KATHMANDU, April 12: Similar to previous years, major events of political, economic, and social significance assured that the year 2081 BS (Bikram Sambat) kept the general public on their toes. The alliance of two major political parties formed a coalition government, while protests erupted in support of the former king towards the second half of the year.
Cooperative fraud cases surfaced, and in the most followed political event of the year, Rastriya Swatantra Party Chairman Rabi Lamichhane was arrested and kept in detention for 84 days.
Multiple disaster incidents triggered by incessant rainfall across parts of the country for four days caused significant loss of life and property.
The government invited multiple controversies under the whims of a heavy majority: ordinances sparked debate, the decision to dismiss Nepal Electricity Authority Managing Director Kulman Ghising invited public ire.
Here are some of the key events that shaped Nepal in the year 2081 BS:
Political Developments
Baisakh 17 – Daman Bahadur Bhandari of CPN-UML won the by-election for Provincial Assembly-1 in Bajhang district.
Baisakh 18 – Suhang Nembang of CPN-UML won the by-election for Ilam Constituency No. 2.
Baisakh 27 – Hikmat Kumar Karki, the parliamentary party leader of CPN-UML, appointed Chief Minister of Koshi Province for the third time.
Jestha 4 – Ruling coalition partners and the main opposition party reached an agreement to form a parliamentary probe committee regarding financial irregularities in the cooperative sector.
Jestha 7 – Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal secured a vote of confidence in the House of Representatives for the fourth time.
Jestha 14 – The Supreme Court issued a mandamus order declaring Gandaki Province Chief Minister Khagaraj Adhikari’s vote of confidence unconstitutional and instructed the appointment of Surendra Raj Pandey of Nepali Congress as Chief Minister.
Jestha 23 – Madhesh Province Chief Minister Saroj Yadav failed to secure a vote of confidence.
Jestha 25 – Satish Kumar Singh appointed as the Chief Minister of Madhesh Province.
Asar 19 – CPN-UML, the largest party in the ruling coalition, withdrew its support from the government led by Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal.
Asar 20 – Madhav Kumar Nepal unanimously re-elected as the Chairperson of the CPN (Unified Socialist).
Asar 22 – Madhesh Province Chief Minister Satish Kumar Singh secured a vote of confidence.
Asar 28 – Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal relieved of his post after failing to win a vote of confidence.
Asar 30 – CPN-UML Chairperson KP Sharma Oli appointed as the Prime Minister.
Shrawan 6 – Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli secured a vote of confidence in the House of Representatives.
Shrawan 8 – Bahadur Singh Lama (Tamang) of the Nepali Congress appointed as the Chief Minister of Bagmati Province.
Shrawan 20 – Nepali Congress leader Kamal Bahadur Shah appointed Chief Minister of Sudurpaschim Province for the second time.
Bhadra 31 – A parliamentary special investigation committee recommended action against the operator of Gorkha Media.
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Poush 8 – Rastriya Swatantra Party lawmaker Rabi Lamichhane suspended from his parliamentary post.
Chaitra 5 – Free Student Union elections held.
Chaitra 15 – Two people, including journalist Suresh Rajak, died during a protest in support of former King Gyanendra Shah at Tinkune, Kathmandu. Several others were injured, and public and private properties were set on fire and vandalized. The District Administration Office Kathmandu imposed a curfew order.
Chaitra 20 – Teachers across the country began a Kathmandu-centric protest movement called by the Nepal Teachers' Association
Diplomacy
Baisakh 11 – Nepal's official visit by the Amir of Qatar, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani.
Jestha 27 – Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal attended the oath-taking ceremony of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Jestha 29 – President Ram Chandra Paudel departed for Geneva on an official foreign visit.
Asar 1 – President Ram Chandra Paudel visited Germany.
Bhadra 10 – Oman's Foreign Minister, Sayyid Badr bin Hamad bin Hamood Albusaidi, visited Nepal.
Ashoj 4 – Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli departed for New York to attend the 79th General Assembly of the United Nations.
Kartik 25 – President Ram Chandra Paudel left for Azerbaijan to represent Nepal at the United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP 29).
Mangsir 16 – Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli departed for China on an official visit.
Chaitra 19 – Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli left for Thailand for an official visit and to attend the 6th BIMSTEC Summit. During the visit, he held a meeting with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Baisakh 13 – The Rautahat District Court sentenced former Minister Aftab Alam and three others to life imprisonment.
Baisakh 27 – The Central Investigation Bureau (CIB) issued arrest warrants against 20 individuals for alleged irregularities in the misuse of land owned by the Nepal Children's Organization (Bal Mandir) in Naxal, Kathmandu.
Jestha 2 – Former captain of the national cricket team, Sandeep Lamichhane, was acquitted of rape charges by the Patan High Court.
Kartik 2 – Former Home Minister and Rastriya Swatantra Party Chairman, Rabi Lamichhane, was arrested.
Kartik 20 – Rajib Gurung, also known as 'Deepak Manange', a member of the Gandaki Provincial Assembly, was sentenced to five years in prison by the Supreme Court for murder.
Chaitra 5 – Around Rs 250 million worth of foreign currency was seized from Tokha, Kathmandu.
