Nepal’s policy of friendship based on sovereign / equality, peace and understanding: HM
Their Majesties begin state visit to India

New Delhi, June 23 (RSS): Their Majesties King Gyanendra Bir Bikram Shah Dev and Queen Komal Rajya Laxmi Devi Shah arrived here this evening on a week-long state visit to India at the friendly invitation of Indian President K.R. Narayanan and his spouse Mrs Usha Narayanan.

This is the first foreign visit of His Majesty the King after accession to the throne of the Kingdom of Nepal.

Their Majesties are accompanied by Her Royal Highness Princess Prearana Rajya Laxmi Devi Shah.

Minister for Industry, Commerce and Supplies Purna Bahadur Khadka also arrived here today along with the Royal entourage.

Their Majesties the King and Queen, on arrival at the Military Airport at Palam, New Delhi, were welcomed by India's Central Minister of State for Railways Digbijaya Singh.

Also present at the airport to welcome Their Majesties were high ranking officials of the Indian External Affairs Ministry, Royal Nepalese Ambassador Bhekh Bahadur Thapa, his spouse Dr. Rita Thapa, officials of the Royal Nepalese Embassy, office bearers of the India-Nepal Friendship Association and distinguished Nepalese nationals in New Delhi.

As per the Indian tradition, Their Majesties the King and Queen will be accorded a formal welcome by Indian President K.R. Narayanan and Mrs Narayanan at a special function at Rastrapati Bhawan tomorrow.

Indian Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee will also be present at the function, it is stated.

Their Majesties had left for New Delhi this afternoon by special aircraft. Before leaving Kathmandu, a contingent of the Royal Nepal Army presented a 31-gun salute and a guard of honour to His Majesty the King at the VVIP bay of Tribhuvan International Airport.

His Royal Highness Crown Prince Paras Bir Bikram Shah Dev bid a warm farewell to Their Majesties the King and Queen.

Their Majesties were offered bouquets by Panchakanyas.

Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba was present at the airport to bid farewell to Their Majesties.

Also present on the occasion were the Chief Justice, the Speaker, National Assembly Chairman, the chairman of the Raj Parishad Standing Committee, ministers, leaders of various political parties, MPs, heads of foreign diplomatic missions, heads of constitutional bodies as well as distinguished persons.

Earlier, in a message to the countrymen before leaving, His Majesty said that Nepal had a policy of developing friendship on the basis of sovereign equality, peace and understanding with all the countries.

His Majesty expressed confidence the visit will provide continuity to the close relations being nurtured through contacts at the government and people's level since centuries and help to further strengthen the mutual understanding and goodwill existing between Nepal and India.

"We are leaving for New Delhi on a state first to India at the friendly invitation of President of India K. R. Narayanan," His Majesty said. "We have constituted a council of Royal representatives under the chairmanship of HRH Crown Prince Paras Bir Bikram Shah Dev for undertaking our responsibilities during our absence", His Majesty added.

His Majesty the King has hoped that all the countrymen will as usual extend co-operation from their respective places for the welfare of Nepal and the Nepalese by remaining alert to their duties.

Life Insurance to float shares to public

By A Staff Reporter

Kathmandu, June 23: Life Insurance Corporation (Nepal) is to float shares worth Rs. 50 million next month. The Corporation that began operations in the current fiscal year is a joint venture of Life Insurance Corporation of India and Vishal Group of Nepal.

The Corporation has chosen NIDC Capital Markets as the Merchant Banker and Issue Manager. The underwriters include Bank of Kathmandu, Everest Bank, Nepal Bangladesh Bank and NIDC Capital Markets.

The joint venture company has a paid capital of Rs. 200 million from Life Insurance Corporation of India and Vishal Group Ltd. Nepal to the extent of 55 per cent and 25 per cent respectively out of the authorised capital of Rs. 250 million.

New budget unlikely to launch new projects: NPC

By Our Correspondent

Udayapur, June 23: National Planning Commission Vice Chairman Dr. Narayan Khadka has said that the budget for the new fiscal year is unlikely to launch fresh development projects.

"In view of the overall economic situation of the country, there are little chances of new projects in the upcoming budget," Dr. Khadka told a programme organised by Bahunna River Control Consumers' Group (BRCCG) here today.

Citing the slackness in tourism, decline in the export trade, increase in unemployment, and rise in security expenses, Dr. Khadka said the government would be unable to bring new projects in the new budget.

In the programme chaired by BRCCG Chairman Yubaraj Raut, Dr. Khadka said that development was impossible in the absence of peace, adding the government had to cut from the development budget to provide for security expenses.

