Home Ministry to revoke citizenship certificates

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KATHMANDU, July 27 - The Home Ministry today issued a directive to Chief District Officers of twenty districts not to entertain those citizenship certificates distributed by a "team" four years ago and even prepare themselves to "take away" those certificates.

The directive from the Home Ministry comes after the Supreme Court’s decision on Monday which declared void about 34,000 citizenship certificates issued four years ago under the instruction of the then Deputy Prime Minister and Home Minister Bamdev Gautam (who was then the leader of CPN-UML).

The Home Ministry has even asked the CDOs to prepare themselves "to freeze such properties earned through such citizenship".

The directive has also asked the CDOs to initiate action so as to discourage any transaction of property on the basis of such citizenship.

However the issued directives has also asked the CDOs to prepare themselves to distribute "other citizenship certificates" to those who can identify themselves as Nepali citizenship through descent.

Meanwhile our correspondent from Birgunj states that the Home Ministry directive has created a sensation in the entire Terai region. The workload at the Land Revenue Office there declined by more than 50 per cent after such directive was received at the CDO office there.

Many alleged non-Nepali people who had obtained such citizenship and were trying to leave for India after selling their properties are now into dilemma after such directives from the Home Ministry.

Four years ago the "team" had distributed around 3000 citizenship certificates in Parsa district only, of which around 25 percent are alleged to be non-Nepalis. Out of 300 such certificates distributed in Prasaunimada VDC, 54 were found to be non-Nepalis.

Those districts where the directive was issued are Parsa, Jhapa, Morang, Sunsari, Saptari, Siraha, Dhanusa, Mohattari, Sarlahi, Rautahat, Bara, Chitwan, Rupendehi, Kapilbastu, Nawalparasi, Banke, Bardiya, Kailali, Kanchanpur and Dang.

Four years ago, the then Home Minister Gautam had formed 87 "teams" under the convenorship of Jitendra Narayan Dev. The team was given authority to distribute citizenship certificates to about 3.4 million people of which altogether 34,090 people were given the certificates.

The court on Monday however had ruled that only about 4,000 of them would be valid as they were issued by the Chief District Officer (CDO). Under the present law it is the CDO in each district who is responsible for issuing these documents. The court had declared the distribution illegal saying that there was no legal provision to form such a team and distribute the citizenship certificate.

Koirala resigned to strengthen Party

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BIRATNAGAR, Morang, July 27 - Ruling Nepali Congress President and outgoing prime minister, Girija Prasad Koirala, here said on Friday that he resigned from prime minister’s post in order to resurrect the party that has become almost non-functional from the centre to the grassroots level.

"While holding the two most responsible posts together, I realised that the party down to a shadow," Koirala said, adding, "I have, therefore, come among you (the NC cadre) to revive the party organisation giving up the prime minister’s post."

Former PM Koirala, who resigned on Thursday amidst mounting pressures from the opposition parties and the rival faction from within his party, said this while addressing the party cadre at his ancestral residence. He said that at present his only aim was to strengthen the party and to extend cooperation to the present government led by his political disciple, Sher Bahadur Deuba. Koirala also asked the cadre to forge unity within the party circle forgetting all the bitterness experienced in the past.

Reiterating his full cooperation to the government as the party President, he instructed his cadre to fight the Maoist rebels "who have battered the country’s atmosphere and have deliberately targeted and slain the Congress cadre."

"I have known them (Maoists) very well. I am not scared of the known enemies," the erstwhile prime minister said.

Commenting the NC affiliated student wing, Nepal Students Union and the youth wing, Tarun Dal, Koirala said that "the former is in deep slumber while the latter has become too old" to fight the rebels.

Govt rapped for inaction over barrage

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KATHMANDU, July 27 - Speaker of House of Representatives Taranath Ranabhat today issued a ruling to the government to give details within a week on the barrage being constructed by India near the Nepal-India border and the recent hike in electricity tariff.

The Speaker’s ruling came after the lawmakers, cutting across party lines, criticised the government for inaction over the barrage issue and for raising the power tariff.

The MPs also criticised India’s unilateral decision to construct the Russiyal-Khurda-Lautan barrage and its supportive embankment just about 6 km south east of Lord Buddha’s birthplace Lumbini that threatened to submerge the UNESCO World Heritage Site. The 6-metre high barrage is being constructed over Danav River in Marchabar area, just 200 metres away from the Nepal-India border.

