Car couldn't swim

It’s neither an amphibian car nor an adventure vehicle. It’s a risk the driver was taking to cross the river that happen to cross the road. But, it got stuck in the water.

It’s not easy driving in Nepal, especially in rural areas. Photo credit- Krishna Prasad Nepali

Govt unveils names of suspected VAT bills defaulters including top corporate houses

The government on Sunday made public the names of business firms including major firms in Nepali corporate world allegedly involved in tax evasion by using fake VAT bills. In a response to a landmark direction of National Information Commission (NIC), the investigation report was prepared by Inland Revenue Department (IRD).
According to the report made public by Finance Secretary Krishna Hari Baskota, it suspects involvement of Nepal´s top corporate houses including Arun Intercontinental, United Builders, Jagadamba Steel, Varun Developers, Biswokarma Cement, Maruti Cement, Shree Dugar Auto Clinics, CG Electronics, Jagadamba Trading Concern, Chamelia Hydropower, CG Impex, United Distributors, Morang Auto Works, Bhat-Bhateni Department Store and CG Foods.
The Finance ministry had formed a committee under a deputy director general at the Inland Revenue Department (IRD) to investigate on the multi-billion VAT evasion on February 21.
The 33-page report unveils the name of the firms as major suspects involved in the VAT bills scam as below:-
BM Enterprises, Him Electronics, Associated Automobiles, Himalayan Enterprises Pvt Ltd, AIT Pvt Ltd, Wheels Auto, Surya Automobiles, Jyoti Overseas, Shakti Commercial Enterprises, United Shayam Sundar and Danfe Construction JV, Bishwokarma Cement, Bama Motors, CGGC Cameliya Project Department of Nepal, Rasuwa Construction Company, Rajesh Sanitary Ware, CTCE/Kalika JV, Shree Dugar Brothers and Sons, Chandan Wala International, Guras Engineering, M Trade House, Usma Traders, Nistha Traders, Arun Intercontinental, United Builders, Jagadamba Steel, Varun Developers, Biswokarma Cement, Maruti Cement, Shree Dugar Auto Clinics, CG Electronics, Jagadamba Trading Concern, Chamelia Hydropower, CG Impex, United Distributors, Morang Auto Works, Bhat-Bhateni Department Store and CG Foods.
NIC issued the directive on the basis of an application registered by Tara Nath Dahal of Freedom Forum – an NGO advocating people´s right to information.
As per the report, the government has refunded the VAT to Sarita Enterprises (Rs. 5.04 million), Sarita International Business (Rs. 5.31 million), Ashutos Impex (Rs. 17.22 million), Shivashakti Impex (Rs. 16.95 million), Digambar Trade House (Rs. 11.26 million), Digambar Trade International (Rs. 45.60 million), and Bhimeshwor Trade House (Rs. 14.33 million).
IRD has slapped tax bills of Rs 3.45 billion on firms found involved in 365 cases of fake VAT bills scam out of 518 cases of revenue evasion. Some of the firms have cleared tax dues amounting to Rs 61.9 million.

You can't replace your head – wear helmet

Every Hindu knows Lord Ganesh got his human head replaced by an elephant head. Don’t ask me how can an elephant head fits on Ganesh because, we are not talking about mythology.

Yes, it’s not possible to fix elephant’s (or anything else’s head, for that matter) on a human body. Ganesh agrees on it and ask motorcycle riders to wear helmet to safeguard their heads.

The poster issued in public interest by Safe Life Foundation, somewhere in India says:

Take care of your head !!!
Not everyone gets a replacement
like me…
WEAR HELMET

Please, live in rules and remain alive! (Photo credits – Siddhartha Reddy Thimmireddy)

Govt preparing to provide employment to unemployed youths

The government has begun necessary process to provide jobs under the Skills for Employment Programme in Biratnagar and Kathmandu in the first phase to unemployed youths who have registered their names in the Employment Information Center, according to RSS reports.

