Nepal’s Export “Miracle,” Minister’s Rolex & Meta’s Morality

Hello and Namaste from Nepal!

We’re thrilled to bring you our latest edition of Nepali Dias Express, your trusted weekly digest of what’s happening back home, why it matters, and how it connects to Nepalis living around the world.

Nepali Highlights

1️. Exports Jump 88.6%, But Don’t Pop the Champagne Yet

Nepal’s exports shot up 88.6% in the first two months of FY 2025/26, a total of Rs 47.32 billion. Sounds like something to celebrate, right? Well, not exactly.

Most of that “growth” comes from soybean and palm oil. The funny part is, we don’t actually make those oils. We import crude palm and soybean oil, do a bit of refining (or sometimes just repackage them), and then ship them off to India, which alone bought 139.9% more than before.

So, yes, exports are booming, but mainly on paper. Our biggest exports also happen to be our biggest imports.

Learn more about this here.

2️. Inflation Falls to 21-Year Low Because People Aren’t Spending

Inflation dropped to 1.87% (as of mid-September), the lowest since 2004. On paper, that sounds amazing, but in reality, not so much.

Prices didn’t fall because things got cheaper; they fell because people stopped buying. Floods, landslides, and protest blockades have slowed supply chains, while the Dashain shopping mood never quite arrived.

Sure, vegetables are cheaper. But school fees, clothes, and shoes haven’t budged an inch.Nepal’s foreign exchange reserves are still strong ($20.41B), but most of that cash is not actually circulating. So, inflation is calm because the economy’s half asleep. This is a sign that people are holding back, not that our economy is strong. 

3️. The Minister’s “Rolex” 

This week, ICT Minister Jagdish Kharel found himself trending. Not for policy, but for a watch.

A photo showed him wearing what looked like a Rolex Daytona, supposedly worth Rs 1.4 crore.  And of course, social media had a field day over it. The Minister later clarified: “It’s not a Rolex, it’s a Roster, my brother’s old watch from Japan, worth maybe Rs 30–60k.”

Do you see policy relevance here? None whatsoever. But it did dominate the Nepali internet for two full days, proving we can always count on a good scandal to distract us from bad economics.

4️. Power Dues Showdown: NEA Gets Serious

You know those 49 industries that owe NEA almost Rs 8 billion since 2015? Well, they’re still at it.

Back when we had load-shedding, NEA used to charge them a “premium” rate. Basically, you pay extra to get power when everyone else is in the dark. But they took the power, and not the payment part seriously.

For years, it’s been the same story; court cases, excuses, and endless delays. But now NEA’s done waiting. They’ve given these industries 21 days (until Oct 19) to clear their dues or get their power cut.

By midweek, not a single one had paid. Not one. Then finally, Hulas Steel and Ashok Steel started paying in installments over 28 months.

The rest are Still stalling. NEA’s warning them loud and clear: either pay up or go dark. Literally

5️. 50 Idle Road Contracts Face the Axe

Looks like Kulman Ghising isn’t here to play nice.

The government’s finally started cutting ties with 50 road contractors who’ve been sitting on projects for ages, some since the Mid-Hill Highway days. These aren’t small fixes either; they’re the kind of projects that have been “under construction” for years without a single sign of progress.

Now, contractors have 15 days to actually show some work, or else they get blacklisted, lose their guarantees, and might even have to return the advance payments they took ages ago.

Out of around 258 messed-up contracts, these 50 are just the first batch. Basically, it’s a clean-up drive.

Global Highlights

1️. Pakistan and Afghanistan Agree to Ceasefire (For Now)

After days of heavy gunfire and border clashes, Pakistan and Afghanistan have finally agreed to a ceasefire, at least for now.

The ceasefire, brokered by Qatar and Türkiye, basically says: no more cross-border shelling, no helping hostile groups, and definitely no targeting civilians. Simple rules, hard to keep.

It’s the first real de-escalation since 2021, which sounds nice on paper. But given how these things usually go, most people are calling it what it is: a fragile pause, not peace.

2️. India Calls Out Trump’s “Modi Promised to Stop Russian Oil” Claim

So apparently, at one of his rallies, Trump claimed that Modi told him India would stop buying Russian oil soon.

And India’s foreign ministry was like, “Um…we don’t know what he’s talking about.”

India’s been buying discounted Russian oil since 2022, saving billions in the process. There’s no way they’re giving that up, no matter what the White House hopes or Trump claims.

3️. $100K H-1B Visa Fee Sparks Lawsuit

The U.S. Chamber of Commerce has sued the Trump administration over its new $100,000 fee per H-1B visa. The White House, of course, says it’s about “protecting American workers.” whereas business groups are calling it a “startup killer.”

To put that in perspective, people like Satya Nadella and Sundar Pichai both started their U.S. careers on H-1B visas. Under this rule, their companies would’ve had to pay over 1 crore just to hire them. So much for “land of opportunity”

4️. Instagram Tightens Teen Safety Settings

Meta just rolled out a major update to make the app more PG-13. Basically, teens will start seeing fewer posts with swearing, risky stunts, or drug-related stuff. They also won’t be able to follow or message accounts that regularly share that kind of content. Even Meta’s AI chatbot is getting a filter so it doesn’t cross any lines when chatting with teens.

Meta says this is about keeping Instagram safer for teens and giving parents more peace of mind. The update’s starting in the U.S., U.K., Australia, and Canada, and will reach other countries soon.

Until Next Week

And that’s the week. Exports are up (but not really), inflation’s down (for the wrong reasons), and ministers are explaining their watches on live TV.
The world’s still weird, Nepal’s still complicated, and we’ll be right here to make sense of it all next week.

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