Chand appointed Prime Minister
New govt entrusted with ending anarchy

By A Staff Reporter

ATHMANDU, Oct 11: His Majesty King Gyanendra Bir Bikram Shah Dev on Friday appointed Lokendra Bahadur Chand as Prime Minister of a nine-member Council of Ministers to create a congenial atmosphere for the local and general elections at the earliest date possible and to consolidate multiparty democratic system.

The constituent of the Council of Ministers and their portfolios are as follows:

Lokendra Bahadur Chand: Prime Minister and Minister for Royal Palace Affairs, Defence, Forest and Soil Conservation, General Administration, Land Reforms and Management, Physical Planning and Works, Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation, Water Resources, Information and Communications, Population and Environment, Industries, Commerce and Supplies, and Labour and Transport Management.

Badri Prasad Mandal: Deputy Prime Minister; Minister for Agriculture and Cooperatives, and Local Development.

Dr. Badri Prasad Shrestha: Minister for Finance; and Education and Sports

Narendra Bikram Shah: Minister for Foreign Affairs

Dharma Bahadur Thapa: Minister for Home; and Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs

Gore Bahadur Khapangi: Minister for Women, Children and Social Welfare

Dr. Upendra Devkota: Minister for Health; and Science and Technology

Anuradha Koirala: Assistant Minister for Women, Children and Social Welfare

Gopal Dahit: Assistant Minister for Population and Environment

Apart from carrying out the daily administration, the newly formed council of ministers has been entrusted with the following tasks:

* creating a conducive atmosphere based on national consensus to end the existing anarchy

* holding free and fair local as well as general elections at the earliest possible date to ensure institutional consolidation of multiparty democracy

* effectively introducing corruption control programmes at all levels

* ensuring good governance through service-oriented programmes for the general public, fiscal discipline and transparency

further consolidating the existing good relations with the neighbouring countries and all friendly nations

A communiqué issued by the Principal Press Secretariat of His Majesty the King on Friday states that His Majesty has expressed the hope that the cabinet will receive the necessary cooperation and support from all in the interest of Nepal and the Nepalese.

The newly appointed Prime Minister is the leader of the Rastriya Prajatantra Party. This is the third time he is heading a government since 1990. He was the prime minister of an interim government during the transition period of the popular movement for multi-party democracy in 1990. He was prime minister for 11 days before Krishna Prasad Bhattarai of the Nepali Congress was appointed the interim prime minister. He again became prime minister in 1997, heading a coalition government of the Rastriya Prajatantra Party and the CPN-UML that lasted six months.

Chand, 63, who hails from Baitadi in Far Western Nepal, had also become prime minister 19 years ago during the partyless Panchayat order.

Badri Prasad Mandal is the acting president of the Nepal Sadbhavana Party.

Badri Prasad Shrestha is an economist and a former vice-chairman of the National Planning Commission. He was also Royal Nepalese ambassador to Japan.

Narendra Bikram Shah is a former Foreign secretary and was Royal Nepalese ambassador to the United Nations.

Dr. Upendra Devkota is a neurosurgeon. Anuradha Koirala is president of Maiti Nepal, a non-governmental organisation that has been fighting against girls trafficking.

Polls priority of new govt, says Chand

By A Staff Reporter

KATHMANDU, Oct. 11: The newly-appointed Prime Minister, Lokendra Bahadur Chand, has said that maintaining peace and order and holding the general election in a peaceful manner are the priorities of the new government.

Talking to the media at his residence at Lokanthali after his appointment, Chand said that he would hold talks with the other political parties to proceed ahead and try to involve them in the council of ministers. The cabinet will be expanded after the Dashain, he said. All government offices remain closed for the festival till Wednesday.

Chand: PM for fourth time

RSS

KATHMANDU, Oct. 11: Newly-appointed Prime Minister Lokendra Bahadur Chand has become the Prime Minister of Nepal for the fourth time.

Prior to this, he was appointed the Prime Minister for the third time on 10th March 1997 in the coalition government including Rastriya Prajatantra Party (RPP), the CPN-UML and Nepal Sadbhavana Party (NSP) in his capacity as the leader of the RPP parliamentary party.

