Briefs (Spotlight Weekly)

Crown Prince Paras inaugurating the Image Metro Television

THE FLOODS AND LANDSLIDES TRIGGERED BY torrential rainfall at different parts of the country have killed dozens of people in recent days. According to Home Ministry, at least 57 people have already died of the floods and landslides that has affected around 30 districts of the country. The lives in hills and Terai have been thrown into disorder by the landslides and floods respectively. At different places in Jhapa district, seven persons died after being struck by lightening amid heavy rainfall. Likewise two people were swept away by flood in Biring river in Jhapa district. In Taplejung district a young man died after being trapped in a landslide. Flooding in Duwar river in Udayapur district killed one while another person has gone missing. Three hundred families of Haraincha VDC of Morang district have been affected by the flooding in Khadam river. Likewise, fifteen VDCs have been inundated in Sunsari district. Every year monsoon-triggered floods and landslides kill hundreds of people and destroy millions of rupees worth of property.

THE FORTHCOMING BUDGET WILL STRESS on the infrastructure development of Maoist-affected areas and Karnali zone. It will focus on six strategies including four from the Tenth Plan. The four strategies it will borrow from the Tenth Plan include high, sustainable and wide economic growth, development of social sector and rural infrastructure, targeted programs and good governance. Another two strategies include economic reforms and reconstruction of Maoist-affected regions. The budget will have programs to lure private investment and building partnership with general public. "To coordinate plan and budget, the budget will be formulated by remaining within the framework of the Tenth Plan strategies. We have added two more strategies to cope with present challenges," said Dr. Prakash Chandra Lohani, finance minister. "This is a historic event when the budget is being formulated by forging coordination with the plan," said Dr. Shankar Prasad Sharma, vice chairman of National Planning Commission (NPC).

THE SECURITY ARRANGEMENT IN THE western regions of the country has been beefed up following growing uncertainty about the outcome of peace talks. According to reports, the security check posts along the highways have been increased and curfews have been imposed in different cities amid the rising uncertainty.

DIFFERENT LEADERS OF POLITICAL PARTIES AND human rights organizations of Bhutan have met in Siliguri town in India. The two-day meeting ended on Saturday (July 12) after deciding to launch united struggle. The meeting was held at the initiative of Bhutanese leader Tek Nath Rizal. The meeting also analyzed the situation after the publication of the report by the Joint Verification Team (JVT). The meeting discussed on ways to realize the dignified repatriation of Bhutanese refugees.

FOLLOWING THE SUMMON BY THE Commission for Investigation of Abuse of Authority (CIAA) of the chief of the Pokhara-based Fulbari resort on charges that he did not pay the bank loans on time, the tourism entrepreneurs have criticized the government for not considering the "sick state" of the tourism industries. They have charged that though the government included tourism industries in the list of ësick industries', it was not giving the services such industries require. Although the government included them in ësick' category in last year's budget and assured them of assistance in loan and re-structuring their loan payment period, the entrepreneurs charge the government has not acted in accordance.

PRIME MINISTER SURYA BAHADUR THAPA said no one should suspect the intention of the government regarding the peace talks. Interacting with four facilitators, PM Thapa said the government was willing to hold the third round of talks with the government. "We found that PM Thapa is very positive about the peace talks. He has assured that the government will work towards reaching peaceful resolution of the problem," said Padma Ratna Tuladhar, a facilitator. Meanwhile, Prime Minister Thapa is reported to have shown flexibility on implementing the agreements of releasing Maoist central leaders from jail and setting up peace code of conduct monitoring team. He, however, was not much forthcoming on the issue of restricting the army movement within 5 kilometer. According to facilitators, the government has agreed to talk on all issues in the third round of talks. The members of the talks teams of the Maoists and the government are expected to sit for an informal meet next week before sitting down for the third round of talks.

POLICE CONFISCATED A HUGE QUANTITY of contraband brown heroin from a Romanian national at the Tribhuwan International Airport (TIA) on Wednesday. The police searched the handbag of the person after they were suspicious about his behavior as he was about to board a Qatar Airways flight on his way to Amsterdam via Paris. They uncovered 6 kgs of the heroin, which is worth Rs 140 million in the local market, from him. This is the largest haul of the heroin from the TIA, according to police.

THE WORLD BANK IS TO PROVIDE assistance worth Rs 5.67 billion targeted at developing medium sized hydropower projects. After the World Bank withdrew from the Arun III project, it had announced it would help in the setting up of the Power Development Fund (PDF) eight years ago. In the current agreement, the bank has agreed to provide Rs 1.89 billion assistance from the PDF and additional Rs 3.78 billion as loan. The amount will be utilized in the operation of hydro power projects, supply of internal consumption, expansion of hydropower in rural sector, enhancing private sector investment in hydro power, institutional strengthening of Nepal Electricity Authority and empowering transmission lines.