HELLO NEPAL

The Himalayan Times 25 February 2021 Willingness for talks It was indeed encouraging to read about the government considering having formal talks with the Chand-led CPN party for bringing it into mainstreaming politics "Chand-led CPN positive about talks" (THT,February 22, Page 1). Whatever the clandestine political agenda behind the government's intention to call the earlier banned CPN for talks, it should be seen as a positive move. In fact, this government had imposed restrictions on all activities of the Chand-led CPN on March 12,2019 following its violent activities.    In the last one-and-half years hundreds of cadres of the party were arrested, and the government continued keeping close eye on those having connected with the party. A few cadres were even shot dead by the police during encounters. Recently, a teacher was kidnapped by slitting his throat by their cadres in an eastern hilly district.Many top leaders are spending their time in jail for political reas...

  Waiting for the exciting day It was wonderful day for me to  know from today’s (18 Feb/21) "The Himalayan Times" about the news of elderly people getting COVID 19 jabs from March 7. I will be among them. 👍😆😂   Elderly to be vaccinated against COVID from Mar 7 By HIMALAYAN NEWS SERVICE Published: 10:38 am Feb 18, 2021 The Ministry of Health and Population has decided to inoculate people above the age of 60 from March 7. MoHP Spokesperson Jageshwor Gautam disclosed this at a press briefing here today. The government plans to inoculate 2,652,258 people above 60 years of age, which is 8.73 per cent of Nepal's population, according to Samir Adhikari, assistant spokesperson for the health ministry. For details: https://thehimalayantimes.com/nepal/elderly-to-be-vaccinated-against-covid-from-mar-7

  Centenarian Satya Mohan Joshi and wife to donate their bodies for medical research At a programme organised by Nai Prakashan in Kathmandu on Friday, celebrated historian and centenarian Satya Mohan Joshi 101, and his wife Radha, 96 , announced that they would donate their bodies to the Kist Medical College after their death. What a bold decision it was to make at their age.  Joshi’s contribution to Nepali literature is immense; he is a living legend. The announcement he made today adds another milestone to his life. In Nepal, we do not see people donate one’s body for research or organ transplant. Joshi’s announcement serves as an example and will be an eye-opener for all of us in the coming days. My salute to the Joshi couple for their brave decision.        

The Himalayan Times 11 February 2021 PM missed opportunity Defending PM Oli’s decision to dissolve HoR and go for the election for fresh mandate, one of his lawyers disclosed the other day at the Supreme Court that the PM had dissolved the HoR with the objective of winning the two thirds majority to amend the constitution “House dissolved for two-thirds majority” (THT, Feb 9, Page 2). What a fantastic idea it was to dissolve the HoR when his government had almost a two-thirds majority in the House. Had he diligently proposed such a noble thought of amending the constitution to address the concerns and issues of all the people to the other political parties, he could have easily garnered a two-thirds majority support from the then HoR for amending the constitution.  But, the way he abruptly dissolved HoR, accusing the other faction of his party for not letting his government perform well. did not seem to be palatable to his rival faction and the other political parties. As a result...

The Himalayan Times   4 February 2021   Don’t coerce apex court Following the dissolution of the House of Representatives (HoR) on December 20, different political parties, political analysts, constitutional experts, civil society leaders and individuals have been demonstrating for and against it in the streets. PM Oli’s rival faction in the party, led by Prachand and Madhav Nepal, seem to be more vigorously protesting in the streets against the HoR dissolution, claiming it as a regressive move and unconstitutional, and threatening to make the protest more aggressive in the coming days. Also the Nepali Congress (NC) is flexing its political muscle by organizing street protests and mass demonstrations in different parts of the country against the HoR dissolution. It is known to them that the case is under deliberation at the Supreme Court(SC), and its final verdict is yet to come, However, the Prachand-Madhav Nepal faction seems to be intentionally ignoring this situation ...

  Durbar High School proudly stands in its new building It was amazing to see brand new Durbar High School, also known as Bhanu Secondary School, standing tall in its solid foundation with the financial and technical cooperation of the Chinese government. Its century old building was completely damaged in 2015 earthquake. Durbar High School which translates to Palace High School is the oldest modern school in Nepal located near Rani Pokhari, Kathmandu.     Historical Old building           Damaged during 2015 Earthquake   Standing tall in its new building           Feeling humiliated by not being able to communicate in English during his visit to Europe, Jung Bahadur Rana set up a school at his residence in 1853 with two teachers imported from England to teach children of the ruling families. The school was later shifted to Thapathali Durbar with an Englishman called Kenning as its first teacher. Durbar School m...