An affront to norms
MPs criticise UML action against its PAC members

BY A STAFF REPORTER

Kathmandu, Aug. 13: Lawmakers of ruling Nepali Congress today lambasted the main opposition party CPN-UML for action against its MPs related to the Public Account Committee (PAC) of the House of Representatives.

Speaking at the special hour of the Lower House, they remarked that the UML move had attempted to tarnish the dignity and norm of parliament and the Constitution.

According to the MPs, the UML in its recent meeting decided to take action against the PAC members, including its president Subash Nemwang, K.P. Oli, Rajendra Pandey and Birodh Khatiwada for their role to allege the party’s central committee member Bhim Bahadur Rawal on a controversial deal of China Southwest Airline plane. The PAC had accused Rawal of irregularities in the leasing of the plane when he was the Civil Aviation Minister.

Afterward, regarding this matter, the UML had formed a probe body that gave a clean chit to Rawal and blamed the PAC saying that it failed to bring out the truth and fact.

NC stalwart Ramchandra Tiwari said that the UML had challenged the parliamentary committee by forming a committee to probe the PAC decision.

Another MP Romi Gauchan said that the UML’s action has disregarded the Article 62 (1,3) of the Constitution that bars to raise the decision of Parliamentary Committee even in the Supreme Court.

Likewise, the UML action has drawn the attention of Article 62 (7), thereby ignoring the parliamentary norm and value, added Gauchan.

He also demanded that the government should provide remote allowance to the employees.

CPN-UML Mahendra Bahadur Pandey demanded that the government should bring about a clear-cut policy and programme in the education sector of the country.

Blaming the government’s wrong policy for the failure of about 70 per cent students in the SLC examinations this year, Pandey said that the budget allocation in the education sector was inadequate.

On one hand, the education system has produced such a large number of high-school failures, on the other, he said, the CPN-Maoists are utilising them against the State by alluring them to provide practical education. Pandey further said that reduction of budget for the Tribhuvan University by about Rs 320 million would hamper the quality of education.

He said that the budget reduction has directly hit the activities of the TU’s Service Commission. He also blamed that the Commission was bogged into financial irregularities and politicization and demanded for a probe body for the investigation of the misappropriation.

Parliamentary Reporters' Club

BY A STAFF REPORTER

Kathmandu, Aug. 13: The Parliamentary Affairs Reporters’ Club today unanimously elected a nine-member new working committee with Hari Bahadur Thapa of the Kantipur daily as its president.

Likewise, Tanka Pant of Samacharpatra, Bishnu Subedi of Himalaya Times and Junarbabu Basnet of Gorkhapatra were elected vice-president, secretary and treasurer of the Club respectively. Other members of the Club are: Kumar Ranjit of Rajdhani, Bindukant Ghimire of Space Times, Bipramani Acharya of Radio Nepal, Shyam Rimal of RSS and Sanjiv Adhikari of Radio Sgarmatha.

A five-member election committee including Kiran Giri as its head was formed to hold the election. The meeting of the reporters approved the decision of the election Committee that was given the mandate to choose names of the persons for all the posts.

After the election of the new committee, Subash Nemwang, Chairman of the Public Accounts Committee of the parliament, wished the new committee success and hoped that it would contribute to activate the Parliamentary committees and play an effective role in taking the activities of the House to the people.

Nemwang said the activity of the Club would help make the Parliamentary bodies effective and responsible.

The newly elected president and vice-president expressed commitment that they would work in the direction of achieving more rights to journalists.

Established about nine years ago, the present committee is the second committee elected by the Club.

Safety for women workers stressed

BY A STAFF REPORTER

Kathmandu, Aug. 13: A five-day training workshop for women workers working in factories such as carpet, garment, jute, textile, wool, food processing and chemical industries started today in Kathmandu.

The workshop, aims to create awareness among women workers with respect to protecting women against injury and disease at the workplace, and to improve the standard of occupational safety and health of female workers in conformity with ILO’s international labour standard.

The workshop is organised by Occuational Safety and Health Project of the Minister of Labour and Transport Management and assisted by ILO.

The National Occupational Safety and Health Project was established in 1995 under the Minister of Labour and Transport Management and from 1998 has been receiving the technical assistance of ILO and funding from the Royal Danish Embassy.

