W I T H O U T F E A R
Nepal’s largest selling English daily
Printed simultaneously in Kathmandu, Biratnagar, Bharatpur and Nepalgunj
Today
n National
The biggest challenge for Barsha
Man Pun, ruling coalition’s
common candidate for lower house
from Rolpa, is to ensure vote
transfer from other members of the
alliance. Pg 2
The Supreme Court on Monday
decided to give continuity to the inter-
im order against the Election
Commission, thereby allowing Rastriya
Swatantra Party candidate Toshima
Karki to contest a lower house seat. Pg 3
With Nepali hydropower projects
producing less electricity due to
receding water levels in rivers, the
Nepal Electricity Authority has
reduced electricity exports to
India. Pg 3
n OPinion
There are two key challeng-
es the United States has to
manage—one is in its contri-
bution to climate change,
and the second is towards
recovering from the impacts
of Covid-19, writes Sujeev
Shakya. Pg 4
n Sports
Nepal succumbed to an 84-run
defeat against the United Arab
Emirates (UAE) in the first game of
the three-match One-Day International
(ODI) bilateral series at the TU ground
in Kirtipur on Monday. Pg 6
Biden and Xi meet, seek
to manage differences
ASSOCIATED PRESS
NUSA DUA, NOV 14
President Joe Biden and
Chinese President Xi Jinping
opened their first in-person
meeting on Monday since the
US president took office nearly
two years ago, aiming to
‘manage’ differences between
the superpowers as they com-
pete for global influence amid
increasing economic and secu-
rity tensions.
Xi and Biden greeted each
other with a handshake at a
luxury resort hotel in Indonesia,
where they are attending the
Group of 20 summit of large
economies, before they sat down
for what was expected to be a
conversation lasting several
hours.
>> Continued on page 2
Advt
O R F A V O U R
Deprived and repeatedly duped, Growing acts of violence
Musahars are losing faith in state add to security challenges
The residents of Musahari tole in Dhanusha say party leaders come seeking their votes
before every election, but forget about them as soon as they get elected.
(From right) Sitali Sada, Birma Devi Sada, Shail Devi Sada and others pictured on the porches of their huts at Musahari tole in Mukhiyapatti
Musaharniya in Dhanusha on Monday. Twenty-two impoverished Musahar families have been living on a small tract of land for generations.
NISHAN KHATIWADA
JANAKPUR, NOV 14
The huts made with mud, wood, and
hay have been raised a little from the
ground to ensure safety from the
floods that inundate the Musahari tole
every monsoon.
The tole is a settlement of 22 poor
Musahar families with a total of 131
members, and falls in ward 3 of
Mukhiyapatti Musaharniya Rural
Municipality, which is around 15 kilo-
metres from the Janakpur Sub
Metropolitan City. The settlement is
spread on around three Kattha land
(10,935 square feet approximately).
The Musahars have been living in
these flimsy huts for generations. And
most of the residents do not have land
registration certificates for the land
their huts occupy.
Leaders change. Elections come and
go. The only thing that persists is a life
full of miseries and stories galore of
neglect by political leaders.
The top leaders of the major parties
have included populist agendas in
their election manifestos—Rail and
Panijahaj [train and ship] have gotten
their place. But neither the local lead-
ers nor the known faces of the top
political parties from the region care
about the Musahari tole and the prob-
lems its residents have faced for gen-
erations.
The leaders of the political parties
have already begun electioneering
and they also visit the Musahari tole
with their usual tall promises. Are the
leaders genuinely bothered or are the
Musahars again being seen as no
more than vote-banks, the tole resi-
dents wonder.
Forty-four-year old Birma Devi
Sada’s husband died 12 years ago
while working in India. Now she lives
on the income of her sons who work in
the fields on daily wages. There are
days they don’t get any work.
She lives in a congested place along
with her three daughters and two
sons.
Come elections, politicians visit us
asking for votes, but after getting
elected, they forget about us and our
Post Photo: Prakash Chandra Timilsena
plight, she says. “We voted for the
umbrella symbol [Rastriya Janata
Party-Nepal] and the party also won,
but they then didn’t do anything for
us,” Sada told the Post.
The 22 families share one tube-well
for potable water. “But better-off fami-
lies living nearby got new tubewells
under a government grant,” she said.
The Musahars do not have access to
a toilet. So they defecate in the open in
the nearby fields.
>> Continued on page 2
Vol XXX No. 263 | 8 pages | Rs.5
Tuesday, November 15, 2022 | 29-07-2079
for next week’s elections
Incidents of clashes, vandalism and personal attacks have
rapidly increased, threatening free and fair polls.
ANUP OJHA
KATHMANDU, NOV 14
On Monday night, CPN-UML’s
Gandaki province secretariat member
Hari Kafle got injured after a gang set
upon him at a hotel in Palungtar
Municipality.
Kafle’s team was campaigning for
the party’s candidate for federal elec-
tions from Gorkha-2. He had to get
seven stitches in his head and is
undergoing treatment at a health facil-
ity in Dumre Bazar, Tanahun.
Similarly, on Sunday afternoon, a
clash ensued between cadres of the
Rabi Lamichhane-led Rastriya
Swatantra Party and supporters of
the ruling coalition at Kurintar in
Chitwan.
A verbal altercation ensued after
cadres of the ruling coalition vandal-
ised the vehicle carrying cadres of
Lamichhane’s party in the Munglin-
Kurintar area. The relevant video has
gone viral on social media, with many
condemning the vandalism.
Lamichhane is the House of
Representative candidate from
Chitwan-2.
On the same day, there was a
clash between the cadres of the
CPN-UML and the ruling alli-
ance at Naugadh Rural
Municipality, in Darchula. In the
clash on Sunday afternoon,
Jayabhan Singh Dhami of the
ruling alliance was badly injured
and referred to a hospital in
Dhangadhi.
With the November 20 election
under a week away, incidents of
clashes between the cadres of
29.8O C -0.3O C
Janakpur Jumla
various parties as well as acts of van-
dalism and personal attacks have
increased rapidly, threatening the pos-
sibility of free and fair elections.
Many have expressed concerns over
such “undemocratic activities” that
may create grounds to question the
elections’ credibility.
The government has announced a
plan to deploy 300,000 security person-
nel to maintain security during the
elections to elect members to both the
House of Representatives and provin-
cial assemblies. The two elections will
be held in a single phase on November
20. The Nepal police has announced
deployment of 71,693 police personnel
and 115,000 temporary police for the
elections, while the Nepal Army is pre-
paring to deploy a 71,000-strong force.
The Armed Police Force is set to mobi-
lise another 35,000 personnel, while
more than 200 will be deployed from
the National Investigation Department.
Observers say having a bigger secu-
rity apparatus isn’t enough if it can-
not secure public security on the
ground.
>> Continued on page 2
C M Y K
 TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 15, 2022 | 02

