Nepal-India trade talks next week

By Bhaskar Sharma

KATHMANDU, July 25 Secretarial level government officials from India and Nepal are scheduled to meet next week for settling the various disputed bilateral trade issues and sorting out the problems arising in the effective implementation of the 1996 Indo-Nepal Trade Treaty.

The delayed secretarial meet, scheduled for August 1-3, which is being held after a span of a year and a half, will be participated in by officials from the Commerce Ministry of both countries.

The meeting is likely to discuss a wide range of issues that have caused friction between the two trading partners in the past years. Ranging from investment to trans-shipment, the meet is likely to cover all disputed trade issues.

Officials at the Ministry of Industry, Commerce and Supplies informed The Kathmandu Post that both the parties are likely to reach an agreement regarding the security of future Indian investment into Nepal. Though Nepal has reached such agreements with at least five different countries, no such agreement has so far been reached with India, the largest foreign investor in Nepal. "While India has been pressing on the issue (agreement on investment security), Nepal too is positive. The agreement may materialize this time," said a high-level official. The agreement would be of special significance in the context of increasing attacks against business establishments in recent months.

Another issue that is likely to be debated upon is the issue of quality of goods. While exports to India require proof of quality, non-recognition of the Nepal Standard mark has posed problems for Nepalese exporters. Though the two sides have undergone a series of meetings aimed at recognizing Nepal Standard mark in India, at the same time giving due recognition to ISI mark in Nepal, no agreement so far has been concluded.

Besides, officials said that the Nepalese side will also press for concluding the Railways Agreement, due to which the operation of the largest Inland Container Depot (ICD) at Birgunj was delayed. The construction of warehouses at Calcutta and Haldia ports, and their operation, would come as the other major point of discussions, officials revealed. Transit costs for Nepal while carrying out foreign trade with third countries are expected to go down by almost 40 per cent once the Birgunj ICD, which will have railways linkage with Calcutta and Haldia, becomes operational.

Furthermore, Nepali officials informed that the issue of quarantine checks imposed by India upon the export of agro-products from Nepal would also be drawn up in the meeting’s agenda. India has continued to impose the quarantine duty despite West Bengal Chief Minister Buddha Dev Bhattarcharya’s statement recently that the imposition of the quarantine duty is illegal.

On the other hand, government officials here opined that the Indian side is likely to include unauthorized trade from Nepal as its main agenda for the meet. India has time and again accused Nepal of transshipment of third country goods to India. Not just the cheap Chinese products, even high value products imported from abroad are exported to India after minimal value addition, Indians have repeatedly complained. Among the hit list of such goods, include zinc oxide, synthetic yarn and copper wires. As a check to this, the Indian side has already proposed for increasing the minimum value addition ceiling to 30 per cent for those goods that would enjoy free market access to India, it is learnt.

Although high level government officials claim that the meet is an annual event held with the objectives to pointing out the difficulties arising in the execution of the treaty, it seems likely that review of the treaty may make up to the meeting’s agenda. Especially because the meet comes five months in advance of the proposed review of the 1996 Indo-Nepal Trade Treaty, which contains a provision allowing its review or termination by giving three months prior notice by either of the contracting parties.

The treaty, which has played a central role in strengthening the Indo-Nepal bilateral trading relations, expires on December 31, unless ratified by both the governments on December 5. The Indo-Nepal Treaty is of special importance to both the countries since both have benefited from it. While exports of Nepal to India within two years of the implementation of the treaty surged by over 80 per cent, imports of Indian goods into Nepal at the same time rose tremendously.

Govt decides hike in power price

Post Report

KATHMANDU, July 25 - If you are one of those excessive power consumers then start switching off your lights and save electricity. Your electricity bills will come out with higher charges beginning Ashwin 1 (September 17) as the government has decided to hike the price of electricity.

According to the new tariff structure, the price for up to 20 units of electricity, which is the usual amount of electricity consumed by a vast majority of consumers, has been increased by 2.56 percent. Which means those paying the minimum monthly charge of Rs 78 will have to pay Rs 80 from Ashwin, said Bishnu Bam Malla, Executive Director of Nepal Electricity Authority(NEA).

Likewise, those consuming up to 20 units of electricity will have to pay Rs 7.30 for a unit of electricity instead of Rs 6.30, and those consuming over 250 units monthly will have to pay Rs 9.90 for a unit of electricity instead of Rs 9.25, according to NEA.

"We have restructured the new tariff in such a way as to increase the amount of revenue we collect while bearing in mind the interest of consumers," Malla said.

The tariff structure was drafted by the state-owned power monopoly three months back, and it was approved by the Cabinet last month. The new price structure was approved by the Electricity Tariff Fixation Commission on July 20.

