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House session begins, Kathmandu,
Mar. 1 (RSS): At the beginning of the meeting, a two-minute’s silence was observed to pay tributes to the known and unknown martyrs who had laid down their life for the sake of democracy in the country. Speaker Taranath Ranabhat, on the occasion, heartily welcomed the mps to the seventeenth Session of the Parliament. Delivering the welcome speech, Speaker Ranabhat said the effectiveness of the Parliament which directly represents the people vested with sovereignty is very important to provide sustainability and dynamism to the overall development of the country. He noted that if the basis of the national consensus became transparent and strong in the institutional development of various bodies and resolving the complex issues, a situation would be created for the fulfilment of the aspirations of the exploited, oppressed, poor and innocent people. When the people’s representatives are aware and honest towards their duties and responsibilities and their role is effective, not only the prestige of the Parliament would enhance but their accountability towards the people would also become meaningful, he added. Mr Ranabhat said “Only our dedication and commitment towards our image, norms and values can eliminate the distortion and inconsistencies in every aspect of our national life.” Those trying to weaken the democratic system and constitutional monarchy, creating disillusion and distraction among the political parties, the corrupt persons crushing the destiny of the poor people, the elements spreading anarchy, terrorist assaulting the life and property of the innocent people, and the former panchas hurting our national pride are becoming more active, he said, adding that the house is vested with the responsibilities of checking such activities. Stating that the people suffering from inflation, shortages and unemployment were expecting relief measures, he said, adding that in this kind of situation, the house had to find the right direction with stability, determination and full dedication. The economy and specially the tourism sector has been badly affected following the cancellation of flights of Indian Airlines after the hijacking incident and the unfavourable campaign carried out by the Indian mass media, he said, adding that the problem should be resolved with the spirit of good neighbourliness. It is encouraging to receive indication that hmg and CPN-Maoist would hold talks to find a peaceful and constitutional solution to the issue, Mr. Ranabhat said, wishing success of the talks. Mr Ranabhat said that after the sixteenth Session written directives had been received from His Majesty the King for enhancing the effectiveness of the Parliament and making the law formulation process more practical and scientific. The House is fully aware and will remain active in implementing the directives given by His Majesty to formulate laws concerning the political parties to hold free, fair and peaceful elections in the future and to find a solution to resolve the Maoist problem, the Speaker said. His Majesty the King, the Prime Minister, the Minister for Parliamentary Affairs, the leader of the main opposition party and the leaders of all the political parties represented in the Parliament had reached a consensus to make the Parliament Secretariat an autonomous body in line with the provisions enshrined in the constitution of the Kingdom of Nepal-1990, Mr. Ranabhat said, adding this could not be moved ahead on account of some technical reasons. The Speaker called for cooperation from all concerned in this regard. Some of the responsibilities of the sixteenth session such as tabling thirteen bills for decision, responsibility of the high level committee concerning elections and implementing the report concerning revenue leakage, are also the responsibilities of the current session also, he added. On the occasion, Mr. Ranabhat said that while formulating the next budget and fixing plan priorities for the development of the country, the Finance Ministry and the National Planning Commission should consider the views of the MPs also. Gains of democracy: Meanwhile, Chairman of National Assembly Dr Mohammod Mohsin, in a welcome speech at the National Assembly meeting today, wished that the current parliamentary session would succeed in finding solutions to the problems facing the country. Speaking of the need to take the gains of democracy to the grassroots, Dr Mohsin said law and order situation is dismal in the country, unemployment has increased, corrupt people have not been punished and we have to see where are the lapses in terms of implementing the Constitution. It would be more result-oriented if efforts were made to seek consensus of all for resolving the burning issues of the country, he said and wished on behalf of the House speedy recovery of main opposition party leader Madhav Kumar Nepal. Main opposition party leader at the national assembly Yuvaraj Gyawali said law and order situation is grave in the country, corruption, commodity