Chaitra 29 – Controversial medical businessman Durga Prasai, who had fled after a violent protest in Tinkune, Kathmandu, was arrested in Jhapa.
Infrastructure Development
Baisakh 3 – The tunnel under the Nagdhunga–Sisnekhola Tunnel Project successfully excavated.
Magh 13 – The tunnel of the national pride project, Siddhababa Tunnel, excavated in just seven months.
Economic Activities
Baisakh 15 – Nepal hosted the Third Investment Summit in Kathmandu, with investors from 52 countries participating.
Jestha 15 – The government declared the fiscal year 2081/82 BS as the "Year of Economic Reform" and presented a budget of Rs 1.8603 trillion.
Magh 14 – The U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) temporarily suspended grants to Nepal for 90 days.
Chaitra 9 – The U.S. government reaffirmed its commitment to advancing the MCC project.
Sports and Mountaineering
Jestha 9 – Record-holding mountaineer Kami Rita Sherpa summited Mount Everest for the 30th time.
Jestha 19 to Asar 15 – Nepal participated in the ICC Men’s T20 Cricket World Cup held in the United States and the West Indies. Although Nepal exited in the group stage, the team delivered an impressive performance.
Poush 6 – Janakpur Bolts won the inaugural Nepal Premier League (NPL) championship.
Miscellaneous
Asar 9 – The Commission for the Investigation of Abuse of Authority (CIAA) filed a corruption case against Chief Secretary Dr Baikuntha Aryal at the Special Court in Kathmandu. Senior Secretary Leela Devi Gadtaula was appointed Acting Chief Secretary.
Shrawan 30 – The House of Representatives passed the bill to amend the Act related to the Commission on Investigation of Enforced Disappeared Persons and the Truth and Reconciliation Commission.
Bhadra 13 – The government appointed Ek Narayan Aryal as Chief Secretary.
Kartik 14 – The Special Court acquitted former Chief Secretary Dr Baikuntha Aryal of corruption charges.
Mangsir 2 – Former Speaker of the House, Daman Nath Dhungana, passed away.
Mangsir 6 – President Ramchandra Paudel conferred the honorary rank of General of the Nepali Army to Indian Army Chief General Upendra Dwivedi.
Mangsir 20 – The Special Court convicted four individuals, including former General Manager Sugat Ratna Kansakar, in the Nepal Airlines Corporation procurement irregularities case.
Falgun 3 – A Nepali peacekeeper deployed in Lebanon was attacked while serving in the conflict-torn country under a United Nations mission. Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Bishnu Prasad Paudel and Pokhara Metropolitan City Mayor Dhanraj Acharya sustained injuries after a balloon burst during the opening ceremony of Pokhara Visit Year 2025.
Falgun 4 – Nepali student Prakriti Lamsal, studying in Bhubaneswar, Odisha, India, was found dead under suspicious circumstances.
Falgun 29 – Renowned literary figure Lil Bahadur Chettri passed away.
Chaitra 1 – The government established the Consumer Court.
Chaitra 4 – Deepak Thapa was appointed as the Inspector General of Nepal Police.
Chaitra 9 – Former Chairperson of Rastriya Samachar Samiti and senior journalist Madhav Raj Singh Basnet passed away.
Chaitra 11 – Kulman Ghising was dismissed from his position as Managing Director of the Nepal Electricity Authority.
Chaitra 17 – Writer, diplomat, and senior journalist Kamal Prasad Koirala passed away.
Chaitra 24 – Senior journalist Bhairav Risal passed away.
Incidents and accidents
Asar 17 – A jeep accident in Rolpa claimed the lives of seven people.
Asar 28 – Two buses carrying 62 passengers went missing in the Trishuli River after a landslide at Simaltal along the Narayanghat–Mugling road section.
Shrawan 9 – A Saurya Air flight from Kathmandu to Pokhara crashed within the premises of Tribhuvan International Airport, killing 18 people.
Shrawan 23 – An Air Dynasty helicopter crashed shortly after takeoff from Tribhuvan International Airport, resulting in the death of five people.
Bhadra 3 – Landslides in Bajhang, Jajarkot, and Syangja districts killed eight people.
Bhadra 7 – A bus carrying Indian tourists met with an accident on the Prithvi Highway at Aanbukhaireni, killing 27 people and injuring 16.
Bhadra 9 – A landslide swept away a settlement in Lekkhark, Doramba Sailung Rural Municipality–3 of Ramechhap, killing six people.
Asoj 12 – Continuous rainfall caused floods, landslides, and inundation, resulting in 90 deaths and 72 injuries.
Asoj 13 – Landslides triggered by two days of rainfall buried two microbuses and one passenger bus en route to Kathmandu at Jhyaple Khola, killing 35 people.
Asoj 17 – A landslide at Dhadene Pakha in Temal Rural Municipality–2 of Kavre killed six members of the same family.
Asoj 30 – A night bus traveling from Mahendranagar to Purchaudi in Baitadi met with an accident, killing five people and injuring 12.
Mangsir 14 – A vehicle accident in Gokulganga Rural Municipality–6 of Ramechhap killed five people.
Magh 26 – A fire broke out at the Ministry of Water Supply in Singha Durbar.
