44410d9a63.jpg" data-media-id="editor_12" data-image-id="2023120112124_2e48aaab35412bd26e577239a96e036781290ce1391da4a9b5d90d44410d9a63" data-rendition-name="original" width="1800" height="1000" loading="lazy" alt="2023 Jajarkot after earthquake NT"> <figcaption>Ramu Kharel (left) and Maggie Doyne with locals in Jajarkot. The infant whose mother died was brought down and is recovering in ICU in Surkhet.</figcaption> </figure>  There are a large number of pregnant and postpartum women in the most affected areas in Nalgad, Rukum and Kuse. Recent news items have used false narratives to gain viewership, but there is a real need for access to appropriate ante-natal and postnatal care, which was an issue that existed before the earthquake in underserved areas of western Nepal. Jajarkot hospital, the municipal health centres are both equipped to care for most of these women. Various groups are providing warm clothes for the most vulnerable and prioritising these women for safe winterised shelters is a must.&nbsp; There are child protection units and National Child Rights Council (NCRC) offices at each municipal office. When a child, adolescent, pregnant or postpartum woman is in potential or imminent danger, it is critically important that officers be notified immediately.&nbsp; The NCRC works directly with government bodies, police, licensed shelters, and relief agencies to ensure that the woman or child is taken out of danger. NCRC and Kopila Valley are able to work together directly to safeguard the children in distress. The involvement of NCRC also prevents child smuggling and safeguards against family separation, exploitation, and human trafficking. The use of trained trauma informed social workers and child protection officers is critically important when discerning information and keeps the child’s rights and protection at the centre.&nbsp; Available health centres must be equipped with in-facility and outreach programs to identify and care for the most vulnerable in the region. This disaster could be used as an opportunity to equip and build a system around the municipal health centre and district hospitals to create innovative models like <a href="https://www.nyayahealthnepal.org/">Nyaya Health Nepal’s</a> community health care model in Achham, where community health workers are trained and equipped to provide care at home. Read also: <a href="https://nepalitimes.com/opinion/rebuilding-resilience-7-years-later">Rebuilding resilience 7 years later</a>, Anil Pokharel When someone is really ill, taking the patient to Surkhet might be the only way but the road is long and hard. A streamlined approach to access government services like helicopter rescue must be available in this post-disaster setting.&nbsp; A robust ambulance and EMS service from either the municipal health centre and/or Jajarkot district hospital must be made.&nbsp; Water and Sanitation&nbsp;  <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/2023120112124_186d4e99aa2c91f173de7e0e430b03a24c1099075fdbfeae8ead9b770cee9ca6.jpg" data-media-id="editor_15" data-image-id="2023120112124_186d4e99aa2c91f173de7e0e430b03a24c1099075fdbfeae8ead9b770cee9ca6" data-rendition-name="original" width="1333" height="1000" loading="lazy" alt="2023 Jajarkot after earthquake NT"> </figure>  Even before the earthquake, Jajarkot and surrounding districts were hit by a cholera epidemic in 2009 that killed over 300 people, many of them children. Running water and sanitation has always been a major concern and this danger has been exacerbated with the earthquake aftermath in the dry season.&nbsp; None of the temporary tents and shelters we saw had appropriate water access and hand washing stations. Donor agency temporary toilets were dirty with no hand washing. Water and hygiene must be a priority for development groups going forward. Relief groups must put WASH in their priority.&nbsp; After meeting survivors, relief workers and local elected officials we saw a resilience and a determination to bounce back. The items we took to Nalgad are being strategically distributed in coordination with municipality offices to reach those in most need.&nbsp; We were able to locate the one-month-old infant in Nalgad municipality’s Ward 8. The infant is now getting safe ICU level care now in Surkhet, and is doing better.&nbsp; Read also: <a href="https://nepalitimes.com/editorial/shaking-things-up">Shaking things up</a>, Editorial Resources for aid information and reporting can be found <a href="https://aidpulse.org/aidboard">here</a>. Important phone numbers:&nbsp; National Child Rights Council: 01-5550121&nbsp; Chief Minister Karnali: 985804444&nbsp; Chief District Officer Jajarkot: 9858047777&nbsp; Mayor Nalgad: 9842236335&nbsp; Mayor Kuse: 9858937755&nbsp; District Hospital Khalanga: 089-430188&nbsp; Ambulance: 102&nbsp; AIN (Federation for NGOs): 01-4468128&nbsp; Poison information center: 01-450-2011&nbsp; Suicide Hotline: 1166&nbsp; Police: 100 Ramu Kharel (ramu_kharel@brown.edu) is an emergency medicine physician with global health and public health expertise, and decade long experience in disaster response within Nepal. He is an assistant professor at Brown University, and is founder of <a href="http://www.hapsaglobe.org/">HAPSA Nepal</a>. Maggie Doyne is the co-founder of the <a href="https://blinknow.org/">BlinkNow Foundation</a> and, and has worked for 18 years in the Karnali region caring for at-risk children through community development efforts. She is a CNN Hero and author based in Surkhet.