prices and educational problems have increased, human rights commission has not been formed yet and the government is not serious about removing Indian army from Kalapani. We have to find out who has to be blamed for the failure to resolve all these problems and the present session should try to rectify such shortcomings, he added. Rabindra Nath Sharma of the Rastriya Prajatantra Party spoke of the need of strategies to resolve the problems facing the country and said in a democracy, the opposition can do nothing more than provide constructive suggestions to the government to make it more responsible. Democrats should abide by the norms, values and ideals of democracy and mould themselves into practice accordingly to strengthen democracy, said Mr. Sharma, adding, the present government has failed to maintain law and order in the country, foreign policy is no longer balanced and corruption has increased than ever before. President of RPP (Chand) Rajeshwor Devkota observed that issues of nationalism, Maoist terrorism and violence, price rise, development and construction work could be the areas warranting national consensus. Sitanandan Raya of the cpn-ml said during the past ten years of democracy, it is because of the Nepali Congress which was in power for most of the period that people are growing disenchanted with democracy, the parliamentary committee formed to look into the alleged rigging in the last general elections did not include the party which was most victimised and the Commission for Investigation of Abuse of Authority is not able to stop corruption. Mp ramesh Nath Pandey noted that people have not felt a sense of stability despite a majority government in place, the law and order situation is in disarray, the international community has put pressure for not framing certain laws and Nepal’s image has tarnished in the international field. Thereafter, National Assembly Chairman Dr Mohsin who was chairing the meeting read out the communications received from the Royal Palace. The National Assembly will meet again at 11 a.m. on March 8.
Govt initiatives showing positive outcome: PM Kathmandu, Mar. 1 (RSS): Mr Bhattarai made this remark while addressing the joint meeting of the House
of Representatives and the National Assembly beginning here today. Expressing confidence that our efforts in this parliamentary session will be
focussed more on people’s welfare, the Prime Minister asserted that the present
government will remain active in the task of nation building and rise above narrow party
politics for the welfare of all. Though we have undergone many ups and downs before democracy has taken its
roots, we have reached a point where we have realised that democracy has no alternative
for the progress and unity of the nation, said Mr. Bhattarai adding, Nepalese people
mandated the Congress Party in the last general elections for peace, security, development
and good governance for the sake of which he has remained active after he assumed the post
of Prime Minister. Noting that as a result of government efforts to solicit all party consensus
and intensify multi-dimensional efforts including political and administrative for
ensuring peace and security in the country, a group which has pursued the path of violence
in the name of Maoists has come closer to holding talks, he hoped that some concrete
results will come out of it soon. The Ganeshman Peace Campaign launched for helping victims of terrorist
activity and rehabilitating those who want to live a normal life by doing away with such
activity has taken a positive direction, he said, adding, remarkable steps have been taken
to ensure law and order, remove corruption and red tapism, and effect legal,
administrative and policy reforms. He also said His Majesty’s Government has started a plan of action to
prepare a manual for making effective use of services, goods and facilities available at
the local level, adding that it is because of the government’s commitment to ensure
good governance we have not heard of distortions and aberrations today which we often
heard in the past and this is positive. Economic trends indicate that economic growth rate is expected to reach six
per cent this fiscal year, tax revenue is increasing satisfactorily and the volume of
export trade has increased by 42 per cent in the first six months of the current fiscal
year, said the Prime Minister adding, development expenditure has increased remarkably, a
positive trend has emerged in price situation and foreign exchange reserve has swelled to
Rs. 84 billion. Stating that a total ban has been imposed on diesel tempos since Bhadau, 2056
B.S. and an arrangement has been made requiring all new vehicles to meet pollution
standards, the Prime Minister observed that in view of the drinking water problem in
Kathmandu Valley, necessary arrangement is being made for implementing the Melamchi
Drinking Water Project. His Majesty’s Government has already taken steps to put into practice
the decision of setting up a godown for storing 40,000 metric tonnes of foodgrain, the
