LONDON: British Prime Minister Boris Johnson has been discharged from a London hospital and will continue his recovery from COVID-19 at his country residence of Chequers, his office said on Sunday.
In a video message posted to his Twitter account after his seven-night hospital stay, Mr Johnson said: “I have today left hospital after a week in which the NHS has saved my life, no question.
“It’s hard to find the words to express my debt.”
The prime minister paid tribute to the “personal courage” of doctors, nurses, cleaners, cooks and all other healthcare workers at St Thomas’ and named individual staff who had steered him away from danger over the past week.
Another 737 people have died with coronavirus in UK hospitals, taking the total to 10,612, says the Department of Health.
KATHMANDU — The UK’s Department for International Development (DFID Nepal) has provided a £802,000 grant to help strengthen Nepal’s preparedness and response to the corona virus pandemic (COVID-19), the DFID Nepal said in a press release on Sunday.
The support has helped mobilize the World Health Organization (WHO) to focus on increasing Nepal’s technical expertise, strengthening sample and laboratory management; disease surveillance and contact tracing; improving infection prevention and control; strengthening information management; and improving the clinical management of cases, read the press release.
Additionally, UK support has also helped provide the crucial consultation services of a microbiologist from Public Health England which complements DFID’s existing technical assistance to Nepal’s Ministry of Health and Population.
“The UK’s early commitment to tackle the unprecedented challenges presented by this pandemic reflect our strong relationship with the Government of Nepal. We will continue to support Nepal’s immediate and long-term needs, focusing now on protecting vulnerable people,” Lisa Honan, the head of Office for DFID Nepal said.
Minister of Health and Population, Bhanubhakta Dhakal said, “The government of Nepal has worked actively to take precautions against the spread of corona virus in the country. We are grateful for this timely support from the UK to further strengthen our response to tackle the adverse impact of the virus.” Nepalitimes writes.
1/3 of our country’s GDP is remittance. You have many policies encouraging FDI ( though you have failed to implement most of them).
Those who send remittance to Nepal are obviously the ones that have left Nepal because you failed to produce employment and they were probably the breadwinners at their homes.
Most left Nepal because they were forced to migrate, not because they wanted life away from families. Before Covid-19, you were literally begging for more remittance.
After Covid-19, you have abandoned the same people who sent the remittance. While this is a human rights outcry, there are many who have been strangled outside of their own mother nation, right on the borderlines.
While other countries are sending flights to repatriate their citizens stuck outside the nation, you are restricting your own citizens to enter their own homes. This is a great human rights violation and the international community will condemn and criticise this once this pandemic is over.
Haha to ‘Nepal- dream now, visit later’. Shame on you. With best wishes to cope with the pandemic. I wish all human beings a good health!
President of Britain-Nepal Chamber of Commerce (BNCC), DR KAPIL RIJAL, is a successful business person himself. A senior dentist who owns his own dental practices in the UK, Dr. Rijal has a special interest in Dental Implants. His hobbies include directing films, writing stories and screenplays. He spoke to SOUTH ASIA TIME on the impact of the coronavirus crisis on Nepali businesses in the UK. Excerpts of the interview:
Dr Rijal spoke to SOTUH ASIA TIME on the impact of the coronavirus crisis on Nepali businesses in the UK. Excerpts of the interview:
Nepali Business Community in the UK has been badly affected by the coronavirus crisis. Some businesses are closed and many people have lost jobs. What is the BNCC doing to address the situation?
Corona virus pandemic has significantly affected many businesses including those run by Nepalese community. The government has made available a full range of support measures to UK businesses and employers. Unfortunately, a lot of Nepalese businesses are not aware of those measures and those who are aware do not know how to access these. As a business organisation we have just published a newsletter. In this newsletter we have brought together what the businesses and individuals need to know about the Government help and how these government measures can support them or their businesses and how they could access these measures. We believe that this could provide useful information to our business members and wider Nepalese community. Also, we have regularly brought Nepal Embassy’s attention to provide necessary support for those in need in particular Nepalese students studying in various colleges and universities across the UK.
Can you please elaborate on the BNCC’s plans to help Nepali business entities?
Due to the current social distancing measures introduced by the government we have not been able to organise any social interaction or our usual networking programmes. However, we have tried to use the social media and digital platform to make Nepalese businesses aware that there are support measures that the UK government has made available which we believe they should seek immediate access to. There are a lot of Nepalese people who are running or working in hospitality, leisure and retail sectors and these are the sectors which have been severely hit by the impact of Corona virus. The government has introduced very comprehensive support measures such as cash grant, business rates holiday, grants for employers to pay staff costs, support for tenants, deferral of tax payments etc and these measures could significantly help the individuals and businesses to get through this difficult time.
We are also looking at some collaboration with other Nepali organisations to support Nepali students who may be in a difficult situation. Some of them have lost their jobs and place to live in. Finding them a place to live in for a temporary period of time as we are sure they will again be able to find jobs when things get back to normal.
This pandemic could provide certain export opportunities to businesses in Nepal. May be this is not imminent but in near future, export of health sanitizers, gloves and other protective equipment which can be manufactured at lower prices in Nepal could be possible. Governments around the world would like to have these at their disposal and Nepali businesses could potentially explore this opportunity. We can certainly help those businesses who are trying to explore opportunities in the UK market.
The BNCC was taking initiatives to promote British investment in Nepal? How will the corona crisis affect this?
Obviously, it will have a significant impact in the shot-term and some impact in the medium term. Many businesses in the UK are having severe cash flow problems due to this pandemic and in this environment, survival is the key for these businesses and they are more than likely to defer their investment decisions. Also, Nepal is suffering especially in the hospitality sector where hotels and restaurants are empty, airlines are struggling, and many trekking agencies’ existence is in threat. Businesses would not want to invest to increase the capacity now.
BNCC was planning to take a trade delegation to Nepal last month which we had to cancel due to the current environment. There was a significant interest from the UK businesses to invest in Nepal especially in Hospitality and Education sector. We will now need to wait for a right time to take such delegation.