National

n District digest As elections approach, Ruling alliance faces a tall

Nepal, India launch joint
border patrolling
BARDIYA: Security personnel of Nepal and
India have jointly intensified border
patrol in Bardiya in light of the general
and provincial election scheduled for
November 20. A joint security force has
been deployed in the no man’s land area,
according to Chief District Officer
Bandhu Prasad Bastola. The security per-
sonnel are patrolling an area of ​​about
20km, especially the forest area of ​​border
post number ‘61’ of the international bor-
der. The Indian side of the border is cov-
ered in dense forest while there are set-
tlements of Jamuni, Gularia, Madhuvan,
Rajapur municipalities and Baghaiyatal
rural municipality on the Nepali side,
Bastola said. “Security has been height-
ened in the area to keep criminal
activities in check during the
election,” he said.
Two held with brown sugar
SIRAHA: Police arrested two youths in pos-
session of 10.9 grams of brown sugar at
Dhangadhimai Municipality-5 in Siraha
on Sunday. The suspects, who were trav-
elling on a motorcycle, were detained
with the narcotic during a security
check at Tettisbigha area. The security
personnel also seized Rs29,000 in cash
from the suspects. Detailed investigation
is underway after the district court
remanded the suspects into custody,
police said.
Ministry of Communication and Information Technology
National Information Technology Center
acts of violence surge
>> Continued from page 1
“There is no point deploying secu-
rity personnel if they cannot stop
acts of personal attacks, vandalism
and clashes between cadres of dif-
ferent parties,” said Pradip
Pokharel, chairperson of the
Election Observation Committee,
Nepal.
“If such incidents escalate, a kind
of fear will be created on election
day.”
He even brought up the decision
of the outfit led by Netra Bikram
Chand ‘Biplav’ to foil the November
20 elections. Pokharel said vandal-
ism and personal attacks aren’t
healthy signs.
“It’s the duty of the Election
Commission and the Home Ministry
to stop attacks and vandalism or any
kind of violent activities that cre-
ates fear in the general public,” said
Pokharel. “For example, when Rabi
Lamichhane’s vehicle was being
vandalised on Sunday, the local
police acted like bystanders.”
For poll security, the Home
Ministry has also deployed 1,300
traffic police personnel from
Kathmandu Valley in 24 districts.
The increasing acts of violence
“are really going to test the credibil-
ity of the Election Commission as
Government of Nepal
Singhadurbar, Kathmandu
well as the Home Ministry,” said
Pokharel.
When the Post inquired about
these incidents, Chief Election
Commissioner Dinesh Kumar
Thapaliya expressed his
commitment to stopping such acts at
any cost.
“The commission is concerned
about acts of violence,” said
Thapaliya. “Last week, we published
a notice over a case in Dadeldhura,
whereby independent candidate
Sagar Dhakal was reportedly barred
from campaigning. We raised the
issue with the Home Ministry.”
Dhakal has filed his candidacy in
Dadeldhura district to challenge
Prime Minister Sher Bahadur
Deuba. The independent candidate
was barred by the district adminis-
tration from campaigning in the
Prime Minister’s home district.
Thapaliya said the commission
has taken the matter seriously and
discussed it with the home ministry
as well.
Thapaliya further said that with
regard to vandalism and clashes
between cadres of various parties,
the commission has called a meeting
with security agencies, including
the secretary of the Home Ministry,
on Tuesday.
order for vote transfer in Rolpa
For the federal polls, Barsha Man Pun, the deputy general secretary of the Maoist Centre,
is up against Purna Bahadur Budha, his former comrade-in-arms.
KASHIRAM DANGI
ROLPA, NOV 14
Barsha Man Pun, the deputy general
secretary of CPN (Maoist Centre), is
contesting for the federal parliament
seat from Rolpa, an epicentre of Maoist
insurgency. He is the common candi-
date of the ruling alliance in the dis-
trict, which has a single electoral con-
stituency. Pun is up against Purna
Bahadur Budha Magar, his one-time
party comrade and former Maoist com-
batant who is contesting the November
20 polls under the CPN-UML ticket.
Pun, who has already served as
Finance Minister, is the election com-
mander of the ruling alliance in Rolpa,
a hill district of Lumbini Province.
Maoist leader and provincial assembly
candidate of Rolpa (1) Jokha Bahadur
Mahara and Nepali Congress leader
and provincial assembly candidate of
Rolpa (2) Amar Singh Pun are accompa-
nying Pun in the campaign trail.
The Maoist deputy general secre-
tary has a responsibility to implement
the ruling alliance’s decision and
address the dissatisfaction within the
Maoist and other alliance parties. He
also has to placate the locals who often
complain he did very little for the
development of Rolpa despite holding
ministerial berths several times.
Pun, who is 51, says he is not in the
best of his health right now. “I am
Post file Photo
Barsha Man Pun.
suffering from jaundice but I have no
time to rest due to hectic election
schedule,” he told the Post. “The party
activists ask me to join election rallies
in the villages and I have to go.”
But the biggest challenge for him is to
ensure vote transfer to the common
candidate of the ruling alliance. The
alliance has asked the supporters of the
Nepali Congress, the Maoist Centre,
CPN (Unified Socialist) and Rastriya
Janamorcha to cast their ballots for the
Maoist candidate in the House of
Representative and provincial assembly
in Rolpa (1) while they have to support
Congress candidate in Rolpa (2).
Moreover, Maoist district in-charge
Dipendra Pun stands against the rul-
ing alliance. Challenging its decision,
he filed his rebel candidacy against
Congress candidate Amar Singh Pun.
The Maoist cadres are divided on
whether to support Congress candi-
date Amar Singh or Dipendra.
“We did not know that the Maoist
district leadership was against forg-
ing an electoral alliance with the
Congress. But the Maoist decided to
have an election alliance with the
Congress in the centre,” said Barsha
Man, admitting that the ruling party
alliance had a tough time ensuring the
vote transfer. “The party leadership
directed Dipendra to withdraw his
candidacy but he refused.”
According to party insiders, some
prominent Maoist leaders including
former minister Jayapuri Gharti
Magar, Chief Minister of Lumbini
Province Kul Prasad KC, Jhakku
Prasad Subedi and Raj Bahadur Budha
Magar are dissatisfied with Pun.
The UML candidates, on the other
hand, are determined to take advan-
tage from the rifts within the Nepali
Congress and the Maoist.
Purna Bahadur, the UML’s candi-
date for the federal polls, said his
team’s door-to-door campaign is in full
swing. He was the battalion command-
er of the Maoist army during the
insurgency but after the Nepal
Communist Party, formed after the
merger of UML and the Maoists, was
invalidated by the Supreme Court, he
decided to stay with the KP Sharma
Oli-led party.

Notice for Intent to Award

Musahars tired of unkept poll promises

Date: 2079/07/29 (November15, 2022)
Pursuant to clause 27 sub-clause (2) of Public Procurement Act 2063 this is to notify all concerned
that following bidder has been selected as lowest evaluated substantially responsive bidder for the
>> Continued from page 1 modation in two huts. Her sons and their wives sleep inside,
Supply, Delivery, installation and Commissioning of Server and Storage for Existing Private Cloud Sitali Sada, another tole resident, has a hut partitioned but she makes do on the porch outside. On rainy nights, she
Appliance. into three rooms, shared by her three sons and their wives. can’t sleep at all.
The mother sleeps on the tarpaulin-covered porch outside. The Musahars ultimately blame the Nepal government
Bid Price “Before every election, the leaders always promise to for their sufferings and surmise life would be better if they
IFB No. Name of Bidder build a house with a bathroom for each of us,” Sitali said. moved across the border to India..
( Including VAT) She has difficulty in hearing, but has not sought medical The Indian government helps Dalits by providing them
World Distribution Nepal Pvt. Ltd., help for the lack of money. “I requested the local leaders for food and proper houses, they said. “What has our govern-
NITC/G/NCB-04/079-80 Rs. 7,91,27,120.00 help with treatment, but no one seemed bothered.” ment done for us? Absolutely nothing,” they aver.
Kanthipath, Kathmandu All the families cook food outside their huts, with brush- “We re-roofed our thatched huts with tiles, but the tiles
wood collected from nearby fields. And collecting fuelwood have also been damaged by a hailstorm,” said Sitali. “The
is not easy. “We get scolded by government has not helped us repair them.”
the owners for trespassing,” Dukhi Sada, a farm worker, has no time to meet political
Sitali said. leaders. “Leaders win, fail to keep their promises, and yet
“Whenever the leaders come back to us, trying to trick us every time,” he said. “But
come to us begging for votes, our problems remain the same. Our forefathers set up the
we ask what they have done settlement here by cutting down the forest. But we don’t
for us, to improve our living even have laalpurja [land registration certificate].”
conditions. They can’t answer Article 40 (5) of the Constitution of Nepal states that the
and leave,” she added. State shall provide land for one time to landless Dalits.
Disappointed with their But no one is sure when the poor Musahars will get land
elected representatives, the from the State to legally call their own.
Musahars try new candidates Gyan Chand Sada, 70, has some hope that those elected in
every time, but get duped each the November 20 polls will help them build new houses and
time, they say. dig tube-wells. “But we have had a bitter experience. They
Shail Devi Sada, 60, has a stop counting us as citizens the moment they win elec-
family of 12 sharing accom- tions,” he says ruefully.

Apex court seeks reasons after

petitions against Dahal rejected
POST REPORT
KATHMANDU, NOV 14
The Supreme Court has asked its administra-
tion to clarify why it refused to register writ
petitions against CPN (Maoist Centre)
Chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal.
A single bench of Acting Chief Justice Hari
Krishna Karki, on Monday, decided to seek a
report on why the Supreme Court administra-
tion had to refuse to register the writ petitions
filed by advocates Gyanendra Aaran and
Kalyan Budhathoki. “Today, the Supreme
Court has ordered its administration to give
clarification for not registering our petitions,”
said advocate Aaran. “Probably the hearing
will be held after the polls.”
The Supreme Court administration had
refused to register both the petitions on
Thursday stating that the cases related to the
conflict period fall under the jurisdiction of
the Truth and Reconciliation Commission
and the petitioners had already registered
their cases at the Commission.
Petitioner Aaran said he had filed a peti-
tion along with the relatives of other 17
Maoists who were killed by their own. The
other petitioner Kalyan Budhathoki had
filed a writ along with six other victims of
the Maoist insurgency.
The petitioners have demanded action
against Chairman Dahal saying that he,
speaking at public function on January 15,
2020, had admitted to have killed 5,000 among
the around 17,000 who lost their lives during
the decade-long insurgency. “The hearing on
the petitions will begin once the Supreme
Court administration furnishes the report,”
said Bimal Poudel, spokesperson of the
Supreme Court.

Biden, Xi meet in Indonesia

>> Continued from page 1
“As the leaders of our two nations, we
share responsibility, in my view, to show that
China and the United States can manage our
differences, prevent competition from
becoming anything ever near conflict, and to
find ways to work together on urgent global
issues that require our mutual cooperation,”
Biden said to open the meeting.
Xi said he hoped they would “chart the
right course for the China-US relationship”
and that he was prepared for a “candid and
in-depth exchange of views” with Biden.
Both men entered the highly anticipated
meeting with bolstered political standing at
home. Democrats triumphantly held onto
control of the US Senate, with a chance to
boost their ranks by one in a runoff election
in Georgia next month, while Xi was award-
ed a third five-year term in October by the
Communist Party’s national congress, a
break with tradition.
“We have very little misunderstanding,”
Biden told reporters in Cambodia on Sunday,
where he participated in a gathering of
southeast Asian nations before leaving for
Indonesia. “We just got to figure out where
the red lines are and ... what are the most
important things to each of us going into the
next two years.”
Biden added: “His circumstance has
changed, to state the obvious, at home.” The
president said of his own situation: “I know
I’m coming in stronger.”
White House aides have repeatedly sought
to play down any notion of conflict between
the two nations and have emphasized that
they believe the countries can work in tan-
dem on shared challenges such as climate
change and health security.
But relations have grown more strained
under successive American administrations,
as economic, trade, human rights and securi-
ty differences have come to the fore.
As president, Biden has repeatedly taken
China to task for human rights abuses
against the Uyghur people and other ethnic
minorities, crackdowns on democracy activ-
ists in Hong Kong, coercive trade practices,
military provocations against self-ruled
Taiwan and differences over Russia’s prose-
cution of its war against Ukraine. Chinese
officials have largely refrained from public
criticism of Russia’s war, although Beijing
has avoided direct support, such as supply-
ing arms. Taiwan has emerged as one of the
most contentious issues between Washington
and Beijing. Multiple times in his presidency,
Biden has said the US would defend the
island—which China has eyed for eventual
unification—in case of a Beijing-led
invasion.

