Tag: Nepal

Nepali Lawmaker Uncovers Privatization ‘Plot’

Scandalously scheming (Photo: Taco Tuinstra)
A Nepali lawmaker has uncovered “a plot” to privatize the Janakpur Cigarette Factory, reports The Rising Nepal.
Bimalendra Nidhi, a senior leader of the Nepali Congress party, said that while government officials had informed him that they were in the process of renewing the company’s license, he had heard rumors that the factory was in fact being prepared for privatization.
Nidhi reminded reporters that the Janakpur Cigarette Factory is the property of Madhes Province and that his party would protest any plans for privatization because it would contravene the principle of federalism.
October 28, 2024
Nepal to Ban Vapes as ‘Tobacco’ Use Spikes

Photo: Taco Tuinstra
Nepal is poised to ban e-cigarettes, according to Bhakta Bahadur KC, information officer at the National Health Education, Information and Communication Center, reports MyRepublica.
The legislation is a response to rising e-cigarette use among youth. Nepal imported 3.2 million e-cigarettes in 2023. The business is worth an estimated NPR210 million ($1.5 billion).
Contradicting studies suggesting that vaping is at least 95 percent less risky than smoking. KC said e-cigarettes are as harmful to health as cigarettes.
In related news, a recent survey by the Nepal Development Research Institute revealed that 34.1 percent of the Nepalese population uses tobacco in one form or another, up from 31.8 percent in 2020.
Nearly 18 percent of those aged between 15 to 24 use tobacco, with 8.9 percent preferring smoking and 6.3 percent prefer smokeless tobacco. A small percentage (2.7) engages in both practices. Among individuals aged between 25 to 39, tobacco use is at 26.5 percent, with 8.7 percent of them smoking, 13 percent using smokeless tobacco, and 4.9 percent doing both.
Likewise, 41.6 percent of individuals aged between 40 to 54 use various forms of tobacco products. Within this age group, 11.1 percent smoke, 26.7 percent use smokeless tobacco products and 3.7 percent use both. Similarly, among those aged 55 to 69, tobacco product usage is at 56.7 percent—16 percent smoke, 33.8 percent use smokeless tobacco, and 6.8 percent use both forms of tobacco.
Among the male population of the country, 55.8 percent of men use some form of tobacco, while 11.2 percent of women use tobacco.
NDRI researcher Kamal Chaulagain attributed the rise of tobacco consumption to the increasing popularity of hookah and e-cigarettes, which some users view as smoking alternatives, and called for higher taxes.
NDRI head Jaya Kumar Gurung, blamed lax enforcement of the Anti-Smoking Act. He emphasized the lack of public awareness regarding the harmful effects of tobacco products.
April 8, 2024
Court Stays Kathmandu Ban on Plastic Packs

Photo: Tobacco Reporter archive
The Patan High Court on Dec. 15 stayed the Kathmandu Metropolitan City’s decision to ban the sale of tobacco products packed in plastics, reports The Kathmandu Post.
Judges Janak Pandey and Brajesh Pyakurel issued an interim order not to implement the decision while responding to a tobacco company’s petition against the decision of the metropolis.
In early December, the city announced a ban on the sale of tobacco products packed in plastics in the areas under its jurisdiction from Dec. 13. In its ruling, the court argued that tobacco companies are preparing to pack their products in biodegradable packages.
Kathmandu tried to ban tobacco several times before, but failed on each occasion.
December 15, 2023
Kathmandu to Ban Plastic-Pack Products

Photo: Taco Tuinstra
Kathmandu will ban the sale of tobacco products in all its 32 wards from Dec. 13, 2023, reports myRepublica.
Ram Prasad Poudel, chief of the Kathmandu Metropolitan City’s (KMC) health department, said the measure would apply to the sale, storage and use of all tobacco products packaged in plastic. This includes not only cigarettes and bidis, but also tamakhu, sulfa, kakkad, gutkha and paan parag, among other regional products.
“We are on a campaign of making Kathmandu a healthy city,” said Poudel.
The KMC reportedly plans to apply similar measures to water pipe tobacco at a later stage.
December 1, 2023
Health Minister Wants Larger Share Taxes

Photo: MemoryMan
MemoryMan
The government of Nepal should direct all the money its collects from tobacco products to the Ministry of Health and Population, Health Minister Mohan Bahadur Basnet told lawmakers on July 13, according to a report in My Republica.
The Nepalese state earns an estimated NPR6 billion ($45.66 million) in tobacco taxes annually. The health ministry, however, receives only NPR4 billion, Basnet lamented.
The additional tax revenues could be used to add more doctors and health workers, he suggested.
July 14, 2023
Kathmandu to Ban Public Tobacco Use

