Home – Page 58 – South Asia Time

Home

Climate change, digital authoritarianism, and disinformation campaigns ruled South Asia in 2022

Posted on by SAT News Desk

By : Rezwan

The year 2022 was a tumultuous one for many South Asian nations as the ongoing economic crisis, exacerbated by significant losses due to climate disasters, the Ukraine war and political conflicts, spiralled further downward. Last year, we witnessed the challenges faced by journalists and the limitation of media freedom in South Asia due to authoritarian practices, and this trend continued into 2022, especially in India, due to disinformation campaigns.

Climate crisis
In 2022, India, Pakistan, and Bangladesh were hit by devastating floods caused by the La Niña climate event, which brought heavy monsoon rains. In May and June, the northeastern region of Bangladesh, particularly the areas of Sylhet, Sunamganj, and Netrokona, were severely affected by floods. The mid-June flood was caused by record rainfall in the bordering Indian states of Meghalaya and Assam, which caused rivers and streams to overflow and flood downstream. To prevent accidents, power was cut off in flooded areas. Most of the mobile towers in the region went offline, leaving 4 million people stranded without communication or electricity and without access to food and clean drinking water.

Floods in Pakistan, caused by the monsoon season, began in July and worsened in August. The worst flood in the country’s history was caused by excessive rainfall combined with melting snow from over 7000 glaciers due to the intense heat this summer. Pakistan declared a state of emergency as flood waters submerged one-third of the country, affecting 33 million people. Over 1700 people have died and over 12000 people have been injured. The government of Pakistan estimates that the country has suffered losses of over USD 30 billion.
Global warming has also disrupted the water cycle of the Himalayas, which is the largest storehouse of water in the form of ice after the polar regions. The permafrost in these mountain ranges is melting at a dangerous rate and glaciers are collapsing, causing landslides and floods as the water flows downstream. Glacial Lake Outburst Floods (GLOFs) pose a threat not only to human settlements in countries like India, Pakistan, and Nepal located downstream but also to infrastructure projects.

For more climate-related news, check out our Green Voices coverage.
The year 2022 was one that the Sri Lankan people wished they could forget. Sri Lanka experienced a massive economic and energy crisis at the beginning of the year due to various factors, and the ongoing conflict between Russia and Ukraine exacerbated the situation. Protests against the government demanding the resignation of President Rajapaksa escalated in April 2022. The government tried to quell the protests by declaring a state of emergency, announcing curfews, and briefly banning social media. In the same month, the country defaulted on its USD 51 billion foreign debt.

The peaceful mass uprising called Aragalaya (“struggle” in Sinhalese) facilitated the resignation of former prime minister Mahinda Rajapaksa on May 9. One month later, protesters forced former president Gotabaya Rajapaksa to announce his resignation. Veteran politician and former prime minister Ranil Wickremasinghe is now the president of the country.

However, the change in leadership did not stop the rising inflation and mitigate the shortage of food in the country. Some research predicted that if the situation persists, a few million more Sri Lankans will descend into poverty. The country expects that the International Monetary Fund (IMF) will roll out a USD 2.9 billion bailout package in early 2023 for a four-year period.

For more news on the latest situation in Sri Lanka, check out our special coverage “Sri Lanka in Crisis.“
The Unfreedom Monitor is a project by Global Voices that studies and reports the increasing use of digital communications technologies by governments worldwide to control and suppress information and advance authoritarian governance. Researchers from South Asia have contributed several reports to this project.

This article, published in August 2022, notes a rising tension between platforms and governments in countries such as India and Brazil. The Indian government made the most takedown requests in the world to suppress criticism. In July 2022, Twitter sued the Indian government over its orders to remove content.

Journalist organizations, civil society groups, and journalists criticized the Indian central media accreditation guidelines for 2022, stating that they undermine press freedom and transparency. An article published in April 2022 discusses how technical and online tools are frequently employed in India to monitor dissent and suppress freedom of expression during protests.

To learn more about how India curtails digital rights and liberties, including in the areas of data governance, speech, access, and information, read the full Unfreedom Monitor report on India. The Unfreedom Monitor public dataset is also available for access.
In 2022, Global Voices has republished articles from its content partner EngageMedia’s “Pandemic of Control” series, which focuses on the authoritarian use of digital technologies during the COVID-19 pandemic, particularly digital surveillance and data protection, in various countries in the Asia-Pacific.

In India, the rapid adoption of digital technologies during the pandemic left out marginalized populations, and the government prioritized the use of technologies such as AI-based facial recognition systems without regard for human rights.

In Sri Lanka, the government’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic was marred by state-sponsored disinformation and suppression of dissent. Bangladesh used the Digital Security Act 2018, an oppressive law, to silence dissent during the pandemic.

In Nepal, large-scale data collection, the accidental release of public data, and surveillance activities raised concerns about data privacy and data security for citizens.