Prime Minister said, noting that Puwa, Modi, Khimti and Bhotekoshi hydel projects will be
completed this fiscal year. The government is optimistic of preparing groundwork for resolving the
Bhutanese refugee issue vis-a-vis the diplomatic initiatives and talks, he said, adding
that His Majesty’s Government has already decided to open a Royal Nepalese Embassy
office in Doha, the capital of Qatar, for safeguarding the interests of Nepalese workers
in the Gulf region. A decision has already been taken to celebrate the year 2002 as a destination
Nepal Year which is expected to see the in-coming of some one million tourists, he noted. In keeping with the policy of setting up 20 primary health centres every year in every parliamentary constituency, additional 20 health centres have already been opened, the Prime Minister said, observing that the national polio immunisation programme and the special polio immunisation campaign launched with the aim of eradicating the disease concluded successfully. ‘Farming sector yet to modernize’ Kathmandu,
Mar. 1 (RSS): The Gross Domestic Production (gdp) of agricultural sector which was 40.1 per cent in 1999 has been estimated to decline to 37 per cent in 2002. Almost 72.6 per cent of the development budget of the country has been spent in the agricultural sector. It has been realised that the agro-based produce of the country should be easily accessible to the domestic and foreign market and the output should be in proportion to the demand. It has been felt that some development has taken place in the agricultural sector since the 90s. The gradual development of the sector has been attributed to the economic liberalisation policy pursued by the country, involvement of the private sector, and the interest shown by the foreign donor community. After the private sector, which feels that a conducive policy for the development of agriculture is necessary, extended cooperation for the development of agriculture and the process of improvement is on. Likewise, demands are being made for the access to technology and imparting training to the persons working in this field. It has also been felt that the foreign donor agencies should evince interest to work together. Participants at the interaction programme on “Agriculture Enterprises Centre (aec), moving ahead in partnership” organised by the Federation of Nepalese Chambers of Commerce and Industry (fncci) and aec here today emphasised that the overall development of agricultural sector is not possible only through one institution. They stressed that the partnership of the government, foreign donor community and private sector was necessary in this task. The participants also referred to the progress made by the aec in the field of horticulture, medicinal herbs, vegetable seeds, floriculture, apiculture, livestock, cultivation of tea and coffee and growing of off season vegetables. Addressing the programme, Minister for Agriculture Chakra Prasad Bastola said that Nepal should choose between agriculture and industries for its development. Even in the present context of the inability of the country to take all the agricultural produce to the world market, priority had to be accorded to the agricultural sector for poverty alleviation, he added. Minister bastola said that along with the development of new tourism spots, agricultural production should also be increased. Stating that agricultural production of international standard could not be produced without utilising high technology, he said that training and skills were required for this purpose. National Planning Commission (npc) member Hari Shankar Tripathi said that 20-year Agricultural Perspective Plan had been introudced to support programmes such as poverty alleviation. The participation of the private sector is necessary to boost agricultural production, he added. Fncci president Pradip Kumar Shrestha said that the private sector was moving ahead to increase the agricultural output. Aec chairman Suraj Vaidya also expressed his views on the occasion. Govt directionless: Opposition Kathmandu,
Mar. 1 (RSS): Delivering his welcome speech at the meeting of the House of Representatives which began here today, Mr. Oli said the government has acted against the democratic values and norms and that the national economy is in a dire strait. Mr Oli accused the government of neglecting the controlling of the commission seeking and corruption and added that as there are weaknesses in all the sectors including law and order, employment, land reforms, industry and education, how can the government give a good governance, he questioned. Democracy has no alternative, but there is no feel of it to the people, the rightist elements are calling for grabbing the rights of the people and the extremist lefts are out in violence, he said, adding that the government should defeat these elements by warding off pessimism among the people. Mr. Oli said the government is not sensitive in any of the issues including the foreign affairs, the Karmapa scandle, and the plane hijacking, adding that no