Interviews
Q&A: Generating Rs29.32 billion from power exports is a remarkable national milestone
By Biken K Dawadi & Seema Tamang Newly-elected IPPAN President Mohan Kumar Dangi emphasises the necessity of power trading rights for private developers, the causes behind the PPA backlog and the strategic roadmaps required to transform Nepal’s energy sector.
Tax withdrawal to be formalised through Cabinet, says finance minister
By Yagya Banjade Minister Wagle says the prime minister’s announcement followed consultations, with the legal process now being prepared to suspend the proposed equity fees.
Q&A: The state resorted to physical violence to silence us
By Biken K Dawadi Majid Ansari details the events surrounding his violent arrest, the systemic failures within the security apparatus, and his refusal to be silenced by state-sponsored intimidation.
Q&A: Impunity and nepotism remain major issues in the current government
By Biken K Dawadi Our current state respects the property of the higher classes but ignores the rights of daily wage workers.
Q&A: Youths must understand that politics demands time and energy
By Biken K Dawadi Law Minister Sobita Gautam takes aim at the judiciary’s ‘inverted pyramid’ and announces plans to reclaim state policy from external consultants.
Q&A: Why abolishing provincial assemblies isn’t as simple as RSP thinks
By Biken K Dawadi Constitutional expert Purna Man Shakya weighs in on the legal and democratic implications of the RSP’s sweeping proposed constitutional reforms.
Q&A: Policy flip-flops and ‘midnight changes’ are eroding public trust
By Biken K Dawadi Former Finance Secretary Vidyadhar Mallik on why systemic policy flip-flops, entrenched special-interest exemptions, and outdated infrastructure continue to erode public trust and compromise Nepal’s economic governance.
Q&A: Until football matters to the state, World Cup stays a dream
By Biken K Dawadi Legendary striker Anil Gurung reflects on Nepal’s stalled domestic league, the rise of the NSL, football’s enduring appeal, and why women may reach the World Cup before men.
Bureaucrats in the Home Ministry are against transgender people
By Biken K Dawadi LGBTQI+ rights activist Rukshana Kapali discusses the stark gap between Nepal's international reputation for progressive laws and the rigid bureaucratic resistance, weaponised transphobia, and systemic gatekeeping that transgender individuals face daily.
David Marriott Thinks Nepal Is Ready. Is Nepal?
By Gokarna Awasthi & Biken K Dawadi The chair of the world’s largest hotel company makes the case for luxury hospitality as a development tool—and lays out what governments, including Nepal’s, need to deliver.
The best cultural platforms eventually outgrow their founders
By Biken K Dawadi Kalinga Literary Festival founder Rashmi Ranjan Parida discusses literary autonomy, regional translation, and why cultural platforms must eventually belong to local communities.
Q&A: You cannot expect the top of the world to be comfortable
By Biken K Dawadi & Suraj Kunwar Norwegian mountaineer Kristin Harila, who summited all 14 of the world’s 8,000-meter peaks in a staggering 92 days, discusses her rapid rise to fame, the controversies that have followed her up the peaks, the urgent need to protect the Sherpa community, and why anyone eyeing Everest needs to be fundamentally prepared to suffer.
Q&A: Focusing on the middle class and high-income groups will inevitably lead to increased inequality
By Biken K Dawadi By reducing the intake from the wealthy and failing to transfer it to the poor, the budget disconnects from the principle of welfare state.
Q&A: A single film can open a door, but lasting change requires a stronger ecosystem
By Anish Ghimire After ‘Elephants in the Fog’ made history at Cannes 2026, director Abinash Bikram Shah reflects on the win and why Nepali cinema still needs structural support to grow beyond isolated success.
Q&A: Social media has made Everest ascent look easy, but it isn’t
By Biken K Dawadi & Suraj Kunwar 'Mountain Queen' Lhakpa Sherpa reflects on surviving abuse, gruelling immigrant labour in the US, balancing motherhood with mountaineering, and witnessing climate change reshape the world’s highest peak.
Q&A: RSP breaks norms to deliver results, no intent of circumventing constitution
By Biken K Dawadi RSP Whip discusses the delicate balance between executive urgency and legislative oversight, the government’s approach to human rights and urban poverty, and the personal resolution to table a victim-centric Dalit rights bill by 2027.
Q&A: Nepal wants a politics-free bureaucracy. Its methods are deeply political
By Biken K Dawadi Umesh Mainali, who chaired the Public Service Commission, says the Balendra Shah government’s ordinance-driven purge is legally risky, institutionally damaging, and likely to backfire.
RSP ready to hold by-elections if MPs repeatedly breach discipline standards
By Biken K Dawadi Some may argue that we are undermining ‘due process’, but the real problem is the traditionally long and inefficient administrative process.
We are setting the pace for good governance, not just following the centre’s lead
By Biken K Dawadi Provinces are prepared to advocate for their constitutional rights. People need services now, not when the centre finally gets around to it.
‘Dollar fare’ is why foreign tourists avoid Karnali and Sudurpashchim
By Biken K Dawadi The ‘alternative wave’ did not reach the remote areas because most residents are of the older generation who do not use social media.