Civic media observatory (CMO)
The Civic Media Observatory (CMO) is a project by Global Voices that has been ongoing since 2019. It aims to identify and track key themes and narrative frames that emerge in the media around events, trends, and other phenomena. Using the CMO method, researchers decode the meanings of media items from different contexts in order to understand the world we live in and the stories we tell ourselves.

In 2022, CMO country researchers worked with the Global Voices newsroom to analyze in-depth stories from countries around the globe, including South Asian countries. The project also published a series of newsletters called “Undertones.”

For example, a newsletter published in January 2022 examined the themes and narratives that emerged during Bangladesh’s local elections, while a May newsletter highlighted the narratives behind Bangladesh’s neutrality regarding Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

A September newsletter covered the rare phenomenon of anti-army hashtags gaining visibility on social media in Pakistan, and a December newsletter summarized the most talked about narratives in mainstream and social media in Pakistan in 2022.

In 2022, there was a rise in anti-Muslim sentiment instigated by ultra-right Hindu groups in India. In January, police arrested four men in connection with the Bulli Bai app, which targeted well-known lawyers, journalists, writers, activists, and social workers, particularly Muslim women, and put them up for auction. In the southern Indian state of Karnataka, protests erupted after the state banned female students wearing hijabs from attending classes, which activists claimed was an attempt to marginalize the Muslim minority.

Protest in Kolkata, India against the “bulldozer demolition drive” in Delhi. Image by Ashid Reza. Used with permission.
Protest in Kolkata, India against the “bulldozer demolition drive” in Delhi. Image by Ashid Reza. Used with permission.

This CMO article has attempted to decode the role of mainstream and social media in the increasing anti-Muslim violence in India, and this newsletter analyzed how right-wing extremists use Instagram to spread inflammatory Hindu nationalist propaganda. Another newsletter highlights the narratives showing how India’s far-right spread Islamophobia.

In June 2022, the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in India suspended its spokesperson and Delhi media head over their remarks on the Prophet Muhammad, and narratives emerged that BJP supporters were losing faith in their party. A November 2022 newsletter explored the narratives behind why India’s Hindu nationalists revere UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak. ( From Globalvoices)

Chinese experts team arrives in Nepal for detailed study of Kathmandu-Kerung railway

Posted on by SAT News Desk

KATHMANDU: A Chinese experts team has arrived in Nepal to conduct a detailed study of the Kathmandu-Kerung railway.

The Chinese team arrived Nepal a day after the formation of Pushpa Kamal Dahal Prachanda-led government was formed.

Senior Divisional Engineer and Spokesperson of Railway Department, Aman Chitrakar said that the study will be carried forward in coordination with Chinese experts and the department.

“The team of Chinese railway experts arrived today,” he said adding that they will discuss and coordinate with the Department and proceed with the work.”

The work was stalled due to Covid.

The Chinese team will study the geological features, tunneling, earthquake risk, etc.

The Kerung-Kathmandu railway is one of the nine development projects proposed by Nepal with China to be built under the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI).

Last March, during Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi’s visit to Nepal, an agreement was signed to provide technical assistance for the feasibility study of the railway.

King Charles hosts first traditional Christmas as UK Monarch, chooses multi-faith theme

Posted on by SAT News Desk

London : British Monarch King Charles hosted the first traditional Christmas after the coronation and called it a poignant time for those who lost their loved ones in a broadcast on Sunday.
“Christmas is a particularly poignant time for all of us who have lost loved ones. We feel their absence at every familiar turn of the season and remember them in each cherished tradition,” the British Monarch said in his Christmas broadcast.
King Charles also reflected on Queen Elizabeth II’s faith in people and thanked those who have given their time to help others. Moreover, he hailed the “heartfelt solidarity” of people across the recession-hit UK struggling with a worsening cost of living crisis.
“My mother’s belief in the power of that light was an essential part of her faith in God but also her faith in people. And it is one which I share with my whole heart. It is a belief in the extraordinary ability of each person to touch with goodness and compassion the lives of others and to shine a light in the world around them,” the King said.
The 74-year-old Monarch picked a multi-faith theme centered on the uniting concept of light triumphing over darkness, which is honoured by all faiths.

King Charles automatically became king on the death of his mother Queen Elizabeth in September. Charles will become the oldest monarch in British history to sit on the throne.
His reign as a king will officially begin in May and along with him, Camilla Parker-Bowles was crowned as Queen Consort.
Charles was declared the UK and the Commonwealth monarch on September 10 after his mother Queen Elizabeth II passed away on September 8.
The death of the 96-year-old Queen ended a generation-spanning, seven-decade reign that made her a beacon of stability in a tumultuous world.
Several other world leaders like US President Joe Biden, Pope Francis, Prime Minister of Canada Justin Trudeau, and Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese also wished a ‘Merry Christmas’ to people across the globe. (ANI)

Maoist Supremo Prachanda appointed new Nepal PM

Posted on by SAT News Desk

London – President Vidya Devi Bhandari has appointed Maoist supremo Pushpa Kamal Dahal ‘Prachanda’ as Nepal’s new Prime Minister.