Director General of the Department, Dr. Man Bahadur BK said, the National Planning Commission (NPC) has given approval to the programme to begin the work.  He further said the center has been developed as the unit to collect detailed information about the skilled manpower and provide a person’s educational qualification, vocational training, skill and capacity for the jobs concerned and to the industrial organizations.

The center has been collecting data about the unemployed youths since the last two years. 14 centers have been established in each of the zones in the country. As many as 40,000 youths have registered their names with the center.

Rupa can look better in Saree

Rupa Upadhyay is a  hot model and actress. Having seen a lot of bikini shots, I was pleasantly surprised to see how beautiful she looks in a traditional Nepali attire.

Don’t you think so?

She looks absolutely gorgeous. She looks great in her bikini shots too but I think, the beauty is enhanced in the traditional dress.

Go ahead, compare the decent sari-clad Rupa with the following pics:

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Rani Pokhari Temple Now and Then

The temple located at the center of Rani Pokhari opens only on the day of Bhai Tika. Those who don’t have brothers or sisters go to the temple to get a tika.

The temple has been around for a long time and hasn’t changed much. The following photo shows the temple in 92 year-old photo (taken in 1920). When compared with the current photo, you can see that the Ghantaghar on the background has changed much but the pokhari and the Rani Pokhari Temple look the same.

A close up on Oct0ber 28, 2011.

Comedy – Sisnupani Deusi Bhailo

The comedy version of the popular tradition of Deusi and Bhailo during the festival Tihar is being used by the group of comedians, Sisnupani, to show their creativity and make fun of the current socio-political situation of the country.

The satirical Deusi starts by:

Bhana Bhana Bhai ho Ram Ram
Ramai Ram

Part 1
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Engine of Yeti Airlines plane explodes

On Wednesday evening in Pokhara, an airplane was saved from happening to a possible disaster, according to RSS. 9N AHW (Jet Spring) airplane of the Yeti Airlines was about to take off at Pokhara airport for Kathmandu when the engine exploded.

There was flame out after the engine exploded, but fortunately a major disaster was averted as the plane had not taken off from the runway, according to the Pokhara Civil Aviation Authority Office.

23 passengers including 18 foreigners were on board. The right side engine of the plane exploded as it had reached mid-way of the runway while preparing for a takeoff.

Take BIPPA positively: FNCCI

Federation of Nepalese Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FNCCI) said, by signing Bilateral Investment Promotion and Protection Agreement (BIPPA) with India by Prime Minister Baburam Bhattarai, it has boosted the morale of Indian investors. So, FNCCI urged the political parties not to criticize BIPPA. It is fruitful to attract huge investment in big projects. Organizing a press meet to brief on PM’s recent visit to India on Tuesday, FNCCI, business community has said such.

According to President of FNCCI Suraj Vaidya, the agreement has attracted the Indian investors assuring security of their investment. So, BIPPA is beneficial for the nation’s economy.

FNCCI Senior Vice president Bhaskar Raj Rajkarnikar also expressed that the PM visit and the agreement were fruitful at boosting confident of Indian investors and the government should sign the same kind of agreement with other nations to attract foreign investment in Nepal.

Deepawali lights

(UPDATE) Blogger Mohammad Tajim has suggested that the image is not that of Deepawali. Although the images is being circulated as that of being Deepawali, one can argue that they don’t celebrate Deepawali in Pakistan (at least, not to that extent). Tajim commented:

This apparently is not am image shot on Diwali. This image is overlapping with three other images shot iin interval of last 2 decade.. the blue color lights were present from 1992 to 1998 and are not present now whereas green lights represent area which became inhabited after 2002 and yellow light are the consistent light from 1992 to 2011…

Amazing image of Deepawali, the festival of lights ! Anyways, with the amount of lights during Deepawali, we can expect a colorful scenery as seen in the image, during Depawali.

The following image taken from the skies, shows the evening o
f Deepawali in which India (and, to some extent in Nepal) is flooded with light.

Image credits NASA. Refer to this link to request high resolution image (via Mohammad Tajim).

