BRIEFS (Spotlight Weekly)

SOME 154,000 HOUSEHOLDS in 240-village development committees in the country are expected to benefit from the rural electrification project being implemented by the government with the Asian Development Bank (ADB)’s loan assistance, a senior government official said. Minister for Water Resources Bijay Kumar Gachhadar informed parliament Thursday that a feasibility study was carried out in 22 out of 75 districts in the country with the ADB’s technical assistance. Out of the total estimated cost of the project amounting to Rs 34.859 billion, the ADB has agreed to provide loan assistance worth Rs 24.251 billion. The Nepalese government will invest Rs 265.18 million and the Nepal Electricity Authority Rs 795.54 million in the project. The loan assistance approved by the ADB is yet to be activated, the minister said.

THE GOVERNMENT OF SWEDEN has announced that it would extend funds totaling 29 million euros ($26.7 million) to Nepal for the Melamchi Drinking Water Project to provide safe drinking water to the Nepalese capital. AFP news agency quoted Swedish development aid minister Majinger Klingvall as saying that the project would help provide safe drinking water to people in Kathmandu. A spokeswoman at the Swedish foreign ministry said half of the money would be given as an outright grant, with the rest as a repayable loan. The project includes construction of a 27-km tunnel and has a total cost of $645 million to be financed mainly through a consortium of international donors led by the Asian Development Bank (ADB).

HUNDREDS OF SACKS OF sub-standard chemical fertilizer are being brought in mid-western district of Bardiya to be sold within the district and in adjoining Banke district, a newspaper report said. According to Kantipur daily, a sack of Gold brand fertilizer costs Rs 800 in the bordering Indian markets whereas it is sold at Rs 1200 per sack as soon as it enters Nepal. Nepalese importers don’t need to pay customs while importing the fertilizer but they are required to get import license from the concerned authorities. Local people alleged the police being hand in glove in the racket of substandard fertilizer that has resulted into decline in productivity in the fertile land.

SIX PERSONS WERE KILLED when a landslide swept the house of Sukadev Baral at Sanyasidada of Arba Bijaya VDC in Kaski district last Friday. The landslide was triggered by heavy downpour from early on the same day. A police rescue team visited the site and has recovered all the dead bodies.

POLICE TOOK INTO CUSTODY five youths from eastern district of Udaypur on charge of being involved in women trafficking. Police arrested the youths along with three girls after raiding a local house last week.

A STUDY TEAM HAS observed eight dolphins (Sushus) in various rivers and streams in far-western district of Kailali, RSS news agency reported. The study was conducted by a team of experts, led by Dr. Shanta Raj Gyawali, from the Royal Bardiya National Park. These dolphins might have come from the Kailashpuri barrage area in India, some 15 km south of the Nepal-India border, experts said.