The appointment came following dramatic twists and turns in the Himalayan country’s politics on Monday.

Mr Prachanda was an important ally of the ruling alliance led by Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba of Nepali Congress. However, when Mr Deuba insisted on keeping both the posts of Prime Minister and President with his party, Prachanda broke the alliance and secured the support of the main opposition, CPN UML party, led by former Prime Minister K P Sharma Oli.

President Bidya Devi Bhandari appointed Dahal, 68, as the Prime Minister as per Article 76 (2) of the constitution of Nepal, an official communiqué said.

The new ruling alliance comprises seven political parties–CPN-UML, Maoist-Center, Rastriya Swatantra Party, Rastriya Prajatantra Party, Janata Samajwadi Party, Janamat Party and Nagarik Unmukti Party.

On Sunday evening, heads of seven parties and some independent Members of Parliament (MPs) had sent a formal letter to the President declaring their support to Maoist chairperson Prachanda as the next Prime Minister. Independent candidates Prabhu Shah, Amresh Kumar Singh and Kiran Kumar Shah have signed the letter. 

Nepal’s federal parliament constitutes 275 members. As per Nepal’s law, as many as 138 lawmakers are necessary to establish a majority and claim the premiership. The new alliance of seven parties has a strength of 166 seats.

The CPN-UML has 78 seats, Maoist Centre 32, Rastriya Swatantra Party 20, Rastriya Prajatantra Party 14, Janamat Party 6, Janata Samajbadi Party 12 and Nagarik Unmukti Party 4 seats in the lower house.

Former King of Nepal Shah worships in Janaki Temple

Posted on by SAT News Desk

Mahendranagar : Former King Gyanendra Shah has offered a special worship in Janaki Temple in Janakpurdham on Saturday. Shah had arrived in Janakpur on Friday. 

The former king was welcomed at the temple premises.

Likewise, Mahanta Ram Tapeshwor Das and Assistant Mahanta Ram Rosan Das offered a token of love to the former king.

On Friday, Shah also attended the Maha Ganga Aarati being performed on a daily basis on the site of Gangasagar Lake.  

In his trip to Janakpurdham, the former king is accompanied by former queen Komal Shah.

Shah was Nepal’s head of state and monarch from 1768 to 2008. He served as the head of the Nepalese monarchy—Shah Dynasty. The monarchy was abolished on 28 May 2008 by the 1st Constituent Assembly. (RSS)

Cross-Channel migrants in UK decry Rwanda deportation plan

Posted on by SAT News Desk

London (AFP) – If the UK government has its way, the tens of thousands of migrants arriving on England’s southeastern shores each year, after crossing the Channel in small boats, will face swift deportation to Rwanda. 

Although the controversial plan is on hold amid legal challenges, some of those who have completed the perilous journey said they are spooked by the prospect.

“It’s really terrifying,” Abdulhakim, a 24-year-old Ethiopian who arrived in April, told AFP outside a London hotel where he has since been staying.

“In April, we used to talk about it,” he added, noting all the migrants in the discussions were “terrified” by the stalled policy which would be “devastating” for them.

“Rwanda is not a safe place — there was a genocide there!”

The UK government insists such views of the eastern African country, which saw a genocide in 1994 by Rwandan Hutu extremist groups against the Tutsi population, are outdated.

Ministers claim it is now a safe destination, but hope that the plan will act as a significant deterrent for those considering trying to reach Britain by small boats.

A deal costing more than £120 million ($145 million) with Kigali, agreed in April by former prime minister Boris Johnson, will see all those who arrive illegally on British soil sent there.

They will be flown to east Africa before consideration of their asylum claims has even begun and, if eventually granted refuge, they will remain in Rwanda rather than return to the UK.

The policy will apply irrespective of where applicants hail from.

‘Nervous’

On Monday, the High Court in London ruled it was lawful following a legal challenge by migrants and campaigners, prompting the government to say it hopes to start flights as soon as possible.

Despite further legal action by opponents looking likely first, the mood among migrants already in Britain is fearful.

Mohammed, a 24-year-old Sudanese man who arrived by boat two years ago, said he “can’t sleep anymore” as the court battle unfolds. 

“This plan to send asylum seekers to Rwanda is very scary,” said Iranian Kurd Amir, another asylum-seeker living at the London hotel — which sits in the shadow of the financial district’s gleaming towers — while claiming asylum.

“It makes people nervous in the hotel. What can they do there?”

