KATHMANDU, JUL 13 -
An informal Cabinet meeting on Monday decided to nominate Kul Chandra Gautam, former Assistant Secretary General of the United Nations, as Nepal’s candidate for the President of 66th session of United Nations General Assembly (UNGA). Qatar is also eyeing the post. The foreign ministry earlier forwarded the name of Nepali Congress leader and former Foreign Minister Dr. Ram Sharan Mahat, to contest the high-profile post, which was later nixed by the Cabinet. Ministry officials expressed dismay over Gautam’s selection as his profile and credential does not suit for the post. “After the cold war the UNGA presidency post has become a lucrative one with many former heads of state, government, and foreign ministers holding it. The ministers don’t know much about the post,” an official said.
Source: http://www.ekantipur.com/the-kathmandu-post/2010/07/13/top-story/gautam-for-top-un-job/210410/
Wednesday, July 14, 2010
Tuesday, July 13, 2010
Prez asks parties to form majority govt
KATHMANDU, July 12: President Dr Ram Baran Yadav on Monday called upon political parties to form a majority government after the big three parties failed to forge a national consensus despite a series of negotiations.
According to the President´s Press Advisor, Rajendra Dahal, President Yadav sent a message to the Parliament Secretariat asking the 601-member legislature to elect a prime minister by majority as per Article 38 (2) of the Interim Constitution.
Speaker Subas Nembang has called a meeting of Parliament´s Business Advisory Committee (BAC) for Tuesday afternoon to fix a date for electing a new prime minister.
The President´s call came after the UCPN (Maoist), the Nepali Congress and CPN-UML failed to forge consensus even after the extended deadline of five days for forging consensus expired on Monday.
Following the resignation of Prime Minister Madhav Nepal on July 1, President Yadav had set a one-week deadline for the parties to form a national consensus government as per Article 38 (1) of the Interim Constitution. The deadline was extended by five days on the request of all 25 political parties represented in the legislature.
On Monday, top leaders of the Maoists, NC and the UML sat for a fresh round of dialogue at CA building at New Baneshwar in a last-ditch effort to forge consensus. The meeting, however, ended inclusively as the Maoists showed no sign of budging from their stance on integration and rehabilitation of their combatants.
The NC and UML have asked the Maoists to bring a concrete work plan for the integration and rehabilitation of Maoist combatants and also determine the number of combatants to be integrated in the security forces.
Talking to media after the meeting, Maoist vice chairman Narayankaji Shrestha said the NC and UML were not satisfied with their proposal on management of the cantoned combatants. “They said that the proposal does not provide enough ground for forming a national consensus government,” he said.
“Though we have moved at procedural level toward forming a majority government we have agreed to continue efforts at a political level to form a consensus government,” he said.
UML Chairman Jhala Nath Khanal said the NC and UML asked the Maoists to bring a proposal on integration and rehabilitation in line with the Comprehensive Peace Accord (CPA) and other past agreements.
He said they have differences with the Maoists over standard norms, modality for integration and the number of combatants to be integrated into the security forces.
Khanal added that the parties will continue their negotiations to form a national consensus government as such a government is a must for promulgating the new constitution and taking the ongoing peace process to a logical end.
NC General Secretary Bimalendra Nidhi said the issue of management of Maoist combatants should be expedited as per the the CPA and other agreements to which UNMIN is a witness.
He said the Maoist proposals such as formation of a separate security force, bulk integration of their combatants into the army and integration of all combatants choosing to join the army are not acceptable to the NC. “Nowhere do agreements reached in the past make any such references,” he said.
Source: http://www.myrepublica.com/portal/index.php?action=news_details&news_id=20937
According to the President´s Press Advisor, Rajendra Dahal, President Yadav sent a message to the Parliament Secretariat asking the 601-member legislature to elect a prime minister by majority as per Article 38 (2) of the Interim Constitution.
Speaker Subas Nembang has called a meeting of Parliament´s Business Advisory Committee (BAC) for Tuesday afternoon to fix a date for electing a new prime minister.
The President´s call came after the UCPN (Maoist), the Nepali Congress and CPN-UML failed to forge consensus even after the extended deadline of five days for forging consensus expired on Monday.
