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urged him to lead the movement. "There is no option left for us other than to internationalize the issue," Subba said. As agreed during the tenth joint ministerial level meeting, a joint verification team has started verifying the nationality of refugees in one of the seven refugee camps in eastern Nepal from early this year. Refugee leaders say it will take several years for the verification process to be completed at the present pace. THE GOVERNMENT OF NORWAY will continue to extend technical and financial assistance to Nepal by keeping it in its list of priority countries for assistance, reports said. During a meeting between Finance Minister Dr. Ram Sharan Mahat and Norwegian Minister for International Development H F Johnson in Oslo Tuesday, it was informed that Nepal was still one of the seven countries in the priority list. During the meeting, Minister Mahat requested the Norwegian government to extend both private and government cooperation on areas including infrastructure, rural electrification and rural telecommunications. Minister Johnson said the Norwegian government was interested to support education sector in Nepal as part of their strategic program to reduce poverty in Nepal. A DUTCH CONSULTANCY has completed the third phase of the feasibility study of the Mahakali Irrigation Project, a leading daily reported Thursday. As per the project, mooted under the Integrated Mahakali Treaty concluded between Nepal and India in 1996, some 34,000 hectares of land in far-western districts of Kailali and Kanchanpur. As per the feasibility report, it would take 20 years for the completion of the project at an estimated investment of worth Rs. 11.16 billion rupees. Under the Mahakali treaty, Nepal will get 1,000 cusec of water for irrigation, a news report in Kantipur daily said. THE EXPORT OF READYMADE APPARELS from Nepal has plunged drastically in the first 10 months of 2001, entrepreneurs said. According to Garment Association of Nepal (GAN), export to the United States, the single largest buyer of the Nepali garment products, went down by almost 12 per cent compared to the same period last year. Nepal exported garments worth US$ 120.96 million during this period compared to US$ 136.8 million over the same period. The association claimed that nearly 75 per cent of the garment industries have been closed down and rest are running at less than 50 percent capacity. The recent labor agitation back home and slowdown in the American economy have been termed as major reasons for slump in the exports of Nepalese garment products. ON THE OCCASION OF International Child Rights Day, the Nepalese government decided to make arrangement for all juveniles now living in different prisons in the country. Inaugurating a cycle rally in the capital Tuesday, Minister of State for Home Devendra Raj Kandel said the government had decided to hand over those juveniles ó who were in prison by default as their parents were in jail ó to Nepal Childrenís Organization. There are around 64 such children presently across the country, officials said. THE PROPOSAL TO REPAIR and maintain nearly 30 km sections of road in the capital ahead of the SAARC summit has been delayed due to lack of funds. The Ministry of Works and Physical Planning has estimated the job to be completed at around Rs 70 million but the money is yet to be allocated by government agencies, Himalaya Times daily reported. Meanwhile, officials are trying to hand over the job to competent private companies through the state-owned National Construction Company of Nepal (NCCN). "We are still hopeful to complete the job in time," said Dr. Hare Krishna Bhagat, chief of the Division Road Office at Min Bhawan. The SAARC summit is to convene in the capital in the first week of January. NONE OTHER THAN SPEAKER of the House of Representatives Taranath Ranabhat has said the present parliament should be dissolved and mid-term poll should be announced. Addressing an interaction program in the capital (on Nov. 21), Mr. Ranabhat said the solution to the Maoist insurgency should be sought through talks. "The best way for this is dissolution of the present parliament and holding elections in a free and fair way." Mr. Ranabhat further said the Maoists should hand over their arms to the state and join political competition by enrolling at the Election Commission. CHIEF OF THE ROYAL NEPALESE Army, General Prajwolla Shumsher JB Rana, cut short his visit to Germany and returned home Sunday (Nov. 25), reports said. General Rana had left for Germany on a 10-day visit Friday. After attending a high-level meeting at the Army headquarters upon his return, General Rana also attended the extended cabinet meeting at Singha Durbar late Sunday. Inspector General of Police Pradip Shumsher JB Rana has been admitted at Norvic Hospital after he fell indisposed Sunday. He was rushed to the hospital from the Airport in Kathmandu where he was supposed to accompany Home Minister Khum Bahadur Khadka during his tour to Dang and Syangja districts. FOREIGN AID COMMITMENT to Nepal has gone up by fourfold in the first four months of the current fiscal year 2001-02, officials said. According to Foreign Aid Coordination Division at the Ministry of Finance, foreign aid commitment by different donors to Nepal reached equivalent to Rs 15.37 billion, up from only Rs 4.3 billion over the same period last year, Kantipur daily reported. Of the total foreign aid, the grant component was equivalent to Rs 12.69 billion and that of loan worth Rs 1.7 billion. In terms of projects, Melamchi Water Supply Project attracted the biggest amount worth Rs 5.53 billion. Similarly, Reduced Fertility and Protected Health Project received grant assistance worth Rs 4.48 billion whereas the Banepa-Sindhuli road project received grant assistance from the Japanese government worth Rs 2.05 billion. The United States was the largest donor by extending Rs 5.9 billion for three projects.n |
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