He arrived in the UK four years ago, stowed away in a lorry, and is confident that the policy will not impact him. The 24-year-old expects a decision on his status soon.

But after spending so many years surrounded by migrants who have fled war or persecution, he is sceptical the threat of being sent to Rwanda will stem the flow of illegal arrivals. 

“It’s not going to stop them. They will still come,” Amir said.

In 2022, a record of more than 45,000 people crossed the Channel — one of the world’s busiest waterways — on small inflatable vessels, ill-suited to the rough conditions often seen there.

Earlier this month at least four died when their boat capsized, while dozens drowned a year earlier in another tragedy.

Others desperate to reach Britain also stow away in lorries headed there from mainland Europe.

Legal routes ‘impossible’

Opponents of the Rwanda plan argue it fails to tackle the biggest problem: a lack of safe legal routes for asylum-seekers and refugees to come to the UK.

At a parliamentary committee hearing earlier this week, the UK’s right-wing Home Secretary Suella Braverman insisted the country was “very generous” in its refugee policies.

“We do have to have a limit on our capacity in the UK to accept people who are fleeing difficult circumstances,” she said.

But Braverman struggled to detail how those fleeing war and persecution could reach Britain legally without family members already present.

A senior official flanking her noted routes offered by UN agencies were one option. 

But the migrants at the hotel were doubtful.

“It’s impossible to come legally,” said Abdulhakim.

“Perhaps with a student visa, but I couldn’t afford to study,” he added, noting he also didn’t have a passport.

Amir said it was impossible to claim asylum in his homeland Iran.

“I’m Kurdish, do you think Iran will give me a passport?” he said.

Although Rwanda garnered little support, Mary, a 23-year-old Iranian who left the country with her husband two years ago, said she would still prefer it to her country.

“If I went back to Iran, I would be arrested,” she said.

“I know nothing about Rwanda. I only know it’s in Africa”

India’s visa temples attract devotees aspiring to go abroad

Posted on by SAT News Desk

AP — Arjun Viswanathan stood on the street, his hands folded, eyes fixed on the idol of the Hindu deity Ganesh.

On a humid morning, the information technology professional was waiting outside the temple, the size of a small closet – barely enough room for the lone priest to stand and perform puja or rituals for the beloved elephant-headed deity, believed to be the remover of obstacles.

Viswanathan was among about a dozen visitors, most of them there for the same purpose: To offer prayers so their U.S. visa interviews would go smoothly and successfully. Viswanathan came the day before his interview for an employment visa.

“I came here to pray for my brother’s U.K. visa 10 years ago and for my wife’s U.S. visa two years ago,” he said. “They were both successful. So I have faith.”

The Sri Lakshmi Visa Ganapathy Temple is a few miles north of the airport in Chennai (formerly Madras), a bustling metropolis on the Coromandel Coast in southeast India — known for its iconic cuisine, ancient temples and churches, silk saris, classical music, dance and sculptures.

This “visa temple” has surged in popularity among U.S. visa seekers over the past decade; they can be found in almost any Indian city with a U.S. consulate. They typically gain a following through word of mouth or social media.

A mile away from the Ganesh temple is the Sri Lakshmi Narasimha Navaneetha Krishnan Temple, where an idol of Hanuman – a deity who has a human body and the face of a monkey — is believed to possess the power to secure visas. Also known as “Anjaneya,” this god stands for strength, wisdom and devotion. In this temple, he has earned the monikers “America Anjaneya” and “Visa Anjaneya.”

The temple’s longtime secretary, G.C. Srinivasan, said it wasn’t until 2016 that this temple became a “visa temple.”

“It was around that time that a few people who prayed for a visa spread the word around that they were successful, and it’s continued,” he said.

A month ago, Srinivasan said he met someone who got news of his visa approval even as as he was circumambulating the Anjaneya idol — a common Hindu practice of walking around a sacred object or site.

On a recent Saturday night, devotees decorated the idol with garlands made of betel leaves. S. Pradeep, who placed a garland on the deity, said he was not there to pray for a visa, but believes in the god’s unique power.

“He is my favorite god,” he said. “If you genuinely pray – not just for visa – it will come true.”

At the Ganesh temple, some devotees had success stories to share. Jyothi Bontha said her visa interview at the U.S. Consulate in Chennai went without a hitch, and that she had returned to offer thanks.

“They barely asked me a couple of questions,” she said. “I was pleasantly surprised.”

Bontha’s friend, Phani Veeranki, stood nearby, nervously clutching an envelope containing her visa application and supporting documents. Bontha and Veeranki, both computer science students from the neighboring state of Andhra Pradesh and childhood friends, are headed to Ohio.

Both learned about the visa temple on the social media platform Telegram.

Veeranki said she was anxious because she had a lot riding on her upcoming visa interview.

“I’m the first person in my family to go the United States,” she said. “My mother is afraid to send me. But I’m excited for the opportunities I’ll have in America.”