Khadka said the budget was likely to be presented within a couple of weeks.

On the occasion, Dr. Khadka handed over an assistance package of Rs. 40,000 to Balhit Primary School and Rs. 20,000 to Janapremi Lower Secondary School. The assistance was provided by a Canadian organisation.

Dr. Khadka also inspected the Gaighat-Diktel road under construction and met with local office heads and journalists.

'London meet has linked security with reforms'

By A Staff Reporter

Kathmandu, June 23: While pledging support to Nepal in combatting the Maoist terrorists, representatives of donor countries and international agencies during the informal international conference on Nepal that took place in London on June 19 and 20 emphasised an urgent need to reduce poverty.

Dr. Shankar Sharma, member of the National Planning Commission (NPC) who led the Nepalese delegates, said that the representatives of Nepal's international partners wanted Nepal to carry out regular monitoring of its poverty alleviation programmes.

"They said that their support will depend on how Nepal moves ahead with the economic reform process," Dr. Sharma told The Rising Nepal.

"We reiterated our commitment to controlling corruption, maintaining good governance and transparency," he added.

During the Nepal Development Forum (NDF) meet held early this year, Nepal had made similar commitments to the donor agencies and international development partners.

However, the economic indicators of Nepal Rastra Bank (NRB) do not show any improvement. The volume of exports has gone down by eight per cent while imports have declined by as much. More than 80 per cent of the carpet and garment industries have closed down, and the situation of governance, according to experts, is alarming.

Moreover the heightening political instability and weak administrative mechanism have raised doubts as how the government will realise its commitment.

Despite all that, the London conference hosted by the United Kingdom is the first of its kind to build an 'international coalition against terrorism', says Hiranya Lal Shrestha, a foreign relations expert. "The most important aspect is that the informal meet has successfully linked security with development and economic reform."

The conference set the first stage of consultations between the officials. The follow-up meeting, according to Dr. Sharma, will take place after the mid-term poll to be held on November 27.

The UK has provided a comprehensive package of developmental and military assistance totaling more than 30 million pound Sterling for this financial year.

This assistance should be properly utilised for poverty alleviation and corruption control, says Prof. Guna Nidhi Sharma.

"The London conference has long-term significance from the point of view of the country's economic development. But all depends on how the government keep its pledge," he says.

Although political analysts have different opinions about the London meet, some say that such informal meets could be more effective to fight against the Maoist terrorism. It has both strategic and economic significance, they say.

All participants at the meeting condemned terrorism and expressed support for Nepal. They also pointed out the need for an integrated approach to security, reform and development and stressed all urgent need to tackle problems related to poverty, poor governance, corruption, livelihoods and human rights.

Therefore, the government should be very cautious about the proper utilisation of donors' assistance, otherwise it just triggers mistrust, said a political analyst.

The meeting has also pointed out the need for strong political leadership to reform governance. The meeting stressed that military assistance should be considered as part of a comprehensive approach towards conflict resolution.

Various development partners, including the USA, the UK, Russia, France, Germany, India, China, Australia and the World Bank and other multilateral agencies participated in the meeting.

NCCWC meet discusses future policies, strategies

By A Staff Reporter

Kathmandu, June 23: A meeting of the Nepali Congress Central Working Committee (NCCWC) held at the Prime Minister's residence Baluwatar today discussed the current political situation as well as the party's future programmes, policies and strategies.

At the meeting, NC President and Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba said that the party workers should take the message, ideas and programmes of the recently concluded party's special General Convention to the villages, a NC press release issued today said.

"The party must intensify its war both on theoretical and ideological fronts," said Prime Minster Deuba.

Today's meeting has reinstated Yagya Bahadur Khatri and Yogendra Bahadur Shahi as the party's district presidents of Jajarkot and Doti respectively.

"The past leadership of the party, in a prejudiced manner, had appointed Jhalaknath Wagle and Yagya Raj Pathak as president in those districts by dislodging Khatri and Shahi.

Khatri and Shahi had won the election for the district president by defeating Wagle and Pathak by a wide margin.

Likewise, the meet has removed Satya Raj Bhandari from the post of party president of Bajhang district for violating the party discipline by contesting the general election of 2051 B.S. as a rebel candidate, and for working against the party's ideals and statute.

Today's meeting also suspended Sukra Raj Sharma as president of Kaski district for three years because of his activities against party unity and statute, said the press release.