Jajarkot: One month after the earthquake

Lamjung’s Dordi Rural Municipality on Wednesday became the first local government to register and recognise same-sex marriages in Nepal.&nbsp;
Authorities of Ward-2 od Dordi Rural Municipality registered the marriage of Maya Gurung—a transgender woman assigned male at birth and legally recognised as male, and Pandey—a cisgender man, becoming the first authority to follow the Supreme Court’s interim order to register same-sex marriages.&nbsp;
The local government’s decision has made Nepal the first in South Asia to recognise LGBTQIA+ marriages, and the second to recognise such marriages within Asia as a whole, after Taiwan.&nbsp;
Supreme Court Justice Til Prasad Shrestha issued a temporary order to register same-sex and non-heterosexual marriages in June, and Gurung applied to Kathmandu District Court for the registration of her marriage with Pandey ten days after the order. Gurung and Pandey had married in a Hindu wedding ceremony in 2017.&nbsp;
But the court rejected Gurung’s registration, saying it did not need to recognise a couple that was not one legal male and one legal female.&nbsp;
Read also: <a href="https://nepalitimes.com/opinion/comment/right-to-marry-in-nepal">Right to marry in Nepal</a>, Aastha Dhakal
In September, Gurung filed a petition at the Patan High Court asking it to revoke the District Court’s order stopping their marriage registration, but the High Court <a href="https://www.hrw.org/news/2023/10/10/nepal-courts-refuse-register-same-sex-marriages" target="_blank">rejected the appeal</a>, upholding the Kathmandu District Court’s ruling as being legal.
Judges of Patan High Court said that the federal government was responsible for changing same-sex marriage laws before the lower authorities could begin to register such marriages.
Gurung and Pandey then moved to get their marriage recognised in Gurung's home district of Lamjung, finally succeeding. 
 
Nepal’s civil code currently only recognises marriages between a man and a woman. The Supreme Court had attempted to rectify that by ordering the creation of an interim registry for non-heterosexual marriages until Parliament could change the law.&nbsp;
Read also: <a href="https://nepalitimes.com/latest/nepal-is-ahead-of-many-countries-in-lgbtqi-rights">"Nepal is ahead of many countries in LGBTQI+ rights"</a>, Nepali Times
However, the two lower courts reversed the apex court’s logic by claiming that the law needed to be changed at the national level first.&nbsp;
Nepal has long been recognised for its relatively progressive LGBTIQA+ rights and moves regarding marriage equality among Asian nations and the South Asian region. Nepal’s Constitution guarantees fundamental rights to gender and sexual minorities.
In 2007, Nepal introduced laws protecting gender and sexual minorities, and the Supreme Court The court also <a href="https://www.icj.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/07/Sunil-Babu-Pant-and-Others-v.-Nepal-Government-and-Others-Supreme-Court-of-Nepal.pdf" target="_blank">ordered</a> the government to form a committee to prepare a law legalising same-sex marriage. In 2015 that committee recommended the government ‘grant legal recognition to same-sex marriage on the basis of the principle of equality’.&nbsp;
However, successive governments failed to bring legislation, leading to further court rulings. In March this year, the court had <a href="https://www.hrw.org/news/2023/05/02/nepal-court-orders-recognition-same-sex-spouse" target="_blank">ordered the government</a> to recognise the marriage of a same-sex couple — a Nepali and a German national—who had gotten married in Germany. 
