Namaste, diaspora family, and happy Tihar! The lamps are going up from Bhaktapur to Bradford, and Bhai Tika falls on Wednesday. At home, the government removed its police chief mid-term, and Nepal has asked India for $2 billion ahead of the Prime Minister’s planned Delhi trip. In the US, three Nepali Americans won seats in state legislatures. Let’s dive in.
🌍 Diaspora & Globalisation
Three Nepali Americans Win State Seats
If you live in Maryland, New York or New Hampshire, a Nepali American may now speak for you in the state capital. In Tuesday’s US elections, Harry Bhandari won a third term in Maryland’s House of Delegates (District 8, with 19,530 votes in a multi-seat race). Sarahana Shrestha won a third term in New York’s 103rd Assembly District, beating Santos Lopez 38,606 to 16,821. Bishwa Bahadur Shah won his first term in the New Hampshire House, for Hillsborough County District 41. All three are Democrats, and the results are unofficial. Bhandari called the result “proof of the community’s strength, immigrants’ contributions.” More than 125,000 people of Nepali origin are estimated to be eligible to vote in the US, and 9,410 Nepalis became US citizens in fiscal year 2022. (NepYork)
A Payout for Bharat Mahato’s Family, and a Warning
If you work in the Gulf, check the date on your labour permit tonight. Bharat Mahato, 45, from Mahottari, was killed on October 21 in a drone attack on Saudi Arabia’s Shaybah oil field. He had worked for the same company for 14 years, as a cleaner at a Saudi Aramco project. His employer has now agreed to pay his family 181,000 riyals (over Rs 7.2 million): 31,000 in end-of-service benefits and 150,000 in compensation. The company “agreed to provide compensation from its own resources,” said Kabiraj Upreti, labour counsellor at Nepal’s embassy in Riyadh. The money has not yet been paid. But Mahato’s labour permit had expired about a year earlier, so his family gets nothing from the Foreign Employment Board or insurance. “Our only source of hope has been extinguished,” said his wife, Indrika. (Kathmandu Post)
In Brief: Veterans, visas and a lottery still in court. - Former British Gurkhas handed Foreign Minister Shishir Khanal an ultimatum on Tuesday. They want a Nepal–UK negotiating committee and an action plan by December 31, or they say they will protest. (Onlinekhabar) - If you hold non-resident Nepali citizenship, you can get a free, two-year, multiple-entry residence visa. Apply through the Department of Immigration’s online portal with your NRN certificate, foreign passport and a photo. (NepYork) - DV-2027 registration is still not open and has no date, after a US appeals court on October 29 paused an order to open it. A new lawsuit filed on November 1 asks a California court to force registration for both DV-2027 and DV-2028. (Visa Lawyer Blog)
🏛️ Politics & Governance
Police Chief Out, With 17 Months to Go
The Cabinet removed Inspector General Dan Bahadur Karki on Wednesday and replaced him with Manoj KC, third in the police hierarchy. Karki had 17 months left in his term. He was named the PM’s special security adviser instead. The government cited dissatisfaction with his performance. Officials also pointed to a leak about alleged links between Inam Sapkota, the alleged fixer now in custody on money-laundering and banking charges, and the PM’s adviser Kumar (Ben) Byanjankar. Government spokesperson Sasmit Pokharel said the move followed ruling-party recommendations. The RSP denies it: “The party has not issued any directive on whom to remove or appoint,” said spokesperson Jagadish Kharel. Karki has asked the Supreme Court to reinstate him, and the court registered his petition on Friday. A hearing is unlikely before the Tihar holidays end. (Kathmandu Post, petition)
Nepal Asks India for $2 Billion
Indian Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri’s two-day visit to Kathmandu ended on Thursday, and the agenda for Prime Minister Balendra Shah’s first Delhi trip is now clearer. The four-day visit is planned to start on November 22, with talks with Narendra Modi due on November 23. Nepal has formally asked for $2 billion: $1 billion in credit lines, $500 million in grants and $500 million to rebuild after the August 26 Bhotekoshi floods. India has not decided. “It is now up to India to take a call on it,” a senior Foreign Ministry official said. Also on the table: a cost split for the Pancheshwar project, more air-entry routes for Bhairahawa and Pokhara, and the Janakpur–Ayodhya railway, which had a trial run on Thursday. The Kalapani and Susta border disputes did not come up. (Kathmandu Post)
In Brief: The fixer story keeps spreading. - The ruling RSP has told its MPs to pursue impeachment of Supreme Court judges linked to Sapkota, possibly starting with Justice Hari Prasad Phuyal. Phuyal denies acting on Sapkota’s request, and Chief Justice Manoj Kumar Sharma denies knowing him. The party holds 182 seats, two short of a two-thirds majority, and no motion has been registered. (Kathmandu Post) - An audio clip, purportedly of Sapkota’s police statement, alleges Rs 180 million was paid to secure official recognition for Gagan Thapa’s Congress faction. Congress leader Pradip Paudel dismisses the claim, and the party calls the arrest rumours that followed a plot. “I have endured because I have a clear conscience,” Thapa said. Police say they have no information about any arrest. (Kathmandu Post) - Plainclothes police took three journalists from their newsrooms on October 30, including Bishwamani Subedi of Nepal Press. All three were released after a brief period. Journalists’ groups say a proposed Media Council Bill would drastically shrink the Press Council. (Kathmandu Post)
