His Majesty issues Financial Ordinances

By A Staff Reporter

KATHMANDU, Jan. 6: His Majesty the King, in accordance with the Constitution of the Kingdom of Nepal-2047 and on the advice and consensus of the Council of Ministers, issued three ordinances today. These ordinances have been issued to give continuity to the budget for fiscal year 2002/2003 that was announced on June 7 during a period when the House of Representatives had been dissolved.

As the legality of those ordinances expires after six months of being issued, the Council of Ministers had recommended to His Majesty to issue the ordinances today.

According to the Council of Ministers, the ordinances issued today are: the Financial Ordinance 2003, Appropriation Ordinance- 2003, and the Ordinance for Raising National loans 2003.

Finance Minister Dr. Badri Prasad Shrestha will make public the contents of the budget tomorrow (Tuesday).

Sources at the Finance Ministry said that no significant changes have been made in the policies and programmes and in the budget amounts. However, special arrangements have been made to clarify certain provisions.

The budget announced on June 7 had made provisions for an expenditure of Rs. 96.12 million. Of them Rs. 57.44 billion was allotted for general expenditure and Rs. 38.67 billion for development expenditure.

Out of the total expenditure, Rs. 54.80 billion is being raised from revenue sources, Rs.14.56 billion through foreign assistance and Rs. 12.41 billion from foreign loans. The budget had projected a deficit of Rs. 14.34 billion.

However, due to the precarious economic and security situation, and decline in the import and export trade, revenue collection is expected to fall short of the target.

The 191st meeting of the National Planning Commission, chaired by Prime Minister Lokendra Bahadur Chand, today had approved the annual development programme for the year 2002/2003.

The meeting also approved the budget issued on June 7 and the mid-term expenditure framework (MTEF) for the year 2059/60. The programme presented by Vice Chairman of the NPC Dr. Shanker Sharma had stressed on the implementation of the policies and the programmes.

Crown Princess awards folk dance winners

By Indra Adhikari

KATHMANDU, Jan. 6: Her Royal Highness Crown Princess Himani Rajya Laxmi Devi Shah today presented awards to the winners of the fifth national folk dance competition-2059 organised to mark the 32nd birthday of His Royal Highness Crown Prince Paras Bir Bikram Shah Dev.

In the competition organised by the Sadhana Kala Kendra (Music & Dance School) in the capital today, Tribeni Sanskritik Samuha of Dhankuta came out winner and received Rs. 50,000.

Of the 11 folk music groups from around the country, M. Art Theatre of Sinamangal Kathmandu won the prize for the best performance, Om Kala Mandir of Birtanagar for the best tune and music, Batho Siniwai Yuwa Afat of Mechinagar Municipality, Jhapa for best orginality, Pariwartan Culture Training Centre for best dress and makeup and Murchhana Sanskritik Kala Kendra for best dance style.
The winner of the award Tribeni Sanskritik Samuha had performed Dukha Bisaune, the dance popular in the eastern hills.

M. Art had staged the Raute dance of the mid-western hills. The Raute people live in the jungles and hunting is their main occupation. Om Kala Kendra had presented a religious dance of the Rajbangsi tribe while Batho entertained the audience with the Meche dance.

The other winner Pariwartan had performed the Dhime dance of Bhaktapur while Murchhana presented the Chepang dance.

Speaking at the function, Assistant Minister for Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation Ravi Bhakta Shrestha said that both individual performers and cultural groups have an important role in preserving the culture and traditions of the country. He said that the solidarity between the government and the private sectors would boost the rich culture of Nepal.

Director of Sadhana Kala Kendra Milan Moktan said that the centre was committed to preserving the Nepalese culture and bring to light the diverse culture, some of which is on the verge of being extinct.
The Kendra has been organising such competitions since the silver jubilee celebration of His late Majesty King Birendra Bir Bikram Shah Dev. Other winners of the competition won Rs. 10,000 each.

CIAA files cases against two more revenue staff

By A Staff Reporter

Kathmandu, Jan. 6: The Commission for Investigation of the Abuse of Authority (CIAA) today filed cases against two of the 22 government officials detained since the past five months on corruption charges. They were arrested after the CIAA found them to be maintaining an unusually high standard of living not appropriate with the post they were holding.

Those officials who will now be presented at the Special Court on corruption charges are Umesh Kumar Regmi of the Internal Revenue Office, Area No. 1 and Arjun Thapa of Department of Revenue Investigation.

Officials of the constitutional anti-corruption body had presented cases before the Court on Friday but, because the bench was busy that day, the CIAA had to wait till Monday. With the two new suits, cases have already been filed against more than a dozen officials of the Revenue Department.

According to the CIAA statement, accused Umesh Kumar Regmi illegally amassed property worth Rs. 16.4 million while he was a non-gazetted employee at Internal Revenue Office. "Out of the property unearthed, he could prove the sources for only Rs. 2.1 million worth of property. The rest was earned through illegal means by abusing his authority, " the CIAA said.

