Fourth Jhamsikhel Street Festival on Saturday

Jhamsikhel Youth Club is organising the ‘4th Jhamsikhel Street Festival 2019’ on Saturday to mark the start of Visit Nepal 2020, a government campaign to bring in two million tourists the country next year.
Organising a press meet in Jhamsikhel, spokesperson of the club Kaushal Ghimire said that it will be the fourth time that the club is organising the street festival. “The festival will be inaugurated by home minister Ram Bahadur Thapa,” he said, adding that the club has been organising street festival once every four years. “We did it in 2008, 2012, and 2016, and now we are organising it in the end of 2019. “The timing of this festival is significant as it was being held on the eve of Visit Nepal Year 2020.”
“The street festival will have many attractions including Rock concert featuring Mukti and Revival, Anuprastha, Cobweb and Robin and the New Revolution,” Ghimire informed, adding that the festival will also feature Lok Dohori singers including Member of National Assembly Komal Oli, Prakash Saput and Team, and Prag Purna Nepali. “There will also be standup comedy performance by artists like Raja Rajendra, Purna Thapa, Ravi Dangol, Surendra KC, and Shiva Shankar Rijal.”
The organisers also said that the streets of Jhamsikhel will have food, handicraft, and face painting stalls along with bingo and carnival games for the children. The club will be hoisting flags of various countries to promote Visit Nepal Year 2020 (VNY2020) during the festival. “The festival will be made plastic free as part of the club’s Green Initiative,” he added.

Nepal Police to operate free bus service during festival

Nepal Police is operating free bus service from October 6 to 8 during the Dashain festival holiday.
The Police Headquarters is operating the bus service on two routes in the Kathmandu Valley, according to a press note. “The buses will be operated from 11 am to 4 pm,” it reads, adding that Route 1 includes Naxal, Jaya Nepal, Durbarmarga, Ratna Park, Nagsthan, Tripureshwor, Kalimati, Kalanki, Balkhu, Ekantakuna, Jawalakhel, Pulchok, Kupandol, Maitighar and Putalisadak. “Likewise, Route 2 comprises Maitidevi, Gaushala, Koteshwar, Tinkune, Babarmahal, Maitighar, Tripureshwor, Nagsthan, Jamal, Lainchaur, Lazimpat, Narayangopal Chok and Baluwatar.”
Police is operating two buses on these two routes for the convenience of the passengers during the festival, the press note from the Police Headquarters reads.

Government intensifies market monitoring

The Department of Commerce, Supplies and Consumer Protection (DoCSP) has fined 140 stores – out of 298 – in course of market monitoring before the festivals.
According to the department, the stores were fined Rs 2.38 million for charging customers arbitrarily, failing to furnish required documents, and selling sub-standard products. The government has intensified market monitoring for the festive season as many traders are blamed to overly charge and sell substandard or adulterated products to the customers.
Though, the department is criticised for its monitoring only during the festive season, it has started market monitoring from August 18 with an aim to check unscrupulous practices in the market during the Dashain, Tihar, and Chhath festivals, the department said, adding that it carried out market monitoring between mid-August and the last week of September.
According to director general at the department Yogendra Gauchan, some traders even shut down their stores as soon as they see market monitoring team.
Though, half a dozen agencies are working under the Ministry of Industry, Commerce and Supplies to check the market distortion and to protect the interest of consumers, the consumer rights activists say that the market monitoring has not been able to curb malpractices and anomalies in the market.
The Department of Food Technology and Quality Control, Department of Livestock Department, DoCSP, and local governments among others work for consumer protection.
Following the implementation of the Consumer Protection Act 2019 in February, the market inspectors have got the authority to impose fine on the spot, if any producer, transporter, importer, seller or service provider is found to be violating rules. Earlier, the market inspectors did not have any authority to penalise those, who were flouting the rules.

