Entrepreneurs lobby for RNAC privatization

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KATHMANDU, Dec 25 – Various private entrepreneurs, experts and government officials including the Vice Chairman of the National Planning Commission and the Executive Chairman of the Royal Nepal Airlines (RNAC), pointed out today that the national flag carrier with more than Rs 2.5 billion in debt will not be able to keep running any more in its present state.

In an interaction programme, "National Aviation Policy and the Future of Royal Nepal Airlines", organised by Hotel Association of Nepal (HAN) in the capital, most of the private entrepreneurs were of the view that the RNAC should be privatised as soon as possible in accordance with the National Aviation Policy-2050.

But amid strong suggestions and speculations, Minister for Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation, Bal Bahadur KC, explicitly said that this was not the right time for privatisation keeping in mind the national and international scenarios. He also said that all the speculations about RNAC being privatised should be stopped, and that the government should stop interfering in the matters of the airlines.

Much of the programme seemed like a lobbying platform for the private players anxious to get the national flag carrier privatised. The entrepreneurs also linked the failure of the RNAC to slump in tourism.

But Minister KC held on to his ground saying that he did not think it possible that the problem would be solved by bailing out a single company. KC said that a total commitment from the government was required in all sectors to revive the ailing tourism industry.

Earlier, Narendra Bajracharya, President of HAN, pointed out that high government interference, lack of transparency and exorbitant handling fees levied on the airlines by the Department of Civil Aviation, were the major factors crippling the airlines.

Pradeep Raj Pandey, CEO of Nepal Tourism Board (NTB), mentioned that the entire tourism sector of the country suffered when RNAC was weak. The NTB CEO then offered his suggestions to revive the airlines from its bad run. "You could run it by the government holding all the shares and the management running it on a contract basis. Then you could also break up the whole organisation and partially privatise it," he said.

Vice Chairman of the National Planning Commission, Prithvi Raj Legal, said that it was not possible for the government alone to sustain the RNAC for long, although the airlines could not be run without government involvement. Secretary at the Ministry of Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation, Birendra Bahadur Deuja, defended the government saying that it was not only government interference but also the decision by the RNAC to fly to Europe that worked against the airlines.

The newly appointed Executive Chairman of the RNAC, Ramyagya Chaturvedi, while claiming that the corporation was entirely transparent, informed that it was working on a new proposal for its improvement. He, however, did not explain the proposal. Various other personalities including Dr. Prakash Chandra Mahat, Yogendra Shakya, Ashok Pokhrel and Ambika Shrestha also spoke at the programme.

Three more rebels killed, 41 surrender

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KATHMANDU, Dec 25 – Security forces shot dead three "terrorists" in separate incidents in Gorkha, Kailali and Okhaldhunga districts, said a press release issued here by the Defence Ministry today.

The release has also said the security forces today rounded up eight "terrorist" suspects from different parts of the country, and altogether 41 "terrorists" surrendered before the security forces in Makanwanpur district.

According to the release, Dipak Adhikari a.k.a. Comrade Binaya was killed in the Gorkha District Headquarters after he tried to escape the army cordon early Tuesday morning. Meanwhile, our Gorkha-based reporter says the deceased was from Mirkot Village Development Committee (VDC).

Similarly, security forces opened fire in Narayanpur area of Kailali district, killing a rebel on the spot, said the release. The armymen started firing to repulse an attack by a group of "terrorists".

The release further adds that another Maoist was killed in Jugu area of Okhaldhunga district yesterday. The deceased, identified as Dip Bahadur Ban, fell to the army bullets while trying to flee the army cordon. "Ban is known to be the secretary of the District People’s Government of the Maoists and the former chief of the Maoist militia," the release said.

Meanwhile, the Royal Nepal Army (RNA) personnel today confiscated at least seven guns, 10,000 rounds of bullets, large cache of explosives, other ammunition, combat dresses, police uniforms and Maoist documents from the Korchabang area of Rolpa district. The army search campaign in the area is still on, the release said.