💸 Economy & Development
Twenty Years to Cash In on Youth
Every Nepali abroad is part of this story. A new World Bank report, Demographic Change in South Asia, says Nepal’s working-age population will peak in 2047, and the country will be an aged society by 2059. That leaves about two decades to turn a young workforce into growth. Remittances equal about a quarter of GDP. Money sent home by Nepalis working abroad contributed to 40% of the fall in poverty between 2001 and 2011. But returnees earn less than people who never left for about three years after coming back. The skills gained abroad don’t easily turn into better jobs at home. “They need to act now to adopt policies and build infrastructure that create more and better jobs,” said Johannes Zutt, the World Bank’s vice-president for South Asia. (Kathmandu Post)
Americans Top the Arrivals Board
For the first time, more visitors came to Nepal from the US than from any other country. In October 17,437 visitors came from the US, up 31% on last year and more than double September’s 8,299. India slipped to second with 12,097, down 30%. China was third with 11,695. “The arrivals from the US to take the top spot is mainly due to the decline in Indian tourists,” said Mani Raj Lamichhane of the Nepal Tourism Board. Operators blame the August floods, which collapsed roads, and more than 5,000 Indian pilgrims cancelled Kailash trips. Some operators also credit Nepali Americans flying home for Dashain and Tihar. If you flew in on a US passport last month, you may be one of them. (Kathmandu Post)
In Brief: Rebuilding and scams. - The finance minister, Swarnim Wagle, says flood reconstruction needs $4–5 billion. About 80% is expected from India, China, the World Bank and the ADB over three to five years. The Loss and Damage Fund has approved a $20 million grant, its first since it was set up. (Onlinekhabar) - A 24-hour anti-scam centre launched on Friday. It brings together police, Nepal Rastra Bank, 20 commercial banks, wallets and telecoms so that stolen money can be frozen within 10 to 60 minutes of a complaint. You can report through a hotline, the Nagarik App, the Nepal Police app or an online portal. (Kathmandu Post)
⭐ Social & Cultural
The 6,365 Who Stayed Behind
If you live in the US, Australia or Norway, you probably know a Bhutanese-Nepali family who resettled there. More than 100,000 people left Nepal’s refugee camps for third countries after resettlement began in 2007. But 6,365 Bhutanese refugees are still in the Beldangi and Pathari camps in Jhapa and Morang, local authorities say, and they still have no legal status. A Peace Initiative Bhutan report based on consultations with more than 500 people calls for identity documents, a route to permanent residence and possibly citizenship, and progress on repatriation and family reunification. Many in the camps live on money from relatives abroad. “The problem is decades old, but there is still no clear way forward,” said Sanchuhang Rai, the Beldangi camp secretary. (Kathmandu Post)
A World Cup Qualifier Comes to Kirtipur
Book your December leave. Nepal will host the ICC Cricket World Cup Qualifier Playoff from December 4 to 21. Eight teams will play each other once, and the top four go through to the Global Qualifier for the 2027 ODI World Cup. Nepal open against Italy on December 4 at the TU ground in Kirtipur. Uganda, the UAE, Jersey, Canada, Namibia and Kuwait follow, ending on December 21. First, the NPL. Defending champions Lumbini Lions beat Janakpur Bolts by 16 runs (149 for eight against 133 for eight) and lead the table with seven points, three clear of the rest. Chitwan Rhinos beat Pokhara Avengers by 30 runs to move up to third, handing Pokhara their fourth straight defeat. (Onlinekhabar, Kathmandu Post)
In Brief: Lamps and a fatal collision. - Tihar runs through next week. It’s Kag Tihar on Saturday, Kukur Tihar and Laxmi Puja on Sunday, and Mha Puja and the Nepal Sambat 1147 new year on Tuesday. Bhai Tika is on Wednesday, November 11, and the auspicious time is 11:07 am Nepal time. (Onlinekhabar) - Two helicopters collided while landing at Pheriche, near Everest, on Tuesday. An Indian passenger was killed, and a New Zealander and a pilot were injured. “Preliminary reports suggest miscommunication between the pilots,” said the head of Nepal’s aviation authority. (Kathmandu Post)
Question of the week: Did you make it home for Dashain and Tihar this year, or are you lighting diyo abroad? Reply or comment. I read every one.
This edition is brought to you by belayat.uk, UK Nepali classifieds for jobs, housing and events. Next week: Bhai Tika, Karki’s case at the Supreme Court and the run-up to Delhi.
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Until next week, stay connected! — Binit, for the Nepali Diaspora Digest