consensus is sought in the issues of national interest and that the government is directionless like a cart stuck in the mud. Deputy leader of the main opposition Mr. Oli accused the government of congressisation in the campaigns of Bisweswor With the Poor, the Women’s Awareness, the Ganeshman Shanti Abhiyan, works have been done against the spirit of decentralisation and suppressing the opposition party workers. He said the CPN UML has launched an agitation against corruption and violence and added that the government should move the nation ahead in the path of good governance and economic development by ending the confusion seen in the country. President of the Rastriya Prajatantra Party Surya Bahadur Thapa said the constitution is being criticised now, the killings, violence, and incidents of fire have been increased from the police, the society is terrorised by the Maoist violence, there is no care for the human rights, and the law and order situation is very weak, adding that political corruption has increased, the administrative machinary is stagnant, the economic situation is vulnerable and that donor nations and organisations have lost confidence in our economic policies. He said the rift between the two top NC leaders have made the country’s politics at stake adding that as the agreement between the two NC leaders causes an impact on the nation’s state of affairs, this can’t be called a private affair and that the agreement should be made public to the people. Mr. Thapa also said the programmes of Bisweswor With the Poor, the Ganeshman Singh Shanti Abhiyan and Women’s Awareness Programmes have been used as private fund for the NC workers. He further said we can’t stay onlookers to the misutilisation of the budget appropriated by the parliament. President Thapa said the people are obliged to become Maoists due to the government attitude of wrong doings and irresponsible acts. Mr Thapa said the Congress has not brought about changes in its policies so as to free the country from the present grave situation and acted as per the aspirations of the people adding that if the leaders of the ruling party give the impression that they are really serious about the people, the country and democracy and takes the political parties into confidence, we can really achieve national consensus. Leader of the Parliamentary party of the Nepal Sadbhawana Party Badri Prasad Mandal said a number of incidents have taken place between the 16th and the 17th session including the hijacking of the plane, increasing unemployment, extreme price hike, killings of innocent persons in the pretext of Maoist problem, the weak law and order situation. The ruling party witnessed a tremor within itself but the people is asking where the nation is heading towards, he added. He said the present government has not been the people’s government despite its formation on the basis of majority, there has been Congressisation in all the sectors including administration, police, education, adding that as corruption can’t allow the country to develop we should not hesitate to imprison the corrupts from the top level to the bottom. Chitra Bahadur K.C. of the Rastriya Jana Morcha expressed concern over the non implementation of the agreement between the nine left parties and government and said his party does not agree with the Maoist activities. The maintenance of law and order which can be settled by parliamentary system have not been solved. Corruption and unemployment have not been checked. This compels the nine left parties to resort to street protests, he added. Mr K.C. Said the MPs have not been positive in the eyes of the people due to their past activities, and called for the proper implementation of the Constitution. MP Narayan Man Bijukchhe demanded that the report of the joint parliamentary committee on revenue leakage, the committee report on election manipulation, and the agreement reached between the nine left parties and the government be implemented, and called for impartial implementation of the Ganeshman Peace Campaign, the B. P. With the Poor, the Youth Self-employment Programme and the Women’s Awareness Programme. He said the meaning of democracy is not only majority but also the respect for the opposition parties and added that democracy should be made a way of life style. Poudel
stresses joint BY A STAFF REPORTER Kathmandu, March 1: Speaking on the occasion, Deputy Prime Minister Poudel said that the global
effort to eradicate polio would not be possible until all countries join hands and unite
against the disease. Stressing on the need of concentrating on rural areas for the
complete eradication of polio where a large number of the populace still suffer from the
lack of knowledge and means, the Deputy Prime Minister said that due to massive migration
in bordering areas of Nepal, the task of elimination of the disease is still onerous. Member of the National Planning Commission Dr. Nirmal Prasad Pandey
highlighted on the need of adopting clear strategies to eliminate polio and emphasized on
