NA approves bills

Kathmandu, Aug 9 (RSS):Today’s meeting of the National Assembly approved the Medicine (Second Amendment) Bill-2057 and the Martyr Gangalal National Heart Centre Bill-2057 tabled for discussions at the Upper House.

Finance Minister Mahesh Acharya had tabled the two bills for discussion in the House.

Responding to the questions raised during the general discussion on the Medicine (second amendment) Bill, Minister Acharya made it clear that the Medicine second amendment bill had been brought with an objective of regularising and making timely changes in the production and distribution of medicines.

MPs taking part at the discussion on the bill were Surendra Prasad Pandey, Ganga Dutta Joshi and Devraj Ghimire.

Finance Minister Acharya said the Bill on Martyr Gangalal National Heart Centre was brought forth with an objective of running it within the legal framework, adding that the provision that the finance bill should be presented by the Finance Minister should be amended as it would be instrumental in resolving the shortcomings in the National Assembly regulations.

MPs taking part on the bill were Ram Chandra Bhattarai, Surendra Prasad Pandey and Jiwan Prem Shrestha.

Clausewise discussion on both the bills will take place on August 11.

Similarly, today’s meeting of the National Assembly approved the proposal that some Nepal acts on Communications Amendment Bill-2057 be sent back to the House of Representatives.

The motion was tabled by Finance Minister Mahesh Acharya.

Earlier, answering queries raised during the general discussion on the motion, Minister Acharya said the bill has been brought as per the spirit of the constitution, it doesn’t annul the registration of the newspapers and that the Nepal Telecommunication Authority is strengthened to play a monitoring role.

MPs taking part at the discussion on the bill were CPN-UML MPs Surendra Prasad Pandey and Ram Chandra Bhattarai.

Earlier, acting secretary of the National Assembly had tabled the Cooperatives (First Amendment) Bill-2057 which had originated and approved by the House of Representatives.

The National Assembly meeting will held at 12:00 noon on August 11.

Joshi furnishes details on accident

BY A STAFF REPORTER

Kathmandu, Aug. 9:Home Minister Govinda Raj Joshi has said that the government has started investigation into the death of musician Pravin Gurung, who died on Sunday evening shortly after a Pajero jeep hit him near the eastern gate of the Royal Palace.

The guilty will be punished once the ongoing investigations establish the identity of the driver who hit Gurung while on his way home on motorcycle that evening, Joshi told the House of Representatives.

Joshi’s statement came in response to the Speaker’s ruling that the Home Minister furnish details of the accident as demanded by the lawmakers, who maintained that Prince Paras Shah’s vehicle had knocked down the musician. Gurung died at Bir Hospital less than an hour after the accident. "Lawmakers of both the ruling and the opposition parties are concerned about the death of the musician," the Speaker told the House.

Nepali Congress Whip Tek Bahadur Chokhyal demanded that the government take action against the Prince, who is believed to be at the wheel though there has been no official confirmation as yet.

The Parliament will not remain silent if action is not taken against the guilty, Chokhyal said, cautioning that the incident could undermine the dignity of the Royal Palace. "I will request His Majesty the King to immediately strip the royal title of Prince Paras."

The Congress Whip said that Prince Paras had also been implicated in two other vehicular accidents that killed a man in Narayangarh and another in Putali Sadak, Kathmandu. "Even after this, I wonder why the government is silent about taking action against the lawbreakers."

Narayan Prakash Saud of the Nepali Congress said that Praveen Gurung was not the first to die as a result of the driving by the Prince. The treatment meted out by the police to him has raised question mark on the dignity of the Monarchy, and the government has been indifferent to respond to the question in this connection for the last two days, he said.

Dilaram Acharya of the Rastriya Janamorcha also sought action against the Prince for the death of the musician.

Dhanusha VDCs inundated

Janakpurdham Aug. 9 (RSS): The life of the people of Lakkad and Sigyahi Madan VDCs lying in eastern part of the Dhanusha district have become miserable due to complete inundation of the region since the last couple of days.