Justifying the increment, NEA has said that the tariff hike is meant for meeting the growing demand for electricity in the country, providing electricity to the rural people through rural electrification, making power supplies reliable and strengthening the electricity production, transmission and distribution mechanisms, the state-owned news agency, RSS, said in a report filed Wednesday night.

Meanwhile, another NEA source claimed that the power utility is also contemplating charging as much as Rs 5 per consumer from its over 600,000 consumers in its bid to balance the loss incurred from street lights in nearly 60 municipalities across the country. Municipalities and other local bodies owes millions of rupees in street light electricity bills to NEA, which they have stubbornly denied to pay citing budgetary crunch, among other reasons.

New govt swearing in today

KATHMANDU, July 25 (PR) - Newly elected Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba today proposed names to be included in his new Cabinet which for now is likely to be 13-member strong, four days after the lawmakers of the Nepali Congress (NC) elected him.

The Cabinet, which is just an initial one, is expected to have mostly old faces and not many new members in what Deuba has been promising would be a 'balanced' and clean one to accommodate all sides in the party.

As expected Khum Bahadur Khadka’s name has been proposed as the powerful Home Minister who controls the police force and the Chief District Officers. He is also expected to be the Minister for Local Development.

Khadka has played a major role in catapulting Deuba to the Prime Minister’s office and at one point was said to be getting appointed as the deputy PM too despite protests by other members in the party who claimed that making Khadka a DPM would be catastrophe for Deuba’s image from the very first days in office.

Khadka used to be close aide of Deuba’s predecessor Girija Prasad Koirala who was forced out of office last week after being blamed for a bribery scandal and the lax security that led to the June 1 Royal Palace massacre.

However, he rebelled against Koirala last year and joined the Deuba camp. Bijaya Gachchedar is expected to be named the Minister for Water Resources, one of the most sought after ministries dealing in hydropower and irrigation projects worth millions if not billions of rupees.

Ram Sharan Mahat, is expected to retain the Finance Ministry, which he has held for the past few times now. Earlier this month, he had presented the budget estimate for the present fiscal year under the Koirala administration.

Another surprise would be Jaya Prakash Gupta, considered at one time to be close aide and advisor of Koirala. He had resigned few moths back from the government citing differences with his colleagues in the Cabinet. Since then he had moved to the rebel camp.

Gupta, a former journalist, is likely to be appointed the Minister for Information and Communications.

Former Defence Minister Mahesh Acharya, known for his economy background, is proposed to be the Minister for Agriculture and Cooperatives, who would also look after the agriculture sector, which is the source of income for bulk of the country’s population.

Chiranjivi Wagle is expected to be Minister for Physical Planning and Housing, Gopal Man Shrestha the Ministry for Forestry and Soil Conservation, Bal Bahadur K.C. Minister for Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation, Shrarad Singh Bhandari Minister for Health, Palten Gurung Minster for Labour and Transport and Amod Upadhaya the Minister for Education and Sport.

The surprise package could come in P.L. Singh, who is most likely to be appointed the Minister for Population and Environment. Former Mayor of Kathmandu Metropolis, Singh was elected from the capital city in the 1999 general election.

Once the official announcement is made, they are expected to take the oath of office on Thursday morning along with Deuba who so far has not done so all because his astrologers have not been able to find him a suitable time to begin his new job. The House of Representatives is scheduled to meet on Thursday.

Violence-racked Rolpa prays for peace

By Utpal Raj Misra and Kashi Ram Dangi

ROLPA, July 25 – With both the newly appointed Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba and underground Maoist leader Comrade Prachanda adopting a lenient approach towards dialogue, the common citizens and elected officials of this district are once again talking about the prospects of peace.

This mid-western district is admittedly the ground zero of the Maoist-fuelled People’s War. Of the more than 1750 people killed since the insurgency began in early 1996, over 500 have perished here. No wonder then that if peace is brokered, as many here seem to hope, then this is the place where it will be most welcome.

At the local teashops and small bazaars throughout Rolpa, residents are already discussing what the future holds, especially in view of the cease-fire announced by the government and rebels on July 23.

"Things sound good for the time-being," says Amrit Bahadur Gharti Magar, the chairman of Rolpa District Development Committee (DDC). "Let’s hope it does good in the long run as well...What more do we want if we can finally live in peace."

The Chief District Officer of Rolpa Harikrishna Upadhyay also heaves a sigh of relief. "All government officials, farmers, and general people are hopeful that there is going to be an end to this bloodshed."

The optimism, however, is tempered if one talks to the political parties. Most of them say that the government side and rebels are so far apart in their fundamental stands that reaching a breakthrough is going to be very difficult.

