Nepal to restrict Mt Everest to only those who have done 7k mtrs climbs
Kathmandu, Apr 29 (PTI): Nepal is planning to restrict expeditions to Mt Everest only to those mountaineers who have climbed at least one peak above 7,000 metres aimed at reducing deaths in the high altitude zone, a media report said.
Ever since New Zealander Edmund Hillary and Nepal’s Sherpa Tenzing Norgay summited the 8,849 metres (29,032 feet) high Mt Everest, popular as Sagarmatha in Nepali, on May 29, 1953, thousands of climbers from all over the world, including India and Nepal, have been attracted to the highest peak in the world.
Official data shows that since 1953’s Hillary-Norgay summit, around 9,000 mountaineers have successfully scaled Mt Everest while over 300 have lost their lives.
“The 8,848.86-metre Everest is about to get a stricter gatekeeper. No longer will just any climber with ambition and a permit be able to attempt the world’s highest peak. A new draft law says: 'Prove yourself first'.
“According to the Integrated Tourism Bill registered in the upper house of Parliament on April 18, any climber wishing to set foot on Everest must first have conquered a mountain over 7,000 metres,” The Kathmandu Post said.
Pointing out that this spring alone, more than 400 enthusiasts have been granted permission for the Everest climbing and the number will likely increase to at least 500, a leader in the Kathmandu Post on Tuesday said: Such high numbers, no matter how beneficial for Nepal’s economy, have a darker side: unusual traffic jams, an increase in the deaths of climbers (for instance, 17 deaths in 2023 and eight in 2024), rapid glacier melt and the spreading image of Everest as the “world’s highest garbage dump”.
Among the many restrictions mentioned in the Bill, health checks will be mandatory; climbers will need a certificate from a government-approved medical institution, issued within the past month, to confirm their medical fitness for ascent, and individuals with health complications will be excluded from participating in an expedition.
The bill is still in draft form and must pass through debates in both houses of Parliament with changes likely before the final law is signed off, the newspaper said, adding, “Still, what’s already outlined in the bill paints a clear picture: the government is trying to bring order, accountability, and safety to the mountains.”
Retrieving bodies of those who die on Everest is an expensive and risky operation, often costing anywhere between USD 20,000 and USD 200,000. The new bill proposes better dead body management insurance.
Another top priority for the government is cleaning up Everest and the draft bill replaces the current USD 4,000 refundable garbage deposit with a non-refundable garbage fee, the Kathmandu Post added.
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Andhra to be developed as knowledge, creator economy hub: CM Naidu
New Delhi/Amaravati (PTI): Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu on Friday said the state is taking steps to transform itself into a knowledge and creator economy hub with a strong focus on artificial intelligence and quantum technology.
He noted that Andhra Pradesh has abundant tech-driven youth and the government is formulating plans to train them in futuristic technologies with support from global technology firms.
"Our goal is to transform Andhra Pradesh into a knowledge hub by focusing on AI, quantum computing, data centres, drone cities and space cities. The youth will remain our biggest asset over the next 25 years, and we seek global partnerships to scale up the creator economy," said Naidu during his interactions at the India AI Impact Summit 2026 in Delhi.
Naidu, who participated in the summit in the national capital, also held meetings with several global technology leaders and industrialists to explore collaborations in artificial intelligence, clean energy and innovation ecosystems.
He met Adobe CEO Shantanu Narayen, Autodesk AI Head Mike Haley, Aramco India Director Abdul Rehman AiThukair, LEGO Education Vice President Tom Hall, Aadhaar Founder and CTO Srikanth Nadhamuni, Khosla Ventures Managing Partner Vinod Khosla and others at the AP Pavilion.
The chief minister also held discussions with Saudi Aramco representatives on clean energy projects, including solar initiatives, and invited the company to expand operations in Andhra Pradesh, stating that the state is highly suitable for green energy production.
He sought support from NVIDIA Vice President Callista Redmond for establishing AI Living Labs and proposed partnerships through the Ratan Tata Innovation Hub to promote youth innovation, including collaborations with IIT Tirupati and Indian Institute of Science Education and Research (IISER) Tirupati under the Andhra Pradesh Future Innovation and Research for Science and Technology (AP FIRST) initiative.
Naidu urged Autodesk leadership to support the development of Global Capability Centres in design engineering and requested the establishment of an Innovation Academy in Amaravati aligned with quantum technology, besides proposing AI and robotics learning labs in partnership with LEGO Education.
He also discussed AI-driven smart governance solutions with Quantela Inc Chairman Sridhar Gadhi, while World Bank Group Digital AI Regional Director Mahesh Uttamchandani met Naidu on the sidelines of the summit.
Following the meetings, Naidu visited various exhibition stalls at the summit, including those of NVIDIA, Tata, Intel and Microsoft, and reviewed AI applications across agriculture, healthcare and industry.
