<figure><img width="3648" height="2736" src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221110111132/636cd3b59c7e80680e08f983jpeg.jpg" alt=""/><figcaption>Lukla used to see up to 35 flights full of tourists daily till March 2020. This year there are only 2-3 flights a day, with mostly locals. Photo: KUNDA DIXIT</figcaption></figure>The availability of Covid-19 vaccines, a recent decrease in fatality rates in India and Nepal, and inquiries from travelers seeking to get out into the Himalayan wilderness, have raised hopes of a rebound in Nepal’s tourism industry in 2021.
However, travel trade insiders say the numbers will only pick up if Nepal’s tourism authorities are proactive about promoting Nepal as a safe destination, and if the byzantine <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/latest/tourist-visas-now-open-for-nepal/" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.nepalitimes.com/latest/tourist-visas-now-open-for-nepal/&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1611655722794000&amp;usg=AFQjCNGDlA8AEMAYlVlvOECkKwh7l6mExA">rules for visas</a> and quarantines are clarified and eased.
However, some of that <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/latest/nepal-tourism-may-take-5-years-to-recover/" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.nepalitimes.com/latest/nepal-tourism-may-take-5-years-to-recover/&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1611655722794000&amp;usg=AFQjCNFagUqg6akUnoqa2SWdt5o0vkViVw">optimism has been tempered</a> by a new resurgence of the coronavirus in Europe and Southeast Asia, as well as sustained high levels of infection in the United States.  
“We had a German group booked for an Annapurna Base Camp trek in February, but when they found out that they had to spend a week in quarantine in a hotel in Kathmandu, they cancelled,” said one trekking agency owner who has not had a single group for one year now.
Although few question the need for quarantines, there is a feeling that with double PCR tests on arrival and after quarantine, the period can be reduced to four days.
Then there are the confusing rules about visas. Nepal has cancelled on-arrival visas, although in some cases tourists have been allowed in if their tour agent supplies proper documentation beforehand. The rules are neither clear, not consistently applied.
Present rules stipulate that foreigners coming to Nepal have to get visas before they come, have a PCR test 72 hours before the flight, $5,000 insurance, a 7 day reservation at a designated hotel in Kathmandu, and a return ticket. Citizens of countries where there are no Nepal embassies have to send their passports to the nearest capital with one.
However, if a trekking agent with enough connections can organise the papers, some <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/latest/nepal-open-for-trekking-from-17-october/" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.nepalitimes.com/latest/nepal-open-for-trekking-from-17-october/&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1611655722794000&amp;usg=AFQjCNHkpRlbZxlH01gdAqid7MKkOgzj8w">trekking and climbing groups</a> have got visas on arrival.
“The rules have to be very clear, they should not be confusing, and they should be consistently applied,” said on international airline manager in Kathmandu. “Otherwise, it adds to the uncertainty of travelling in the time of corona, and people end up cancelling their trips.”
The travel trade is putting pressure on the Ministry of Tourism to allow visa on arrival to all foreigners as long as they have insurance and PCR negative reports, and to streamline the entry process before the spring trekking and climbing season <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/latest/where-have-all-the-guides-gone/" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.nepalitimes.com/latest/where-have-all-the-guides-gone/&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1611655722794000&amp;usg=AFQjCNF8-gpZmvrBi-CF6qJ_MDEMwCAn0A">to revive the industry.</a> More than 1 million people used to be directly employed in the tourism industry, and double that number depended partly on income from the sector.
“I am not very optimistic about 2021, but I believe 2022 is going to explode,” says Birendra Basnet, Managing Director of Nepal’s largest domestic airline Buddha Air, who expects arrivals by road and air to increase once India-Nepal travel is opened.
However, for attracting tourists from Europe and North America, he says Nepal has to publicise the fact that Nepal is a safe destination, and rebrand itself and proactively promote its unspoilt nature, and wilderness adventure for the post-pandemic era.
Buddha Air had started training its staff with safety drills and health protocols training for check-in and on board in July. After domestic flights resumed mid-September, Nepal’s airlines have been carrying even more passengers than pre-Covid on trunk routes because of reduced fares and the risks in long-distance bus travel.
Much of this surge is also due to the expansion in domestic tourism. Although arrivals figures are still lower than pre-Covid levels, destinations like Chitwan, Pokhara, Khumbu have picked up because of Nepali travelers.
Indeed, Dhananjay Regmi of Nepal Tourism Board (NTB) says domestic tourism has been able to partially compensate for the loss in business in the hospitality industry that used to be dominated by international visitors.
“Domestic tourism sustained us during the time of crisis, now with the vaccines, we hope foreign tourists will start coming back from the spring season,” Regmi says.
However, airline and hotel executives say that unless the visa process is made easier, and the restrictions relaxed, it is unlikely that the numbers will pick up till September at the earliest.
After regular international flights restarted in October, and <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/latest/nepal-open-for-trekking-from-17-october/" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.nepalitimes.com/latest/nepal-open-for-trekking-from-17-october/&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1611655722794000&amp;usg=AFQjCNHkpRlbZxlH01gdAqid7MKkOgzj8w">trekking resumed in October</a>, there has been some foreigners trickling in, but most have been deterred by safety concerns, as well as entry restrictions. Total tourists dropped from over 1.1 million in 2019 to <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/latest/unlimited-flights-to-nepal-from-17-october/" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.nepalitimes.com/latest/unlimited-flights-to-nepal-from-17-october/&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1611655722794000&amp;usg=AFQjCNHURzSqfYfz_8OMjcbB3QRRL6hcTQ">fewer than 230,000 last year.</a>
Tribhuvan International Airport saw a drop in number of passengers from 4.13 million in 2019 to only 1.03 million last year.

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Nepal hopes for tourism rebound in 2021

<figure><img width="2839" height="2092" src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221110111132/636cd3299c7e80680e08f952jpeg.jpg" alt=""/><figcaption>Indian Ambassador to Nepal Vinay Mohan Kwatra at a press meet. India has donated 1 million 1 million Covidsheild vaccines to Nepal, which arrived on 21 January. All photos: MONIKA DEUPALA</figcaption></figure>The first lot of 1 million Covishield vaccines donated by the Indian government to Nepal as part of its good-neighbourly ‘Vaccine Maitri’ campaign arrived in Kathmandu on Thursday.The challenge now is to get the jabs to high risk groups in remote areas, as well as injecting two doses to the arms of an estimated 18 million Nepalis older than 15 during the year.Nepal will ultimately need 36 million vials of various vaccines during 2021. Fortunately, the country has a good record in maintaining the cold chain for child immunisation programs, and it is also got a stellar reputation for multiple-dose treatment like DOTS for tuberculosis.However, there are still so many uncertainties about the duration of vaccine immunity and transmissibility that Nepalis will have to continue to mask up, keep distance and frequently wash hands even as the inoculation campaign picks up momentum.The vaccines that arrived on 21 January are the Oxford-Astra Zeneca (Covishield) manufactured by <a href="https://www.deccanherald.com/national/serum-institute-of-indias-covid-19-vaccine-not-to-get-nod-till-uk-authorises-astrazeneca-shot-931200.html" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.deccanherald.com/national/serum-institute-of-indias-covid-19-vaccine-not-to-get-nod-till-uk-authorises-astrazeneca-shot-931200.html&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1611301012378000&amp;usg=AFQjCNG9_-18QTRwm8m50Y4SJUMINrNnAQ">Serum Institute of India</a> and part of India’s consignments to Bhutan and the Maldives earlier this week. At a time when most rich countries are only focused on their own citizens, India’s gesture is generous. For New Delhi, this is also a public relations exercise to bolster Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s ‘Neighbourhood First’ policy.  “This is a gift from the government and people of India to the people of Nepal who are getting the vaccines just one week after India started vaccinating its own citizens,” Indian Ambassador to Nepal Vinay Mohan Kwatra told a press meet on Wednesday. “This is a symbol of the close ties between India and Nepal and the importance with which India views Nepal.”The vaccine cooperation was discussed between Foreign Minister Pradeep Gyawali and his Indian counterpart S Jaishankar last week, and soon after that Nepal’s Department of Drug Administration granted permission for emergency use of Covishield in the country. Although the daily fatality rate is coming down in Nepal, and there are only 4,000 active cases, the total number of deaths is nearing 2,000.   <img width="3360" height="2240" src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221110111132/636cd32c9c7e80680e08f953jpeg.jpg" alt="">Covishield is made with the help of an adenovirus, itself one of the common cold viruses. The outer membrane of SARS-CoV-2 is studded with spikes as commonly pictured, and Covishield embeds this spike protein in the adenovirus which is then injected into humans. This triggers the body’s immune system to produce antibodies against Covid-19 infection.Because Covishield is associated with DNA for viral instruction storage and not RNA (which is more fragile) it only needs 3-6oC storage temperature, and not the -70oC that vaccines made by Moderna and Pfizer require. Those two vaccines that are being administered now in Europe and North America are expensive, and would have been a logistical nightmare for Nepal.However, because of the gap between the supply of vaccines and demand, and given the history of corruption in the procurement of Covid-19 test kits and equipment in Nepal last year, there is danger of the vaccines getting into the black market, or going to rich and powerful individuals and not frontline workers.  Health Minister Hridayesh Tripathi said on Wednesday that the first 500,000 doses of Covishield would start with <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/here-now/nepal-health-workers-battle-covid-19-but-also-stigma/" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.nepalitimes.com/here-now/nepal-health-workers-battle-covid-19-but-also-stigma/&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1611301012378000&amp;usg=AFQjCNFj4gKLJXeWfUO1LG7yVujHhSqIMg">health workers</a>, and then to the elderly, both getting the second dose after three weeks. More vaccines will then have to be purchased to inoculate the target of 6 million people in the first phase of the campaign.The efficacy of the Oxford-Astra Zeneca vaccine ranges from 62% to 90% depending on the dose, and there have not been any major reports of side-effects. However, India’s Covaxin made by the state-owned Bharat Biotech is an inactivated virus made in the traditional way which is in Phase 3 trails. But no data is available yet to show the efficacy or side effects of this vaccine.The Chinese candidate vaccines Sinopharm and Sinovac are said to have efficacy rates of 79 % and 50 % respectively. The Chinese have an impressive track record of making vaccines, and to combat infectious diseases. But until data is clearly presented, it may be prudent for Nepal not to obtain Covaxin, Sinopharm and Sinovac. The <a href="https://www.who.int/nepal" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.who.int/nepal&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1611301012378000&amp;usg=AFQjCNGDnbBJ3Yk_M4C1124EiyMibcR6-Q">World Health Organization’s</a> COVAX program in April <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/here-now/when-will-nepals-covid-vaccine-turn-come/" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.nepalitimes.com/here-now/when-will-nepals-covid-vaccine-turn-come/&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1611301012378000&amp;usg=AFQjCNERvJtzVPnNcxAQzK2yCT53RkOWhw">promised that Nepal would get enough vaccines</a> to inoculate 3% of the population, and provide a further 20% of Nepalis with free shots. But there are doubts about when these vaccines will be available because of high global demand from other developing countries.The Ministry of Health has reportedly drawn up a list of those who will get vaccines first, and has also laid out the logistics so that the 1 million vials that arrived on Thursday will be dispatched to all districts with inoculations starting next week.It would have been a masterstroke <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/latest/vax-populi/" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.nepalitimes.com/latest/vax-populi/&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1611301012378000&amp;usg=AFQjCNHHZaSE0Y1z6hzl531Ss1Mot6n15A">if Nepal had used ‘vaccine diplomacy’</a> right at the outset by taking part in the initial vaccine trials conducted by universities and other countries. We would then have a stronger claim to vaccines, since the country does not have the financial heft to procure them. This has put Nepal at the mercy of  vaccine producing countries for now.China did such a commendable job in controlling Covid-19 that it was not able to conduct proper vaccine trials in their own country. So they did it in countries like Brazil and Bahrain. If Nepal had agreed to trials, with China, India or the Oxford researchers at the very outset of this pandemic, we would have been ahead in the queue.The oft-used argument that other countries are using us as ‘guinea pigs’ for Covid-19 vaccine studies would not be valid because Covid-19 is a universal problem. But it is too late for that now. The challenge ahead for Nepal is to acquire enough vaccines, administer both doses promptly, efficiently and equitably, and set about reviving the economy.    <img width="2240" height="3360" src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221110111132/636cd32f9c7e80680e08f954jpeg.jpg" alt="">During the course of 2021, there may also be other breakthroughs. The <a href="https://www.deccanherald.com/national/serum-institute-of-indias-covid-19-vaccine-not-to-get-nod-till-uk-authorises-astrazeneca-shot-931200.html" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.deccanherald.com/national/serum-institute-of-indias-covid-19-vaccine-not-to-get-nod-till-uk-authorises-astrazeneca-shot-931200.html&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1611301012378000&amp;usg=AFQjCNG9_-18QTRwm8m50Y4SJUMINrNnAQ">Serum Institute of India</a>, for example is researching an <a href="https://www.livemint.com/companies/people/intra-nasal-covid-19-vaccines-will-be-far-easier-to-deliver-kiran-mazumdar-shaw-11603681291099.html" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.livemint.com/companies/people/intra-nasal-covid-19-vaccines-will-be-far-easier-to-deliver-kiran-mazumdar-shaw-11603681291099.html&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1611301012378000&amp;usg=AFQjCNFDbfoQb80sB_od3N9YsrYuznF80A">intra-nasal vaccine</a>, which is administered with a nasal spray and not an injection, and can be stored at room temperature. If successful, this vaccine would be the real answer for Nepal. The best way to handle the new Covid-19 variants is <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/opinion/a-covid-19-exit-strategy-for-nepal/" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.nepalitimes.com/opinion/a-covid-19-exit-strategy-for-nepal/&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1611301012378000&amp;usg=AFQjCNEKR39Tcv33bGq5IMqj5nUFO9en9Q">continued vigilance</a> about preventive measures, especially since the mutation gives the virus the ability to spread faster. It is best to be over-prepared than under-prepared, even with vaccines.   Nepal’s travel industry and the migration sector see vaccines as a game-changer that can help the economy get back on track. This week, the European Union is discussing the use of ‘vaccine passports’ like the Yellow Card of the 1970s to enable travelers to cross borders—possibly to be standardised by the WHO. Even so, the vaccination rate is only 2% for Europe, and even less for the United States and other countries, which means a revival of Nepal’s tourism may not happen immediately. Which means it may take more time for the jabs to revive jobs. But there are still questions about transmission by vaccinated individuals, how long the immunity lasts, and if ‘vaccine passports’ would actually reduce the risk. However, there are fears that unequal vaccine availability between and within countries will divide populations into ‘jab and jab-nots’. <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/opinion/what-is-novel-about-the-novel-coronavirus/" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.nepalitimes.com/opinion/what-is-novel-about-the-novel-coronavirus/&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1611301012378000&amp;usg=AFQjCNFJ_dZ8J47Pov3VY8l3kXfwsu13kA">Buddha Basnyat</a> is a physician and clinical researcher at Patan Academy of Health Sciences and writes Dhanvantari, a <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/opinion/what-is-novel-about-the-novel-coronavirus/" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.nepalitimes.com/opinion/what-is-novel-about-the-novel-coronavirus/&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1611301012378000&amp;usg=AFQjCNFJ_dZ8J47Pov3VY8l3kXfwsu13kA">frequent health column</a> for Nepali Times.

