Nepal

Kathmandu, September 10

Addressing Nepali Army personnel on the occasion of completing one year in office, Chief of Army Staff General Purna Chandra Thapa said the country might face uncertainty for a few more years.

Thapa, who became the first CoAS to invite mediapersons in his briefing to army personnel said, &Peopleexpectations have increased and so have security threats as the country is coming out of political transition,& adding, NA will help the government during transitional phase of the country.

&Nepal is likely to face uncertainty for few more years mainly due to changing regional power structure and international scenario, and also due to journey of the neighbouring countries towards prosperity,& Thapa said in his address at the Army Headquarters. Ever since he joined the office in 9 August 2018, he has been working to strengthen the foundation of NA, according to Thapa. &In the second year of my tenure, I will introduce several reforms in the institution and implement them,& he said. He has two more years in the office.

• Gen Thapa makes his property details public

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KATHMANDU: Chief of Army Staff Purna Chandra Thapa became the first NA chief to make his property details public.

Addressing NA personnel on the occasion of completing the first year in office, CoAS Thapa said as per the government policy they needed to make their property details public. &It is not compulsory, but if you want to make your property details public, you can do so by uploading it on the NAwebsite. I am going to upload my property details on the website,& he said.

As per his property details, he has 55 tola gold, 590 tola sliver and a diamond necklace and a ring (worth Rs 1,000,000).

In his two bank accounts in Nepal Investment Bank, he has Rs 1,600,000 and USD 6,000. CoAS Thapa also owns land in Kathmandu, Nawalparasi and Lamjung.

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Kathmandu, September10

Inspector General of Police Sarbendra Khanal today attended programmes held for the construction of three units of Nepal Police in different locations in Kathmandu.

He led rituals of groundbreaking ceremonies of multipurpose buildings to be constructed for Metropolitan Police Crime Division in Teku, Metropolitan Police Range in Bhadrakali and Nepal Police Club in Bhrikutimandap.

IGP Khanal said the buildings would be construction in a transparent manner as per their design. The government had provided land for the construction of the buildings.

MPCD and MPR were relocated to the building of National Trading Ltd in Teku after the 2015-earthquakes damaged their Hanumandhoka-based structures.

IGP Khanal said, &Nepal Police is committed to improve not only its physical infrastructures but also its service delivery.& He asked police personnel to be victim-friendly.

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Kathmandu, September 10

Indra Jatra, one of the biggest festivals celebrated in Kathmandu for eight days, formally began with the erection of a sacred Indradhoj lingo (wooden pole) at Hanumandhoka in Basantapur Darbar Square today. The lingo was erected at 9:17 am in front of the statue of Kaal Bhairav there.

The cultural event was attained by mayor of Kathmandu Metropolitan City, Bidhya Sundar Shakya and provincial lawmakers from Kathmandu. The wooden pole was axed down from a tree in Bhakatapur on September 1. Indra Jatra is celebrated by Newar community of Kathmandu and is called Yenya in local dialect. The festival is dedicated to Indra, the god of rain and the king of heaven. The festival marks special importance since the chariot procession of ‘living goddess Kumari&, is held along with chariots of lord Ganesh and lord Bhairav, around Basantapur area during the festival.

Legend has it that Lord Indra once secretly visited the ancient city of Kathmandu to steal parijat (a night flowering jasmine), but instead got captivated by a tantric. Mother of Indra then came down to earth to free her son, and promised to provide timely rainfall for the freedom of her son. From then onwards, locals of Kathmandu started celebrating the festival.

Attraction of the festival include dances like Lakhey dance and Pulu Kisi dance where participants perform by wearing masks of deities on street.

The heads of state also visit Hanuman Dhoka to pay their respects to the gods and goddesses during the festival. This year, KMC has invited 48 delegates from different countries to participate in the festival.

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