Cabinet expansion likely next week

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KATHMANDU, Sept 26 - Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba could expand his 13- member Cabinet as early as Monday, sources close to him said Wednesday.

Since taking over power in July, Prime Minister Deuba has kept the Cabinet to a minimum number keeping over half a dozen ministries under him.

With the fiscal budget approved and the current parliamentary Session almost prorogued, the path has been paved for Deuba to make the expansion. The number in the Cabinet could be as much as 34, but the final list will be announced only next week.

The expansion comes after the appointments made by President of the ruling Nepali Congress (NC) Girija Prasad Koirala on Tuesday naming five of his supporters as new members to the Central Working Committee (CWC), the party’s apex body, and making appointments to many other important positions in the party.

One member in the anti-Koirala camp accused him of bullying through with the appointments and this would actually help Prime Minister Deuba appoint his supporters in the party to ministerial berths.

"The party President may be authorised to do anything he pleases and yet he won’t be held accountable for his actions. However, as the government keeps watch on each and every of his moves he cannot act irrationally," said a minister in the Deuba government refusing to be named.

Besides the CWC members, he has also filled other important positions in the party. Majority of the appointees are either his supporters or close aides. Koirala appointed Govind Raj Joshi as the Joint General Secretary, Mahanta Thakur as Treasurer and Arjun Narsingh K.C. as the party spokesman.

Koirala’s move has drawn sharp criticism from his opponents in the party, who accuse him of continuing his tendency to fill the party position with his own people ensuring a grip on the party while suppressing the "minority voice."

Koirala’s opponents say that it was the doing of Sushil Koirala, who has turned the party President into a rubber stamp figure and is moving the party his way.

"There were no consultations held in the party before the move was made and this has clearly drawn a demarcation in the party at a time when unity in the party was necessary," one senior party member said. "This is not helping the situation in the party instead it is widening the crack already existing between the two factions."

Error-ridden mark-sheets surprise higher secondary students

By Nitya Nanda Timsina

KATHMANDU, Sept 26 – There can be printing errors in a few mark-sheets, there can as well be spelling errors in some mark-sheets, but there cannot be gross errors in hundreds of them.

Hundreds of students Wednesday protested against the massive irregularities in the mark-sheets issued by the Higher Secondary Education Board (HSEB) this year.

These irregularities in the mark-sheets came to light on Monday when the HSEB dispatched the mark-sheets to the concerned schools. "This shows how incompetent and irresponsible the government offices could be ," said a principal, requesting anonymity.

This has been a routine error, said an education expert who warned that the education system in Nepal will no longer be able to keep up its international profile in quality teaching as they have failed to offer credible certificates to the undergraduates, let alone graduates.

Controller of Examinations of HSEB Amir Pandey admitted that there have been two kinds of errors- technical and human- but he put all the responsibilities on the students for the errors. He said that the students used to enter their symbol numbers and names wrongly during the registration.

"We are trying to correct all the errors in future but the students must enter their correct numbers," Pandey said, adding, "There might be some technical as well as human errors as we have to go through over 300,000 entries."

However, the HSEB office has recruited around 50 employees for the entry of marks on the sheets. Though the manpower is more than enough, it took more than the required time to dispatch the mark-sheets this year, said a high school teacher. "This has also affected the students seeking admissions into colleges in India and abroad."

Though the mark-sheets of the grade 12 students came a month earlier, the mark-sheets of the 11th grade were delayed by a month this year. And many of the mark-sheets were marked incorrectly.

Controller Pandey claimed that the errors occurred due to the limited time because of the frequent general strike and the increase in number of students in grade 11 too contributed to this.

According to the HSEB, number of students enrolled in the last academic year in 10+2 was 72,000, up by 44,000 from the previous academic year.

Though the exact statistics encompassing the number of error-ridden entries in the mark-sheets are not available, several students, principals and guardians claimed that 10-20 percent of the mark-sheets has wrong figures this year.

These wrong figures on the mark-sheets and innumerable spelling errors will surely tarnish the Nepalese education sector, says an academician.

In one of the mark-sheets belonging to a grade-11 student of National Vision H.S. School, the address of the school is entered as "Newnabeshwor" instead of "Newbaneshwor." Similarly, another student Niren Shrestha was entered as Niresh Shrestha. "This type of error is highly unacceptable," said Pooja Poudyal, a 11th grade student.

HSEB also went on to record "absent" for the subjects appeared by the students. One such example is Bedana Devkota, a science student, who appeared for her chemistry exam. But she got a rude shock when she received her mark-sheet, which made her absent on the subject.

Many grade-11 students were dazed and shocked to receive the others’ mark-sheets on Monday, which were dispatched by the Controller of Examinations office. This release of error-ridden mark-sheets has further jolted the higher secondary education, which has been in the news for lacking well-qualified teachers and proper infrastructures.