Buddha Basnyat

Jabs and jab-nots

<figure><img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221109191112/636bee254b0ad905ca02ef28jpeg.jpg" alt="" width="1024" height="768"/><figcaption>The crew with their boat as they train for the rowing challenge. Photo courtesy: ASHLEY JONES</figcaption></figure>The four crew members have completed military tours in combat zones, rowed the North Pacific, ran the Marathon De Sable and climbed mountains. Now, they are all set to take on their biggest adventure yet -- the Atlantic Rowing Race.They are joining what has been dubbed the world’s toughest race to raise money to build schools in rural Nepal.Calum Barclay, Ashley Jones, Nick Kempster and Jack Carter will be taking on the ocean rowing race the Talisker Whisky Atlantic Challenge, which gets under way on 12 December from the Canary Islands to the West Indies, a distance of approximately 5,000km.“Long before Covid-19 surfaced I took the decision to row the Atlantic with a friend. We soon found two others and in January 2019 registered for a race,” says Jones. “Rowing an ocean is something that has appealed greatly to me for a very long time. Fifteen years ago I signed up to row the Indian Ocean but sadly that journey did not materialise. This time it’s for real.”The team has been planning for the race for two years and has over 100 hours of in-boat training for the annual race founded in 1997. Participants endure rowing in 30ft waves, 1,800km from shore day and night being self-sufficient on 28-foot boat for 35-40 days.Each crew member will have a punishing shift pattern of 2-hours on 2-hours off with real possibility of extreme mental and physical exhaustion and eat re-hydrated food, sleep in tiny cabins in over 30 degrees heat, and toilet will be a bucket at best.On average a person loses 12kgs during the crossing.The crew aim to raise $300,000 for The Human Practice Foundation (HPF) to help build schools to educate 1,300 children every single year. HPF, set up in 2014 has built 59 schools in Nepal and Kenya, helping educate 27,000 children.“The UK branch of HPF has only recently opened and as with all other charities the current climate has adversely affected the ability to raise funds. But with this we are hoping to raise enough money to build two schools in the Taplejung region of North East Nepal,” says Jones. “Good thing is this part of the world is familiar to me as a former member of the Royal Gurkha Rifles.”The team has already left from the UK to begin the race from La Gomerain the Canary Islands on 12 December.Those interested can follow the team on their Facebook and Instagram (<a href="https://www.instagram.com/hpfatlantic/">hpfatlantic</a>) or visit its  <a href="http://www.hpfatlantic.co.uk/" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=http://www.hpfatlantic.co.uk&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1607590988113000&amp;usg=AFQjCNFP9sFR51j7esNwFxmqP91Dws10Ww">website</a> which also accepts donations. Followers can also download the app '<a href="https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.yellowbrick.raceviewer&amp;hl=en&amp;gl=US">YB Races</a>’ (accessible from 12 December) and by adding 'Talisker Whiskey Atlantic Challenge 2020' will get to see exactly where the crew and the other boats are.

Rowing across the Atlantic to help Nepal schools

<figure><img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221109181144/636be71f9c7e80680e0877dfjpeg.jpg" alt="" width="1024" height="768"/><figcaption>The crew with their boat as they train for the rowing challenge. Photo courtesy: ASHLEY JONES</figcaption></figure>The four crew members have completed military tours in combat zones, rowed the North Pacific, ran the Marathon De Sable and climbed mountains. Now, they are all set to take on their biggest adventure yet -- the Atlantic Rowing Race.They are joining what has been dubbed the world’s toughest race to raise money to build schools in rural Nepal.Calum Barclay, Ashley Jones, Nick Kempster and Jack Carter will be taking on the ocean rowing race the Talisker Whisky Atlantic Challenge, which gets under way on 12 December from the Canary Islands to the West Indies, a distance of approximately 5,000km.“Long before Covid-19 surfaced I took the decision to row the Atlantic with a friend. We soon found two others and in January 2019 registered for a race,” says Jones. “Rowing an ocean is something that has appealed greatly to me for a very long time. Fifteen years ago I signed up to row the Indian Ocean but sadly that journey did not materialise. This time it’s for real.”The team has been planning for the race for two years and has over 100 hours of in-boat training for the annual race founded in 1997. Participants endure rowing in 30ft waves, 1,800km from shore day and night being self-sufficient on 28-foot boat for 35-40 days.Each crew member will have a punishing shift pattern of 2-hours on 2-hours off with real possibility of extreme mental and physical exhaustion and eat re-hydrated food, sleep in tiny cabins in over 30 degrees heat, and toilet will be a bucket at best.On average a person loses 12kgs during the crossing.The crew aim to raise $300,000 for The Human Practice Foundation (HPF) to help build schools to educate 1,300 children every single year. HPF, set up in 2014 has built 59 schools in Nepal and Kenya, helping educate 27,000 children.“The UK branch of HPF has only recently opened and as with all other charities the current climate has adversely affected the ability to raise funds. But with this we are hoping to raise enough money to build two schools in the Taplejung region of North East Nepal,” says Jones. “Good thing is this part of the world is familiar to me as a former member of the Royal Gurkha Rifles.”The team has already left from the UK to begin the race from La Gomerain the Canary Islands on 12 December.Those interested can follow the team on their Facebook and Instagram (<a href="https://www.instagram.com/hpfatlantic/">hpfatlantic</a>) or visit its  <a href="http://www.hpfatlantic.co.uk/" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=http://www.hpfatlantic.co.uk&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1607590988113000&amp;usg=AFQjCNFP9sFR51j7esNwFxmqP91Dws10Ww">website</a> which also accepts donations. Followers can also download the app '<a href="https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.yellowbrick.raceviewer&amp;hl=en&amp;gl=US">YB Races</a>’ (accessible from 12 December) and by adding 'Talisker Whiskey Atlantic Challenge 2020' will get to see exactly where the crew and the other boats are.