In its writ against Regmi, the CIAA has demanded with the Court maximum sentence and confiscation of all illegally earned assets and property under the Anti-Corruptrion Act 2059.

Regmi was also found to have deposited illegally earned money in various banks in the accounts of his wife and in-laws. The CIAA has also demanded that their accounts be seized.

Another non-gazetted government official, Arjun Thapa, was found to have amassed assets and property worth Rs. 16 million. He was unable to prove how he earned Rs. 11.7 million. Likewise, the CIAA has demanded, the confiscation of all illegally amassed wealth and a fine equal to that amount as well as maximum sentence.

Thapa was found to have kept the money in the account of his father and wife. The CIAA has demanded that their accounts be seized.

The general people say the Court should not release the accused on small bail until the verdict has been given. "If the court continues to release the accused on small bail like it did in the case of an ex-minister, they could influence the court proceedings and weaken the fight against corruption," a staff at Transparency International said.

Govt doing homework for polls: Pandey

RSS

BHAIRAHAWA, Jan. 6: Minister for Information and Communications and HMG spokesman Ramesh Nath Pandey has made it clear that the government wants to resolve all the problems through dialogue, including the complex one concerning the Maoists.

Talking to journalists at the Gautam Buddha Airport here today in connection with his tour of Rupandehi district, Pandey said that the government was doing the homework for holding elections, a matter of priority for the government.

Earlier, Minister Pandey inspected the Western Regional Directorate of the Nepal Telecommunications Corporation and apprised himself of the wireless telephone system being extended from the office, first in the country.

Likewise, at a meeting with the police chief and chiefs and assistant chiefs of various office, he acquired information on the security scene in the region and issued directives to resolve local level problems at the same level.

Annapurna region sees less trekkers

RSS

POKHARA, Jan. 6: The number of tourists going for trekking in the Annapurna region has decreased with the decrease in the arrival of tourists in the country.

The number of tourists in the Annapurna Conservation Area, which is very famous to have the glimpse of the snowy peaks, rural culture and natural beauty of the hills, has decreased by 43 per cent this year.

The number of trekkers coming to this area has been decreasing gradually for the last two years.
Over 76,000 trekkers had visited the Annapurna area, a famous and safe trekking area of the country, in 2000 that number decreased to 65,300 last year.

About 35,600 tourists have gone for trekking in the area by the end of November this year.

"No any incident has happened in this area and the tourists have not faced any difficulties but the number is decreasing due to the negative publicity about Nepal in the foreign countries", said Indira Baral, chairperson of Nepal Association of Trekking Agents, Pokhara Chapter.

"Strike, Nepal bandh and the environment of terrorism may be the reason in the decrease of tourist in this area," said Gehendra Gurung, director of Annapurna Conservation Area Project, Pokhara.

There used to be crowd of tourists in the trekking routes and the hotels used to be full during the trekking season but now the situation is just opposite, proprietor of Hotel Hill Top of Ghandruk Tej Bahadur Gurung said.

About two third tourists visiting Nepal go for trekking and among them 70 percent prefer to go on trekking in the Annapurna area.

Tourists go for trekking from five to 21 days from Gharkhola, Birethanti, Dhampus, Khudi route and each tourist has to pay Rs. 2,000 to Annapurna Conservation Area Project for the entry.

Programmes set to mark 281st Prithvi Jayanti

RSS

KATHMANDU, Jan. 6: A meeting of the 281st Prithvi Jayanti and National Unification Day Celebration Committee held here today under the chairmanship of committee chairman and Minister for Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation Kuber Prasad Sharma decided to celebrate the day with various programmes.

Accordingly, the Royal Nepal Army will offer a salute at the statue of His late Majesty Prithvi Narayan Shah the Great at Singha Durbar on January 11 at 11 a.m. Various distinguished persons will offer garlands and bouquets.

Radio Nepal will organise a discussion and other programmes, and festive illumination will be carried out at government buildings and various temples. Talk programmes on Prithvi Jayanti and national unification are also scheduled.

Likewise, Royal Nepal Academy will organise various programmes in Jhapa, Chitwan, Pokhara, Nepalgunj, Dhangadhi and Kapilvastu while artistes from all the l4 zones will present folk dances under the auspices of the cultural undertaking. Exhortations of King Prithvi Narayan Shah the Great will be publicised.

A symposium on "Perception and characteristics of Nepali folk dance" and a song-drama are scheduled to be staged on January 12.

The meeting also decided to publish the writings of Naya Raj Pant and Babu Ram Acharya on King Prithvi Narayan Shah and the latter's exhortations in simple form in various languages in order to propagate them across the Kingdom.

Assistant Minister for Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation Ravi Bhakta Shrestha also attended the meeting.