Take a quick look at some of the important news you may have missed from today’s paper.

Young IT entrepreneurs feel left behind at the Nepal Investment Summit

The recently passed Foreign Investment and Technology Transfer Act doesn’t define e-commerce and Nepal doesn’t allow FDI in retail to protect local entrepreneurs. But Amun Thapa and Nikita Acharya say not having a clear definition of what e-commerce is—it could include retailers and online marketplace for buyers and sellers like Sasto Deal—hitting them hard.

Sasto Deal was finally able to secure funding in 2016 from Televentures, an investment firm owned by Nepali entrepreneurs and then last year from Dolma Fund, an international private equity fund.

Foreign secretaries of Nepal and India review projects, discuss regional issues

During the foreign secretary-level meeting, both sides reviewed the progress made in India-funded projects in Nepal, ways to remove bottlenecks in order to expedite them. According to both sides, two foreign secretaries discussed progress made in cross-border rail projects, construction of the integrated check posts, transmission lines, Upper Karnali hydroelectricity project, Arun III project, Pancheshwar Development Authority, Tarai road projects, Mahakali bridges, Line of Credit projects and reconstruction projects funded by India.

Metropolitan Traffic Police Division launch pilot project in a bid to alleviate traffic woes in the Valley

According to a 2018 ‘Kathmandu Walkability Study’ by the Resource Centre for Primary Health Care, more than 80 percent of roads in the Valley lack zebra crossings. Similarly, 60 percent of zebra crossing marks have disappeared due to discolouration over the years.

Traffic police have also listed nine places—New Baneshwor, Putalisadak, Keshar Mahal, Kalimati, Thapathali, Koteshwor, Chabahil, Gaushala and Narayan Gopal Chowk—in dire need of overhead bridges.

In coordination with Kathmandu Metropolitan City (KMC), traffic police have also started a survey of the Valley roads in order to construct bus pockets within and outside the Ring Road.

Just a two-hour drive from Kathmandu, Bhotechaur offers better views than those from Nagarkot or Dhulikhel

For the unaware, Bhotechaur is a small town—around 40 kms from Kathmandu—in Sindhupalchowk district. It’s most famous landmark is the Everest Tea Estate, which lies to the north of the town’s main bazaar, and is spread over several hundred ropanis of land. On a clear day, the mountain views from the town are known to be much better than from Nagarkot or Dhulikhel.

Government’s intent to keep security policy secret raises concerns

People who participated in the consultation process and have seen the final document said that unlike the earlier National Security Policy in 2016, the new security policy revolves around the Nepal Army only.

Nepal Police, the Armed Police and National Investigation Department, which play a crucial role in implementation of the security policy, have been completely ignored, a source who claimed to have seen the document told the Post on condition of anonymity citing sensitivity of the matter.