Local levels to deploy security personnel at border points Page 2 China exports saw surprise 3.

5 per cent jump in April, imports fell Page 4

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• SHORT TAKES
Lawmakers tested for COVID, result today
Ram Kumar Kamat
Kathmandu, May 7
A total of 441 lawmakers and
employees of the Parliament
Secretariat underwent poly-
merase chain reaction test for
coronavirus today on the eve of
the budget session of the Par-
liament. They included 179
lawmakers from the House of
Representatives and 33 from
the National Assembly. Apart
from lawmakers, 229 people
whose nasal and throat swabs
were collected today included
employees of the Parliament
Secretariat and marshals, ac-
cording to Spokesperson for
the Parliament Secretariat
Dasharath Dhamala.
Prominent among those who
Reuters
were tested for COVID-19 in-
A woman offering a lamp to mark the birth cluded Nepal Communist Party
anniversary of Buddha, as the full moon (NCP) Co-chair Pushpa Kamal Members of Parliament
rises above Kathmandu, on Thursday. Dahal and Nepali Congress inspecting the House of
President Sher Bahadur Deuba.
Representatives, a day before
Dhamala said the Parliament
INTERNATIONAL Secretariat would collect the budget session of the
nasal and throat swabs of Federal Parliament is
Gas leak at SKorea-owned the remaining lawmakers,
employees of the Parliament
scheduled to begin, in
Kathmandu, on Thursday.
factory in India kills 11 Secretariat and security per-
sonnel between 8:00am and
CHENNAI: At least 11 people were killed in 10:00am tomorrow.
Skanda Gautam / THT

India in a gas leak at a South Korean-owned He said results of tests were

factory making polystyrene products that
made hundreds of people sick and led to the
expected tomorrow before
4:00pm when the budget ses-
evacuation of villagers living nearby, officials sion was slated to begin.
said. The accident occurred some 14 km in- The government will have to
land from the east coast city of Visakhapat- present the new fiscal budget
nam, in Andhra Pradesh state, at a plant oper- on May 28. The Parliament Sec-
ated by LG Polymers, a unit of South Korea’s retariat has adopted all precau-
biggest petrochemical maker, LG Chem Ltd. tionary measures against COV-
(Details on Page 3) ID-19 pandemic — a gap of at
least two chairs between two
NEPAL lawmakers, sanitisation of up-
per and lower houses and other
Programmes and policies chambers in the Parliament
building and screening of law-
to be presented on May 15 makers for COVID-19. Micro-
phones will be sanitised every
KATHMANDU: President Bidhya Devi
time lawmakers use them.
Bhandari is scheduled to present the govern-
Dhamala said the Parliament
ment’s programmes and policies for fiscal
Secretariat had followed all the
year 2020-21 on May 15. As per the schedule
suggestions made by experts to
prepared by the Parliament’s Secretariat, the
stem the threat of COVID-19. A
programmes and policies of the government
team of experts has suggested
will be presented during a joint session of the
that lawmakers follow the rules
House of Representatives and National As-
of isolation at their homes dur-
sembly after concluding the pre-budget dis-
ing the budget session.
cussions. (Details on Page 4)
PM’s safety top priority
KATHMANDU: Special prepa-
rations have been made to en-
sure safety of Prime Minister
KP Sharma Oli, who recently
underwent kidney transplant
for the second time. According
to Dhamala, the Parliament
Secretariat has ensured that
more space will be maintained
between Prime Minister KP
Sharma Oli and other members
of the Cabinet. Nobody will
be allowed to enter the PM’s
chamber in the Parliament
building and the restroom used A health worker collecting
by the PM while attending the
throat swab from Agni
parliamentary proceedings.
Sapkota, speaker of the
Only the PM and members of
House of Representatives, a
the Cabinet will use the ros-
day before budget session in
trum, while other lawmakers
will use microphones attached Kathmandu, on Thursday.
to their seats. — HNS
AP

Nepal count Testing expanded in coronavirus hotspots Malaysia breather

Updated COVID-19 figures
on Thursday
Confirmed cases 101
Ram Sarraf
Birgunj, May 7
Preparations are on to conduct
Discharged 22
mass testing of residents of
Chhapakaiya, an area which
Total tests (PCR) 14,511
has a high number of coronavi-
rus cases, in Birgunj. The
metropolitan city has decided
to conduct mass testing in
New tests 415 the area after 17 new cases of
coronavirus infection were de-
In quarantine 17,372 tected yesterday.
According to Mayor Bijaya
In isolation 133 Kumar Sarawgi, in the first
phase, process of collecting
(Source: MoHP)
throat and nasal swabs from at
least 700 Chhapakaiya resi-
FOREX dents will begin tomorrow.
CURRENCY UNIT BUYING (in Rs) SELLING (in Rs) He added that Nepali
Indian Rs 100 160.00 160.15 Army personnel would arrive
US Dollar 1 120.92 121.52 tomorrow with necessary
Euro 1 130.50 131.15 medical equipment for con-
Pound Sterling 1 149.45 150.19 ducting the tests.
Japanese Yen 10 11.35 11.40 Health workers from the
Chinese Yuan 1 17.06 17.15 metropolis and Narayani
The foreign exchange rates are fixed by Nepal Rastra Bank
Hospital will be deployed for
swab collection.
COVID-19 cases in Nepal cross 100
KATHMANDU: The Minis-
try of Health and Population
on Thursday confirmed two
new cases of novel coronavi-
rus on Thursday, taking the
cases of COVID-19 in Nepal
to 101. A teenager, 16, and a
youth, 22, from Kapilvastu
Parsa District Administration
Office has sealed off Wards No
1, 2 and 3 of the metropolis and
restricted movement on major
roads of the city to contain the
spread of the disease.
The Ministry of Health and
Population has also decided to
expedite rapid diagnostic and
polymerase chain reaction test-
ing in Banke and Udayapur dis-
tricts. Along with Parsa, the two
districts have emerged as hot-
spots for the spread of COV-
tested positive for coronavi-
rus transmission, the health
ministry stated. Their throat
and nasal swabs were tested
at the National Public
Health Laboratory in Kath-
mandu. Both the patients
are asymptomatic. — HNS
ID-19 in Nepal.
In coordination with the Ne-
pali Army, medical teams from
the Epidemiology and Disease
Control Division under the De-
partment of Health Services
will reach three different
districts to expand COVID-19
testing, Bikash Devkota,
spokesperson at the MoHP, told
mediapersons today. “At least
1,000 more tests each in Bir-
gunj of Parsa and Nepalgunj of
Banke and 500 more tests in
Bhulke of Udayapur will be car-
ried out,” Devkota said, while
addressing a daily briefing in
Kathmandu this afternoon.
Contact tracing of those infect-
ed with COVID-19 is already
on, according to him.
With 17 new cases, there are
28 persons undergoing COVID
treatment in Birgunj-based
Narayani Hospital.
With the confirmation of
COVID-19 in 23 people from
Ward No 8 in Nepalgunj, the
process of collecting swabs
from ward residents has gath-
ered pace in the city, focal per-
son Naresh Shrestha at Banke
District Health Office said.
In Udayapur, at least 28 per-
sons from Bhulke area tested
positive for the virus while six
were discharged after recover-
ing from the disease yesterday.
Nepal has 79 active
COVID-19 cases while 22
have already recovered from
the disease.
for illegal migrants
Workers whose visa expired
after Dec 31 allowed to leave
Himalayan News Service
Kathmandu, May 7
The Immigration Depart-
ment of Malaysia today
directed all foreign workers
whose residential visas
expired after December 31
to leave Malaysia within
14 days of the expiry of
‘the movement control
order’ (Malaysian term for
lockdown) scheduled to
end on May 12.
According to the Embas-
sy of Nepal in Kuala Lum-
pur, as per the new visa pol-
icy, workers whose visas
have expired and are tech-
nically illegal migrants
bour, Employment and So-
cial Security today itself.
Stating that the depart-
ment is in constant touch
with the Nepali Embassy in
Malaysia, Dahal said, “We
will take necessary steps to
bring back our brothers and
sisters as soon as possible
after the lockdown is lifted
in Malaysia and Nepal.”
The MCO was imple-
mented as a preventive
measure by the federal gov-
ernment of Malaysia in re-
sponse to the COVID-19
pandemic in the country on
March 18. The order was
commonly referred to in
local and international

Top NCP leaders seek Standing Committee meeting

can just buy tickets and
return home without hav-
ing to pay immigration or
other fees and without fac-
ing any prosecution for
media as a ‘lockdown’ or
‘partial lockdown’.
It is believed around
700,000 Nepalis are working
in Malaysia. However, the