C M Y K
03 | TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 15, 2022
n Briefing
Congress takes action against
rebel candidates, their
proposers and supporters
KATHMANDU: The Nepali Congress has
taken action against five people
including leaders who filed rebel can-
didacy for the November 20 polls
against official candidates of the
party and the ruling alliance. A meet-
ing of the party’s Disciplinary
Committee took action against
Mangal Bahadur Sahi of Humla and
Dharmendra Prasad Yadav, Rabindra
Prasad Yadav, Birendra Prasad Yadav,
and Ram Ekwal Prasad Yadav (Silpu)
of Bara. They were expelled from the
party’s general membership for five
years as per the party’s statute. The
party had taken action against rebel
candidates and their proposers and
supporters earlier too. On November
9, the party had taken action against
Ram Kumar Rai, constituency
President of Udayapur-2, who had
filed a rebel candidacy, his proposer
Leelaraj Danuwar and supporter Min
Kumar Dahal, removing them from
the party general membership.
UML’s team electioneering
in Gorkha attacked
Photo courtesy: Aswin Dani
GORKHA: A team of CPN-UML leaders
and cadres electioneering for the par-
ty’s candidate in Gorkha-2 was
attacked by a group on Sunday night.
Hari Kafle, UML’s Gandaki province
secretariat member, got injured in the
attack by the gang at a hotel in
Palungtar Municipality-6, Chyangli at
around 11:30pm, police said. Kafle has
received seven stitches to his head
and is undergoing treatment at a
health facility in Dumre, Tanahun.
Police have arrested two people for
their alleged involvement in the
attack. Superintendent of Police
Kedar Khanal at the District Police
Office, Gorkha said they are search-
ing for two more people suspected to
have been involved in the attack.
“The gang attacked the leaders when
they were having dinner,” Khanal
said. “They entered the hotel search-
ing for Deepak Tamang and started
attacking him. We had received threat
calls. We think the attack was
preplanned.”
Nepal reduces power Visiting Chinese vice minister
export to India as heading for Hong Kong today
production dips
Li Qun has requested for ‘informal meetings’ with Prime Minister Deuba and
Foreign Minister Khadka but meetings are unlikely, say officials.
With water levels in rivers receding, power generation has
slumped which will go down further in the days to come.
Nepal’s current power output is around 1,550MW, Nepal Electricity Authority says.
PRITHVI MAN SHRESTHA
KATHMANDU, NOV 14
With generation by Nepal’s hydropow-
er projects falling, the Nepal
Electricity Authority’s export of
electricity to India has also dipped.
On Monday, the NEA exported
230MW to the southern neighbour,
although Nepal is authorised to sell
over 400MW of electricity in the
Indian market. Recently, the NEA
started exporting the power generated
also by the Chilime (22.1MW) and
Solukhola (23.5MW) hydropower
projects.
The total installed capacity of
hydropower projects in Nepal is over
2,200MW, according to the NEA. But,
the state-owned power utility said that
available output at the moment is
around 1,550MW as projects’ output
fluctuates depending on water levels
of rivers and production dips to the
lowest especially during winter.
Domestic peak demands of the elec-
tricity on Monday stood at 1,418MW.
Nepal’s hydropower projects are
mostly run-of-the-river type and they
cannot produce power to their opti-
mum capacity when water level in the
rivers decreases. For example, the
456MW Upper Tamakoshi Hydropower
Project has been producing just
200MW, according to NEA spokesman
Suresh Bahadur Bhattarai.
“As the output has already started
to decline, we cannot export power to
the quantity that Nepal has been
authorised to export to its southern
neighbour ,” Bhattarai said.
The country’s only storage-type pro-
ject is Kulekhani whose three projects
produce a total of 106MW. The 140MW
Tanahun Hydropower Project is
another storage type project, which is
Post file Photo
under construction.
The planned 1200MW Budhi
Gandaki Hydropower Project is a res-
ervoir-based plant whose development
is expected to address electricity
shortfalls in the winter in the long
term. But, there is a long way to go
before its construction commences.
However, more run-of-the-river-type
projects coming online in the next few
years are expected to address the
shortfall of power even in the winter
because power will be added to the
grid even for the dry season which
starts in December lasting till May.
But as per its agreement with India,
the NEA has to export power in the
wet season (June-November). For this
the state-owned power utility has been
seeking permission from Indian
authorities to export power generated
by more hydropower projects besides
the current eight projects.
Currently, the NEA has been selling
37.7MW from the Trishuli and
Devighat hydropower projects; 140MW
from Kaligandaki Hydropower
Project; 68MW from Middle
Marsyangdi; 67MW from Marsyangdi;
51MW from Likhu-4; 22.1 MW from
Chilime; and 23.5 MW from Solukhola
hydropower projects.
Likewise, the NEA is still awaiting
the approval from the southern neigh-
bour for exporting power from other
projects including Mistrikhola, Likhu
Khola-A, Likhukhola, Kabeli B1,
Maikhola, Hewa Khola A and Lower
Modi hydropower projects whose
combined capacity is around 170MW.
Starting from the rainy season until
a few days ago, the NEA was facing
spillage of power especially at night
when domestic power consumption
slumps. As a result, it failed to earn as
much as it wanted through exports.
POST REPORT
KATHMANDU, NOV 14
Visiting Chinese Vice Minister for
Culture and Tourism Li Qun is leav-
ing for Hong Kong on Tuesday after
completing his five-day Nepal visit.
He arrived in Kathmandu on
Friday night.
Li, who is also the head of the
National Cultural Heritage
Administration, visited Nepal on a
‘personal’ visit, according to the gov-
ernment officials. Earlier, Nepal had
asked Chinese officials to postpone
the visit until after the November
20 elections but the Chinese side
declined the request saying the visit
was not political. Li has not held any
political meetings until Monday
evening, according to a senior securi-
ty official.
Although the Chinese side had
requested for informal meetings with
Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba
Supreme Court upholds Toshima
Karki’s candidacy for upcoming polls
POST REPORT
KATHMANDU, NOV 14
The Supreme Court on Monday decid-
ed to uphold its previous decision of
continuing the interim order not to
implement the Election Commission’s
decision to annul candidacy of Dr
Toshima Karki.
The court’s decision has cleared the
confusion over Karki’s candidacy for
the upcoming elections.
A division bench of justices Ishwar
Prasad Khatiwada and Til Prasad
Shrestha decided to uphold the inter-
im order issued by a single bench of
Justice Kumar Chudal on November 1.
On November 6, Secretary of
Election Commission Gokarna Mani
Duwadi had filed a petition at the top
court to vacate its previous decision.
“Since the allowance received by
the petitioner seems to be of tempo-
YOUR
GET THE LATEST UPDATES ON FEDERAL & PROVINCIAL ELECTION 2079
Live
and Foreign Minister Narayan
Khadka, both leaders were busy in
election campaigns and the meetings
have not taken place yet, according to
an aide to the Prime Minister.
“Since the Prime Minister Deuba is
leaving the Capital on Tuesday morn-
ing and Foreign Minister Khadka is in
his hometown of Udayapur, it is
unlikely for them to hold a meeting
with the Chinese official,” the aide
said.
A senior security official with
knowledge of the Chinese delegation’s
movement told the Post that the
Chinese officials have not held any
political meetings, including with
Nepali communist leaders.
On Monday, after touring the
Bhaktapur Durbar Square, the
Chinese delegation headed for the
hilltop resort of Nagarkot to spend
the night.
Li visited the nine-storey
Basantapur Palace Complex at
rary nature and is not a regular pay,
her position cannot be considered one
of benefit,” states the Supreme Court
decision. “Therefore, the Supreme
Court’s interim order issued on
November 1 need not be annulled.”
A single bench of Justice Chudal on
November 1 issued the interim order
to the poll body following the hearing
on the writ petition filed by Karki.
The Election Commission has
stayed silent on the application Karki
filed on September 13 demanding the
election body to clarify whether her
position as an elected board member
of the medical council was considered
a ‘position of benefit’ or not. Karki
has said she sought the poll commis-
sion’s clarification to decide on wheth-
er or not to contest the polls. But the
commission abruptly decided to annul
her candidacy on October 29, saying
she was not eligible to contest the
VOTE
election.ekantipur.com
National
Kathmandu Durbar Square on Sunday.
The Chinese government recently
completed the restoration of the
complex, which was destroyed in the
2015 earthquake.
Li is the first Chinese official to
visit Nepal after Xi Jinping was
reelected for a record third time as
general secretary of the Communist
Party of China. Since the visit was
termed ‘personal,’ there is no official
announcement of the visit by both
Nepal and China.
On Saturday, the Chinese delegation
visited the Kathmandu Durbar
Square and inspected the heritage site
and Chinese-assisted restoration
work. The Chinese delegation also
visited the China Cultural Center
at Maharajgunj and the Chinese
embassy, Kathmandu.
On Sunday, they visited
Swayambhunath, the Chhauni-based
National Museum, Basantapur, Asan
and Bauddhanath.
polls as she held a position of benefit.
On October 31, Karki registered a
writ petition at the apex court against
the commission’s October 29 decision.
Following the apex court’s
November 1 decision against its
annulment of Karki’s candidacy, the
Election Commission had asked the
Supreme Court to vacate its interim
order against its decision.
Karki, an elected board member of
Nepal Medical Council, is contesting
the federal elections from Lalitpur-3,
representing the newly formed
Rastriya Swatantra Party.
Commission officials have cited the
provision in Section 9 of the Election
Commission Act and Section 15 of the
House of Representatives Election
Act, both of which state that anyone
can file a complaint against candi-
dates, even after the publication of the
final list of candidates.
MATTERS
eKantipur.com
C M Y K

