" Elders of Nepal - Our Pride "

House passes Amendment Motion tabled by NC Special Session positive: Speaker

BY A STAFF REPORTER
Kathmandu, Dec. 22:The House of Representatives today approved the Nepali Congress amended motion to the resolution moved by the Main Opposition Communist Party of Nepal (UML) against price hike with a majority.

The amended resolution motion has been passed as the majority of MPs supported it, said Speaker Taranath Ranabhat announcing the result of the motion decided through voice vote.

The amended resolution tabled by NC Whip Tek Bahadur Chokhyal urges the government to take immediate steps to provide relief to the people affected by the rise in the prices of diesel, kerosene, chemical fertilizers and electricity tariff by designing and implementing necessary programmes.

The amended resolution also directs the government to launch management reforms so as to minimise the difficulties faced by the people.

Earlier, Prime Minister Krishna Prasad Bhattarai furnished his replies to the House on the Main Opposition sponsored resolution, the amendments made on it and the issues raised during the discussion. He assured the House of implementing the suggestions of the legislators as far as possible.

"I hope the assurances given the Prime Minister will be fulfilled soon," said Ranabhat, declaring the House verdict. The Speaker called the special session the beginning of a new and positive tradition and expressed the hope that such a culture would continue in the future to solve the problems of the people.

"As Speaker, I am proud and happy," said Ranabhat winding up the special session that discusses matters of public concern for the first time.

As we are entering a new millennium shortly, it is very important to push ahead with new vision and resolutions. Our Parliament should not remain an exception to this necessity. At this backdrop, it is heartening that we took the issue of the people to this supreme institution and came up with a solution, said the Speaker.

The Main Opposition leader and CPN-UML General Secretary Madhav Kumar Nepal tabled the resolution motion at the House on Monday asking the government to withdraw its recent decision to hike the price of petroleum fuel, chemical fertilizer and electricity tariff.

NC’s Chokhyal tabled his amendment to the Main Opposition’s resolution motion against price rise on Monday. Pashupati Shumshere Rana of Rastriya Prajatantra Party (RPP), Naba Raj Subedi of Rastriya Jana Morcha (RJM), Hridayesh Tripathy of Nepal Sadbhavana Party (NSP) and Lilamani Pokhrel of Samyukta Jana Morcha (SJM) also presented their amendment motions on the same day.

The House extensively deliberated on the UML resolutions and amendment motions on Monday and Tuesday.

Today’s House session rejected the amended motions to the UML resolution tabled in the House by Rana, Subedi, Tripathy and Pokhrel.

The special House session that began on December 14 ended today with the resolution verdict.

His Majesty the King summoned the special session of Parliament in accordance with Article 53 (3) of the Constitution on December 7 after 60 CPN-UML lawmakers made a submission for the same. Under this Article, one fourth of the lawmakers, that is 52 in the 205 member House, can petition to summon the special session with the objective of discussing an important issue.

This is the first special House session to discuss non-political issue. Before this, six special sessions of the House were called since 1993 but the parties concentrated their move at unseating the government.

Nepal, China forum to hold its third meeting

Kathmandu, Dec 22 (RSS):The third meeting of the Nepal-China non-governmental cooperation forum is to be held here on December 27 and 28.

The meeting will be participated in by a delegation of Chinese entrepreneurs, businessmen and investors led by vice-chairman of the national committee of the Chinese people’s political consultative conference Jing Suping.

An advance party of the delegation is arriving here today. The team will visit the Balaju and Hetauda industrial districts and participate in a function to be organised by the Makwanpur Chamber of Commerce and Industry, according to the Federation of Nepalese Chambers of Commerce and Industry.

The Chinese delegation will hold one to one meetings with Nepalese businessmen and entrepreneurs to discuss likely areas for investment in Nepal and potential items for trade between the two countries.

The sectors in which the Chinese have shown interest in investing in Nepal include steel, cement, textiles, hydro-electricity, tourism, agro-industry, health and medicine, food processing, hotels and restaurants, wool and ready-made garments, light industries, herbs, soaps and detergent powder, silk, shoes and information technology.

Similarly, items in which the Chinese wish to trade include coke and pig iron, textiles, Tibetan medicines, electrical products, telephones, pagers, liquor and cellular phones.

The meeting of the Nepal-China non-governmental cooperation forum is expected to be fruitful for attracting Chinese investment to Nepal and expanding trade and economic ties between the two countries.