Veeranki then handed over the envelope to the temple’s priest for him to place at the foot of the idol for a blessing.

“We’ve been hearing about applications being rejected,” she said, her hands still folded in prayer. “I’m really hoping mine gets approved.”

If she and Bontha make it to Ohio, they want to take a trip to Niagara Falls.

“I’ve always wanted to see it,” Bontha said.

Mohanbabu Jagannathan and his wife, Sangeetha, run the temple, which Jagannathan’s grandfather built in 1987. Their house is on a cul-de-sac, which is considered bad luck in several Asian cultures. In Chennai, it is common to find a Ganesh temple outside cul-de-sac homes due to the belief that the deity has the power to ward off evil. At first, only neighbors came to the temple, Jagannathan said.

“But over the years it started earning a quirky reputation,” he said. “A lot of visa applicants who came to the temple spread the word that they found success after praying here.”

In 2009, his father, Jagannathan Radhakrishnan, reconstructed the temple and added the word “visa” to the temple’s name. Jagannathan said the success stories are heartwarming; visitors sometimes stop by his home to thank his family for keeping the temple open.

“I’ve never been bothered by it,” Jagannathan said. “We offer this as a service to the public. It’s a joy to see how happy people are when they come back and tell us they got their visa.”

His wife said she was touched by the story of a man who came all the way from New Delhi to pray for a visa to see his grandchild after eight years apart. She remembers another time when a woman called her in tears, saying her visa application was rejected.

“Sure, some don’t get it,” she said. “God only knows why.”

Padma Kannan brought her daughter, Monisha, who is preparing to pursue a master’s degree in marketing analytics in Clark University. Kannan believes her daughter got her visa because of this powerful deity.

“I found this temple on Google,” she said. “I was so nervous for her, and so I prayed here.”

Monisha Kannan said she is not so sure she got her visa because of this temple, but she said she came to support her mom.

“I’m skeptical,” she said. “I’m just someone who goes with the flow.”

Her mother takes a more philosophical stance.

“We pray for our children and things happen easily for them,” she said. “I think when they go through the rigors of life themselves, they will start believing in the power of prayer.”

Viswanathan said he is not someone “who usually believes in such things.” When his brother got his British visa a decade ago after offering prayers here, Viswanathan chalked it up to coincidence. He became a believer when his wife got her U.S. visa two years ago, he said.

The day after he visited the temple this time, Viswanathan’s employment visa was approved. He’ll head to New Hampshire in a few months.

“It’s all about faith,” he said. “If you believe it will happen, it will happen.”

Urgent Action Needed in South Asia to Curb Deadly Air Pollution- report

Posted on by SAT News Desk

WASHINGTON —South Asia is home to 9 of the world’s 10 cities with the worst air pollution, which causes an estimated 2 million premature deaths across the region each year and incurs significant economic costs. A new World Bank report shows that there are economically feasible, cost-effective solutions to achieve clean air in the region, but this requires countries to coordinate policies and investments.

Striving for Clean Air: Air Pollution and Public Health in South Asia, released, says concentrations of fine particulate matter such as soot and small dust (PM 2.5) in some of the region’s most densely populated and poor areas are up to 20 times higher than what WHO considers healthy (5 µg/mᶾ). Exposure to such extreme air pollution has impacts ranging from stunting and reduced cognitive development in children, to respiratory infections and chronic and debilitating diseases. This drives up healthcare costs, lowers a country’s productive capacity, and leads to lost days worked.

Large industries, powerplants and vehicles are dominant sources of air pollution around the world, but in South Asia, other sources make substantial additional contributions. These include combustion of solid fuels for cooking and heating, emissions from small industries such as brick kilns, burning of municipal and agricultural waste, and cremation.

Air pollution travels long distances— crossing municipal, state, and national boundaries—and gets trapped in large “airsheds” that are shaped by climatology and geography. The report identifies six major airsheds in South Asia where spatial interdependence in air quality is high. Particulate matter in each airshed comes from various sources and locations, for example less than half of the air pollution in South Asia’s major cities is produced within cities.  

“Persistently hazardous levels of air pollution have caused a major public health crisis in South Asia that demands urgent action,” said Martin Raiser, World Bank Vice President for South Asia. “Curbing air pollution requires not only tackling its specific sources, but also close coordination across local and national jurisdictional boundaries. Regional cooperation can help implement cost-effective joint strategies that leverage the interdependent nature of air quality.”

Several South Asian countries have adopted policies to help improve air quality, but their focus on mitigating air pollution generated within cities is yielding insufficient results. The report shows that current policy measures will only be partially successful in reducing PM 2.5 concentrations across South Asia even if fully implemented. To achieve greater progress, the focus of policy makers should expand into other sectors, particularly small manufacturing, agriculture, residential cooking, and waste management.