The people of the Sigyahi Madan VDC can buy essential commodities at Yadukoha, some 12 km west from the district headquarters only after crossing through the water that takes nearly 4-5 hours.

Since the Lakkad VDC has been isolated from the rest of the district one can reach there with the help of a boat from Sarsar in Siraha district, the chief district officer of Dhanusha said.

According to him, additional relief materials have been despatched to the VDC today through the same route.

Besides the two VDCs, the swollen Kamala river has caused extensive damage at Sanghara, Patanuka and Inaruwa VDCs also.

According to the district administration office, a total of 193 houses at Lakkad and Sigyahi Madan VDCs have been inundated and paddy crops cultivated on about 263 bighas of land destroyed by the flooding.

In addition, about 276 bighas of land has also been eroded in these VDCs.

Likewise, paddy crops cultivated on 15 bighas of land at Godar and Lavatoli VDCs have also been destroyed by the swollen Chatnath and Mulukholi rivers.

According to the district irrigation office, as damage of embankment is continuing at the Inaruwa VDC, some 10,000 plastic sands have been sent there to control the swollen river.

Sukhjor river has also displaced some 8 families in Baigadavar VDC.

Erosion of arable land at Laxminiwas VDC by the Badahari river continues while Lotaha and Kharahare rivers has destroyed paddy crops on about 20 bighas of land at Tulasi VDC.

Though the threat of further flooding is no longer seen, the water level at the affected area has not reduced yet.

Meanwhile, chief of primary health post, Yadukoha Mahendra Kumar Shah said no reports of an outbreak of any disease in the flood affected area have been received.

Strike hampers PEs' businesses

BY A STAFF REPORTER

Kathmandu, Aug. 9:Official businesses came to a gripping halt nationwide today as most of public enterprises ramained closed owing to a pen down strike called by the employees. If the demands of the employees are fulfilled the protests will continue indefinitely, warned Krishna Kumar Phuyal, president of the Inter-Corporation Employees' Association.

Thousands of clients of Rastriya Banijya Bank (RBB), Nepal Bank Ltd. (NBL), Agriculture Development Bank (ADB), Nepal Telecommunications Corporation (NTC) and Nepal Electricity Authority (NEA), among others, however were furious over today's pen down strike jointly called by the Inter-Corporation Employees' Association and Inter Banking Employees' Association as they could not transact their businesses.

The employees' demands include increment in the salaries without cutting back on other perks and allowances, which they have continued to receive all along. The other demands include end to corruption, over politicisation and haphazard privatisation.

It is to be noted that the government had issued a circulation to all PEs to provide salary and perks which are not less that the prevailing sum that they are receiving.

However the Inter-Corporation Employees' Association and Inter Banking Employees' Association had submitted a memorandum to the government almost one and half month ago demanding that the perks be retained.

According to Mr. Phuyal the government should solve the problems as soon as possible.

However, one of the senior officials at the Ministry of Finance, on condition of anonymity, said that there is no vationale behind the salary hike in the PEs.

If, on the one hand, employees of the PEs are getting more salary than their counterparts in the civil service, then on the other PEs employees are claiming that they are the victims of discrimination.

In fact, our protest is not only for the increment of salaries, but the government should also take measures to boost the morale of PEs employees, said Pawan Shrestha, one of employees at NTC.

And, PEs employees themselves are confused as to what steps should be taken, if their demands are not fulfilled.

RSS adds: an indefinite agitation launched at the call of Inter-Corporation Employees Association and Nepal Electricity Authority Employees Association have badly hampered revenue collection at various offices here.

The agitation has affected the regular business of Nepal Bank Ltd., Agricultural Development Bank, Nepal Food Corporation, Agricultural Input Corporation, Nepal Telecommunication Corporation, Janakpur Cigarette Factory and Nepal Electricity Authority and no business was carried out till 2 p.m. yesterday.

