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Nepal Investigative Multimedia Journalism Network

Investigations

Petroleum Products Used to Burn Parliament, Supreme Court and Singha Durbar
Petroleum Products Used to Burn Parliament, Supreme Court and Singha Durbar International concern has emerged regarding the substances used to set fire to the Parliament Building, Supreme Court, Singha Durbar and the President's Office during the Gen-Z protests on September 8 and 9 last year. An investigation by the Nepal Investigative Multimedia Journalism Network (NIMJN) has revealed that petroleum products were used to ignite these structures.
NIMJN Investigation Reveals: Political Parties Systematically Flout Donation Disclosure Laws
NIMJN Investigation Reveals: Political Parties Systematically Flout Donation Disclosure Laws The Nepal Investigative Multimedia Journalism Network (NIMJN) revealed last August that political parties had evaded taxes and disclosed statements of income and expenditure that were lower than the actual figures.
Panchkund Glacial Lake in Nepal's Annapurna Region Expanding Rapidly
Panchkund Glacial Lake in Nepal's Annapurna Region Expanding Rapidly A glacial lake that has formed at the North Annapurna Base Camp and the changes observed in it demonstrate the geographical and environmental shifts taking place in Nepal's Himalayan regions due to climate change.
Ghyangphedi-Kolkata Connection: Sisters Lost from a Village Found in the Same Brothel
Ghyangphedi-Kolkata Connection: Sisters Lost from a Village Found in the Same Brothel Rimaya is not the only one trafficked from Nepal to India for the purpose of sexual exploitation. According to the Human Trafficking Investigation Bureau, a total of 149 women and 20 girls and adolescents from Nuwakot were rescued from India during the five-year period from the fiscal year 2075/076 to 2081/082 (mid-2018 to mid-2025).
Weak State Oversight of Pesticides Exposed
Weak State Oversight of Pesticides Exposed The increase in imports is a direct result of farmers increasing their consumption of pesticides in their fields. Easy and accessible access to pesticides has led to farmers' increased use on crops and vegetables. While the use of chemical pesticides on food and vegetable crops is increasing, the government has been unable to regulate and control it. The misuse of pesticides has grown because farmers have not been given proper training and technical knowledge about the correct amounts and methods for using approved pesticides.
Earthquake Victims Dying in Temporary Shelters
Earthquake Victims Dying in Temporary Shelters Earthquake victims affected by the 2023 Jajarkot earthquake have not yet received government grants to build their houses. Because of this, they are still living under tarpaulins and tin roofs. Forced to spend winters and monsoons in temporary shelters, new mothers, the elderly, girls, and those with chronic illnesses are dying prematurely.
Unregulated Pesticide Use Threatens Public Health
Unregulated Pesticide Use Threatens Public Health Farmers are increasing their use of deadly pesticides in the fields. According to data from the Plant Quarantine and Pesticide Management Centre, pesticide use is growing by 10% every year. This increasing use of pesticides is not only having a serious impact on human health but also on the environment and the ecosystem.
Political Parties Involved in Tax Evasion
Political Parties Involved in Tax Evasion NIMJN Investigation reveals that 62 political parties failed to pay a combined Rs 3.4 million in taxes. An expert audit — with a director from the Auditor General’s Office — found they skipped paying house rent tax, failed to deposit the 1% social security tax deducted from staff salaries, and dodged other advance taxes.
In The Shadows: The Shahtoosh Story
In The Shadows: The Shahtoosh Story A banned fabric that was once known for passing the wedding ring test, is now sold by shadowy networks across hostile and tight borders. Made from the endangered Tibetan Antelope, Shahtoosh was outlawed decades ago. But it hasn't entirely vanished. A cross-border investigation tracks the dubious paths that sustain the trade. Journalists from India, Nepal, Pakistan, and the United Arab Emirates follow the story through the digital marketplaces of Dubai, to the quiet homes of Kashmir, to the border towns of Nepal, and the upscale wedding collections of Pakistan. The results of the report casts doubt on the effectiveness of the ban across the world, while also providing crucial information on how the trade has changed with technology. Team Asian Dispatch
Nepal’s earthquake-affected poor have no resilient houses yet, while the state looks on
Nepal’s earthquake-affected poor have no resilient houses yet, while the state looks on A decade after the 2015 earthquakes, more than one million houses were damaged. Due to slow progress in reconstruction, the dream of poor, disadvantaged, marginalized communities, and single women to live in resilient houses remains unfulfilled. A total of 92,000 beneficiaries who were affected by the earthquake are still waiting for their third installment.