The report analyzes four scenarios to reduce air pollution with varying degrees of policy implementation and cooperation among countries. The most cost-effective scenario, which calls for full coordination between airsheds, would cut the average exposure of PM 2.5 in South Asia to 30 µg/m³ at a cost of $278 million per µg/mᶾ of reduced exposure, and save more than 750,000 lives annually.

“The economic benefits of policies to reduce air pollution in South Asia exceed the economic costs by a large margin,” said Hans Timmer, World Bank Chief Economist for South Asia. “But optimal solutions depend on several factors such as better monitoring systems, more scientific capacity, greater coordination between governments, and behavioral change among farmers, small firms, and households.”

To this end, the report offers a three-phased roadmap:

  •  Phase 1: Sets the condition for airshed wide coordination by expanding the monitoring of air pollution beyond the big cities, sharing data with the public, creating or strengthening credible scientific institutes that analyze airsheds, and taking a whole-of-government approach.
  • Phase 2: Abatement interventions are broadened beyond the traditional targets of powerplants, large factories and transportation. During this phase major progress can be made in reducing air pollution from agriculture, solid waste management, cookstoves, brick kilns, and other small firms. At the same time, airshed-wide standards can be introduced.
  • Phase 3: Economic incentives are finetuned to enable private-sector solutions, to address distributional impacts, and to exploit synergies with climate change policies. In this phase trading of emission permits can also be introduced to optimize abatement across jurisdictions and firms.

Sri Lanka Using The Indian Rupee For International Trade

Posted on by SAT News Desk

New Delhi — In a fillip to the Reserve Bank of India’s (RBI) efforts towards the gradual internationalisation of the Indian rupee, a Sri Lankan bank has opened special rupee “vostro” accounts in India to facilitate trade in the Indian rupee. These accounts build on the framework spelt out by the RBI for facilitating international trade in the Indian rupee that it laid out in July.

Sri Lanka had requested the RBI to facilitate and promote trade and tourism in the SAARC region.
Sri Lankan citizens can now hold $10,000 (INR 8,26,823) in physical form. This also means that Sri Lankans and Indians can use Indian rupees instead of US dollars for international transactions with each other. The Indian government since July this year, has been looking to bring countries that are short of dollars, into its rupee settlement mechanism.

The Bank of Ceylon, a Sri Lankan bank, has opened a vostro account with the State Bank of India through the former’s branch in Chennai.

Reports in Sri Lankan media suggests that this may be the first of many such arrangements.

The move is significant for Sri Lanka who is starved of foreign exchange reserves. As a lion’s share of global trade is conducted in United States dollars (US dollars), two countries would normally export and import from each other in US dollars but also in euro, the British pound or yen to a lesser degree.

The option to trade with India in Indian rupees offers Sri Lanka respite from dipping into its scarce foreign exchange reserves after months of economic turmoil.

The Sri Lankan central bank also did its part earlier this year to facilite Indian rupee trade, when it added the Indian rupee to its list of ‘designated foreign currencies’. The Indian rupees joins a legion of foreign currencies like the US dollar, the yen, the pound, the Swiss franc, the Swedish kroner and the Thai baht on the list (the entire list can be seen here.). This designation allows Sri Lankan entities to use these currencies to conduct offshore commerce and global trade. It even lets Sri Lankan nationals open personal foreign-denominated accounts in these currencies.

Sri Lanka currently permits citizens to have $10,000 worth of foreign currency on them, down from an earlier limit of $15,000 to save on foreign exchange. Through these arrangements, India has permitted Sri Lankan citizens to now hold these $10,000 in Indian rupees (nearly ₹8.14 lakhs) in physical form.

A cross-section of factors like the COVID-19 pandemic, governmental missteps and political unrest has led Sri Lanka into an economic crisis starting in March, marked by a lack of foreign currency, shortages of essentials and mass protests against the government. This led to Sri Lanka to turn to aid and grants from larger countries like China, India and Japan. In September, it struck a staff-level agreement with the International Monetary Fund.

What are these special vostro accounts?

To tap into growing interest in more trade in Indian rupees, the RBI introduced the concept of these special rupee vostro accounts in July. These accounts facilitate ‘correspondent banking’: where an entity (in this case a bank in India) holds and operates an account on behalf of someone else (a foreign entity, normally a foreign bank). 

Vostro accounts will be operated by select banks in India but it can also be operated by a foreign bank through its Indian branch. For a foreign entity to open such an account, it must first approach an authorised bank (authorised dealer bank or AD bank) in India. The AD bank must then present its case before the RBI and get its approval to open and operate such an account.

All export and import invoicing between the two countries may be carried out in Indian rupees. When an Indian exporter want to export to the country in question, the exporters can receive Indian rupees from the balance in these vostro accounts. Indian importers who wish to import from such countries may directly deposit Indian rupees into these accounts. 

