NEWS NOTES (Spotlight Weelky)

Ministry of Finance

Crown Prince Dipendra Starts Para-Jump Training

Crown Prince Dipendra started his week-long para-jump training exercise in the capital amidst tight security on Wednesday morning, a news bulletin over KANTIPUR F. M., a private radio station, reported. Prince Dipendra jumped off an army aircraft around nine in the morning. Eight other army personnel also jumped off the plane along with the Crown Prince, the report said. King Birendra and other members of the royal family were also present on the occasion. King Birendra had also undergone similar training. Compiled from reports May 4.

Family Of Subedi And Policeman Appeal To The Rebels

The family of former Minister Reg Bahadur Subedi have appealed to the Maoist rebels to release Mr. Subedi and his son, Vishal, from their custody. In a statement issued here on Friday, Mrs. Vaishali Subedi, wife of Mr. Subedi, has appealed the rebels at least to give them information about whereabouts of the Subedi duo. An armed group of suspected rebels had abducted Subedi and his son from their residence at Gajul in mid-western district of Rolpa on April 14. Meanwhile, one of the two policemen abducted by Maoist rebels more than a month ago at Dungeswor in mid-western region has appealed to human rights activists and political parties to take initiative to ensure his release. In a letter addressed to his 72-year-old father, police constable Tulasi Budha Chhetri has said that the rebels have behaved with him well and are also taking his care. There have been no reports about the whereabouts of another policeman, Dil Bahadur Bista, who was abducted by the rebels together with Chhetri. Kantipur May 6.

Privatization Of BPC Still Under Soup

The privatization of Butwal Power Company is still in soup as the state-owned Nepal Electricity Authority (NEA) refused to revise its power purchase agreement (PPA) with the former. The NEA has extended the PPA with BPC but has refused to pay more. NEA has been buying power generated by BPC at Rs 2.92 per unit, while it has offered as much as Rs 5 per unit to other independent power developers. Under the circumstances, officials at the Ministry of Finance are skeptical that the company would fetch higher prices from the prospective bidders. The Ministry is said to be considering asking for second bidding for the BPC after one of the two international bidders, IPC, withdrew its application alleging the ministry of favoring a Norwegian company, Interkraft. The Ministry, however, has denied these allegations. Compiled from reports May 7.

Finnish Team Stands First In Trans Himalaya 2000

Finland's Nokia adventure team has become the first team to complete the 827-km long Trans Himalaya 2000, a multi-disciplinary race. A five-member team led by Mika Hirvinen stood first by entering into the historic Janaki temple in Janakpurdham in southern Nepal on Saturday. Athletes of Enter Sports, France, stood second by arriving only two minutes after the Finnish team. Some 500 athletes from 15 countries had participated in the race that originated from Shegar Dzong in Tibet autonomous region of China. Raid Gauloises, a French company, had organized the race late last month. Leading dailies report May 7.

Gorkhapatra Turns 100

Gorkhapatra, the oldest newspaper in the country, turned 100 year-old. Established by Rana Prime Minister Dev Shumsher in 1900 A. D., the Corporation now owns two dailies, Nepali language Gorkhapatra and The Rising Nepal, an English weekly and a couple of monthly magazines. In a message, King Birendra expressed best wishes and hoped that Gorkhapatra would give continuity to the leading role it has played in the history of Nepali journalism while holding uppermost the interests of the nation at the same time. The state-owned Corporation had monopoly till the early nineties but with the coming up of broad-sheet dailies in the private sector, the daily is facing a tough challenge. The Koirala government has said it will privatize the Corporation and sell the newspapers to private hands. Compiled from reports May 6.

Collection Of VAT Encouraging

The collection of Value Added Tax (VAT) has improved significantly in the second quarter of the current fiscal year, officials said. According to Dr. Rup Khadka, project manager at the DANIDA-supported VAT project, VAT collection has crossed Rs 7.25 billion in the first eight months of the current fiscal year 1999/2000. "Total VAT collection is likely to cross Rs 10 billion by the end of this fiscal year," he said. The Ministry of Finance had targeted to raise Rs 10.46 billion from VAT in this fiscal year. According to officials, out of Rs 7.25 billion collected so far, Rs 4.64 billion was collected at the customs. The number of firms and companies registered with the Department has reached nearly 17,000, they said. Kantipur May 2.

'Maoists Would Have Captured The Karnali Region'

None other than Home Minister Govinda Raj Joshi has said that Maoist rebels would have captured the remote mid-western zone of Karnali if a new government were not formed more than a month back, KANTIPUR daily reported. Addressing his party workers in Nepalgunj on Wednesday, Joshi claimed the rebels had planned to take Karnali zone into their fold on April 6. The underground Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist) had called a nationwide armed shutdown strike on that day. The strike passed off peacefully without any major violence. He, however, did not give details. "Now, we will flush the rebels out of Karnali zone. But you should be aware if they enter into terai districts of Banke and Bardiya," Joshi said. Meanwhile, HIMALAYA TIMES daily reported on Thursday that the rebels have started storing weapons to counter possible assault upon them by Royal Nepal Army personnel. Prime Minister G. P. Koirala has hinted that he was considering mobilizing the army to contain the rebellion. The underground party has also stationed its guerillas trained in India in different parts of the country. They are also bringing in arms (from India) via Bardiya, Kapilvastu and Dang to Jajarkot, Rolpa and Rukum districts. Compiled from reports.

Experts For High BGrowth Target In The Budget

Acharya

Economists and management experts have asked the government to target high growth rate in the upcoming budget for the year 2000/01 to alleviate widespread poverty in the country. Participating in a pre-budget interaction program organized by the Management Association of Nepal (MAN) here on Tuesday, they stressed on revenue mobilization, private sector participation, good governance, and better public expenditure management, among others. The new budget should be in line with the government's economic reform program focusing on judicious utilization of the available resources, they said. Addressing the program, Minister of Finance Mahesh Acharya said the forthcoming budget will give a definite direction to the reform package the government has announced. Acharya had announced a comprehensive reform agenda at the meeting of Nepal Development Forum in Paris last month. Compiled from reports May 3.

Subedi Still In Maoist's Custody

Even after more than three weeks of his abduction the whereabouts of Reg Bahadur Subedi, former assistant minister, and his son is still unknown. Subedi and his son were abducted by Maoist rebels on April 14 from their own residence at Gajul in Rolpa district. The Maoists have still not made the state of Reg Bahadur Subedi and his son Suresh Subedi public -- contrary to their earlier behaviors. The rebels used to immediately take responsibility and make the state of their prisoners public in earlier cases of abduction. Meanwhile, Subedi's wife Baishali has released press statement asking rebels to release her husband and son. Deshanter May 7.

Tensions In RPP

Barely months after their re-unification, the Rastriya Prajatantra Party is once again embroiled in internal turmoil. The tensions have erupted so soon after the gang led by former Prime Minister Lokendra Bahadur Chand returned to the RPP fold following a year-long split. The internal tension in the party is alleged to be behind the recent dissolution of district party working committees of Kathmnadu, Dolakha and Manang district. Likewise, there are clear differences within the party regarding the proposed organization of general meeting of its youth wing. Chhalfal May 7.

Nine Leftists Get New Life

The success of the Singhdurbar gherao by the nine leftist parties organized on May 1st has given a new life to otherwise slumbering pace of their agitation programs. Enthused by the May 1st program, the nine leftists have once again started their seething verbal attack against the government. They have, after a long period, issued warning against the government of serious consequences if it continued not to pay heed to their demands. Budhabar May 3.