Another group of RNA personnel also confiscated eight guns, ammunition, pressure cooker bombs, and Maoist documents from the Motidhunga area of Dhankuta district today, the release said. Security forces also confiscated 18 guns, "terrorist equipment", and documents from the Maoist hideouts of Gadhi in Makawanpur district today.

Among the rebels arrested today are three from the Baramja area of Baglung district; one each from Salyan area of Solukhumbu district, Gharti Gaon of Rolpa, Palung of Makawanpur, Sandhikhark and Dharapani of Arghakhanchi, the release concludes.

Meanwhile, our Syangja-based reporter said a group of armed Maoists and an army contingent exchanged fire in Pelkachour village of the district. However, no casualty has been reported on either side. Security officers said they also foiled a planned Maoist meet.

FPAN unveils 22 new projects, denies graft

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KATHMANDU, Dec 25 – The Family Planning Association of Nepal (FPAN) on Tuesday

announced that it has 22 projects in pipeline for the year 2002 for which the organisation has acquired a budget of over Rs 132.48 million cash grant and US $ 226,000 as technical and material grants.

According to them, from the 22 projects, the proposed project on "prevention of HIV/AIDS programme for newly recruited police personnel in Nepal through advocacy" in 18-24 age group has recently been approved, which will be funded by the International Planned Parenthood Federation (IPPF). The programme will be implemented in two FPAN operational districts, Banke and Morang.

Other projects already approved is one funded by the Finnish government called "Meeting Young People’s Needs Project in Nepal, another funded by JOICFP, Japan called "Strategy for Sexual and Reproductive Health (SRH) of Adolescents" and "Adolescent Reproductive Health Project" funded by Engender Health /USA.

The FPAN had thirty projects for the year 2001. According to Hari Khanal, programme director of FPAN, eight projects like those of CEDPA, WORLDNES, JOYCFP and FHI were phased out, naturally or strategically.

"Every project come with a strategy and duration according to which the donors give the funds and after the term, new projects are developed," said Khanal.

At the same conference, chairman of FPAN, Chhetra Bahadur Giri denied all accusations regarding the corruption scam that led to laying off 36 of their staff and six donors cutting off the funds and laying off the projects.

Chairman Giri said, "The report on the said scam was baseless and the reason to lay off the staff was because their contract had expired".

Giri added that though FPAN is a programme-based organisation, there have been cuts in programmes due to lack of funds. "Donors have not cut funds deliberately but because of the expiry of duration of terms in some cases or some because of their change of the strategy".

Nirmal Bista, Director General of the FPAN said, "The shrinking of funds and fewer projects are what reproductive health organisations all over the world are facing due to major cuts in the federal budget under President Bush in polices related to abortion and planned parenthood".

The reason for the deduction of funds is "due to the diversion of money towards war and security," he added.

Come rain or shine, NC can’t stop its old ways

By Binaj Gurubacharya

KATHMANDU, Dec 25 – Be it calm, conflict or crisis in the country, the ruling Nepali Congress (NC) is never too far away from controversies arising out of internal feuds.

Despite a state of emergency imposed in the country and the focus on the ongoing army operation against the Maoists, the party has been engulfed in yet another behind-the-scene struggle for power.

Party president Girija Prasad Koirala, who was forced out of Prime Minister’s office last July, has appealed with the opposition parties for a "broader democratic unity," which his opponents in the party say is an attempt to catapult himself back to his old job he held for over a year.

Though Koirala claims there is no hidden motive behind the appeal, his opponents in the party say it is just another hasty move to oust Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba from power.

"This is just stubbornness on the part of Girijababu (Koirala)," said senior NC leader Krishna Prasad Bhattarai in a recent television interview. Prime Minister Deuba has too dismissed the call for unity as yet another ploy by Koirala for power.

During the meetings at the party’s central office this week, even supporters of Koirala agreed that it was an immature move by their leader, more so at a time when there are other important issues to be dealt with like ending the state of emergency soon.

