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NPC announces implementation of
Tenth Five Year Plan KATHMANDU, Dec 17: The National Planning Commission (NPC) today formally announced the operationalization of the Tenth Five Year (2059-2064). The Tenth Five Year Plan has been in operation since the beginning of the running fiscal year (2059-2060) on July 17 with the prime objective of achieving the economic growth in between 4.3 and 6.2 per cent. The Tenth Plan has set a target to narrow down the poverty to 30 per cent from 38 per cent in the next five years. The volume of the budget as per the current price is expected to be Rs 490- 640 billion. The NPC has set a target to achieve the growth rate between 2.8 per cent and 4.1 per cent in agriculture sector and 5.2 to 7.5 in non-agricultural sector. Declaring the formal operationalisation of the Tenth Plan at Singhadurbar vice chairman of the NPC, Dr. Shankar Sharma reiterated that the plan is based on the reality and the targets have been set on the basis of existing macro economic framework. "The features of the Tenth Plan is different from the
previous period plans and it is more pragmatic too," said Dr. Sharma adding " We
have introduced a number of new mechanisms to make the plan a success and more
pragmatic." He said that the plan is focused on poverty alleviation by achieving the
targeted economic growth. If the security situation improves, he indicated that
possibility of achieving economic growth at six per cent, but the growth will be
"around four per cent if the situation as it is." He further said that the plan has introduced participatory approach with active participation of the private sector. He also clarified that the plan this time has introduced log framework system on the basis of unit cost analysis. Dr. Sharma further said that the budgetary allocation would be done after expenditure tracking. On top of that poverty monitoring will be carried out each year, he said. In response to queries about the urgency of implementing the
Tenth Plan, despite mounting pressure for the Plan holiday, he said, " It is quite
essential to give continuity to the development activities." NPC member Dr Yuba Raj Khatiwada said that the plan would be focused and implementation. Regarding the objective of attaining 4.3 to 6.2 percent economic growth, he said that it has been set taking the existing macro economic indicators into consideration. " Macro economic indicators were below the expected level," he said. He also mentioned that the Tenth Plan has set a target of mobilizing 68-72 per cent investment from the private sector. The plan has accorded importance on private sector participation. The meeting held at the NPC decided to submit the Tenth Plan to the cabinet for the approval. Features of the Tenth Plan * It aims to bring down the poverty to 30 per cent from 38
per cent. Speaker stresses consensus to resolve impasse By A Staff Reporter LALITPUR, Dec. 17: Speaker of the dissolved House of Representatives Taranath Ranabhat called for consensus between the constitutional forces - the Monarch and mainstream political parties - to find a way out of the existing political crisis. Inaugurating a seminar on Conflict Management in Nepal, organised by the Study Center for Democracy and Good Governance, here today, Ranabhat said that if the crisis is not resolved through consensus, the Maoist insurgency would pose a threat to national sovereignty as well as national integrity. He said that the country's social problems that provided fertile breeding ground for the Maoist terror should not be ignored. Conflict management "As the political parties and their governments failed to address these social problems and needs of the common people, the constitutional forces became weak in just 12 years," he said. Conflict between the constitutional forces would not help resolve the problems dogging the nation since 1996, he added. "As the nation can take the conflict no more, the mainstream political parties and the King should create an environment of confidence amongst themselves in a bid to isolate the Maoists both nationally and internationally. This will compel them to come to the negotiating table for peace talks," he said. General Secretary of the CPN-UML Madhav Kumar Nepal said that the prevailing social discrimination, poverty, unemployment and bad governance were the root causes of the existing conflict and crisis, which must be alleviated in order for the problem to resolve. "The state should do extensive homework to resolve the current crisis with the co-operation of all the political parties, the civil society and the common people," Nepal stressed. Newly-elected RPP President Pashupati Shamsher JB Rana said that all the constitutional forces should stand in one place to bring peace in the country. He also stressed the need for consensus between the political parties and the King. At the programme, Shankar Pokhrel, Kamal Thapa and Kashiraj Dahal presented papers on conflict management while Homnath Dahal, Shreebhadra Sharma and Suvash Chandra Nemwang commented on them. By A Staff Reporter KATHMANDU, Dec 17: Minister for Information and
Communications, and General Administration Ramesh Nath Pandey said that spokesmen are the
bridge between the people and the government. Pandey further said that there should be cordial relation between the press and the spokesman to flow accurate information to the public. "A spokesman must take the press into confidence." "Be open-minded and informal with the press," Pandey advised the spokesmen. The Minister said that the spokesman must be informed and up to date on the decisions made in their respective ministries. "For this, a spokesman should maintain a regular and close contact with the secretary and the minister." The ministries should develop a mechanism to systematise the working of the spokesmen. "Any decisions of the ministries should go to public via the spokesman." Pandey admitted that the spokesman system could not achieve its goal although more than a decade has passed since the system was adopted. "I will initiate measures for the institutional