Deepawali in one of the houses in Kathmandu (photo credits – Prakash Shah)

Depawali lights on Kathmandu street (photo credits .

Nepali Movie- Ek Number ko Pakhe

Fifth presentation of Mansarobar Films P. Ltd., Shekhar Koirala presents
Nepali Movie- Ek Number ko Pakhe
Starring – Rajesh Hamal, Karishma Manandhar, Ramesh Upreti, Jal Shah, Narayan Tripathi, Nir Shah, Basundhara Bhusal, Dinesh DC, Rabi Shah, Shiva Hari Poudel, Mohan Mishra etc.
Direction – Kishor Rana
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'Bhattarai, Dahal should be relieved from Maoists'- Gajurel

Once again another criticism came from the hard-line faction of UCPN (Maoist) against the founder leaders for signing the bilateral investment promotion pact with India on the recent visit of Prime Minister Baburam Bhattarai.
Speaking at a program ‘Lawmakers with People’ organized at Deurali in Sindhuli district on Tuesday, UCPN (Maoist) Secretary CP Gajurel alleged that the Maoist leaders, Chairman Puspa Kamal Dahal and Vice Chairman and PM Baburam Bhattarai have departed from the revolutionary party though they talk about revolution to maintain their position in the party.
Gajurel said that the leaders, who gave up the revolutionary path, should be relieved from the party. So, Dahal and PM Bhattarai do not have the right to stay in the party.
The Maoist hard-line leader opined that the common people are facing difficulties due to the incompleteness of the revolution. Those cannot be Maoists those who repeatedly talk about peace by giving up revolution before its completion.
Giving remark of “anti-national” to the signing of Bilateral Investment Promotion and Protection Agreement (BIPPA) between Nepal and India, Gajurel opined that the deal would make way for the industries that have failed in India to come to Nepal and that Nepal government would end up getting bankrupt by bearing their losses.

He claimed that those companies of Bihar and Uttar Pradesh that are in losses will make inroads into Nepal and demand compensation from the Nepal government showing losses.

With regards to the writing of new constitution, he said that it was delayed not due to the lawmakers but due to the differences between the political parties as the thematic committees have already sent their drafts to Constituent Assembly.

Various comments on BIPPA-PM Bhattarai says BIPPA is in ‘best interest’ of Nepal

Maoist gen secy Thapa says Dahal has links with RAW

Talking to media persons in party’s Bharatapur-based office in Chitwan district on Sunday, UCPN (Maoist) general secretary, Ram Bahadur Thapa, has claimed that his party Chairman Puspa Kamal Dahal has links with RAW (Research and Analysis Wing), India’s external intelligence agency.

The Maoist general secretary Thapa said that in the name of personal visit, Dahal went to India’s Silguri from Biratnagar few months ago and met people from RAW. Kantipur writes quoting Thapa that Dahal, during this visit, agreed to integrate 5,000 Maoist combatants instead of 10,000 in the Nepal Army under the directive of the RAW. Thapa claimed that integrating 10,000 Maoist combatants was the party’s bottom line.

Thapa also criticized Prime Minister Baburam Bhattarai for signing the Bilateral Investment Promotion and Protection Agreement (BIPPA) with India saying that it was against the party discipline, people’s wish and political consensus.

Though the party had advised Bhattarai to not sign any controversial agreements during his “goodwill visit” and party’s standing committee meeting held a day before PM’s visit to India had decided against the BIPPA deal, Bhattarai had signed it, claimed Thapa Thapa further added India would take “double benefit” from the agreement.

Nepali Movie – Anmol

Tribaba Films Production presents Rajesh Koirala’s movie:
Nepali Movie – Anmol
(Tagline – She is a mother after all)
Starring – Rajesh Hamal, Uttam Pradhan, Rejina Upreti, Ruby Rana, Lab Sharma, Rabi Giri etc.
Story – Rajesh Koirala
Script / Producer/ Director – Resh Raj Acharya

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