During its stay here, the delegation is to meet with the Prime Minister, the Foreign Minister, the governor of the central bank, officials of the FNCCI and others and also visit various touristic sites.

The Nepal-China non-governmental cooperation forum was formed in June l996 to further expand the areas of bilateral trade, investment and economic cooperation. The forum is also carrying out a study on the promotion of bilateral trade and industry.

According to FNCCI, the meeting will review the progress made after the second meeting, Chinese investment in Nepal and bilateral trade, and make recommendations on joint investment.

Govt to mitigate price rise burden: PM

Kathmandu, Dec. 22 (RSS):Prime Minister Krishna Prasad Bhattarai has said that His Majesty’s Government is alert so that no unnecessary burden is laid on the people due to the price increase made in some goods by the corporations recently.

Prime Minister made this remark while replying questions raised during the discussions on the censure motion put forward by the leader of the main opposition party Madhav Kumar Nepal and the amendment proposals made.

The Prime Minister said it is clear to all that the decision which caused burden to the people was not taken by the government elected by the people’s mandate but by the compelling situation.

Mr. Bhattarai assured the people that all efforts will be made to minimise the burden by making improvements on the all aspects including the management of the concerned corporations as well as encouraging employment promotion by increasing the income level while respecting the concern and the spirit shown by the members of Parliament.

He also made it clear that HMG is prepared to work inaccordance with consensus by holding discussions with the representatives of all the political parties as well as the concerned committees of the Parliament.

Dwelling on the reasons for the increase made in electricity tariff, the Prime Minister said the increase in electricity tariff had to be made as a huge amount of money was needed to generate, transmit and distribute electricity to meet the growing demand for electricity, expand rural electrification works as only 15 per cent of the people enjoyed electricity facility, complete the ongoing projects in time, increase production of electricity in order to provide electricity to all the people at a time when improvement have taken place in the economy after the present majority government came to power.

At present Rs 3/78 paisa per unit has been charged to the economically disadvantaged clients who consume only 20 unit of electricity per month. This is Rs 2/72 less than the rate paid by other household clients. Concession of Rs 8 is given to those clients who pay their bills in time, he added.

No adverse impact will be allowed in the agricultural and industrial sector due to the adjustments made in the electricity tariff, he said, adding that about 50 per cent concession is being provided to the farmers using electricity for irrigation purpose. Similar arrangement have been made for the drinking water and transportation, the Prime Minister said, adding that arrangement will be made to provide additional concession for the electricity used for irrigation, transportation and health sector during off-peak time.

There is no rational in increasing the price of industrial goods as concessions have been provided in the electricity used for industrial purposes, the Prime Minister clarified.

Arrangement have been made to provide 30 per cent concession to the industrial and business houses and hotels in the off-peak hour, Mr Bhattarai said, adding that a follow-up will be made if any industry has increased the prices of its goods on the pretext of the increase in electricity tariff.

He said that improvements will be made in the management of the Nepal Electricity Authority, the names of major clients who have to pay huge amounts of electricity tariff will be published and money recovered from them, and the electricity lines of such individuals and corporations not clearing their arrears will be cut.

Regarding the MPs’ concern over the removal of the foodgrain depots, Mr. Bhattarai said an alternative arrangement has been made to provide foodgrain to the sectors concerned in smooth manner.

The Prime Minister also disclosed that arrangements for a national food security reserve of 40,000 metric tonnes will be made in different parts of the Kingdom

The Prime Minister also informed that a relief programme will be run for the people from the saving made from the proposed reform programmes such as curtailing the management expenses of the Nepal Oil Corporation and setting up of the oil pool.

Mr Bhattarai said directives have been issued to the concerned administrative bodies to strictly implement the fixed transportation fare and not to let the transport entrepreneurs charge more fare.

Prime Minister Bhattarai expressed confidence that agricultural production will increase because of the 47 per cent increase in the supply of chemical fertilisers in the current fiscal year as compared to the previous year as result of the government’s policy of encouraging the private sector to import and sell chemical fertilisers.

Stating that the Members of Parliament have expressed grave concern over the price hike of the goods used by the general public, Mr Bhattarai said that suggestions provided by the MPs would help the government in controlling prices.