The airlines industry has been badly affected by the corona crisis. How do you see the possibility of Nepali airlines coming to Britain after Brexit?
As you probably aware certain airlines are banned from operating in European airspace (including UK airspace) because they are found to be unsafe and/or they are not sufficiently overseen by their authorities. Sadly, Nepal Airlines is one of them. The ban has not been lifted for a number of years sighting lack of improvement in safety oversight by the country’s aviation regulator (CAAN). CAAN had failed to convince EU air safety experts about any improvement made. Post Brexit we do not believe UK will maintain lower standards than the current EU standards. Unless the concerns raised by European Union are adequately addressed, we do not think Nepalese Airlines could fly to the UK anytime soon. As a business body, we will continue to push CAAN to improve its standards and adequately address the concerns raised by the European Union. This is the only way Nepalese Airlines could fly to Europe including the UK and tap the growing tourism market.
Coronavirus Government Business Support Guide Prepared by: Indra Giri, FCCA (Chartered Certified Accountant & Registered Auditor)
Indra Giri, Photo : BNCC website
The Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic and associated shutdown has significantly affected many businesses. We know you may be suffering in terms of cash flow and face enormous uncertainty about the future for your business.
In this newsletter we have brought together what you need to know about the Government help available for small businesses. HMRC is automatically deferring the next VAT and Income Tax bills, and it will agree extra time for you to pay Corporation Tax and PAYE, but those terms need to be negotiated individually.
Unfortunately, it takes time to set up new systems to provide cash injections directly into businesses, but there are Government grants on their way to the Self-employed and employers to cover 80% of profits or wages. We explain who will qualify for these grants.
A large number of businesses will have their Business Rates bill for 2020/21 wiped out, and smaller businesses will be eligible for cash grants of £10,000 or £25,000 from their local authority.
If you are renting your home or business premises and are having difficulty in paying your rent, you should speak to your landlord. The law has been changed to require the landlord to give you at least three months’ notice to leave the property.
If you are worried that your business has more outgoings than sales and is heading for bust, any of these measures may be able to help you. The Government has temporarily changed the rules on wrongful trading to allow companies to pay staff and suppliers even if the directors fear this could mean the company is made insolvent. Your creditors will not be able to force your business into administration or liquidation for a temporary period during the pandemic.
1 Grants for employers to cover salaries
The aim of the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme (CJRS) is to enable employers to retain employees who will be needed when the business begins to rebuild in the future (when the pandemic has eased), rather than having to make them redundant. It does so by creating a new category of employment, known as a ‘furloughed employee’.
Who can claim it?
Available for any employee who was on payroll at 28 February 2020.
Any UK business, whether small or large, charitable or non-profit can utilise the scheme.
Employees you can claim for
You can only claim for furloughed employees that were on your PAYE payroll on or before 28 February 2020.
Employees hired after 28 February 2020 cannot be furloughed and claimed for in accordance with this scheme.
Eligible employees include apprentices, agency workers, those on zero-hours contracts, those on fixed-term contracts and salaried members of LLPs. An employee does not have to accept furlough if offered, but the employer could make the employee redundant instead, as long as the appropriate employment law procedures are followed.
To be eligible for the grant, when on furlough, an employee cannot undertake work for, or on behalf, of the organisation.
If you made employees redundant, or they stopped working for you on or after 28 February 2020, you can re-employ them, put them on furlough and claim for their wages through the scheme.
What can you claim?
Government will provide a grant (not a loan) to the employer to cover, for each employee
80% of the employee’s regular wage (capped at £2,500) per month plus
The related employer’s NIC and minimum Auto Enrolment Employer Pension Contributions on that wage
The base for the 80% calculation is the employee’s actual salary as of 28 February 2020. For employees who pay varies, you need to use average monthly earnings for the year.
The employee remains subject to employment law in the normal way, so will retain normal employment rights. Thus, Furloughing will need the agreement of the employee.
How can you claim this grant?
You need to submit information to HMRC about the employees that have been furloughed and their earnings through a new online portal. HMRC are currently working on to set up the online portal and this is expected to be ready by the end of April. Once the system is ready, employers would be able to submit a claim.
Owner-managed companies
Many director/shareholders pay themselves small salaries and the balance of their income as dividends from their companies. The CJRS does not cover the payment of dividends; only the salary paid under PAYE is eligible for the grant available under the scheme. HMRC has confirmed that office holders, such as directors of their own company who do not have a contract of employment, can be furloughed. However, those directors must not provide any services to or on behalf of the company, or generate any income for the company while they are furloughed. Directors can undertake statutory duties while furloughed that would reasonably be judged as necessary, such as submitting statutory returns and supplying information to HMRC. Directors of their own companies are not eligible for help under the Covid-19 Self-employment Income Support Scheme (SEISS)
2 Grants for the Self-employed
The Government will provide funds directly into the bank accounts of Self-employed individuals whose businesses have been adversely affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.This self-employment income support scheme (SEISS) will pay 80% of the average monthly profits over the last three years, up to £2,500 per month. This grant is expected to be payable for up to three months. It will be paid in one lump sum for three months and will be available from early June.HMRC will contact those self-employed people who qualify and there will be an online form on gov.uk for claiming the grant. In order to receive this taxable grant, you must meet all these conditions:
have traded as Selfemployed in 2019/20 and are still trading (or would trading if it were not for the business disruption caused by COVID19)
you expect to continue to trade in 2020/21
you receive more than half of your taxable income from selfemployment, even if you also hold an employed position.
you are registered with HMRC as Selfemployed and submitted a tax return for the tax year 2018/19; if you haven’t submitted your 2018/19 tax return yet, you can still qualify if you submit it by 23 April.
your average taxable profits must be less than £50,000 per year; if your profits are £50,000 or more you will receive no SEISS grant at all. HMRC will work out how much grant you will receive based on your tax returns for the three years to 2016/17 to 2018/19. If you started trading during that period HMRC will only use the periods for which you traded to calculate the grant. This scheme will not cover anyone who started trading on or after 6 April 2019.