"It is unlikely that things will change drastically," says Man Singh Dangi, the of the CPN (Marxist-Leninist) who is also a member of the Rolpa DDC. "It seems the government is unable to meet the first Maoist demand of a national government...But it is good anyway if they talk and stop violence."

Surya Bahadur Bista of the Rashtriya Prajatantra Party believes that a national government would be the perfect vehicle to resolve the Maoist crisis. So far the violence has stopped, but this is only the second day after the ceasefire announcement. No one knows if the current atmosphere will continue beyond the initial optimism raised by a fresh government leadership.

Even so, locals have no other recourse but to wait and see how things unfold. The feeling is aptly stated by local schoolteacher Kulananda Giri. "People out here are getting frustrated day by day...We don’t know what do do...What can we do but remain hopeful?"

Meanwhile, on the other side of the political divide, Maoist rebels are also waiting for developments. "Let us see if the new government meets our demands," says Ramesh, a local Maoist guerrilla. "We await directives from our leader." Comrade Prachanda, the Maoist leader, meanwhile is engrossed in pressuring the Deuba government to release jailed comrades, which the Prime Minister has indicated he could do. Until that happens, the cease-fire may just hold, but there is a possibility that the talks may not come about.

India built barrage could submerge Lumbini

Post Report

KATHMANDU, July 25 - Lumbini, the birthplace of Lord Buddha, also listed as the UNESCO World Heritage site, could be submerged once the Russiyal-Khurda Lautan barrage being constructed by India over the Danav River on the Nepal-India border, just about 6 km south-east of the 2,500 years old Buddhist shrine, is completed, experts here said.

"Buddha’s birthplace is in crisis. The 6-metre high Russiyal-Khurd Lautan barrage will directly affect Lumbini’s archaeological site and its adjacent area, which is just 2-meter higher than the water level at the barrage site," said Netra Prasad Dhital, a geographer of Tribhuwan University.

He said the barrage being constructed is just 6-km southeast of Lumbini. The Indian side unilaterally started construction of the main barrage and two other supportive structures about five months ago. Nepali officials monitoring the construction of the barrages said that all the barrages are almost complete.

The construction of the 10-km long earthen embankment east of Russiyal-Khurd Lautan barrage and south of Bhairahawa, the district headquarters of Rupandehi, will block the natural water flow of waters in the Danav River and its tributaries like Dandakhola.

Experts fear that the barrage and its supportive embankment will inundate over 200 villages of the 18 Village Development Committees in Marchawar. Majority of the densely-populated and fertile area of the district will come under the water after the construction of the barrage.

Bavani, Bhagwanpur, Sipuwa, Majhagawa, Bogadi, Betkuia, Roinihawa, Pharena, Asuraini, Pipra, Silauriya, Raypur, Simra, Karautiya and other Village Development Committees are feared of being inundated too.

Presenting field-study report in an interaction programme in the Capital today, Dhital stated that the barrage is being constructed only 200 metres south of the Nepal-India border.

"It is against the Helsinki Convention and other international laws, which require consultations between the two countries before any construction is made within the range of 8 kilometre from the international border," said Dhital.

Lawmaker and chairman of the CPN-UML aligned Democratic National Youth Federation Nepal (DNYFN), Gokarna Bista, said the Nepali people will protest, to any extent, if the Indian government does not stop the construction of the controversial barrage.

"The federation demands the construction be suspended and urged the governments of both the countries to seek solution on the issue," he said. Karki was one of the 16 lawmakers who visited the site on July 20 and analysed the geographic situation of the area.

Including Karki, the 16 lawmakers of Nepal Communist Party (United Marxist-Leninist) issued a release Wednesday asking all the political parties, organisations and civic societies to show solidarity to safeguard Nepal’s sovereignty and the ancient site of Lumbini from the inundation.

NSP for constitutional amendment

KATHMANDU, July 25 (PR)- The Nepal Sadbhawana Party today demanded amendment of the Constitution saying that it is the only way for solving the existing Nepali citizenship problem.

Demand for the amendment of the Constitution by the Nepal Sadbhawana Party (NSP) comes after the Supreme Court on Monday declared void over 30,000 citizenship certificates issued four years ago. The court even issued mandamus to the Home Ministry ordering "to distribute citizenship only as per the Constitution and the existing laws" and that "there is no legal provision to distribute citizenship certificates by issuing a directive" as the certificates then was issued through a directive. "There is no way but amend the Constitution to solve the citizenship problem as it is impossible to solve the citizenship issue confining to the present Constitution," says Rajendra Mahato, NSP General Secretary.