Disclosing that HMG has been monitoring the market prices of 37 consumer goods consumed by the general public after the presentation of the budget in the current fiscal year, the Prime Minister said that the prices of 12 consumer goods have reduced, the price of eight consumer goods increased and 17 have remained stable.

Welcoming the views that no unjustifiable agreements should be carried out with the foreign donors which add burden to the life of the general public, the Prime Minister said that the government would give attention to this factor in the future.

Prime Minister Bhattarai also expressed gratitude to the leader of the opposition party and other members of the parliaments for drawing the attention of the government in topics like the price rise which directly affects the life of the general public and helps the government to move ahead cautiously while making economic reforms.

Law against power theft likely

BY NAVIN SINGH KHADKA
Kathmandu, Dec. 22:As Nepal Electricity Authority continues to be helpless on the massive theft of electricity it distributes, Ministry of Water Resources is drafting a legislation to check the leakage that has run into millions of rupees loss the public enterprise has been incurring every year.

If all goes well, the draft Act will be tabled in the upcoming winter session of the Parliament. The document will have to acquire the Royal Seal before the authority, backed by the Unauthorised Leakage of Electricity Control Act, starts cracking down on the defaulters.

Under its present legal provision, all that NEA can do is disconnect the transmission line and penalise the offender. "The existing arrangement does not recognise electricity theft as a crime," says Biswanath Sapkota, Secretary at the Ministry of Water Resources (MoWR). "Therefore, there is rampant practice of thieving electricity using many devices."

According to the chief bureaucrat at the ministry, the new Act will treat those found involved in electricity theft cases as criminals. "The legislation will have the provision of punishing the offenders considering their offence as a social crime."

NEA’s net system loss accounts to 23.45 per cent of its 317 MW peak load interconnected system. The figure had dropped to 22.5 per cent during the last fiscal year before it marked a slight rise this year. What’s more, the authority has failed to live up to its earlier made commitment: Bringing down the loss to 20 per cent by July 1999.

One percent of leakage means loss of 14 million units of electricity that sends Rupees 70 million down the gutter.

Of the total leakage, NEA officials say, around 15 percent is the technical loss attributed to its faulty distribution and transmission systems — something said to be inevitable in the power sector. International markets have established 10 per cent of the total generation as standard technical loss.

The major portion of the remaining 10 per cent NEA’s loss, the authority believes, is the result of unchecked theft of power. Modest calculation shows that the non-technical loss amounts to almost a whooping one billion rupees. Illegal connection with the authority’s grid, manipulating the electric meter’s functioning, tampering of meter-reading, among other factors, have all ganged up to send the leakage graph rising.

NEA retains the sole authority of power distribution through its national grid even as the private sector has already had official go-ahead to generate and transmit electricity.

With its across the Kingdom distribution network, the sole authorised body has black listed some of the areas with exceptional non-technical loss. "Bhaktapur has recorded as high as 70 per cent of loss while some areas of Patan have shown 50 per cent leakage," senior officials at the MoWR say.

Equipped with the total electric energy of 1,373 GWh, NEA caters to above 600,000 customers — 15 per cent of the national population — annually. It earned around five billion rupees as net sale of electricity last year.

Informed sources claim that the leakage also involves some manpower of the authority who allegedly have been providing technical support to the offenders. "In most of the cases, power cannot be thieved without the involvement of the technical staff of the concerned agency," says a senior official at the MoWR.

While the officialdom is pinning its hope on the Act, which, they believe, will bring the non technical loss to zero level, others have reservations. "More than the legislation it is the political will that can be more effective to battle the problems like electricity leakage," says Girish Kharel, an independent power producer.

RPP, RPP (Chand) come closer

BY A STAFF REPORTER

Kathmandu, Dec. 22:Both factions of Rastriya Prajatantra Party (RPP) have moved a step closer with the nascent party endorsing attempts aimed at impending re-merger, officials said.

RPP (Chand), formed following break-up from the parent RPP (Thapa) last year, has mandated Party President Lokendra Bahadur Chand to decide the unification deal, the party said in a statement following today’s crucial central working committee meeting.

"All powers have been delegated to leader Chand," the statement said. The Chand faction hopes their move today would prompt the mainstream RPP to take a similar decision to pave the way for speedy unification.

The merger, which stresses "democratic alternative" to ruling Nepali Congress and main opposition Communist Party of Nepal (UML), could take about two weeks, according to Dr Prakash Chandra Lohani.