The lawmakers claimed that if the construction was not halted immediately then it could even inundate the birthplace of Lord Buddha in Lumbini. Some experts have already expressed such fears.

Lilamani Pokharel of the United People’s Front termed the Indian move as an attack on Nepal’s sovereignty. "The flow of the river towards the south is a natural phenomenon but India has violated that."

Referring to the barrage constructed by India in Kakrahawa area near the border some three years ago, Bharat Shah of Nepali Congress said the previous construction had submerged Bhagwanpur, Aama and Lumbini in Rupandehi district.

"This is really an unfriendly act on the part of neighbouring India. Our government should have the courage to tell India to stop the construction," said Prakash Chandra Lohani of Rastriya Prajatantra Party and former foreign minister.

The recently announced hike in electricity tariff also came under fire today from lawmakers of both the ruling and opposition parties at the House of Representatives.

"How can such an important decision be made when a government had just resigned and another one was yet to be sworn in. It is not clear who authorised the decision and how it could be done," said Hom Nath Dahal, a NC lawmaker.

The Nepal Electricity Authority (NEA) had announced that the hike in tariff earlier this week. The hike averages about 2.56 per cent for the consumers. The decision to increase the tariff was being worked for the past three months and the proposal was endorsed by the Cabinet last month.

NEA has been accused of bowing down to pressure from international donor agencies like Asian Development Bank (ADB), which is the nation’s largest donor agency.

Last year, Representatives of ADB and the Finance Ministry had signed a US$ 50 million (around Rs 3.5 billion) loan to fund rural electrification and power sector reform programs under the government’s Eighth Power Project.

MP Dahal said instead of working on to reduce the leakage percentage that has boomed from 23 to 27 per cent, NEA was passing on the burden to consumers slapping them with a hike in tariff.

Another NC lawmaker N.P. Saud too said the hike would have a negative effect on the nation’s economy hitting just not the consumers but the industries and businesses that are already suffering many other reasons.

Dr Lohani accused NEA and the government of duping the consumers.

"The rationale stated for the hike by NEA is total lies and the truth needs to come out," Lohani said. "Electricity tariff in Nepal remains one of the most expensive in the region."

"These deals compel NEA to purchase power whether it is necessary or not and it is not something you can store in a warehouse and sell it later ... it is a total waste," Lohani said.

Meanwhile, a Bill on Parliament Secretariat Bill was presented by Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba, who is also the Minister for Law and Justice and Parliamentary Affairs, was unanimously approved for consideration by the House.

President Bush supports safeguarding of democracy

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KATHMANDU, July 27 – United States President George W. Bush has lauded the Nepali government for its efforts to settle the Maoist insurgency peacefully and has also said that the United States will keep extending its support on preservation of democracy in Nepal.

In a letter addressed to Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba, which was handed over today by US Assistant Secretary of State for South Asia Christina Rocca, the US President also congratulated PM Deuba for being appointed as the Premier of Nepal "at such a historic moment."

According to Foreign Ministry officials, US Ambassador to Nepal Ralph Frank was also present during the occasion today where PM Deuba and US Assistant Secretary of State for South Asia Rocca discussed matters of bilateral issues of mutual interests. The US Assistant Secretary of State for South Asia will be flying to Pakistan tomorrow, ending her three-day visit to Nepal as part of her trip to three South Asian countries.

Likewise, His Majesty King Gyanendra Bir Bikram Shah Dev also granted audience to US Assistant Secretary of State Rocca at the Narayanhity Royal Palace today.

Meanwhile, during the Assistant Secretary of State Rocca’s talks with Foreign Secretary Narayan Shumsher Thapa yesterday, the Nepal side also asked to accord duty free and quota free access of the Nepali products, particularly of the garment industry to the US markets, officials said. "The US side have said they’ll look into the matter but then they said that it is not only the administrative body but also the US Senate which will have to allow such a facility," the official said.

FPAN asks US to withdraw ‘Global Gag Rule’

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KATHMANDU, July 27 – The Family Planning Association of Nepal  (FPAN) today submitted memorandum to the American Embassy urging the United States Government to reconsider the re-imposition of the Mexico City Policy (1983) stating the policy as undemocratic, depriving women’s right, restricting freedom of speech and against US foreign policy.