Chand who became Prime Minister for the first time in 2040 B.S. also headed the interim government formed on Chaitra 24, 2046 B.S. to find a solution through dialogue with those agitating for a pluralistic system.

He assumed the post of party leader of the Rastriya Prajatantra Party following a merger of the Chand and Thapa factions of the RPP in 2049 B.S. Chand was elected RPP parliamentary party leader after his election to parliament from both constituencies in Baitadi district in the mid-term elections of 2051 B.S.

Chand who began his political career as vice chairman of Lisakita Village Panchayat in Baitadi district in 2025 B.S. under the then Panchayat system has already worked as chairman of Baitadi District Panchayat, the Zonal Panchayat president, and vice chairman and chairman of the Rastriya Panchayat upon being elected to those posts from time to time.

Born on Fagun 3, 1996 Bikram Sambat (B.S.) year to Mahavir Chand and Laxmi Chand in Kurkuriya Village of Basulinga VDC, Baitadi, he received his primary education from local Baitadi High School and intermediate education from Pithauragadh, B.A. from Nainital and L.L.B. From Dehradun in India.
Chand has travelled to various countries including England, France, Italy, Germany, China and the former USSR.

Prime Minister Chand, who keeps a special interest in literature, has such works as 'Barhau Kheladi', 'Hiunko Tanna', 'Indra Dhanush', and 'Aparichit Netako Saathi' to his credit.

He has also carried out social work as member of the Nepal Red Cross Society Central executive committee and founding member of the Mahakali Sewa Samaj.

Donors satisfied with Nepal's efforts

By A Staff Reporter

KATHMANDU, Oct 11: The first follow-up meeting of the informal gathering of Nepal's development partners, held on June 19 and 20 this year in London, expressed satisfaction over Nepal's efforts towards fulfilling its commitment to various issues.

The meeting reviewed and welcomed the progress and urged Nepal and the international community to continue implementing the London recommendations, particularly in the areas of security, corruption control, development, human rights, democracy, food and medicine and reforms.

The follow-up meeting held today under the chairmanship of British Foreign Office Minister Mike O'Brien reviewed the progress being made in various sectors after the London meet.

The participants said that an integrated approach to security, reforms and development was necessary to address the Maoist conflict, according to a Nepalese official attending the meeting.
The meeting, which was participated by representatives of various countries and international donor agencies, including the World Bank and the European Union, raised the Maoist problem as well as the problem of food and medicine in the hilly and remote areas in the country.

Besides, they also raised concern over human rights violations by both the government and the Maoists. The issue of service delivery was also raised during the meeting, said an official.

Talking to this daily, coordinator of the Nepalese team, Dr. Shankar Sharma, said that the participants and representatives from international agencies expressed "full satisfaction over Nepal's commitment to the economic sector".

Dr. Sharma, who is also a member of the National Planning Commission (NPC), said," Representatives of various countries and international donor agencies were happy about the government's strategies towards poverty alleviation and corruption control and the Medium Term Expenditure Framework (MTEF) as well."

The meeting raised no question on poverty monitoring and output monitoring, he added.

According to an official at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the outcome of the meeting was very positive. The officials of both Nepal and the United Kingdom will fix the date for the next follow-up meeting, he said.

A press statement issued by the British Embassy here quoted O'Brien as saying, "The international meeting on Nepal held in London in June 2002 noted the deep concern of the international community over the conflict in Nepal, particularly the vicious Maoists outrages as well as human rights abuses."
He further said that the participants in the meeting agreed that an integrated approach to security, reform and development was necessary to address the conflict.

The meeting recognised that the basis for international support for such an approach would be a democratic political leadership committed to tackling corruption and building national consensus whilst determinately pursuing a strong security response, O'Brien said.

The community gives strong support to the government which has begun to address reforms and development through the Immediate Action Plan and to provide peace, protection and security to all citizens and regrets that the security situation did not allow local and national elections to be held this year, he added.

The Minister met with senior army officials as well as civil servants and politicians.

The Minister leaves for Afghanistan Saturday. On the third leg of his South Asian tour, he will visit India from October 16-17.