Govt in favour, ADB against STW subsidy

By Bhaskar Sharma

KATHMANDU, May 21 - The government and the Asian Development Bank (ADB), one of the major multilateral lending agencies to Nepal, have agreed to wait for the next two months before taking any concrete decision on the proposed reintroduction of subsidy in Shallow Tube Wells (STWs).

According to government sources, the ADB, at a meeting attended by the two sides at the Finance Ministry last Thursday, outright rejected to support the government’s plan to reintroduce subsidy in STWs that was scrapped last July. However, following a strong stand taken by the government at the meeting, a tentative agreement was reached to study the issue in detail for the next two months, he said.

Even Dr Richard Vokes, Resident Representative of the ADB, talking to The Kathmandu Post Monday, conceded that both the government and the ADB will study in detail the subsidy issue. "The study will take at least 6-8 weeks," he said.

The understanding to further study the impact of subsidy reintroduction was reached after both the government and the ADB stuck to their grounds. While the government is in favour of resuming subsidy in STWs, the ADB is against it.

Though the two sides have sat for a series of meetings in the past few weeks over the subsidy issue, it was only in the last meeting that the government defended the subsidy regime strongly, according to the source. The government’s arguments were based on a report prepared by the National Planning Commission (NPC) recently, said the source.

According to the report, which was made available to The Kathmandu Post, lack of subsidy has seriously dampened the demand for ground water systems, causing deceleration in Agriculture Gross Domestic Product (AGDP) growth which is a prerequisite for poverty reduction in a sustainable manner.

In addition, the report also argues that the performance of the past subsidy regime cannot be termed as a gross failure since almost four thousand STWs were being installed each year. Though there were inefficiencies, the report says, the negative aspects could have easily been corrected by introducing a flat rate of subsidy (per unit of the system by technology).

It was the ADB that had successfully coaxed the government to scrap subsidy in micro irrigation schemes during the signing of the Second Program Loan, under the 20-year Agriculture Perspective Plan (APP). The Bank had even threatened to withdraw its agriculture loan if the government moved forward with its subsidy ideas.

The ADB, prior to subsidy removal, had stressed that inadequate allocation of subsidy was hampering the supply STWs. It argued that removal of subsidy, resulting in greater private participation, would ensure higher demand of the micro irrigation scheme through higher supply.

However, against the ADB’s expectations, the installation of STWs, in the post subsidy removal period, declined depressingly, prompting the government to rethink over its earlier decision. Only 23 STWs (7 under process till April, 2001) were installed out of the targeted 4300 STWs this year, while only 1500 STWs were installed last year, out of the proposed 8800.

The report, among others, stresses that the STWs is the only viable alternative for the successful implementation of the Plan. Decline in the installation of STWs after the revocation of subsidy comes as a major damper to the mega-agriculture plan, which aims to revamp the stagnant agriculture sector and targets to irrigate 612,000 hectares of land during the plan period.

CIAA on verge of concluding Lauda case

Post Report

KATHMANDU, May 21 – The Commission for the Investigation of Authority (CIAA) went through a flurry of activities on the controversial Lauda Air deal just days before it was expected to reach a conclusion.

The question before the CIAA is whether or not to file a case against Prime Minister Girija Prasad Koirala.

Last Wednesday, high level sources at the Commission said that the anti-corruption body was likely to reach its verdict on the controversial RNAC-Lauda Air deal "by Tuesday".

Today, two RNAC officials, U P Upadhyaya, Director of Finance and R R Upadhyaya, former Director of Marketing (now posted in the Executive Chairman’s office) were called by the Commission answer questions related to the infamous deal. CIAA also called former Civil Aviation Minister Tarini Datt Chataut and two Board members Gaurinath Sharma and Siddharaj Joshi. Both the Upadhyayas were in the CIAA office for nearly eight hours.

On May 2, CIAA had sent a "sealed questionnaire" to PM Koirala to which the latter also sent a sealed answer the very next day, challenging the jurisdiction of the constitutional body to question Cabinet decisions. The PM also answered the five questions asked by the CIAA on the infamous Lauda B-767 jet deal.