<img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221109181120/636be1b99c7e80680e083e65jpeg.jpg" alt="" width="1400" height="933"/>The Covid-19 infection rate in Nepal is much higher in younger age groups but most fatalities are of people in their sixties and above. However, a new UNICEF report warns that an entire generation of young people are at risk because of the pandemic’s impact on health, education and nutrition.In Nepal, younger people are now taking home the SARS-CoV-2 virus and making their parents and grandparents seriously sick.The Covid-19 crisis has also disrupted vaccination campaigns for other diseases in Nepal, and threatens to undo decades of progress in child survival.Critical health services, lack of medicines and restrictions on mobility has lead to dramatic rise in maternal and child mortality as well as outbreaks of infectious diseases such as of measles in Nepal’s Dhading and Gorkha districts.Children and adolescents are thought to be the least affected by the coronavirus disease. But as the pandemic lurches towards a second year, an entire generation of young people is at the risk of facing life-altering impact on health, education and nutrition.A UNICEF report launched on World Children’s Day on Friday lists the serious and growing consequences for children as the pandemic drags on.<a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/latest/covid-19-impact-on-food-and-school-in-nepali-children/">Covid-19 impact on food and school in Nepali children</a>, Nepali TimesAverting a Lost COVID Generation points out that while symptoms among children remain mild, infection rates are rising and the coronavirus crisis threatens to cause longer-term and irreversible impact on their education, nutrition and well-being.“Throughout the Covid-19 pandemic there has been a persistent myth that children are barely affected by the disease. Nothing could be further from the truth,” said Henrietta Fore, UNICEF Executive Director. “Disruptions to key services and soaring poverty rates pose the biggest threat to children. The longer the crisis persists, the deeper its impact on children’s education, health, nutrition and well-being. The future of an entire generation is at risk.”The UNICEF report has compiled age-aggregated data from 87 countries and found that children and adolescents under 20 years account for 1 in 9 reported Covid-19 infection or at least 11% of the 25.7 million cases. More importantly, they transmit the virus to the larger population more at the risk.The report has estimated that 2 million additional child deaths and 200,000 additional stillbirths could occur over a 12-month period worldwide with severe interruptions to services and rising malnutrition.<a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/latest/rise-in-poverty-due-to-covid-19-to-affect-children/">Rise in poverty due to Covid-19 to affect children</a>, Nepali TimesRestrictions imposed to contain the pandemic has meant that the number of children living in multi-dimensional poverty. As a result 6 to 7 million children under the age of 5 are likely to suffer from wasting or acute malnutrition in 2020, a 14% rise that will translate into more than 10,000 additional child deaths per month – mostly in sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia.There is a 40% decline in the coverage of nutrition services for women and children across 135 countries. As of October 2020, 265 million children were still missing out on school meals globally. More than 250 million children under 5 could miss the life-protecting benefits of Vitamin A supplementation programs.While a more reliable, age-disaggregated data on infection, deaths and testing is needed to better understand how the crisis impacts the most vulnerable children, there is strong evidence that the net benefits of keeping schools open outweigh the costs of closing them.But schools have been closed for almost a year in Nepal and ad hoc online classes has only exposed the country’s digital divide more than ever. This has experts worried that past achievements in school enrollment will undermined.<a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/banner/children-are-collateral-damage-in-nepal-lockdown/">Children are collateral damage in lockdown</a>, Sonia AwaleA school in Humla that had opened after eight months last week saw 32 students and teachers testing positive to Covid-19, and this is likely to make local government’s in areas with low infection rates rethink resumption of classes.A survey by the Room To Read literacy group in August showed that 53% of female students may not go back to schools when they reopen.As of November 2020, 572 million students are affected by country-wide school closures across the world, and this is 33% of the total enrolled students worldwide.“This World Children’s Day, we are asking governments, partners and the private sector to listen to children and prioritise their needs,” added Fore. “As we all reimagine the future and look ahead toward a post-pandemic world, children must come first.”On Friday UNICEF Nepal is also hosting a virtual children’s parliamentary session and is launching a mental health campaign ‘म छु नि’ (Here for You) for children and adolescents.Covid-19 pandemic and subsequent lockdowns and restrictions have had added to mental health problems of young people and can have a lasting impact on their long-term development.In Nepal, 1 in 12 children aged 10-14 years and 1 in 10 aged 15-17 years experience anxiety, and 2% of 10-17 year olds suffer from depression.

The lost ‘Covid Generation’

<figure><img width="2048" height="1282" src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221109181120/636be1af9c7e80680e083e61jpeg.jpg" alt=""/><figcaption>Photo: MONIKA DEUPALA</figcaption></figure>With the <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/latest/double-whammy-air-pollution-and-covid-19/">pre-winter resurgence of Covid-19</a> around the world and in Nepal, pressure is mounting on governments to procure vaccines to protect their populations.
Last week, the <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/latest/vax-populi/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Nepal government set up a committee</a> of secretaries of the Finance, Home, Health and Foreign Affairs ministries to study vaccines under development as well as procedures to procure them. But Nepal is far behind other countries, which have already ‘booked’ their future supplies.
On Wednesday President Bidya Devi Bhandari signed an ordinance empowering the government to import Covid-19 vaccines from international pharmaceutical companies, and to use them even if they are authorised only for emergency use.
<a style="font-size: 15px; letter-spacing: 0.01em;" href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/latest/vax-populi/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">VAX POPULI</a>, Sonia Awale
However, there is no effective strategy to ensure vaccines for all as distribution in Nepal comes with the challenge of taking it to poor and remote corners of the country. Experts fear that even when the vaccines become available, the campaign will be plagued by the same socio-economic inequities that afflict the medical sector.
“We need to immediately start identifying vulnerable groups like <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/here-now/nepal-health-workers-battle-covid-19-but-also-stigma/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">frontline health workers</a>, <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/here-now/spared-at-first-elderly-hit-hard-by-covid-19/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">the elderly</a> or those with comorbidities to prioritise for immunisation,” says Bikash Gauchan, a physician at Bayalpata Hospital in the under-served western district of Achham.
“We also need to set up proper cold chain facilities across the country as soon as possible and have a well thought out distribution plan so that when the vaccine does arrive, we can hit the ground running,” he adds.
The silver lining is that Nepal already has a successful <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/banner/polio-hunt/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">childhood immunisation</a> network that has successfully mobilised <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/latest/enlisting-female-health-volunteers-to-fight-covid-19/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Female Community Health Volunteers</a>, and they can deliver vaccines to the homes of the elderly who cannot make it to clinics. Monitoring the follow-up second dose for some of the vaccines will be crucial, although Nepal’s health system has experience with maintaining a cold chain for other campaigns.
<a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/latest/nepali-diaspora-hit-by-covid-surge/">Nepali diaspora hit by Covid surge</a>, Nepali Times
Despite recent breakthroughs in trials (see box) public health experts stress the importance of exploring vaccine supply options closer to home. As of now, 11 vaccines developed in several parts of the world are in the third phase of <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/opinion/countries-cooperating-to-find-covid-19-cure/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">clinical trials</a> with many of them expected to be as effective.
Neighbouring China and India are at the forefront. And Nepal should have begun its ‘vaccine diplomacy’ much before this to secure its supply of shots.
There is also the uncertainty of vaccine efficacy depending on the strain: the same vaccine could be highly effective against people in the West but not as much in South Asia where people suffer from chronic malnutrition and multiple infections.
“For a working vaccine to be made within a year is an amazing victory for science but we also need to know that these vaccines are designed for their population. So I’d want to know more about the vaccines in India and China,” says Sameer Mani Dixit of the Centre for Molecular Dynamics Nepal. “Particularly China, as it was where the pandemic started but <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/latest/what-nepal-can-learn-from-china-about-covid-19/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">has since controlled it effectively</a> unlike rest of the world.”
<a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/opinion/the-truth-about-the-chloroquine-scam/" target="_blank" style="font-size: 15px; letter-spacing: 0.01em;" rel="noopener noreferrer">Buddha Basnyat</a> of the Patan Academy of Health Sciences agrees. He says: “China looks at the reality in our backyard. So a more suitable vaccine for us could come from the Chinese, particularly because they have a track record of having developed better vaccine for this part of the world.”
Indeed, the JEVAX made by the researchers in Chengdu is now the most widely used jab against Japanese Encephalitis because it’s more cost effective compared to its western vaccines.
Nepal Health Research Council is once again considering conducting Phase III clinical trial of Coronavac by China’s Sinovac Biotech after an initial divided opinion over its safety. The vaccine has shown quick immune response in mid-stage trials in South America and parts of Asia.
In India, The Serum Institute has anticipated demand by already manufacturing 40 million doses of AstraZeneca’s potential Covid-19 vaccine. It will also soon manufacture Novavax.
Similarly, researchers at the Indian Institute of Science have designed a protein-based heat-tolerant vaccine that can stay stable for a month at 37°C, and could endure temperatures as high as 100°C if freeze dried, a feature that could be a game changer for mass vaccination campaigns in lower and middle income countries in Asia and Africa.
The other factor to consider will be the duration of the immunity after each vaccine shot, as well reinfection groups and if antibodies developed in the first episode helps fight the mutated forms of the virus.
With Covid-19 crisis continuing to spread rapidly across Nepal and at 10 fatalities per million population (same as Pakistan and much higher than China’s 3), it is not too early to start dialogue with Gavi, the vaccine alliance, COVAX and agencies like the World Bank and World Health Organisation to help procure the most cost effective approach to vaccines most suitable to Nepal’s conditions.
Alternatively, many pharmaceutical companies will want to play the field in order to boost their profile. In fact, embassies and foreign donors are already hard at work pushing for trails and deals.
“There is bound to be vaccine politics and it will mostly likely be ugly,” predicts Sher Bahadur Pun of the Health Ministry. “But we should not lose track of two things: efficacy of the vaccine against our population and its economic viability. If we do that we should be on the right path, more or less.”
In all this excitement, Nepal’s health authorities must also keep an eye on the plight of infected people and many more to come as <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/opinion/prevention-while-searching-for-a-cure/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">they wait for a vaccine</a>. The results of current treatment regimens ranging from plasma therapy to administering Remdesivir have been patchy. And as scientists study the long-term impact of Covid-19 on patients even after they recover, making an optimal use of resources becomes even more significant.
So far, the government has been faulted for squandering months of lockdown, not carrying out sufficient tests and contact tracing, not increasing hospital capacity and equipment, and letting the people fend for themselves.  
The result is that Nepal is <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/banner/heat-map-of-nepals-covid-19-hotspots/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">suffering a sustained surge</a>, with more than 1,400 new cases a day, over 60% of them in Kathmandu Valley alone and a quarter of those tested coming out positive. There is also a surge in symptomatic patients, even among those without pre-existing conditions, and those sick enough to require ICU and ventilator.
Even when the government does act, the <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/latest/coronavirus-coordination-committee-doesnt-coordinate/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">priorities seem to be misplaced</a>. For instance, health experts say the emphasis in the past months should have been on high flow oxygen therapy or High Dependency Units rather than Intensive Care Units in hospitals.
“It would have been cheaper, it does not require highly trained staff or sophisticated equipment, and it would have freed up the ICUs for the really critical patients,” adds Pun, who himself is at the Health Ministry, and this possibly means his advice is not being taken.
Insiders say it will likely take upwards of six months for the first vaccines to arrive in Nepal, and there will be a rush by the rich, the powerful and those with political connections to get their shots. The marginalised, poor, those in remote areas will be the last to get their injections, unless the government has fair and effective rules in place and implements them.
Till then, there is little else to do than <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/opinion/silver-linings-in-the-covid-cloud/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">keep masking up this winter, avoid large gatherings, keep distance and wash hands regularly</a>.
Says <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/opinion/a-covid-19-exit-strategy-for-nepal/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Buddha Basnyat</a>: “The mask is the best vaccine we have at the moment. These safety measures have largely reduced hospitalisation due to other infections in 2020, masks in particular will also protect us from winter pollution in the coming months.”<h2>The Vaccine Race</h2>The global resurgence of Covid-19 in the northern winter has coincided with breaking news every day of successful new vaccine trials.First the Russians announced a vaccine in September that is 92% potent against SARS-CoV-2.  Last week Pfizer unveiled a 90% effective vaccine, which on Wednesday was upgraded to 95% efficacy without side effects. Moderna was next with an efficacy of 95%, and not needing extreme refrigeration. More companies in China, India and Europe are conducting their own trials.Public health experts have hailed the developments, but warn that vaccines will not be universally available till late 2021 and even so will not provide full protection. They suggest continuing with masking up, keeping distance and avoiding crowded indoor places.Pfizer and its German partner BioNTech’s mRNA-based vaccine came out declaring over 90% effectiveness but only at -70°C ultra cold chain which will be a challenge even for countries with the best health facilities in the world.Massachusetts-based Moderna’s RNA shot has 94.5% efficacy, seems to also prevent severe infections and remains stable in medical and home refrigerators for up to 30 days, in freezers (-20°C) for up to six months, and at room temperature for up to 12 hours.Even so, poorer countries are unlikely to get coronavirus vaccine any time soon. Even the biggest pharmaceutical multinationals can only manufacture a limited quantity of the vaccine over the next year.Pfizer has capped its production at 1.4 billion for 2021, 80% of which has already been booked through advance purchase agreement by the US, UK, EU, Canada and Japan. Moderna expects to manufacture 20 million doses this year and up to one billion in 2021.On the other hand, <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/latest/sputnik-v-vaccine-mystery-in-nepal/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Russian’s Sputnik V</a> has been overshadowed by new developments, and due to lack of sufficient data to back up its claim of 92% efficacy. Although geopolitical rivalry with the West has given it negative publicity, some health agencies have not ruled it out.