Government to open fair price shops from September 9

The government is opening fair price outlet in Kathmandu on Monday.
Department of Commerce, Supply and Consumer Protection is going to operate fair price shops – like always – from September 9 targeting Dashain, Tihar and Chhath, the key festivals, said director general of the department Yogendra Gauchan speaking at Parliamentary Committee on Industry and Commerce, Labour and Consumer Welfare meeting.
He also informed that Salt Trading Corporation (STC), Food Management and Trade Company Ltd (FMTCL) – the merged entity of two state-owned entities National Trading Limited (NTL) and Nepal Food Corporation (NFC) in August – and Dairy Development Corporation (DDC) decided to run integrated fair shops. The government has already allocated the required budget to open the fair price shops, he informed, adding that the department will provide a discount of Rs 10 in a kg of mutton, Rs 5 in a kg of sugar and Rs 2 in a kg of salt through those shops.
Addressing the meeting, the committee members criticised the government for poor market monitoring.
Gauchan, on the occasion, also said that the department will monitor the market to check black-market. “For this purpose, eight different teams will be deployed in Kathmandu from next week though the department currently has 15 staffers for monitoring purpose.”
According to the spokesperson of FMTCL Sharmila Neupane Subedi, the first integrated fair price shop will open at Ram Shah Path from Monday. “Similar shops will be opened across the country after few days," she said, adding that the private firms can also distribute their products at discounted rates at such shops that will be opened at 23 locations across the country. 

नेपाल लिटरेचर फेस्टिभल पुस ७ देखि

नेपाल लिटरेचर फेस्टिभलको सातौं संस्करण आगामी पुस ७ देखि १० गतेसम्म पोखरामा हुने भएको छ । फेस्टिभलबारे जानकारी दिन सोमबार राजधानीमा आयोजित पत्रकार सम्मेलनमा आयोजक बुकवर्म फाउन्डेसनले यस पटक साहित्य उत्सवमा सयभन्दा बढी स्वदेशी तथा विदेशी लेखक सहभागी रहने र तीन दर्जन भन्दा बढी सेसन र अन्य थप रोचक सामग्री समावेश हुने जानकारी दिएको छ ।
‘जहाँ शब्दहरू जीवन्त हुन्छन्’ भन्ने नारासहित सन् २०११ मा काठमाडौंबाट सुरु भएको फेस्टिभलको चार संस्करण काठमाडौंमा नै गरेपछि साहित्य तथा साहित्यकारलाई काठमाडौंको प्रदूषणबाट सुन्दर नगरी पोखरा पु-याइएको आयोजकको भनाइ छ । फेस्टिभल संयोजक रविन गिरीका अनुसार फेस्टिभलमा बेलायती ग्राफिक नोभलिस्ट निकोला स्ट्रिटसँग मास्टर कार्यशाला तथा ब्रिटिस काउन्सिलको क्रिएटिङ हिरोइन्स प्रोजेक्ट प्रदर्शनी पनि हुनेछ । यस्तै, फेस्टिभलमा अर्थतन्त्र, शिक्षा, स्वास्थ्य, रेमिट्यान्सलगायत विषयमा समेत छलफल गरिने पनि गिरीले बताए ।
यस पटकको फेस्टिभलमा पाकिस्तानका मोहम्मद हनिफ, भारतकी नमिता गोखले, प्रज्वल पराजुली, क्यानडाकी मन्जुश्री थापा, पाकिस्तानकी सब्रिना टोप्पा, बेलायतकी डा. निकोला स्ट्रिटेन तथा भारतका हरिश नाम्बियार र ए एस अनुपमलगायतको सहभागिता रहनेछ ।
फेस्टिभलका निर्देशक अजित बरालका अनुसार नेपाली र अन्य भाषा र भूगोलका साहित्यलाई एउटै मञ्चमा ल्याएर मन्थन गर्ने, स्रष्टा र पाठकबीचको दूरी कम गर्ने र फरक विचारलाई सम्मानका साथ स्थान दिने काममा फेस्टिभल उत्प्रेरक बनेको छ । फेस्टिभल पाठकले मनपरेका लेखक र लेखकले पाठक भेट्ने थलो हुने भन्दै उनले फेस्टिभलमा तीन दर्जनभन्दा बढी सेसन सञ्चालन हुने बताए । उनका अनुसार यसपटक साहित्य महोत्सवमा नयाँ लेखक र साहित्यकार पनि वक्ता रहने छन् ।
रेमिट्यान्स कम्पनी आइएमई ग्रुप र फाउण्डेसनबीच फेस्टिभल प्रायोजन सम्झौता भएको जानकारी दिँदै बरालले महोत्सवको नाम यसपटक पटक ‘आइएमई नेपाल लिटरेचर फेस्टिभल’ भएको बताए ।