The CIAA has already ordered the detention of former RNAC Executive Chairman Hari Bhakta Shrestha and the Board member Tirthalal Shrestha on April 26. The duo are in custody at Hanumandhoka Police Station ever since. The Commission has also asked former Minister Chataut to submit his passport and has barred him from leaving the capital without its permission.

Business community pleads to call off bandh

Post Report

KATHMANDU, May 21 - Business leaders and tourism entrepreneurs today pointed out that the six left parties should call off their forthcoming 3-day bandh program as it will adversely affect the life of the general people and cause a tremendous loss to the economy.

President of the Federation of Nepalese Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FNCCI) Pradeep Kumar Shrestha said that just a-day-bandh could cause a heavy loss to the economy . He said that the bandhs should be put to a stop forever for which all political parties should agree. "Such bandhs are sending very negative messages internationally," Shrestha said.

Dr Badri Prasad Shrestha, an economist, said that bandh is a political problem which could not be solved merely by presenting statistical data and stating what loss it would cause to the economy. He said that most political parties are going for agitational politics rather than constructive politics. "No political parties have called for bandh demanding that the government solve problems like unemployment," Shrestha said.

Speaking further at a face to face program organised by the Reporters’ Club, Shrestha said that the survey carried out by Himal Magazine showed that the democracy was under threat from political parties and its leaders. "So understanding and agreement is required between the political parties," he said.

Tourism entrepreneur Karna Shakya, one who has contributed a lot in the tourism sector, said that he has never been so pessimistic in his life regarding the situation of the country.

"It is high time that Prime Minister Girija Prasad Koirala considering the present worsening situation should resign," said Shakya. He even said that all opposition parties going for bandh just to over throw one person, without giving consideration to how bandh would affect the general people, was not fair.

"There is no need to justify what negative impact bandh will have upon the economy," Shakya added.

CPN-UML lawmaker and an economist Dilli Raj Khanal said that the loss caused by a bandh is negligible as compared to the loss the economy is bearing due to existing corruption and government’s inefficiency. "The existing deteriorating economy is not due to bandh," he said.

"Who is responsible for the monthly loss of about Rs 75 million the RNAC is undergoing?" argued Khanal.

The only solution for the current problem is Prime Minister Koirala’s resignation as he is responsible for all ills in the country. He said that how can the Prime Minister’s challenge to the CIAA be justified when he himself had said that he would not untime premiership even for a moment if CIAA would point at him.

Minister of State for Industry, Commerce and Supplies Krishna Prasad Sitaula questioned why the opposition parties are giving troubles to the general people by resorting to bandh. He requested the opposition parties to reconsider their bandh program.

"There is no reason why Koirala should resign now as the CIAA has only sought some information from him and not has accused him," said Sitaula.

Govt accused of violating int'l law

Post Report

KATHMANDU, May 21 – A United Kingdom-based anti-slavery organization today said that the government has violated international laws by not rehabilitating the former Kamaiyas, and expressed serious concerns on the plight of the homeless ex-bonded laborers languishing in the crowded camps in western Nepal.

"Before the landlords cheated the former Kamaiyas, now the government of Nepal has cheated the ex-Kamaiyas.," Mike Dottridge, the Director of the London-based Anti-Slavery International (ASI) told reporters here Monday." It has also violated the international laws by not rehabilitating them."

When asked to elaborate, Dottridge said that the government has violated the International Convention on Slavery and Slave trade of 1956 and two major covenants associated with the Universal Declaration on Human Rights, and added that the government of Nepal is a signatory of these international laws.

Speaking at an interaction program with journalists and intellectuals, he also warned that the armed uprising of the Maoists could influence them. "They have got fed up living in crowded camps. They might return to bonded labor if they are not resettled…and the armed insurgents could take advantage of them."

The government liberated nearly 200,000 Kamaiyas (NGO estimates), who were working as bonded laborers to pay off the debts owed by their fathers and forefathers, in a landmark decision on July 17, 2000. The former Kamaiyas, however, have not been rehabilitated yet, although efforts are underway to do so.

Dottridge also called on the government to pass the legislation that may be necessary to resettle the former bonded laborers of the five districts of the far- and mid-western Nepal – Banke, Bardia, Dang, Kailali and Kanchanpur. He and his local associates with the Martin Chautari, who visited the ex-Kamaiya camps in Banke and Bardia districts last week also spelled out the need to provide them with shelter with rainy season approaching nearer.