Sonia Awale

When will Nepal’s Covid vaccine turn come?

<figure><img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221109171156/636bdc099c7e80680e0802f6jpeg.jpg" alt="" width="1872" height="1249"/><figcaption>Photo: BIKRAM RAI</figcaption></figure>The coronavirus used to be imported, from Europe, China or India. No more. It is now here among us, and this Dasain it could be a relative who could bring it home.Dasain is said to mark the victory of good over evil, but this year we may want it to represent the triumph of health over disease. The festival, with its family get-together and close contact, however, may itself be the reason for an even more serious surge in the pandemic.Dasain was expected to be toned down this year owing to the <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/latest/covid-19-will-get-worse-before-it-gets-better/" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.nepalitimes.com/latest/covid-19-will-get-worse-before-it-gets-better/&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1603602521821000&amp;usg=AFQjCNGIi2p7yOud4nVl18BiWhuzcPtNag">exponential rise in Covid</a>-19, but many <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/banner/dasain-crowds-disregard-covid-19-warnings/" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.nepalitimes.com/banner/dasain-crowds-disregard-covid-19-warnings/&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1603602521821000&amp;usg=AFQjCNGLpk4ksBuL3U4iQYOCI285vj-Nfg">Nepalis seem to be in a festive mood</a> and determined to celebrate after long months being cooped up at home.Already, city dwellers are travelling to Chitwan or Pokhara, embarking on treks, or travelling back to their home districts to meet members of the extended family. Dasain is also a time for shopping, and the markets are crowded with people, many not wearing masks properly."Dasain holds too much cultural importance for Nepalis to skip it,” explains Mahesh Kumar Maskey of the Nepal Public Health Foundation. “This year, it comes after months of sporadic lockdowns. People are experiencing mask and lockdown fatigue, and can only have so much self-discipline. So, the chances of people being less careful during Dasain is high.”Maskey says people have to make compromises, even if we have to meet and greet family or travel to home districts we should take great precautions – not just for ourselves but for elderly relatives we are seeking blessings from.Every year, around 2 million people leave Kathmandu to go to their hometowns for Dasain, according to the Federation of Nepalese National Transport Entrepreneurs that operates inter-district buses. However, this year, there are reported to be fewer people travelling out even though Kathmandu Valley is<a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/latest/hotspots-within-kathmandus-covid-19-hotbed/" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.nepalitimes.com/latest/hotspots-within-kathmandus-covid-19-hotbed/&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1603602521821000&amp;usg=AFQjCNF-LI4pDFuOoqAzq57d4lgErbWaGA"> Nepal's Covid hotbed</a>.On Friday, the country recorded 4,499 new infections, taking the total confirmed cases to 153,008. Of these, 2,720 were in Kathmandu Valley. With 17 more deaths, the total fatalities now stands at 829. There are nearly 50,000 active cases, and the numbers needing ICU treatment and ventilators continue to rise.<img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221109171156/636bdc0c9c7e80680e0802f7jpeg.jpg" alt="" width="2000" height="1334">"This is a very high-risk situation. Infected people from Kathmandu will become a source of transmission in their hometowns,” says Krishna Man Shakya of the Nepal Public Health Foundation. “Because of Dasain, Covid will spread to every corner of Nepal."He says the festival will bring people in close proximity in buses, and those using long-distance transport will be much more vulnerable to contracting Covid-19 than people travelling with friends and families in private vehicles.The Department of Transport Management has ordered that public vehicles can only carry half the passengers, conductors and drivers must wear masks, and seats should be disinfected. But the rule is not being enforced."People travel from Kathmandu to their hometowns to spend time with their parents and relatives, if they become a source of transmission, they not only cause health problems for their near and dear ones, but also take on the emotional burden and responsibility of being patient zero. The mental toll this takes is dangerous," Maskey explains.Indeed, <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/here-now/post-pandemic-mental-health-epidemic/" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.nepalitimes.com/here-now/post-pandemic-mental-health-epidemic/&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1603602521821000&amp;usg=AFQjCNFR_tIqsICNG_-nFXy8cemGt9NyOQ">Nepal's already dire and stigmatised mental health problem is being exacerbated by the pandemic.</a> Before the crisis, 37% of Nepalis surveyed indicated that they suffered from some form of  psychological disorder. Now, 42% of Nepalis surveyed indicate suffering from at least one kind of mental health issue, and 25% of Nepalis surveyed said Covid-19 has negatively affected their mental well-being."The responsibility to fight the virus has now fallen on the citizens -- we can no longer depend on the government. Celebrating Dasain with precautions is one way we can protect ourselves as well as control Covid," Maskey adds.Experts highlight the role of information technology in celebrating a safe Dasain, suggesting a more virtual approach -- <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/business/sanima-daraz-dasain-dhamaka/" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.nepalitimes.com/business/sanima-daraz-dasain-dhamaka/&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1603602521821000&amp;usg=AFQjCNHRl8ROmCx3fMbrdKc4qH_U75LWCQ">online shopping</a>, online card games, physically distanced kite-flying, and calling/video calling during tika.Says Shakya, "When people shop for Dasain, they are in crowds where everyone is not wearing a mask. This increases the risk of transmission. The products people buy could be contaminated -- a source of infection if not disinfected properly. Similarly,  the tika itself, the jamara, and the dakshina could all be carrying the virus. This is risky."<img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221109171156/636bdc0f9c7e80680e0802f8jpeg.jpg" alt="" width="2048" height="1365">A Covid-adapted Dasain isn't as radical as it seems. In fact, Dasain have in the pst been rescheduled, says Poonam RL Rana at Tribhuvan University's Department of Nepali History, Culture, and Architecture."Originally, Dasain was in the summer, referred to as Chaite Dasain. However, people would get sick because of summer diseases and from overeating during festivities. So, it was moved to autumn," she says.In fact, historically Dasains have been affected by recurring <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/banner/big-story-of-small-pox-in-nepal/" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.nepalitimes.com/banner/big-story-of-small-pox-in-nepal/&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1603602521821000&amp;usg=AFQjCNFNgvimNG1Xxm3HRuxLp9j90uFMDg">small pox</a> and <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/latest/kathmandu-in-the-time-of-cholera/" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.nepalitimes.com/latest/kathmandu-in-the-time-of-cholera/&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1603602521821000&amp;usg=AFQjCNGS72fJtreeHINMaDTigUNVVTg-iA">cholera</a> epidemics in Kathmandu Valley. Those infected were quarantined till they were cured of or succumbed to the epidemic, those uninfected would go about with their festivities.Perhaps the problem is not the pandemic, but cultural orthodoxy and religious fear. Surveys have shown that many people believe that scaling down festivals such as Dasain could invite divine wrath.An unfortunate example was the <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/banner/police-stop-patan-chariot-pulling-citing-covid-19/" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.nepalitimes.com/banner/police-stop-patan-chariot-pulling-citing-covid-19/&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1603602521821000&amp;usg=AFQjCNFZ3vXdGiXKqYDXaxFaKHDSRVWvrg">Rato Machindranath chariot fiasco</a>. Devotees violently clashed with riot police insisting that the festival go ahead despite prohibitory orders, many believed that pulling the chariot would miraculously end the pandemic. Ironically, the festival was a spreader event. And Dasain could be an even bigger transmitter of the disease.