 
That Dordi officials have upheld the rights of Maya Gurung and Surendra Pandey has been seen as a positive step towards marriage equality in Nepal.
Read also: <a href="https://nepalitimes.com/news/a-mother-celebrates-pride">A mother celebrates Pride</a>, Durga Rana Magar
(Human Rights Watch)
Kyle Knight is the Interim Deputy Director, Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Rights Program at Human Rights Watch.

Nepal municipality registers same-sex marriage

Fifteen years after a post-conflict Constituent Assembly abolished Nepal’s monarchy, growing public discontent with the successive governments is fuelling a drive to restore the country’s Hindu monarchy. There were last-ditch attempts to retain the monarchy in some form, but the assembly voted on 28 May 2008 to turn Nepal into a federal, democratic and secular republic. King Gyanendra held a chaotic press conference at Narayanhiti Palace and drove off to his residence, where he has remained a private citizen since. It was Nepal’s own ‘velvet revolution’--the country went from monarchy to republic without the king being hounded into exile or executed. And Gyanendra, till recently, has not made any overt political statements. But with the rise of the Hindu-right in BJP-ruled India, the ex-king has been attending large pro-monarchy rallies by the RPP possibly thinking that the time is now ripe to sit on the Serpent Throne for the third time.&nbsp; Journalist Kiran Nepal attended Gyanendra’s last press conference at the palace in 2008, and remembers how the palace guards abandoned their posts and media colleagues rowdily wrestled to sit on the royal chair to take photos. “The chaos after the king left the room was a striking illustration of what was to come, and I remember thinking--is this the country’s future under republicanism?” Nepal recalls. Indeed, although there have been 13 governments since the abolition of monarchy, most of the politicians are the same. Pushpa Kamal Dahal is Prime Minister for the third time, his coalition partner Sher Bahadur Deuba has been premier five times, the opposition UML’s K P Oli has also led the country three times. &nbsp; Most Nepalis say there is little to show for Nepal becoming a federal, secular republic. War crimes and high-profile corruption cases go unpunished, the president pardons a murderer serving a life sentence. Nepalis have one of the lowest per capita income in Asia, and half of all Nepalis in the 20-45 age group are working abroad--yet the government does not want to give them the right to vote.&nbsp; Besides those who genuinely feel that Nepal should have never abolished the monarchy, there are unsavoury characters who have also latched on to the bandwagon. A pro-monarchy demo last week in Kathmandu was organised by a bank defaulter who rallied others like him. Gyanendra kept away from this protest, travelling instead to attend the installation of a statue of Prithvi Narayan Shah in Jhapa organised by Rajendra Lingden of the Rastriya Prajatantra Party (RPP). Lingden and former journalist Rabindra Mishra of the RPP believe Nepal needs a strong symbol of national unity embodied by a king. They point to the long queues at Gyanendra’s tika ceremony this Dasain, comparing that to the few who attended the President’s ritual down the road.&nbsp; While keeping in the background, Gyanendra manages his social media presence to appeal to young Nepalis with clips of himself dancing to nationalistic songs at popular nightclubs. Even in Communist strongholds like Bhaktapur, there are large flag-waving crowds coming out to welcome him.&nbsp; Read also:<a href="https://nepalitimes.com/news/street-politics"> Street politics</a>, Shristi Karki “I strongly believe in preserving the institution of the monarchy because the country's future might be jeopardised without it,” the RPP’s Rabindra Mishra told us. “Prachanda’s ideology is taking the country into decline.”&nbsp; Although past public opinion polls have shown that a majority of Nepalis would want Nepal to revert to a Hindu state, it is not clear if there is similar support for the restoration of the monarchy because of the persona of Gyanendra and his son, Paras. Support for a Hindu state is due to most Nepalis taking the Nepali translation of secularism (धर्मनिरपेक्षता) to mean atheism, as well as the perception that there is rampant proselytisation by evangelical Christians. Into this mix, add geopolitics. Nepal’s federal, secular republican Constitution was guided by India’s centre-left parties. But since then New Delhi has seen regime change, and while foreign policy architects there may not necessarily want Nepal’s monarchy back, the BJP (with an eye on elections next year) may not be averse to erasing ‘secular’ from the Constitution. &nbsp;&nbsp; Gyanendra has been visiting India often, and on his last trip had a meeting with Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, who is also the high priest of the Gorkahnath monastic order linked to the kingdom of Gorkha, the seat of the Shah dynasty. &nbsp; Even though nearly 80% of Nepalis say they are Hindu, says Kiran Nepal, it is different from the political Hindutva spreading in India. Secularism was added to the Constitution to defuse ethnic tensions that arose while demarcating and naming the new provinces. Reverting this process may lead to instability in Nepal.