Dahal to meet the prime minister and reschedule the Standing Committee meeting soon overstaying in the South-
east Asian country.
government does not have
proper details about the
Kumar Dahal, director number of illegal Nepali mi-
Himalayan News Service at held yesterday had put off the due to Oli’s opposition. How interests at a time of COVID-19 hal said he and the PM would meet general at the Department grants in the Southeast
Kathmandu, May 7 Standing Committee meeting as can the PM ignore 20 members crisis, as our chairperson?” again and reschedule the Standing of Foreign Employment, Asian country.
party Co-chair and Prime Minister of a powerful party body?” she wondered. Committee meeting soon. quoted Nepal’s Ambassador “The government will
Twenty Standing Committee KP Sharma Oli had left the meeting she wondered. Shakya said that they did not He said the scheduled meeting to Malaysia Uday Raj Pand- widely circulate the mes-
members of the ruling Nepal Com- midway. Oli continues to oppose “Our party is not built on the want to discuss political issues at a was put off as they needed to do ey as saying that action sage for such undocument-
munist Party (NCP) who had re- the 20 members’ demands, saying sole contribution of Oli, but count- time when the country was bat- more homework. would be taken against ed Nepali workers to capi-
cently submitted an application there was no need for holding the less other leaders and cadres have tling the COVID-19 pandemic, but Standing Committee member workers whose visas had ex- talise on this golden oppor-
demanding that a meeting of the Standing Committee meeting, as shed blood and sweat for the par- they had realised that if they did Subas Chandra Nembang, who is pired before January 1 if tunity to return to Nepal,”
party Standing Committee be held the two ordinances opposed by ty,” she added. not raise the serious issue of ordi- close to Oli, told THT that Standing they did not comply with said Dahal.
immediately, gathered at the par- the Standing Committee members Shakya said Oli decided to bring nances with the PM, then he could Committee members were free to the given instruction. “This According to him, Saudi
ty headquarters in Dhumbarahi had already been repealed. two ordinances mainly to engineer take more such steps in future to air their views, but as far as the is not a general amnesty,” Arabia has also issued simi-
today and decided to pressure the Asta Laxmi Shakya, who is split in other political parties and usurp power. Shakya said the PM Standing Committee meeting was Pandey said, adding, “Only lar notice regarding illegal
nine-member Secretariat to call among the 20 members who have to appoint his favourites in consti- offered party positions to party concerned, the last meeting of the workers whose visas have foreign workers and the
the next meeting of the Standing been seeking immediate conven- tutional bodies at a time when leaders mainly to show them in party Secretariat did not deem it expired since January 1 DoFE is working in close co-
Committee soon. ing of the Standing Committee the entire country was battling poor light — greedy and only con- appropriate to hold the next meet- have been facilitated to re- ordination with the MoFA
Standing Committee members meeting, told THT that they decid- against coronavirus. The PM’s ac- cerned about their own position ing of the Standing Committee. turn home.” to repatriate Nepali mi-
who gathered today are close to ed to gather at the party office to- tion was aimed at weakening hard- even when the country was fight- Oli is opposed to include one- Dahal added that the em- grants who have overstayed
party Co-chair Pushpa Kamal day to chalk out their strategy. earned democracy and republican ing the COVID-19 pandemic. person-one-post on the agenda of bassy had communicated their visas in the Gulf coun-
Dahal and senior leader Madhav “We felt snubbed after the order, she added. Meanwhile, talking to media- the next Standing Committee the latest development to try. Around four lakh Nepa-
Kumar Nepal. Standing Committee meeting “How can we accept Oli, who person at the Federal Parliament, meeting, something that the 20 the Ministry of Foreign Af- lis are estimated to be em-
A meeting of the party Secretari- scheduled for today was put off acted to fulfil his personal political NCP Co-Chair Pushpa Kamal Da- members want. fairs and the Ministry of La- ployed in Saudi Arabia.
Page 2
A streak of lightning near the Federal Parliament building, a day before the new session of the Parliament, in Baneshwor,
Kathmandu, on Thursday.
Two test Tension on the border, APF
positive for check post vandalised
COVID-19
in RDT
Himalayan News Service
Gaighat, May 7
A woman, who reached her village
in Solukhumbu district from
Udayapur two weeks ago, has test-
ed positive for coronavirus anti-
bodies in the rapid diagnostic test
carried out yesterday, according
to District Public Health Office,
Solukhumbu.
Earlier, a youth of Likhupike
Rural Municipality in the district
too was detected with the virus
antibodies in the RDT carried out
on Monday, the DPHO informed.
It is reported that a 28-year-old
woman along with six other mem-
bers of her family had reached So-
t a n g R u r a l Mu n i c i p a l i t y,
Solukhumbu, from Maruwa of
Katari Municipality in Udayapur
district, on April 23.
According to the chief at
Solukhumbu District Health Of-
fice, Karma Chandra Rajbanshi,
the woman and her family were
admitted to an isolation ward es-
tablished at the Primary Health
Centre in Sotang after they tested
positive for coronavirus in RDT
yesterday. He said a medical team
was dispatched from District Pub-
lic Health Office based in Salleri,
the district headquarters, to col-
lect their throat swab specimens
for further tests using polymerase
chain reaction method.
“It is yet to be learnt whether
the collected swab specimens will
be sent to Dharan-based BP Koi-
rala Institute of Health Sciences or
the National Public Health Labo-
ratory in Kathmandu,” Rajbanshi
said.
He said the swab specimens
will be collected from the woman,
her family members and health
workers involved in testing them
and also the youth who tested
positive in the RDT.
Local levels to deploy 21,000 children
security personnel at inoculated against
border points measles in Dhading
Himalayan News Service
Jhapa, May 7
The home ministry directed
local levels to deploy security
personnel at every five kilo-
metres distance on the border
after security personnel were
attacked in the border areas of
Jhapa.
District Security Committee
is preparing to patrol border
areas after the lockdown was
violated and on-duty security
personnel were attacked.
The local levels are prepar-
ing to deploy volunteers to
prevent people’s movement in
the border areas. The security
committee meeting decided
to exchange information and
cooperation among security
departments.
Preparation is under way to
deploy Armed Police Force on
the border for security.
People’s movement had
been completely stopped on
Himalayan News Service
Bara, May 7
Tension ran high on the
Nepal-India border near
Pachgachhiya of Subarna
Rural Municipality, Bara,
after Indian nationals
miffed at not being allowed
to cross the border tried to
vandalise an Armed Police
Force check post today.
It started after security
personnel deployed on the
border prevented two Indi-
an nationals from the bor-
dering village of Hanu-
mannagar crossing over to
Nepali territory.
According to police,
things escalated shortly af-
ter the spurned duo came
back with more than 100
A health worker collecting throat swab from Nepali Congress President Sher Bahadur Deuba, a day before the budget
session of Federal Parliament, to ensure that Parliament members are COVID-19 free, in Kathmandu, on Thursday.
the Nepal-India border after
the nationwide lockdown. But
thousands of people entered
the country violating govern-
ment regulations.
Indian citizens even tried to
attack security personnel after
the APF team prevented them
from entering the country at
Jhapa Rural Municipality on
Monday evening. Police had
to open fire in the air after In-
dian citizens tried to attack
the police team with domestic
weapons the same day.
A section of the border area
— 144 kilometres — connect-
ed with India has been closed.
Jhapa Chief District Officer
Udaya Bahadaur Ranamagar
said that they were thinking of
increasing army patrolling
along the border areas.
Ranamagar further added
that the border points had not
been completely closed even
though additional security
personnel were deployed.
villagers and tried to attack
the APF border check post.
As Indian nationals
started hurling stones at
the check post, people
from the bordering Nepali
villages rushed to help the
Nepali security personnel
and to retaliate.
“As things seemed to be
getting out of hand, police
fired a shot in the air and
took the situation under
control,” said APF 12 Num-
ber Battalion SP Digbijaya
Subedi, adding that securi-
ty personnel of both Nepal
and India then got the peo-
ple to return home.
Lately, as more and more
coronavirus cases are be-
ing reported both in Nepal
and India, security person-
Himalayan News Service
Dhading, May 7
More than 21,000 children
have been vaccinated
against measles in Dhad-
ing under a special cam-
paign launched in the dis-
trict.
In view of the increasing
cases of measles in Be-
nighatrorang and Gajuri
rural municipalities re-
cently, a vaccination cam-
paign had been launched
with the cooperation of all
three levels of government
from April 29 to May 5.
The disease that had
spread from a Chepang
settlement in Ward No 6 of
Benighatrorang Rural Mu-
nicipality had claimed the
lives of two children.
According to District
Health Office Chief Dr
Bhuwan Poudel, the spe-
cial campaign was
www.thehimalayantimes.com
NATIONAL
THT
nel deployed along the
border on the Nepali side
have closed the border.
“Things escalated when
a large number of Indian
nationals tried to barge
into Nepal ignoring the
lockdown. Normalcy has
now returned,” said Ward
No 3 Chairperson Mahen-
dra Prasad Yadav of Subar-
na Rural Municipality.
Earlier, there had also
been a skirmish between
people of Nepal and India
at Balirampur of Bishram-
pur two days ago. The
clash had ensued after SSB
personnel abused a Nepali
farmer working in the field
near the Das Gaza area and
Nepali villagers came out
to retaliate.
launched in the district to
prevent the spread of the
disease to neighbouring
local levels.
Under the inoculation
campaign, as many as
11,381 children between
six months and 15 years of
age have been vaccinated
in Benighatrogang Rural
Municipality. Similarly,
more than 10,050 children
were vaccinated in Gajuri
Rural Municipality.
An eight-month-old
baby and another
24-month-old baby had
died in Benighatrorang
Rural Municipality from
measles in the fourth
week of March.
Deaths of the two chil-
dren from the disease had
prompted the govern-
ment to launch a special
vaccination campaign to
stop the disease from
spreading further.
NMA demands
10pc of total
budget for
health sector
Himalayan News Service
Kathmandu, May 7
Nepal Medical Association to-
day submitted a 23-point mem-
orandum to the Minister of
Health and Population Bhanub-
hakta Dhakal, putting forth a
charter of demands in relation to
the upcoming fiscal budget and
the COVID-19 pandemic.
The umbrella organisation of
medical and dental doctors de-
manded at least 10 per cent of
the total budget for health sector
as per the standard set by World
Health Organisation. “We also
want the government to formu-
late necessary laws, including
Health Services Act, to make
separate provision on the forma-
tion, operation of federal health
service related to appointment
of medical practitioners to en-
sure that the general public exer-
cise their right to health as artic-
ulated by the constitution,” read
the memorandum.
“We demand that the govern-
ment implement the Integrated
Health Infrastructure Develop-
ment Project by addressing the
liabilities of all three tiers of gov-
ernment in conformity with the
federal set-up for classification
of health facilities, projection of
need for human resources and
construction and development
of health infrastructure,” it read.
NMA has underscored the
need to conduct partnership
programmes between the gov-
ernment and private health in-
stitutions for expansion of quali-
ty health services. It has also
urged the government to formu-
late and implement Health Insti-
tution Quality Authority Act to
determine the quality of health
service to be provided by the
Skanda Gautam / THT
Injured pangolin
handed over to
forest office
Himalayan News Service
Dhading, May 7
A rare species of pangolin was found at
Tripurasundari Rural Municipality, in
Dhading, yesterday.
Locals handed over the injured pan-
golin to Dhading Division Forest Office
after minor treatment at the Livestock
Service Office in the rural municipality.
They said hunters might have trapped
the wild animal and the pangolin
might have been injured while strug-
gling to free itself.
Sanju Shrestha, a local of Salyantar
said that the injured pangolin was
found on Tuesday night.
Assistant Forest Officer Eklal Nepali
at the Divisional Forest Office said the
animal would be released into the wild
after further treatment.
Chief of Dhading Divisional Forest
Office Jibnath Poudel said it was very
difficult to manage food for the pango-
lin during its treatment. He said it ate
ants, among other small insects found
in the forest. He informed that it would
be released as soon as possible.
The rare pangolin species is found in
Dhading and some other places.
government, non-government
and private health facilities.
“The government has to ar-
range necessary physical infra-
structure and resources to deliv-
er specialised health services
from at least one hospital in
each province. It is also neces-
sary to ensure adequate infra-
structure and medical equip-
ment at tertiary hospitals for
specialised health services and
provide postgraduate pro-
gramme in medical education at
tertiary hospitals without charg-
ing fee to avoid shortage of med-
ical specialists,” NMA said.
Its other demands include
adoption of special policy to en-
courage doctors and health
workers deputed to remote are-
as; provision of transparent pro-
curement process of medical
equipment and kits as per WHO
guidelines; assurance of timely
maintenance and upgradation
of such equipment; appoint-
ment of doctors from the ninth
level in line with the standards of
other SAARC countries; increase
the posts of doctors as per the
federal set up; review facilities of
doctors and adjust existing 15
per cent of tax deducted at
source as the final tax.
In view of the COVID-19 pan-
demic, NMA has demanded
compulsory health insurance
and Personal Protective Equip-
ment for all doctors and health
workers, who are at the frontline.
It has also urged the government
to establish National Disease
Control Centre and construct a
1,000-bed hospital for preven-
tion and control of infectious
disease and management of
health related disaster, besides
announcement of special relief
package for the health sector.
Former
soldier
kills
leopard
Himalayan News Service
Damauli, May 7
A former Nepali Army sol-
dier today killed a female
leopard when the wild ani-
mal attacked him at Bhanu
Municipality in Tanahun.
Ram Bahadur Kumal,
36, fought with a leopard
for 15 to 20 minutes and
killed it. He chased the
leopard after it took a hen
from the chicken coop.
Villagers said the valor-
ous former Nepali Army
soldier had killed the wild
animal with his fists and a
stone.
Chief at Tanahun Divi-
sion Forest Office Kedar
Baral said the leopard had
OFFICE PHONE NO.
attacked Kumal this morn-
ing when he chased it as it
was fleeing with the hen.
Baral also informed that
villagers had later cone to
help Kumal.
Baral further said, “Ku-
mal had killed the leopard
and the villagers were hap-
py because the wild cat
had attacked people a
number of times.” Baral ,
however, said the leopard
looked sick.
SP Binod Silwal of Dis-
trict Police Office con-
firmed that the leopard
had attacked Kumal. Po-
lice said Kumal was being
treated at Gandaki Hospi-
tal, Pokhara, and was out
of danger. He received a
deep cut on neck, shoulder
and hands among other
body parts.
Earlier, the leopard had
killed half-a-dozen chil-
dren at Bhanu Municipali-
ty and as many as five chil-
dren were injured in differ-
ent incidents of wild ani-
mal attacks.
The District Administra-
tion had ordered to shoot
the leopard after the wild
animal started killing kids.
The Himalayan Times, Friday, May 8, 2020
• ONCE OV E R
A vehicle carrying vegetables
transporting people despite the
lockdown restriction, in
Chapagaun, Lalitpur, on Thursday.
Bal Krishna Thapa / THT
Violator fined, placed
in quarantine
LAMJUNG: A woman accused of vio-
lating the lockdown has been fined
and put in a quarantine facility in
Kholasothar Rural Municipality, Lam-
jung. Mina BK of Ghan Pokhara in
Marsyangdi Rural Municipality has
been quarantined in Baglungpani in
Kholasothar Rural Municipality and
was forced to pay Rs 5,000 for defying
the rule of the ward banning move-
ment of people from one village, ward
and local body to another. “As she
crossed from one local body to anoth-
er defying the rule, she was fined and
quarantined by the COVID-19 com-
mittee of the ward,” said Chairperson
of Ward No1, Pema Gurung. The ward
has adopted a strict policy of stopping
the possible spread of coronavirus. It
has taken action against 18 lockdown
violators till now. — HNS
Entry points sealed
KAVRE: With the coronavirus spread
increasing, the authority in Kavre has
closed all entry points to the district
effective from Thursday. With the clo-
sure movement to and from neigh-
bouring Sindhupalchowk, Ramech-
hap, Sindhuli, Bhaktapur, Lalitpur
and Makwanpur has stopped. Ac-
cording to COVID-19 Prevention,
Control, Management Command
Post member-secretary and District
Health Office Chief Narendra Jha, it
was decided to ask all 13 local bodies
of the district to strictly monitor their
borders and ban all movement except
in emergency cases. “The lockdown
will be implemented strictly in all
wards and settlements,” said Jha. — HNS
Relief distributed
BHOJPUR: Sherpa Construction op-
erators provided relief materials to
poor people, who could not manage
their daily meals during the lockdown
at Pauwadumma Rural Municipality
in Bhojpur on Thursday. Phurtemba
Sherpa, Narayan Tiwari, Santosh
Shrestha and Surya Tamang distribut-
ed relief materials to 250 daily wage
earners and the poor of wards 1 and 2
of the rural municipality. Phurtemba
Sherpa said they had distributed 25 kg
rice, two packets salt and two litres
cooking oil, among other materials.
Relief materials were distributed in
the presence of Provincial Assembly
member Rajendra Kumar Rai. — HNS
Truck-hit kills woman
SIRAHA: A woman died on the spot
after a truck hit her along the East-
West Highway at Golbazaar in Siraha
on Thursday. The deceased has been
identified as Binda Safi, 35, of Dhang-
adimai Municipality. The woman was
riding a bicycle. — HNS
EMERGENCY
NUMBERS
Police Control Room . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 100
Traffic Police Control Room . . . . . . . . 103
Fire Fighters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 101
Traffic Jam Information (SMS) . . . . JAM 4321
Emergency Police Service . . . . . . . 4228435
Crime Information . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4412748
Child Missing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 104
Nepal Electricity Authority . . . . . . . 4153164
Blood Bank, Pradarshani Marg . . . . 4225344
Nepal Red Cross Society, Teku . . . . 4270650
Bhaktapur Red Cross . . . . . . . . . . . 6611661
Army Hospital . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4271940
Bir Hospital . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4221988
Bhaktapur Cancer Hospital . . . . . . 6611532
Chirayu National Hospital . . . . . . . 5905888
Kanti Children Hospital . . . . . . . . . 4411550
Norvic Hospital . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4258554
Police Hospital . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4412430
Patan Hospital . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5522295
Om Hospital . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4476225
Star Hospital, Sanepa . . . . . . . . . . . 5550197
Teaching Hospital . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4412505
Grande Hospital . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5159266
Dr. Iwamura Memorial Hospital . . . . 6612695
Tilganga Hospital . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4493775
Hearse (Shav Vahan) . . . . . . . . . . . . 6612266
The Himalayan Times, Friday, May 8, 2020 www.thehimalayantimes.com Page 3