This year's dangerous Dasain

<figure><img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221109171152/636bdb0c9c7e80680e08029fjpeg.jpg" alt="" width="1622" height="1037"/><figcaption>Lalu and her neighbours collectively harvest fodder grass in Udaypur. With menfolk away, women have formed savings and loans cooperatives to help each other become self-reliant and augment family income.</figcaption></figure>Nepal has long relied on foreign remittances to keep its economy afloat. These remittances, sent back by men who work in Malaysia, the Gulf states and other Asian countries, account for about 25% of Nepal’s GDP.Living alone while the husband and other male relartives are abroad can be difficult. There are the emotional elements, and even the remittance money they sent home may have dried up in the past six months because of the Covid-19 crisis.Although the husbands send remittance money and at least there is a regular cash flow, women are overburdened with household chores -- taking care of children and elderly, working in the fields, attending to livestock and more.To cope, many women in rural Nepal have learnt to cope, and even thrive while their men are away. They combine remittance money with loans from savings and credit groups which are  self-managed, community-based groups in which participants contribute small amounts each month.<a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/opinion/zero-sum-game-in-zero-cost-migration/">Zero-sum game in zero-cost migration</a>, Upasana KhadkaThey borrow at nominal interest rates while also learning basic accounting skills. In some countries savings and credit groups have developed into formal bank cooperatives, but in many of Nepal’s villages, loans are used to invest in vegetable farming, livestock raising, and other small businesses. Some are also used to pay childrens’ school fees.The result: a path out of poverty and increased participation in local leadership.Lalu Maya in Udayapur district is an example of a woman who has augmented her income, and become self-reliant despite the fact that her husband left for an overseas job.At 19, Lalu found herself in an arranged marriage. This ended her dream of getting a high school education. Her husband was the single wage earner, and Lalu had to do the house chores, tending the family’s paddy and corn patch, and take care of the goats.To obtain fodder for the goats, Lalu had to walk hours to and from a jungle. Even as she worked from dawn to dusk, the couple had barely enough to live on. With the arrival of two daughters, their economic situation declined further.Lalu’s husband felt he had no option but to leave for an overseas job, like nearly 3.5 million other Nepalis, 10% of the country’s population. This left Lalu at home, two children and a small farm on which the family depended, while her husband first paid back the loans he took to pay the recruiter with the first six months of his salary.Then Lalu heard about monthly meetings held by HANDS Nepal, a local non-profit supported by my organisation, World Neighbors. She was intrigued by the first training she attended about kitchen gardens, vegetable patches using sustainable techniques.The gardens provide a variety of vegetables and fruit that enhances nutrition. When families apply other techniques, including water storage ponds and tunnel greenhouses, kitchen gardens can scale to a commercial level. The surplus is harvested nearly year-round and sold in local markets.Lalu started a kitchen garden, involving her daughters in the work. She next learned how to produce organic fertiliser and natural pesticides, including a traditional liquid made from livestock urine. Using these inputs increased the output of both her kitchen garden and her small corn and rice fields.She also attended agroforestry trainings where she learned how to grow grass and trees that can be used as animal fodder. After three years, Lalu’s fodder farm has grown, and she no longer spends hours walking to and from a jungle to collect feed for her goats. Lalu obtained the capital to expand her fodder farm through participation in a local savings and credit group.<a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/latest/aid-rarely-aids-agriculture-in-nepal/">Aid rarely aids agriculture in Nepal</a>, Ramesh Kumar<figure><img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221109171152/636bdb0f9c7e80680e0802a0jpeg.jpg" alt="" width="2000" height="3000"><figcaption>A plastic pond that Lalu uses for her kitchen garden, improving nutrition for her family and adding income.</figcaption></figure>As important as the time she gains with her children and for more productive farm tasks, the fodder she produces near her home has enabled Lalu to increase her goat herd from 11 to 22.  She now sells them, 4 to 5 goats at a time, producing income of Rs45,000 rupees.Lalu is investing the profit in improving the shed to hold more goats. She and her husband, who recently returned from working overseas, have decided to start a commercial goat farm which would allow Lalu’s husband to end the expat life and remain at home with his family. It even has the chance to further raise the family’s standard of living.Lalu is now not only thriving financially, she is also a respected leader in her village.The need to migrate overseas to help support one’s family is a sign of the deep imbalances of the global economy.Yet necessary sacrifices can also open the door to real opportunities for positive change, as Lalu’s case has shown. In many Nepali villages, women like her have combined remittances with their own hard work and drive to build better lives for themselves and their families.Now, with new challenges posed by the Covid-19 crisis, it is more important than ever to look to people like Lalu as models of resilience and sustainable development.Srijana Karki is World Neighbors South Asia Regional Director.

Home alone in Dasain

<img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221109171152/636bdadc9c7e80680e08028fjpeg.jpg" alt="" width="1500" height="1000"/>Nepal’s capital has run out of affordable ICU care for Covid-19 patients, but public health experts warn that the worst is yet to come with the onset of the winter season that will see rise in other respiratory illnesses too.With 4,329 new positives on Friday, total Covid-19 cases in Nepal have reached 126,137, of which 37,832 are active infections. Kathmandu Valley alone accounts for 19,827 of them.At present, 315 people are being treated in various hospitals across the country in ICU with 77 on ventilator support. Bagmati province has 170 patients in ICU and 58 on ventilators.Kathmandu has now reached a saturation point for coronavirus patients with exponential growth of positive cases, but the infection rate continue to rise, now at 26.5%.If that sounds bad, the worst is yet to come. Experts are warning of another surge in Covid-19 cases as well as other respiratory illnesses during the winter season, and as such have suggested that the government to take proactive steps to address it.At 40°C, SARS-CoV-2 can survive on cotton for less than 16 hours, and on surfaces of glass, stainless steel, paper and plastic notes for up to 24 hours, a recent Australian study has found. At 20°C, the virus survives less than 14 hours on cotton and up to 7 days on the glass, stainless steel, paper and plastic notes.The findings seem to prove that coronavirus thrives in cold weather, survives longer, thus increasing the risk of infection. But during winter, viruses other than SARS-CoV-2 also become active in the environment for longer period, which then can cause long-term infections.“People tend to stay in less well-ventilated rooms in the winter and do not wash their hands as frequently because of the cold. This helps the virus enter the body, not only Covid-19 but also other influenza,” says Arpana Neupane of Kathmandu Medical College.<img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221109171152/636bdadf9c7e80680e080290jpeg.jpg" alt="" width="640" height="593">When people get viral infection in the winter, it affects the body’s immune system and also increases the risk of pneumonia. In addition to added risk of Covid-19, people infected with coronavirus are also more likely to develop severe health complications in the winter.Moreover, infected people might experience symptoms such as coughing for a longer period and even those who have recovered could experience shortness of breath and muscle ache while walking. In some countries including India, lung problems have been detected among recovered populations.“The virus develops in the body within seven to eight days of the onset of symptoms. The antibodies will then start to kill the virus,” explains Neupane. “While trying to remove the virus from the body, it affects other organs and can lead to complications.”For asymptomatic and mildly symptomatic Covid-19 patients, Neupane suggests administering the antiviral drug Favipiravir in order to prevent possible complications."This antiviral drug plays a role in preventing the growth of coronavirus in the body and resulting complications. It would be better if the government allowed drugs like these produced by Nepali pharmaceuticals to be studied and used,” she says.Patients with other respiratory illnesses, such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and other respiratory illnesses, also have a higher risk of getting infected with Covid-19 in the winter. They are also more likely to develop fatal complications.The prevalence of COPD has been increasing every year in Nepal due to worsening air pollution. According to the Department of Health Services, 211,229 COPD patients were admitted to hospitals for treatment three years ago. This figure has now climbed to 245,768 with Bagmati province having 78,350 of them. Similarly, 948,830 patients were admitted to the outpatient department for the treatment of Acute Respiratory Infection in 2019-20.Chief Consultant of Teku Hospital, Anup Bastola says even before the onset of the winter season, COPD patients with coronavirus infection already have pneumonia and are being treated in hospitals with oxygen.In winter, the human body is also drier, and cells in the body's respiratory system are less active, which in turn helps coronavirus survive longer. "The body's immune system is weaker in winter than at other times. Also, it’s not as sunny, which can cause vitamin D deficiency. These factors increase the risk of Covid-19 and the complications it can cause," he says.This winter, as in other years, cases of influenza (H1N1 and H3N2) and other respiratory infections are certain to increase. Elderly are especially at risk. But because of the explosive rise in Covid-19, patients with other chronic conditions are unlikely to get hospital beds and other essential health services, increasing the risk of fatalities.Says Bastola: "We have difficult days ahead. We need not only additional hospital beds, but also human resources to provide proper care and treatment. Management of oxygen supply will be crucial and we must do everything to prevent and control infection in the hospitals.”