COMMENTARY
This rare move may checkmate Bhutan's ploy

BY NAVIN SINGH KHADKA

Kathmandu, Aug.13: In its "untiring" tryst with the more than a decade old Bhutanese refugee crisis, rarely has the country made calculative moves like this: The government will be attending a foreign ministerial level talk with Bhutan even as it does not have a separate minister holding the foreign affairs portfolio, retained by Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba for now.

Having decided to send Finance Minister Dr. Ram Sharan Mahat to lead the Nepali side in the 11th round of the upcoming Nepal-Bhutan talks later this month (August 20-23), the government will be keeping the Druk Yul from once again blaming unstable Nepalese politics. Having played the time-buying card all over the years, the Dragon Kingdom has time and again pointed its fingers at the frequent change of guards in the government and the Foreign Ministry here to reason the prolonging refugee crisis.

This time too, as the two Himalayan Kingdoms were negotiating dates for the 11th round of talks last month, there was a change in the government. More importantly, the Foreign Ministry remained with the Prime Minister whose portfolio would not allow him to sit with the Bhutanese Foreign Minister for negotiations.

Meaning, the scheduled talks were all set to be hampered for now. A plus point was in the making for Bhutan to once again blame on the "turbulent" Nepalese politics. But, this time around, the government appeared to have moved faster.

Instead of waiting for the appointment of a new Foreign Minister, it decided to send the Finance Minister to hold the talks. What's more, the nominated negotiator happens to be Dr. Mahat who has already had a brief stint with the Bhutanese Foreign Ministry team across the negotiating-table during the ninth round of Nepal-Bhutan talks on the refugee crisis here last year. Meaning, Mahat, expectedly, will know his stuff while parleying with his Bhutanese counterpart this time.

The decision to use Mahat's "expertise" comes at a time when all eyes are glued at the unusually slow verification process of the Bhutanese refugees that began last May. So far, the Joint Verification Team (JVT) of Nepal and Bhutan has verified only a little more than half of the 1200 families at the Khudunabari Camp -- one of the seven camps hosting more than 15,000 refugee families (totalling to more than 100,000 persons) in Jhapa and Morang Districts for more than 11 years now.

Going by the present pace, modest estimations show, the JVT would take at least five years to verify all the refugees. By then, many of the ageing Nepali-speaking Lhotsampas from Bhutan will have died while there would be newly born ones in the camps. In other words, the protracted refugee issue – an outcome of Bhutan’s ethnic cleansing design, refugees claim – will enter a more complicated chapter.

That said, the first agenda of the Nepalese team would be to press for the speedy verification process -- whether by simplifying the JVTs' modus operandi or by increasing the number of the JVTs that could go on with the verification of refugees at different camps together.

The 10th round of Nepal-Bhutan talks here last December had decided to begin the verification in one of the refugee camps as a test case. Under that circumstance, it’s a bingo for the country if it chooses to review the verification process with Bhutan.

Thimpu could also be the right rendezvous for the Nepalese team where it can gauge what Bhutan has up its sleeves on the caterorizaton of the refugees -- Bonafide Bhutanese, Bhutanese who have emigrated, Bhutanese who have committed crimes, and non-Bhutanese -- Nepal and Bhutan agreed way back in 1993 during the first Joint Ministerial level talk. A blunder on the country's part since Bhutan, after the categorisation, stood its ground that it would take back only the first category refugees (Bonafide Bhutanese).

Of late, the issue of the categorisation of the refugees is on the backburner as both Nepal and Bhutan have agreed to verify the refugees first. But, the question -- what after verification? -- still remains unanswered.

Following the completion of verification, if at all, the Bhutanese side may once again revive the idea of categorisation. That itself may not be a bad idea. But it may be worst of all if Bhutan resumes its one time rigid posture -- taking back only what it calls Bonafide Bhutanese refugees.

Given the possibilities of such ugly turns, the 11th round of talks could be the right forum to feel the Bhutanese authority’s real pulse. But, for that, the Nepalese side will have to make a smart move, as it did this time (by agreeing to attend the Foreign Ministerial level talk with Bhutan even without having a separate Foreign Minster). Wish it luck.

National Seminar
Agriculture Ministry failed to utilise resources: Acharya

Lalitpur, Aug. 13 (RSS): Minister for Agriculture and Cooperatives Mahesh Acharya has underlined the need for the agriculture scientists and technicians to bring about a transformation in the agriculture sector for its greater progress.