INTERNATIONAL

Gas leak at Indian

chemical plant kills
at least 11

Coronavirus worse ‘attack’ Indians upset at delayed

People affected by gas leak at the LG Polymers Plant being transported in a vehicle in
Visakhapatnam, on Thursday.
Reuters

than Pearl Harbor, 9/11, evacuation from UAE

Agence France Presse
Visakhapatnam, May 7
At least 11 people were killed
and hundreds hospitalised
after a pre-dawn gas leak at a
chemical plant in eastern In-
dia today that left uncon-
scious victims lying in the
streets, authorities said.
The gas escaped out of
tanks at a complex owned by
South Korea’s LG Chem that
had suspended operations
because of India’s coronavi-
rus lockdown.
Footage on Indian televi-
sion channels showed peo-
ple, including women and
children, slumped motion-
less in the streets of
Visakhapatnam, an industri-
al port city in Andhra
Pradesh state.
BK Naik, district hospitals
coordinator, said 11 people
had been confirmed killed
and 1,000 had initially been
hospitalised. “This is a ca-
lamity,” Naik told AFP.
However throughout the
day hundreds of people
were released and Naik
said today afternoon about
600 remained in hospital,
none of whom were in a crit-
ical condition.
Pictures taken by AFP at
the King George Hospital in
the city early in the day had
shown two or three patients
on each bed, many of them
children, and many uncon-
scious.
Some of the patients were
lying on the beds in the
sparse hospital wearing just
shorts and without tops or
shoes. “I pray for everyone’s
safety and well-being in
Visakhapatnam,” Prime
Minister Narendra Modi said
on Twitter.
The plant, operated by LG
Polymers, a subsidiary of LG
Chem, is on the outskirts of
Visakhapatnam.
The city and the sur-
rounding area are home to
around five million people.
LG Chem released a state-
ment in South Korea late to-
day morning indicating gas
had stopped leaking.
“The gas leak situation is
now under control and we
are exploring all ways to pro-
vide speedy treatment for
those who suffer from inhal-
ing the leaked gas,” the state-
ment said.
The plant had been left
idle because of the coronavi-
rus lockdown, according to
Swaroop Rani, an assistant
police commissioner in
Visakhapatnam.
“(The gas) was left there
because of the lockdown. It
led to a chemical reaction
and heat was produced in-
side the tanks, and the gas
leaked because of that,” Rani
told AFP. She said local vil-
lagers raised the alarm about
3:30am, saying there was gas
in the air, and police who
rushed to the scene had to
quickly retreat for fear of be-
ing poisoned.
“One could feel the gas in
the air and it was not possi-
ble for any of us to stay there
for more than a few min-
utes,” she said.
LG Chem confirmed the
plant, which makes polysty-
rene products, was not oper-
ating because of the lock-
down, but said there were
maintenance staff at the fa-
cility. “While it’s true that the
factory wasn’t operating as it
was under lockdown, there
were maintenance workers
inside,” a company spokes-
man told AFP in Seoul.
“A worker on night shift
discovered the leak and re-
ported it.”
According to the Centre
for Science and Environ-
ment, the gas was styrene,
which is likely carcinogenic
and combined with oxygen
in the air forms the more le-
thal styrene dioxide. The
leak happened because the
gas was not stored at the ap-
propriate temperature,
causing pressure to build up
and breaking the valve, the
CSE said.
says Donald Trump
Agence France Presse
Washington, May 7
Donald Trump has said the
coronavirus pandemic is a
worse “attack” on the United
St a t e s t h a n e i t h e r Pe a r l
Harbor or 9/11, taking aim once
again at China, which he said
should have stopped the disease
in its tracks.
The president has ramped up
his rhetoric against Beijing
in recent weeks, as the death toll
in the US has continued to
climb, and as he agitates to re-
open the shuttered — and stut-
tering — economy.
While some European and
Asian nations have started eas-
ing lockdowns, experts have
warned that despite the eco-
nomic pain, social distancing
measures remain necessary un-
til a vaccine is developed.
Globally the virus has infected
3.7 million people and killed
more than 260,000 — a quarter
of them in the US.
“It should have never hap-
pened,” Trump said of the dis-
ease that emerged in the Chi-
nese city of Wuhan last year.
“Could have been stopped at
the source. Could have been
stopped in China.”
“This is really the worst attack
we’ve ever had,” Trump told
reporters.
“This is worse than Pearl Har-
bor. This is worse than the World
Trade Centre.”
The Japanese assault on the
Pearl Harbor naval base in Ha-
waii drew the United States into
World War II.
The September 11, 2001 jihad-
ist attacks on that killed about
3,000 people and triggered two
decades of war.
So far, more than 73,000
Americans have died of COV-
ID-19, and Tom Frieden, former
director of the Centres for Dis-
ease Control and Prevention,
predicted the US toll could top
100,000 by the end of May.
“Until we have an effective
vaccine, unless something unex-
pected happens, our viral enemy
will be with us for many months
or years,” Frieden told a congres-
sional hearing.
The pandemic has hammered
healthcare infrastructure in
many parts of the United States,
including New York City, and its
impact has been particularly se-
vere on the least privileged sec-
tions of American society, such
as undocumented migrants.
Many of them are afraid of de-
portation, as well as the risk of
racking up unpayable medical
bills and hurting their quest to
obtain legal status. As a result,
many have contracted and died
of COVID-19.
Agence France Presse
Dubai, May 7
The first wave of a massive exercise
to bring home hundreds of thou-
sands of Indians stuck abroad was
due to begin today with two flights
from the United Arab Emirates.
India banned all incoming inter-
national flights in late March as it
imposed one of the world’s strictest
virus lockdowns, leaving vast num-
bers of workers and students
stranded. Some 15,000 nationals
will be repatriated from 12 coun-
tries on planes and naval ships, in a
mammoth exercise which saw the
civil aviation ministry’s website
crash Wednesday as panicked citi-
zens rushed to register.
Two warships have steamed to
the Maldives and another to the
UAE — home to a 3.3-mil-
lion-strong Indian community,
which makes up some 30 per cent
of the Gulf state’s population.
The consulate in Dubai said it
alone had received almost 200,000
applications, appealing on Twitter
for ‘patience and cooperation’ as
India undertakes the ‘massive task’
of repatriation. The oil-rich Gulf is
reliant on the cheap labour of mil-
lions of foreigners — mostly from
India, Pakistan, Nepal and Sri Lan-
ka — many of whom live in squalid
camps far from the region’s showy
skyscrapers and malls.
But the coronavirus and the dev-
astating economic impact of the
pandemic has left many workers
sick and others unemployed, un-
paid and at the mercy of some-
times unscrupulous employers.
Delay in evacuation has left
many Indian nationals craving to
return home frustrated. The first
two flights from Abu Dhabi and
Dubai today — both destined for
the southern Indian state of Kerala
according to an Air India schedule,
carrying just 354 people, and a
planned flight from Doha have
been postponed until the weekend.
According to Indian media re-
ports, delay in the flight schedule
has been triggered by the need to
test air crew for the coronavirus.
A naval vessel is expected to ar-
rive at Dubai’s Port Rashid, and the
Indian High Commission in the
Maldives posted images on Twitter
of one of its warships entering Male
Harbour ahead of Friday’s planned
evacuation of some 1,000 people.
Other flights will leave Singa-
pore, Malaysia and Philippines, as
well as London in the United King-
dom and San Francisco, New York,
Chicago and Washington in the US.
But frustrations have boiled over
at the slow pace of the exercise, as
well as the fact that evacuees will
have to pay for their passage home
and spend two weeks in quarantine
on arrival. “It is just propaganda,”
said Ishan, a 35-year-old Indian ex-
patriate in Dubai, who hasn’t been
able to secure a passage home. “We
are upset over the failure of our
government,” said Ishan, who was
a manager at a luxury services
company before he was made re-
dundant last month. “What about
the people with no money? How
are you helping them out?”