the need of controlling cross-border migration. Secretary of the Ministry of Health Shree Kant Regmi said that in the past
few years, the polio eradication campaign has seen extraordinary acceleration, especially
in the countries of South Asia, that have demonstrated remarkable commitment to
intensified immunisation and to improved surveillance. “Nepal joined in this
initiative with the introduction, in 1996, of yearly national immunisation days (NIDs);
since then we have successfully conducted NIDs for 4 consecutive years”, he said. SAARC Secretary General Nihal Rodrigo said that SAARC ever since its
inception has been giving high priority to the protection and promotion of child
welfare. “The technical committees concerned with health and children’s issues
have designated common dates for region-wide campaigns against polio which are proceeding
successfully”, he said. Delivering the welcome speech, Regional Director of UNICEF regional office in
South Asia Nigel Fisher stressed on the need of the commitment of people from all walks of
life, “because the capacity to reach the most improverished or isolated children must
be matched by parental awareness of, and demand for, immunisation”. “The past decade has witnessed significant achievements in several
regions of the world resulting through widespread mobilisation of society to eradicate
polio”, he said. Dr. Samlee Plianbangchang, Deputy Regional Director of WHO Southeast Asia
regional office also spoke on the occasion. It has been disclosed that Nepal reported 34 cases of polio during 1999
compared to India with 2,645 cases, Bangladesh with 335 cases and Pakistan with 466 cases
in the SAARC region. Private sector key to BY A STAFF
REPOTER Kathmandu,
Mar. 1: Federation of
Nepalese Chamber of Commerce and Industry President Pradeep Kumar Shrestha said that
“lack of co-ordination and co-operation” among the South Asian countries is
preventing the region from getting itself noticed on global economy and business scenario.
“Apart from sharing many cultural similarities we are also in similar stages of
economic development,” he said. He also hoped that the congress would be fruitful for
the printers of the region to get acquainted with the common problems and issues and
benefit from sharing experience. With a claim that the congress was a platefrom for developing a common South Asian prospective, co-operation and fellowship among printers of SAARC region, SAPC Steering Committee Chairman Vivek Chhabra said the print industry have great role to play in the new millennium which is also known as the “Knowledge” millennium. DK Roy, President of All India Federation of Master Printers, said that education was key to eliminating development problems of the developing countries. “We are proud that we are engaged in printing which imparts education to the masses,” he said. SAPC Steering Committee Co-chairman Bikash Sarkar pointed out the need of enriching human resources to strengthening the technical know-how of the region. “Apart from importing technology, to develop our industry we have to reinforce the strength within us to solve our problems on our own,” he said. Suresh Bahadur Malla, Chairman of the SAPC, welcomed the participants and delegations to the four-day congress. Parliament
will resolve nation's problems: Ranabhat BY A STAFF
REPORTER Kathmandu,
Feb. 29: "We are preparing for tomorrow’s session that would primarily discuss the 13 Bills tabled during the 16th session," he said at an interaction organised by Reporters’ Club Nepal here this afternoon. Speaker Ranabhat said that no new Bills had been registered for discussion as of now. "The two Bills that were registered earlier are technically defunct since the Ministers who introduced them have resigned. But we expect some 35 Bills to be tabled for discussion during this session that will last for about a month," he said. The two Bills are Road Board Bill and Nepal Scout Bill (second amendment). Ranabhat appealed to all the legislator and cabinet members to act responsibly during the House proceedings. "All the parties, despite ideological differences, should forge consensus on the issues related to development, poverty, corruption, peace and security and common welfare in the country," he said. "Such issues cannot be solved without collective efforts." The new session of the House would seek political solution to the Maoist problem that has claimed more than 1100 lives since it began in early 1996, he said. "I will personally take initiatives to find peaceful solution to the problem." He expressed happiness over the Maoists’ positive response to the government’s appeal for peace talks. "The talks should begin as soon as possible." He accused the government of paying least attention to the infrastructure development and of misusing the resources. "The government that is accountable to people should fulfil their aspirations and take the fruits of democracy to the lowest strata of society." Scene-setter
organised for S. Asian energy meet BY A STAFF
REPORTER Kathmandu,