Opinion
Our View The other view
Nice things cost money For the US to tell the world
what to do about plastic
Like it or not, the rights to broadcast waste, the credibility gap
the World Cup will get costlier with time. has to be managed first.
As football lovers elsewhere prepare to snuggle down to SUJEEV SHAKYA
watch the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022, Nepali fans still don’t
The United States is just recovering
know if they will get to watch it live on television as from a much-touted “red wave” where
a row over extra charges rages in the Supreme Court. The it was envisaged that the Republican
highest court in the land has ordered the holder of the Party would take over the Senate and
the House, paralysing the government
exclusive broadcast rights for Nepal not to charge extra fees till the next elections. The elections
from television viewers. As cable TV operators are already showed that people can still be sensible
collecting regular subscription fees from their customers, the not to let right-wing activists take over
the agenda and bring about more
court said, it is illegal to charge more for the one-off event.
division in a country that has not seen
Media Hub, the broadcaster, argues that there is just no such levels of polarisation in past dec-
way it can recover the Rs400 million it has paid for the rights ades. This also means focusing on eco-
without charging a premium, which it has fixed at Rs500 per nomic recovery, job creation and bat-
tling inflation.
set-top box. Post-pandemic, after a very interest-
While we see that the plaintiffs including consumer rights ing episode last year, it was great to be
activists have a point, we believe the official broadcaster back in the US. The little chivalry in
too has a solid case. After the government enacted its clean people—be it opening the door or just
letting people move—perhaps keeps
feed policy under which foreign commercials were forbidden this country going, apart from their
from Nepali TV screens two years ago, the burden shifted to general positive attitude. Random con-
the Nepali advertising market to produce domestic ads versations in the elevator or a smile
from a fellow walker in the park or just
to fill the gap. Yet, with the country’s economy in the dol-
that driver letting you take your
drums, very few Nepali businesses have seen the logic turn or cross the street are a good
of running ads on cable TV. As a result, the broadcasters reminder of the attitude of the people.
have had to recoup nearly all their investments via fixed sub- Of course, Nepal has a great brand
recall here with people sharing fond
scription costs. memories of their trips, the documen-
In order to broadcast the games, Media Hub has paid $1.5 taries they have watched or the books
million to Viacom 18 India, along with taxes to the govern- they have read.
Of course, there are key challenges
ment of Nepal. Moreover, Rs500 is not a mandatory fee; those
the US has to manage. One is in its con-
who don’t want to watch the World Cup don’t have to pay. tribution to climate change, and the
According to the broadcasters, many cable TV customers second is towards recovering from the
have welcomed their decision and already paid for the live impact of Covid-19.
broadcast in advance. Whether or not that is true, it is also Managing waste
hard to argue that getting to watch the World Cup for free is The discourse around climate change
the right of each and every Nepali, when doing so is a clear has not percolated to the daily life of
luxury. This is a free market economy where the sellers have people. Plastic forms the key part of
any activity—eating, entertainment or
something good to offer, and most buyers are willing to pay a packaging. There is a feel-good factor
reasonable amount for it. (Or is Nepal’s economy controlled?) as long as there is a “recycled” logo on
it. The discourse is yet to shift to how to
The final court decision is set for November 16, just four days
eliminate the use of basic stuff like
before the inaugural game. It could have come sooner.
napkins or some packaging material.
The World Cup is a multi-billion dollar business, and is How consciously to use a cloth packing
getting more expensive by the day. Like it or not, the rights to bag or even ensure one does not need a
broadcast it live will get costlier with time. In such a case,
there are only two options: Allow the broadcast rights hold-
ers to charge extra from willing customers, or prevent every-
Leveraging public debt for fiscal sustainability
one in the country from watching the World Cup. But if the
argument is that all Nepalis should get to watch the World
Cup, there is also a third option: The state broadcaster
buys the ultra-expensive rights and shows the event
on its free-to-air channels. Really, when deciding the right or
wrong in a case, we should not have to contemplate such far-
Public debt could be
fetched options. crucial factor for
sub-national governments
Their view to deliver development.
PRAMOD RIJAL
Stop endangering world The Nepalese economy, which was
slowly returning to normalcy in the
aftermath of Covid-19, has been dealt a
The UN should play a more convincing role in heavy blow by the ongoing liquidity
crisis, supply disruptions created by
persuading countries to find common grounds. the Ukraine War, depletion of foreign
reserves, and rising interest rates and
inflation. The nation has taken several
Countries scurrying to source more natural gas to replace Russian measures to check the deterioration of
gas supply are risking years of emissions that could thwart climate economic indicators by restricting or
goals, according to a new research by the Climate Action Tracker banning certain imports, introducing a
(CAT). These countries mostly happen to be the more advanced tighter monetary policy, and so forth.
The tensions exhibited by the macroe-
ones, who had earlier made big pledges to drastically cut back on
conomic indicators could stretch into
their greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, since up until now, they the foreseeable future if thought-
have been the primary emitters. Not only is this unfair to the rest through reforms are not brought about.
of the world—particularly the more climate vulnerable countries
who are least responsible for climate change—but is extremely Macro-fiscal challenges
Five years of federalism have seen the
reckless and dangerous.
federal budget expand by 36.29 percent
According to the CEO of Climate Analytics, a research institute on the fiscal front. However, capital
that is part of CAT, the world is currently “witnessing a major push expenditure has only grown by 20 per-
for expanded fossil gas LNG production and import capacity across cent over the same period. As a result,
the world.” The projects that are in the pipeline could emit 10 per- government revenue has consistently
hovered around 20.92 percent of GDP.
cent of the world’s remaining carbon budget—the cumulative
Between 2017 and 2021, average capital
amount that can be emitted if warming beyond 1.5 degrees Celsius spending as a percentage of capital
is to be avoided. Among them are projects for new gas drilling in expenditure remained at 67.12 percent.
Canada and LNG import capacity in Germany and Vietnam. This shows that citizens generally pay
Under the Paris Agreement, countries had agreed to attempt to a higher share of their income in taxes,
but only a smaller fraction is directed
stop GHGs heating the planet by more than 1.5 degrees Celsius
toward capital expenditure. And even
above the pre-industrial levels. Scientists have made it clear that though the debt level looks safe at the
going past that level would unleash far more severe climate impacts moment (38.25 percent of GDP), in the
than the deadly wildfires, floods, and rising seas that we are already lack of fiscal disciplinary measures, it
witnessing today. Yet, due to narrow geopolitical interests, the more could go to unsustainable levels in little
time. Therefore, correcting the econo-
advanced countries, while paying lip service to climate goals and
my in the short run is not the only
lecturing others, are waging an energy war that is putting the matter of concern for Nepal. There are
entire world at risk—partly by risking nuclear war, partly by ignor- multiple macro-fiscal challenges that
ing the consequences of intensified GHG emissions. cannot be looked at in isolation.
Bangladesh, being one of the most climate vulnerable countries This article focuses on the challeng-
es and some possible ways forward,
in the world, should bring the matter up at the ongoing 27th United
focusing more on the latter. At present,
Nations Climate Change Conference (COP27) in Egypt, along with some of the key challenges on this
others, and seek to put an end to this madness. Without a political front are: i) discrepancies in the grants
understanding, the ongoing energy war and war in general cannot transfer mechanisms, ii) lack of a clear
be stopped. And that will only worsen the climate change problem framework for public debt in the feder-
al context, iii) insufficient leveraging
that endangers us all. Here, we urge the UN to play a more convinc-
of public-private partnerships, iv) inef-
ing role in persuading countries to find common grounds, and let ficient and inefficacious public pro-
common sense prevail. curement provisions and practices, and
Countries around the world have made numerous commitments v) weak state-owned enterprises that
to cut down on dirty energy, to invest more on renewables, etc. At a are draining the treasury.
time when scientists are arguing that even those might not be
Policy reforms with implementation
enough, the world cannot afford to move backwards. Instead of Grant transfer mechanisms need to be
making new pledges just for the sake of optics, countries around made more transparent and efficient to
the world—particularly those most responsible for climate incentivise sub-national governments
change—should really live up to their past pledges. Only then will to spend well. The current grant trans-
fer mechanism has limitations regard-
their new pledges mean anything, and the world will have a chance
ing its ability to do so. A potential
of avoiding total catastrophe. improvement to the current mecha-
 — The Daily Star/Ann nism could be to give a higher weight to
American musings
bag altogether. The shortage of staff at
eateries has ensured more usage of
disposable plates, glasses and lots of
other stuff. The US produces 40 million
tonnes of plastic waste per year, which
works out at around 130 kg per person.
That is around 40,000 times what is
produced in Nepal while the US popula-
tion is just 11 times that of Nepal.
While there is a lot of feel-good factor
about recycled plastic, only a fraction
of the waste gets recycled. Therefore, to
tell the world what to do in terms of
managing plastic waste, be it US-based
companies or institutions, the credibil-
ity gap has to be managed.
While there may be some commit-
ments from this administration in
contrast to its predecessor, it is
unsure how there will be major policy
implementation till basic citizen behav-
iour changes from consumption to
waste reduction.
Post-Covid recovery
One impact of the pandemic is very
visible. Many restaurants have closed
and so have other establishments. Some
of my favourites are gone. There are
fewer people coming to work in-person,
which means less space is rented and
fewer people are turning up at eateries.
Takeouts do well and inflation has also
impacted spending. Establishments are
performance on fiscal equalisation
grants, revisit existing revenue-shar-
ing frameworks, and tie up other
non-discretionary grants with objec-
tive performance standards to build an
incentivising environment for sub-na-
tional governments. It should also
be ensured that the mid-term develop-
ment plans connect with fiscal
budgets through sound “mid-term fis-
cal frameworks” and “mid-term
expenditure frameworks” to ensure
consistency and predictability in the
government’s priorities.
In terms of public debt, the debt
framework should be improved to ena-
ble governments to leverage it better
while preserving fiscal sustainability.
Public debt offers an alternative means
to finance the country’s appetite for
increased expenditure since raising
taxes are less-preferred instrument
from a political point of view. Public
debt can yield positive results for the
entire economy if done right. However,
that also requires debt-financed
expenditures to be tracked and report-
ed to the public promptly. As the consti-
tution of Nepal assigns many expendi-
ture powers to the sub-national govern-
ments, public debt could be a crucial
factor for them to deliver development.
Continuing the spirit of federalism
would also mean devolving powers
related to debt management to sub-na-
tional levels. The same is not adhered
to by the current framework. This high-
lights the centralised tendency of the
federal government.
Additionally, having one federal
institution administer and manage
debts of all levels of government could
result in delays. Hence, a new structur-
al framework that could yield better
TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 15, 2022 | 04
also facing an acute shortage of staff
and there is a tendency to work with
fewer people. New models of cafes are
asking cashiers to double up as servers,
and online ordering is changing how
orders are taken and delivered. There
are more homeless visible in the streets,
and Uber drivers tell you about the chal-
lenges they faced during the pandemic.
The bigger challenge is perhaps
going to be managing the impact on
mental health. People have switched
jobs, they have done many things to
cope with the pandemic, and there is a
sense of fatigue. Educational institu-
tions are figuring out how to design
new sets of curriculum for students as
the nature of the jobs are changing,
and there is a need for more soft skills
than technical training.
Younger people who have spent years
online during the pandemic are finding
it difficult to cope with the new in-per-
son environment in many cases. The
limitation on human interaction and
reliance on the smartphone for commu-
nication, entertainment and content
consumption has changed how one
views basic human conversations or
activities. Human behaviour is judged
from the myopia of what content one is
viewing. Cultural sensitivities are
ignored, and a sense of divisiveness
therefore prevails.
coordination between various govern-
ment bodies while enabling sub-nation-
al governments to operationalise their
public debts could add value.
Furthermore, as public debt continues
to grow in Nepal, servicing those
debts needs to be thought out carefully,
and provisions like hedging to mitigate
potential market risks should be
built further into the existing legal
framework.
Public-private partnerships can
release fiscal space at sub-national lev-
els. To leverage them, the Ministry of
Finance needs to take the lead in devel-
oping the “fiscal commitments and
contingent liabilities framework”.
Nepal then must ensure that all
projects go through the fiscal commit-
ment and contingent liabilities assess-
ment before they are approved.
Approval should be subject to the
assessment showing a positive effect,
or at least a neutral effect, on the coun-
try’s balance sheet.
Shutterstock
Public procurement policy and prac-
tices should be improved in a way that
they support infrastructure develop-
ment. Sub-national governments need
to be made able to practice procure-
ment as per their local contexts instead
of following federal legislation. This
means enabling local governments to
develop their legislation instead of just
the regulation based on federal legisla-
tion. This is also important because
following the current procedures as
mandated by the federal legislation has
been seen to push the project imple-
mentations late into the fiscal years,
resulting in most of the spending hap-
pening in the last quarter, thereby com-
promising the quality of work.
Finally, weak state-owned enterpris-
Shutterstock
There has to be more self-reflection,
and at one of the discussions at a col-
lege, we were ideating on a five-year
undergraduate programme where
there will be a gap year after two years
for students to join a study abroad pro-
gramme, engage in programmes that
have more human interaction, and be
able, as we say in coaching, to get into a
learning mode instead of a judging
mode. There is definitely more demand
for learning programmes that help peo-
ple reflect and engage in a sabbatical
and plan years ahead. However, there is
uncertainty what crisis will grip the
world next. We have seen the impact of
the war on Ukraine, and all eyes here
are set on what China will do in the
coming years as it removes travel and
other restrictions.
The US and the world do not perhaps
have the bandwidth to handle another
crisis. So the key will be to see how
countries can come together to manage
the global economy and the lives of the
people recovering from the pandemic
in a better way.
Shakya is the founder
CEO of beed, and
author of ‘Unleashing
Nepal’ and ‘Unleashing
The Vajra’.
es should undergo structural reforms
to lower their burden on the govern-
ment, allowing it to focus on other pri-
ority areas. The eighth-periodic plan of
the government of Nepal has pointed
out the inefficiency of public enterpris-
es due to overstaffing, political inter-
vention and lack of accountability. The
same challenges have been identified
by later research as well. Therefore, the
government of Nepal should explore
structural reform alternatives like pri-
vatisation, management contract, stra-
tegic partnerships, etc., depending on
the nature and appraisal of non-essen-
tial service-providing enterprises. As
has been witnessed before, reform
plans will be met with many political
challenges from stakeholders like polit-
ical leaders, labour unions, and special
interest groups. Therefore, the govern-
ment should engage and look to edu-
cate and secure the buy-ins of all of
these groups.
Conclusion
If implemented, benefits of the said
reforms will accrue to the Nepalese
economy in the form of incentives for
sub-national governments to focus on
local needs and aspirations, improved
resource-sharing frameworks between
the federal and sub-national govern-
ments, improved efficiency of govern-
ment spending, and freeing up of the
fiscal space at sub-national levels.
Similarly, aligning the annual budgets
with the periodic development plans
through the “mid-term fiscal frame-
work”, “fiscal rules”, and “mid-term
expenditure framework” will ensure
that programmes are put in the budget
based on national priority instead of
on an ad-hoc basis based on the inter-
ests of the policymakers. Furthermore,
when merged with increased incen-
tives for government actors, this will
help significantly improve the budget
implementation records of the federal
and sub-national governments.
When national priorities guide the
budgets and the expenditure capacities
of federal and sub-national govern-
ments are improved, the taxpayers’
resources will be spent on meaningful
areas. Every area of government
spending has a default trade-off of
whether to scatter resources and secure
inept results or focus on a few key
areas and create an impact therein.
As clear legal frameworks to pool
resources from the public and private
sectors are laid out, it will enhance
Nepal’s capacities to make targeted
spending on not just infrastructures
but also on education, health, and
social protection, laying a foundation
for development.
Rijal is an economist.
C M Y K
05 | TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 15, 2022