The government has assured to provide each of the ex-Kamaiya families with five katthas of land and Rs 5,000, but the Kamaiya activists today said that the work is far from done.

A parliamentary committee that visited the site to take stock of the situation a few months ago suggested the government to empower the existent rehabilitation committees and provide them with necessary relief materials. According to the members of parliament’s (Upper House’s) Social Justice Committee, the ex-Kamaiyas continue to remain landless mainly in the western districts of Banke, Bardia and Kailali, where the concentration of the ex-Kamaiyas is high.

Four women rescued from clutches of traffickers

By Subas Risal

KATHMANDU, May 21 – Four young women were "rescued" from the clutches of two women traffickers who were attempting to sell the girls to a brothel in India.

Navaraj Lamsal alias ‘Phiste Patrakar’, 20, and Deepak Thapa, 18, both from Dhading district were caught red-handed with the four young women while staying in a hotel in Pune. The four women, ranging in age between 15 - 20, were about to be sold to a local brothel in Pune.

Both the culprits have confessed to the crime. Lamsal boasted that he had so far sold 14 girls to various Indian brothels. Thapa, meanwhile, had sold three girls thus far.

Lamsal said that they were intercepted by the activists of Maiti Nepal while staying at the Sri Krishna Lodge in Pune, India. "I used to sell the girls to the same brothel because brothel owner, Sushma Jogi, had assured me that she would send me to Japan if I bring as much girls as possible."

According to Lamsal, brothel-owner Jogi, is originally from Nuwakot district and is responsible for compelling many innocent girls into commercial sex work.

Likewise, Deepak Thapa also confessed that he has till now been responsible for selling three naive girls in the brothel of Pune." I assured all the girls that they will lead a good life if they accompany me to India and I easily sold them for Rs 15000 each," he confessed.

Thapa also said it is easy to lure the illiterate girls since they are not aware of the consequences. "All of the girls I sold are illiterate."

They both regretted the act saying that they are ready to face even the death penalty. According to those who know the duo, Lamsal was studying at Saraswati Campus in Kathmandu when he joined the gang involved in girl trafficking. He has been detained several times in theft cases.

According to General Secretary of Maiti Nepal, Bishwo Ram Khadka, the two traffickers were under observation for quite some time after the parents of some of the girls lodged police complaints when their daughters went missing in Pokhara. "After their parents lodged a complaint regarding their missing daughters, they sought our help. Since then we have been following them," Khadka said.

Maiti Nepal officials said that one of their own colleagues disguised himself as a trafficker to follow the crime duo to India. Bal Krishna Acharya, who operated under cover, said, "I disguised myself as a trafficker which helped me a lot in informing the police about the crime."

Women trafficking is a major problem in Nepal. Many innocent girls are tricked by the traffickers and are sold to brothels in India. Reportedly, the girls who are trafficked are subjected to both physical and mental torture to force them into flesh trade. But in recent years, activists and police from both sides of the border have begun co-operating in rescue efforts. The latest case is just one such example.

Villagers attempt to bridge the digital divide

By Nitya Nanda Timsina

KATHMANDU, May 21- When Tuk Man Pahadi of Lamjung heard about computer for the first time, he mistook it for an advance version of the radio. Today, he is at home using Paintbrush, MS-DOS, Internet and spreadsheet programs.

Pahadi learnt the fundamentals of computer in just about 45 days, thanks to computer literacy training he is undergoing. "He can handle much tougher version once the three-month training is over," says his instructor sitting by his side.

The 40 year-old Lamjung resident is just one of several villagers from eight rural districts who are undergoing a crash course in computers. Hailing from Lamjung, Rolpa, Solukhumbu, Dang, Gorkha, Tanahu, Dhading and Bajura, these rural folks are at the vanguard of a new move which, if successful, could take the fruits of Information Technology (IT) to some of the poorest areas of this country.

Being computer savvy, has become more urgent in these times, Pahadi and his colleagues say. With the International Labour Organisation (ILO) warning in January that countries failing to harness the use of Internet would lose out economically, a small group of good samaritans are trying to take the fruits of IT to the villages, thanks to an initiative taken by World Computers Exchange, a US-based company.