Following the resignation of Prime Minister Madhav Nepal on July 1, President Yadav had set a one-week deadline for the parties to form a national consensus government as per Article 38 (1) of the Interim Constitution. The deadline was extended by five days on the request of all 25 political parties represented in the legislature.
On Monday, top leaders of the Maoists, NC and the UML sat for a fresh round of dialogue at CA building at New Baneshwar in a last-ditch effort to forge consensus. The meeting, however, ended inclusively as the Maoists showed no sign of budging from their stance on integration and rehabilitation of their combatants.
The NC and UML have asked the Maoists to bring a concrete work plan for the integration and rehabilitation of Maoist combatants and also determine the number of combatants to be integrated in the security forces.
Talking to media after the meeting, Maoist vice chairman Narayankaji Shrestha said the NC and UML were not satisfied with their proposal on management of the cantoned combatants. “They said that the proposal does not provide enough ground for forming a national consensus government,” he said.
“Though we have moved at procedural level toward forming a majority government we have agreed to continue efforts at a political level to form a consensus government,” he said.
UML Chairman Jhala Nath Khanal said the NC and UML asked the Maoists to bring a proposal on integration and rehabilitation in line with the Comprehensive Peace Accord (CPA) and other past agreements.
He said they have differences with the Maoists over standard norms, modality for integration and the number of combatants to be integrated into the security forces.
Khanal added that the parties will continue their negotiations to form a national consensus government as such a government is a must for promulgating the new constitution and taking the ongoing peace process to a logical end.
NC General Secretary Bimalendra Nidhi said the issue of management of Maoist combatants should be expedited as per the the CPA and other agreements to which UNMIN is a witness.
He said the Maoist proposals such as formation of a separate security force, bulk integration of their combatants into the army and integration of all combatants choosing to join the army are not acceptable to the NC. “Nowhere do agreements reached in the past make any such references,” he said.
Source: http://www.myrepublica.com/portal/index.php?action=news_details&news_id=20937
Majority govt’s turn now
KATHMANDU, JUL 12 -
The 12-day grace period given by President Dr. Ram Baran Yadav to the political parties for arriving at an agreement to form a consensus government expired fruitlessly on Monday at 5 p.m. The president later in the evening issued yet another call to the parties, asking them to form a majority based government according to the Interim Constitution of Nepal. However, no timeline has been given for forming such a government.
In a letter to the Legislature-Parliament on Monday evening, the president appealed to the parties to strive for a majority government under Article 38 (2) of the Interim Constitution from tomorrow as the deadline to form a consensus government had expired, according to a statement issued by the President’s office.
“Efforts to form a consensus government failed. I ask the Legislature-Parliament to begin the procedure to form a majority based government,” the president’s statement read.
After Prime Minister Madhav Kumar Nepal’s resignation on July 1, at the request of the political parties the President had given them a seven-day grace period to form a national unity government. When the seven-day timeline expired, the parties sought a five-day extension of the grace period which was granted and which also has expired without any result.
The office of the legislature-parliament confirmed it has received the President’s letter and that it will host a meeting of 25 political parties in the Constituent Assembly (CA) to pick a new prime minister.
A meeting of the Business Advisory Committee (BAC) has been called by CA chair Subas Chandra Nembang on Tuesday, which representatives of all the 25 parties will attend. The BAC will take a call on a fresh date for the prime minister’s election.
Source: http://www.ekantipur.com/the-kathmandu-post/2010/07/12/top-story/majority-govts-turn-now/210370/
The 12-day grace period given by President Dr. Ram Baran Yadav to the political parties for arriving at an agreement to form a consensus government expired fruitlessly on Monday at 5 p.m. The president later in the evening issued yet another call to the parties, asking them to form a majority based government according to the Interim Constitution of Nepal. However, no timeline has been given for forming such a government.
In a letter to the Legislature-Parliament on Monday evening, the president appealed to the parties to strive for a majority government under Article 38 (2) of the Interim Constitution from tomorrow as the deadline to form a consensus government had expired, according to a statement issued by the President’s office.
“Efforts to form a consensus government failed. I ask the Legislature-Parliament to begin the procedure to form a majority based government,” the president’s statement read.