"We urge the Bush Administration to re think on the issue and withdraw the "Global Gag Rule", states the memo signed by Chattara Bahadur Giri, President of FPAN. The policy popularly known as the Global Gag Rule restricts US funding to NGOs for abortion related activities and was recently re-imposed by American President George Bush.

" FPAN a trend setter NGO in Nepal has been educating the Nepali people on the consequences of "Unsafe Abortion" and lobbying with the government to liberalize the discriminatory law on abortion which impinges upon the rights of the women living in a democratic country. Being a member of the IPPF and a strong believer, supporter and promoter of "Sexual and Reproductive Health Rights" as a "Basic Human Rights", we were unable to sign and comply with the "Mexico City Policy" proposed by "Engender Health" as this was against our principle and it would restrict our effort towards liberalizing the existing abortion law in Nepal to prevent unsafe abortion.

"Maternal mortality rate in Nepal is one of the highest in the world, 539 women is 100,000 live birth die from pregnancy related complications of which estimated 50 per cent is due to unsafe abortion and with our efforts these could be prevented," the memo states.

It further adds that as a result of the Global Gag Rule, 27 years partnership in Engender Health in improving the reproductive health status of women has come to an end. The "model clinics" a historical monument of women faces closure of essential reproductive health services due to lack of funds.

Stress on Local bodies role in educational development

By Nitya Nanda Timsina

BIRATNAGAR, July 27 – Presidents of District Development Committee of over twelve districts, District Education Officials, teachers, guardians and academician Friday urged for the devolution of power and responsibility to the local bodies for the management and administration of schools to make school education more efficient and responsive to the changing times.

The representatives who gathered here for a two-day program on "the role and co-ordination of local bodies for the development of education" jointly arrived at the decision after nearly daylong deliberations organized by the Education Journalists’ groupn (EJG) and Action Aid Nepal here.

Speaking at the inaugural session, Sobha Chandra Mishra, DEO of Udaypur District said that the management of school education be given to the local government. While Bhuraj Rai, deputy mayor of Biratnagar sub-metropolis urged for the empowerment of local bodies with the responsibility, power and monitoring role and make the recruitment of teachers more scientific.

The central government must lessen its total control over the local affairs-education , he added.

Kharga Bahadur Basnet, President , Morang District Development Committee also cited a vital role of local bodies towards fulfilling the basic and primary education. He also revealed that Morang district has set up over 43 child development centres with the aid of UNICEF to address the need of children.

Presenting his paper, Dr. Bidhyanath Koirala urged for the devolution of power to the local bodies. Referring the works of Martin Carney and Joel sam’s "Off-Education and social transition in the third world", History of caste in several other works of prominent academicians and experts, he urged for a pro-dalit, pro-women and pro-indigenous people policy for the educational and social transformation in the country.

At the discussion forum, the representatives came out with joint suggestions such as: presenting the bill in the Parliament to seek reforms in the national anthem, removing Sanskrit as compulsory language from the school curriculum, introduction of the indigenous languages in the primary classes, ending the politicization of schools, and above all decentralization education.

‘Even Deuba failed to return govt vehicle’

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KATHMANDU, July 27 - The parliamentary State Affairs Committee (SAC) has named Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Dueba as one of the people who have failed to return state-owned vehicle even after completion of their tenure in office.

A report on misuse of government vehicles presented by SAC today at the House of Representatives today named several former prime ministers, ministers, judges, official and even their assistants of doing the same.

Deuba who was first the Home Minister and then the Prime Minister few years back is yet to return a jeep and a motorcycle taken from the ministry and the Nepal Oil Corporation, states the report.

Not just them, even those vehicles checked out for use by their private assistants have also not been returned.

"This report is incomplete due to the indifference on the part of the officials during our probe into the case. There are lot more cases of misuse of the state vehicles than we could find," said Homnath Dahal, SAC chairman while presenting the report.

The report says that unauthorized people were also found to be using these types of vehicles and there was no records available in many of these offices.

These offices were also found to have paid out hundreds of thousands of rupees in renting vehicles for use and buying new vehicles to replace old ones that could have been put into operation through small repairs.