Global COVID count China slams US after Trump’s Detained American claims he plotted
• The novel coronavirus has killed
at least 263,792 people since
the outbreak first emerged in
China last December
• More than 3,766,180 cases
were registered in 195 countries
and territories. Of these, at least
1,179,700 are now considered
recovered
• The United States has the high-
est number of total deaths with
73,431 out of 1,228,609 cases.
At least 189,910 have been de-
clared recovered
• Britain now has the second
highest toll with 30,076 deaths
from 201,101 cases. On Tues-
day, figures compiled by British
regional health agencies put the
number of fatalities at over
32,000
• Italy, at one time the epicentre in
Europe, has registered 29,684
deaths and 214,457 cases,
Spain 26,070 fatalities and
221,447 infections and France
25,809 deaths and 174,191
cases
• China — excluding Hong Kong
and Macau — has to date de-
clared 4,633 deaths and 82,885
cases. It has 77,957 recovered
cases
• Europe has a total of 150,249
deaths from 1,641,959 cases,
the United States and Canada
have 77,710 deaths and
1,291,985 cases, Latin America
and the Caribbean have 16,425
deaths and 302,702 cases, Asia
has 9,962 deaths and 267,376
cases, the Middle East has
7,314 deaths and 202,367 cas-
es, Africa has 2,007 deaths from
51,569 cases, and Oceania 125
deaths from 8,223 cases
• Please note that due to correc-
tions by national authorities or
late publication of data, the fig-
ures updated over the past 24-
hour period may not correspond
exactly to the previous day’s
tallies. — bur-rbj/abm/jv/bp
coronavirus ‘attack’ claim
Agence France Presse
Beijing, May 7
China accused the
United States today of
trying to shift blame
over the Coronavirus,
after President Donald
Trump said the pan-
demic was a worse ‘at-
tack’ than Pearl Harbor
or 9/11.
Tension between the
world’s two biggest
economies has reached
fever pitch in recent
days as they have ex-
changed barbed com-
ments on each other’s
handling of the virus.
“We urge the US side
to stop shifting the
blame to China and
turn to facts,” said for-
Nicolas Maduro’s capture
eign ministry Spokes- The 11 September Reuters leader Juan Guaido to seek In the video, Denman, 34,
woman Hua Chunying 2001 Jihadist attacks Caracas, May 7 Maduro’s removal. answered questions from
at a press briefing. killed about 3,000 peo- A Guaido advisor told a person off-camera speaking
O n We d n e s d a y ple and triggered two A former US soldier captured CNN on Wednesday that he in English.
Trump drew analogies decades of war. in Venezuela said yesterday had signed an exploratory Denman, who looked calm
with the virus, which Trump said the Coro- that he had been contracted agreement, but it had never and wore a gray t-shirt, said his
emerged in the Chinese navirus pandemic by a Florida security firm to been finalised and the opposi- mission was to secure the air-
city of Wuhan last year, “should never have seize control of Caracas’ air- tion did not support the at- port and establish outer secu-
and infamous military happened.” “It could port and bring in a plane to fly tempted incursion. rity. He did not give details on
and terrorist attacks on have been stopped at President Nicolas Maduro to US President Donald Trump how his group planned to get
the United States. the source. It could the United States. has denied involvement. Maduro on a plane.
“This is really the have been stopped in Venezuelan authorities on A senior Trump administra- It was unclear when or
worst attack we’ve ever China,” he said. Monday arrested the man, tion official said Maduro’s ac- where the video was made,
had,” Trump told re- Hua responded say- Luke Denman, along with cusations of a US role “are not and where Denman and Berry
porters. ing, “They might say the fellow US citizen Airan credible” and the administra- are being held.
“This is worse than pandemic is compara- Berry and 11 others, in what tion remained focused on In March, the US Depart-
Pearl Harbor. This is ble to Pearl Harbor or Maduro has called a failed plot “achieving a peaceful, demo- ment of Justice charged
worse than the World 9/11, but the enemy coordinated with Washington cratic transition in Venezuela.” Maduro and a dozen other
Trade Centre.” facing the US is the nov- to oust him. Secretary of State Mike Pom- current and former Venezue-
The Japanese assault el Coronavirus”. During questioning broad- peo said on Wednesday that lan officials with “narco-terror-
on the Pearl Harbor na- She said Washington cast on state television, Den- the US government would use ism” and the Trump adminis-
val base in Hawaii drew should “fight side-by- man said the firm, Silvercorp “every tool” to secure the tration offered a reward of $15
the United States into side” with Beijing rather USA, had signed a contract Americans’ return, if they were million for information lead-
World War II. than as ‘enemies’. with Venezuelan opposition being held in Venezuela. ing to his arrest.

‘Cardinal George Pell knew of clergy sex abuse allegations for decades’
Agence France Presse
Sydney, May 7
Cardinal George Pell was aware
of child sexual abuse by Catholic
clergy in Australia as far back as
the 1970s and failed to seek the
removal of accused priests, ac-
cording to findings of a top-level
inquiry released today.
The Royal Commission report
was handed down in 2017 but
pages relating to Pell’s conduct
were heavily redacted to prevent
jurors in his trials on child sex
abuse allegations from being
prejudiced. Australia’s High
Court last month acquitted the
former Vatican treasurer of all
charges and freed him from jail,
allowing the release of findings
relating to Pell from the Royal
Commission into institutional
child sex abuse.
The commission found that
Pell, when he was a priest in the
rural diocese of Ballarat in Victo-
ria state, had begun considering
in 1973 the “prudence” of now-
jailed child sex abuser Gerald
Ridsdale taking boys on over-
night camping trips. “By this
time, child sexual abuse was on
his radar,” the commission said.
“We are also satisfied that by
1973 Cardinal Pell was not only
conscious of child sexual abuse
by clergy but that he also had
considered measures of avoiding
situations which might provoke
gossip about it.”
The commission found it
was “likely that he knew of Rids-
dale’s sexual transgressions”
when Pell joined a meeting
about moving the priest to an-
other parish in 1977.
Pell, who lived with Ridsdale in
1973, has insisted he had no
memory of claims of sustained
mistreatment in Ballarat. In a
statement today, Pell said he was
“surprised by some of the views
of the Royal Commission”.
The commission also found
that Pell should have sought the
removal of another priest, Father
Peter Searson, after receiving a
list of complaints from a delega-
tion of teachers in 1989 when Pell
was auxiliary bishop in Mel-
bourne. Searson was the subject
of “numerous” complaints be-
tween the 1970s and 1990s in-
cluding child sexual abuse and
his “unpleasant, strange, aggres-
sive and violent conduct”, the
commission said.
Though Pell conceded to the
inquiry that he could have been
“a bit more pushy” in recom-
mending a course of action to
the archbishop, the commission
found it had been “incumbent
on Pell” to act in 1989 but he did
not stand down Searson until
1997. In his statement today, Pell
said the teachers’ delegation “did
not mention sexual assaults and
did not ask for Searson’s remov-
al”. Searson pleaded guilty in
1997 to physically assaulting a
child but was never charged with
sexual abuse. He died in 2009.
When the Royal Commission
was announced in 2012, Pell —
then the archbishop of Sydney —
called the extent of abuse in the
Catholic Church “exaggerated”.
The inquiry heard that there
were more than 4,000 alleged
victims of paedophilia in reli-
gious institutions, and in some
Catholic dioceses more than 15
percent of priests were perpetra-
tors. Repeatedly questioned dur-
ing hearings about the Ballarat
diocese in the 1970s and 80s, Pell
apologised on behalf of the
church and did admit he
“mucked up” in dealing with
paedophile priests in the 1970s.
Pell, 78, spent more than a year
in prison after he was convicted
in December 2018 of sexually
abusing two choirboys in the
1990s when he was the archbish-
op of Melbourne.
He had strenuously denied the
charges and was later acquitted
by the High Court in a second ap-
peal against the conviction.
Page 4 www.thehimalayantimes.com The Himalayan Times, Friday, May 8, 2020