development of the spokesman system," said Pandey. "Spokesmen are supposed to be informed. But in many cases, major decisions of the government go to the press before the spokesmen know about it," they said. They also complained that the press had misquoted their statements, which often created an embarrassing situation in the ministry. Gopendra Pandey, Home Ministry spokesman, said that there
lacked laws to strengthen this system. There is also lack of clarity on how much information a spokesman has to give to the press and people, said Tirtha Man Maskey, spokesman at the Forest and Soil Conservation Ministry. Yuba Raj Pandey of the Ministry for Education and Sports, said that as there is no Right to Information Act, the spokesmen were facing problem while dealing with the media people. Economy hit due to instability, insurgency: ADB By A Staff Reporter KATHMANDU, Dec 17: The Asian Development Bank (ADB) has expressed its commitment to support Nepal's development endeavour. Referring to the overall performance of the year 2002, the ADB stated that political instability, and escalation of insurgency have put negative impact on the country's economy. Real GDP growth of key sectors such as tourism and trade in particular declined dramatically about ten per cent in the fiscal year 2002 due to the difficult security situation. As agriculture, the mainstay of the economy also grew only moderately by 2.2 per cent due to uneven monsoon in 2001, the overall GDP declined by 0.6 per cent in FY 2002, the first time in Nepal's recent history that negative growth has been recorded.Reading out the report ADB country Director Richard Vokes said that the fiscal crisis has deepened with low revenue collection and the pressure for increased expenditures especially for security. The poor performance of Nepal's economy in the last two years has been largely due to the political instability and deterioration of the internal security situation, he said. Talking to media person Vokes said the ADB would continue to support Nepal in its development activities. The support will be more fruitful if the security situation improves. Annan raps recruitment of child-soldiers By A Staff Reporter KATHMANDU, Dec.17: UN Secretary General Kofi Annan has expressed concern over the recruitment of child-soldiers in conflict situations in many conflict-ridden nations, including Nepal, in a recent report submitted by him for consideration by the UN Security Council. Nepal, although not included in the agenda for discussion in the Security Council, is included in the list of such nations that recruit children for use in conflict situations. The Secretary General's third report on Children and Armed Conflict mentions the names of 23 parties, including governments and insurgents in Afghanistan, Burundi, Congo, Liberia and Somalia, that recruit children for use in armed conflicts in their the respective countries. The report also highlights the names of other nations although they do not form an agenda for discussion in the Security Council. They are Nepal, Colombia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Sudan, Northern Uganda and Sri Lanka. Children are recruited and used as combatants there, reads a press statement issued by the United Nations Information Centre (UNIC) in Kathmandu. The lists of countries mentioned in the report represent "an important step forward in our efforts to induce compliance by the parties to conflict with international child protection obligation," the press statement quoted the UN Secretary General as saying. "This report breaks new ground" said Olara A. Otunnu, special representative of the Secretary-General for Children and Armed Conflict. The Security Council is sending a message to governments and insurgents alike that the international community is watching and that they will be accountable for the welfare of children in conflict and post conflict situations, he was quoted as saying. The optional protocol to the Convention on the Rights of the Child on the involvement of children in armed conflict sets an age limit of 18 years for compulsory recruitment and direct participation in hostilities. I'll try to help eliminate crisis of trust: Rana By A Staff Reporter KATHMANDU, Dec. 17: Newly-elected president of the Rastriya Prajatantra Party, Pashupati Shamsher JB Rana, today ruled out the possibilities of reinstating the dissolved parliament or restoring the sacked government of Sher Bahadur Deuba or forming an all-party coalition government to resolve the national crisis. At the face to face programme organised by Reporters Club he said all the political parties were guided by their own interests and reiterated his party's commitment to multi-party democracy and constitutional democracy. "The present government led by our party leader Lokendra Bahadur Chand must try to resolve the crisis (Maoist) and hold the election as early as possible," he said. Rana said that he would try to bridge the crisis of confidence between the King and the political parties. "National consensus and understanding between the mainstream political parties and constitutional monarch is the single way out to hold talks with the Maoists to restore peace in the nation," he said. Regarding the recent political development following the Royal Address and formation of the Chand government, Rana reiterated that the party's stand was that it was an outcome of the political parties' desire to see the postponement of the November 13 polls for security reasons. He also said that he would try to seek the co-operation of his rivals Dr Prakash Chandra Lohani and Rabindra Nath Sharma in the party to make his party a major democratic force in the future. Ten terrorists killed in encounters RSS KATHMANDU, Dec. 17: Altogether 10 terrorists, who were involved in the attack on the security forces during the search operation, were killed in Kailali and Bardia districts, according to the Defence Ministry. The security forces have recovered four guns, socket bombs, equipment parts of the weapons, bullets, medicines, explosives materials, hand made weapons and terrorist documents during the search, the ministry said in a press release issued here today. The security forces recovered .303 rifles bullets, grenade, explosive materials, socket bomb, pistol and its bullets, food grains, sleeping bags and jacket during the course of search operations in Damauli, Manpur Tapara area of Bardia, Dudhpokhari area of Dolakha and Mewakhor area of Dhanusha district in the course of