The RBI also suggests that there are no restrictions on remitting the balances of these accounts, and that converting them into foreign currencies would be possible at market determined rates. Surplus balances in these accounts can be invested in government securities or payments for projects and investments.  ( Boomlive.in)

BNCC organises an interaction to discuss about investment climate in Nepal  

Posted on by SAT News Desk

London — The Britain Nepal Chamber of Commerce (BNCC)  organised an interaction with a leading investor and expert on Nepal’s hydropower, Er. Gyanendra Lal Pradhan, on Thursday.

Speaking at the interaction, Er. Pradhan highlighted many opportunities available for investors in Nepal. “A reliable partner and a viable project specially in hydropower could be a sustainable and rewarding approach to invest in Nepal” he added.  In order to avoid investment risk and optimise profitability Mr Pradhan suggested to find a  a local partner with a considerable level of  investment in a small group could be the best approach in Nepali market. 

President of the BNCC, Dr. Kapil Rijal, said that the organisation is working to promote British investment in Nepal. “The BNCC is keen to work with the  new government to be formed in Nepal to adopt an open policy to bring in foreign direct investment and NRN investment,” said Dr Rijal, adding, “The attempts to avoid double taxation and lowering the FDI threshold to NRs 20 million ( approx. £ 125,000 ) by the present government are some of the positive signs towards creating an investment friendly approach.”

Former president of BNCC, Rajan Kandel, shared his own experience of doing business in Nepal saying that businesses could  be expanded safely in Nepal through reliable partners. He said government of Nepal was now quite liberal towards allowing repatriation of profits by foreign investors.

The BNCC Chief Executive (Honorary) Richard Pelli, BNCC members Santosh Mandal, Subhash Gurung, Dhan Bahadur Sarki, educational entrepreneur Krishna Bhatta and Mr Pragati Ojha, among others were present in the interaction.

“The BNCC has been organising similar interactions by bringing together investors  and entrepreneurs so as to promote FDI in Nepal” said Biraj Bhatta, Vice-president of the BNCC.

56 people killed in wild elephant attacks in 10 years

Posted on by SAT News Desk

Jhapa, Nepal — At least 56 people have died in wild elephant attacks in a period of 10 years in Jhapa district. Sixteen wild elephants have died during the same period. 

They died after being attacked by wild elephants straying from local forests and neighbouring India, said the Division Forest Office, Jhapa. 

The incidents occurred when the victims were collecting wild roots, fodder and firewood in forests during days and nights, said the office chief Jiban Prasad Pathak. 

The latest victim of the attack Jagat Bahadur Bhujel of Barhadashi Rural Municipality-1 while returning home after collecting firewood in a nearby forest. He was trampled to death, he said. 

Another victim of the attack is Devi Bahadur Adhikari, 50, who was also trampled to death by a wild elephant on August 31. (RSS)

Nepal SC orders release of Indo-French serial killer Charles Sobhraj after 19 years in jail

Posted on by SAT News Desk

KATHMANDU— Indo-French serial killer Charles Sobhraj is all set to be freed from prison after the Supreme Court of Nepal ordered his release on grounds of his age.

A bench of SC Justices Sapana Pradhan Malla and Til Prasad Shrestha issued an order to release him and arrange for him to return to his country within 15 days if he does not have to stay in prison in other cases.

The bench said that in the case of Sobraj’s detention, he has served 19 years of imprisonment and as he is 78 years old, he should get the facilities provided by the law.

In 1975, he was found guilty by Kathmandu and Bhaktapur District Courts for the murder of American and Canadian citizens.

Within two days of killing an American citizen in Manahara, Kathmandu, he murdered a Canadian citizen in Sanga of Bhaktapur in the same year.

He has been serving his sentence in Central Jail Sundhara since 2003.

UN biodiversity conference reaches historic deal, Countries agree to protect 30 per cent of the world by 2030

Posted on by SAT News Desk

London – After COP27, members of the United Nations have agreed to protect nearly a third of the planet by 2030 under a new deal struck at the UN’s COP15 biodiversity summit.

Delegates at the Montreal Conference agreed that at least 30% of the world’s land, inland waters, coastal areas and oceans will come under conservation in the next eight years.

As part of the pledge, special attention will be paid to areas deemed important for biodiversity, including tropical rainforests.

Currently, 17% and 10% of the world’s terrestrial and marine areas respectively are under protection.

Countries taking part in the UN biodiversity conference agreed to a total of 23 targets, including halving global food waste and slashing or phasing out government subsidies that harm nature by more than £400 billion-a-year by the end of the decade, reports said.

Peace Pact with Nature

UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres said, “We are finally starting to forge a peace pact with nature.” “It is truly a moment that will mark history as Paris did for climate,” Canada’s Minister for the Environment and Climate Change Steven Guilbeault told reporters. The Paris climate deal saw nations agreeing in 2015 to keep world temperature rise below 2 degree Celsius.