Minister Bhattarai
slams hoteliers’
layoff decision
Himalayan News Service
Kathmandu, May 7
Minister for Culture, Tour-
ism and Civil Aviation Yo-
gesh Bhattarai today con-
demned the decision of ho-
teliers to start laying off
workers and warned that
the government will take
action against the hotels
that do so.
Talking to the media to-
day, Minister Bhattarai said
that the decision of hotels
to cut down staffers during
the crisis is both illegal
and unethical and urged
hotels to cooperate with
the workers.
A few days ago, Hotel As-
sociation Nepal (HAN) —
the umbrella organisation
representing tourist stand-
ard hotels in the country —
had decided to shut their
businesses completely at
least till mid-November by
paying 12.5 per cent of
staff’s basic monthly salary.
Citing that hoteliers’
business was completely
down due to the coronavi-
rus pandemic and was ex-
pected to be affected for at
least one year, HAN had
also decided to cut down
staffers gradually if they did
not cooperate on this provi-
sion.
However, Bhattarai said
that the move to lay off
workers is illegal. “The gov-
ernment has already direct-
ed businesses not to cut
down staffers during this
critical period and has also
Business
Government’s programmes and policies
assured the businesses af-
to be presented in Parliament on May 15
Himalayan News Service President Bhandari, on the rec- programmes and policies were before the budget announcement. “Technical committees and the
fected by the pandemic Kathmandu, May 7 ommendation of the Council of presented in the Parliament in pre- President Bhandari will present budget division at the Finance
necessary facilitation,” he Ministers, has already summoned vious years, it has been reversed the annual budget for 2020-21 dur- Ministry are working on govern-
said, adding that the gov- President Bidhya Devi Bhandari is the budget session of Parliament at due to time constraint and unfa- ing the joint session of the House ment’s programmes and policies
ernment is working on nec- scheduled to present the govern- 4:00pm on May 8. As per the Parlia- vourable context owing to the of Representatives and National and the budget. As the entire
essary relief packages for ment’s programmes and policies ment’s Secretariat, pre-budget dis- COVID-19 pandemic, according to Assembly on May 28. country and the economy is suffer-
both workers and business- for fiscal year 2020-21 on May 15. cussions will be held in the House Dasharath Dhamala, assistant The Ministry of Finance (MoF), ing from the spread of coronavirus
es, which will also be ad- As per the schedule prepared by of Representatives for three days spokesperson at the Parliament’s which is preparing the pro- and different resultant circum-
dressed through the pro- the Parliament’s Secretariat, the starting from May 10, while the Secretariat. grammes and policies of the gov- stances, both the programmes and
grammes and policies of programmes and policies of the pre-budget discussion in the Na- As per the Constitutional provi- ernment and the budget for the policies and the budget will
the government and the government will be presented dur- tional Assembly will be held for sion, the government should bring next fiscal year, said that both pro- focus on lifting the businesses,
budget for the upcoming ing a joint session of the House of two days starting from the same the fiscal budget on the 15th day of grammes and policies and the economy and the entire country
fiscal year. Representatives and National As- date. Nepali month Jestha, which falls budget will focus on supporting out of the ongoing crisis,” said
Urging hoteliers to shelve sembly after concluding the pre- Though the pre-budget discus- on May 28 this year, and conclude the economy and its revival from Uttar Kumar Khatri, spokesperson
plans to cut down workers, budget discussions. sion used to kick off only after the the pre-budget discussion 15 days the coronavirus pandemic. for MoF.
Bhattarai assured that the
government is holding dis-
cussions on providing sub-
sidised loans without col-
lateral to tourism-related
businesses, along with re-
• BIZ BRIEFS
structuring their existing
loans and providing a few World food prices
tax-related facilities.
ROME: World food prices fell for a
Minister Bhattarai also
third consecutive month in April, hit
informed that the govern-
by the economic and logistical im-
ment will also announce a
pact of the coronavirus pandemic,
10-year strategic plan to re-
the United Nations food agency said
vive and upscale Nepal’s
on Thursday. The Food and Agricul-
tourism industry through
ture Organisation (FAO) food price
the budget for 2020-21 fis-
index, which measures monthly
cal year.
changes for a basket of cereals, oil-
“Even though we could
seeds, dairy products, meat and sug-
not observe the Visit Nepal
ar, averaged 165.5 points last month,
2020 tourism campaign
down 3.4 per cent on March. The FAO
due to the COVID-19 pan-
sugar price index fell to a 13-year low,
demic, we still are prepar-
plunging 14.6 per cent from March.
ing to observe 2020 to 2030
The vegetable oil price index fell 5.2
as tourism decade,” in-
per cent, while the dairy index
formed Bhattarai.
dropped 3.6 per cent. The meat index
He said that 2020 would
shed 2.7 per cent. FAO also said major
be taken as a year of surviv-
producing countries suffered logisti-
al in the tourism sector,
AP cal bottlenecks, while coronavirus
2021 as the year of revival
A file photo of fishmonger Ramu Subedi of Nepal weighing a fish at a Carrefour supermarket amid the coronavirus pandemic, in lockdowns in many nations had
and the remaining years
Dubai. Frontline workers across Arab Gulf countries are uniquely almost entirely foreigners. The global pandemic has drawn caused a sharp fall in sales. — Reuters
till 2030 as tourism promo-
attention to just how vital foreigners are to the Arab Gulf countries where they work.
tion years.
O2-Virgin merger

‘Only genuine developers IMF approves China exports saw

MADRID: Telefonica and Liberty
Global on Thursday said they would
merge their UK units O2 and Virgin
Media to create a £38-billion tele-

to get hydro licence’ disbursement surprise 3.5 per cent coms giant that could shake up the
British market. The mega-deal is the
biggest tie-up to be unveiled since

of $214m
the coronavirus pandemic hit home

jump in April, imports fell

Himalayan News Service Stating that the government has in March, sending most of the planet
Kathmandu, May 7 regulated banks, insurance firms into lockdown and dealing a major
and cooperatives in the past due blow to the global economy. Until

to Nepal
Minister for Energy, Water Re-
sources and Irrigation Barshaman
Pun has warned that completing
the normal processes alone will
no longer suffice to be granted
generation licence for hydropow-
er plants.
“Only genuine developers will
be granted the generation licence
from now on,” said Minister
Pun, adding that risk-averse in-
vestors should refrain from
investing in hydropower sector
and should rather invest in other
low-risk sectors.
Speaking during the first anni-
versary of the Nepal Electricity
Regulatory Commission (NERC)
today, Pun said, “Those who can-
not initiate work the day after
getting the generation licence
are better off investing in another
sector. There are many other areas
for investment.”
He further said that the govern-
ment welcomes genuine investors
who are competent and focused
on delivering quality results. “We
will facilitate honest investors and
clean investment in a transparent
manner.”
to the problem of public invest-
ment being drained by unscrupu-
lous developers, he informed that
the ministry has a plan to prevent
bad investment in the hydropow-
er sector by setting uniform
applicable standards for the
betterment of the overall sector.
He also said that the govern-
ment is trying to promote Nepali
electricity in the international
market. “The private sector
should now abandon the mentali-
ty of selling electricity only to
Nepal Electricity Authority as they
are able to move towards finding
an external market themselves.”
He further informed that the
new Electricity Act, which in-
cludes provisions that have ad-
dressed the demands of the pri-
vate players to make the power
sector more competitive, is under
consideration at the Parliament.
Speaking at the programme,
Dilli Bahadur Singh, chairman of
NERC, said the regulatory com-
mission will play a crucial role in
making the electricity service
more effective, reliable and com-
petitive in the future.
Himalayan News Service
Kathmandu, May 7
The executive board of the International
Monetary Fund (IMF) has approved a
disbursement to Nepal under the Rapid
Credit Facility (RCF) equivalent to SDR
156.9 million (about $214 million,
100 per cent of quota) to help cover
urgent balance of payments (BoP) and
fiscal needs stemming from the
COVID-19 pandemic.
The COVID-19 pandemic is having a
severe impact on Nepal’s economy.
During recent months, remittances
have fallen considerably, tourist arrivals
have collapsed, and domestic activity
has taken a hit amid social distancing
measures.
“The IMF financial support will make
a substantial contribution to filling im-
mediate external and fiscal financing
needs that have emerged due to
COVID-19,” a media release issued by
the IMF says, adding, “It is also expected
to catalyse additional support from
development partners.”
Agence France Presse
Beijing, May 7
China’s exports saw a shock 3.5 per
cent rise in April despite the global
impact of the coronavirus pandemic,
official figures showed today, but ana-
lysts warned of weakness ahead as
key markets suffer downturns.
The brewing threat of a renewed
trade war with the United States
could also pose a problem, observers
said.
Imports fell 14.2 per cent on-year, a
steeper drop than last month, as per
the Customs Administration.
Bloomberg had predicted 11 per
cent dive in exports and 10 per cent
plunge in imports.
Beijing says it has been successful
in largely curbing the spread of the vi-
rus in the country, and many busi-
nesses and factories are now back at
work after months of closure to con-
tain the outbreak.
Louis Kuijs of Oxford Economics
noted that ‘April shipments may have
been boosted by exporters making up
for shortfalls in the first quarter due to
supply constraints then’.
now, O2, which is owned by Spain’s
In the January to February period, Telefonica, and Virgin Media, which
the height of the coronavirus out- is owned by US cable giant Liberty
break in China, exports had plum- Global, have been rivals. — AFP
meted 17.2 per cent.
Iris Pang, ING chief economist for
Greater China, told AFP that another
potential boost was China’s exports of
medical supplies as the rest of the
world grappled with the pandemic.
The manufacturing of parts for 5G
infrastructure in Asian supply chains
would have continued as well, and
given that these are tied to govern-
ment-planned projects, they are less
affected by market demand, Pang
said.
But in spite of the bounceback this
time — the first return to positive ter-
ritory for exports this year — analysts
Reuters
do not expect the trend to last as Chi-
na’s key trading partners fall into re- A file photo of a salesperson
cession. displaying JioPhone on the
Julian Evans-Pritchard of Capital outskirts of Ahmedabad. India is
Economics said Chinese shipments gearing up to roll out a version of its
are unlikely immune from the coronavirus contact-tracing
sharp slowdown in global activity application that can run on mobile
for long, pointing to a recent plunge carrier Reliance Jio’s cheap phones
in South Korean exports and noting
they are a ‘timely proxy for global to increase the reach of the system.
demand’.

