PM highlights District Council’s role

Rajbiraj, Apr. 1 (RSS): Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba has said the Disrict Council is an important body for evaluation of policies and programmes formulated in the past and for development of future programmes at the district level.

In a message to the ninth district council meeting of Saptari district, Prime Minister Deuba expressed confidence that the council will take concrete decisions by evaluating polices and programmes in various sectors of the districts.

MP Renu Kumari Yadav while inaugurating the district council, stressed the need to formulate development plans that help raise the living standards of the poor.

Participants of the district council meeting said the grants being provided to VDCs by the DDC should not be stopped.

The DDC has not issued the grants amounting to more than Rs. 10.7 million to the VDCs citing nonfulfilment of necessary processes by the VDCs.

Sushil Sewa of NC, CPN-UML district secretary Diwakar Devkota, disrict president of RPP Govind Singh and district president of Nepal Sadbhawana Party Jogendra Prasad Yadav, mayor of Rajbiraj Jagarnath Das called for plans that help raise people’s living standard, an ambulance and fire engine to each VDC as well as budget to the VDCs from the DDCs.

Also speaking on the occasion were VDC national federation district president Gangaram Yadav, FNJ Saptari president Murali Prasad Yadav, Raj Parishad Standing Committee Members Uttam Pariyar and Khusilal Mandal, ex-minister Nageswor Prasad Singh, ex-DDC chairman Birbal Biraji also expressed their views.

DDC chairman Dinesh Kumar Yadav presented a budget estimate of Rs. 6.4 billion for the coming five.

Vice chairman Balaram Chaudhari said DDC has been working without any political bias in development works.

On the occasion, MP Yadav honoured 115 years old senior citizen Jaya Krishna Jha, a resident of Itahari Bisampur VDC by wrapping a shawl around him.

Nepal Bandh called off

Kathmandu, Apr. 1 (RSS): The disbanded Nepal Communist Party of Nepal Maoist group has called off its Nepal Bandh programme scheduled from April 2 to 6, according to a press release of the group.

The Bandh has been called off in response to the requests from intellectuals, friendly political forces and guardians, the press release said.

Mainali short story award to Bhandari

Kathmandu, Apr. 1 (RSS): Story writer Madhav Bhandari has been awarded the Mainali Short Story Award for this year amid a function here today.

Bhandari has been given the award for his contribution to bringing the realities of society to light through his works.

The award instituted in 2039 B.S. in the name of famous story writer Guru Prasad Mainali carries a purse of Rs. 10,000 and a certificate.

At the function organised on the occasion of the 21st story day of the Literary Journalists Association, story writer Madan Mani Dixit was felicitated for his contribution to enriching Nepali literature through epoch-making works based on scientific study, research and analysis.

At the programme presided over by Association acting president Narendra Bahadur Shrestha, various other speakers including critic Rajendra Subedi, story writer Parashu Pradhan, and association general secretary Radheshyam Lekali expressed their views.

The association is also to organise a special function on the occasion of the International Mountain Year.

Prithvi memorial garden in Bidur

Trisuli, Apr.1 (RSS):Pancha Kanya Sewa Samiti has decided to lay out a garden in memory of Prithvi Narayan Shah the Great at Baguwa in Bidur Municipality Ward No. 8 of Nuwakot District.

The annual general meeting of the Samiti arrived at the decision that the proposed garden would be laid out by obtaining public land from HMG in and around the Pancha Kanya Temple built by His late Majesty.

The meeting also agreed to conserve ecology surrounding the temple area and launch other development works in close contact with HMG.

The meeting also reached an unanimous decision on changing its name into Pancha Kanya Area Development and Conservation Trust under the chairmanship of Bijendra Shakya.

The temple is believed to have been built by His late Majesty Prithvi Narayan Shah the Great before conquering Nuwakot in 1801 Bikram era.

NCC for massive changes in tax regime

By A Staff Reporter

Kathmandu, Apr 1:The 49th Annual General Meeting of the Nepal Chamber of Commerce (NCC) concluded today adopting resolutions for the development of trade and industries in the country.

Regarding income tax, the NCC demanded with the government to extend the limit of income tax net to 100,000 rupees and 150,000 rupees for individual and couple.

"To bring more people into the tax net, the government should provide a minimum a five per cent rebate to the taxpayers that pay tax in a stipulated time," the resolution states.

Regarding export promotion, NCC asked the government to cancel the duties on exporting items and to establish Export Promotion Zone (EPZ). Besides, there should a provision of pre- export loan and income tax should be waived on the export of goods.

The NCC also demanded the government to ease the process of export of handicrafts so that export could be enhanced largely.

Regarding import, the NCC has pointed out the need to end monopoly upon the import of petroleum products and salt.

There should be some changes in the Customs Act to promote import and export trade, the NCC says.

Apart from this, the NCC pointed out the need to introduce some reforms in the existing labor Act. "The Labour Act should be amended by not discouraging the investors," the resolution said.

The NCC has also stressed the need to establish offices for the quarantine test and registration of the transportation vehicles.

The government should make some timely reform on information on foreign currency and trade.

The NCC has asked the government to address the problem of trade diversification and revenue generation.

Business-friendly trade policy stressed

Biratnagar, Apr.1 (RSS): Morang Uddyog Sansthan (MUS) organised an interaction programme to hold discussions on renewal of Nepal- India trade treaty concluded recently.

Majority of the participants pointed out the need of a clear-cut government policy regarding industries and foreign trade in order to boost economic activities in the country.

They stressed that the government should take initiative to grapple with the problems faced by these sectors.

Joint secretary at the Ministry of Industry, Commerce and Supplies Purusottam Ojha said the particulars of Nepalese origin goods were not clearly defined in the Nepal-India trade treaty of 1996 whereas this has been clearly mentioned in the recent treaty.

He said that everybody should eschew the conservative mind set of running industries and business firms with the support of India.

Director general of the Department of Industries Bharat Bahadur Thapa said that several provisions of the Nepal-India trade treaty have been amended and made relevant to the changing context.

Executive members of the Federation of Nepalese Chamber of Commerce and Industry (FNCCI) and facilitators of the treaty Diwakar Golchha and Kusha Kumar Joshi highlighted various aspects of the treaty and opined that Nepalese industries and business firms should enhance their performance and capability in order to face the new challenges after the renewal of the bilateral trade treaty.

Central member of the FNCCI Kishore Pradhan also expressed his views at the interaction programme chaired by MUS president Shusil Kumar Dhanawat.