Mahato lays stress that the Constitution should be amended in the current session of the parliament itself. "The verdict of the court has raised several questions which would be solved in due course," says Mahato. Mahato further said that the government should take quick initiatives for the "legality" of the "void declared" over 30,000 citizenship certificates.

According to Mahato Terai people are the most affected from the court’s decision. Mahato blames the government for not being sincere in solving the citizenship issue. "Even various government reports show that there are more than four million people affected from citizenship problem and as the present Constitution stands as a hurdle, there is no option but to amend it," says Mahato pointing out the need for the government and other political parties to agree to it.

Ten bodies identified in Tanahun bus mishap

DAMAULI, Tanahun, July 25 (PR) - Ten of the total 11 ill-fated passengers in Tuesday’s bus accident near the Marsyangdi hydel project power-house in Anbu Khaireni VDC have so far been identified, police here said Wednesday.

Police suspect that six other passengers are still missing while 16 others including the bus driver and conductor survived the fatal accident when the bus fell into the swollen Marsyangdi River. Police said that they were searching for the missing people but the hope of survival of the missing people was very slim.

Police said that nine people died on the spot and two more succumbed while undergoing treatment at the Bharatpur hospital.

The bus (Ga 1 Kha 1032), en route to Bhairahawa from Pokhara, fell 125 metres from the busy Prithvi highway on the banks of the river. According to the bus conductor, there were 35 passengers travelling in the ill-fated bus that broke into pieces as it hit hard rocks.

The deads so far identified are Assistant Sub-Inspector of Police, Shri Kaji Thapa, from Kaski and assigned at the district police office in Bharatpur, Harun Miya and Akhtar Miya from Betiya in India, Krishna Prasad Lamichhane, 61, from Kaski, Bed Prasad Kharel, 61, from Nawalparasi, Asaram Gurung and his wife Hyanku Maya from Chitwan, Ruplal Gurung, 46, from Nwalparasi, Rupi Subedi, 68, from Kaski and Shankar Shah from Parsa district.

Police said that seven of the 10 already identified bodies have been handed over to their respective relatives while three bodies are kept at Damauli-based primary health centre.

Nuclear family on the rise in the Capital

By Subas Risal

KATHMANDU, July 25 Joint family may not be grappling for its existence in the Nepali society, but it is definitely  straining as the number of nuclear family have risen tremendously in the Capital within span of ten years as revealed by the Census 2001. 

The preliminary result of the Census 2001 clearly shows a sharp decline in household size from 5.3 people ten years back to 4.5 in the Capital. The plummeting household size apparently indicates the burgeoning interest in nuclear families among the people in the Capital.

"The decline in household size is a clear manifestation that nuclear families are making inroads gradually in the Capital," says Rabi Prasad Kayastha, deputy director of Central Bureau of Statistics, CBS.

Some people in the Capital attribute the declining size of the household to the increased awareness and cost of living. "Expanding education, people’s desire for individual freedom and bloating cost of living, all are contributing to the growth of the nuclear family," says Dil Kumar Sharma, a resident of Dhumbarahi.

He further adds, "The generation gap is also a major factor contributing to the growth of such family. In a rapidly changing society reinforced by change in technology, people from the new generation often find it difficult to come to terms with the older generation, which pulls apart the joint family. "

However, sociologists argue that it would be erroneous to conclude that the trend is towards the nuclear family simply on the basis of declining household size in the valley. Declining household size could also be a result of the increased migration into the valley, they argue. According to the sociologists, migration plays a great role in the decline of household size in the Capital. "Unlike before, ‘individual migration’ is on the rise as people have started to migrate alone to different urban areas for job, education and other reasons. We cannot, therefore, say that the nuclear families have risen simply on the basis of decline in the household size," says Professor Chaitnya Misra, an eminent sociologist.

He further adds, "Definitely the preference on the nuclear family over the joint family has risen in the urban areas. However, the attitude and thinking among the people residing in rural areas is different as they prefer joint families over nuclear families."

Besides increasing the desire for nuclear family, education also helps to reduce household size in other ways, argue experts. "People residing in urban areas are usually aware of using contraceptives thus making the household size smaller," says Dinesh Prasain, a student of sociology studying in Tribhuvan University.

"There has definitely been a growth in nuclear families in the Capital but it doesn’t mean that it is only the reason for decline in household size as shown by the Census 2001."

The growing interest in nuclear families is largely responsible for the decline in household size but economic mobility also cannot be completely ignored, admit experts. Substantial chunk of people from different parts of the country who migrate in to the capital are job-seekers and they live alone. This is definitely one of the reasons for massive fall in household size.

For the last decade, nuclear families in the Capital are gaining ground amid the growing urbanisation. Does the rise in the nuclear families, imply that it has jeopardised the tradition or the traditional joint families?