&nbsp; Perhaps the person most responsible for Nepal becoming a republic is Gyanendra himself. Historians have noted that before 2008, Gyanendra was presented with various proposals under India’s ‘twin pillar’ policy to retain a ‘cultural monarchy’ or under a ‘baby king’ formula.&nbsp; Rabindra Mishra concedes: “His refusal to accept those options undeniably led to the end of the monarchy, influencing the current trajectory of our nation. But the former king is someone who has love, passion and aspiration for his country and its people, he is not hungry for power and money. He should return.” One of the foremost proponents of a secular republic was Maoist ideologue and one-time Prime Minister Baburam Bhattarai. He is increasingly worried that the political trends in India will affect Nepal, and wrote on X: ‘The return to a Hindu monarchy will plunge Nepal into a quagmire of counter-revolutionary instability which will also impact India.’&nbsp; Read also: <a href="https://nepalitimes.com/opinion/borderlines/crimson-saffron-and-green">Crimson, saffron and green</a>, Chandra Kishore &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;***** An excerpt of the interview with Rabindra Mishra of the Rastriya Prajatantra Party:  <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/20231201041248_6bde4ca2084865c26374cc0fde3cbc6d74676744eeb5da4b6e4895959421f700.jpg" data-media-id="editor_2" data-image-id="20231201041248_6bde4ca2084865c26374cc0fde3cbc6d74676744eeb5da4b6e4895959421f700" data-rendition-name="original" width="1500" height="1000" loading="lazy" alt="Rabindra Mishra"> </figure>  Nepali Times: You didn't have any problems with the Constitution until you joined the RPP party. How come? Rabindra Mishra: Yes, until that time I was also ‘Prachandised’. We formed the joint party Sajha Bibeksheel in 2017 but I already had problems with the 2015 Constitution. The 12-point agreement only pertained removing an authoritarian monarchy and in agreement with the king, we agreed to keep the monarchy as an institution. The Constituent Assembly in its very first meeting on 17 April 2007 had also considered the eldest daughter as an heir to the throne. Secularism was neither the demand of the Madhes movement, of 12-point agreement, nor the People’s Movement. It came out of nowhere. Even with federalism, it was the Madhes that wanted it but the whole of Nepal wasn’t even asked about it. When all these new issues entered Nepali politics, I started having my reservations. It just was not done properly. I entered politics with the belief that Nepal can be saved with good governance, corruption control, equitable prosperity and development. But after three or four years I realised we were on the wrong road.&nbsp; Along with that, the relations between castes, languages and religions of Nepal have become very weak, bitter and sensitive. If I were to do politics only for you and my generation, I could easily become a minister, an ambassador or an MP? All my life I worked for myself, but politics must be about the country, and preparing for the challenges Nepal will face 30-40 years from now.&nbsp; Due to the country's geopolitical and internal sensitivities, I decided that it would not be in the interest of this country to follow the politics of Prachandapath in a Prachandised society. What do you mean exactly by Prachandaisation? The Maoist party is on the road to failure. But personally, Prachanda has been quite successful, he took the entire society and politics down his Prachanda "path". If he changes course, there may be some redemption, but at the rate it is going the Maoists will shrink further if they fight elections alone. However, he must take the entire responsibility for bringing federalism, republicanism and secularism to Nepal.&nbsp; Read also: <a href="https://nepalitimes.com/editorial/faith-in-tolerance">Faith in tolerance</a>, Editorial <div class="embed-block"><div><div style="left: 0; width: 100%; height: 0; position: relative; padding-bottom: 56.25%;"><iframe src="//cdn.iframe.ly/api/iframe?