3 Deferral of Income Tax
The next big Income Tax payment deadline is 31 July 2020. If you pay at least £1,000 of tax with your Self-assessment tax return, the payment due on 31 July is half of your estimated tax bill for 2019/20. But this year you can defer that payment until 31 January 2021, without being charged interest for late paid tax. You don’t have to apply to HMRC, as it won’t be demanding the tax due. However, if you normally pay your Income Tax by direct debit, you should cancel that direct debit with your bank, as HMRC can’t do that for you. If the direct debit remains in place, the tax will be collected as shown on your tax statement. This tax payment deferral applies to anyone who has to make payment of Income Tax on account by 31 July 2020, including employees who need to pay tax on other income such as rent or dividends. If you don’t want to delay paying the tax due on 31 July, you don’t have to, you can pay by electronic transfer or direct debit as normal. Paying the tax now will avoid a larger amount becoming due by 31 January 2021.
4 Deferral of VAT
All VAT registered businesses can enjoy an automatic deferment of their VAT payable in the period from 20 March to 30 June, to help them manage cash flow during the pandemic. If you normally pay your VAT by electronic transfer you can simply not make the payment due in the period to 30 June. You don’t have to inform HMRC why the payment is not made. HMRC’s systems should be adjusted so that default penalty surcharges are not trigged by payments not arriving in the period from 20 March to 30 June. HMRC will not charge interest on the deferred VAT payments
5 Sick pay support for employers
Statutory sick pay (SSP) must be paid by employers to their employees who qualify, both on the basis of minimum earnings (at least £118 per week, rising to £120 from 6 April 2020) and because they have been unable to work. SSP is normally payable from the fourth day the employee is unable to work, at the rate of £94.25 per week (£95.85 from 6 April 2020), pro-rated per day. Employers may pay out under a company sick pay scheme from an earlier day of sickness, and at a higher rate of pay, but they are not obliged to pay anything other than the SSP rate. The conditions for SSP have been changed due to the requirement for people to self-isolate to prevent the spread of COVID-19 virus from the first sign of illness and to isolate if anyone in the household has symptoms of COVID-19. Employers are now required to pay SSP from the first day the employee is unable to work, rather than from the fourth day. This applies for periods of absence from work beginning on or after 13 March 2020.
SSP is also payable to employees who are self-isolating, even if they are not sick themselves, for example, where a member of their household displays COVID-19 symptoms. Employees can self-certify absences up to seven days
However, for periods of sickness from 13 March 2020, some employers will be able to claim a refund of some of the SSP paid. The system for claiming this refund has not been set up yet but the following conditions will apply:
The employer must have had fewer than 250 employees on the payroll as at 28 February 2020.
The amount of SSP refunded will be capped at 14 days per employee.
6 More time to pay taxes
The Government has introduced an immediate deferral of upcoming VAT and Income Tax payments due in the next three months, but the other business taxes such as PAYE and Corporation Tax remain payable on the due dates. HMRC is willing to enter ‘Time to Pay’ (TTP) arrangements where businesses or individuals are struggling to pay tax bills on their due dates. There are no set rules as each TTP agreement is arranged on a bespoke basis. However, HMRC must be confident that the arrears will eventually be paid; it will not enter a TTP agreement if it thinks that the taxpayer will never be able to pay the arrears of tax. Generally, TTP arrangements involve tax liabilities being deferred, without penalties, and paid over a period of up to a year, with fixed, agreed repayment schedules. It is imperative that the payment dates are not missed. If they are, the TTP arrangement is likely to be ended by HMRC, with the full amount of tax outstanding becoming immediately due and, potentially, penalties may be payable. TTP arrangements lasting over a year are only agreed in exceptional circumstances, although the Coronavirus pandemic may mean that HMRC will be more amenable to such longer scheduling of repayments.
7 Business Rates holiday
If your business occupies premises in England in any of the following sectors, you are entitled to a business rates holiday on your entire business rates bill for 2020/21, whatever the size of your business premises:
Retail, including all types of shops: opticians, post offices, car and caravan showrooms, petrol stations, car hire, garden centres, hairdressers, beauty salons, nail bars, travel agents, dry cleaners, funeral directors, letting agents and estate agents.
Hospitality, including: restaurants, cafes, takeaways, sandwich shops, pubs, bars, and live music venues.
Leisure, including: cinemas, hotels, bed and breakfast or self-catering accommodation, caravan parks, theatres, museums, art galleries, stately homes and historic houses, nightclubs, tourist attractions, gyms, casinos, bingo halls, sport grounds and sports clubs. You should not have to do anything to enjoy this business rates holiday, as your local authority will automatically reissue business rates bills for 2020/21.
Sectors which do not qualify for a business rates holiday on their business premises are:
• Medical services, including: doctors, dentists, vets, osteopaths, chiropractors • Professional services, including: solicitors, accountants, insurance agents and financial advisers
• Financial services, including: banks, building societies, loan providers, cash points and bureaux de change.
8 Grants based on rateable values
Small businesses who pay business rates may receive a grant from their local authority to help them through the COVID-19 pandemic. There are two levels of grant: £10,000 and £25,000. Businesses that qualify for the business rates holiday described above will receive a grant of £25,000 if their business premises has a rateable value of between £15,000 and £51,000. If the business premises has a rateable value of less than £15,000 the business will receive a cash grant of £10,000. In addition, all businesses in any sector in England which qualify for small business rates relief, or rural rates relief, qualify for a grant of £10,000. Businesses located in England do not have to apply for any of these grants as the local authority will write to the businesses concerned.
9 Loans for businesses
Even where a business is able to access one or more of the Coronavirus schemes made available by the Government (e.g. a grant under the CJRS to cover wages), there may be a significant time lag in that help being delivered. In the meantime, with a big drop in income occurring, the business may not have the funds to meet its ongoing costs. In order to help businesses through this difficult time, the new Coronavirus Business Interruption Loan Scheme (CBILS), delivered by the British Business Bank, has been launched. It is a temporary scheme to support, primarily, small and medium-sized businesses in accessing bank lending and overdrafts. The Government will provide lenders with a guarantee of 80% on each loan (subject to a per-lender cap on claims) to give lenders confidence in continuing to provide finance to SMEs. The Government will not charge businesses or banks for this guarantee.