Inaugurating the third national seed seminar today, Minister Acharya remarked that despite being rich in well-educated manpower and capability, the Agriculture Ministry has not been able to fully utilise these resources properly due to some unknown reason.

He said Nepal, situated as it is between India and China, the two neighbouring countries with high economic growth rate, would lag far behind in agriculture if it can not make rapid economic strides vis a’ vis its neighbours.

Mr. Acharya expressed the hope that the seminar should deliberate on topics such as qualitative management of high-yield seeds, necessary legislation to promote private sector participation in seed production and business and the strategies to be adopted after Nepal’s accession to the World Trade Organisation for achieving a high economic growth rate.

Regarding the present talks of withdrawal of assistance from the agriculture sector by international donor agencies, Minister Acharya opined that foreign assistance in the agriculture sector which employs a large number of women should not be withdrawn in the present circumstances.

Representative of the Department of International Development (UK) Sam Wickerstake said that seed production is one of the few cash earners for both male and female farmers that can contribute significantly to the livelihood of hill farming families and which can help boost agriculture production.

From the chair, National Planning Commission (NPC) member Harishankar Tripathi underlined the need to make provisions through which certified and high-yielding varieties of seeds can be supplied to the farmers at an affordable rate keeping in view the pivotal role certified seeds have in increasing farm production.

He said that the conclusions to be drawn at the seminar would be useful for the National Planning Commission which is at present engaged in preparing the base paper for the tenth plan.

Speaking at the seminar organised under the joint auspices of the National Seed Committee and the Seed Sector Support Project, Secretary at the Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperatives Ratneshwar Lal Kayastha, Joint Secretary Dr Surendra Shrestha, Chairman of the Agriculture Enterprises Centre Krishna Prasad Tamrakar and senior scientist at the Agricultural Research Council Bholaman Singh Basnet and others shed light on the importance of improved varieties of certified seeds.

It is learnt that agriculture production can be increased by 15 to 20 per cent by the use of improved certified seeds.

Felicitation Programme
No work is inferior: Nepal

Kathmandu, Aug. 13 (RSS): General secretary of the main opposition CPN-UML Madhav Kumar Nepal felicitated mechanic Bishwanath Yadav who has a 40 years long experience in automechanics and Mahendra Bir Singh who holds 27 years of experience in the field of automechanics by wrapping shawls around them on the occasion of the seventh annual general meeting of Automechanics Association of Nepal here today.

Inaugurating the annual general meeting of the Association, General Secretary Nepal presented trophies to institutions and organisations contributing to the Association in their own ways and certificates to the instructors and the trainees of the training programme organised by the association.

On the occasion, Mr. Nepal said that no work is inferior or dirty and called on the automechanics, who are engaged in such an important profession which is an auxiliary sector of the national transportation service serving lakhs of people, to improve their professional expertise and skills to provide better quality services to their clients.

Mayor of Kathmandu Metropolitan City Keshav Sthapit welcomed the government’s decision to ban old vehicles from plying in the capital, saying the decision would not have any kind of negative impact on the automechanics’ business.

He expressed the view that the government better give the responsibility of road repair and maintenance to the municipality.

At the programme presided over by Association President Mahesh Bajracharya, Vice-President Dil Bahadur Sunar, General Secretary Deepak Khadka and Secretary Thakur Prasad Neupane, President of the Federation of Automobile Entrepreneurs of Nepal Khadga Bahadur Gautam, President of Nepal Petrol Dealers’ Association Hikmat Bahadur Mali, Programme Officer of the Swiss Contact G.B. Banjara, Prem Ojha of the Butwal Auto Engineering Association and others spoke on different aspects of the automobile business.

The speakers said that policies detrimental to the automobile business should not be introduced in the pretext of pollution control measure and demanded the development of separate autolands for carrying out of automechanical works in all the municipalities keeping in view the environment of the cities.

They also underlined the need for making provisions for providing training and life insurance facilities for the automechanics.

Some 20,000 people are said to be in the automechanics sector in Nepal.

Butwal is the only city in the country which has a systematised autoland facility.

Debate on domestic violence
Govt committeed to empower women: Khadka

Kathmandu, Aug. 13 (RSS): Mrs Goura Koirala of the CPN-UML tabled a resolution of public importance at the meeting of the National Assembly today seeking discussions on domestic violence and women trafficking.