‘Any military action should be based on UN Charter’

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KATHMANDU, Sept 26 – Any military action against terrorism should be based on the UN Charter and recognized norms of international laws, a Chinese diplomat said here today.

"The military action should have a valid evidence and specific targets," counsellor at the Chinese Embassy in Kathmandu Zhang Tiegen said here at a programme today to mark the 52nd anniversary of the founding of the People’s Republic of China.

Terrorism has become a major threat to the world peace and security, Zhang said at a programme jointly organised by Nepal-China Friendship Association and International Forum Nepal.

Zhang’s remarks have come at a time when the world is anxiously awaiting the possible US action against Afghanistan, for giving refuge to Osama bin Laden, the prime suspect in the September 11 attacks on the twin towers of World Trade Center in New York and Pentagon in Washington.

He also said that China opposes all sorts of international terrorism in any part of the world. "International cooperation is of vital necessity and urgency in the fight against terrorism."

Zhang lauded friendly, sound, stable and sustained relationship between Nepal and China. He also reiterated the Chinese government’s stand of non-interference in internal affairs of other countries. "No matter what happens in Nepal, China will consistently be Nepal’s good friend and good neighbour, and will always respect Nepal’s national Independence and sovereignty."

Chairman of the State Council Keshar Jang Rayamajhi termed the friendly relationship between Nepal and China as the "strength of both the countries."

"Despite upheavals in both the countries, our relation has always remained smooth and undisturbed," Rayamajhi said.

Former Prime Minister Kirtinidhi Bista hailed China’s policy of non-inteference in Nepal’s internal issues. Others expressing their views were Amrit Bohara of CPN (UML), C.P. Mainali and Siddhi Lal Singh of CPN (ML), Narayan Man Bijukchhe of Nepal Peasant and Workers Party and Purna Bahadur M.A., chairman of the Association.

Peace Talks should not be delayed: PM

KATHMANDU, Sept 26 (PR) - Representatives of the Maoist-aligned Nepal Farmer’s Association (Revolutionary) met Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba where he reportedly expressed concern on the delay in the peace talks.

General Secretary of the association Chitra Bahadur Shrestha said that the Prime Minister told them he wanted to resolve the issue though the peace talks and it should be held as soon as possible.

"We all are Nepali and there should not be killings between the Nepalis. Resolving the situation through peace talks is necessary," Deuba reportedly told them.

The second round of peace talks had ended in deadlock at a jungle resort in Bardia this month after the Maoists demanded abolition of Constitutional Monarchy and a new Constitution.

The third round that was expected to begin around this time has failed to materialize with both sides fueling accusations against each other.

Meanwhile, Deuba’s predecessor and President of the ruling Nepali Congress Girija Prasad Koirala today reiterated that the government would not bow down to the demand put forth by the Maoists. Koirala was addressing a gathering at Padma Kanya Campus on the occasion of the 88th birth anniversary of B.P. Koirala.

Hundreds march against untouchability

By Surendra Phuyal

DHANGADI, Kailali, Sept 26 – Hundreds of Dalits, the oppressed section considered by many as untouchables, marched side by side with people from the so-called upper caste through the dusty streets of Dhangadi demanding an end to the age-old social malaise of caste discrimination.

The marchers from Dhangadi municipality and surrounding villages chanted slogans against the practice of untouchability. The region is home to Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba, who had just recently announced the end to the practice of untouchability and programmes for upliftment of the thousands of Dalits scattered across the country.

At the end of the meet, the participants also sipped tea and munched on snacks together - a rare sight in a country like Nepal where 20,000 plus Dalits continue to be discriminated by the conservative upper caste.

Khem Raj Regmi, the mayor of Dhangadi municipality, and Narayan Dutta Mishra, president of Kailali District Development Committee (DDC) pledged to make Dhangadi a chhuwachhut rahit sahar, which literally means a town free from untouchability.

"End untouchability; develop the nation," chanted participants in the rally, that is being held for the first time in the living memory of most Dhangadians here.

Another huge banner held by the DDC President Mishra also welcomed the Prime Minister’s socio-economic reforms, announced in July.

"Untouchability is a social ill, which is all-pervasive in our country, and more so in the far-western region which is the Prime Minister’s region," Mishra told The Kathmandu Post as he marched through the city thoroughfares bearing the scorching noontime heat. "Now that the Prime Minister has pledged to empower women and uplift Dalits, we have to help him from all levels. We cannot develop our society, if we fail to eliminate caste-based discriminations … untouchability."