Salt in the Wound: How Dithering on Implementation of Salt Act is Taking Toll on Health of Nepalis
Salt in the Wound: How Dithering on Implementation of Salt Act is Taking Toll on Health of Nepalis Following the publication of this investigation, the Nepal government has decided to implement the 1998 Act (2055 BS) to regulate iodized salt, effective from July 17, 2025. The Industry, Commerce, Labour, and Consumer Welfare Committee of the House of Representatives has called for the formation of a task force to determine the amount of iodine in salt, citing the high iodine content.
Food for Thought: Excess of Iodine in Salt Poses Health Risks to Nepalis
Food for Thought: Excess of Iodine in Salt Poses Health Risks to Nepalis The World Health Organization (WHO) has set a standard of 40 PPM at the production level and 15 PPM when it reaches consumers. Neighboring India has a standard of 15 PPM when consumers purchase in retail shops and 30 PPM during production. Nepal's standard has significantly more iodine than both the WHO and Indian standards. According to the government-set standard, salt sold in Nepal should have 30 PPM iodine when it reaches consumers.
City in the River: The Havoc of the Flood
City in the River: The Havoc of the Flood Nepal is experiencing rapid urbanization, and with it, construction of houses and other structures along urban rivers and riverbanks has increased. In some places, buildings have even been constructed by encroaching directly on the riverbed. Walls have been built on both sides of the river, narrowing its natural flow. As a result, natural drainage processes are obstructed, water flow becomes uncontrolled, and floods begin to enter and spread into the city. Settlements along the rivers in Kathmandu Valley experience the effects of this every year, and Medicity faced a similar impact last September.
Climate Change Toll on Nepal’s Kanchenjunga: Floods and Landslides Grip the World’s Third Tallest Mountain
Climate Change Toll on Nepal’s Kanchenjunga: Floods and Landslides Grip the World’s Third Tallest Mountain The United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change in its 2023 Synthesis Report has said that human activities, principally through emissions of greenhouse gases, have caused global warming, with global surface temperature rising.
Betrayed by Blood: How Relatives Lure Teens into Trafficking
Betrayed by Blood: How Relatives Lure Teens into Trafficking Dixya was taken across the border through the Tanakpur border crossing between Nepal and India. Being only 14 years old, Dixya was underage, and Saraswati presented someone else's birth certificate to facilitate their crossing. "The police asked me my name. But before I could answer, Saraswati produced another person's birth certificate and stated that individual's name. She also gave a false name for my father, and I was transported to India," Dixya recounted.
Indifference to Child Trafficking: No Interest in Child Protection
Indifference to Child Trafficking: No Interest in Child Protection After the country adopted federalism, the district-level Women and Children's Offices and the District Child Welfare Committees were dissolved. In the past, these offices used to monitor children's homes and create mechanisms to prevent illegal trafficking, among other tasks. With the dissolution of these offices, the Local Government Operation Act, 2074, entrusted the responsibility of protecting children to the local levels (municipalities).
When Schools Flood, Children with Disabilities Pay the Highest Price
When Schools Flood, Children with Disabilities Pay the Highest Price A total of 117 students went to Pashupati Basic School, including 95 regular students and 22 students with disabilities. The 95 regular students were able to start classes again, even if they had to use one classroom for two different classes. But students like Tanka have not been able to return. This makes it hard for students with disabilities to get back to school after the disaster.
Billions Down the Drain: Nepal’s Earthquake Resettlement Efforts Fall Flat
Billions Down the Drain: Nepal’s Earthquake Resettlement Efforts Fall Flat Following the 2015 earthquake, the government, various individuals, and organizations constructed integrated settlements in different locations for the displaced. At that time, those affected by the disaster came to the integrated settlements for shelter, but due to the lack of an environment that could sustain them there, the displaced families are forced to return to their own risky hilly villages. On one hand, the investment of millions of rupees spent on building integrated settlements where no one lives has become like pouring water in sand. On the other hand, the displaced families are forced to return to the risky villages in the hills.
Government Unprepared for Immigrant Voting Rights Rollout
Government Unprepared for Immigrant Voting Rights Rollout The Supreme Court had ordered the government to formulate the necessary laws to ensure the right to vote from abroad for Nepalis living overseas. Following that order, local-level, provincial, and federal elections have already been held in the country. However, the Supreme Court's order has not yet been implemented. The government has not made significant progress in implementing the order ahead of the upcoming elections either.
-- Child Trafficking in Indian Monasteries: Violation of Child Rights
-- Child Trafficking in Indian Monasteries: Violation of Child Rights Despite this long-standing cross-border trafficking of children, not only is there a lack of proper legal provisions to prevent it, but even the existing laws are not being implemented. To the extent that the court itself has ruled that taking children to India for educational purposes does not constitute human trafficking or transportation.