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Photo: Mehmet Turgut Kirkgoz NEPAL’S ECONOMY Unlocking the nation’s vast potential   By LB Thapa , MA (Economics) Bhopal University, India Nepal is a country blessed with abundant natural resources, a hardworking population, and a strategic location between two of the world’s largest economies: India and China. Despite these advantages, Nepal has lagged far behind many Southeast Asian nations in terms of economic growth and industrial development. Countries such as Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, and Vietnam have transformed their economies through industrialization, export promotion, tourism development, and foreign investment. These nations have achieved remarkable economic progress over the last few decades. However, Nepal continues to struggle with slow industrial growth, inadequate infrastructure, political instability, unemployment, and heavy dependence on imports. Nevertheless, Nepal still possesses enormous economic potential. If the country manages its water resour...

NEPAL’S ECONOMY Challenges, opportunities, and the way forward By LB Thapa , MA. (Economics) Bhopal University, India Nepal is currently facing many economic and financial challenges. Although the country has made progress in infrastructure development, access to education, and communication facilities over the past few decades, the overall economic situation remains fragile. Economic growth has been slower than expected, investment levels remain low, and the country continues to depend heavily on remittances sent by Nepali workers employed abroad. At the same time, rising inflation, increasing unemployment, and declining industrial productivity have created serious concerns for both policymakers and ordinary citizens. The new government therefore faces the difficult task of stabilizing the economy while ensuring long-term and sustainable development. Inflation has become a serious issue that the country is facing today. The prices of essential goods and services have increased signi...

Image: ChatGPT/Concept: LB Thapa VRINDAVAN Its spiritual importance and the challenge of Fake Sadhus By LB Thapa , lately in Vrindavan   Vrindavan, located in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh, is one of the most sacred places in Hinduism. It is closely associated with the childhood and youthful pastimes of Lord Krishna and occupies a special place in the hearts of millions of devotees around the world. According to Hindu tradition, Krishna spent much of his early life in and around Vrindavan, performing divine pastimes with the gopis, cowherd boys, and the residents of Braj. The town is home to numerous ancient and modern temples, including Banke Bihari Temple, ISKCON Temple, Radha Raman Temple, and Prem Mandir. Every year, millions of pilgrims visit Vrindavan to seek spiritual inspiration, participate in devotional activities, and experience the sacred atmosphere of the land associated with Krishna.   The importance of Vrindavan extends beyond religion. It represents a livin...

From IT engineer to Cow Savior By LB Thapa After earning a degree in IT engineering, most people dream of landing a high-paying job and living a life of comfort and luxury. That’s the typical expectation, right? But what if I told you that the man I’m about to introduce holds that same prestigious IT degree—yet made a conscious choice to run a Gaushala, caring for abandoned cows instead? Hard to believe, isn’t it? Meet Nanda Gopal Das, the founder of Pokhara Gaushala Ashram in Majuwa, Pokhara. About eight years ago, he started the shelter with just five cows. “I was deeply moved when I saw old and injured cows—Gaumata—left abandoned on the streets. They were weak, wounded, and in terrible shape. Seeing their suffering broke my heart,” Das recalls. Nanda Gopal Das earned his B.Tech in Information Technology in 2019. Like many young people, he dreamed of working hard and eventually settling abroad with his family. He even worked for a reputable company in the UK for two years. Life...

Photo: Mumtahina Tanni  The silent crisis: Medical waste management in Nepal By LB Thapa Nepal’s healthcare system has expanded significantly over the past two decades, with increased numbers of hospitals, clinics, and diagnostic centers in both urban and rural areas. However, this progress has brought an unintended consequence: a dramatic rise in medical waste. From used syringes and contaminated bandages to expired pharmaceuticals and pathological remains, medical waste has become a silent environmental and public health crisis.   Although the government has issued strict warnings time and again and insists on following prescribed guidelines, the current situation has not improved so much. Due to lack of infrastructure and coupled with negligence by hospitals and municipalities, the situation has only turned bad to worse in recent years.     Current situation of medical waste management in Nepal   In practice, medical waste management in Ne...

Image: ChatGPT/Concept: LB Thapa The imperative for a redefinition of Nepal-India relations By LB Thapa The relationship between Nepal and India is often cited as a unique example of bilateral ties, defined by deep-rooted cultural affinity, an open border, and pervasive economic interdependence. Legally institutionalized by the 1950 Treaty of Peace and Friendship, this "special relationship" grants citizens of both nations reciprocal rights to reside, work, and trade without visas.   Even after decades, the trend is continued as not much has changed in the course of political landscape. The open border and free entry of the people have definitely consolidated social and economic ties between India and Nepal.       However, beneath the surface of fraternity lies a complex narrative of power asymmetry. For many in Nepal, the historical trajectory suggests that India has seldom viewed a fully independent, economically self-sustained Nepal as being in its strategic ...

Image: ChatGPT/Concept: LB Thapa The Lipulekh-Limpiyadhura dispute: A Himalayan impasse By LB Thapa The map of South Asia, drawn and redrawn by the hands of empire, diplomacy, and war, contains few border disputes as intricate and persistently challenging as the one between India and Nepal over the high-altitude trijunction of Lipulekh, Kalapani, and Limpiyadhura. What appears on some maps as a mere sliver of land in the shadow of the Himalayas represents a clash of legal interpretations, national pride, and strategic interests. As India and China move forward with the Kailash Mansarovar Yatra through the Lipulekh Pass without Kathmandu’s formal consent, a century-old disagreement has once again flared into a modern diplomatic crisis, testing the limits of the unique "Roti-Beti" relationship between New Delhi and Kathmandu.   The genesis of the dispute lies in the Treaty of Sugauli of 1816, signed between the Gorkha Kingdom and the British East India Company following the Ang...

  How consumers can be cheated by the sale of half-filled LPG cylinders By LB Thapa The Nepal Oil Corporation deserves praise for maintaining a steady supply of petroleum products—particularly petrol, diesel, and LPG—across the country. A long-term agreement with the Indian Oil Corporation (IOC) has made this possible.   Even as the Indian government faces challenges in ensuring a steady supply of these fuels within its borders, the Nepali government has managed to sustain distribution nationwide.   However, the prices of many consumer goods have risen due to the ripple effects of the ongoing conflict involving Iran, Israel, and the United States. Although Nepal does not import crude oil and has not yet experienced a direct impact from the war, a prolonged conflict could change this situation for sure.   Nepal imports its petroleum products under five-year agreements with the IOC, and the current agreement still has one year remaining. While all petroleum products ...

All photos by LB Thapa Welcome to Pokhara—tons of garbage await your arrival! By LB Thapa Set aside the flowery adjectives once used to eulogize the pristine beauty of Pokhara. Today, the city presents a starkly altered face. The new Pokhara appears to offer little beyond mounting piles of garbage. Heaps of waste litter every nook and cranny, while the pervasive stench makes it difficult for residents to breathe freely or walk the streets without covering their faces. Adding to the distress, the city’s mayor has issued a directive requiring households to keep their garbage indoors, regardless of the odor it produces.  Now it is going to be two months that all people have kept garbage at their homes. At present the situation has turned much worse.  The stinky smell has begun coming out of the bags of garbage. It is confirmed that soon the city will experience the outbreak of all kinds of diseases.  Small kids and elderly people have already started showing early signs ...