FOREX
US Dollar
Euro 134.35
130.32 Orange farmers prosper after switching to avocados
Pound Sterling 153.64
The number of farmers growing avocado in Dhankuta increased from 1,963 to 4,926 in four years, according to officials.
Japanese Yen (10) 9.28
Chinese Yuan 18.47 RAMESH CHANDRA ADHIKARI
DHANKUTA, NOV 14
Qatari Riyal 35.78
Australian Dollar 87.03 Orange farmer Jyotiram Pokhrel of
Exchange rates fixed by Nepal Rastra Bank Kachide, Dhankuta gave up growing
the citrus fruit after many decades
and switched to avocados. He had
bullion Price Per tola
become tired of fighting diseases in
his orange crop all the time.
Fine Gold Rs 97,200 “Orange trees are often infected by
diseases. There is more money in cul-
Silver Rs 1,295 tivating avocados,” he said. Pokhrel
has no regrets about his decision.
Source: FENEGOSIDA Avocado is nutritious and contains
a wide variety of nutrients, including
multiple vitamins and minerals. They
gasoline watch have a green-skinned, fleshy body that
may be pear-shaped, egg-shaped or
spherical.
Like Pokhrel, dozens of farmers in
Dhankuta have switched to commer-
cial avocado farming in recent years.
Four years ago, there were 1,963
farmers engaged in avocado produc-
tion in Dhankuta. As of last year, the
number had jumped to 4,926, accord-
ing to the Agriculture Knowledge
Centre Dhankuta.
Farmers say avocado trees start pro-
ducing fruit four to five years after
planting. “We don’t have to worry
much about market and prices like is
the case with oranges.”
Farmer Gopal Wagle of Pallek,
Dhankuta-3 said, “We are happy with
the prices we have been getting for
avocado.”
The fruit is not native to Dhankuta.
Locals believe the fruit was intro-
duced in the district about four dec-
ades ago.
A British agriculture scientist who
worked at the Agriculture Research
Station in Pakhribas, Dhankuta had
n Briefing given an avocado plant to Bharat Joshi
of Bal Mandir Tol, Dhankuta-5.
Joshi’s son Sujan remembers the
Radisson Hotel Kathmandu tree bearing fruit after five years. “We
did not like its taste at first,” he said.
celebrates advent of Christmas The fruit remained neglected for a
KATHMANDU: Radisson Hotel few years until a foreigner working at
Kathmandu organised a ‘fruit soak- a non-governmental organisation
ing’ ceremony on Sunday to celebrate bought the fruit for Rs50 per kg. Word
the advent of Christmas and the start spread and more people started buy-
of winter festivities. The event was ing avocados.
held at Terrace Garden, an outdoor The fruit started becoming popular
venue located on the fourth floor. in the district, but Joshi didn’t know
Women professionals from different what it was called. Around three and a
sectors were invited by the hotel to half decades ago, technicians from the
celebrate the mixing. The attendees District Agriculture Office gave him
followed the Chef ’s guidelines and details about the fruit.
mixed the comprehensive list of dry In the following years, more people
fruits with spices, herbs, wine, beer, started growing avocados. Around
rum and whisky. (PR) three decades ago, the Joshi family
“The fairs have encouraged farmers
engaged in commercial avocado pro-
duction,” said Chintan Tamang,
mayor of Dhankuta Municipality. “Its
cultivation spread after the munici-
pality started providing free saplings.”
The number of farmers producing
saplings has also increased in recent
years.
According to the Agriculture
Knowledge Centre in the district,
more than 300,000 avocado saplings
are produced annually.
Local farmers have received orders
for saplings from Palpa, Tanahu,
Syangja, Lamjung, Chitwan, Kaski
and Gorkha districts.
Nursery owner Bharat Guragain
said he sold around 7,000 avocado
saplings last year. “With demand for
the fruit growing, more people
have been planting avocado,”
Guragain said.
The number of nurseries producing
avocado saplings has increased from
five nurseries four years ago to 137
last year.
To meet the increasing demand,
the Agriculture Research Station,
Pakhribas has carried out research
to produce saplings through tissue
culture.
“Using this method, at least 10 sap-
lings can be produced from a seed,”
said Govinda Timsina, chief of the
station.
The station also plans to adopt a
grafting method with assistance from
foreign technicians in the coming
days.
Four years ago, avocado farmers in
Dhankuta Municipality sold 77.7
 POST FILE PHOTO tonnes of the fruit and earned Rs2.3
Four years ago, avocado farmers in Dhankuta Municipality sold 77.7 tonnes of the fruit and million. Last year, they sold 239.4
earned Rs2.3 million. Last year, they sold 239.4 tonnes worth Rs32 million. tonnes worth Rs32 million.
The price has also increased and
started selling avocado saplings at construction of the Dharan-Dhankuta boosted farmer incomes in recent
Rs10 each. Avocado farming then road more than four decades ago years, according to the municipality.
spread to neighbouring districts. introduced the fruit in the region,” “In the past four years, the average
Leading farmers of the district have said Rai. price of avocado in the district has
played an important role in promoting The local administration declared swelled nearly fourfold from Rs30 to
commercial farming of the fruit. Dhankuta an avocado capital in 2018 Rs110 per kg.”
Agriculture technician Surya due to the rising popularity of the The municipality’s statistics show
Sapkota said farmers shifted towards fruit. In the past four years, the dis- that 4,926 farmers have planted avoca-
avocado farming after orange trees trict has organised avocado fairs twice dos on 12,999 hectares.
were affected by various diseases such to promote its cultivation. Farmers also worry about how long
as rotting roots. Commercial avocado farming has the good times will last, and if avoca-
Senior agriculture technician become a key income generator in do farming will not share the same
Jeevan Rai believes avocado was the district. fate as orange farming.
brought to Nepal more than five dec-
ades ago, even before the establish-
ment of the Agriculture Research
Station at Pakhribas, Dhankuta.
“The engineers employed in the
Money
Farmers say issues such as the
fruits falling from the trees before
they have ripened have increased in
recent years. The trees have also been
attacked by worms.
“Along with the attraction for avoca-
do farming, disease-related issues
have also increased in recent years,”
said Khemraj Thapa, chairman of the
Avocado Farmers Group of the dis-
trict. “Farmers’ investment could go
to waste in the absence of technical
knowledge.”
Mayor Tamang said the municipali-
ty had started working to address
farmer concerns in coordination with
the Agriculture Research Station,
Pakhribas.
Farmers have also been concerned
about not being able to grow other
vegetables near the avocado trees as
the ground around the trees turns dry
and becomes unsuitable for growing
any other crop.
Technicians say problems have
emerged because avocado farmers
have not been following the prescribed
method for planting the trees.
“The trees should be planted 20 feet
apart,” said Bhaktaman Rai, an
agriculture technician. “Problems
arise if farmers do not follow this
rule and plant more trees in a small
area with the intention of producing
more fruits.”
Rai agrees that farmer complaints
regarding not receiving the required
technical support in times of need
have increased recently.
Farmers have also attempted to pro-
duce avocado oil. Gopal Wagle and his
wife Kamala of Dhankuta-3 produced
avocado oil three years ago using a
traditional home-made machine.
“We produced one litre of oil from
10 kg of avocados,” said Gopal adding,
“We need modern technology for this
purpose.”
The Wagles sold the oil at Rs2,000
per litre, but they have stopped mak-
ing avocado oil. “Demand for oil in the
market has fallen short of our expec-
tations,” said Wagle.
Entrepreneur Prakiti Gautam
believes it is necessary to brand the
fruit to make various products.
“Beside selling the fruits, we need to
process them and make various prod-
ucts,” said Gautam.

