BRIEFS (Spotlight Weekly)

A survey conducted by the Media Services International, a private media company, has claimed that majority of the people surveyed in the capital valley are in favor of the government's four-month-old decision of observing twice-a-week holiday in government offices. According to MSI, of 200 individuals interviewed, 57 percent said that the new arrangement was convenient to them to discharge their day-to-day activities. 35 percent of the respondents, however, said that they were in favor of reverting to the old system of once-a-week holiday.

The Social Welfare Council (SWC) and a US-based international organization Rigpe Dorje Foundation have entered into an agreement on implementing development activities in Nepal. Under the two- year agreement, the Foundation will provide a minimum of US$ 50,000 a year to launch various development activities through local NGOs. Similarly, a U. K.-based organization, Child Welfare Scheme, has entered into agreement with the SWC to launch programs aimed at welfare of Nepalese children. Under the five-year long program, the British organization will provide a minimum of 55,000 US dollars as assistance.

A Foreign Employment Advisory Committee has been formed under the chairmanship of Minister for Labor Bal Bahadur K. C. in accordance with the Foreign Employment Act. Members of the committee include Secretaries at the Ministry of Labor, Law and Justice and Home, director general of Department of Immigration, representatives of different government, private sector agencies and foreign employment entrepreneurs' association. The committee will advise the government on matters related to promoting and managing foreign employment for Nepalese people.

As per the objective of involving private sector in the development and expansion of telecommunication services in the country, the government is preparing to call a bid from private operators to provide a range of services including basic local telephone service. According to Kantipur daily, Nepal Telecommunications Authority (NTA), a regulatory body, is in the final phase of calling bids from the private sector to operate local telephone services based on Wireless Local Loop and cellular mobile phones. Officials said that they hoped to issue operation licenses to private sector by July next year. The operators will then be required to launch their services within the next nine months. The new provisions would end monopoly of the state-owned Nepal Telecommunications Corporation in both basic telephone and cellular mobile services.

The government has formed a 19-member high level "Landless Settlers' Problem Resolution Commission' Under the chairmanship of Minister of State for Land Reforms and Management Dr. Gangadhar Lamsal. The Commission will work toward resolving the problem of landless settlers and unorganized human settlements throughout the kingdom within a period of three years, the Ministry said.

THE HONORARY DEGREE OF DOCTOR OF TECHNOLOGY has been conferred upon King Birendra by the Bangkok-based Asian Institute of Technology (AIT). Chairman of the AIT Board of Trustees and former Thai Deputy Prime Minister Dr. Thanat Khoman conferred the degree upon His Majesty amidst a ceremony at the Narayahiti Royal Palace on last Friday.

THE PILOT CENSUS 1999 KICKED off in selected wards of VDCs and Kathmandu metrolois on Sunday with a view to prepare basis, questionnaire and directory for the National Census 2001. According to the Central Bureau of Statistics, the five-day long Pilot Census, would collect statistics from the capital and three other districts Bajura, Dhankuta and Mahottari.

WOODY AND PENNY, A COUPLE FROM COLORADO, have provided an assistance of US$ 60,000 through the "Penn-Wood Charitable Foundation" for the construction of a Tuberculosis and Chest hospital in Bandipur of Tanahu district. According to RSS, the 20-bed ultramodern hospital will have all modern treatmnet facilities. A social worker and TB specialist, Dr. Madan Kumar Piya, will look after the project. A 10-bed maternity hospital has already been constructed in Bandipur at the initiative of Dr. Piya and with assistance from a number of organizations including Rotary International.

A TRADE SURPLUS WAS POSTED in favor of Nepal in the bilateral trade with Germany, one of its improtant trading partner countries, in the year 1997/98. According to the Federation of Nepalese Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FNCCI), Nepal's volume of exports to Germany stood at Rs 6.813 billion in the said year as against the imports equivalent to Rs 1.498 billion. The exports to Germany had, however, slightly declined compared to Rs 7.651 billion in the year 1995/96. Germany owned nearly 25 percent share in Nepal's total exports in the year 1997/98.

NEPAL HOUSING AND MERCHANT FINANCE LTD has declared a dividend of 15.15 percent of its paid up capital of Rs 82.50 per share. During its fifth annual general meeting held last week, the company decided to capitalize the dividend of Rs 12.50 per share. The company's paid up capital per hsare has now increased to Rs 95.