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.youtube.com%2Fembed%2FArMSoMvZ_6E%3Fsi%3Debvic9U8XLE3grSH&key=87ca3314a9fa775b5c3a7726100694b0" style="top: 0; left: 0; width: 100%; height: 100%; position: absolute; border: 0;" allowfullscreen scrolling="no" allow="accelerometer *; clipboard-write *; encrypted-media *; gyroscope *; picture-in-picture *; web-share *;"></iframe></div></div></div> But secularism was agreed upon by two-thirds of the elected Constituent Assembly. First of all, you should not see elections as representing the will of the entire Nepali people. It is just an electoral vote. Now, when the king (former King Gyanendra Shah) goes to Janakpur, the centre of federalism, when he goes to Jhapa, the hub of Nepal's leftist movement, even if he goes to Bhaktapur, the stronghold of the Communist Nepal Majdoor Kisan Party, or Nepalganj, or Surkhet, or Dhangadi, wherever he goes, tens of thousands of people come out to welcome him. But why do they not vote in elections? No matter where you go to village teashops, temples or anywhere else, everyone says, 'This was a Hindu nation. By turning it into a secular republic everyone became a Christian.’ But they still vote for the secularists and republicans. Why? Federalism has become a problem, we have to support 40,000 people's representatives. Instead of one king, we now have a thousand kings. Still the people vote for federalism. In Nepal's context, there is a distinction between the electoral results and public opinion. Vote banks are captured by political parties, so that nothing can be changed. I have a counter question for you, is it the responsibility of journalists to protect the Constitution? Journalists say that this Constitution should be saved, the news is therefore one-sided. Opinions are also of one sided, and even if it is called a debate in a newspaper, they all take the same side. Is this allowed? For example, Nepal's media ignored the crowds that greeted King Gyanendra when he visited the bastion of the Newar community in Bhaktapur because they said it was the same king who censored the press at gunpoint in 2005. There is a tendency to do mission journalism. Rather than serving a thousand corrupt and incompetent leaders, I am ready to serve a king who saved this country even in difficult times, kept the country's honour high at the international level and contributed to the rapid development of the country in a certain period of time. In 2007-08, Nepal's leaders changed course, and the people were forced to follow suit. Now the entire country and the majority of the people have changed course, but the leaders have yet to change. When people demand change, change will come one way or other.&nbsp; What do you think of Durga Prasai and his rally? I appreciate the popular support that has been seen in favour of the monarchy. In whatever form and wherever it came from, it was for the return of the monarchy. The rally that was seen in Jhapa, Nepalganj, Itahari, Bhaktapur were more in favour of the monarchy than any individual's efforts.&nbsp; Read also: <a href="https://nepalitimes.com/news/india-s-hindutva-politics-influencing-nepal">India’s Hindutva politics influencing Nepal</a>, Santa Gaha Magar

Long leave the King

Regula Rytz, the President of Helvetas Swiss Intercooperation, a Swiss development organization, visited Nepal from November 21 to 27 to gain a comprehensive understanding of Helvetas' work in Nepal and the evolution of Swiss technical assistance over the years since it started its work in Nepal in 1956. She is also a former National Council member and the former President of Green Party of Switzerland. Excerpts of a conversation with Nepali Times:&nbsp;
You met with Prime Minister Dahal, could you share some insights?
Regula Rytz: The Prime Minister was very well informed about the work Helvetas has been doing in Nepal for more than 60 years. We are an independent development agency based in Switzerland, and we have a very special relationship with Nepal because it is the first country where we started development initiative from 1956 right after its’ establishment. The Prime Minister knew about our work, like the trail bridge project, safer migration project and rural development.&nbsp;
The Prime Minister acknowledged our efforts in rural regions, emphasizing our community-centric approach, particularly in trail bridge projects. Additionally, he recognized Swiss contribution to Nepal’s peace-building process as well as supporting the federal state building. The Prime Minister requested the support of Switzerland for the mountain-agenda at COP 28.
