The people must eventually learn to consume less of those things that we do not produce, such as fuel
With the Ukraine-Russia war into its second month, its impact is being felt across the world, including Nepal, where prices of everything, including fuel, have gone up. Petrol now costs Rs 155 a litre, a 10 rupee increase in a matter of just a fortnight, but Nepal Oil Corporation (NOC) says fuel prices are not commensurate with the near doubling of crude oil prices in the international market. At the receiving end of any increase in commodity prices, big or small, is, of course, the hapless consumer, who is now also having to suffer from a shortage of fuel as well as cooking gas after petroleum dealers and transporters stopped collecting petroleum products since Friday, demanding revision in the commission rate and adjustment of the transportation fare for cooking gas. Although the National Petroleum Dealers Organisational Coordination Committee – comprising dealers, transporters and gas industry association – has called off the strike, serpentine queues continue to persist outside the few operating stateowned pumps in Kathmandu. This is so because of the obstruction created by the fuel tankers at the Thankot-based depot of NOC.
According to the fuel traders, NOC had suddenly stopped giving commission on petrol and diesel to them, citing high fuel prices in the international market, which irked them into calling the strike. On Saturday, the NOC and the petroleum traders inked a deal to resolve all issues relating to the commission and adjustment of cooking gas transport fare within a week.
Should the government fail to fulfill the commitment, the traders have vowed to be back on the streets. The shortage of petrol and diesel has only fueled panic buying, which is further aggravating the crisis. NOC was said to be losing money running into several billion rupees every month even before the Ukraine war, largely because of the huge taxes the government levies under different headings, its major source of revenue. The NOC then sells the petroleum products by adjusting the transportation fare and dealer commission. Regardless of at what price we buy our fuel from IOC, there cannot, however, be a huge gap in the prices of fuel between the two countries for fear of smuggling.
It's hard to say when the war in Ukraine will stop and things will return to normalcy. The government cannot be just passing the extra cost to the consumer, who is already unable to pay for many of the commodities.
Hence, the people would get some relief if the government were to lower the taxes on fuel until things improved globally. However, in the long run, the people must learn to consume less of those things that we do not produce, such as fuel, so that we don't inherit the same problems that Sri Lanka is going through. Fuel makes up the largest component of our overall imports, worth billions of dollars. There are millions of motorcycles and cars in the country, much more than our roads can carry. It would, thus, be a good idea to introduce a two-day public holiday and a strict odd-even rule for vehicles, which should also improve the environment considerably. A lasting solution would, however, be a good public transport system that would do away with the need for cars and motorbikes to commute.
Fake examinees
Medical education in Nepal is considered the most rewarding due to its future prospects.
Even mediocre students and their parents do not hesitate to spend millions of rupees to get admission not only in a government college but also in a private college that charges a hefty amount of fee for his/her admission. A student and his/her parents will go to any extent to get a seat in a medical college. However, due to the strict "Common Entrance Examination of Bachelor Level in Health Professional Education", conducted by the Medical Education Commission (MEC), most malpractices have been controlled in recent times.
Despite the provision of a strict examination put in place, the police have arrested four fake examinees from various exam centres in Kathmandu conducted by the MEC. They were found taking exams of other students by producing fake identity cards with their photos and other fake legal papers. The real aspirants of medical education must have paid the fake students huge sums of money for taking the exams risking their own career. The police will investigate how they managed to cheat the MEC. We cannot expect quality medical education unless we make the entrance exams more trustworthy.
A version of this article appears in the print on April 5, 2022, of The Himalayan Times.