Nepal, Aug. 1 -- The government has decided to waive the peak climbing royalty (salami amount) for mountains in the Karnali and Sudurpaschim provinces for two years.

According to the decision made by the cabinet on July 27, the royalty exemption was approved based on a proposal made by Minister for Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation, Badri Pandey. The exemption will be effective for the current and the upcoming FY.

Currently, 97 peaks in these two provinces are open for climbing. As per mountaineering regulations, climbers must pay the royalty within one year of receiving the climbing permit.

The royalty ranges from $175 to $15,000 for foreign climbers and from Rs 5,000 to Rs 75,000 for Nepali climbers, depending on the mountain.

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