After Prime Minister Madhav Kumar Nepal’s resignation on July 1, at the request of the political parties the President had given them a seven-day grace period to form a national unity government. When the seven-day timeline expired, the parties sought a five-day extension of the grace period which was granted and which also has expired without any result.
The office of the legislature-parliament confirmed it has received the President’s letter and that it will host a meeting of 25 political parties in the Constituent Assembly (CA) to pick a new prime minister.
A meeting of the Business Advisory Committee (BAC) has been called by CA chair Subas Chandra Nembang on Tuesday, which representatives of all the 25 parties will attend. The BAC will take a call on a fresh date for the prime minister’s election.
Source: http://www.ekantipur.com/the-kathmandu-post/2010/07/12/top-story/majority-govts-turn-now/210370/
Monday, July 12, 2010
Insurance in Annual Budget 2067/68
Statement Delivered by Finance Minister Mr. Surendra Pandey in the Legislature Parliament of the Constituent Assembly on 12 July 2010 Regarding the Special Arrangement for Revenue & Expenditure for the Fiscal Year 2010-11
18. Due to mandatory requirement of the Third Party Insurance Scheme, from 17 August 2009 of the current Fiscal Year, traffic movement across the country has eased considerably due to reduction in the tendencies of road blockade and damaging of vehicles. This has a positive contribution to the economy. This shows that a lot can be achieved just by the policy announcement of the Government.
18. Due to mandatory requirement of the Third Party Insurance Scheme, from 17 August 2009 of the current Fiscal Year, traffic movement across the country has eased considerably due to reduction in the tendencies of road blockade and damaging of vehicles. This has a positive contribution to the economy. This shows that a lot can be achieved just by the policy announcement of the Government.
Social sector performs better despite economic gloom
KATHMANDU, July 12: Despite widening cracks in economy, Nepal fared relatively well on the crucial social sectors in 2009/10, shows Economic Survey 2010 that the government presented at the parliament on Sunday.
Good news is: per capita income jumped 96 dollar to $568 this year -- thanks to huge transfers, including remittance. However, agriculture and real sectors -- the mainstay of semi and unskilled rural and urban employment -- shrank, adding woes to a larger mass.
The Survey mainly portrays a gloomy picture of food availability situation, as agricultural sector grew at 1.2 percent -- which was less than half of last year´s growth and annual population growth. At the grassroots level, this along with sharp rise in commodity prices is feared to have raised the incidence of malnutrition.
Industrial sector bounced back to grow at 3.9 percent this year, but service sector lost the growth momentum - shrinking skilled job opportunities in the urban areas. The construction sector, despite slowing in latter half of the fiscal year, grew by 6.6 percent and absorbed unskilled and semi-skilled workers in mass in urban centers.
Economy as a whole grew at low 3.5 percent, which is 2 percentage points less than what the government targeted to achieve for the year. The growth was also lower than 4 percent recorded a year before.
Still, Nepal´s total national output at current price expanded to Rs 1,182.6 billion at current price, from Rs 991.3 billion of the last year.
* GNI per capital up to Rs 42,291 ($ 568)
* Nepal´s output up to Rs 1183 billion ($15.87 billion)
* 500 new sub-health posts added this year
* Number of schools grew by 1,848
* New 110 Km road added to national road network
* Total telephone lines rose to 7.61 million, tale-density to 27.70 percent.
The flagship annual report of the Ministry of Finance portrays a rosy picture in the crucial social sector -- health and education. During the year, the government added 521 health infrastructures.
Of them, mainly the establishment of 500 new sub-health posts and 20 primary health centers is expected to step up basic health services, upholding people´s rights to health facilities in the rural and remote areas. The number of hospital beds in urban centers too increased by 50 this year.
Interestingly, the survey reports a decline in the number of health workers -- something which raises doubt over people enjoying good positive impact of the rise in health infrastructure. According to it, the number of total human resources delivering basic health services stood at 32,798 this year, whereas it was 32,815 last year.
Likewise, the number of schools in the country grew by 1,848 over the past one year. Of the new schools, the number of primary schools grew by 731. If data of the Survey is true, 118,350 fresh students enrolled in the primary level education this year alone.
As private sector ventured aggressively in the telecommunications sector, 1,308,552 telephone lines of various technologies were distributed in the country during the year. This raised the number of telephone subscribes to 7.61 million and jacked up telephone density to 27.70 percent.
