Power & Industry Push: At Power Nepal Conclave 2026, energy officials and experts urged Nepal to use electricity to power domestic industries and digital infrastructure, not just export power, targeting 1,500 kWh per capita by 2030 while citing transmission/distribution gaps and low current consumption. NEA Leadership Concern: Former NEA chief Kulman Ghising warned that frequent brief outages reflect the utility running under acting leadership, arguing electricity systems need permanent decision-making leadership. Grid Bottleneck Eased: Government removed long-stalled obstacles for the 400kV Dhalkebar–Hetaunda transmission line by approving forest land use and tree felling, aiming to cut tripping and improve east-west power flow. SME Registration Drop: Nepal’s micro, cottage and small enterprise registrations fell about 75% in five years, with entrepreneurs blaming weak finance, poor market access, and uneven support. Private Sector Engagement: PM Balendra Shah began structured consultations with private sector groups after the first 100 days, focusing on investment climate, policy fixes, and jobs. Agriculture Support & Research Link: Agriculture Minister Gita Chaudhary said fertilizers arrived on time and urged NARC scientists to treat farmers’ agro plots as “live labs” so research reaches production. Disaster Costs: Bagmati Province recorded 997 disaster incidents by July 2, causing Rs 283.2M in damage, with fires and landslides leading. Bilateral Trade & Investment: Nepal-China cooperation was reaffirmed for manufacturing, infrastructure and supply chains, while UAE talks covered trade, AI/digital transformation, renewable energy, and easing police-report verification for Nepali citizens. Education Oversight: Cabinet approved stricter rules for foreign-affiliated colleges and education consultancies to curb fraud and improve transparency.