Global IME Bank,

Bank of Kathmandu
sign final pact to merge
After the merger, the new bank named as Global IME BOK
Limited will become Nepal’s largest commercial bank.
POST REPORT new bank will be Global large banks to invest in big
KATHMANDU, NOV 14 IME BOK Limited. infrastructure projects.
The bank will consist of On the same occasion,
Global IME Bank Limited seven board of directors— Shrestha said that for
and Bank of Kathmandu five from Global IME Bank the country’s economic
(BOK) on Monday signed including its chairman transformation, there
a final memorandum Dhakal. There will be two is a need for big and capa-
of understanding for a board of directors on ble banks. “We hope that
merger. behalf of Bank of the Global IME BOK
After the merger, the Kathmandu. Ratnaraj Limited will achieve suc-
bank will become the larg- Bajracharya, chief execu- cess and contribute to
est commercial bank in tive officer of Global IME the country’s economic
Nepal with a total capital Bank, will remain as the prosperity.”
of Rs57 billion, the bank chief executive officer of
said in a statement. the new bank.
The bank’s paid-up capi- After the merger, Global dfOu|];g x/fof]
tal will reach Rs35.77 bil- IME BOK Limited will ldlt @)&( c;f]h @% ut]sf lbg
lion with the total deposits have 385 branch offices,
of Rs400 billion and loans 367 ATM counters, 275
e/tk'/af6 gf/fo0fu9 hf“bf
of Rs379 billion. branchless banking ser- HSEB sf] CHOLA KANT
Global IME Bank vices, 61 extended branch MAHATO sf] gfddf /x]sf] +2
Chair man Chandra offices and 3 foreign con- sf] /=g+= 724834018 sf] MIGRA-
Prasad Dhakal and BOK tact offices, the bank said
TION CERTIFICATE x/fPsf]
Chair man Prakash in a statement.
Shrestha signed the mem- The new bank will x'“bf kfpg' x'g] dxfg'efjn] glhssf]
orandum of understand- have more than 4 million k|x/L rf}sL jf tnsf] ljj/0fdf ;Dks{
ing for the merger customers. u/L lbg'x'g xflb{s cg'/f]w ub{5' .
amidst a programme in Speaking at the signing
Kathmandu on Monday. ceremony, Dhakal said Name: Chola Kant Mahato
Previously, the board there is a need for Mo.: 98214-46265
of directors of both banks
had approved the share
swap ratio of 1:1, deter-
mined based on the
evaluation report of mova-
ble and immovable assets,
liabilities and transac-
tions received from the
appraiser for the purpose
of merger between the
two banks.
According to the bank’s
statement, the name of the

C M Y K
 TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 15, 2022 | 06

Sports | Medley

Nepal to co-host U-19 Women’s T20 World Cup 2027

SPORTS BUREAU
KATHMANDU, Nov 14
Nepal and Bangladesh will jointly host the ICC
U-19 Women’s T20 World Cup in 2027.
The International Cricket Council (ICC) said
in a news statement that its Board has approved
Nepal and Bangladesh as the co-hosts for the
ICC U-19 women’s event. “The 2027 U-19 Women’s
event will be jointly hosted by Bangladesh and
Nepal,” the ICC said.
This will be the first global tournament to be
hosted by Nepal.
The Cricket Association of Nepal President
Chatur Bahadur Chand said Bangladesh will be
the event’s main organiser, while Nepal will be
the co-host of the event. “Nepal will host a
group match and a semi-final match of the tour-
nament,” said Chand. “We are planning to host
a match in Kathmandu and another, outside the
Valley. We will now gear up our preparations to
host the global event.”
The ICC Board also approved Sri Lanka,
Malaysia and Thailand, Zimbabwe and Namibia,
as the host countries of the other ICC U-19
events, from 2024-2027.
The ICC U-19 Men’s Cricket World Cup 2024
will be hosted by Sri Lanka while the 2026 edi-
tion will be staged in Zimbabwe and Namibia.
The U-19 Women’s T20 World Cup 2025 will be
held in Malaysia and Thailand.
The qualification pathway for the 10-team ICC
Women’s T20 World Cup 2024 was approved.
Eight teams will qualify for the event automati-
cally, comprising the top three teams from each
group from the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup
2023, the host Bangladesh (if not in the top three
of Group 1) and the next highest-ranked teams
in the T20I Rankings. The remaining two teams
will be identified through the 10-team T20 World
Cup Global Qualifier.
The qualification pathway for the 14-team ICC
Men’s Cricket World Cup 2027 was also decided
with 10 teams gaining automatic qualification.
The 10 will comprise South Africa and Zimbabwe
as hosts and the next eight highest-ranked
teams on the ODI rankings. The remaining four
teams will qualify via the CWC Global Qualifier.
Nepal lose first ODI
The Rhinos slump to an 84-run defeat in the opening match after
they were restricted to 179-9, chasing a 264-run target.
SPORTS BUREAU
KATHMANDU, Nov 14
Nepal succumbed to an 84-run defeat against
the United Arab Emirates (UAE) in the first
match of the three-match One-Day
International (ODI) bilateral series at the TU
ground in Kirtipur on Monday.
Nepal’s poor show with the bat was to be
blamed for the defeat as they were restricted
to 179-9 after the visiting UAE team, sent into
bat first, posted 263-7 in the allotted 50 overs.
Nepal’s ODI debutant Arjun Saud, who
came out to open the innings, and Dipendra
Singh Airee’s half centuries went in vain as
Nepal lost other batters cheaply. Apart from
the duo, opener Aasif Sheikh (12 runs) and
tailender Gulshan Jha (not out 19) were the
only other Nepali batters to reach double-dig-
it scores.
Chasing the target, Nepal lost wickets in
quick succession, despite opener Saud scor-
ing a patient 79-ball 51, that included five hits
to the fence. post Photo: Hemanta Shrestha
Nepal’s top order batters, opener Sheikh, UAE’s Aayan Afzal Khan returned the figures of
one-down batter Gyanendra Malla (0) and 4-14, also bowling four maiden overs, on Monday.
Rohit Kumar Paudel (1), shouldering the ODI
captain’s responsibility for the first time, Brief scores
were all dismissed by the UAE’s debutant
bowler Aayan Afzal Khan in a space of five United Arab Emirates Tour of Nepal
runs with only 32 runs on board.
Nepal’s captain Paudel pointed out that his First ODI, TU cricket ground
side failed to execute match plans with both Toss: Nepal, elected to field first.
the ball and bat. United Arab Emirates 263-7
“We collapsed at an early stage in batting
and lost three wickets too quickly. We could R Mustafa 53 (73), M Waseem 44 (41)
have chased the target had we not lost early G Jha 6-0-26-2
wickets,” said Paudel, who was also full of Nepal 179-9
praise for Khan. “Aayan bowled really well
and put us under pressure.” A Saud 51 (79), DS Airee 54 (84)
Saud shared a 68-run partnership for fifth AA Khan 10-4-14-4
wicket with Airee, before being clean bowled UAE win by 84 runs.
by Rohan Mustafa in the 31st over. Airee
scored 54 runs off 84 balls, comprising six Player of the Match: Aayan Afzal Khan
sixes. He was caught by Alishan Sharafu off
Zahoor Khan in the 40th over. Chundagapoyil Rizwan, taking over the cap-
Shiekh hit a boundary while facing 19 tain’s responsibility for the first time in an
deliveries, while Jha hit a boundary and a six ODI match, for two runs on the last delivery
in his unbeaten knock off 34 balls. Apart of the same over.
from Saud, Hari Shankar Shah playing in his Opener Aravind, the third UAE wicket to
first ODI match was dismissed for eight runs. fall, contributed 40 off 82 balls with six hits to
Kushal Bhurtel (6), Sompal Kami (3) and the fence. He was trapped leg before by
Karan KC (3) were all out cheaply. Dipendra Singh Airee.
The UAE’s slow left arm orthodox bowler Alishan Sharafu scored 29 off 39 balls,
Khan bowled impressively, claiming four Ahmed Raza remained not out on 27 off 16,
wickets in his 10-overs. The teenager who Aayan Afzal Khan 26 off 28 and Basil Hameed
turns 17 on Tuesday, conceded only 14 runs 14 off 16 were the other contributors to the
while bowling four maidens. Basil Hamid UAE score.
accounted for two wickets, while Zahoor Nepal’s Gulshan Jha picked up two wickets
Khan, Rohan Mustafa and Ahmed Raza in his six-over spell, conceding 26 runs, while
shared a wicket each. Sompal Kami and Dipendra Singh Airee
For the UAE, Rohan Mustafa scored 53 accounted for a wicket each.
runs, the highest of the innings, after open- The UAE captain Rizwan said that it was a
ers Muhammad Waseem and Vriitya Aravind good experience coming to Nepal and playing
gave them a sound start, sharing a 75-run in front of a big crowd.
stand for the opening wicket. “We look forward to carrying the
Mustafa, dropped from UAE’s World T20 momentum in the upcoming matches.
squad that recently returned from Australia, Though the score was not big on a good bat-
proved his worth by cracking seven bounda- ting pitch like this, the boys came up with a
ries in his 73-ball knock. He was caught off tight bowling performance and defended our
the bowling of medium pacer Sompal Kami score,” he said.
by Aasif Sheikh. “It was an amazing performance by Aayan
Waseem hit a 41-ball 44 that included six (Khan) to get wickets in debut ODI game.
hits to the fence and a six, before Gulshan To have a spell like that really speaks of his
Jha got him out. Jha also dismissed captain calibre,” Rizwan added.