Most of Helvetas initiatives receive funding from the Swiss government, establishing a unique and significant partnership not only between Helvetas and the Nepal government but also between the Swiss and Nepali governments. While we also undertake projects funded by the European Union and various other donors, it is crucial to highlight that in each project, we collaborate with all three levels of the Nepali government.requested
You have just returned from Kosi Province. What are your impressions?&nbsp;
I have some familiarity with Nepal as my husband lived here as a child, so this isn't my first visit to the country. I assumed the role of President of the Board of Directors of Helvetas a year and a half ago, and Nepal marks the second country I have visited in this capacity. I was here to gain deeper insights into our team's collaborative efforts with the local, &nbsp;provincial and federal governments. I must say, I was truly impressed.
My initial visit to Nepal was in 2000, a challenging time during the conflict. Subsequent visits occurred in 2007, amid the peace-building process, and in 2017, following the promulgation of the Constitution. Now, six years later, witnessing the remarkable progress Nepal has made towards inclusive democracy across three levels of government is truly inspiring. While challenges persist on economic, social, and political fronts, I hold great admiration and respect for everything Nepal has achieved during these years.
In the Kosi Province, projects jointly crafted by SDC and HELVETAS, in collaboration with all levels of government, wield a significant impact on improving livelihoods. Our development cooperation revolves around three robust strategic pillars: ensuring basic rights, fostering new perspectives, skills, jobs, and income, and promoting good governance across all three levels.
A notable example is the evolution of trail bridge projects initiated by Swiss engineers six decades ago. Today, this initiative has transitioned into a government-led project. Approximately 700 bridges are slated for construction this year, funded by the government, and involving the active participation of Nepali experts and user groups.
The culmination of knowledge and capacity gained from these endeavors is poised for export to south countries. Nepali engineers and organizations will impart their knowledge to many other southern countries, illustrating a model for how development cooperation should ideally function.
How have Helvetas priorities in Nepal changed since 1956?&nbsp;
Over time, our project priorities and management approaches have undergone substantial changes. Initially, the focus was on establishing cheese factories, with Swiss experts introducing ideas and leveraging surplus milk from cattle and yaks for cheese production.
The evolution began with the importation of Swiss concepts to Nepal. Engineers from Helvetas, observing the local landscape, recognized fundamental needs such as trail bridges spanning rivers, leading to the initiation of water, forestry, and agriculture projects.
Presently, our work has shifted towards providing technical advice across various levels of the state. While new priorities and projects have emerged, the core values persist: mitigating poverty, upholding human rights, and ensuring the participation of women and underprivileged groups. We integrate projects such as skills training, human rights enforcement, and social integration to address the diverse needs of the community.
Read Also: <a href="https://nepalitimes.com/banner/the-women-connecting-nepal">The women connecting Nepal</a>, Sahina Shrestha
How does Helvetas work in Nepal fit with your mission in 30 countries around the world?
Nepal holds a special status as one of our model countries in the realm of development cooperation. Emphasizing the significance of long-term engagement and capacity-building, our approach involves gradually phasing out initiatives, such as the trail bridge program, and transitioning responsibilities to the Nepal government. This phased handover is a testament to successful collaboration, enabling municipalities, provinces, or the national level to assume control when conducted effectively. It underscores the importance of sustainable partnerships and the eventual self-sufficiency of the local entities we work with.
How does Helvetas specifically address women's rights and inclusion in Nepal?
Our global strategy centers on the belief that inclusive development is only achievable when women and disadvantaged groups actively participate. Inclusive societies thrive on the engagement of all members. In Nepal's vocational training programs, we ensure a balanced representation with 50% women, extending this commitment to career guidance initiatives and the inclusion of diverse ethnic groups and castes. By providing these opportunities, individuals gain the experience and confidence to play integral roles in society, the economy, and politics.
