Kathmandu, July 3 (IANS) Vijay Jolly, the BJP’s overseas affairs convenor, was Thursday attacked by a mob here while returning after addressing a meeting of Nepal’s ruling coalition partner CPN-UML. The Bharatiya Janata Party had sent Jolly and two other leaders, Ajit Kumar and Saurabh Gupta, to attend the convention of the Communist Party of […]

Kathmandu, June 13: At the call of The Nepal Federation of Indigenous Nationalities (NEFIN), various ethnic organisations staged a sit at New Baneswhor, demanding federalism along with ethnic identity, among others. Promulgation of a new constitution through the Constituent Assembly, nomination of remaining 26 lawmakers as quickly as possible and inclusion of ethnic community in […]

काठमाडौँ, २१ असार । विश्वकप फुटबल प्रतियोगितामा ब्राजिलले कोलम्बियालाई पराजित गर्दै सेमिफाइनल पुग्ने दोस्रो टोली बनेको छ । ब्राजिलको फार्तालेजामा आज बिहान भएको खेलमा ब्राजिलले कोलम्बियालाई २–१ गोलअन्तरले पराजित गर्दै सेमिफाइनलमा आफनो स्थान सुरक्षित गरेको हो । ब्राजिलको जितका लागि कप्तान थिएगो सिल्भा र डेविड लुइजले गोल गरे । कप्तान सिल्भाले खेल सुरुवाती सातौँ मिनेटमा […]

बिश्वका कयौ देशमा आज पनि बिबाह अघि यौन सम्बन्ध बनाउन सामाजिक मूल्य र मान्यता बिपरित हुन्छ | कुनै पनि बाबु आमा चाहन्नन् कि उनीहरुको छोरीको बिहे भन्दा अघि कसै संग शारीरिक सम्बन्ध होस् | तर कम्बोडियामा एउटा यस्तो गाउँ छ जहाँ आफ्नो छोरीलाई यौन सम्पर्क गर्नको बाबु आमा नै उक्साउछन् | बाबु आमाले नै छोरी […]

काठमाडौँ, २२ असार । भारतबाट प्रसारित जी टिभीको ‘डान्स इन्डीया डान्स’ कार्यक्रमको यसवर्षकी विजेता बुटवलकी तेरिया फौजा मगरलाई आज यहाँ…

Jul 6 2014 / No Comment / Read More »

Prime Minister Sushil Koirala first pitched the idea at the third summit of the Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Co-operation (BIMSTEC), which took place in March in Nay Pyi Taw, Burma.

"All BIMSTEC member states have a large number of Buddhist populations and major holy sites related to Buddhism," Dinesh Bhattarai, who advises the Nepalese prime minister on foreign relations, told Khabar South Asia.

"As the country that houses the birthplace of Lord Buddha, Nepal wishes to develop a Buddhist circuit for further enhancing ties among BIMSTEC member states."

The regional bloc consists of seven countries: Nepal, India, Bhutan, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Thailand and Burma. All seven count followers of Buddhism among their populations. Buddhists in Thailand, Bhutan, Sri Lanka and Burma exceed 70% of the total population.

Nepal, whose Buddhist population is only 9%, is trying to cash in on its seminal ties to Buddhism to boost an ailing tourism industry vital to its economy.

Siddhartha Gautama, or the Buddha, was born in 623 B.C. in what is now the Lumbini zone in modern-day Nepal. Annual Buddhist pilgrimages to Lumbini and dozens of other holy sites bring in much tourist revenue.

"More tourists mean more income to us," said Ranjit Tamang, a seller of Buddhist artefacts in Kathmandu. "I am hopeful that the idea of a Buddhist circuit will bring in more tourists to Nepal."

BIMSTEC member-states must agree to the proposal before finalising it at the summit level.

Tourism numbers dip

Still transitioning politically after the Maoist insurgency ended in 2006, Nepal has seen its tourism industry struggle.

Tourism has dropped since the country promoted 2011 as Nepal Tourism Year and 2012 as Visit Lumbini Year. The number of visitors decreased by 0.7 % to 797,759 in 2013, compared with 803,092 in 2012, according to the Ministry of Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation (MoCTCA).

Nepalese tourism also took a hit last December when following a series of fatal plane crashes, the European Union Air Safety Committee banned Nepalese airlines from flying into EU airspace.

In response, Nepal's government is trying to improve air safety at home by installing new radar and weather monitoring systems in Kathmandu. In addition, upgrades to Lumbini's Gautam Buddha International Airport are scheduled for completion by July 2017.

"We are currently putting in efforts to improve safety measures as pointed out by the EU Safety Committee," MoCTCA spokesman Mohan Krishna Sapkota said. "They are aimed at increasing our air safety standards and getting us off the EU's blacklist."

Chitwan, June 13: Chairman of UCPN (Maoist) Pushpa Kamal Dahal has said his party was also responsible for the dissolution of the first Constituent Assembly in respective of its capacity as the largest party in the then CA. Addressing a party gathering organised at Shivanagar of Chitwan constituency no.4, Chitwan in view of the upcoming […]