Eligibility and terms
The scheme will support loans of up to £5 million, with repayment terms of up to 6 years. Businesses can access the first 12 months of that finance interest-free and charge-free, as the Government will cover the first 12 months of interest payments and any lender-levied charges. The loans can be in the form of term loans, overdrafts, invoice finance or asset finance. You are eligible for the scheme if your business:
• is UK based; and
• has turnover of no more than £45 million per year; and
• meets the other British Business Bank eligibility criteria. The borrower remains fully liable for the debt, but the Big Four banks have agreed that they will not take personal guarantees as security for lending below £250,000. For loan facilities above £250,000, the lender must establish that the borrower is unable to provide security, before it uses CBILS. However, primary residential property cannot be taken as security under the scheme. Note that if a lender can offer finance on normal commercial terms without making use of the scheme, it will do so.
10 Protection for tenants
Commercial properties
New protection Under the new Coronavirus Act 2020, no business will be forced out of their premises if they miss a rent payment in the next three months. This means that landlords will not be able to exercise any right of forfeiture on tenants that cannot pay rent during this period. Commercial tenants will still be liable for the rent arrears after this period ends though. The Government has said that it will actively monitor the impact on commercial landlords’ cash flow. Clearly, this measure will ease immediate cash flow problems for tenants. However, as the tenant will still be liable for the rent, this arguably is only delaying the problem rather than solving it. Who is affected? This applies to all commercial tenants of leases in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. It is expected to last until 30 June 2020 but could potentially be extended if deemed necessary.
Residential properties
From 26 March 2020, landlords must give their tenants three months’ notice that they want to end the tenancy. This means the landlord can’t apply to the court to start an eviction process until after this three-month period.
Mortgage protection Mortgage lenders have agreed to offer payment holidays of up to three months where this is needed due to COVID-19, including for buy-to-let mortgages. The sum owed remains and mortgages continue to accrue interest during this period. Where a tenant is unable to pay their rent, the landlord should discuss this with their lender, with a view to putting a mortgage payment holiday in place.
12. Claiming Universal Credit
If you don’t qualify for a Government grant under the Self-Employed Income Support Scheme (SEISS), or your employer has stopped paying your wages, you should consider claiming Universal Credit. This is a state benefit which is gradually replacing all current claims for Working and Child Tax Credits, but it also covers housing benefit and job seekers allowance. You can claim Universal Credit if you are under state pension age and living in Great Britain. The initial claim is made online (www.gov.uk/apply-universal-credit), but if you are claiming as a Self-employed person you will also need to attend an interview with a work coach. However, during the Coronavirus shutdown this interview will be conducted by telephone.
The amounts paid under Universal Credit are being increased from 6 April 2020 by £20 per week. All Self-employed claimants are normally assumed to make a minimum amount of income from their business which is referred to as the ‘minimum income floor’. However, this minimum has been temporarily suspended for all claimants affected by the Coronavirus shutdown. This means that every Self-employed person can now access Universal Credit at a weekly rate equivalent to Statutory Sick Pay received by employees. The Universal Credit claim will be paid in respect of the first day of the claim, but the money may still take up to five weeks to start to arrive. In this period, you can apply for an advanced payment, which will be deducted from the benefit when it does arrive.
(Click here) for the UK Government guideline link.
London — The UK has recorded 917 new coronavirus deaths – including an 11-year-old.
The Department of Health figures take the total of UK deaths to 9,875 – meaning they are likely to top 10,000 on Easter Sunday.
NHS England said an 11-year-old had become one of the UK’s youngest victims of the Covid-19 outbreak.
The figures are accurate as of 5pm on Friday.
A total of 823 new cases were in England – with NHS England saying victims there were aged between 11 and 102.
Some 33 of the victims in England had no known underlying health condition – they were aged between 29 and 94, Sky News writes.
According to Johns Hopkins University, Some 1.7 million cases and 100,000 deaths have been confirmed globally. Similarly the World Health Organization has warned of a “deadly resurgence” in infections if restrictions are lifted too early.
MEENA POUDEL, Ph.D., is a Nepali sociologist, has a long and committed history of development works and feminist activism on issues affecting lives of socially excluded and politically marginalized groups in Nepal and other parts of the south, southeast and central Asia, western Europe, and North Africa with various national and international organizations, UN systems, women’s rights networks, and NGOs. Dr Poudel is a practitioner with academic vigour. In recent years she is engaged more in understanding various aspects of the lives of women, men and children vulnerable to and experiencing unregulated migration in central Asia and North Africa. She has authored a book Dealing with Hidden Issues: Social Rejection Experienced by Trafficked women in Nepal. Currently, she is working with the UN Migration Agency (IOM) in Libya. During her recent visit to the UK, she spoke with SAT Executive Editor DR. KRISHNA UPADHYAYA on contemporary issues. Excerpts of the interview: The corona virus pandemic has once again showed that poor and marginalised communities including women bear the biggest brunt. Do you think the time has come to rethink our overall development paradigm?
I think you have raised very important question. Women, in general, have been discriminated socially, economically, culturally and politically just because they are women and state mechanisms whether they are social welfare framework or corporate capitalist framework are interpreted and enforced from masculine perspective, it is just matter of degree and nature, the world we live in is increasingly becoming a place where space for equality and equity is shrinking. Any emergencies we have encountered; they are the women and men those are at the margin of the social hierarchy suffer and women in particular are the one who bear the biggest brunt. This is proved by various natural and human made disasters globally and now we are facing public health pandemic – the COVID- 19. We are still at the initial stage of the pandemic and entire world is now in a lockdown stage, social interactions are almost limited to family, economic activities are almost paralyzed and state services are badly affected to reach out to the neediest. We have evidences coming out already that gender-based, domestic violence in particular, at family level has gone up since the lockdown began. This once again has proved that family is not anymore safe place for women because most of the violence occurs at family level and by their nearest and dearest.