According to the BBC, the main points of the deal include:

·       Maintaining, enhancing and restoring ecosystems, including halting species extinction and maintaining genetic diversity

·       “Sustainable use” of biodiversity – essentially ensuring that species and habitats can provide the services they provide for humanity, such as food and clean water

·       Ensuring that the benefits of resources from nature, like medicines that come from plants, are shared fairly and equally and that indigenous peoples’ rights are protected

·       Paying for and putting resources into biodiversity: Ensuring that money and conservation efforts get to where they are needed.

Biodiversity refers to all the Earth’s living things and the way they are connected in a complex web of life that sustains the planet.

Scientists have warned that with forests and grasslands being lost at unprecedented rates and oceans under pressure from pollution, humans are pushing the Earth beyond safe limits.

This includes increasing the risk of diseases, like SARs CoV-2, Ebola and HIV, spilling over from wild animals into human populations.

A UN-backed study released in 2020 showed up to a million specieswere at risk of extinction, many within decades.

“There has never been a conservation goal globally at this scale,” Brian o’Donnell, the director of the conservation group Campaign for Nature told reporters.

According to reports, rich nations have agreed to increase the funding they provide to poorer countries to at least USD20 billion annually by 2025, or about double what is provided now. That number would increase each year to $30 billion by 2030.

(Photo source: ranthamborenationalpark.com)

More than three thousands Nepalis lost their lives abroad over last 3 years

Posted on by SAT News Desk

Kathmandu – More than 3,000 Nepalis have lost their lives in foreign lands over the last three years, officials have said. According to ‘Nepal Labour Migration Report 2022’ published by the Ministry of Labour, Employment and Social Security, 3 thousand 199 Nepali youths lost their lives from 2019/020 till 2021/022.

A total of 3 thousand 115 men and 84 women were among those who lost their lives. Looking at the province wise, Madhes province has the highest number of deaths, 751 people lost their lives in Madhes province. Similarly, 709 people from Province 1, 677 from Lumbini Province, 478 from Gandaki Province, 409 from Bagmati Province, 110 from Karnali Province and 56 from Sudurpaschim Province lost their lives.

Causes of death reported included cardiac arrest, heart attack, natural causes, vehicle accidents, suicide, corona, death at work, etc. In 2021/2022, 207 Nepalis lost their lives abroad due to Corona epidemic.

Similarly, the Ministry claimed that 215 people lost their lives ‘due to natural causes’ and 129 people died due to road accidents. Road accidents and natural deaths are the most common causes of death. Looking at the situation from 2008/09 to 2021/022, it is seen that 10 thousand 666 Nepalis lost their lives in foreign lands. Among them, 10 thousand 411 were men and 255 were women.

President gives parties a week to form new government in Nepal

Posted on by SAT News Desk

Kathmandu, Nepal — Nepal’s president on Sunday called on the country’s political parties to try to form a new government within a week after last month’s inconclusive national election.

The ruling alliance, led by the Nepali Congress party of Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba, and the main opposition Nepal Communist Unified Marxist-Leninist (UML) party need the support of smaller groups to form a new government.

Nepal, a country of 30 million people that issqueezed between China and India, has seen 10 government changes since the abolition of its 239-year-old monarchy in 2008.

The political instability has hit economic growth and spooked investors.

The ruling alliance secured 136 seats in the election, two less than the required majority of 138 in the 275-member House of Representatives. The UML and its allies won 92 seats.

A statement from President Bidhya Devi Bhandari’s office said: “Any member of the House of Representatives, who can command the majority with the support of two or more parties” should stake a claim for being appointed as prime minister by 5 p.m. local time on December 25. ( Agencies )

Lawmakers elected to HoR through PR system election in Nepal get certificates

Posted on by SAT News Desk

Kathmandu : The Election Commission has presented certificates to the newly-elected lawmakers elected to the House of Representatives (HoR) through the proportional representation (PR) system of election.     

Chief Election Officer of the PR election system and EC secretary Gokarna Mani Duwadi handed the certificates to the lawmakers amid a programme held at the Election Commission today.     

Chief Election Commissioner Dinesh Kumar Thapaliya congratulated the newly-elected MPs elected through the PR system of election. 

One hundred and ten lawmakers have been elected to the HoR under the PR system of election. The CPN (UML) has the largest number of PR lawmakers in the HoR. It has 34 lawmakers under this category, the Nepali Congress has 32 lawmakers, the CPN (Maoist Centre) 14, the Rashtriya Swatantra Party 13, the Rashtriya Prajatantra Party seven and the Janata Samajbadi Party Nepal and the Janamat Party five lawmakers each elected under the PR electoral system. (RSS)