search operation on Dec. 15, the release stated. A total of 52 people in Gorkha district were checked in the temporary health camp of the security forces and provided medicine free of cost, the ministry said. SAARC seminar on weather forecasting RSS KATHMANDU, Dec. 17: A four day SAARC level training seminar on summer monsoon and prediction techniques kicked off here today. Experts and representatives of Hydrology and Meterorology Departments of all the SAARC members are participating in the training. Different effects and advantages of summer monsoon over the region will be discussed at the training seminar organised jointly by Ministry of Science and Technology Department of Hydrology and Meteorology and SAARC Japan assistance, it was informed on the occasion. Inaugurating the training joint secretary at the Ministry of Science and Technology Mahesh Man Shreshta said the seminar will be fruitful in exchanging experiences and technologies related to prediction of weather and climate among the SAARC nations and develop the better systems of weather prediction with mutual benefit. Speaking on the occasion Director General of Department of Hydrology and Meteorology Adarsha Prasad Pokharel pointed out the importance of accurate prediction of weather in the agricultural countries like Nepal. Director of SAARC Secretariat C.A.H.M. Vijayaratne mentioning the impact and damage caused by natural disasters annually in the SAARC countries said the seminar will help in formulating policies and plans based on mutual sharing of knowledge technologies in the field of meteorology. Also speaking on the occasion were Deputy General Director of Department of Hydrology and Meteorology Madan Lal Shrestha and joint secretary at the Ministry of Science and Technology Dr. Timila Shrestha. Chinese enterpreneurs keen to invest in Nepal By A Staff Reporter KATHMANDU, Dec. 17: Chinese entrepreneurs have shown interest in investing in agriculture, pharmaceuticals, hydro power and light industries, said acting president of the Federation of Nepalese Chambers of Commerce and Industries (FNCCI) Binod Bahadur Shrestha today. He was briefing the press about the outcome of the sixth Nepal-China Non-Governmental Cooperation Forum held in China recently. The seventh meet of the forum set up in 1996 will be organised next year in Nepal. "We strongly called on our Chinese counterparts to implement past agreements and work hand in hand for the industrial development of Nepal," Shrestha said. The forum had discussed implementing the agreement signed during the visit of His Majesty the King to China in June this year. They have agreed to implement the suggestions of the committee formed in June to promote mutual trade, investments in water resources, tourism, agriculture, transport and civil aviation, said Shrestha. China agreed to reduce the trade deficit and towards this end, an exhibition of Nepalese goods will be held in China in the near future. The forum had also called on Nepalese industries to make use of Chinese technology reduce production costs and raise the standard of Nepalese goods so that they are able to compete in the international market. In a bid to promote trade between the two countries, a Chinese trade envoy will be visiting Nepal soon. A memorandum was signed on December 12 between the FNCCI and All China Federation of Industry and Commerce (ACFIC) to promote trade, investments and economic cooperation between the two sides. Trilateral trade among China, Nepal and India was also discussed at the forum. "Improvement in trade among these three countries will eventually help Nepal's economy," said Shrestha. Coordinator of the delegation Chandi Dhakal said that the meet had been fruitful in winning over Chinese entrepreneurs to invest in Nepal. He said that they were working to translate Nepal's trade policy into the Chinese language. Answering queries of journalists, Shrestha said that a demonstration farm in Nepal would be promoted using Chinese technology to boost agricultural production. Local self Governance Act in difficulty RSS KABHREPALANCHOK, Dec. 17: National Assembly vice-chairman Ramprit Paswan has said that though the Local Self-Governance Act 2055 has been introduced there were some practical difficulties in it. He was speaking at an interaction programme on the
decentralisation improvement process and constraints in the functioning of Local Self
Governance bodies under the prevailing conditions. National Assembly members, representatives from the VDC Panel formed to prepare plan for medicinal plants RSS KATHMANDU, Dec. 17: His Majesty's Government has constituted a task force under the chairmanship of Vice-Chancellor of Royal Nepal Academy for Science and Technology (RONAST) Dr. Dayananda Bajracharya to collect necessary information on medicinal plants and intellectual property and prepare a strategy and work plan along with recommendations for their protection. This was disclosed by Minister for Health, Science and Technology Dr. Upendra Devkota at a press conference organised by the Ministry here today. Nepal is home to some 6,000 species of plants of which some 1,600 contain medical properties and are in high demand in the international market. But despite many government and non-government national and international organisations involved in this sector His Majesty's Government has not been able to benefit much as a result of lack of sufficient coordination. That is why the task force has been constituted. On the occasion Dr. Devkota also disclosed that a highly equipped laboratory will be established at ronast in order to carry out testing for arsenic which has been causing a serious problem in many terai districts of the country. Speaking on the occasion, RONAST Vice-Chancellor Dr. Bajracharya said the task force will get to work within a week and will finalise its study and report within the next two months. Dr. Devkota, on the occasion, also made public the main
website of His Majesty's Government, WWW.Nepalhmg.Gov.Np, which aims to integrate and
update all information relating to HMG. So far sites for 13 different ministries have been incorporated in the website and eight more will be added later, said executive Director of National Information Technology Centre Atma Ram Ghimire. |
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