The Barbara Foundation on Thursday honoured four journalists with the Barbara Foundation Investigative Journalism Award 2024 for exposing various issues of corruption and abuse of authority.

Journalists Devendra Bhattarai and Matrika Dahal were jointly awarded the first prize for their in-depth reporting on the fake Bhutanese refugee scam. The revelation led to the arrest of senior leaders, including former ministers Top Bahadur Rayamajhi and Bal Krishna Khand, and multiple high-ranking officials, among others, for their alleged involvement in the scam.

Bhattarai and Dahal—who wrote a series of stories on the issue in Kantipur Daily, the Post’s sister paper—jointly received a purse of Rs1.6 million.

Likewise, Deepa Dahal of Ukaalo.com took home the second prize for her in-depth reporting on the Bansbari Leather and Shoe Factory land scam. She received Rs600,000. Meanwhile, Himal Khabar’s Ramesh Kumar was awarded the third prize for his reporting on the irregularities in the stock market and the cooperatives. He received Rs300,000.

The Barbara Foundation had established the awards and fellowships to encourage investigative journalism. The awards had a prize pool of Rs2.5 million, highest for any journalism award in Nepal, this year.

The awards are handed out every two years, the foundation said.