ARIES (March 21-April 19) ***
This cosmic climate is perfect for believing in
yourself in recommitting to goals. You may feel
impatient for progress, but try not to force your
transformation. You may benefit from extra
celestial support, so, make a few wishes.
HOROSCOPE
CANCER (June 22-July 22) **
This celestial exchange is all about fighting for
your sense of stability, whether you need a new
creative outlet, routine, or ways to save money.
You may have to choose a path that you’re not
sure of. Practice self-love tonight.
LIBRA (September 23-October 22) ***
Don’t feel guilty about engaging in some inno-
cent flirting early this morning. This cosmic
climate allows you to boost your confidence
through the affections of others, but try not to
break any hearts in the process.
CAPRICORN (December 22-January 19) ***
Give yourself space to accept and release any
grief that’s been weighing on your heart and
mind recently. Watch out for tension and dishar-
mony this evening, especially when it comes to
your romantic entanglements.

TAURUS (April 20-May 20) ***
Vivid dreams could provide insight into how to
heal your mind and soul. Take a moment to
meditate and find your centre when you awak-
en, noting any profound insights that find you.
Watch out for rockier vibes this evening.
LEO (July 23-August 22) ***
This cosmic climate will motivate and heal you,
helping you feel refreshed and optimistic as you
stir from your slumber. Frustrations may brew
within your love life later this evening. Try not
to stay low during arguments.
SCORPIO (October 23-November 21) ****
Getting an early start can help you feel more
secure within your occupational path today.
Watch out for tension at home this evening.
Your housemates may seem more cold than
usual. The vibes will stabilize later tonight.
AQUARIUS (January 20-February 18) ***
You will be spreading good vibes today.
Unfortunately, the energy could get a little tense
this evening, and fears could hold you back from
pursuing true love. You’ll feel more open to con-
nectivity later today.

GEMINI (May 21-June 21) ***
Supporting your friends will elevate your confi-
dence while allowing you to feel good about
yourself. Don’t forget to focus on your own ener-
gy and spiritual connection. You’ll feel romance
and charisma this evening.
VIRGO (August 23-September 22) **
You may wake up feeling more sensitive than
usual. So, be sure to nurture your heart, mind,
and soul before starting the day. Work-related
frustrations could brew this evening. Home will
feel relaxing tonight.
SAGITTARIUS (November 22-December 21) ***
You’ll awaken to a creative and playful energy
this morning. Watch your words this evening,
which could create some serious conversational
tension. Luckily, the vibe will feel harmonious
as the day comes to a close.
PISCES (February 19-March 20) ***
Embrace the beauty that surrounds you, as
doing so will bring healing to your heart. Watch
your stress levels later tonight, and try not to get
wrapped up in any unnecessary conflicts. You’ll
feel a shift as the day ends.
Astrology.com

Crossword Sudoku

Yesterday’s Solution

C M Y K
07 | TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 15, 2022 Sports

Things to watch at FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022
Group A
Qatar
Ecuador
Senegal
Netherlands
Group e
Spain
Costa Rica
Germany
Japan
Associated Press
NEW YORK, Nov 14
A last chance for Lionel Messi and
Cristiano Ronaldo. Kylian Mbappe
back on the biggest stage of all. Brazil
bidding for a record-extending sixth
title.
One of the most eagerly anticipated
World Cups in memory—as much for
off-the-field reasons as those on it—
begins Sunday in Qatar.
Thirty-two teams, 64 matches, 29
days. The first World Cup in the
Middle East.
League play around the world has
paused and now football’s focus is on
Qatar, whose national team opens the
tournament with a match against
Ecuador.
Here are a few things to watch when
group games get going in the smallest
country ever to host a World Cup,
where some fans will be staying in
floating hotels when they head over to
take in the action:
Group b
England
Iran
United States
Wales
Group f
Belgium
Canada
Morocco
Croatia
Top teams
Brazil (Number one in FIFA ranking)
Neymar, Vinicius Junior and the rest
of the flair-filled Selecao are peaking
at the right time. Is a first World Cup
title since 2002 on the horizon?
Belgium (Number two)
The “Golden Generation” is gradually
breaking up but there’s still Kevin De
Bruyne leading the Belgian charge.
There is a doubt about the fitness of
Romelu Lukaku, however.
Argentina (Number three)
No World Cup title since the days of
the great Diego Maradona. This will
be the first World Cup since his
death in November 2020 and Argentina
has improved under coach Lionel
Scaloni, with Messi still at their core
and leading the team on a 35-match
unbeaten run.
France (Number four)
The defending champions. Still the
France add Thuram,
Disasi replaces
Cup winners’ medal that, to many, Format
Group c
Argentina
Group d
France
would solidify him as football’s great-
est player. He is in stellar form for
Paris Saint-Germain at the moment.
There are eight groups of four teams,
with the top two advancing to the
16-team knockout stage.
Kimpembe
There will be four games back-to- Associated Press
Saudi Arabia Australia Cristiano Ronaldo, Portugal back per day for most of the first two PARIS, Nov 14
He has won the sets of group games, then simultaneous
E u r o p e a n kickoffs for the last two games in each Marcus Thuram was handed the last
Mexico Denmark Championship group. There’ll be no break for the spot in the France squad that will
but the leading knockout stage, which begins the day defend their World Cup title in Qatar
Poland Tunisia scorer in men’s after the group stage ends. while the uncapped Axel Disasi was
inter national The first day without football comes also called up on Monday after Presnel
Group g Group h football hasn’t on December 7—the 17th day of Kimpembe had to pull out.
played in a World Cup final, let alone competition. The French football federation said
Brazil Portugal won one. He is 37 years old now and no Borussia Monchengladbach forward
longer first choice at Manchester Must-see games Thuram, 25, had been added to Didier
United—so make the most of him Argentina vs Mexico, November 26 Deschamps’ list after the coach had
Serbia Ghana while you can. The first of the big continental summoned only 25 players when
rivalries in the group stage, with he announced his squad last week,
Switzerland Uruguay Kylian Mbappe, France Messi potentially sealing his and leaving one spot open.
The star of the Argentina’s spot in the last 16. Paris Saint-Germain defender
last World Cup at Kimpembe, meanwhile, spoke with
Cameroon South Korea the age of 19 and Spain vs Germany, November 27 Deschamps and the team’s doctor at
he is only getting Surely there can’t have been many France’s training ground on Monday
country with the most depth to their better. The bigger group-stage matches than this and told them he did not believe he
squad, despite an injury list that speedy striker at a World Cup? Two recent champi- had sufficiently recovered from an
includes Paul Pogba and N’Golo could match ons, two giants of European and world Achilles injury.
Kante. Mbappe and Karim Benzema Brazil great Pele in being a champion football. Disasi, 24, has not missed a single
are leading the attack. No team have at his first two World Cups. minute of Monaco’s 15 league games
retained their World Cup title since Iran vs United States, November 29 this season. He has scored two goals
Brazil in 1962. Kevin De Bruyne, Belgium It has been labelled as “The Mother of and delivered four assists in all
Widely regarded All Games Part II.” Just like at the competitions.
England (Number five) as the world’s World Cup in 1998, the two countries Thuram will complement France’s
The team have hit a bad patch of best midfielder, will meet in the group stage in a polit- already impressive attacking sector
form—winless in six games—but has his driving runs ically charged matchup. Diplomatic alongside Karim Benzema, Kingsley
a strong track record in recent major and crossing are relations have yet to be restored Coman, Ousmane Dembele, Olivier
tournaments. England were semi-fi- among the best between the nations since being Giroud, Antoine Griezmann, Kylian
nalists at the World Cup in 2018 and sights in football. severed in 1980. Mbappe and Christopher Nkunku.
finalists at the European Belgium will be thankful he is Thuram, the son of the 1998 World
Championship in 2021. arriving in Qatar healthy. Ghana vs Uruguay, December 2 Cup winner Lilian Thuram, has been
Anyone remember the night of July 2, in impressive form this season, with
Big stars Neymar, Brazil 2010? In the last minute of extra time 13 goals and four assists in all compe-
Lionel Messi, Argentina Often overshad- in a World Cup quarter-final match titions. A tall and versatile player, he
The seven-time owed by Mbappe between Uruguay and Ghana, Luis can be used in different systems.
world player of and Messi at Suarez deliberately stopped the ball Thuram has played four times with
the year might Paris Saint- with his hand on the goalline, got sent France but has not featured with the
have been saving Germain, still off, only for Ghana to miss the penalty national squad since the European
his 35-year-old the main man and lose in a shootout as Suarez cele- Championship in June last year.
legs for one last for Brazil. Watch brated on the sideline. Revenge would France will be without Paul Pogba
push at a World out for tricks and flicks. be sweet for Ghana. and N’Golo Kante because of injuries.

