These are some of the best stories from The Kathmandu Post (February 13, 2020). Delhi Chief Minister and leader of Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) Arvind Kejriwal gestures towards his supporters during celebrations at the party headquarters in New Delhi, India, February 11, 2020. Reuters
These are some of the best stories from The Kathmandu Post (February 13, 2020).
Aam Aadmi’s resounding win in Delhi could be a lesson for Nepal’s alternative political forces
On Wednesday morning, Sajha Party coordinator Rabindra Mishra posted a message on Twitter congratulating Arvind Kejriwal, chief of India’s Aam Aadmi Party, for his third consecutive victory in the Delhi elections.
“You are an inspiration to an alternative party like ours (@Sajha_Party) in Nepal, which like @AamAadmiParty, also believes in anti-corruption, welfarism and good governance,” Mishra wrote.
Nepali Twitter users were quick to respond, with some even taking a dig at Mishra and his party. A few, however, pointed out the reasons for Kejriwal’s win in Delhi and urged Mishra to follow suit if he wishes to emerge as a viable alternative force in the country.
What is the land scam that has shaken the government’s seat all about?
On February 5, the Commission for the Investigation of Abuse of Authority filed corruption charges against 175 individuals in relation to a land grab in the heart of Kathmandu. A series of media reports had pointed out just how the “land mafia” conspired with public officials to convert state property at Lalita Niwas, around the prime minister’s residence in Baluwatar, into the personal assets of a number of private individuals.
It’s a little after 8am, and Thrangu Phende Clinic’s director Wangchuk Rapten Lama is inspecting each and every room of the four-storey clinic. He is usually the first one to arrive and the last to leave the clinic, located on the premises of Thrangu Tashi Yangtse Monastery in Namo Buddha.
Climate change to cause frequent landslides in the Himalayan region, including Nepal, says NASA
Changing rainfall patterns—turning more frequent and intense due to climate change— could trigger an increased number of landslides in Nepal, bordering regions of China and in the higher Himalayan region, according to new research findings of NASA.
The NASA study, which is said to be the first quantitative study of the links between precipitation and landslides in the region, says the rise in landslide events would be significant in the border regions of China and Nepal, recording a surge of 30 percent to 70 percent in the number of landslides.
Despite robust legal provisions, pregnant women still find it difficult to get maternity leave
A year ago, when Ashmita Gyawali got pregnant with her first child, she had no option but to quit her job as a money collector for a local cooperative in Imadol, Lalitpur. As her company had no policies regarding maternity leave and job protection for its female employees, Gyawali quit when she was seven months pregnant.
“My husband is the sole provider now while I have some savings to support the family. I will look for a job when my baby gets a little older,” said 26-year-old Gyawali.
Gyawali should not have had to quit, as the law mandates a total of 98 days of maternity leave, with 60 days fully paid, which they can avail of before or after childbirth, according to the Labour Act 2017. Despite being enshrined in law, most private employers do not provide maternity leave to their employees. When they get pregnant, women often have to quit their jobs as they are unable to come in to work, especially in the later stages of their pregnancy.
30.12°C Kathmandu
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