One senior member of the party said the call for unity by Koirala was an attempt to involve other opposition parties in the grand design to win support for a triumphant return to the Prime Minister’s Office. However, most admit that the move has boomeranged on him. Instead of winning support, Koirala’s latest power play has battered his already frail reputation and deteriorated further his popularity both among the cadres and the general public. Many analysts agree that such an attempt for power by involving the opposition should not have been made during a crisis situation like now when both the governing and opposition parties are rallying together for a cause – that is to defeat the Maoists.

The main opposition CPN-UML has flatly rejected joining the government right now, and other smaller parties have shown little interest in being part of the government.

Realizing the wave of criticism, Koirala supporters have changed their strategy to damage control, calling the move a mere campaign to bring together all the democratic forces to fight the anti-democratic forces like the Maoists.

"There has been a big misinterpretation of the call for unity. It was never a campaign to form a coalition government," NC spokesman Arjun Narsingh K.C. told The Kathmandu Post Tuesday.

K.C. said it was the party’s Central Working Committee (CWC) that had given Koirala the mandate to move ahead with the campaign for broader democratic unity and he was strictly following that path.

However, the CWC decision was long before the state of emergency was imposed and the situation in the country has taken a drastic turn since then.

Koirala aides are also saying now that the nearly 80 years old leader is pushing ahead his 14-point agenda which he had announced in parliament just days before he was forced to quit. The goal, they say, is to harmonize those points with the agenda put forth by the opposition.

Whatever the true reason, the Koirala’s latest "misstep" has instead added sympathy for the Deuba camp.

Education, the key to reducing poverty in Nepal: WB Report

By Nitya Nanda Timsina

KATHMANDU, Dec 25 – The World Bank, the International Finance Corporation and other development agencies are focusing on investment in the education sector as one of the keys to reducing poverty level in Nepal.

This was revealed in a report, "Nepal: Priorities and Strategies for Education Reform (July 18, 2001), made available to The Kathmandu Post today. The report was prepared by the World Bank’s South Asia Region Human Development Unit.

The report makes the major argument that Nepal is lagging behind in improving its labour productivity, economic growth and quality of life, because the population has not been empowered to take informed decisions on a wide range activities. Compared to the social rates of return of several other low-income countries, those for Nepal are low, the report states.

The report also says that access to primary education is still woeful, and the quality of education received by the majority of students at all levels in the country is unacceptably low.

Only one in every three adults was found literate in a 1995 survey, says the report. And in the mountain areas with its unequal distribution of public subsidies, this figure gets far worse, with only one in four enjoying literacy.

The WB report says only less than half of the children complete their primary education, among whom only 10 per cent make it to class 10, and that too after repeating several classes. As for the SLC (Student Leaving Certificate) exam, only less than half of the students pass out, of which only 12 per cent achieve good grades.

The report finds that about 25 per cent of the students enrolled at the country’s central educational institution, Tribhuvan University, do not attend classes, while only 25 per cent of the University’s arts and humanities students gain their degree in the first attempt.

The WB research team blames the education system of not serving the labour market well. Among the labour force in the country, 62 per cent has had no schooling at all, and out of those who have had a school education, most have spent only an average of 3.9 years in schools.

Both underfunding and sloppy management have been the major reasons behind the poor status of public education in the country, the report quotes various groups of stakeholders as saying. It also says that the teaching staff is highly politicised, with frequent transfer of DEOs (District Education Officers) and frequent changes in rules and regulations.

Although way back in 1971, "community schools" were nationalised, the report says the community still exercises little control over them.

A highly placed source at the WB says the Bank is well aware that only through a literacy campaign can poverty be reduced. "Education programmes and policies have a central role in achieving our objectives and the World Bank has placed its major campaign to reduce poverty through literacy programmes," he said.

The donor countries, the official said, are looking forward with optimism to the reforms announced in the seventh amendment to the Education Act; the amendment has been passed by both the Houses of Parliament and is waiting for royal ratification.

The amendment Bill is expected to boost state funding in education while also giving local officials more flexibility in how they use the money.