Grim global economic data shows devastating impact of coronavirus

United Nations warns of risk to world’s least-developed countries, issues new appeal for $4.7bn in funding to help them
Agence France Presse
London, May 7
Evidence mounted of the devas-
tating economic impact of the
coronavirus pandemic today as
hard-hit Europe moved to fur-
ther ease lockdown measures
that ground its economies to a
halt.
Germany and France reported
major slumps in industrial pro-
duction and Britain said its eco-
nomic output would plummet
by 14 per cent this year. The Unit-
ed States also announced that
nearly 3.2 million laid-off work-
ers applied for unemployment
benefits last week as the business
shutdowns caused by the viral
outbreak deepened the worst US
economic catastrophe in dec-
ades.
Governments around the
world are under immense pres-
sure to ease the economic pain
caused by measures to stop the
virus, which has claimed more
than 263,000 lives and left half of
humanity under some form of
lockdown.
Some European nations are
now cautiously easing restric-
tions in the hopes of stabilising
their reeling economies, with
some shops and schools
re-opening and even Germany’s
Bundesliga football league to re-
sume on May 15, though without
spectators.
US President Donald Trump is
also pushing for lockdown meas-
ures to be lifted, while engaging
in a war of words with China that
saw him claim the pandemic was
a worse ‘attack’ on the United
States than Pearl Harbor or 9/11.
But experts have warned that
social distancing will remain
necessary until a vaccine is de-
veloped — and governments are
keen to avoid a devastating sec-
ond wave of infections.
The British government was
today reviewing lockdown
measures, with a partial easing
expected to be announced this
weekend.
Trouble for
tourism
The easing has already begun
in Germany, Europe’s largest
economy, while on May 11
France is due to start emerging
from a lockdown that began in
mid-March, with Prime Minister
Edouard Philippe to announce
on Thursday how this initial
de-confinement will take shape.
Many Europeans are anxious
to get back to work, like Elena
Isaac, a restaurant owner in Cy-
prus’s now-empty beach resort
of Ayia Napa.
“You can’t survive with no
tourists ... It is impossible,” she
told AFP, as nearby residents en-
joyed the loosening of a six-week
lockdown with swims in the
Mediterranean.
Economists have been warn-
ing for weeks that the pandemic
will lead to a global economic
downturn not seen since the
Great Depression of the 1930s
and new data is bringing the im-
pact into sharper focus.
The Bank of England said the
economic output of Britain —
which has the second-highest
number of deaths in the world —
was set to crash 14 per cent this
year. The forecast came a day af-
ter the European Union warned
of a 7.7 per cent eurozone con-
traction in 2020.
Industrial production in Ger-
many fell by 9.2 per cent month-
on-month in March, official fig-
ures showed today, the worst fall
since the manufacturing output
data series was started in 1991.
The slump in France was even
greater with industrial output
dropping by 16.2 per cent in
March on a monthly basis.
Airlines and travel are among
the sectors worst hit by the pan-
demic, with flights grounded
worldwide and social distancing
measures severely limiting lei-
sure and business trips.
The World Tourism Organisa-
tion said today that the number
of international tourist arrivals
will plunge by 60 to 80 per cent in
2020 because of the pandemic.
Spectre of multiple
famines
Many undocumented mi-
grants are afraid of deportation,
as well as risk of racking up un-
payable medical bills and hurt-
ing their quest to obtain legal sta-
tus. As a result, many have con-
tracted and died of COVID-19.
“He was very ill but did not
want to go to the hospital,” Victo-
ria, a Mexican nanny in New York
City, said of her 69-year-old hus-
band who had kidney problems
and diabetes. “After two weeks,
when he could no longer walk or
breathe, my daughter took the
risk, loaded him into the car and
drove him there. He died three
weeks later.”
The United Nations today
again warned of the risk to the
world’s least-developed coun-
tries, issuing a new appeal for
$4.7 billion in funding to help
them — on top of the $2 billion it
has already requested.
‘The most devastating and
destabilising effects’ of the pan-
demic ‘will be felt in the world’s
poorest countries’, UN Under
Secretary General for Humani-
tarian Affairs Mark Lowcock said.
“Unless we take action now,
we should be prepared for a sig-
nificant rise in conflict, hunger
and poverty. The spectre of mul-
tiple famines looms.”
The Himalayan Times, Friday, May 8, 2020 www.thehimalayantimes.com Page 5

• TIME OUT
AFP
South Korean skating champion
Lim Hyo-jun arrives for his trial
over sexual harassment at Seoul
Central District Court on Thursday.
Lim convicted
SEOUL: South Korean Olympic short-
track speed skating gold medallist
Lim Hyo-jun was convicted on
Thursday of sexually harassing a fel-
low male athlete by pulling down his
trousers, a Seoul court said. Lim, 23,
won the 1500m on home ice at the
2018 Winter Games in Pyeongchang
and also took bronze in the 500m. But
last year he was charged for forcibly
pulling down the victim’s clothing in
front of teammates at the national
training centre, and in August was
banned from competition for a year.
He was fined 3 million won ($2,500)
and ordered to undergo 40 hours of
therapy for sex offenders, a spokes-
person for Seoul Central District
Court said. — AFP
Australian Open
faces cancellation
SYDNEY: Tennis Australia conceded
that January’s Australian Open faces
cancellation under a worst-case sce-
nario, but said it was looking at a
range of options in hope the COV-
ID-19 crisis eases. This year’s tennis
calendar has been suspended until at
least July 13 and, with global borders
closed, there is uncertainty about
when the international circuit can re-
sume. The season-opening Grand
Slam is scheduled to take place in
Melbourne from January 18-31, more
than eight months away, and Tennis
Australia said it would abide by what-
ever restrictions were in place at that
time. This year’s Wimbledon has been
cancelled for the first time since
World War II and the French Open
postponed until the end of Septem-
ber. The US Tennis Association will
decide in mid-June whether or not
Sports
Clubs gearing up for resumption
of Bundesliga in nine days’ time
Agence France Presse
Berlin, May 7
Bundesliga clubs were racing on
Thursday to get ready for the restart
of the season in nine days’ time,
amid concerns about whether the
players will stick to the strict hy-
giene guidelines implemented to
ensure the campaign is completed.
Twenty-four hours after Chancel-
lor Angela Merkel’s government
gave the German Football League
the green light to return, the league
said it will resume the season on
Saturday, May 16. The Bundesliga
will be the first top European foot-
ball league to restart matches since
the outbreak of the coronavirus
forced lockdown measures to be
imposed across the continent.
All games will be played without
spectators. The opening day’s key
game is between second-placed
Borussia Dortmund and arch-rivals
Schalke in the Ruhr derby at Dort-
mund’s Signal Iduna Park — but in-
stead of being roared on by an
81,000 crowd, the teams will play in
an empty stadium.
France has already ended the
Ligue 1 season, with football in
England, Spain and Italy still
suspended. The situation gives
“German football a huge head
start”, according to Eintracht
Frankfurt sporting director Fredi
Bobic. Until Merkel gave the go-
ahead, clubs had still been training
in small groups.
On Thursday, Dortmund, who
were four points behind leaders
Bayern Munich when the league
was halted in mid-March, held
full team training for the first
time in seven weeks. “We have
had very constructive talks with
the local health authority about it,”
a club spokesman told AFP subsidi-
ary SID.
Borussia Moenchengladbach
also resumed team training, despite
announcing Thursday that one of
their backroom staff had “a very
weak” positive test of the coronavi-
rus and had been quarantined.
“The coaches and the team have
‘Indian hero’ Baskov feeds
poor in lockdown
worked under unusual conditions
over the past few weeks. Everyone is
happy team training is permitted
again,” said Borussia’s sporting di-
rector Max Eberl.
The Bundesliga wants to com-
plete the last nine rounds of match-
es before June 30 to secure around
300 million euros ($325 million) in
television money. However, it is a
step into the unknown. “One must
not forget, we are now in a situation
that we do not know,” admitted
Bayern Munich chairman Karl-
He i n z Ru m m e n i g g e. “ We’re
all starting a bit from zero. One
cannot rule out that there are one
or two surprises.”
The worry is that an outbreak of
the coronavirus in the league could
again halt the resumed season, this
time for good. There were 10 posi-
tive cases from 1,724 tests of players
and staff at the top 36 clubs in the
first wave of testing. The onus is
firmly on the players to follow the
hygiene guidelines, including
avoiding contact at all times.
Hertha Berlin striker Salomon
Kalou, 34, was suspended earlier
this week by his club for posting a
video on social media where he
shook hands with teammates.
Kalou issued an apology, but
politicians pointed to the Ivory
Coast forward as an example of how
not to behave during a pandemic
which has so far claimed over 7,000
lives in Germany.
Germany captain Manuel Neuer
has said Bundesliga footballers
have a “enormous responsibility” to
be role models. To drum home the
point, German daily Bild translated
Bayern Munich goalkeeper
Manuel Neuer attends a
training session at the
team's training grounds
in Munich on Tuesday.
AFP
“Follow The Rules!” into 28 lan-
guages for the 278 foreign players in
the league.
“I was horrified,” Dortmund CEO
Hans-Joachim Watzke told Bild
when asked about the Kalou video.
“I will tell our players again that we
have a big responsibility. Hertha did
the right thing. Such individual cas-
es have to be sanctioned harshly.”
A similar message will be the
mantra at Bayern. “I hope that the
Kalou video remains an isolated
case and we have received a bit of
warning with it,” said Rummenigge.
Bayern will also have a tough fixture
as they resume their search for an
eighth consecutive title. Bayern
travel to Berlin on Sunday, May 17,
where Union will not be able to rely
on the usual cauldron-like atmos-
phere of their home ground.
Will Premier League sans
fans be worth the wait?
Agence France Presse
Football set to
allow five subs
in ‘temporary’
response to virus
suspension
Agence France Presse
Lausanne, May 7
Football’s lawmakers are this week set to
announce a “temporary” change to the
laws of the sport allowing teams to make
up to five substitutions in games when the
sport resumes after the coronavirus-in-
duced suspension.
The proposal to help teams cope with
likely fixture congestion in a packed calen-
dar was made by world governing body
FIFA and is expected to be validated by the
International Football Association Board
(IFAB) this Friday.
The IFAB said last week that it was work-
ing with FIFA on a “temporary dispensa-
tion of Law 3 (The Players) allowing com-
petitions to give teams the option to use a
maximum of five substitutes on up to
three occasions during the match, plus at
half-time.”
Limiting the number of occasions on
which teams can make changes would re-
move the incentive to do so purely for
time-wasting purposes. A sixth change
may also be permitted in matches that go
to extra time. Currently teams can make
three substitutions during games, al-
though since 2018 teams have been al-
lowed to make a fourth substitution in ex-
tra time.
Leagues will not be obliged to imple-
ment the change, a source said, but they
will be free to do so as soon as they restart
after almost all football around the world
shut down in mid-March because of the
pandemic. The German Bundesliga is set
to be the first leading European league to
restart later this month.
The IFAB’s objective is to “protect play-
ers’ health” when matches do resume,
with a fixture schedule that could be even
more packed than usual potentially lead-
ing to an “increased risk of injuries”. While
the measure is intended to be temporary,
it could be maintained for the whole of the
2020-21 season and right through to the
next European Championship, which was
postponed by a year until June and July
2021 because of the pandemic.
the Premier League was on March 9
and it will not return until June at