RPP’s central working committee will make the official decision early next week as talks are being handled at the steering committee level, Lohani said. "The steering committee, which comprises seven members including the party President, has decided that the two parties should unite to emerge as alternative to NC and UML after assessing their performance during the last six months after the election," Lohani said.

The unification will take place entirely on the basis of the Birgunj conference, which gives de facto powers to the Party President as he also becomes the Parliamentary Leader, he said.

The outlines ratified during the Birgunj conference two years ago scrap Co-Chairmanship, the post created to adjust Rajeshwar Devkota when RPP Chand and RPP Thapa were unified in 1992 as both factions witnessed a poor showing in the first parliamentary election of 1991.

Lohani said the details for unification remained largely left out and would be worked out at later stages. On Wednesday, however, RPP Chand’s General Secretary Padma Sundar Lawati said both sides were positive about creating a dignified place for Chand himself. "I think the Party Leader post, which Chand occupied before, will be retained. But there is no provision for Co-chairmanship."

RPP sources indicated that the re-merger would not expand the central working committee, which consists of 41 members. Lohani said both sides would have their dignified representation in the new central committee even as other sources indicated the breakaway faction would have 40 per cent say in the new committee.

RPP Chand, which pitted candidates in all 205 constituencies, faced virtual rout in the third parliamentary election in May this year even as the party managed to retain the national party status by winning over three per cent votes.

RPP Thapa returned with 11 seats, establishing itself as the third largest force in the House, where Congress party controls 113 seats and UML 69 seats. The unification would only increase their vote percentage as there are no election in sight.

Labour market hit as real estate business nosedives

BY A STAFF REPORTER,
Kathmandu, Dec. 22:In the first two decades of his career as a housepainter, Dilip Dawadi experienced no problem finding employment in Kathmandu valley. However, the scenario turned upside down making jobs scarce for him. In the recent years, the valley’s blooming real estate business has witnessed slowdown resulting in virtual halt to the generation of new works for thousands of construction labourers like Dawadi.

"In my 26-year long career, the last five years have proved to be the hardest for me to find jobs," Dawadi says. Until half decade back, the housepainter-turned-petty contractor used to employ dozens of housepainters under him; his business as well as income were thriving. But not anymore. "I encouraged my old acquaintances to find works elsewhere with a promise to invite them back to work together when things change for better," he says.

In last half a decade the real estate business in the capital valley has taken a nosedive. The data provided by Land Registration Department reveals the sale of land in Kathmandu sunk dramatically in the last three years. Considering fiscal year 1993/94 as the base year, land registration in Kathmandu valley decreased by 8.8 per cent in 1995/96, which further slumped by 25.5 per cent in the subsequent year to land up with a decrease of 11 per cent in fiscal year 1997/98.

"In last 4-5 years sale of land suffered a virtual desist slowing down the construction of private houses, the largest employer of construction workers in the valley," says another housepainter Manohari Shivakoti who has been staying idle since last six months. He, for the first time in his 14-year career in Kathmandu, was compelled to travel outside valley to find work. According to him the Terai, the plain belt in southern Nepal, and hill districts blooming as new tourist destinations offer more commendable pick for construction workers.

The plummeting manufacturing index speaks out another supporting testimony of sluggish state of the real estate business in the valley. According to Rastra Bank statistics, manufacture of construction materials like cement, iron and steel, bricks and electrical goods continuously moved downward in the recent years.

In about recent six years, Nepalese economy suffered persistently rising inflation, bouts of currency devaluation and worsening employment state. The central bank data reveals that in fiscal years 1996/97 the inflation rate was over 5 per cent, it reached around 7 per cent in the following year while it hit the 11.8 per cent mark in the last fiscal year. The subsequent price hike in consumer goods drained the savings of Kathmanduites dry preventing them from investing in real estate as open handily as before.

President of the International Real Estate Federation, Nepal Chapter Buddhi Narayan Shrestha confirms that the lack of real estate buyers caused by weakening purchasing power of Nepalese currency and other economic constraints is hindering hand changes of plots and housing units in Kathmandu. "The flow of capital in the market is insignificant," he said. He also noted that due to lack of buyers the price in real estate dipped down by 40 per cent in recent four years.