Like in most other parts of the country, Dalits make up 16 percent of the total population of Kailali, which has crossed 600,000, according to Census 2001. More than 80 percent of these people living in the fertile plains had migrated from the northern hills of Achham, Doti, Dailekh and Bajhang districts after 1950s.

Which is why, the problem of caste-based discrimination prevails mainly among the hill migrants who comprise of Dalits and non-Dalits, says Khadga Bahadur Chaudhari, of Chaumala area. Chaudharis, also called Tharus, are the indigenous people of the Terai who, however, have been outnumbered by the hill folks all over the Terai, due to the massive influx of the migrants.

"For us they (Dalits) are no problem," he says. "We share the same neighborhood and same water tap and even same table in the teashop."

However, Chaudhari’s neighbour Bhim Gautam says Dalits are a problem for many people in the region. Most of the people here even refuse to give them milk. It is superstition and it is deep-rooted here. The farther you go out the city area, more severe the problem is."

Locals said they were happy because their town saw the first such rally in their living memory and happy because both Dalits and non-Dalits walked hand in hand for the great social cause and happier still because the society was showing signs of change into a better one.

"This is a good start, I am witnessing it for the first time in my life. If everybody starts thinking this way then our society will definitely change," said Namsari Kami, 61.

A growing middle class fuels consumer boom

By Prem Khanal

KATHMANDU, Sept 26 - While writing the Communist Manifesto in 1848, Karl Marx never gave a thought to the powerful class between the bourgeois and the proletariat which would some day emerge to become the key player in economic development during the Twentieth Century.

The so-called middle class has indeed been identified by economists all over the world to be the engine of growth throughout the last 100 years. And the trend continues, not just in the more developed parts of the world but also nearer to home in South Asia, primarily India, which today boasts a middle class of over 300 million of its over 1 billion citizen.

With such a powerful bloc next door, Nepal cannot remain unaffected. And indeed since the 1980s a small but growing middle class is coming on to its own in this Himalayan Kingdom. Today, a host of businesses in Kathmandu and other urban areas, from banking services to consumer durables, are all targeted towards this section.

The reason is simple: thanks to economic liberalization winds blowing in South Asia and Nepal, the middle class today has enough income to throw at goods and services once deemed only for the rich. Take for instance banking services which is at the vanguard of the middle class boom by providing easy credit at affordable interest rates.

"Since it is difficult to arrange bulk investment for a middle class family, the financing scheme has been attractive for a fixed income consumer," says Michele Siddi Bajracharya, a mid level bank executive who recently bought a car thanks to easy credit.

There is no concrete data of just how large Nepal’s middle class is, but informal estimates put it as high as 40 percent of the total population. Income within this group varies widely, however. But despite that, this group remains the largest consumer of goods and services throughout the kingdom.

"Since the upper class itself is limited in number and the lower class is not in the position to stimulate the aggregate demand of the economy, it is only the middle class that has potential capacity to absorb goods and services," says Dr Shankar Sharma, Member of National Panning Commission.

Experts say, several factors are contributing to the growth of the middle class. The first and foremost is multi-party democracy which is providing new economic opportunities. The second is the economic liberalization, which first begun in Nepal in 1985, but did not take off until India began loosening restrictions in the early 1990s.

As the investment climate improved, more and more companies began setting up shop in Nepal to sell goods and services. The numerous private banks, airlines, shopping complexes, manufacturing industries, consumer durable industries are all testimony to this fact. They also brought in competent management, and alongwith it, regional-standard pay and benefits for their employees. As industries and other sectors began to compete with each other for qualified manpower, middle class professionals reaped the boom in added salaries and benefits. The trend still largely holds and is one of the other major reason why the middle class today, especially the professional class, has enough disposable income. As a result, sellers are lusting after this income. Most advertising in Nepal today, as elsewhere, is targeted towards this group for their purchasing capacity.

"Since more than 85 per cent of the our customers are from the middle class, not only our collection are middle class targeted but also advertisement schemes are also designed to address the class, " says B B Mishra, Marketing Chief of Rajeev International.

The car market in Nepal is also an indication of just how far the middle class has come. Once deemed the exclusive domain of the small percentage of filthy rich, cars have become the "in" thing for the middle class.

"It has been just over a year that the demand of the small cars from the middle class has shored up," says J R Bhandari, Vice President of Chaudhary Automotive Division. He further says that banking finance facilities has greatly enabled and attracted the middle class with a fixed income to look for a car.

The discerning middle class household is now further refining its taste to include credit cards, memberships at exclusive clubs and health centres, even touring the globe on holidays. These are services which are being offered right here in Nepal by businesses which have come up to cater to just such consumers.

While the story so far looks good, all is not well. With the rise in Maoist violence over the past few years and the resulting political and economic instability, business confidence in Nepal is hurting. And, according to experts, the middle class will be the first to suffer.