The WB official said that donors in the education field are pressing hard on the government for greater local control, more options for parents and teachers, creating "real accountability" and "unprecedented flexibility for the grass-root-level school authorities".

The World Bank, as part of its poverty elimination projects, is a major player in the country’s primary as well as higher education segments. The Bank is one of the funders of the ongoing Basic Primary Education Programme, while this November it closed its $ 18.5 million Higher Education Project, which began in May 1994.

The Bank official informed that the Higher Education Project has completed seven reform programmes, which included phasing out the higher secondary levels from the campuses, curriculum development, and "upgradation of physical facility". As part of this Project, the Bank has also helped built around 20 small and large campuses, said the official.

He said the Bank is now considering to further its loans for both the primary and higher education fields, but he insisted that there has to be a "strategic shift" in the policy, implementation mechanism and management of the educational institutions.

The World Bank lends for poverty alleviation through two windows: through international development agencies on a soft loan, where the loan is to be paid in 30-40 years requiring less than one percent interest rate; and through International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (IBRD) which lends at a commercial rate.

The idea of South Asian regional cooperation

By Narendra Bikram Shaha

RSS - It is a matter of the 1980s. His late Majesty King Birendra Bir Bikram Shah was on a visit to Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and Burma. His Majesty the King received a letter from President of Bangladesh Zia ur Rahman in March of the same year.

In the letter, president Rahman had proposed establishing a regional organisation of South Asian countries like the association of Southeast Asian nations (ASEAN) and the European Union (EU) for the promotion of regional cooperation in South Asia.

Probably during the visit to Bangladesh, President Rahaman and King Birendra had held discussions on it informally. Therefore as soon as the letter of President Rahaman had been received, His Majesty ordered the then Foreign Secretary Jagadish Shumsher Rana to visit India, Pakistan and Sri Lanka to find the reaction of these countries. President Rahaman had also sent letters to the heads of states of these countries and His late Majesty might have requested him to do so.

Although Pakistan had immediately supported the proposal put forth by Bangladesh, Pakistan was suspicious that the proposal might have been brought by Bangladesh in agreement with India. But when Pakistan understood the intentions of India, Sri Lanka, Nepal and Bangladesh, it agreed to establish the regional organization.

On the other hand, President Jayawardhane of Sri Lanka was also hoping to acquire the membership of ASEAN, but as there was no hope for Sri Lanka to get ASEAN membership as it was in the South Asian region, President Jayawardhane accepted the Bangladesh proposal.

There is an interesting point that in the Bangladesh preliminary proposal, Maldives was not included. When President Jayawardhane proposed that we should also include Indian Ocean island of Maldives in the organization, it was also included.

Still more interesting is the fact that after India agreed to establishing the regional cooperation organization, as it previously held the view that Bangladesh had brought the proposal in the gesture of China and Pakistan, the South Asian Regional Cooperation (SARC) came into being. But it took whole five more years to add "association" or one more "a" in SARC.

And finally, the first summit conference was held in Dhaka after the formal establishment of the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) in 1985. The proposal to establish the SAARC secretariat and the appointment of the general secretary was proposed in the first summit conference itself for the promotion of the economic cooperation in South Asia and expediting the SAARC activities.

The draft of the SAARC charter was concluded by the ministerial meeting in Thimpu and it was approved by the heads of states and governments.

In the beginning, discussion was held between the heads of states and governments to hold the summit conference in 2- 3 years, but was later it was agreed to hold it annually. After the first summit in Dhaka, the turn to hold the second summit was that of Bhutan but as it informed its inability to hold the summit as it had no adequate physical infrastructure, the second summit was held in India.

The third summit was to be hosted by Maldives, but as it also informed its failure to hold because of various reasons, Nepal got the opportunity and responsibility to hold the third SAARC summit conference.

I found that His Majesty was greatly worried regarding where to house the heads of states and governments after it was clear that Nepal will host the third summit. His Majesty King Birendra himself visited the Tribhuwan University meeting hall and the Royal Nepal Academy hall to see and select a meeting hall.