"We are readying for the inevitable to come: the Digital Divide," says Hari Bhakta Adhikari, MP from Lamjung, one of the few MPs to realise the importance of the IT technology. A new zeal drives the locals to bridge the digital divide. And, to cope with this, a group of teachers from 73 districts are getting computer training in the Capital.

The US-based company has offered computers to about 100 public schools to face the challenges of the future technology, says Ang Dawa Sherpa, chairman of the Friends of Solukhumbu. It is equally heartening to see women from these far-flung districts travelling to the Capital city, just to equip themselves with the latest technology.

"I was teaching Nepali back in Dhading, now I will be teaching computer after my training," said Prem Kumari Malla, a teacher who confesses that she had never seen a computer before. "I had only heard that such thing did exist," she adds.

Thanks largely to the National Consortium and Committee for Promotion of Public Awareness and Development Studies (COPPADES), who with the help of the International donor has helped to bring about this change in their lives.

For those behind this novel idea, they have a vision to take the technology to the remotest parts of Nepal notwithstanding hardships and technical expertise. "To begin with, we are determined to provide at least five computers to each 73 public schools," said Dikendra Kandel of COPPADES.

World Computer Exchange, a non-profit organisation based in the US working towards bridging the digital divide has donated 380 computers for the purpose.

These computers will be distributed to around 73 public schools. However, only 75 per cent of the target school have access to electricity. The locals along with NGOs working in the districts are expected to chip in to help buy generators to run the computers.

The National Consortium had entered in an agreement with the World Computers Exchange last October. And, this novel idea would see at least 20,000 students from remote districts appearing for computer exams by the next academic session.

Deadbody of one of the 12 missing found in Trishuli

Post Report

CHITWAN, May 21 - One of the bodies of the 12 people who went missing in the swollen Trishuli river near Mugling on Friday has been recovered this afternoon downstream of the river near Simaltal, police here said.

The first body recovered by the police has been identified as Kavita Poudel, daughter of Prem Prasad Poudel, from Hetauda Municipality-9.

Eight of the 12 people to be drowned into the snow-fed river were from the same family - mother, daughters, son, grand daughter and son-in-law.

The family members were travelling in the truck laden with iron rods to take part in a marriage ceremony of their relative in Naubise, Dhadhing.

Police and locals have been trying to find out the bodies of other people but to no avail.

On Sunday, a crane pulled out the back part of the drowned truck but it fell again into the river after the tow-chain split off.

Chief District Officer in Chitwan, Durga Prasad Bhandari, said that another crane would be brought to the accident site to carry out the rescue operation.

‘More JVT teams needed’

Post Report

BHADRAPUR, May 21 - The Bhutanese Refugee Repatriation Committee (BRRC) on Monday demanded that more verification teams should be formed to speed-up the verification process.

The Nepal-Bhutan Joint Verification Team (JVT), with its field office in Damak, Jhapa, started verifying Bhutanese refugees from Khudunabari-based camp on March 26.

According to the statistics available from the JVT Office, a total of 2,484 people from 401 families have been verified as of Monday.

A press statement issued by BRRC Chairman, SB Subba, said that more verification teams should be formed reviewing the working experience of the present team, so that a large number of families could be verified at a time.

Currently, a single JVT has been verifying around 10 families every day, except on public holidays, at its Damak-based field office. The JVT was formed following the 10 rounds of joint ministerial level talks held in Kathmandu during the fourth weeks of November 2000.

The press release addressed to Chief District Officer, Jhapa, Sushil Jung Rana and Dr. Sonam Tenzing, the JVT team leaders representing Nepal and Bhutan respectively, stated that though refugees are hopeful of their repatriation to their homeland, they are equally concerned over the slow pace of the current verification process.

Chairman Subba has also made an appeal to the Foreign Ministers of Nepal and Bhutan to add more verification teams in order to expedite the refugee verification process.

"Both the countries should be serious to settle the long standing refugee problem and the refugees should be allowed to return home with dignity," the press release said, adding that the committee had no intention to take any non-Bhutanese back home.

Around 100,000 Bhutanese refugees have been living in misery in the seven refugee camps in eastern Nepal since the Druk regime forcibly evicted people of Nepali origin a decade ago under a ethnic cleansing policy.