Our community-based approach sets us apart as one of the pioneering global development cooperation organizations collaborating directly with local people and experts. The sharing of skills is a cornerstone of our work, exemplified by the transfer of trail bridge expertise from Nepal to Global South countries through predefined handbooks and processes.
Our three interconnected approaches encompass project implementation with local partners, technical assistance to the government, and policy advocacy for structural impact. The strength of the Swiss program lies in its long-term engagement wherever we operate, facilitating direct collaboration with governments and the instigation of systemic changes.
A case in point is the safer migration project, where we collaborate with the government to formulate appropriate policies and frameworks. This ensures that victims receive compensation and justice, surpassing a quick project approach. Our disadvantaged group strategy empowers women and engages youth to address harmful social norms like child marriage, polygamy, and alcoholism, effecting systemic changes at the community level.
Crucially, we integrate these efforts with the government system, employing evidence-based policy advocacy. This empowers citizens to hold the government accountable for implementing or formulating policies. A tangible outcome of these efforts is evident in Kosi Province, where schoolchildren, following career guidance, expressed aspirations beyond traditional roles, with girls confidently aspiring to become engineers, lawyers, and bankers, showcasing the transformative impact of our initiatives.
Read Also: H<a href="https://nepalitimes.com/banner/how-safe-are-nepals-suspension-bridges">ow safe are Nepal's suspension bridges</a>
What are the next steps for Helvetas in Nepal?
Our commitment to climate action extends to the agricultural and ecological realms, recognizing it as a global challenge. One innovative approach involves addressing the wildfire hazard posed by forest waste. By transforming this waste into bio-pellets, we not only mitigate the risk of wildfires but also contribute to reducing reliance on coal in brick factories, given the higher energy content of bio-pellets.
Our ongoing initiatives include the steadfast focus on safer migration and supporting returnees. Additionally, we remain dedicated to defending workers' rights and advancing skills development to empower individuals in the workforce.
Recognizing the evolving landscape, we are also channeling efforts into urban development. While rural areas continue to be a priority, we acknowledge the presence of urban poverty and are committed to addressing it. This multifaceted approach underscores our dedication to fostering sustainable development across diverse sectors.
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60 years of Helvetas in Nepal

Top news

In a story published as far back as 2003, Nepali Times pointed to overzealous anti-trafficking interception work as setting back the new-found mobility and empowerment of Nepali women. The ban on women working abroad was in response to the reports of abuse of Nepali girls and women.
In another case of how the government never learns from its mistakes, it imposed another blanket ban on women's migration to West Asia following the cases of exploitation abuse among Nepali maids in the Gulf. Women are still migrating but are forced to take informal channels further jeopardising themselves in the process. &nbsp;
Excerpts from the <a href="http://archive.nepalitimes.com/news.php?id=5617">report</a> published 20 years ago this week in <a href="http://himalaya.socanth.cam.ac.uk/collections/journals/nepalitimes/pdf/Nepali_Times_171.pdf">issue #171 21-27 November 2003</a>:
Criminal networks have widened: women and girls are not only being trafficked from villages but from the capital. They are taken to Mumbai, the Gulf states and South-east Asia, besides servicing the domestic market.
Two separate issues are often confused when it comes to trafficking. It does not refer only to exploitation through sex work, but any form of labour exploitation, and occurs indigenously as well as across national borders. The flow of migration, exacerbated by the Maoist conflict, means that it is very hard for potential rescuers to spot women who are being trafficked for exploitation as opposed to migrating of their own free will.
The issue of rights and interception is one that has created a divide in the NGO community. Many claim that a majority of women who are prevented from crossing the border into India are not being trafficked for exploitation, and that their interception is therefore an illegal violation of their right to migrate. Renu Raj Bhandari, a former Human Rights Rapporteur, is concerned that interception programs may also have a negative impact on how women view migration. "I am really concerned that the right to mobility for women, which took years to establish, is now being taken away in the name of welfare. Women are being forced to migrate clandestinely," she says.
For archived material of Nepali Times of the past 20 years, site search: <a href="http://nepalitimes.com/">nepalitimes.com</a>
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