Covid-19 will get worse before it gets better

<figure><img width="2184" height="1378" src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221109171148/636bda969c7e80680e080279jpeg.jpg" alt=""/><figcaption>Illustration: DIWAKAR CHHETRI</figcaption></figure>The vote of no-confidence this week by former UML leaders of the Nepal Communist Party of (NCP) in Karnali Province against the ex-Maoist Chief Minister of their own party has exposed once more that the two sections of the ruling party never really united.The distrust between the ex-Maoist and ex-UML members of the NCP has now trickled down from the power struggle at the top leadership to six of the seven provincial governments that the UML-Maoist alliance swept the 2017 election. The no-confidence motion fizzled out on Tuesday at the Karnali Province assembly in Surkhet after some former UML members loyal to Madhav Kumar Nepal sided with the ex-Maoist Pushpa Kamal Dahal. Prime Minister’s K P Oli’s supporters were outnumbered.Even though Oli and Dahal did <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/latest/enough-already/" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.nepalitimes.com/latest/enough-already/&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1602744410594000&amp;usg=AFQjCNGNkThSlssr1F5LcPcoLosjk0I6Iw">patch up their differences</a> last month, the saga of the <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/banner/push-and-pull-of-nepali-politics/" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.nepalitimes.com/banner/push-and-pull-of-nepali-politics/&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1602744410594000&amp;usg=AFQjCNGoYsscC7pfjXxnIJTziUG_kOy0YA">epic struggle for supremacy</a> within the party has dragged on with a deadlock in negotiations on the long-awaited cabinet reshuffle.<a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/banner/nepal-political-tug-o-war-continues/">Nepal political tug-o-war continues</a>, Nepali TimesOver the past two months, there has been a transformation in Kathmandu politics as Dahal’s position has weakened significantly with second tier members breaking ranks for the first time since the Maoists came above ground in 2006.This new dynamic has gone largely unremarked because of the tendency of commentators to be <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/editorial/bow-out/" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.nepalitimes.com/editorial/bow-out/&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1602744410594000&amp;usg=AFQjCNEVjwdepZHZXE3Gk2fb97p1UePnug">anti-incumbent</a>, and Dahal is treated as the leader of an opposition party. The Oli administration’s frequent gaffes and governance failure, have provided ample ammunition for Dahal and his supporters.Still, reports of the imminent demise of the Oli government, <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/latest/nepal-ruling-party-on-verge-of-split/" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.nepalitimes.com/latest/nepal-ruling-party-on-verge-of-split/&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1602744410595000&amp;usg=AFQjCNGC5_uag8DSEQf-Z6LIsuPJpuuMag">seem to be exaggerated. </a>Despite concerns about his health and political longevity, Oli has so far proved all soothsayers wrong.The NCP Secretariat meetings repeatedly demand that the Prime Minister and co-Chair give up one or both of his positions, and yet this just does not happen.<a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/here-now/which-way-nepali-politics-in-2020/">Which way Nepali politics in 2020?</a>, Saindra RaiThe reasons are twofold: Dahal does not have the numbers in the Central Committee, the official topline body of the party. The Secretariat sits above it as a body created by seniors to remain relevant, particularly the likes of Jhala Nath Khanal, Narayan Kaji Shrestha and Bam Dev Gautam. Secondly, it was the wily Prime Minister's ability to go behind 'enemy lines' and talk to Dahal's own followers, as well as entice the ever-expectant Gautam with lollipops, including a parliamentary berth and, howsoever unlikely, membership in the cabinet.The more Dahal challenges Oli and fails in the effort, the weaker he becomes politically, and together with him his ally, the former UML Chair and former PM Madhav Kumar Nepal. The Dahal-Nepal duo <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/editorial/you-stab-my-back-i-stab-yours/" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.nepalitimes.com/editorial/you-stab-my-back-i-stab-yours/&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1602744410595000&amp;usg=AFQjCNHnqW2nrmwuxbAUdtD7e1X1QtqWlA">has the numbers to wreck Oli’s plans</a>, which is how the attempted ‘coup’ in the Karnali assembly this week was foiled.During the conflict, the Maoists kept discipline through a strict militarist-ideological code, with extreme punishment for the wayward cadre being imprisonment, indoctrination camps, and even safaya (elimination). After the party came above ground, it was the promise of money, position and perks that kept the Maoists together, as ideological factors frayed.<a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/here-now/declare-a-health-emergency/">Declare a health emergency</a>, Shekhar KharelBut after the conflict, disagreement with Dahal meant former Maoists simply broke away: like Mohan Baidya and Baburam Bhattarai. But the 'mother party' and those under its umbrella remained together. The rank and file relied on Dahal to ensure their political future, and distribute largesse by squeezing state coffers in various ways.Dahal is a leader who has to run in order to remain in place, given that his party now functions without guiding principles, whereas other parties at least have ideological fig leaves. The Dahal-Oli duel at the top is costing the country dearly, diverting attention when all focus should be on the health and economic fallout of the worsening Covid-19 crisis.Truth be told, the UML and Maoist parties look united, but there has never been a meeting of minds. A marriage of convenience was arranged over Dasain of 2016, and the electoral alliance provided Oli with an unassailable majority in general elections the following year. Dahal got a lifeline for a political career that was all set to sink in those polls.In a way, unification was good for the polity because Dahal as leader of a tiny Maoist party could have created insufferable and continuous instability. By having been subsumed into the bigger UML as a senior leader, his ability to constantly rock the boat has been checked to a great extent. <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/editorial/playing-politics-in-a-pandemic/">Playing politics in a pandemic</a>, EditorialWhat has changed in the last couple of months is that some senior Maoist leaders in the NCP have concluded that their individual medium-to long-term political future now can be guaranteed by the UML stream within the party, rather than the Maoist stream led by Dahal. And as Dahal's ability to provide money and appointments wane, ex-Maoist leaders in the NCP started looking out for themselves. Dahal's troubles create uncertainty about the future general convention of the NCP which is meant to cement the unification in word and deed. He has been given the responsibility to organise the meet, but he knows (and he knows that everyone else knows) that the ex-Maoists really do not have a leadership structure in most parts of the country compared to the former UML, concentrated as they are around the government honeypot in Kathmandu. Dahal may try to push back the general convention indefinitely, so as not to face the day of reckoning. Even as the public watched the Secretariat meetings -- in Bhainsepati where the die was cast, and in Paris Danda and Khumaltar -- as heralding Oli’s imminent ouster, things did not evolve as planned. Firstly, he was confronted by Bamdev the ‘Turncoat’, but even more importantly, there was a whole line of ex-Maoists breaking away as things came to a fever pitch against Oli.Madhav Kumar Nepal seems to have miscalculated by putting all his eggs in Dahal’s basket, while these key Maoist leaders were busy transferring their eggs out of it. Home Minister Ram Bahadur Thapa called a meeting of 28 of his cabal, and only two of those present spoke against his proposal to stand by Oli: Pampha Bhusal and Deb Gurung. Lekh Raj Bhatta, a Dahal loyalist, had already decided to side with Oli, openly enough that he has been barred entry to Dahal's residence.The other significant leaders to break rank include Top Bahadur Rayamajhi, Devendra Poudel, Janardan Sharma and others. When a worried Dahal called his comrades together and asked them to stand by him, one of them is reliably learnt to have replied, "Comrade Chairman, if you had not gone raiding into the UML hierarchy you might not have faced this rebellion among your own ranks. Did you expect the other side to take it lying down?"<a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/latest/hotspots-within-kathmandus-covid-19-hotbed/">Hotspots within Kathmandu's Covid-19 hotbed</a>, Nepali TimesAs Dahal’s grip on the reins begins to loosen, will he mellow, or breathe fire through his pliant outlets on all matters from transitional justice to governance? If the weakened Pushpa Kamal Dahal decides to go down fighting, he might take his party and country down with him, and that will mean more years of political instability and socio-economic ruin to a country already ravaged by the pandemic. For his own sake, and for society at large, he should choose the softer route.

Running to remain in place

The daily 10-hour curfew at Tribhuvan International Airport from 8 November that will last five months has affected tourism during Nepal’s peak season, with some hotels and trekking agencies here reporting cancellations into spring next year. The reduced hours at Nepal’s main aviation gateway till 31 March means that a third of all flights have been cut. This has also caused ticket prices to surge by up to eight times of normal fares. For example a Kathmandu-Delhi ticket that used to cost Rs12,000 is now listed at Rs50,000, and even then seats are not available.&nbsp; “Especially if they are here to trek, change in flight dates can cause tourists to miss their connections,” says Jagan Timilsina, who runs a trail running and outdoor education business. &nbsp; Pokhara is feeling the brunt as hotels report last-minute cancellations for November because of flight disorders. Some hoteliers also say although there have been some cancelled trips, most itineraries have been rescheduled.&nbsp; Hari Prasad Sharma Gaire of the local chapter of the Hotel Association of Nepal says the Kathmandu airport closure should have been timed for the off-season. He told us: “Starting construction during the peak tourist season was a mistake and will cause the tourism industry to lose a lot of business. The upgrade could have been spread out over a longer time but closed for fewer hours at night so that disruption was minimal.”&nbsp; Nearly a third of the 1.2 million tourists who visit Nepal annually come to Pokhara, which is also the gateway to Mustang, the Annapurna treks and pilgrimage tourism to Muktinath. Located by scenic lakes with a range of adventure sports like hot air ballooning, paragliding, canyoning, bungee and ziplines, Pokhara is also popular among diaspora Nepalis. “Besides its own attractions, Pokhara is really the hub for central Nepal, and we have been trying to get visitors to extend their stay here,” says Timilsina, who started out as a trekking porter and rose up the ranks to be an expedition guide and entrepreneur. &nbsp;  <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/2024111603114_0e071ce63ea9b0a9a7ee76f8c3cea0ff08c6767c41dd09f6bc4413d2db067a60.jpg" data-media-id="editor_0" data-image-id="2024111603114_0e071ce63ea9b0a9a7ee76f8c3cea0ff08c6767c41dd09f6bc4413d2db067a60" data-rendition-name="original" width="3500" height="2333" loading="lazy" alt="Pokhara's tourism woes NT"> <figcaption>Tourist arrivals in Pokhara have slumped since the disruptions at Kathmandu airport due to upgrading work. Photo: KRISHNA MANI BARAL/NEPALI TIMES ARCHIVE</figcaption> </figure>  Even without the Kathmandu airport closure affecting tourist arrivals, Pokhara was already suffering from a decline due to many factors like the poor state of the Prithvi Highway, the shortage of luxury accommodation for high-end tourists, and the reluctance of international airlines to start direct flights to Pokhara despite an expensive new airport that was inaugurated two years ago.&nbsp; “There was a lot of initial excitement on the construction of the international airport,” says Timilsina, “but it hasn’t delivered as expected due to politics. People have invested in nearby businesses, and have faced losses.” India has blocked direct flights from its cities to Pokhara because the facility was built by a Chinese company. Although tourists and pilgrims from India hit record levels this year, the poor state of the highways and the Indian bus accident on the highway to Kathmandu in July that killed 27 pilgrims from Maharashtra state dampened arrival figures. Gaire says, “While tourist arrivals to Pokhara are now approaching pre-Covid levels, we haven’t seen the improvement we were expecting. We need a better marketing strategy. What are our embassies abroad doing?”&nbsp; Indeed, Pokhara used to be a favourite destination for Chinese tourists. There was a boom in arrivals from China before Covid, especially after a popular Chinese tv serial was shot on location here. But arrivals from China have not really recovered since the pandemic because of the economic slowdown there. Promoting Pokhara airport to handle direct flights from Chengdu or Kunming could revive Chinese arrivals.&nbsp; Nepal’s Civil Aviation Authority (CAAN) has used the Kathmandu airport closure as an excuse to arm-twist international airlines to start flying to Bhairawa, which has barely been in operation for two years since it was inaugurated. So far, Fly Dubai, Thai AirAsia, Jazeera and Qatar are flying to Bhairawa, but most use it as a hop before flying on to Kathmandu, which does not reduce congestion at Kathmandu.&nbsp; An ideal situation could have been to get Pokhara to run to full capacity while Kathmandu is partially out of action. Pokhara entrepreneurs are puzzled why the CAAN and the national government have not taken more interest in promoting Pokhara as an alternative to reduce the congestion in Kathmandu. Nepal’s football team that was flying to Dushanbe this week couldn’t get tickets via Delhi, and took a domestic flight to Bhadrapur, crossed over to Bagdogra and flew on to Delhi to catch their flight to Tajikistan.