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Focus sharpens on Qatar as World Cup nears

FIFA’s pleas have only increased scrutiny of the Gulf state’s treatment of migrant workers, women and LGBTQ community.
Agence France-Presse
DOHA, Nov 14
The week-long countdown to the
World Cup in Qatar began on Monday
as the world’s leading footballers
focused their attention on one of the
most controversial tournaments in
history.
The first World Cup to be held in the
Arab world will kick off on Sunday
when the host nation face Ecuador.
It marks the culmination of Qatar’s
extraordinary campaign to first win
the vote to land the tournament and
then embark on a spending spree of
tens of billions of dollars to build
stadiums and infrastructure.
Holding football’s showpiece event
in a desert state has necessitated an
unprecedented reorganisation of the
international football calendar, shift-
ing the World Cup from its normal slot
in the northern hemisphere summer
to avoid the Gulf ’s scorching heat.
Domestic leagues will pause for six
weeks to allow the tournament to take
place, but preparation time is short.
While the players packed their bags
and joined up with their international
teammates, the spotlight on Qatar
intensified.
FIFA’s pleas to “focus on the foot-
ball” have struggled to be heard as the
countdown to kick-off has only
increased scrutiny of the Gulf state’s
A worker walks past a billboard showing an illustration of the upcoming Qatar 2022
FIFA World Cup mascot ‘La’eeb’ in Doha, Qatar on Saturday. 
treatment of migrant workers, women
and the LGBTQ community.
Labourers from South Asia have
been at the centre of an often acrimo-
nious dispute over deaths, injuries
and their working conditions since
Qatar was awarded the World Cup
in 2010.
Amnesty International on Friday
made an urgent plea for FIFA presi-
dent Gianni Infantino to commit to a
compensation package for the workers
Ap/Rss
who built the tournament’s gleaming
stadiums.
Qatar has angrily rebuffed most of
the attacks and local media have
blasted the “arrogance” of some
Western countries.
The country of barely three million
people, one of the world’s biggest
producers of natural gas, has spent
lavishly.
New stadiums cost more than $6.5
billion and a driverless metro system
with a price tag of $36 billion serves
five of the eight venues.
Some estimates put total infrastruc-
ture spending over the past decade at
$200 billion.
Organisers have predicted more
than one million fans will travel to
Qatar and they have responded to con-
cerns about a lack of accommodation
by using three cruise ships as floating
hotels. They are fully booked for the
first two weeks of the tournament.
Organisers say that 2.9 million of
the 3.1 million tickets have been
sold and fans have been waiting
outside the FIFA ticketing centre
hoping scarce tickets become available
for top games.
In Europe, unease at a country with
virtually no tradition of football
hosting the tournament is keenly felt.
Germany’s 2014 World Cup-winning
captain Philipp Lahm said on
Sunday that Qatar should never have
been allowed to host the World Cup
and vowed to stay away from the
tournament.
“Awarding the World Cup to Qatar
was a mistake,” Lahm wrote in a
column for Die Zeit newspaper. “It
doesn’t belong there.”
“Homosexuals are still criminal-
ised, women do not have the same
rights as men, freedom of the press ap/rss
and freedom of expression are Uruguay’s Luis Suarez takes selfies with fans at the airport in Montevideo, Uruguay, before
restricted,” Lahm added. departing for Qatar to play at the World Cup tournament.

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C M Y K

Culture & Lifestyle
The oversimplification of mental health
If you feel you have a mental health issue, seek a professional’s help instead of self-diagnosing.
Tashi Gurung
W
e have all heard peo-
ple within our social
circle say things like,
“I am so OCD!,” “I
think I am narcissis-
tic,” or “She is so bipolar.” Many of us
casually use these psychological diag-
nostic terms to label ourselves or oth-
ers, but the question remains: Do we
actually know what the diagnosis
entails?
Mental Health
People are more aware of various
psychopathologies or illnesses thanks
to informative mental health content
on social media. But along with easy
access to information on mental
health, there comes the danger of
oversimplification of mental health
problems and self-diagnostic tenden-
cies that can be detrimental to our
well-being.
During my teen years, I feared being
Published and Printed by Kantipur Publications Limited, Central Business Park, Thapathali, Kathmandu, Nepal, P. B. No. 8559, Phone: 5135000, Fax: 977-1-5135057, e-mail: kpost@kmg.com.np, Regd. No. 32/049/050, Chairman & Managing Director: Kailash Sirohiya, Director: Swastika Sirohiya, Editor: Biswas Baral
judged, had trouble interacting with
strangers, and was worried about
humiliating myself. I had even looked
up all the symptoms and convinced
myself that I had a social anxiety dis-
order. I never went to get a psychiatric
diagnosis or sought help from a thera-
pist. Instead, I just labelled myself as
someone suffering from anxiety and,
at times, almost wore it like a badge of
honour.
Years later, when I became a practis-
ing mental health professional, I real-
ised that I DO NOT have the disorder.
I still remember the insight my super-
visor gave me--for any of these clus-
ters of symptoms to be termed a disor-
der, it needs to be pervasive and per-
sistent.
The question to ask would be, my
supervisor informed me, does the dis-
order affect one’s daily functioning in
school, work, and with family and
friends? If it does, then the issue is
considered pervasive. And how often
do the symptoms occur? A month? Or
at least two weeks? If it keeps recur-
ring, then the problem is considered
persistent.
I did have social anxiety when I was
a teen, but in simple terms, it just
wasn’t a disorder.
In the last three years, the pandemic
has had a detrimental impact on men-
Shutterstock
tal health, and this has resulted in a
marked increase in teens and
young adults using social media/
online information to diagnose them-
selves with various kinds of mental
illnesses.
While easy access to mental health
information has led many individuals
to seek the help they need, it has also
led many to label themselves with a
disorder or illness without getting a
professional assessment (as I did) and
sometimes even rely on ineffective or
inappropriate treatments.
As I mentioned before, we have
heard people around us say, “So and so
is so OCD. She wants everything in life
to be in order,” or “I think
I have OCD because I like a routine
schedule”. But then again, just
because someone like things a certain
way doesn’t guarantee that they have
OCD. If the person can function nor-
mally despite that, it would be better
to label them as being organised rath-
er than someone with the disorder.
For an official diagnosis to be made,
the psychologist would have to look
into the range of experiences the indi-
vidual is going through, which
includes the interval between symp-
toms and how long they last, whether
the symptoms are affecting the per-
son’s ability to function in day-to-day
life, sleep, appetite, mood and motiva-
tion. For example, when a person gets
diagnosed with an obsessive-compul-
sive disorder, their compulsions would
be so debilitating that they cannot
attend to their studies or work effec-
tively. Their obsessive thoughts would
affect their relationships with close
ones so much that it creates distance
and conflict among them.
Also, the danger of misdiagnosis
always remains. People of different
age groups can exhibit different symp-
toms for the same underlying disorder.
For example, a child exhibiting anger
and aggression can signify depres-
People of different
age groups can
exhibit different
symptoms for the
same underlying
disorder.
sion, unlike in the adult version,
where the symptoms could manifest
as feeling low and lacking energy.
However, we cannot also discount
all the positive impacts social media
has had on mental health. For many
young individuals dealing with
mental health challenges, social media
has also served as a safety net and a
place to feel a sense of belongingness
with people dealing with similar
issues.
Social media is a great platform to
get an idea of the importance of men-
tal health and various mental disor-
ders. But if you feel you have a mental
health issue, an appointment with a
psychiatrist, clinical psychologist,
counsellor or therapist would be the
way to go.
It should also be noted that we do
not need to have a mental disorder to
talk to a mental health professional. In
fact, this is a huge myth that we must
get rid of. All individuals face strug-
gles in their daily lives. Seeking coun-
selling and therapy can help us deal
with our stressors and get the emo-
tional support we need.
Gurung is a counseling psychologist.
He is currently working in Happy
Minds, a mental health and well-being
platform.
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‘Satta Sangharsha’ now
available in the market
The book by Ramkrishna Bhandari explores the country’s
political development from 1990 to 2020.
Post Report
Kathmandu
R
amkrishna Bhandari’s new
book, Satta Sangharsha, is
now available in the market.
Bhandari is a journalist at
Kantipur Television. At the
heart of the book is the political devel-
opment Nepal witnessed after the peo-
ple’s movement of 1990 successfully
overthrew the 30-year-long Panchayat
regime and re-established democracy
in Nepal. The book explores how 28
governments were formed during the
30-year period from 1990 to 2020.
In the book, Bhandari gives impor-
tance to primary sources by having
direct conversations with important
political figures, including the prime
ministers of the 28 governments. The
book serves as a useful handbook for
leaders, political science students and
researchers, journalists, and general
readers looking to understand the for-
mation, organization, and operation
of the government of Nepal. The illus- history to understand how political
trations presented in the book make it parties risked everything for the res-
readable and also point out the need to toration of democracy and how their
discuss the party and its leaders’ leadership finally managed to reach
desire to remain in power. and stay in power.
The book urges readers to go The book is published by Sangri-La
through the country’s recent political Books.
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