BRIEFS (Spotlight Weekly)

His Majesty the King inaugurating the VSAT system of Radio Nepal with Her Majesty the Queen (right)

THE NEPAL GOVERNMETN HAS DECIDED to privatize 30 public sector enterprises by the end of the Ninth Five Year plan (1997-2002). The cabinet has already decided to privatize five corporations — Nepal Tea Development Corporation, Butwal Power Company, Himal Cement Company, Salt Trading Company and Rastriya Banijya Bank. The process for the privatization of 12 out of 30 PEs has reached the final stage. Finance Minister Mahesh Acharya said that in view of the poor economic condition and financial inefficiency of the state-owned corporations the government has initiated the privatization drive. The Minister said the industrial and vocations sectors suffered a loss of nearly 10 billion over the last ten years.

NEPAL IS TO HOST GROUP SIX qualifiers for the 2002 FIFA World Cup to be held jointly in Korea and Japan in 2001. According to All Nepal Football Association, matches have been scheduled for March 14 through 18, 2001 at the Dasarath stadium in Kathmandu. Besides Nepal, other teams in the fray include Macao, Iraq and Kazakhstan, who will play under the league format. The Group winner will progress through to the next round.

THE DEPARTMENT OF NATIONAL PARKS and Wildlife Conservation (DNPWC) has launched rhino census in Chitwan and Bardiya national parks. A team of DNPWC officials have already started rhino census in Bardiya. About 40 officials and a dozen elephants have been deployed for the census, which is being coordinated by Dr. Shanta Raj Gyawali. The project is being financed by Swiss Fish and Wildlife Services.

THE GOVERNMENT OF JAPAN HAS agreed to provide a grant assistance of Japanese Yen 1589.824 million (equivalent to about Rs 1020.667 million) to Nepal government for food production and debt relief measures. Two separate exchanges of notes to this effect were signed and exchanged between the governments of Nepal and Japan here on Friday. Under the first note, the Japan government will provide a grant assistance of Japanese Yen 700 million for the increase of food production under Kr II program. The assistance will be utilized to procure fertilizer and other related services. Under the second note, the Japanese assistance of 889.824 million Yen under the debt relief measures. The grant assistance is in lieu of repayment of the principal and the accrued interest of the outstanding loans extended by the Government of Japan to Nepal.

KHIMTI I HYDROPOWER PROJECT has started producing 12 MW electricity from Thursday. According to Himal hydropower project, one of the promoters of Khimti, the generation capacity will reach 60 MW after all five turbines of the project are connected to the national grid in May this year. Construction project of this run-of-the-river project in Dolakha and Ramechhap districts began in 1993. The project has signed the Power Purchase Agreement with Nepal Electricity Authority in 1995 with the agreed per unit electricity price at 5.94 Cents.

Mountaineer Gyaltzen Sherpa has said he will be leading a team that will hold a concert at the peak of Mt. Sagarmatha. Sherpa said the team plans to climb the highest peak in the world from base camp in 14 hours and spend 24 hours on the summit. Entitled "Millennium concert on top of the Everest 2000," the program will also take up various activities for environment conservation of the area.

The Private and Boarding School"s Organization Nepal (PABSON) has demanded that the government make clear regulations in matters related to investment and ownership of private and boarding schools in the country. Talking to reporters here on Thursday, President of PABSON Rajesh Khadka said the government should revise the present academic calendar as it is unscientific and instead academic year should begin from mid-April. The Organization has also asked the government to make clear provisions regarding registration, operation and management of the private schools. Nearly 7500 private schools throughout the country are providing education to nearly 35 percent of the total student population in Nepal.

Three persons and at least 68 yaks died in an avalanche that swept the Dho village development committee in remote northern district of Dolpa on March 23. Chief District Officer Rudranath Basyal said he did not have details about the incident.