Feb 29: The three Nepali panelists were: Santa Bahadur Pun, Officer on Special Duty, Ministry of Water Resources, Ajaya M.Dixit, water resources expert with Interdisciplinary Analysts and Navin Singh Khadka, of this daily, The Rising Nepal. The queries ranged from affordability of energy to prospects of investments in energy development, market possibilities of energy generated to industrial utilisation of energy, the supply side and the demand side of energy, integration of latest technologies in energy generation to applicability and the relevance of international accords on the sharing and utilisation of water resources. To a query as to whether the energy generated by hydropower plants built with huge investments would be affordable, Glauthier said the integration of appropriate technologies along with an enhanced and efficient distribution system could help bring down the price of energy for everyday use. He further said that the US, which has collected a lot of experience in energy development, is ready to share its knowledge and expertise in not only generating power in a cost-efficient manner but has the technological capabilities. To another query as to whether Nepal, which has tremendous hydropower potentials, should export electricity at its own expense and peril, Glauthier stated that though Nepal's present capacity to utilise all its energy output is not there due to its low absorbing capacity, Nepal could reach such a stage by expediting its pace of industrialisation through the export of surplus energy. However, without adequate energy production, this would not be possible, he further pointed out. The forthcoming energy meet will not only show-case a whole gamut of projects but also facilitate local and regional projects, Glauthier said while responding to the query as to whether the coming meet will help Nepali entrepreneurs to overcome financial hurdles in their bid to development small hydel projects. The Deputy Secretary of the US Energy Department opined that any water resources utilisation accords should conform to international agreements on down-stream utilisation and advantages. He made this remark while replying to a panelist's query as to whether the 1961 US-Canada Treaty that gave Canada the entitlement to half of power generated downstream and which it sold to the US on a long-term basis could be emulated in any other regional pacts. While pointing out the need to look into the diplomatic aspect of such an issue, he said that all the US ambassadors in the region will also be attending the energy meet. Gordon Waynard, Deputy Director of the Global Office of Energy, USAID, also said that the forthcoming energy meet will open up vast vistas for the US and the South Asian nations in the field of energy development as it is touted to bring together officials and representatives from the government, non-government and private sectors. Phillip Hoffman, Director of the American Center, pointed out that the Worldnet Dialogue would act as a scene-setter for the upcoming energy meet to be held in Nepal. Since the production and marketing of energy is of great interest to all South Asian nations, the meet is expected to not only give fillip to energy development projects in the region but also to attract US investors as well. The forthcoming energy meet, presented by the US Trade and Development Agency (TDA) and co-sponsored by the US Departments of Energy, Commerce and State and the Agency for Internation Development is expected to see government and energy industry leaders from the US and South Asian nations discussing and exploring project opportunities worth US$15-20 billion. Emotions
spill over Sikaria's meet with PM BY A STAFF
REPORTER Kathmandu,
Feb 29: An Indian citizen who supported many of our freedom fighters during exile met with the Prime Minister today after thirty years. When Ganesh Man Singh broke jail and escaped to Raxaul 55 years ago, Nanda Prasad Sikaria lent a helping hand and offered refuge at Arya Samaj Dharmashala. His hospitality was also enjoyed by people like Kedar Man Vyathit, Gopal Prasad Bhattarai, Tej Bahadur Amatya and Megharaj. Now 86 year old, Sikaria has come to Kathmandu for the wedding of his grand daughter. "Whether we say something or not, talk or not, We both just know. We don't need to talk, he said. "The PM asked me if I needed something, but I have always given until today. So what can I ask for?" "I never thought he will someday become the Prime Minister." Recalling how Tej Bahadur Amatya was killed, Sikariya said, " He had given me money to keep, which I handed over to his family later." He also recalled how Shukra Raj Shastri, who was active in Arya Samaj, was hanged. GaneshMan Singh had established an office at that very Dahrmashala of Arya Samaj in Raxaul and was arrested for Jhar Khor incident and was put in Motihari Jail on the request of the Rana regime. "We
campaigned that political figures should not be extradited and Later he was released, he
said. " Many Nepalese from Benares also received military training in that same
Dharmashala." |
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