Prime Minister Deuba, who chaired today's meeting, informed that the only living founding member of the party Krishna Prasad Bhattarai, could not attend the meeting due to health reasons, the release stated.

Party spokesman Hom Nath Dahal said that the meeting also decided to provide active membership of the NC to candidates who had been denied active membership. He also said membership of those members whose membership had not been renewed during the 10th NC General Convention would be renewed.

"Although Bhattarai could not attend the meet, his blessings are with the party," the spokesman told media persons after the meeting.

The meeting was attended by NC Vice-President Chiranjibi Wagle, General Secretary Khum Bahadur Khadka, Assistant General Secretary Bijay Kumar Gachhadhar and central committee members Pradeep Giri, Bimalendra Nidhi, Prakash Man Singh, Narendra Bikram Nemwang, Gopal Man Shrestha, Chitralekha Yadav, Homa Nath Dahal, Duryodhan Singh Chaudhary, Amar Raj Kaini, Sheikh Jahira, Krishna Bahadur Gurung and Bhim Kumari Budhamagar.

The NCCWC meeting will continue tomorrow morning as well.

28 killed in army operation

By A Staff Reporter

Kathmandu, June 23: In operations carried out by the security forces in six districts on Saturday, 28 terrorists were killed. A huge cache of weapons, rifles, different kinds of bombs, explosives, combat dresses and other materials have been recovered from them.

The Ministry of Defence today said that during the exchange of fire between the security forces and the terrorists in Okhaldhunga yesterday led to the death of six terrorists. They are known by the names Jyoti, Tirtha, Tripal Tamang and Lalmaya Tamang. Two have not been identified. The army has also captured two other terrorists. The forces recovered .303 rifles, socket bombs, camera bomb, pressure cooker bomb, explosives, 15 pairs of combat dresses and other logistic materials. The Ministry said the terrorists might have suffered more casualties.

In another encounter in Naya Basti of Dang, the security forces killed three terrorists.

Three more terrorists were killed in the search operation by the security forces in Ramchhap yesterday.

In Namla area of Lamjung, an encounter between the security forces and the terrorists led to the death of four terrorists named Peshal, Sita, Yadu and Sadhana.

Similarly, in the Mahadevpuri jungle in Banke, 11 terrorists were killed when the security forces launched an attack on the hideout of the terrorists. Those killed have nicknames Sudeep, Renu, Binod, Sanjog, Sagar, Tarun, Amar, Kamal, Basanta, Adig and Aakash. They are said to be the district committee members of the terrorist organisation.

One more terrorist was killed in Jhupre area of Surkhet.

The Ministry said the security forces found four guns in Thapagaon of Ilam. They also found four guns, combat dresses and other logistic malenals in Dhaku area of Achham.

Visit could raise tourist arrivals: HAN

By A Staff Reporter

Kathmandu, June 23: His Majesty King Gyanendra Bir Bikram Shah Dev's state visit to India beginning today could jack the arrival of Indian tourists up at a time when their number has been dwindling in the last two years, tourism entrepreneurs say.

"The visit in the present context is quite significant for the travel trade," said Narendra Bajracharya, President of Hotel Association Nepal (HAN), who is representing the tourism sector in the entourage of His Majesty the King.

"Since the Nepalese monarchy is highly regarded in India, the India-visit by the Monarch of the only Hindu Kingdom in the world could certainly make a positive impact in the Indian market," Bajracharya said. "We have pinned high hopes on His Majesty's India–visit. We believe that the visit will boost the confidence of the Indians to visit Nepal."

After it witnessed more than seven per cent growth in 1998–during the Visit Nepal Year-, tourist arrivals from India had dropped by almost two percentage point in 1999–the year that witnessed the hijack of an Indian Airlines Airbus that had taken off from Kathmandu for New Delhi on December 26.

In the following two years, the number of Indian tourists dropped by around 32 per cent. Before the Indian Airlines hijack, Indians used to occupy around 30 per cent of the total tourist-arrivals in the country. The highest figure of total tourist arrivals the country notched up in recent years was in 1998 – when around 500,000 tourists visited the country.

Bajracharya said travel traders would try to meet Indian Minister of Civil Aviation and other tourism related officials. "If we have a meeting, we will ask the Indian government to simplify paper works, making them possible to visit Nepal after producing simple identity cards," Bajracharya said.

After the Indian government last year made it mandatory for Indians to produce passports or voters ID card before they fly to Nepal, travel traders complain, increasing number of Indian citizens are facing it hard to arrive here by air.

"We appeals the government of India to find a solution to accept any ID card issued by the central and state government of India including school/college and private companies," a press release of HAN read.