According to NEA Employees Association central vice-chairman Dhrub Raj Poudel, a gathering is to be convened at Kathmandu on August 12 to review its phase wise agitation and this will set its future course of action.

Khadka questions motive of his dismissal

Kathmandu, Aug. 9 (RSS): Former Minister for Water Resources and Works and Physical Planning Khum Bahadur Khadka has said that he was dismissed from the post of minister by Prime Minister Girija Prasad Koirala without any pre-information Tuesday.

Mr Khadka, while speaking at the House of Representatives meeting today, made it clear that the Prime Minister did not inform him why he was being dismissed.

Stating that he has all along been raising voice for healthy competition within the party, the NC leader noted that the way the distribution of the NC active membership is going on has discouraged the party workers and this is not in conformity with the directives of the central committee.

Subscribing to the views of former prime minister Krishna Prasad Bhattarai that the leadership should be transferred to the second generation at the forthcoming general convention of the party, the former minister suspected that his conviction that both the leaders who have reached 78 may have led to his dismissal from the post of minister.

He never took up politics to become a minister and becoming a minister is a secondary thing for him, he added.

Recalling that his friend Mohammad Aftab Alam had to take the aid of this rostrum some days ago to express his views on why he was asked to resign from the office, Mr Khadka observed that in a multi-party democracy, the government should function as per the ruling party’s policies and programmes, and the Alam case has already raised the need of holding discussions and debates on whether the government is functioning as per the party’s spirit or not.

On the one hand, the country is beset with Maoist terrorism, while on the other we are steeped in the dirty game for power and this has energized the Maoists, he said, adding that the moment when Mr Bhattarai was forced to resign some months ago is still fresh in his mind.

"I had supported the party presidents and the Prime Minister’s move with a firm commitment to resolve the Maoist problem, guarantee a corruption-free governance and make change in the leadership," he added.

Mr Khadka also expressed his determination to work for the sake of the nation and the people in whatever way he can.

Friends lure childrenaway from home

Butwal, Aug. 9 (RSS): Although the children here enjoy love and affection from the family members, the number of children who leave their homes have been on the rise.

Such children tend to follow the conduct of their friends at will.

Deepak Sapkota, 12, set out for Mumbai at the instigation of his fellows. He left home while undertaking studies at a local boarding school. He is now under the protection of Maiti Nepal, Siddharthanagar and is studying there.

According to the in-charge of the organisation Prabha Khanal, he possesses outstanding quality but does not like to return home.

Suraj Chhetri of Hetauda concedes that he left home for Mumbai to meet actors and actresses of the Indian cinema.

I set out for India believing what one of my friend told me that I could have a chance to act in cinema once I succeeded to make contact with the cine stars, he said

Such incidents have taken place in the past also due to the lack of parental love and affection towards children while these days such tendency has developed mainly because of the impact of films.

Ganesh Bahadur Khadka and Pradeep Khadka of Kailali say that they abandoned the home in anticipation of having funs and facilities.

Both of them are brothers and had always thought of posessing expensive toys and instruments similar to those of their relatives and friends.

The tendency of fleeing from home is increasing because of lack of quality moral education and ignorance of social responsibility, chairman of the Child Contact Centre Radheshyam Rajbhandari says.

Deepak Sapkota wants to free himself from the burdern of studies while Mohan Lal Mala of Bairiya wishes to return home and continue his studies.

Lila of Surkhet and Padma Thapa of Bardiya, both do not want to go anywhere leaving this organisation which is also imparting skill development training.

Most of the children taking shelter at the organisation had lived in different town in India.

The organisation has also been providing shelter to unclaimed children.

10-year old Sushila Chhetri who is living at the organisation says she was abandoned by her father at Butwal. She was brought here by the police.

Likewise, the home of 4-year old Kanhaiya Lal is not yet known.

Some 12 children are taking shelter at the organisation. Majority of them are bright children.