Finally, His Majesty fixed the Royal Nepal Academy meeting hall for the summit and every thing including stage decoration were carried out under the direct instruction of Their Majesties. The various seven committees worked in coordination under the direction of the main committee for the preparation of the summit whereas the security and transportation was the responsibility of the Royal Nepal Army.

Likewise, what is worth recalling here is that Kathmandu got a torrential rain from before four days of the summit. The meeting hall at the summit venue Royal Nepal Academy was waterlogged up to the waist. After the rain subsided His Majesty visited the places with gum boots on. We drained out all the water by calling fire brigade from Kathmandu, Bhaktapur and Lalitpur. We were only assured after water was completely drained out with ten vehicles of the fire brigade.

The Prime Minister and the Chief of Army Staff waited at the Academy until all the water was drained out throughout the night. It was auspicious for us to have rain because it washed away all the dirt and dust. The whole of Kathmandu got a clean and refreshed look. The summit conference in Kathmandu concluded in a grand manner. The heads of states and heads of government also commented that the third summit was hosted in a grand manner.

India and Pakistan are two of SAARC’s powerful nations. All the other members want peace and friendship between these two countries. Although SAARC has stressed on poverty alleviation, there are own kinds of problems of the SAARC member nations. Separate programmes can be needed for addressing these problems in Nepal, Bangladesh, India, and Maldives.

The SAARC member countries have not raised issues at the United Nations on the SAARC programmes and activities with specificity. I think our issues should also be taken in the United Nations.

Once the Americans were also curious about SAARC. They invited the secretary to dinners and to get information on SAARC. But now the situation is different., perhaps they have understood its importance and rationale.

SAARC is an important organisation to resolve common problems of children, women and other social and human issues of the nations, but I cannot understand why expected developments have not been seen in its implementation.

Although network of regional cooperation has been developed in SAARC, but the habit of true cooperation is yet to be seen. I hope this will materialise in the future.

(Mr Shaha is a former Foreign Secretary of Nepal. This article is based on his conversations with RSS reporter Sharachchandra Bhandari.)

BP Highway to be completed by 2007

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KAVRE, Dec 25 - The 50-kilometre-long Nepalthok-Dhulikhel sector of the Banepa-Sindhuli-Bardibas Road (BSBR), or the B.P. Highway, an alternative route linking Kathmandu to the East-West Highway will be completed by March 2003. The B.P. Highway itself is expected to be complete by 2007.

"We are trying to complete the segment earlier than March," said Bindu Samsher Rana, Manager of the BSBR Project.

So far 34-kilometre of the segment has been completed and opened for traffic. This segment stretches from Dhulikhel to Narke of Kavre, 34 kilometer from Dhulikhel.

The Japanese ambassador to Nepal, Zenji Kaminaga, visited the construction site on Tuesday. "I am happy over the construction of the road that passes through a very sharp cliff," the Ambassador said at a programme at the Section IV’s base camp at Bhakunde Bazar, 22 kilometer away from Dhulikhel.

He also asked the officials of the project to continue with the construction in a calm manner since these are emergency days.

The BP Highway, named after late leader BP Koirala, has been under construction since 1995 with the help of the Japanese Grant Aid Programme. The shortest rout joining the capital to the eastern Terai, the 158 kilometre Highway is divided into four section – Section I (Bardibas-Sindhuli Bazar, 37 km); Section II (Sindhuli Bazar-Khurkot, 39 km); Section III (Khurkot-Nepalthok, 32 km); and Section IV (Nepalthok-Dhulikhel, 50 km).

Section I of the Highway was completed in 1998. The Highway itself is expected to be ready for traffic by 2007.

Section II is now under construction and work on 26 kilometers of this Section is expected to be completed by March 2005, which will connect the remote southern areas of Sindhuli district with the existing road of Section I.

Though the other sections of the Highway are either complete or under construction, Section III has not yet been surveyed or designed, according to Manager Rana.