The issue of dry port as well as allowing private airlines from both sides to fly into each other's territory would also be raised, Bajracharya said. "Since RNAC has its constraints, we will request the Indian government to allow our private airlines to fly to different Indian cities, while inviting Indian private operators at the same time."

To minimise formalities for tourist buses with Indian number plates coming to Nepal and vice versa, there has to be arrangement for a railway transport system through special boggies such as "palace on wheels or air conditioned express" up to the Nepalese border from major Indian cities the press release said.

"The government of India has been providing travelling expenses to government employees and their dependents to travel all over India," reads the press statement. "We would also like to request the government of India to extend this facility for its employees to travel to Nepal."

Of the three million outbound Indian tourists every year, Nepal receives only 150,000, according to HAN.

Quiz contest organised

Kathmandu, June 23 (RSS): Deputy Speaker Chitralekha Yadav gave away prizes and certificates to the winners of the third inter-school quiz contest organised by the Lions Club of Kathmandu.

Samjok Sharma of Adarsha Yoghari Secondary School and Bishwa Angdemba and Bijaya Raj Tandukar of Himalayan Boarding School secured the first, second and third positions in the contest.

Altogether 165 students of classes 7 to 9 from 55 schools took part in the contest.

UML demands protection of rights of oppressed

Butwal, June 23 (RSS): A gathering of elected and nominated people's representatives of the CPN-UML in the western region has demanded that highhandedness by the government towards the oppressed and downtrodden should be stopped, their rights and interests protected and the road to development pursued.

Demanding that the government hold elections to the local bodies in time, the gathering has stated that if the elections cannot be held at present, a decision should be taken to extend the tenure of the people's representatives by one year in accordance with the provisions of the Constitution.

The gathering has also demanded enforcement of the announcement made last year on the elimination of untouchability, the constituting of a high level oppressed and downtrodden upliftment commission and framing of the relevant legislation.

At the gathering, central president of society for upliftment of the oppressed and down-trodden Chhavilal Bishwakarma said that those concerned should be serious about ensuring the representation of the downtrodden in government and empowering them.

Society central member Joglal Bishwakarma pointed out the need for the cooperation of one and all to make the Dalit movement bear fruit.

Collection of poems launched

Kathmandu, June 23 (RSS): Former prime minister Lokendra Bahadur Chand today launched a collection of poems entitled "Jeevan Chintan (Pondering Over Life)" here today.

At the same function, Tikaram Panthi launched the collection of poems "Satya Sandesh (message of truth)."

On the occasion, former prime minister Chand said that poet Pokharel has been contributing to society through one creative work or the other.

Prof. Daibagya Raj Neupanay, Prof. Achyut Raman Adhikari, senior litterateur Balabhmani Dahal, academician Tikaram Panthi and others shed light on the literary works of Pokharel.

A doctor by profession, poet Pokharel, a nonagenarian, is still active through his literary work.

Oath of office administered

Kathmandu, June 23 (RSS): His Majesty the King administered the oath of office of chairman of the Council of Royal Representatives to His Royal Highness Crown Prince Paras Bir Bikram Shah Dev amid a function at the Royal Palace today.

Likewise, His Majesty also administered the oath of office of member of the Council of Royal Representatives to Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba and Raj Parishad Standing Committee Chairman Dr. Keshur Jung Rayamajhi and of member cum secretary of the council to Pashupati Bhakta Maharjan, Chief Secretary to His Majesty.

Body of crime investigating journos formed

Kathmandu, June 23 (RSS): A gathering of journalists collecting news concerning crime investigation for daily newspapers published from Nepal have constituted a crime investigation journalists group.

The group has been constituted with the objective of working jointly for crime prevention, carrying out investigation on mysterious crimes and making provisions for training journalists collecting investigative news.

Ganesh Basnet of Space Time daily is the president, Roshan Shrestha of Rajdhani the vice-president, Deepak Rijal of Nepal Samacharpatra the general secretary and Jeetendra Sah of Kantipur the treasurer of the group.

Likewise, the members of the group are Kishor Sapkota of Nepal Samacharpatra, Rajendra Aryal of Gorakhapatra, Resham Paudel of Prabhatkalin, Tubal Paradeshi of Annapurna and Ajaya Phuyal of Mahanagar.

The group aims at presenting incidents concerning crime on the Internet, exchanging information with the government agencies working for the prevention and controlling of crimes, and organising interaction programmes with criminologists, civic society, security agencies, and journalists on ways and means to prevent and control crime.