So, how severe could be the economic impact of this crisis?
Although we are yet to document the economic impact of COVID-19 response strategies being adopted at the moment on women, however, my initial analysis is that when labour market opens, it will be the women workforce, both locally and as migrants, losing the job. Think for a minute, you face domestic violence at family level and if you are working out of home and you lose your work, what is left for women to survive and support themselves ? this is one scenario. Another scenario would be men too will be losing job due to COVID-19 which will have huge impact at family level which, as aconsequence, will contribute to reduce family budget – the cost of education, health and
other basic services and finally the losers will be the women eg daughters will be the first leaving school, wife will be the one depriving from health services and food intake. Similar situation will be replicated at state level as well where state will further cut welfare related budgets e.g. education, health, agriculture and possibly pension benefits for senior citizens, women, people with different
abilities (mental, physical, single female) as well to recover national economic deficit. So, in summary, post COVID-19 world may potentially be look like with less welfare and more capital recovery framework which will be unfortunate for people in general and entire populations of developing world. But in reality, governments should be taking post COVID-19 pandemic as an
opportunity to review their development frameworks and focus more on social welfare modality putting marginalized men and women at the center of the development policies. This is so crucial for countries like Nepal which has been just moving out from traditional and feudal social and economic paradigm to market led capitalist framework. In addition, we must not also forget that Nepal’s economy is largely dependent on migration-led resources – remittances – which no doubt will suffer in post COVID-19 phase as millions of jobs our migrants are holding at the moment will disappear and new opening will be for domestic labour of the destination countries to respond to the COVID- 19 led unemployment. So, governments must review current development policies, plans and strategies by placing large segments of the society at the center.
You have studied about women’s movement in Nepal from close quarters. What do you think should Nepal’s women’s movement should prioritize so as to address the risk migrant women are facing including forced labor and trafficking.
Well, women’s movement of Nepal first needs to acknowledge the key gender issues that are:
I) legal subordination of women to men, ii) economic dependency to men,
iii) cultural obligation to protect izzat and, iv) low social position than men in family, society, market and the state.
The problem, though, is that women’s movement is largely working on agendas set by NGOs and as you and I have experienced working with NGOs, we know the process of setting agendas for NGOs, and by whom. It is their donors! Who are the donors then? The western countries sponsoring NGO activities, therefore, the agendas are not so much grounded with local reality and we don’t get right when it comes to addressing the root of the problem. Women’s movement should have a political perspective on gender agenda and guide the NGOs and women’s rights groups to campaign instead.
Also, I will not blame so much to leaders of women’s movement as they are also marginalized within their respective political parties, the parties are always led by a handful of men representing a certain social class of Nepali society who have always been guiding the political process from a masculine viewpoint. In this situation, how women political leaders can make their agenda?
Let me come to your question on migrants and trafficked women issues. Issues of migrants and trafficked women experience more violence as they leave home to support the family and also to escape domestic violence, abusive relationship within the marriage but what they get away from home – sexual and labor exploitation. When they return home there is so much social and cultural stigma because of their absence in the family. In my research, it came out very clearly that money sent by migrants and trafficked women are happily accepted by their families but when they return home women, particularly women who have experienced irregular migration such as trafficking and smuggling, are not accepted by family and society at large. Going back to my point about cultural obligation women are imposed to protect izzat (honour) of their families, these women on their return from difficult migration processes are seen with distrust. However, this is not to generalize with thousands of migrants’ women sustaining their family economy are gradually being accepted and welcome home although they are still not given equal status as their male counterparts back home.
What brought you this time to the UK ?
My purpose in coming to the UK this time was to speak to an International Seminar on Women Empowerment organized by Women’s Forum of Non-Resident Nepali Association (NRNA) National Coordination Council of UK to mark International Women’s Day 2020. During my visit, I also took the opportunity to discuss broader strategy of women’s forum to continue thematic discussions within the broader role of NRNA, particularly women members to share knowledge and skills with women’s rights activities in Nepal and academic scholars with the aim of NRNA’s contribution to the cultural transformation of Nepali society towards women’s rights. Although drafting a strategy couldn’t happen due to growing public health pandemic and my own limited time but some discussion has initiated which can be continued once situation returns to normalcy, if NRNA is willing to develop a strategy.
How do you find women leadership in the NRNA UK, how independently they were doing, and how was the involvement of youngsters?
Frankly speaking, I found the women leadership at the NRNA UK as an amazing team, they are clear on their roles, have a short and medium-term vision for the organization which can be broadened for a longer-term strategy, capable to decide within their scope of NRNA roles however as you know they were grown up in a society back home in Nepal that still holds narrow views on women’s leadership, doesn’t accept women emancipation in a real sense, Nepali society that is yet to accept women’s autonomy in practice and women’s agency is still attached to men’s identity instead.
Wherever people migrate, people do carry their original socio-cultural inheritance with them. Working with migrants of various parts of the world, I have observed this cultural legacy of the origin with other migrants as well so what I have observed throughout the program and also heard some of the comments on NRNA UK’s current leadership by some male and female NRNs did not surprise me because I am aware of where they come from. But what surprised me were broader perspectives, creative ideas and critical analysis of the younger generation of the NRNA. These youngsters are looking for their meaningful role in the NRNA, space to contribute to its goal, opportunity to change the image of NRNA and redefine NRNs role corresponding with their vision to contribute to their society at the root (back in Nepal). This is something crucial that the NRNA UK’s leadership may need to consider working by involving the young generation of the NRNA.
Could you please shed light on women’s identity/construction which you presented in the NRN conference with a little bit reference in the global context?
As the banner theme of the day was ‘Empowerment of Women’, although, it was a vague theme but was divided into two sessions: Presentation around the theme in which my focus was on ‘Socio- cultural construction of personhood in contemporary Nepal’, findings of my research work in Nepal.
