Briefs (Spotlight Weekly)

Crown Prince Paras distributing awards to persons who have contributed to sports sector

AS A RESULT OF negative GDP growth rate and high population growth rate, the per capita income of Nepalis has also gone down to Rs 17340 (about US $ 220 at the current exchange rate) from the previous year's Rs 18,150. Due to a decline of over eight percent in the per capita income, the population below the poverty line has gone up by over three percent to 41 percent, a recent report published by the Central Bureau of Statistics said.

THOUSANDS OF PEOPLE from various parts of Jumla have thronged in the district headquarters to escape from impending forced recruitment by Maoist rebels. The exodus comes after the rumor that the rebels were about to attack one of the district headquarters in Karnali zone in near future and that they could force the villagers as human shield. The villagers, who came here for fear of their lives, said the rebels were re-grouping to attack on a certain part of the region. Of the total 42,000 population in the district, most of the youths have fled their homes.† 56-year-old Bir Bahadur Shahi of Narakot VDC said that more than 300 villagers had left their village for Surkhet. He said that the rebels were discouraging people from leaving their villages. Another local from the Sinja Valley said that almost all the youths from 11 VDCs of the valley have left their homes for Terai or India via Bajura district. Meanwhile, reports from mid-western town of Nepalgunj said thousands of people are leaving their villages in mid-western hills daily to escape from the atrocities of both the rebels and security forces.

IN AN INTERVIEW WITH Dristi weekly, a† leading industrialist, Mohan Gopal Khetan, has said that King Tribhuvan (grandfather of King Gyanendra) had also promised to hold elections for a constituent assembly in 1950. In an exclusive interview with a pro-UML weekly, Khetan said many now know that the 'constituent assembly' was an Indian "grand design" to make Nepal† another Sikkim. (Sikkim was annexed by India in 1975). Sending of King Tribhuvan back to Kathmandu and making Matrika Prasad Koirala Nepal's premier was also part of that design. King Tribhuvan later came to know about such manoeuvring. He later backtracked from the proposition and appointed K. I. Singh, though he was a rebel, as prime minister. So, while talking about the nation, nationality and democracy we must look into such issues seriously, said senior Khetan.

MINISTRY OF FINANCE has filed a case against Nepal Meditation Council, Leski K H Chu of Singapore, D C I Singhaniya of India, N D Sharma, a Nepali citizen and Damodar Ropeways and Construction Company Limited from India at the Supreme court arguing that the Ministry need not pay the collateral since the companies had not completed construction they committed to.†The Ministry also argued that it is not bound to pay the collateral as demanded by Damodar Ropeways. The Ministry had acted as guarantor in the contract between Nepal Oriend Magnesite Company Pvt. Ltd. and Damodar Ropeways for the intended 10.5 km ropeway with a 150 tonne per hour (TPH) capacity from Kharidhunga to Lamosanghu.† Since the construction was not completed during the stipulated time, Damodar Ropeways was liable for action, the Ministry said. In the contract signed on January 14, 1983 the construction company had stated that it would complete the job within 25 months while the total expenses ran to nearly USD four million. The collateral was fixed at Rs 2.58 million in September the same year. Others were held accountable by the finance ministry for the wrong judgment.

THE GOVERNMENT of the Netherlands has agreed to provide through SNV/Nepal, a grant assistance on euro 14.65 million to the Nepal government for the implementation of the biodiversity sector support program.† According to the Finance Ministry, the program focuses on poverty alleviation and productive biodiversity conservation through forestry sector development of the Terai, inner Terai and the Siwalik.† The programme will be carried out through the Ministry of Forest and Soil Conservation and local government bodies. The initial program will concentrate on assisting eight Terai districts in the central development region- Chitwan, Makwanpur, Parsa, Bara, Rautahat, Sarlahi, Mahottari and Dhanusha. After successful piloting, other districts will be assisted in a similar fashion. District stakeholders themselves will plan and implement the programme, the Ministry said.

ON THE OCCASION OF THE 125th birth anniversary of Hermann Hesse, the famous German author of ìSiddharthaî and other internatioanally acclaimed works, German Ambassador Ruediger Lemp handed over a collection of books written by the late author to the Hermann Hesse Society Nepal 2000. The society, which was founded by a group of enthusiastic young Nepalese literature lovers just over two years ago, is a non-profit organization based in Yangal, Kathmandu. Their objective is to develop literary ties between Nepal and the outside world by paying homage to the Nobel-Prize-Winner Hermann Hesse, making his literary works more accessible to Nepali readers, translating German literature into Nepali and vice versa, and finally by promoting a wider literary exchange between Nepal and Germany.

WITH THE OBJECTIVE OF providing fast and efficient money transfer services from USA, the Incentive Tours has announced its plans to operate as the representative of Seattle-based Summit Services L.L.C. The Incentive Tours will now, acting on behalf of the Summit Services, provide the money transfer services that would benefit Nepalese living in USA who want to send money to their family back in Nepal. Likewise, it can also provide money to American people visiting Nepal if they run out of money based on the agreement with the Summit Services. The Summit Services has been involved in this business for long and has branches in many parts of the world. The Incentive Tours has already been granted permission to operate the service by the Nepal Rastra Bank (NRB) ñ the central bank of Nepal. Transferring money through this mode is more reliable, less costly and less time-consuming, say the officials of Incentive Tours.