Photo: Taco Tuinstra
Kathmandu will ban the consumption of tobacco products in public places starting Sept. 17, reports Onlinekhabar.
According to Nepal’s Tobacco Products (Control and Regulatory) Act 2011, no person shall be allowed to smoke or consume tobacco in public places.
The ban will cover cigarettes, bidis and cigars as well as smokeless products such as chewing tobacco and gutka.
Violators of the rules risk fines of up to NPR100 ($0.78) and will be removed from the premises.
The city defines public places as government offices, educational institutions, libraries, health posts, airports, old age homes, orphanages, public toilets, cinema halls, theaters, restaurants and factories.
September 16, 2022
Janakpur Factory Mulls Restart of Operations

Smokers enjoying cigarettes in the center of Kathmandu (Photo: Taco Tuinstra)
The Janakpur Cigarette Factory (JCF) in Nepal has called an annual general meeting on Jan. 9 to explore the possibility of restarting production, reports My Republica.
Built in 1965 as a gift from the Soviet Union, the factory grew into a local market leader but then withered away due to competition, political interference and mismanagement. Unwilling to shoulder the financial burden, the government closed JCF in 2013.
The Ministry of Finance recently created a task force led by to resume production at the factory. The panel, among other things, has been tasked to estimate the cost of operating the factory.
The primary goal of the Jan. 9 is to settle the financial liabilities incurred by JCF since fiscal year 1999-2000.
This is not the first time the government of Nepal has attempted to resume production at JCF. In 2011, a study panel formed under Joint Secretary Ramesh Sthapit also underscored the possibility of bringing the factory back to life, but no action was taken.
A 2015 plan to restart operations similarly failed.
According to government records, JCF owns land and buildings in 26 locations. The factory’s properties are valued at more than NPR8 billion ($66.66 million).
December 27, 2021
New Tender for Tobacco Stamps

Photo: Taco Tuinstra
The Inland Revenue Department in Nepal has invited a fresh global tender for excise duty stickers for tobacco and alcohol products, reports The Kathmandu Post. A tender notice was issued on Oct. 14, and all participants must submit their bids by Nov. 29.
There has been a shortage of excise duty stickers in Nepal since the Indonesian supplier that was selected to supply them did not show up to sign the contract. The second-best bidder, a company from Lithuania, was not offered the contract due to “issues” with the company.
The company has moved to the Supreme Court, arguing that the law states the second bidder should be awarded the contract if the highest bidder does not sign the contract.
“Although the case is still pending in the court, it didn’t stop us from moving forward to call a fresh tender,” said Mukti Pandey, deputy director general at the Inland Revenue Department.
October 23, 2020
The ban didn’t work. Why?
After numerous failed attempts to enforce a ban on tobacco smoking and chewing in public places, the city of Kathmandu, Nepal, is to have another try, according to a story in The Kathmandu Post.
Deputy mayor Hari Prabha Khadgi, who also leads a five-member inspection committee, said she was holding consultations with representatives of the 32 wards of Kathmandu to make the drive a success.
“I’m in consultation with the ward representatives and stakeholders,” Khadgi was quoted as saying. “We have decided to run awareness programs at schools and reach every nook and corner of the city with anti-tobacco visuals and street performances.”
On February 25, 2018, Mayor Bidya Sundar Shakya announced an 18-month action plan to make Kathmandu a healthy city. However, the action plan was not followed.
Although the ban on tobacco smoking and chewing was enforced initially, the effort did not last.
The World Health Organization’s Tobacco Free Initiative had provided Rs10 million to assist Kathmandu conduct the ‘Healthy City’ campaign, and the city authorities plan to follow through on the campaign this time around.
The Tobacco Product (Control and Regulatory) Act-2011 bans smoking in public places. Anyone breaching the law is liable to a fine of Rs100 to Rs100,000, depending on the nature of the offense.
March 13, 2019
Tobacco fails to inspire
None of Nepal’s local governments is seen to be serious about controlling and regulating the consumption of tobacco products, according to a story in The Kathmandu Post.
While the Tobacco Products (Control and Regulatory) Act, 2011, made it mandatory for local governments to submit to the Ministry of Health and Population annual reports on measures taken to control and regulate tobacco products, none of them had submitted a report.
And the Ministry said that because local governments had not been submitting reports, it was facing difficulties in preparing a national strategy for tobacco control.
“Not a single local government has submitted its annual report to the ministry,” said Pushkar Raj Nepal, under-secretary at the legal section of the ministry. “This makes it difficult for us to find whether they are performing their responsibilities as per the act or not.”
The Act prohibits smoking in educational institutions, libraries, training and health-related institutions, cinema halls, cultural centers, theatres, religious places, child welfare homes, hermitages for senior citizens, parks and other public places.
It bans also smoking in houses or private vehicles in a way that affects another person.
March 11, 2019