And the second session of the programme was a thematic and powerful panel discussion entitled: ‘Inter-Generational Perspective on Contemporary Feminism’. I understand these sessions were planned in a way that participants of all walks of life can engage with discussion, most importantly the youngsters those have limited real-life experience of being in Nepal. The panel discussion was followed by a presentation and a lot of questions from the participants were around presentations of speakers which allowed speakers to expand their arguments with examples.
In both the sessions my focus was to highlight key gender issues contemporary Nepal has been encountering, it was important for diaspora communities to understand the key issues that are shaping identities of their relatives, families and fellow citizens back in Nepal. As a social science scholar, you too are probably aware that Nepali women are still not recognized as autonomous
individual citizens legally due to our citizenship provision. Current legal provision shaping women’s identity in Nepal has fundamentally been contributing to continued women’s economic dependency on their male counterparts in the family, most importantly to their fathers, husbands, and brothers.
Consequently, women are constantly being pushed into more cultural violence such as domestic abuse, social discrimination, and cultural marginalization. Such trapped women are brought into legally, economically, socially and culturally has the link of broader political exclusion which always put women in a lower position than men and forced women to follow men’s instructions rather than using women’s knowledge, personal views and ideas to build their social institutions such as family, community and the state. We have thousands of examples to validate this argument, but one key and painful example is, women are seen as key to protect izzat of their families but not counted as a full citizen of their own country unless men validate their identity as a daughter, wife, sister or similar feminine role. One of the questions constantly raised by the young NRNs in the discussion was why this is still happening in Nepal as the country has far ahead politically and so much happening in the economic sector/market as women are seen as key labor force? My response to this question was yes but women are seen only as resource generators when a family is in need, but women are not the decision-maker in the real sense when it comes to where to invest resources they have generated and for what and why.
Look at our land reform law and certification to women, do you think women are even consulted to sell or use of land that is legal in her name? The answer is no. I am not talking about exceptional cases, I am talking about ordinary women in Nepal. Let me summarize my response to your question: Nepali laws including the current constitution and subsequent acts are drafted technically in legal terms, defined and interpreted by our judges based on their cultural and often feudal mindsets and enforced based on political prejudices based on gender, sexuality, socio-cultural and economic status background of the survivors of violence and her offender.
In the second part of your question about global scenarios, well, I worked in various parts of the world and observed violence and discrimination against female migrants as well. Gender-based violence is a global phenomenon but just a matter of degree and nature where it happens and how society and state are responding the issue. Degree and nature are determined by the nature of
society and the welfare policies of the state. A society like ours that is still in the process of moving away from cultural feudalism to market capitalism. State policies are drafted largely within the masculine framework, social perceptions are still shaped within Hindu cultural practices and largely feudal towards women. Although gender-based violence in our society varies slightly based on the ethnic background but overall, we have a lot to do to address this issue.
So, our situation is still far behind than societies that are more liberal like southeast and central Asia, some parts of Africa and Europe those societies are being governed by one or other forms of social welfare frameworks.
However, we are slightly ahead of some countries in the middle east as we are at least allowed to exercise our economic rights in public places and market to generate resources, even not having influential to use that resources.
But the issue of gender-based violence is everywhere in varying degrees and nature because the entire world is governed by a masculine framework of governance.
London — Nine ambassadors of Nepal in Europe have decided to contribute a month’s salary to the COVID-19 fund.
Ramesh Khanal, ambassador of Nepal to Germany, Yuba Nath Lamsal, ambassador to Denmark, Lok Bahadur Thapa, ambassador to Belgium, Prakash Subedi, ambassador to Austria, Dipak Adhikari, ambassador to France, Mani Bhattarai, ambassador to Switzerland, Dr Durga Bahadur Subedi, ambassador to the United Kingdom, Rishi Ghimire, ambassador to Russia and Dawa Sherpa, ambassador to Spain, have jointly decided to contribute their one month salary to the COVID-19 fund, the state-owned The Rising Nepal daily reported.
“Nepal is passing through an unprecedented crisis and it is our duty to help in whatever way possible,” Dr Durga Bahadur Subedi , ambassador of Nepal to the United Kingdom, told South Asia Time. “We took the decision to this effect in a video conference.”
Embassy of Nepal to the U.K. is collaborating with different local organisations to support Covid-19 affected Nepalese including students in the U.K. , Ireland and Malta.
The embassy has formed a committee under the leadership of Deputy Chief of Mission, Sharad Raj Aran, to coordinate support activities to the affected communities.
Nepali embassies in other European countries are also working with Nepali diaspora organisations to help and support affected communities, officials said.
By: Jeremy Rossman, Honorary Senior Lecturer in Virology and President of Research-Aid Networks, University of Kent
Within four months, the UK will have 66,314 fatalities from COVID-19, according to a recent report from the University of Washingon’s Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME). This would result in the UK having the highest number of fatalities out of any country in Europe – according to the report, more than Italy (a total of 23,000) and Spain (19,209).
At first glance, this new model seems to suggest that the situation in the UK is significantly worse than appreciated. But in the past two weeks, we have seen several other predictions, including an Oxford University model that suggests that more than half the UK population may already have been infected and an Imperial College model that predicts up to 260,000 fatalities from COVID-19 if the government had taken no action.
Based in part on the data from the Imperial study, the UK government adjusted its COVID-19 strategy and began introducing closures and physical distancing measures. The Imperial model predicts that with these measures (including school closures, stay-at-home orders and physical distancing for the entire UK population) the number of fatalities might only reach 20,000.
Only as good as your data
Prediction models are just estimates of what might happen and a model is only as good as the data that goes into it. The IHME model is based on the current rate of COVID-19 fatalities in a given country. This contrasts with many other models, which predict fatality rates by extrapolating from the number of reported cases, of which we have more data but of questionable accuracy (see below).