She demanded amendment in the law and provision for stern action against criminals to eliminate crimes such as not allowing children to study, manhandling them and employing them as domestic help, expulsion of the elderly from their homes and grabbing of their assets, making women disabled and exploiting them sexually and alleging them to be witches.

Taking part in the discussions on the resolution, Goma Devkota of the CPN-UML demanded the formation of a family court to discuss the plight of women.

Ram Chandra Bhattarai of the same party said that the tradition of making women a means of entertainment, and the system of dowry, domestic violence and insulting of women were still continuing, and therefore the government should introduce special programmes for Nepalese women.

MP Dr Rup Jyoti said whether the criminal justice system was adequate or not should be pondered, and criminals should be provided methods of correction.

Jagannath Poudel of the Nepali Congress said that Nepal is bound by the international convention concerning womens' rights, and domestic violence was not a political issue but rather a social one.

Responding to queries raised during the discussions, Home Minister Khum Bahadur Khadka said that as discrimination against women would pose a challenge to the national development programme, social awareness was necessary for their upliftment.

As the root cause of oppression and discrimination against women was economic and lack of education, it is not only the government but also the political parties and civic society at large should also be serious about this matter.

Stating that the present government was serious about the upliftment of women, he called upon the MPs to make women's right to inheritance more effective.

He said that girls sold into prostitution are brought back to the country through the international police organisation, and the investigative efficiency of the Nepal police should be enhanced to prevent such trafficking.

NATIONAL ASSEMBLY
'Replace LPG stoves by electric system'

Kathmandu, Aug. 13 (RSS): Yuva Raj Gyawali of CPN-UML, taking special time at the National Assembly today, stressed the need to address such issues as poverty, corruption, unemployment, economic disparity and exploitation together with the Maoist problem and said all these issues should be resolved not just as issues between two sides but as national issues.

As free, fair and peaceful elections are an important part of democracy, efforts should be made to make this happen by revamping the entire civil and police administration, which has been rendered ineffective due to over-politicisation, he said.

He also spoke of the need to keep up the spirit shown by all political parties to resolve the Maoist problem.

MP Mohan Raj Sharma Chapagain criticised the ineffectiveness of the Landless Squatters Problem Resolution Commission and stressed the need to find a better alternative for the resolution of the problem.

Mahesh Mani Acharya Dixit stressed the need for an appropriate programme for resolving the economic, social and cultural problems of Muslims who have been living in Nepal for the past 300 years.

Ramjivan Singh of the Nepali Congress demanded that the LPG stoves within parliamentary premises be replaced by electric stoves and the construction of any new building within the Singha Durbar complex and the entry of polluting vehicles inside the ring road be restricted.

Rumours of overdraft heat Lawer House

Kathmandu, Aug. 13 (RSS): Taking time from Speaker Taranath Ranabhat at the begining of the Lower House meeting today, CPN-UML's Bharat Mohan Adhikari demanded detailed information in Parliament about the overdraft of five billion rupees said to be taken by the government from Nepal Rastra Bank.

Stating that even Parliament was not informed about the amount which could have a serious affect on the country's economy and neither was it mentioned in the current budget, Mr Adhikari urged for an immediate investigation into the issue to bring it to public attention.

Flood problem

Ramesh Lekhak of Nepali Congress said two people were swept away by river flooding in Mahendranagar Municipality and two wards of the municipality are likely to be inundated.

Demanding that the government take immediate steps towards checking the flood, Mr Lekhak also expressed concern over the effort being made by the government to remove the district irrigation office from the district.

CPN-UML's Shankernath Sharma Adhikari drew the attention of the concerned body towards providing wire mesh to stop inundation by local rivers in Sindhulimadi region of Sindhuli district.

RPP's Pashupati Shumsher JB Rana also demanded to bring to public factual information regarding rumours of the overdraft of five billion rupees between the government and Nepal Rastra Bank.

Easy markets

CPN-UML's Sushila Nepal said though the government has been running various programmes for poverty alleviation it has not yet been able to properly develop the agriculture sector which remains the backbone of the national economy. The government should make arrangement for easy market access for milk producing farmers.

Hari Acharya of Rastriya Janamorcha said the government has decided to cut down the budget for the integrated development fund in the 11 districts where the army has been mobilised, adding that the government should cancel this provision and set up a seperate fund.