CUPEC Nepal, a trade union of construction workers, sources claim that apart from sluggish real estate business, the unchecked inflow of cheaper foreign workers is also snatching away employment opportunities of Nepalese workers. CUPEC Nepal President Jitendra Shrestha says the free influx of foreign workers is robbing the Nepalese workers off their employment as well as their capacity to bargain collectively.

Facilitated by traditional ties, geographical proximity and open border, workers from across the southern border are competing with Nepalese labourers for semi-skilled and skilled works available in construction spheres. An International Labour Organisation report published in 1997 warns though net Nepal-India migration of workers is zero, unrestricted flow of Indian workers is discouraging skill development of Nepalese workers and creating tougher competition for semi-skilled and skilled jobs, the better paying employment in construction as well as in the whole of informal sector labour market.

GNHA helping the needy

BY A STAFF REPORTER
Kathmandu, Dec. 22:German Nepalese Help Association (GNHA), a non-profit and charitable organisation, observed its 20th anniversary today.

"NGOs are getting more efficient but the challenge ahead is to bring all the stakeholders within the system and make the NGOs more cost effective," Social Welfare Council’s Member Secretary Dr. Tika Pokharel told the function organised to mark the anniversary. Pokharel appealed to the donors to make sure that their support complied with the system and was used systematically to help the needy.

Former Nepalese Ambassador to Germany Dr. Novel Kishore Rai said that NGOs could be more effective agents of social development adding that German NGOs worked genuinely in this direction.

German Ambassador to Nepal Dr. Klaus Barth said that GNHA was one of the first German NGOs devoted exclusively to charitable work in and for Nepal. GNHA members, wherever they may be living in Germany, are working towards the same goal of uplifting the quality of life of those most in need in Nepal, he said.

Honorary advisor to GNHA, Mr. Gajendra Bahadur Shrestha in his remarks from the chair made a reflective plea for selfless service to the needy. Paying tribute to the founder of German-Nepalese Help Association late Margot Busak, he added "She was for the activities to be seen, not to be heard." Mr. Shrestha appreciated GNHA for its concrete gains consistent to late Busak’s ideals.

Founded in 1979 by late Margot Busak in Germany’s Stuttgart, GNHA has been providing financial and technical support to governmental and non-governmental organisations in the field of social relief, education and training, public health, environment and infrastructure development. To date, it has supported 34 projects on public health, 17 on education and training, 16 on social relief and 18 on environment and infrastructure development through the generosity of 1,200 donors and over 400 members spread all over Germany. GNHA is working with multiple project partners and the number of completed projects has crossed 90.

Earlier, Kamal Rupakheti GNHA representative welcomed the guests and partners. He gave an overview of the GNHA activities in Nepal GNHA. project representatives appreciated the German NGO for genuine efforts to reach helpout to destitutes.

Yadav opens Teku hospital building

Kathmandu, Dec. 22 (RSS):Minister for Health Dr. Ram Baran Yadav inaugurated the newly constructed out-patient building of the Shukra Raj Tropical and Contagious Diseases Hospital at Teku today.

The building constructed at a cost of Rs. 4,007,763 will facilitate the treatment of diarrhoeal diseases, hepatitis, encephalitis, meningitis and kala-azar.

Shukra Raj Tropical Hospital is considered to be the only referral hospital here that treats patients above l5 suffering from kala-azar.

The hospital currently has l00 beds as well as five cabins and four paying wards.

During the six months from mid-April last, 5,466 patients were provided out-patient services at the hospital and 3,686 were given emergency treatment. Out of the total of 3,9ll patients admitted, 65 died, it is learnt from hospital sources.

Speaking at the function today, Health Minister Dr. Yadav said that the government has set aside 30 per cent of the total budget for health education and the supply of wholesome drinking water since education can play an important part in keeping people healthy.

Pointing out that proper use has not been made of the infrastructure available in the public health sector, he stressed the need for their proper use, maintenance and improvement.

The Nepali Congress government formed after the restoration of democracy has started the task of opening health posts in the villages, he said adding that those working in the health sector should end the tendency of taking dual advantage and instead work for the good of the people and the country.

Secretary at the Ministry of Health Srikant Regmi said the ministry is working to make health care services available to the people at affordable rates.

During the function chaired by chairman of the Shukra Raj Tropical and Contagious Diseases Hospital Development Committee Dr. Bijaya Lal Gurubacharya, hospital director Dr. Chatra Amatya also spoke.