Pokhara’s tourism woes

An excerpt of a conversation between an anthropologist and linguist Mark Turin, PhD and Lava Deo Awasthi, PhD, the first Chairperson of the Language Commission of Nepal. Nepali Times: What is the role of Nepal’s Language Commission and when was it formed? Lava Deo Awasthi: The Constitution of Nepal (2015) created a Language Commission (LC) with the following four core mandates: (a) to develop eligibility criteria for gaining status as an official language and offer recommendations to the Government of Nepal about the official language(s) in each province; (b) to offer recommendations to the Government about measures to be taken for the conservation, promotion, and development of languages; (c) to suggest possible ways of using mother tongues in education by assessing their stage of development; and, (d) to conduct studies, carry out research and perform monitoring functions about the response to the constitutional provisions for the federalisation of languages in Nepal. The Commission was founded in 2016 and I was appointed as the Chairperson of the Commission in September of the same year by the Cabinet of Ministers. What in your own professional and educational background helped to prepare you for the role? I have worked with the Government of Nepal for about 30 years, alongside holding teaching appointments at universities in Nepal. Prior to assuming the role of the Chairperson of the Commission, I served as permanent Secretary to the Government of Nepal and worked as the Chief Administrator of the Central Development Region. I was appointed as Director General of the Department of Education and completed my assignments as Joint Secretary at the Planning, Monitoring and Educational Administration Divisions of the Ministry of Education.&nbsp; In addition, I have taught courses as a visiting professor at Tribhuvan University and Kathmandu University for more than three decades. Later, I also started supervising MPhil and PhD students at the Far Western University in Mahendranagar, Kanchanpur. My PhD project from the Danish University of Education was dedicated to making sense of Nepal’s social construct and commitment to multilingualism, exploring the persistence of monolingual school practices in the face of constitutional promises and state commitments to multilingualism. I conducted a survey of Nepal’s languages and carried out a qualitative study of the Tharu language in the district of Bardia. I analysed language policy statements and explored classroom pedagogies in schools. I documented how teachers showed a tendency to resist change and maintain the status quo because they were not consulted when new educational language policies were introduced. Teachers also exhibited a deeply-held adherence to the Gurukul education system which appears to have been harnessed as a way to resist newer pedagogical ideologies imported from the West. Recognising how engrained these rich traditions of knowledge transmission are, I wanted to know how students’ engagement in the learning process appeared to have dwindled, creating a gap between children’s home languages and the language(s) of the school. Whilst statutory provisions for education in the mother tongue were oriented towards promotion, classroom pedagogies remained resolutely monolingual and exclusionary. The result was that multilingual education policies that had been introduced in Nepal did not result in meaningful changes in classroom practices. My research was also a reflection of childhood traumas I had experienced at the earliest stage of formal education. My home language, Baitadeli, has a strong oral tradition and no written literature. English is my fifth language in terms of exposure and competence, and my home district of Baitadi is well-known for its loyalty to the local language. I had to drop out of school after completing my sixth grade. Staying at home, I received much attention from my family and had much greater exposure to my native language, culture and environment. My overall impression is that dropping out of school had a surprisingly positive impact on my life. The opportunity offered a surprising dividend for me as I gained mastery in my mother tongue and received extensive exposure to folk literature and Indigenous knowledge and survival skills, cultivating my interest in language, culture, literature and local cosmologies.&nbsp; Now that I reflect on it, I appreciate how language has always played a key role in my life. I grew up in a multilingual environment: brought up with Baitadeli, Hindi, Sanskrit, Nepali and English. Language played a major part in my decision to leave school and my later success is closely linked to my competence in several languages. It was rewarding to be at home with my family as I deepened my understanding of native language and culture, which in turn helped me to harness and refine my art of living. Languages matter so much to me because they are both software and hardware. Later, when I was in secondary school, I realised that my command of my home language contributed significantly to enhancing my Nepali and English. I used my mother tongue as a form of linguistic capital to strengthen my competence in both English and Nepali.&nbsp;  <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/2024111811110_5400ba54792bf9e4854e1c1effde8bf09804e99647f23513700b450cc49adc4a.jpg" data-media-id="editor_0" data-image-id="2024111811110_5400ba54792bf9e4854e1c1effde8bf09804e99647f23513700b450cc49adc4a" data-rendition-name="original" width="1000" height="1500" loading="lazy" alt="Dr Lava Deo Awasthi"> </figure>  In your term as the Commission’s first Chairperson, what were your strategic goals and objectives? My first strategic goal was to create an environment conducive to implementing the provisions of the Constitution of Nepal in relation to language. My priority was to prepare a detailed action plan for my six-year tenure in consultation with language stakeholders, including language experts, professionals, activists, Indigenous community members and representatives of relevant national and local-level institutions. The Commission formed a body of high-level advisors to ensure that the Chairperson’s work was well-informed and credible. The advisors to the committee had highly visible professional and social reputations in Nepal and had much experience in the field of language conservation, promotion, research and development. Another strategy we adopted was to establish close institutional linkages with federal, provincial, and local level governments for collecting opinions and disseminating information widely.&nbsp; What critical issues did you have to consider while discharging your duty? When Nepal’s new Constitution was drafted, a number of concerns could not be adequately addressed. These related to the conservation of languages, the recognition of official languages at the provincial level, and the use of mother tongues at federal, provincial, and local levels. These unresolved issues and matters pertaining to the federalizsation of Nepal’s languages were passed on to the Language Commission to address and resolve.&nbsp; Regarding the recommendations for official languages, a five-year timeline had been set by the Constitution. With great effort, we succeeded in having all provinces agree to recognise their official languages as per the recommendations of the Commission.&nbsp; What were your greatest achievements during your term? One of the greatest achievements was that we succeeded in setting a language agenda at all levels. Nepal’s language communities and other stakeholders expressed the view that this was the first time their languages were recognised and their voices heard by the state. People participated in debates and discussed issues relating to language that in all likelihood had never before happened in their lifetimes, at least not in ways that were supported by the state. We encouraged people to speak in their own language(s) and provided translators during plenary sessions and group discussions. Another major achievement was developing criteria for the status planning of languages at federal, provincial, and local levels, and to recommend 11 province-level official languages, in addition to the Nepali language. Similarly, a notable achievement was recognising Indigenous languages spoken by smaller communities, all of whom faced ongoing marginalisation and high levels of endangerment. The Commission identified 9 new languages that had not been reported in the 2011 census, and provided a framework for recognising official languages within a municipality. The commission emphasised the need for documentation and digitisation of languages for developing corpora and archives at national and sub-national levels.&nbsp; Languages of historical importance as well as classical languages were given recognition for their protection, growth, and development. Recommendations were made for the conservation, promotion and development of Nepal’s marginalised languages that are threatened by majority languages and for those languages that hold particular power at local and global levels. Recommendations were also made for how best to safeguard Nepal’s languages from the ever-growing spread of English and other powerful, globalising languages.&nbsp; A further important aspect of the Commission’s work was to emphasise mother tongue medium instruction in schools across the nation. Recognising the role of language in children’s cognitive, socio-emotional and academic development, the Commission suggested strategies for linking schools with ward-level language clusters for use in the classroom. The importance of nurturing and respecting a child’s first language was reiterated in the Commission’s recommendations for children’s learning and all-round development. By the end of my term, a remarkable change could be observed in terms of building trust within and across Nepal’s diverse language communities. A network of language groups and stakeholders across the country proved to be a powerful way of bringing all language communities under one roof for a collective review of and response to the process of federalising language policy. The many language stakeholders across Nepal appreciated the opportunity to work within a coordinated framework, and—feeling empowered by this—seemed genuinely enthusiastic about the initiatives taken by the Commission.&nbsp;  <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/2024111811114_b45297fdd2fedf17bdb6313e495a1062c0d87f1a19fa5349f871f220b75f93ab.jpg" data-media-id="editor_1" data-image-id="2024111811114_b45297fdd2fedf17bdb6313e495a1062c0d87f1a19fa5349f871f220b75f93ab" data-rendition-name="original" width="1500" height="1000" loading="lazy" alt="Dr Lava Deo Awasthi NT"> </figure>  What were the most significant challenges for you as Chairperson? One of the major challenges was winning people’s trust in advocating for the mission of the Language Commission. I faced considerable resistance as I sought to emphasise the use of native languages in families and communities. While the Commission advocated for multilingualism and promoted linguistic diversity, the prevailing policy circles and central level institutions had been deeply influenced by a one-language discourse and ideology of Nepali only. The spread of English also poses a huge threat to Nepal’s languages. However, people in power do not seem to see this as a problem. They tend to abandon their own languages in preference for English. The way that Nepal’s municipalities are increasingly introducing English as a medium of instruction at the earliest stage of a child’s school-based education has proven to be detrimental to their cognitive development, socio-emotional wellbeing and academic success. Most of Nepal’s elites have been heavily influenced by the spread of English and remain unaware about its impact on their home languages as well as on the inter-generational transmission of Indigenous languages in the country. I wish that we could have produced more compelling evidence to show the consequences of making poor policy choices for our children’s education. Demystification calls for a collective response. To make change happen across this entire, complex and federalising country was daunting work and left like a race against time. I feel that I could have done more to offer concrete examples in favour of using the mother tongue as a medium of children’s education at the earliest stages of a child’s education. What do you see the Language Commission achieving in the next 5-10 years? The Language Commission will have to ensure that all of its key recommendations are implemented at all levels of government. In 10 years’ time, all seven of Nepal’s provinces will have their official languages in place. These languages will also be recognised as languages of federal business, alongside Nepali. I anticipate that all official languages in the federal and provincial systems will have a national portal for inter-language corpora using machine translation to fulfil their federal, provincial and local level language functions, and that all languages spoken in Nepal will be represented through a digital database in the national archive. The Office of Statistics will monitor the status of Nepal’s languages over time. By the end of the next decade, each municipality in the country will have recognised one or two official languages at the local level, based on speech populations. Other local languages will have received community-level legal recognition and official status to fulfil their functional roles. Languages that are highly endangered or at risk will be entitled to receive state grants for enhancing local level capabilities to encourage families and young learners to speak the language. Incentive schemes will be introduced in municipalities that promote language within the family and at home. Inter-generational transmission of languages will have received welcome and timely attention across Nepal. It is my hope that all schools—public and private—will have introduced mother tongue medium instruction at the earliest stage of school education, at least up to class five. Nepali, English and other national as well as classical and foreign languages will be taught as subjects. The existing policy of English medium education at the early stage of education will be abolished. The Government of Nepal will be held accountable if the number of speakers of any language decreases or if local communities face language loss and greater endangerment. Under the aegis of the Language Commission, a Centre for Language Research and Innovation will be created with world-class facilities for language documentation and archiving in collaboration with Tribhuvan University’s Central Department of Linguistics and other relevant institutions. Harnessing the vastness of Nepal’s linguistic diversity, the Language Commission will morph into a centre of excellence for national and international communities to engage in collaborative language research, to share experiences and document best practices at in service of global linguistic diversity and Nepal’s many Indigenous languages.