Alternative road

Narayanman Bijukche of Nepal Workers and Peasants Party (NWPP) said the road near Monohara along the Kathmandu-Bhaktapur road is very narrow and has been causing inconvenience to passengers. So an alternative road to Bhaktapur from Kathmandu should be built.

Kala-azar

Mrigendra Kumar Singh Yadav of Nepal Sadvawana Party expressed concern over dissemination of information from Radio Nepal which said kala-azar has broken out only in Mahottari district despite his statement in the house yesterday that the disease has been spreading out in Siraha, Saptari and other districts.

Lilamani Pokharel of Samyukta Janamorcha complained that the police have not yet responded to the filing of a complaint by the father of Bhuvan Lal Thapamagar, a Samyukta Janamorcha cadre who was killed during the last general elections. His father filed a complaint by post after the police refused to register any case against the accused pointed out by him.

Mr Pokharel also accused Foreign Ministry officials of selling passports and illegally sending people abroad.

Relief materials

CPN-UML's Rajendra Prasad Pandey demanded relief for victims of the earthquake that took place a few days ago in Dhading district. Many people were injured, some 500 houses, roads, drinking water and irrigation pipes and school buildings were also damaged in the earthquake.

Romi Gauchan Thakali of Nepali Congress said the cutting down of remote posting allowances enjoyed by teachers working in remote areas of the country had prompted teachers especially in the Himalayan region to launch a movement.

RPP's Buddhiman Tamang said many people were killed and crops, houses, schools, and bridges destroyed in earthquake and landslides that took place in Dhading district. He demanded proper relief materials for the affected.

NC's Ramchandra Tiwari said Chief of Commission for Investigation of Abuse of authority Suryanath Upadhyaya should resign following his implication in the commission's annual report for indulging in irregularity over tender calls concerning the Mahakali irrigation project.

CPN-UML's Mahendra Bahadur Pandey said the government has not been able to bring any clear policies for the development of the education sector which is in a very unstable state.

Bank Fraud
Rs. 5.2 cheated through forgery

Kathmandu, Aug. 13 (RSS): About Rs 5.2 m has been withdrawn from the accounts of the Department of National Parks and Wildlife Reserves from the Kathmandu banking office of Nepal Rastra Bank through forgery.

According to banking sources, the fraud had withdrawn the money on 13 different dates between June 28 and July 18 by signing a forged signature on genuine cheques of the Department. The signature of the accountant is so exact that the accountant himself got surprised looking at it.

All the employees of the bank stopped transactions in protest of the arrest by special police of acting assistant director of the banking counter Durga Bahadur Manandhar and assistant cashier Hiran Niraula without any warrant letter from the venue where they were taking a training.

President of the Bank Employees Union Ram Prasad Uprety claimed the cheating is not possible without the collusion of bank employees and warned unless the arrested employees are released, they won't resume their work.

Appropriation debate
Govt fails to activate tourism sector

Kathmandu, Aug. 13 (RSS): The House of Representatives today initiated discussions on the appropriattion heads concerning the Ministry of Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation.

CPN-UML's Suresh Kumar Karki and Dilaram Acharya of Rastriya Janamorcha proposed separately a reduction of Rs. 100 from the expenditure head under the Ministry.

Taking part in the discussion, MP Karki criticized the Ministry for not doing anything for the promotion of culture, and for failing to check corruption and irregularities in the Royal Nepal Airlines Corporation, which is now on the verge of collapse. He also accused the government of failing to develop a clear policy on tourism promotion.

Dilaram Acharya of Samyukta Janamorcha critricised the government for failing to work in a planned manner for the promotion of tourism, remaining indifferent to preserving the country's eroding cultures, failing to provide protection to places included in the world heritage list and for not paying attention towards appointing a Nepali as the Mul Purohit of Pashupatinath temple.

Gorakh Bahadur Bogati of CPN-UML described the budgetary allocations under the Ministry as discouraging and accused the government of paying no attention to tourism promotion and construction of airstrip in Karnali zone, and of becoming a silent spectator to the corruption and irregularities taking place in RNAC regional office, Nepalgunj.

Sabitri Bogati Pathak of Nepali Congress welcome the appropriation of budget under the Ministry and spoke of the need to renovate ancient temples and other sites of historical and archaeological importance.

Netra Lal Shrestha of RPP said that the Ministry has failed to pay equal attention to tourism promotion in various parts of the country including such places as Swargadwari of Rapti, Dang and Salyan.