Namaste in,
the US Open will be able to begin on London, May 7
the earliest, with Liverpool’s title
schedule in August. — AFP The English Premier League is ada- coronation on hold for now. After
mant that it can overcome huge such a long and unexpected lay-off,
‘Medals were stolen’
LOS ANGELES: Hall of Famer Patrick
Ewing has revealed two Olympic gold
high-fives out logistical challenges to get players
back on the pitch during the coro-
navirus crisis but has long since
league bosses are hoping there will
be an insatiable demand for their
product. Allowing fans to buy “vir-

for post-virus
accepted there will be no fans in tual season tickets” to watch every
medals and a college basketball the stadiums. match live has even been mooted
championship ring were stolen dur- English Football Association as an idea to help mitigate the loss
ing a burglary at his home several chairman Greg Clarke became the of matchday income.

years ago. In an interview with the
syndicated “Dan Patrick Show” radio
and television programme, Ewing
said the gold he won as part of the
1992 “Dream Team” was among the
items stolen. “My house got broken
into in New York at one point and
they stole my medals,” Ewing said.
Ewing’s 1984 Olympic gold medal
and his NCAA championship ring
won with Georgetown were also sto-
len. Ewing, who is now Georgetown’s
head coach, said he recovered his col-
lege championship ring when it was
put up for sale on eBay. Ewing said he
later obtained replacement gold
medals after calling USA Basketball
director Jerry Colangelo. — AFP
Guidelines issued
LONDON: Boxers fighting in Britain
would be required to wear masks
during ring walks and would be
banned from using a spit bucket un-
der proposals to allow for a resump-
tion of the sport. Boxing authorities
are reportedly gearing up for a July re-
start following the coronavirus shut-
down. The BBC said a consultation
document sent to promoters pro-
posed that boxing cards would take
place behind closed doors with a
maximum five bouts and no “cham-
pionship contests”. Boxers would be
allowed to box without a mask but
referees and corner staff would be
obliged to wear them. All boxers,
trainers and referees would be tested
for COVID-19 48 hours before fights
and would self-isolate at a hotel until
their test result was known. — AFP
Moldovan tennis player Dmitrii Baskov (centre) packs food along
with Director of Ace Tennis Academy Pramesh Modi (right) and
Founder of Shree Sava Foundation Ami Pramesh Modi.
Agence France Presse
Ahmedabad, May 7
Moldovan tennis player Dmitrii
Baskov has been hailed as an “Indi-
an hero” after joining a campaign
to feed Ahmedabad’s poor, who are
struggling during the coronavirus
lockdown.
Baskov, a two-time Davis Cup
player, arrived in India in January
to visit a tennis academy before the
advancing pandemic prevented
him from returning home. The
25-year-old, once a hitting partner
for Wimbledon champion Simona
Halep, has since been helping out
by packaging food for the needy in
Ahmedabad, capital of the western
state of Gujarat.
He is among a team packing
bread, rice and other dishes at the
Ace Tennis Academy, destined for
the city’s slums and containment
zones. “My friend Pramesh Modi
mentioned this (idea of feeding the
poor) and I said yes, sounds great
and the next day we did it and it
continued day after day,” Baskov
told AFP. “One hundred, 200, 300
packets and then we realised we
AFP
are doing some great stuff. It is not
a daily desire or action, it is now a
natural act of helping. I am a
sportsman and nothing more than
that but the desire to help is always
with me.”
The lockdown, imposed on
March 25, has caused misery for
millions who rely on India’s vast,
hand-to-mouth informal sector.
Ahmedabad has seen a surge in
coronavirus cases and the city re-
mains under strict lockdown, with
only milk and vegetable shops al-
lowed to remain open. Gujarat is
the second-worst hit among India’s
states and territories, with 6,625
cases and 396 deaths.
Baskov’s efforts have received
wide attention in Gujarat newspa-
pers. The food packages are picked
up and distributed by workers
from Ahmedabad’s municipal gov-
ernment. “He (Baskov) wraps the
rotis (bread) in the silver foil with
absolute precision,” Pramesh’s
wife Ami Modi told AFP. “He is pas-
sionate and particular with what
he is doing. Since the time he got to
know of this act, he has joined us
and is a hero.”
cricket: Rahane
Agence France Presse
New Delhi, May 7
Namaste and clapping could replace
handshakes and high-fives when cricket
resumes after the coronavirus pandemic,
India’s Ajinkya Rahane said.
Wicket celebrations might look very dif-
ferent post-virus, the 31-year-old batsman
said, predicting many changes on and off
the field. “I think we might go back to the
good old days when fielders would still
stand in their designated positions after
the fall of a wicket and clap,” Rahane said.
“Maybe handshakes will be replaced by
a namaste,” he added, referring to the In-
dian greeting where both hands are
brought together in front of the chest. “But
once sport resumes, you can’t take any-
thing for granted. The safety of the fans will
be of utmost importance. There will be
changes in lifestyle while travelling.”
The COVID-19 outbreak has brought
the sporting world to a halt, with the 2020
Olympics postponed for a year and crick-
et’s richest club tournament, the Indian
Premier League, delayed indefinitely. Ra-
hane said the players will need around a
month to prepare for their comeback,
adding cricket should only return once
there’s a vaccine for the novel coronavirus.
“We would be needing three to four
weeks of proper practice before playing
any kind of competitive game,” said Ra-
hane, speaking as brand ambassador of
the ELSA (English Language Speech Assis-
tant) app. “I am missing my batting. But
obviously, cricket should only start when
we get a vaccine to fight the virus.”
latest senior figure to admit this
week that social-distancing guide-
lines make it impossible for sup-
porters to congregate in stadiums
“any time soon”.
The drive behind the Premier
League’s “Project Restart” is the at-
tempt to avoid having to pay back
millions in TV revenue. Clubs could
reportedly miss out on £762 million
($946 million) for failing to com-
plete this season alone. According
to UEFA’s latest European Club
Footballing Landscape report, just
13 per cent of the Premier League’s
revenue comes from gate receipts.
England’s top tier therefore has
the luxury many other leagues can-
not afford of trying to ride out the
economic storm without paying
fans coming to watch in the stadi-
um. “We might not like it, it might
not be the perfect solution, but it is
the only solution that we’ve got to
move forward,” David Webber, a
senior lecturer in football studies at
Solent University, told AFP.
However, the billions in televi-
sion revenues the Premier League
has been able to tap into is not only
thanks to the quality of the players
on the field but the atmosphere
provided by thousands of passion-
ate fans.
“The whole economic model
only works when the grounds are
pretty full,” said Richard Scuda-
more, who oversaw the Premier
League’s growth into a vast com-
mercial giant from 1999 to 2018.
“No actor likes playing in front of an
empty hall,” he told the Telegraph.
The last time a ball was kicked in
But the University of Brighton’s
Mark Doidge agrees with Scuda-
more that the essence of what
makes the Premier League special
might be lost.
“Short-term there might be peo-
ple who want to watch games on
television,” said Doidge, a senior re-
search fellow at the School of Sport
and Service Management. “But I
think the novelty will wear off very
quickly when you realise that actu-
ally a large part of what drives the
game is not just the people on the
pitch, but the people in the stands.”
Doidge said players and fans feed
off the collective, emotional energy
in English stadiums. “That collec-
tive atmosphere is part and parcel
of what the game is,” he said. “If
they haven’t got that to feed off, is
the quality of football going to be
there and ultimately will the tele-
visual experience be there?”
Premier League clubs are report-
edly already making contingency
plans to play out the whole of the
2020/21 season behind closed
doors. Yet, it remains to be seen if
there will be any demand for such a
deluge of sanitised matches from
armchair supporters, TV compa-
nies and even players.
“It’s a strange situation not hav-
ing the fans there. That’s what
makes football, that’s what makes
the atmosphere,” Tottenham and
England midfielder Harry Winks
told the BBC. “It’s not something
that I like and I know a lot of players
feel the same way. It’s not some-
thing that anybody really wants to
do,” Winks added.
Page 6 www.thehimalayantimes.com The Himalayan Times, Friday, May 8, 2020

VARIETY

Selfless • HEROES AROUND US

Farmers’ worries eased with
delivery of paddy seeds for plantation
efforts to paddy. The cooperative’s
Chairperson Punya Ram

safeguard
Dumaru also said they are
engaging in preparing and
distributing quality seeds
in collaboration with Soil
Science Division, Nepal

one’s City
A g r i c u l t u re Re s e a rc h
Council, Khumaltar, Lalit-
pur. Dumaru shared, “We
distributed the same seeds
last year too, and farmers