Despite less than expected level of development spending, the survey says that the government added 110 kilometers of new roads in the national road network during the year. The fresh constructions increased the total stretch of the road network to 20,138 kilometers.
Nepal imported 684 million kilowatt hour electricity from India over the seven months of 2009/10, compared to 356 million kilowatt hour of the previous year. Still the country failed badly to match electricity supply with demand. As a result, Nepalis continued to suffer the ill-fate of living in darkness.
Survey says 70 MW of electricity produced from Mid-Marsyangdi has been added to the national grid of late, meaning people will find some relief from protracted power outage in months to come.
The protracted load-shedding, labor stirs, general strikes and deteriorated law and order situation, which together eroded competitiveness of Nepali goods, caused exports to decline by over 9 percent.
Poor industrial security continued to drive the investors away, even as the existing export industries operated with highly underutilized capacity. Imports, on the other hand, soared sharply amid rising disposable income.
The survey estimates Nepal to receive Rs 224.29 billion in remittances. Despite this, country´s balance of payment deficit will hover high at around Rs 20 billion, dragging foreign currency reserve down to Rs 253.36 billion from Rs 280 billion of the last fiscal year.
Source: http://www.myrepublica.com/portal/index.php?action=news_details&news_id=20917
Good news is: per capita income jumped 96 dollar to $568 this year -- thanks to huge transfers, including remittance. However, agriculture and real sectors -- the mainstay of semi and unskilled rural and urban employment -- shrank, adding woes to a larger mass.
The Survey mainly portrays a gloomy picture of food availability situation, as agricultural sector grew at 1.2 percent -- which was less than half of last year´s growth and annual population growth. At the grassroots level, this along with sharp rise in commodity prices is feared to have raised the incidence of malnutrition.
Industrial sector bounced back to grow at 3.9 percent this year, but service sector lost the growth momentum - shrinking skilled job opportunities in the urban areas. The construction sector, despite slowing in latter half of the fiscal year, grew by 6.6 percent and absorbed unskilled and semi-skilled workers in mass in urban centers.
Economy as a whole grew at low 3.5 percent, which is 2 percentage points less than what the government targeted to achieve for the year. The growth was also lower than 4 percent recorded a year before.
Still, Nepal´s total national output at current price expanded to Rs 1,182.6 billion at current price, from Rs 991.3 billion of the last year.
* GNI per capital up to Rs 42,291 ($ 568)
* Nepal´s output up to Rs 1183 billion ($15.87 billion)
* 500 new sub-health posts added this year
* Number of schools grew by 1,848
* New 110 Km road added to national road network
* Total telephone lines rose to 7.61 million, tale-density to 27.70 percent.
The flagship annual report of the Ministry of Finance portrays a rosy picture in the crucial social sector -- health and education. During the year, the government added 521 health infrastructures.
Of them, mainly the establishment of 500 new sub-health posts and 20 primary health centers is expected to step up basic health services, upholding people´s rights to health facilities in the rural and remote areas. The number of hospital beds in urban centers too increased by 50 this year.
Interestingly, the survey reports a decline in the number of health workers -- something which raises doubt over people enjoying good positive impact of the rise in health infrastructure. According to it, the number of total human resources delivering basic health services stood at 32,798 this year, whereas it was 32,815 last year.
Likewise, the number of schools in the country grew by 1,848 over the past one year. Of the new schools, the number of primary schools grew by 731. If data of the Survey is true, 118,350 fresh students enrolled in the primary level education this year alone.
As private sector ventured aggressively in the telecommunications sector, 1,308,552 telephone lines of various technologies were distributed in the country during the year. This raised the number of telephone subscribes to 7.61 million and jacked up telephone density to 27.70 percent.
Despite less than expected level of development spending, the survey says that the government added 110 kilometers of new roads in the national road network during the year. The fresh constructions increased the total stretch of the road network to 20,138 kilometers.
Nepal imported 684 million kilowatt hour electricity from India over the seven months of 2009/10, compared to 356 million kilowatt hour of the previous year. Still the country failed badly to match electricity supply with demand. As a result, Nepalis continued to suffer the ill-fate of living in darkness.