Chitra Bahadur K.C. of Rastriya Janamorcha expressed concern over the western invasion of Nepalese culture and demanded that those involved in the Lauda, China Southwest and several other aircraft procurement scams be punished.

Dharmanath Prasad Shaha of CPN-UML raised the issues of government inaction concerning promote and preservation of Nepalese culture, discrimination against the downtrodden, invasion of Nepalese culture, lack of proper functioning of Pashupati Area Development Trust and repair work on Rajbiraj airfield.

NC's Ram Bahadur Gurung and Hridayaram Thani spoke of the need to complete construction works on an airport in Lamjung district, preserve historic sites of archaeological importance, restore the Jhankre Vihar temple in Kavre district, turn the mid-western regional museum in Surkhet into a regional museum and blacktop the runway in Surkhet airport.

Ganga Prasad Joshi and Sher Dhan Rai of the CPN(UML) demanded that languages, cultures and traditions of different nationalities should be developed, there should be transparency in the activities of the Pashupati Development Trust and Lumbini and Sindhuli should be developed as tourism site, complaining that culture and tourism has not been developed as per the goal of the Ninth Plan, hundreds of hotel workers were shamed because of the RNAC.

Stating that the state of tourism is deteriorating and the Ministry has not paid any attention to the development of central and far western region, NC's Khemraj Bhatta Mayalu and Krishna Kishore Ghimire spoke of the need to promote tourism by developing Rara and Ghoda-Ghodi lakes and Bardiya National Parks and also to pay attention to preserving Chamere cave in Dang valley, historic forts and Swargadwari in Pyuthan district.

Damber Singh noted that the government has to do a lot of things to improve the situation of the country which is full of corruption, scams and mismanagement and there is no comprehensive programs for the promotion of diverse cultures, while Jagannath Khatiwada demanded that those who are responsible for the pitiable plight of RNAC should be brought to book, Chinese tourists should be attracted, a statue of Kiranti King Yalamber should be erected and demands of hotel workers met.

NC's Harilal Joshi, Ram Kumar Chaudhary, Ramnath Adhikari and Bharat Kumar Shah expressed the view that effective planning and management should be carried out for the development of culture, culture should be incorporated into the Education Ministry, Saptari district should be linked with air services, special attention should be given towards the development of tourism sector which is the backbone of national economy and 50 per cent of Royal Nepal Airlines Corporation should be handed over to the private sector in order to improve its condition.

Likewise, RPP's Brijesh Kumar Gupta and Renu Kumari Yadav complained that the government has not given much attention to the development of tourism sector and abundant security has not been provided for trekkers, and said air services to Saptari should be resumed. They expressed concern over the western influence over Nepali culture and incompletion of the road leading to Chinmatta temple in Rajbiraj.

CPN-UML's Tukraj Sugdel, Til Kumar Meyangbo, Krishnalal Maharjan and Hitkaji Gurung pointed out the need to develop the tourism sector in order to alleviate poverty from the country, renovate the historical Tanahusur of Tanahu district, protect culture of various nationalities, purchase new aircrafts for RNAC, improve the state of the national museum and not sell the natural heritage of the country.

NC's Haribhakta Adhikari drew the government's attention to the 600 students who have been left stranded by the relocation of the school near the Lamjunge Palace in name of restoring the palace, while Uma Kanta Chaudhary of the same party complained that though some amount was appropriated for the preservation of Simraunagadh in Bara district it is yet to be released and the ninth plan should pay attention to preserve sites and monuments that stand for identity of different peoples.

CPN-UML's Tarasam Yangya and Urmila Aryal observed that the Ministry of Tourism has failed to preserve the country's nature heritage as a result of which the number of tourists has gone down, old palaces in Dharan should be preserved, the RNAC which was established in 2015 BS is now in a dismal state and the Jira Bhawani temple of Parsa should be preserved.

NC's Kailashnath Kasaudhan and Gehendra Giri expressed the view that the budget for promotion of culture and tourism is inadequate and civil aviation and tourism facilities should be expanded in Banke district, objects of archeological importance should be preserved in Dang district and aviation facility should be provided to the people of Karnali.

Devi Lal Thapa of CPN(UML) accused the government of not paying attention to promoting tourism and culture and to developing Rara lake as a tourism site and spoke of the need to promote air services in Karnali region.