कर्टेन रेजरमा गुरुचरण दास
‘आईएमई नेपाल लिटरेचर फेस्टिभल २०१८’ को कर्टेन रेजर कार्यक्रममा शनिबार भारतीय लेखक तथा चिन्तक गुरुचरण दासले ऋषिमुनिहरूले सुखी तथा सम्पन्न जीवनको अर्थ खोज्ने क्रममा नै मानव जीवनका धर्म, अर्थ, कामः तथा मोक्षलाई चार पुरुषार्थ भनी पारिभाषित गरेको स्मरण गरे ।
आफूलाई नेपालको ‘ज्वाइँ साहब‘को रुपमा परिचित गराउँदै कार्यक्रममा उनले आफ्नो नयाँ पुस्तक ‘कामः द रिडल अफ डिजायर’को विषय ऋषिमुनिहरूले बताएको चार पुरुषार्थमध्ये तेस्रो कामःको विषयमा केन्द्रित रहेको बताए ।
“आदिकालीन समाजमा जीवन भावनात्मक रुपमा अर्थपूर्ण रहेको थियो किनकि त्यसबखतमा समाज उदार थियो । साथै, धर्म, अर्थ, कामः तथा मोक्षलाई उच्चतम महत्व दिइएको थियो,” उनले भने, “तर हामीले हाम्रो सभ्यता तथा इतिहास बिर्सियौं । त्यसैले मैले मेरा किताबमा यिनै विषयलाई व्याख्या गर्ने कोसिस गरेको छु ।”
कार्यक्रममा संस्कृति, पर्यटन तथा नागरिक उड्डयनमन्त्री रविन्द्र अधिकारीले देशको सार्वाङ्गिण विकासका लागि साहित्यको पनि ठूलो भूमिका हुने बताउँदै देशको समग्र समृद्धिका लागि आर्थिक विकास मात्र पर्याप्त नहुने बताए । “यसका लागि कला, साहित्य एवम् संस्कृतिको समृद्धि पनि आवश्यक हुन्छ । त्यसैले नेपाल लिटरेचर फेस्टिभल जस्ता महोत्सव भइराख्नुपर्छ,” उनले भने ।
कार्यक्रममा फेस्टिभलका प्रायोजक आइएमईका कार्यकारी निर्देशक सुमन पोखरेलले आइएमईलाई लिटरेचर फेस्टिभलमा प्रायोजनको अवसर दिएकोमा बुकवर्म फाउन्डेसनलाई धन्यवाद दिदै आइएमईले सामाजिक उत्तरदायित्वका क्षेत्रमा पनि काम गरिरहेको र यस्ता महोत्सव आदिमासहकार्य गरिरहने प्रतिबद्धता व्यक्त गरे ।
कार्यक्रमको सुरुमा लेखक शिवानीसिंह थारुले आधुनिक नेपाली साहित्य २१औं शताब्दीसँगै अघि बढेको बताउँदै एक सय वर्ष पूरा भएसँगै नेपाली साहित्यले नयाँ फड्को मारिसकेको बताइन् । नेपाली साहित्य परम्परा र नेपाली साहित्यलाई विश्व साहित्यसँग जोड्ने समय आइसकेको भन्दै उनले नेपाली साहित्य अन्तर्राष्ट्रिय जगतमा पुर्याउन सकिने पनि बताइन् । ‘नेपाल लिटरेचल भेस्टिभलजस्ता उत्सवले पनि नेपाली साहित्यलाई विश्व साहित्यसँग जोड्न सघाउने छ,’ उनले भनिन् ।
कार्यक्रममा गायक धर्मेन्द्र सेवानले ‘रेशम फिरिरी’लगायत पाँच ओटा गीत गाएका थिए ।