Briefs (Spotlight Weekly)

King Gyanendra decorates German Social worker Dr. Kill with the Gorkha Dakshin Bahu award

THE ROYAL THAI GOVT. has donated US$ 10,000 to the Nepal Red Cross Society to help NRCS to provide relief to flood and landslide victims in 34 out of 75 districts in Nepal. According to the Thai embassy in Kathmandu, the donation indicates the close relations and friendship between Thailand and Nepal.

NEPAL RASTRA Bank (NRB) and Deloitte Touche Tomahatsu, a US-based company, are at the loggerheads over the issue of a mutually agreeable location to settle dispute between them, Kantipur daily reported. The US company had agreed to take over the management of scam-ridden Rastriya Banijya Bank (RBB) for two years but later refused citing different reasons. While NRB has proposed Kathmandu or Bangkok for the possible venue to hold talks, Deloittee has asked the Nepalese team to visit US. The non-performing assets at the RBB have reached nearly 50 percent of its total loans and advances, indicating serious illness in the health of the bank. The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has stopped its annual loan worth nearly Rs 1500 million per annum under its Poverty Reduction Growth Facility (PRGF) for failing to hand over the management of RBB to international consulting firms. The government has, however, already handed over the management of Nepal Bank Limited to a foreign company.

NEPALI CONGRESS has decided to mobilize its party machinery and sister organizations for what it said "restoration of constitutional process" in the country. The central working committee meeting of the party on Tuesday also called for reinstatement of the dissolved House of Representatives by November 13, the date former premier Sher Bahadur Deuba had proposed to hold elections. Presentation by party's central committee member, Narahari Acharya, that the party should go for the elections to the constituent assembly, as demanded by the Maoists, as the way out to the present impasse faced stiff opposition from other NC members including Ms. Shailaja Acharya. Ms. Acharya reportedly told that the party should not deviate from its commitment towards constitutional monarchy and multi-party democracy since its inception more than five decades back.

BHUTANESE REFUGEE WOMEN have launched a political party with a view to fight for establishment of democracy in Bhutan. All Bhutan Women's Organization (ABWO) was established on May 1, 2002 but is working "underground" within Bhutan due to security reasons, said Secretary of the Organization Sachetana. The Organizations recently organized an interaction program with Nepalese women's rights activists in the eastern town of Damak. Out of nearly 100,000 Bhutanese refugees, 51,000 of them are women.

THE GOVERNMENT AND Arihanta Multifiber (AM), a subsidiary of the Golchha Organization, have signed Tuesday on an agreement for leasing the management of the state-owned Biratnagar Jute Mills (BJM) - the first industrial enterprise in the country-- for a period of five years, a newspaper report said. Three private parties had applied for the bid. As per the agreement, the AM will be paying the sum of Rs 9.5 million annually to the government but would not bear the arrears and outstanding liabilities of the Mills prior to its take over. The Mill needs to settle liability worth Rs 175 million to its employees alone including Rs 55 million in salary alone, the report said. Set up 65 years ago, the Mill remained closed for the last one year.

HOME MINISTRY ON THURSDAY has set up a unit, with Joint Secretary Umesh Mainali as focal point, to carry out the task of monitoring projects and look into the complaints of the officials. According to the Ministry, Mainali has also been authorized to recommend reward and punishment by taking actions against officials. The Ministry has also formed a central monitoring unit to regularly monitor the Ministry's activities and help resolve peoples' complaints. The Ministry has also asked people to contact on telephone numbers 2-26044 and 2-25698 to inform and apprise the ministry about any problem they face.

LT. GENERAL A. Natarajan of the Indian Army arrived in Kathmandu a one-week official visit on October 26. Besides visiting senior officials and top Army brass, General Natrajan will also be visiting Indian Army pension paying offices at Pokhara and Dharan and interact with Indian army ex-servicemen living in Nepal.