In Italy, the IHME model may be very accurate as there is a large amount of data on fatality rates over time. Yet in the UK there is a limited timeframe of COVID-19 fatalities and so less data with which to estimate future trends.
The IHME is planning to continually update its model using new data, so the model will probably become more accurate over time. But at present, the limited amount of data means that the IHME model has a large range of possible outcomes, ranging from 14,572 to 219,211 deaths in the UK. This puts the IMHE and Imperial models in roughly the same range.
A lack of accurate data
All current COVID-19 prediction models suffer from a lack of accurate data on case numbers and fatality rates. This is because many COVID-19 infections are mild, or potentially even asymptomatic, and are often not identified as confirmed cases.
Estimates are that up to 86% of cases may not be identified as COVID-19. This number may be even higher in countries such as the UK that have only been testing the most critical and at-risk cases. Without knowing the actual number of infections, it is not possible to determine an accurate case-fatality rate and so the accuracy of many predictions is limited.
The IHME model attempts to avoid this limitation by focusing only on fatalities. But there is a similar concern that not all COVID-19 fatalities are being accurately reported. For example, people who pass away at home having never been tested for COVID-19 may not be included in some counts. Additionally, the IHME model may miss new hot spots of infection, as fatality numbers lag behind case numbers by one to two weeks.
At present, both case-based and fatality-based prediction models are limited by the amount and quality of the available data.
The worth of models?
While these models may not be able to accurately predict the specific number of COVID-19 fatalities over the coming months, they still offer a useful glimpse of potential futures. For example, in none of the predictions for the UK do we see fewer than 14,000 fatalities or more than 260,000 (if no interventions were taken). This gives a context for policy decisions and our collective actions.
We like being able to quantify things and it is easier to convince people of the importance of physical distancing if we can say that it will save 236,000 lives.
This may not end up being the actual number but the fact is that we are in the middle of a deadly pandemic and it’s clear that strong action is necessary to save many lives. Does it matter if we are acting to save 20,000 or 200,000? We needed to act either way – and we have. When looking to the future, we cannot tell how many will die of COVID-19, but we can guarantee that it will still be too many.
New Delhi: The health ministry of India today said that they have successfully evacuated nearly 3,473 foreigners from the country. Indians are also being evacuated from abroad. The work is still in progress. On Hydroxychloroquine, the ministry said that exports of this drug and four other medicines were restricted but since the demands were rising worldwide these restrictions have been relaxed, NDTV writes.
However, the ministry has assured that there is adequate stock for India. The ministry added that over one crore Indians are provided with food on a daily basis amid lockdown. The borders are under strict vigilance, especially those where there is no proper fencing. The health ministry today confirmed that the coronavirus death count in India has become 206 while the total number of cases jumped to 6,761.
London — Another 891 people have lost their life after contracting coronavirus, taking the UK death toll to at least 7,978, the Foreign Secretary has confirmed.
Today’s jump in deaths is one of the biggest daily increases since the outbreak began, following a massive rise of 938 yesterday and 854 on Tuesday.
The toll was updated after England recorded another 765 deaths.
Scotland reported 81 deaths, while 41 were recorded in Wales and four in Northern Ireland, The Metro writes.
A Number 10 spokesman says: “The prime minister has been moved this evening from intensive care back to the ward, where he will receive close monitoring during the early phase of his recovery.
London– The University of Hull in the UK has awarded the degree of Doctor of Laws (LLD), honoris causa, to its former student, Professor Surya P. Subedi, QC, OBE, DCL, in recognition of his accomplishments in the field of international law and human rights.
Professor Subedi had obtained an LLM with Distinction and a prize for best LLM student of the year in 1988 at Hull.
Commenting on the award of such a high accolade by Hull, Pfrof Subedi said he was honoured by the recognition of his accomplishments by his alma mater. Upon completion of his LLM, Professor Subedi won an FCO scholarship to study DPhil (PhD) in Law at the University of Oxford and obtained his degree with a prize in 1993.
Last year, the Oxford University awarded him the highest degree – the Doctor of Civil Law (DCL) — in recognition of his contribution to international law and human rights. This year two new law prizes -one attaining the highest mark in Human Rights Law and another for the best PhD thesis in Law – were established in Oxford in the name of Professor Subedi.
London — An ex Gurkha veteran has lost his life in London due to Covid-19. 59-year old Chet Gurung was hospitalised at the Northwick Park Hospital, London, two weeks ago after showing Covid-19 symptoms.
Dipak (David) Gurung, former president of Tamu Dhee UK, London chapter, confirmed the death of Mr Gurung and expressed his condolence. Earlier Ex Gurkha Lila Bahadur Rai had lost his life life after being admitted at the same hospital. Prashant Aryal, a resident of East London, also lost his life due to the coronavirus infection. Approximately 200 Nepalese living in the UK are estimated to have been infected with the virus while many are in self-quarantine.
A woman has reportedly died of coronavirus infection in UAE. However, the Nepali Embassy in Dubai has not confirmed it yet. A total 11 Nepalese are reportedly infected of coronavirus in Dubai. Four Nepalese are reportedly infected with the virus in Saudi Arabia while three have already recovered. At least seven Nepalese are said to have been infected in Spain and one person has lost his life due to the Covid-19.
According to Vijay Thapa of www.enepalese.com, two people have lost their lives and an estimated 500 Nepalese are infected in the US although exact number were not available.
Meanwhile, talking to Naya Patrika daily, President of the Non-Resident Nepali Association, Kumar Pant, said that more than 1,500 Nepalese were infected with the virus around the world though exact numbers were not available.
UNICEF, KATHMANDU – Even before the COVID-19 crisis, South Asia had a chronic education crisis with 95 million children of school age being out of school. With the current COVID-19 crisis unfolding, many of the 430 million children affected by school closures in the region are now in danger of dropping out of the education system.
Vulnerable and hard to reach children may never return to school if they get further behind due to not being reached with alternative ways to learn during school closures.
