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VOL. 27, NO. 33, May 02, 2008 (Baishakh 20 2065 B.S.)
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THE GOVERNMENT SPENDING TILL THE MID-APRIL of the current fiscal year has surged ahead by Rs 17 billion more than what it had collected as revenue. According to financial report by the Finance Ministry, the government spending in this period reached Rs 87.93 billion – up by 32.1 percent compared to the same period previous year. Although the revenue growth is higher that previous year, the government spending has outstripped it. The report says that the government collected Rs 70.85 billion as revenue during the period, which is up by 25.1 percent compared to the same period previous year. In fact, revenue has grown more than budget had expected. The budget had expected it to grow by 15 percent only.
THE ROYAL PALACE HAS ISSUED A STATEMENT refuting what it calls as malicious reports about the palace. Without clearly pointing to what news it considered 'malicious,' the Royal Palace Press Secretariat issued a statement, Sunday (Apr 20), stating, "The attention of the Secretariat has been drawn to the malicious reports appearing in sections of the national and international media in recent days against the royal palace." "This Secretariat strongly refutes these reports as totally fabricated and unfounded," the statement adds. The statement has come in the wake of reports in some media that the King could be considering going into exile in India.
A REPORT BROUGHT OUT BY AN ELECTION observation group has stated that security during election time remained inadequate and that the Maoists were involved in violent activities far more than any other party. Releasing its preliminary report on Sunday, Democracy and Election Alliance Nepal (DEAN) said that the pre-poll violence resulted mainly because of poor security arrangement. Though the election concluded in a peaceful manner, the election campaigning of the political parties was very limited due to security problems, DEAN said. 30 people had been murdered, 81 people abducted and 890 people injured in the different part of the country till the election date. The report also pointed out that majority of the complaints of irregularities on the election day were made by Nepali Congress and CPN-UML against the Maoists and Madheshi Janadhikar Forum. On the election day (April 10), four people had lost their lives, 112 people injured and eight others abducted in different districts. DEAN had deployed 9393 election observers on short-term and long term basis. DEAN officials informed that the final report would be made public within a month.
THE CHINESE GOVERNMENT IS SET TO EXTEND a railway track from Lasha of Tibet to Khasha at Nepal-China border within next five years. A visiting delegation of Chinese communist party called on Prime Minister Girija Prasad Koirala Friday (Apr 25) morning and informed that China has included the railway line extension in its ongoing eleventh five-year plan. Nepal government had been urging China, time and again, to extend the railway system. During the meeting held at the Prime Minister's official residence at Baluwatar, the Chinese delegation led by the Director General of Chinese Communist Party and PM Koirala also discussed the aftermath situation in Nepal after the historical Constituent Assembly (CA) elections and bilateral relations between the two countries, among other issues, said PM Koirala's foreign affairs advisor Aditya Baral. The four-member Chinese team, which arrived here in the capital four days ago, is due to fly back to China this afternoon.
THE UN HIGH COMMISSIONER FOR REFUGEES (UNHCR) is rebuilding camps for some 10,000 Bhutanese refugees living in Goldhap camp in Jhapa district who were
rendered homeless by an inferno early last month. The new camps that are expected to be completed in July, ahead of the monsoon rains, will have fire-proof thatched roofs and wider spacing between huts to minimize fire hazards, reports quoted UNHCR spokesperson Ron Redmond as telling reporters in Geneva on Tuesday. On March 1, fire sparked by an oil lamp destroyed the huts in Goldhap camp, leaving nearly 10,000 Bhutanese refugees without homes. Along with their homes, most of the refugee families in the camp had lost all their belongings including clothing and food grains.
THE SECOND EDITION OF CHINA TRADE FAIR 2008 kicked off here (on Apr 25) at International Convention Centre (ICC), New Baneswar with a view to promote bilateral trade, investment and business opportunities between China and Nepal. Krishna Bahadur Mahara, minister for information and communication, inaugurated the fair, which is being jointly organized by Nepal-China Executive Council (NCEC) and Chinese Embassy in Kathmandu with Nepal China Chamber of Commerce and Industry (NCCCI) as a co-organizer. The four-day long event will last till April 28. Mahara lauded the initiatives of the organizers that bring updates on Sino-Nepal bilateral trade, tourism and investment as well as promote other avenues of economic cooperation at private sector level. Stating the changed political context in Nepal, he further said Nepal would now strengthen its bilateral relations with its neighbors through economic diplomacy. “The bilateral relationship would be further strengthened with a new spirit and in the interest of benefiting peoples at greater extent,” Mahara said. Zheng Xianglin, Chinese ambassador to Nepal, on the occasion, said that Sino-Nepal bilateral trade rose to $400 million in 2007, and is growing every year.