Survey says 70 MW of electricity produced from Mid-Marsyangdi has been added to the national grid of late, meaning people will find some relief from protracted power outage in months to come.
The protracted load-shedding, labor stirs, general strikes and deteriorated law and order situation, which together eroded competitiveness of Nepali goods, caused exports to decline by over 9 percent.
Poor industrial security continued to drive the investors away, even as the existing export industries operated with highly underutilized capacity. Imports, on the other hand, soared sharply amid rising disposable income.
The survey estimates Nepal to receive Rs 224.29 billion in remittances. Despite this, country´s balance of payment deficit will hover high at around Rs 20 billion, dragging foreign currency reserve down to Rs 253.36 billion from Rs 280 billion of the last fiscal year.
Source: http://www.myrepublica.com/portal/index.php?action=news_details&news_id=20917
Sunday, July 11, 2010
Nation loses first woman deputy speaker
Last Updated : 2010-07-11 2:15 PM
Ratna Prasad Acharya
DHARAN: The first woman deputy speaker of the erstwhile House of Representatives Lila Shrestha Subba passed away at the age of 62 at her home in Dharan-7 this morning.
The body of former Deputy Speaker of the erstwhile House of Representatives Leela Shrestha Subba in her house, Dharan-7 on Sunday.
Subba who was suffering from asthma for the past 12 years breathed her last in her house at 5 am this morning. She was suffering from the disease since 1998 and undergoing treatment in BP Koirala Institute of Health Sciences, Dharan since then. She was discharged from the hospital fifteen days ago.
Due to her economic condition, the government had provided her Rs 3 lakhs for treatment six months ago. She was married to Druba Shrestha of Dharan and her cousin Amita was looking after her.
Born in October 21, 1948 in Taplejung district, Subba joined politics during her student life in 1965. Subba, who was involved in 1971 Jhapa Revolt was arrested several times during the Panchyat regime. She was imprisoned for 25 days in 1988 and three months in 1989. She was elected to the House of Representatives from CPN-UML Sunsari Constituency no 1 in 1994 and she was elected the deputy speaker of the House of Representative in 1996. She worked in UML as district member, zonal member and central advisor.
Her body will be kept in Bhanu Chowk, Dharan for the final rites, UML leader Murari Subedi said, adding that UML leaders including CA chairman Subas Nembang will pay tribute to the deceased Shrestha.
The final rites will be performed in Dharan today itself, a family source said.
Source: http://www.thehimalayantimes.com/fullNews.php?headline=Nation+loses+first+woman+deputy+speaker&NewsID=249373
Ratna Prasad Acharya
DHARAN: The first woman deputy speaker of the erstwhile House of Representatives Lila Shrestha Subba passed away at the age of 62 at her home in Dharan-7 this morning.
The body of former Deputy Speaker of the erstwhile House of Representatives Leela Shrestha Subba in her house, Dharan-7 on Sunday.
Subba who was suffering from asthma for the past 12 years breathed her last in her house at 5 am this morning. She was suffering from the disease since 1998 and undergoing treatment in BP Koirala Institute of Health Sciences, Dharan since then. She was discharged from the hospital fifteen days ago.
Due to her economic condition, the government had provided her Rs 3 lakhs for treatment six months ago. She was married to Druba Shrestha of Dharan and her cousin Amita was looking after her.
Born in October 21, 1948 in Taplejung district, Subba joined politics during her student life in 1965. Subba, who was involved in 1971 Jhapa Revolt was arrested several times during the Panchyat regime. She was imprisoned for 25 days in 1988 and three months in 1989. She was elected to the House of Representatives from CPN-UML Sunsari Constituency no 1 in 1994 and she was elected the deputy speaker of the House of Representative in 1996. She worked in UML as district member, zonal member and central advisor.
Her body will be kept in Bhanu Chowk, Dharan for the final rites, UML leader Murari Subedi said, adding that UML leaders including CA chairman Subas Nembang will pay tribute to the deceased Shrestha.
The final rites will be performed in Dharan today itself, a family source said.