Although COVID-19’s impact on the region’s school children has been mitigated in the short term by creative approaches to term breaks and examinations, countries across South Asia urgently need to develop plans for continued education at home to be prepared for possible longer closures. This means implementing plans to continue education through a mix of radio, television and mobile technology, as well as the home delivery of printed learning materials for those who are excluded from technology for the most vulnerable students.
“We are concerned that prolonged school closures could hit girls and the most vulnerable, including those with disabilities the hardest. Girls are often obliged to take care of household chores and look after siblings. We are also concerned about the psychological impact on children of increasing incidents of domestic violence during lockdowns,” said Jim Ackers, Regional Education Adviser at UNICEF’s Regional Office for South Asia.
While most countries in the global north are continuing education at home through online learning, South Asia faces additional challenges due to limited connectivity. Only 33 per cent of the people in the region have access to the internet. Access to both radio and television is limited in some parts of the region. For example, only 35 per cent of rural Nepal has access to television. Children who currently do home learning can also find it hard to get the necessary help if parents are illiterate or did not complete their own education.
UNICEF is working to support governments in the region to ensure that children can continue with their education at home in partnership with other agencies. Most countries in South Asia have received external funding for this purpose, including through the Global Partnership for Education and bilateral partners. Some countries are rolling out innovative approaches to education.
“Both Afghanistan and Nepal have started organising the home delivery of learning materials to reach the most excluded. Bangladesh is using TV, radio, mobile phone and internet platforms to reach a maximum number of students and make the learning interactive, engaging parents and learners,” explained Jim Ackers. Such measures are required to ensure quality learning.
“The coronavirus has turned into a complex emergency that threatens children and young people in many ways – including their right to learn,” said Jean Gough, Regional Director of UNICEF in South Asia. “We need to see urgent action across the region to ensure that children’s futures are not compromised.”
KATHMANDU (Xinhua): The Nepali government has lifted a ban on the import of food items from eight countries which have been hit hard by the novel coronavirus, citing reduced risk of transmission of virus from food items, a senior official of Nepal’s Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock Development, said.
The Department of Food Technology and Quality Control under the ministry suspended issuing import permits for the food items from China, Italy, Iran, Japan, South Korea, France, Germany and Spain in the second week of March.
Mohan Krishna Maharjan, spokesperson at the department told Xinhua on Monday (April 6)that the department has started issuing import permits to the importers who are willing to import food items from these eight countries since last week after getting suggestions from concerned authorities that there is no evidence of virus transmission from food items.
“But, the food items must stay in the quarantine for two weeks before arriving at Nepal’s market,” he said.
According to Maharjan, with the latest decision, pre-processed, processed and raw food items will be allowed to import from the eight countries
“Food items such as rice, pulses and beans among others can be imported from these countries,” Maharjan added.
The Himalayan country imports most of food items from India, but it also imports food items from the above eight countries. – Xinhua
London – On the eve of the meeting of the G20 countries, more than 100 charities and NGOs have urged the IMF and World Bank, G20 governments and private creditors to cancel debt payments for some of the poorest countries in the world in the wake of the coronavirus crisis.
In a statement issued on Tuesday, organisations including the Oxfam and Action Aid International, have urged the immediate cancellation of 69 poor countries’ debt payments for the rest of the year, including to private creditors, estimating that it would free up over $25 billion for the countries, or $50 billion if extended through 2021.
The Jubilee Debt Campaign also called for debt cancellations or additional finance to be free of conditions on economic policy such as austerity, and for the G20 to back emergency rules that would prevent poorer countries from being sued by private creditors.
“Developing countries are being hit by an unprecedented economic shock, and at the same time face an urgent health emergency,” Sarah-Jayne Clifton, Director of Jubilee Debt Campaign, said.
“This is the fastest way to keep money in countries to use in responding to Covid-19, and to ensure public money is not wasted bailing out the profits of rich private speculators,” she added.
Calculations from non-profit network Eurodad show that 69 of the world’s poorest countries are due to pay $19.5bn to other governments and multilateral institutions, and $6bn to external private lenders this year.
The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has made $50bn available in emergency financing while the World Bank has approved a $14bn response package to the most vulnerable economies. The IMF wants to target the money at countries with weak health systems to help them respond to the epidemic.
During the coronavirus pandemic, campaigners want debt relief to be applied for all countries in need, and most urgently for the poorest countries. Looking more long-term, they want a process to reduce debts to a sustainable level after the crisis.
Talking to BBC Nepali in Kathmandu, a leading economist and Nepal’s former envoy to the US, Dr Shankar Sharma, said Nepal will benefit if its debt is written off as the country is fighting to contain the spread of coronavirus.
“Nepal is going to lose its remittance income as well as income from exports and tourism. In such a situation, it will help reduce current account deficit and maintain foreign currency reserves if the foreign debt is written off,” said Dr Sharma.
He said such a debt relief should be extended for few more years for Least Developed Countries like Nepal.
London — Prime Minister Boris Johnson has been moved to intensive care in hospital after his coronavirus symptoms “worsened”, Downing Street has said.
The Prime Minister, 55, was moved on the advice of his doctors and is said to be receiving “excellent” care.
Mr Johnson has asked Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab to deputise “where necessary”, the spokesman added, BBC writes.
The prime minister, 55, was admitted to hospital in London with “persistent symptoms” on Sunday evening.
A No 10 statement read: “The prime minister has been under the care of doctors at St Thomas’ Hospital, in London, after being admitted with persistent symptoms of coronavirus.
“Over the course of [Monday] afternoon, the condition of the prime minister has worsened and, on the advice of his medical team, he has been moved to the intensive care unit at the hospital.”
The UK’s foreign secretary, Dominic Raab, who is deputising for the prime minister while he receives intensive care in hospital, says government business will continue.
Appearing on the BBC shortly after the news of the deterioration of Boris Johnson’s condition, Raab said there is an “incredibly strong team spirit” behind the prime minister and that ministers would focus on delivering the plans he put in place.
He said Johnson is in safe hands at St Thomas’s hospital in London and was receiving excellent care.
Raab vowed that the government will bring the whole country through the pandemic.