Languages are both software and hardware

Nearly 750,000 Nepalis went abroad for employment in the past year, and more than 100,000 left on student visas. Most of them were young Nepali men and women, and the number has been increasing every year. As with other sections of society, Nepal’s security agencies also face a recruitment crisis. Nepal Police opened recruitment for 64 inspectors in September, and received 2,239 applications, compared to 2,718 candidates last year. Police also invited candidates for 256 assistant sub-inspectors this year for which it received 17,756 applications – down from 19,932 last year. It is the same story in the Nepal Army, the number of applicants for the post of Officer Cadet (Second Lieutenant) went down from 6,144 for 400 open seats in 2019 to 4,390 in 2020. Meanwhile, applicants in the paramilitary Armed Police Force went down from 857 applications for 75 posts in 2021 to 536 applicants for 99 posts last year. While the number of applicants appears higher than the demand, the data shows a significant decrease in applications for vacancies in Nepal’s law enforcement agencies. Security personnel are recruited on the basis of rank and age in Nepal, and the age cutoff for entry into Nepal’s security agencies is typically 25 years. Sociologist and migration expert Ganesh Gurung says that the demographic of young, physically fit Nepalis emigrating abroad in search of better opportunities has impacted recruitment into law enforcement and the military here at home. “The returns from working in Nepal’s police and army are minimal, whereas overseas job opportunities are more attractive,” Gurung says. “The work may be physically demanding abroad, but the pay is a lot higher.”  <figure><img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/20241116041148_a7e477e0ee2f56acf16c2559fdb24d8f0377f7bc1f9e56138bc40108fc4fa33f.jpg" data-media-id="editor_0" data-image-id="20241116041148_a7e477e0ee2f56acf16c2559fdb24d8f0377f7bc1f9e56138bc40108fc4fa33f" data-rendition-name="original" width="800" height="534" loading="lazy" alt="Nepal Police"><figcaption>Nepal Police</figcaption></figure>  Nepal Police spokesperson DIG Dan Bahadur Karki agrees that the physical and mental demands of a law enforcement job is incomparable to the income that security personnel earn. “A young Nepali who works in Dubai earns enough to build a home in the village within four years, while a Nepali with the same qualifications and physical ability in a security agency here barely makes enough to survive,” says Karki. “Obviously the youth prefer foreign employment.” Security agencies are now worried about the quality of inducted manpower. “There is a difference in work ethic between an applicant chosen from a competitive pool of 50 candidates versus one chosen from a pool of three candidates,” explains Gurung. “Unmotivated employees hamper the overall performance of the state apparatus.” Nepal Army spokesperson Brigadier General Gaurab Kumar KC says recruitment has not been hampered by outmigration: “We have still been getting more than three times the applicants than there are open posts, so we are not yet worried.” Even so, the passing rates of aspirants have gone down for security forces after the Public Service Commission began examinations for military recruitment in 2015. In fact, the Nepal Army complained about the Commission’s involvement in recruitment. Still, the number of vacant military posts tends to exceed the number of passing candidates. Nepal Army’s KC says that the military will not compromise on intake criteria even if there are fewer passing applicants. “Unqualified persons will not be admitted even if there are less-than-required passing candidates. We will re-advertise if that is the case.” But Nepal’s security forces now also have to worry about retention of existing personnel. About 900 Nepal Army, 600 Nepal Police, and 300 Armed police personnel resign every year before the completion of their tenure.  <figure><img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/20241116041148_b8cd62f70eea3aac7d3d3778615a5b70b1e20550c9bd76321f051f9c766fd2a9.jpg" data-media-id="editor_1" data-image-id="20241116041148_b8cd62f70eea3aac7d3d3778615a5b70b1e20550c9bd76321f051f9c766fd2a9" data-rendition-name="original" width="750" height="378" loading="lazy" alt="Armed police forces"><figcaption>Armed Police Force</figcaption></figure>  In 2020, Home Minister Ram Bahadur Thapa recalled almost 1,000 police personnel who had been deployed for the security of VIPs after long-standing criticism that security forces were being misused to cater to political and bureaucratic leadership. However, security personnel have continued to be assigned to high-ranking officials as glorified housekeepers. In December 2022, Rabi Lamichhane’s Home Ministry had instructed its offices to recall unauthorised security personnel assigned to high-ranking officials, following which 500 officers from Nepal Police and Armed Police Force were withdrawn from their details. But the Nepal Army does not have to follow such rules, and the practice of army personnel serving high-ranking active-duty and retired military personnel remains. Conditions here are dire enough that many active duty officers in Nepal’s military and police forces have chosen to leave their jobs to serve in the Russian Army to fight in the Ukraine war. The hierarchical culture and chain of command of politics, bureaucracy, law enforcement and military has also meant that abuse and mistreatment of subordinates is rife in Nepal’s security forces. “Feudalism is alive and well within our security institutions,” says Gurung. “When soldiers and security forces who swore to protect and serve the nation are made to be at the beck and call of politicians and bureaucrats, it is easy to understand why they are disillusioned with their jobs and why they choose to quit and find jobs abroad.”

Job insecurity in security forces

Earlier this month, Nepal received Rs1.6 billion from the World Bank as part of its <a href="https://nepalitimes.com/news/will-nepal-ever-be-paid-for-saving-trees">Forest Carbon Partnership Facility (FCPF)</a>, rewarding the country for increasing its carbon sink capacity. Nepal is the first in South Asia to benefit from this facility, and it is specifically to recompense the country for increasing forest cover in 13 Tarai districts between 2018-2024. “We are also trying to get another Rs13 billion from the facility while also preparing for free market-based carbon trading in the international market,” says Nabaraj Pudasaini of the REDD (Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation in Developing Countries) Implementation Centre. Big emitters of greenhouse gases are under pressure to reduce their carbon emissions, and many have signed agreements to do so by investing in decarbonisation projects in developing countries. Countries that emit more than a specified amount of carbon would be able to buy emission rights from countries that emit less. Nepal is internationally known for its community forestry program which has been largely credited for <a href="https://nepalitimes.com/banner/tree-mendous">increasing tree cover to over 45%</a> in less than three decades. But this achievement had not been adequately recognised or rewarded internationally before. Forests, especially in the tropics, absorb and store large amounts of carbon while releasing oxygen in a process known as photosynthesis. <a href="https://www.fao.org/forest-resources-assessment/en/">Preventing deforestation</a> and increasing canopy cover is considered a much more achievable goal than reducing emission in the scale necessary to limit global average temperature to 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels. COP11 in Montreal in 2005 first proposed reducing carbon emissions by improving forest quality by halting degradation. By 2015, a new mechanism of financial assistance was created to help less developed countries with sustainable management of forests <a href="https://www.un-redd.org/">(called REDD+)</a>. Under this new mechanism, countries receive aid based on their efforts to prevent forest degradation and increase carbon sink, and in 2021 the World Bank was entrusted with implementing it. Nepal’s FCPF receipt this month was calculated on the basis of 2.4 million tons of carbon stored at a rate of $5 per ton. In the second phase, Nepal will receive more than Rs4 billion within the next year for storing an additional 7 million tons of carbon. Eighty per cent of this amount obtained from carbon trading needs to be spent on local beneficiaries and indigenous communities.&nbsp; But carbon trading is not easy, Nepal needs to prove that protected forests will not be destroyed in future.  <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/20241121091132_c8a381c9a95aa86fec558951650d97bb87914741f01766982ba2b086af001f16.jpg" data-media-id="editor_4" data-image-id="20241121091132_c8a381c9a95aa86fec558951650d97bb87914741f01766982ba2b086af001f16" data-rendition-name="original" width="1500" height="999" loading="lazy" alt="Greenbacks for greenery NT "> <figcaption>Photo: KUNDA DIXIT</figcaption> </figure>  Explains carbon trading expert Yugan Manandhar. “Forests should be handed over to the community and shown that they are managed sustainably. Proving this will be particularly challenging; forest encroachment and degradation is rife in the Tarai.” <a href="https://nepalitimes.com/multimedia/nepal-is-going-up-in-smoke">Deliberate forest fires</a> have also added to the challenge because they increase carbon emissions and reduce the sink capacity of forests. The basis for the amount that Nepal received was set five years ago by calculating the carbon reserves of forests in the 13 Tarai districts. In the meantime, sustainable forest management, tree plantation, forest destruction and erosion control were prioritised to increase carbon reserves in those forests. Nepal is signing another carbon trading agreement during the ongoing Baku climate conference. The <a href="https://www.leafcoalition.org/">Lowering Emissions by Accelerating Forest finance (LEAF Coalition) </a>proposes to sell the carbon stored in the forests of Bagmati, Gandaki and Lumbini provinces. For this, Nepal signed the letter of intent three years ago at COP26 in Glasgow. The target is to store 70 million tons of carbon in 32 million hectares of forest in the three provinces per which Nepal will receive Rs13 billion in four years at $10 per ton with provisions to increase the rate if various conditions are met. However, the agreement in itself doesn’t guarantee the amount. According to the targets set by Nepal, forest degradation should be stopped and carbon reserves increased by protecting tree cover. Preparations are also underway for clean air carbon trade because it has offset fossil fuel use by introducing 30,000 electric vehicles. Nepal has been selected for the first round to receive $40 million within one and a half years through the Clean Air System of the World Bank. Given that most of Nepal’s energy mix is from biomass, replacing them with electric stoves can significantly improve health by reducing indoor pollution as well as strengthen the country’s capacity for carbon trade. “Nepal's goal now is to sell carbon in the free market where carbon credits are bought and sold based on supply and demand in an open and transparent manner,” adds Pudasaini of the REDD Implementation Centre. “Nepal can now set its own price and bargain with interested buyer countries and organisations.” Lately, India has been discussing setting up a carbon market. Nepal has exported Rs12.72 billion worth of electricity to India so far this fiscal year, which can be traded under Nepal’s carbon market. “Carbon trading can create significant economic benefits for Nepal, which will help reinvest in development and environmental protection projects,” says Manandhar. “But we must prioritise sustainable management of forests, cutting older trees and allowing regrowth as well as promoting electric stoves and electric vehicles.”

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