Source: http://www.thehimalayantimes.com/fullNews.php?headline=Nation+loses+first+woman+deputy+speaker&NewsID=249373
Maoist proposal fails to impress NC, UML
KATHMANDU, July 10: The Maoist proposal on the integration and rehabilitation of their combatants has largely failed to impress both the Nepali Congress (NC) and CPN-UML
While the NC termed the Maoist proposal "a step backward", the UML claimed the proposal "cannot fulfill present requirement".
NC leader Dr Ram Sharan Mahat said the Maoist proposal fails to indicate if the Maoists are serious about the ongoing peace process. “In many cases, the Maoists have stepped further backward as compared to the agreements reached in the past,” he said.
The NC has taken strong exception to the Maoist proposal saying it attempts to give Maoist combatants a status on par with the national army. “It appears that the Maoists want to keep their military force intact,” said Dr Mahat, who is also a member of special committee formed to facilitate integration and rehabilitation of the Maoist combatants.
“It was agreed in the past that the combatants would have to meet standards set by respective security agencies to be eligible for integration,” he said. “But the Maoists are now saying that all combatants should be integrated. The idea of bulk integration is totally unacceptable.”
NC Acting President Sushil Koirala called a meeting of the party´s office bearers Saturday evening shortly after the Maoist unveiled their proposal on issues related to the peace process. The meeting concluded that the Maoist proposal goes against the Comprehensive Peace Accord (CPA) and other agreements reached in the past.
NC has called its Central Working Committee meeting on Sunday to hold further discussions on the Maoist proposal.
Pradip Gyawali, chief of the publicity department of UML, said the proposal largely fails to address the present requirement.
“Though I am yet to study the proposal, my preliminary understanding is that the proposal fails to meet the expectation of other political parties. The Maoists are stuck to their stance against our hope that they would come up with a flexible proposal,” Gyawali told myrepublica.com.
He said that the Maoists have unnecessarily fueled the debate over standards to be adopted while integrating the combatants as the parties have already reached an understanding on the issue. “It seems that the Maoists want to keep their military force intact instead of fostering harmonious relationship with the national army,” he said.
Gyawali said the proposal also attempts to distort the issues of YCL and its paramilitary structure. “Our party will come up with a formal response on this matter after we study the proposal in detail,” he said.
Source: http://www.myrepublica.com/portal/index.php?action=news_details&news_id=20879
While the NC termed the Maoist proposal "a step backward", the UML claimed the proposal "cannot fulfill present requirement".
NC leader Dr Ram Sharan Mahat said the Maoist proposal fails to indicate if the Maoists are serious about the ongoing peace process. “In many cases, the Maoists have stepped further backward as compared to the agreements reached in the past,” he said.
The NC has taken strong exception to the Maoist proposal saying it attempts to give Maoist combatants a status on par with the national army. “It appears that the Maoists want to keep their military force intact,” said Dr Mahat, who is also a member of special committee formed to facilitate integration and rehabilitation of the Maoist combatants.
“It was agreed in the past that the combatants would have to meet standards set by respective security agencies to be eligible for integration,” he said. “But the Maoists are now saying that all combatants should be integrated. The idea of bulk integration is totally unacceptable.”
NC Acting President Sushil Koirala called a meeting of the party´s office bearers Saturday evening shortly after the Maoist unveiled their proposal on issues related to the peace process. The meeting concluded that the Maoist proposal goes against the Comprehensive Peace Accord (CPA) and other agreements reached in the past.
NC has called its Central Working Committee meeting on Sunday to hold further discussions on the Maoist proposal.
Pradip Gyawali, chief of the publicity department of UML, said the proposal largely fails to address the present requirement.
“Though I am yet to study the proposal, my preliminary understanding is that the proposal fails to meet the expectation of other political parties. The Maoists are stuck to their stance against our hope that they would come up with a flexible proposal,” Gyawali told myrepublica.com.
He said that the Maoists have unnecessarily fueled the debate over standards to be adopted while integrating the combatants as the parties have already reached an understanding on the issue. “It seems that the Maoists want to keep their military force intact instead of fostering harmonious relationship with the national army,” he said.
Gyawali said the proposal also attempts to distort the issues of YCL and its paramilitary structure. “Our party will come up with a formal response on this matter after we study the proposal in detail,” he said.
Source: http://www.myrepublica.com/portal/index.php?action=news_details&news_id=20879
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