All-year wrap | DD News On Air

All India Radio brings an all-year wrap-up of major events that took place in its neighbouring country Nepal.” ””The parliament of Nepal approved a contentious USD 500 million US grant, despite opposition and street protests from the Communist parties. In 2017, the US government’s Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC) pact was signed by Nepal for infrastructure projects but its ratification had been on hold as there were divisions within political parties, including the coalition that was ruling.” ””On February 24, 2022, India and Nepal agreed to set up a joint task force on a ‘proposal to construct a hydropower project’ from investments of both countries.” ””On February 27th, 2022, the Nepal parliament approved the Millennium Challenge Corporation MCC Nepal Compact, a $500-million grant for electricity transmission and road development projects. The compact says the energy project will facilitate cross-border electricity trade with India.” ””By the end of this year, Nepal sold surplus energy to India to earn more than 8 billion rupees. Nepal now exports 386 MW of power to India. As per the data released by the NEA in November, the power export to Nepal had exceeded one billion units.” ””Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Nepal Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba laid the foundation stone for the India International Centre for Buddhist Culture and Heritage in Lumbini, Nepal on May 20, 2022. The shilanyas ceremony was performed by monks belonging to three major Buddhist traditions i.e Theravada, Mahayana, and Vajrayana.” ””Nepali delegation led by Minister for Industry, Commerce, and Supplies Dilendra Prasad Badu arrived in Geneva, Switzerland on June 11,  and attended the 12th ministerial conference that took place on 12-15 June 2022. Ministers from across the world had the opportunity to review the functioning of the multilateral trading system and to take action on the future work of the World Trade Organisation. In the WTO meeting, Nepal calls for bridging the digital divide.” ””The joint military exercise between India and Nepal, Exercise Surya Kiran XVI, is being held from December 16 to 29 this year in Nepal Army Battle School in Nepal’s Saljhandi. Surya Kiran is an annual joint military exercise between two friendly nations. This bilateral exercise is playing a major role in boosting the ties between India and Nepal. It is also improving the mutual cooperation between both armies and further strengthens the diplomatic relations between the two countries.” ””Nepalese local elections were held on 13 May 2022 in 6 metropolitan cities, 11 sub-metropolitan cities, 276 municipalities and 460 rural municipalities. These were the second set of local-level elections to be held since the promulgation of the new constitution in 2015. From the local election result, Nepali Congress has become the single largest party in Nepal followed by CPN (UML) and the Maoist Centre.” ””On May 14, 2021, K P Sharma Oli was sworn in as the Prime Minister of Nepal for the third time. President Bidya Devi Bhandari administered his oath of office. He was re-appointed as the Prime Minister as the opposition couldn’t prove their majority.” ””On 18th July, 2021, Sher Bahadur Deuba won a vote of confidence in the country’s Parliament days after the Supreme Court had reinstated the legislature which was dissolved in May to become Nepal's Prime Minister. Sher Bahadur Deuba had previously held the office four times and had won 165 votes with 83 votes going against him.” ””November 20 will be remembered as the festival of democracy in Nepal when people exercised their vote to elect the 275 members of the House of Representatives. There were two ballots in the election; one to elect 165 members from single-member constituencies via First Past The Post, and the other to elect the remaining 110 members from a single nationwide constituency via party-list proportional representation. The election was held alongside provincial elections for the seven provincial assemblies.” ””The National Congress emerged as the largest party in the general election of 2022.” ””But, after power-sharing talks between the outgoing Democratic Left Alliance broke down on 25 December 2022, CPN (Maoist Centre) chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal became the new prime minister of Nepal, unexpectedly joining hands with CPN (UML) chairperson K P Sharma Oli forming a new seven-party alliance. The eight-member cabinet took oath on 26th December 2022.” ”

Social Media Links

Transcript summary

All-year wrap-up of major events of Nepal