The road has a proper drainage system, and has been constructed with minimum cutting of rocks and use of explosives. "We have applied bio-engineering skills to avoid landslides on the road," said, Hideo Katagiri, the Japanese Project Manager.

Since the road is only 5 metres wide, sections of it has been widened every 150 metres for vehicles to pass each other.

The Highway, besides being an alternative trunk road linking the capital to the eastern Terai, is expected to serve as a backbone for enhancing socio-economic activities of Nepal.

Passing through the Mahabharat range, the winding Highway provides a panoramic view of the snow-capped mountains in the north—such as Manasalu, Gaurishankar and Ganesh.

Newars celebrate Saat Gaonley Jatra

By Ranjan Rijal

KATHMANDU, Dec. 25 - Hundreds of villagers of Newar community living in seven villages of the Valley’s Southwest part today celebrated the locally popular festival of Saat Gaonley Jatra (festival of seven villages).

The festival is celebrated at the premises of Vishnu Devi temple, located in Tinthana village, on the way to Macchegaon.

Newar community in this part of the Valley celebrates this festival every year according to the lunar calendar in the Dashami Tithi. People from seven villages - Satungul, Besigaon, Lahankot, Macchegaon, Taukhel, Naikap and Teenthana converged at the Vishnu Devi temple to offers prayers.

As per the tradition, decorated chariots carrying the daughters of Goddess Vishnu Devi were brought from Satungul, Macchegaon and Naikap villages to the temple of Vishnu Devi on the midnight Monday, amid a chanting of drums and other traditional instruments. And the chariot of Lord Bhairab was brought from Besigaon and Lahankot villages to the temple.

A stone-script at the temple shows that the temple was built in the 17th century.

"This festival used to be celebrated only by the Newar community some years ago but these days, almost people from other communities are also taking part in equal vigour," says Man Bahadur Maharjan, co-ordinator of the Jatra.

Sri Ram Adhikari, a local resident participating in the festival, says, "Receiving tilak on one’s forehead was the most important part of the festival but it is very hard to get."

Beside these seven villages, people in Kirtipur and Panga villages also celebrate this festival, but in their own way.

After the completion of the festival, the chariots are kept at the temple vicinity and are taken back to their respective villages only after a year.

Though the festival is held on Tuesday only, people celebrate the occasion in their respective villages in their own way, which will continue for a week, according to Gopi Chandra Karki, chairman of the Teenthana Village Development Committee.

Govt rapped for restriction on press freedom

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KATHMANDU, Dec 25 – Politicians and human rights activists today said the government’s behaviour toward press in the name of emergency has lampooned the image of the country in the global arena.

"If the state of emergency is imposed to safeguard the democracy, what is the significance of restricting the press freedom in the country?" asked former Speaker and leader of ruling Nepali Congress (NC) Daman Nath Dhungana. "The government itself has been saying in the global arena that there is wide press freedom in the country and it expresses its pride on it, but where is the right to information?"

Former Speaker Dhungana was speaking at an interaction programme on Emergency and Human Rights organised by the Human Rights Protection Forum in the capital today.

In the name of controlling the "armed people", the government has suspended the right to information of the innocent people, said the framer of the present constitution.

Speaking on the same occasion, president of Nepal Bar Association, Sindhu Nath Pyakurel, said, "Even if the emergency has been imposed, the rights to human rights and rule of law as mentioned in the Preamble of the constitution cannot be suspended."

Leader of main opposition CPN-UML, Subas Nembang, said it is necessary to terminate the state of emergency as soon as possible to avoid every confusion. "The government should follow the directives of the constitution as the code of conduct," he said.

President of Human Rights Organisation of Nepal (HURON), Sudip Pathak, urged the government to permit the press, the Red Cross and human rights activists in the troubled zones of the country.

On the occasion, politburo member of CPN-ML CP Mainali, general secretary of National People’s Front and lawmaker Nabaraj Subedi, secretary of the United People’s Front Ghanashyam Poudel also urged with the government to allow the press to bring out right information.