K
responded positively on
Photos: Courtesy Minhaz Khan
ATHMANDU: At noon everyday the production from the
Minhaz Khan from Bijay Chowk, seeds. We are getting a
Gaushala makes his way to his high demand this year
coffee shop in Thamel in his fa- from other municipalities
ther’s old pickup filled with from the Valley too.”
packed biryani (a rice dish) to distribute The Municipality is de-
RSS
among the poor, homeless workers, for- livering the seeds in coor-
eigners and street children, who wait for his Bijay Laxmi Duwal I’ve heard that we will be (one paathi) Chinese Ta- dination with the wards
arrival outside his shop. Kathmandu provided seeds by Bhakta- ichin seeds to each house and local volunteers. Gora
Khan, 38, an entrepreneur, started dis- pur Municipality. We are of 10 wards for free from said there are around 50

tributing food to the poor and needy since
March 25 under his Menz Foundation. “In
the initial days, there used to be 60-70 peo-
ple; now I serve more than 200 people every
day,” informed Khan. So far he has been
able to feed more than 8,000 people.
And distribution of food is not limited to and finish by 2:00 pm”.
his Thamel coffee shop; he has been reach- His work does not end here — af-
ing out “to the needy in various parts of the ter this Khan heads out to various
City like Baneshwore including slum areas public offices, health posts and
along Bagmati corridor”. other areas to carry out disinfec-
His wife Roshni, 26, and two brothers — tion work. “Disinfection is very es-
Hassan,12 and Hussain, 14 along with Khan sential as it’s the only weapon that
prepare the food which “starts at 6:00 am kills the virus. So every day I disin-
and goes for hours. After packing it all, I fect various places of the City with
head towards the regular point (his coffee a hydrochloride spray,” said Khan
shop) to distribute it around 12:00 noon, adding, “As my father is in dyeing
business, we have hydrochloride
stock. I am using it to make society
safe, as much as I can.”
Khan has also been distributing
Personal Protective Equipment
(PPE) to essential workers and of-
fices which he makes in his own
factory at Chaumati. “I feel in this
uncertain time, it’s important for
everyone to remain safe, and PPE is
the best way to keep oneself safe,”
shared Khan who has distributed
more than 1,200 PPEs to media or-
ganisations, medical facilities and
volunteers, among many others.
He assures these PPEs are de-
signed under the World Health Or-
gansation standard and a team of
10-15 individuals and 60-65 ma-
chines have been actively working
to bring out these PPEs, which are
T
he extension of
the lockdown was
a cause for worry
and stress for Pur-
na Gopal Rajchal. He now
had to seek alternatives for
made of “Gore-Tex fabric which paddy seed arrangement
can be used as a rain coat and can which he would have to
be washed and re-used”. start by May-end. As he was
Khan credits his father as his not able to get seeds in the
motivation. “I am following in the market during lockdown,
footsteps of my father Shamim he had made up his mind
Khan. He has always been open to borrow seeds of any
and ready about helping others. available rice species from
He is the inspiration behind his neighbour. But luckily,
my efforts.” he received the seeds after
The inner satisfaction Minhaz they were delivered to his
gets makes him continue with his house in Ward-5 — courte-
selfless efforts. “A mother feeds her sy municipality authorities.
child with the food I give right in “The lockdown is on and
front of me, a foreigner who’s been seeds are not available. We
stuck here looks at me with love cannot let our cultivable
and respect, a street child tries land lie barren. In such a
touching my feet after he receives
his meal. This leaves me with
situation, we are happy
with the initiation of Bhak-
great satisfaction.” tapur Municipality to deliv-
Minhaz is using his savings for er paddy seeds to the door-
this. “I had my savings which I am step of farmers. It would
using. I will continue till they last. have been difficult to find
But I have plans to continue this seeds even if the lockdown
service until the lockdown ends.” ended,” said Rajchal.
Appealing to everyone to sup- H o w e v e r, R a s m i l a
port each other, he said, “There are Lubanjar has still not got
less poor than rich in the City. If the seeds from the munici-
everybody gets concerned and pality. “I used to buy seeds
reaches out to the needy ones in from a shop that is 20 min-
the community, then no one will utes from my home. I am
die of hunger.” — Raju Upreti not sure if the shop is open.
waiting for it. If not, it will
be difficult for us to arrange
for seeds this year.”
As per Raj Krishna Gora,
Coordinator of Market
Monitoring Committee
and Agriculture Commit-
tee of Bhaktapur Munici-
pality, though paddy plan-
tation is usually undertak-
en in the monsoon from
mid-June to mid-August,
the work of sowing seeds
for the plantation in seed-
beds begins in May-June in
Bhaktapur. Thus, this is
the time when farmers
start arranging seeds for
the plantation.
“In the previous years,
farmers easily availed hy-
brid rice seeds from China
by this time. But this year,
imports are halted due to
the lockdown and they are
unable to arrange seeds.
They are worried and so,
we are delivering the paddy
seeds — Khumal 11 Taichin
— to their doors,” informed
Gora adding, “There will be
a crowd creating a risk of
infection if we summon
farmers for seed collection.
So, we decided to deliver
the seeds to their homes.”
Gora said the Municipal-
ity started delivering 2.5 kg
April 24. They aim to pro- local volunteers in each
vide seeds to around ward for the delivery. Raju
10,000 farmers. Lasiwa, one of the volun-
“One paathi seed is teers from Ward-2, shared
enough for a farm of one his team has already dis-
ropani. We had bought tributed seeds to 800
around 21,000 kg of the houses, with around 50
seeds from a Bhakta- houses still left. Before the
pur-based cooperative at distribution, volunteers
Rs 100 per kg, but as there conducted a survey verify-
are still a few houses left in ing real farmers by distrib-
every ward, we are still uting forms to each house.
buying from the coopera- “We are using gloves,
tive. In case some farmers masks, sanitisers, and
have not received the jackets provided by the
seeds, we are requesting Municipality. We distrib-
them to reach respective uted the seeds by calling
wards with their pass.” only a member of a house
Gora claimed the seeds mentioned in the gathered
are from locally grown list,” said Lasiwa.
• YOUR LUCK
HAPPY BIRTHDAY: Convincing and caring, you work on something
very special to help others or the environment this year. Financially,
you are set. If single, you are irresistible and have your pick of the
crop. You may be more devoted to your mission over finding a mate.
But if you do, it will stick. If attached, your partner allows you to be
playful, even silly. You like each other’s company more and more.
ARIES wants to lead the game.
A baby born today has a Sun in Taurus and a Moon in Scorpio until 3:15 am,
when the moon enters Sagittarius.
ARIES (March 21-April 19): Ambitions will stir today.
Your flair for working and dealing with all types of
people can lead to a worthwhile opportunity. Follow
through on exploring offers that come your way now.
Tonight: Spend valuable time with a child who needs

POTPOURRI your attention. ✹✹✹✹✹

TAURUS (April 20-May 20): Others will want to
discuss finances with you. Sincerity can become an
BLONDIE Dean Young and Denis Lebrun DENNIS Hank Ketcham issue with a loved one. Keep ties on a spiritual and
idealistic plane. Avoid anyone who exhibits addictive
behaviour. Keep your distance from the untruthful and
untrustworthy. Tonight: To yourself. ✹✹✹
GEMINI (May 21-June 20): Others will be quite asser-
tive, but your winning charm and diplomacy smooth
over ruffled feathers and hurt feelings. Keep debates
and rivalry good-natured. Others have very different
tastes and preferences. Celebrate diversity and smile.
Tolerance will win you a valuable ally. Tonight: Date night. ✹✹✹✹✹
CANCER (June 21-July 22): Ills of the mind and body
can be healed. A new strength and confidence
develop today. Allow others to make the plans, and
adopt a live-and-let-live attitude. If memories flood
your thoughts, make a conscious effort to focus on
the happy recollections. Tonight: Relax. ✹✹✹✹
LEO (July 23-Aug 22): Expect some fireworks today.
An exciting new prospect can be drawn toward you,
while an old involvement fades. Your creativity is off
HAGAR Chris Browne the charts and new ideas need to be given priority.
Write down what comes to you. Tonight: Play with a
child. ✹✹✹✹
VIRGO (Aug 23-Sept 22): There is an emphasis on
your home today. Change is key if anything is trou-
bling you about family. Family members will want to
progress and meet new challenges. It is your job to let
them. Tonight: In your own private Idaho. ✹✹✹
LIBRA (Sept 23-Oct 22): Conversations today provide
helpful ideas and perspectives. Certain friends need
support. Overcome impatience and try to help. Com-
pose important emails. Many short trips around the
neighbourhood may be undertaken. Tonight: Catch up
with cousins you haven’t spoken to in a while. ✹✹✹
SCORPIO (Oct 23-Nov 21): A friend might be jealous or
troubled. You will be called to mediate a disagreement
between companions. Annoying as this may be, your
HOCUS FOCUS Henry Boltinoff help will do good. Try your best to let everyone speak
BEETLE BAILEY Mort Walker need to. ✹✹✹
their piece. Tonight: Go over your accounts. You will

SAGITTARIUS (Nov 22-Dec 21): An adventure ends

differently than expected, but at least life is interest-
ing. Keep a perspective on emotional involvements
and how attachments impact your choices. Focus on
protecting the comfort of loved ones. Tonight: Check
in on an elderly relative who just wants to talk. ✹✹✹✹
CAPRICORN (Dec 22-Jan 19): You must create your
own happiness today. Create a wholesome mind-set
and direct your imagination toward positive, creative
projects. Visualisation can generate powerful magic.
Revel in the freedom that comes from time spent
alone. Tonight: Get a good night’s sleep. ✹✹✹✹
AQUARIUS (Jan 20-Feb 18): Your social circle is inter-
esting but especially changeable all year. You must
prepare to say goodbye to old friends while greeting
new ones. Your priorities are shifting. Take the time to
BEAU PEEP Andrew Christine and Roger Kettle do some soul searching today and decide who is most
important. Tonight: Take off. ✹✹✹
PISCES (Feb 19-March 20): Impressions you make to-
day affect your professional status for a long time to
come. Situations that have been developing finally
crystallise and you have the opportunity to take
on new projects. Work hard and do your very best.
Tonight: The effort pays off. ✹✹✹✹✹
Born today: Naturalist David Attenborough (1926), comedian Don Rickles
(1926), novelist Thomas Pynchon (1937) By Madalyn Aslan
The Stars Show the Kind of Day You’ll Have: 5-Dynamic; 4-Positive; 3-Average; 2-So-so; 1-Difficult

Note: Bigar’s Stars is based on the degree of your sun at birth. The sign
name is simply a label astrologers put on a set of degrees for convenience.
For best results, readers should refer to the dates following each sign.

Published by: International Media Network Nepal (Pvt) Ltd, APCA House, Baidya Khana Road, Anamnagar, Kathmandu, Nepal, PO Box 11651 Phone: 4770358 E-mail: editorial@thehimalayantimes.com Regd No 143/051/052 Postal Regd. 62/072/73 Printed at: Sama Printers (Pvt) Ltd, Sainbu VDC, Lalitpur. Editor: Prakash Rimal