Briefs (Spotlight Weekly)

THE HOME MINISTRY HAS ASKED ALL THE public office bearers including ministers, constitutional heads and civil servants to furnish their property details to the concerned authorities within a month. In a notice circulated by the Ministry, the civil servants are asked to adhere to the provisions of the Corruption Control Act. Anybody who fails to provide the details would be fined Rs 5000 and could also face legal action, the notice stated.

SOCIETY OF THE FAMILIES OF PERSONS who have ‘disappeared’ have expressed extreme dissatisfaction over the recent government report. The family members said the list of the government does not provide any information about their kiths and kin. They have alleged that the government list does not include actual victims. They had submitted the list of 112 persons who have ‘disappeared’. The Home Ministry had, on Tuesday (August 10), made public the whereabouts of 24 out of 36 persons said to have been ‘disappeared’ by the state. The situation of the ‘disappeared’ persons were made public in a report prepared by a team formed by the government to study the allegations of ‘disappearances’. Victims’ families have alleged that only one person of their list was accounted for in the government report. They have threatened to go for relay hunger strike until and unless the government comes up with complete information on their family members.

THE GOVERNMENT HAS FINALLY DECIDED TO increase the prices of petroleum products days after reports of near bankruptcy of the state-owned Nepal Oil Corporation (NOC). The price of petrol has been increased from Rs 54 to Rs 56 per liter. The price of Liquefied Petroleum Gas (cooking gas) has been hiked by Rs 25 per cylinder to reach Rs 725. Likewise, the dual subsidy on kerosene has been removed. The price of kerosene now will be Rs 24 per liter. The aviation fuel price, too, has been increased by Rs 13 to reach Rs 46 per liter. The price of diesel, however, has not been touched. Officials said that the increase in the price of petrol was fueled by its rising price in the international market. Nepal had not increased the price of petroleum products for the past 15 months – during which period the international market witnessed its price rising by about 65 percent. Officials said that with the latest increase in price, the per month loss of the NOC will come down to Rs 120 million from existing Rs 580 million. Authorities indicated that the current price would soon be reviewed. Since the government was not in a mood to increase the price by a big margin right away, it planned to do so in phases. Meanwhile, the government has formed team to study and recommend ways for automatic adjustment (of petroleum price here with that of international market) and proper pricing policy. The team headed by Dr. Yubaraj Khatiwada, a member of the National Planning Commission (NPC) will submit its findings within a month. “Right now, the price had to be increased because there was a risk that in order to rescue the NOC, the government had to spend billions of rupees set aside for poverty alleviation programs,” said Dr. Khatiwada.

THE MEETING OF THE CABINET HAS APPROVED AMENDING the Army Welfare Fund Regulations paving the way for the army to invest in banks and financial institutions. Sources said that the amendment in the regulations allows the army to invest money of the fund in financial institutions. There are over Rs 7 billion lying in the fund. In the past, too, the army had tried to convince the government to allow it to invest in banks, financial institutions as well as hydropower project. The King is the patron of the fund and experts have said that since any organization patronized by the King is exempt from taxes, allowing the army to invest could result in financial problems for the government.

THE INDUSTRIAL SECURITY GROUP (ISG) – a group comprising several embassies including India, the United Kingdom, the United States of America, Germany and France and their bilateral chambers of commerce and industry – has raised objection over the recent statement by pro-Maoist trade union to close down a number of industries. The ISG has urged the Maoists to allow the industries to function freely in the framework of Nepali laws and in accordance with international norms. “Disruptions of their operations would severely affect the livelihoods of hundreds of thousands of employees, their families and associates, undermine investor confidence, discourage future investments and harm Nepal’s economy,” the statement by the ISG states. Recently, the Maoists had threatened to close down many multinational companies in different districts, including Kathmandu, from August 17 saying the government was not serious about meeting the charter of 11 demands put forth by the pro-Maoist trade union. It had also accused the companies of exploiting the workers and spying against their party.

BEGINNING EARLY NEXT YEAR, THE SOLID WASTE of Kathmandu Valley will be dumped in Sisdol area of Nuwakot. The Sisdol area can be used for three years for the purpose after which the government will make ready the Okharpauwa area, said Surya Man Shakya, general manager of the Solid Waste Management and resource Mobilization Center. Local of the Sisdol and Okharpauwa area have agreed to allow the dumping of the wastes provided the government builds infrastructures like road and health posts in their villages. Kathmandu Valley produces 600 tons of wastes every day.

THE FINANCE MINISTRY HAS directed all ministries to seek its prior approval before receiving foreign assistance. The directive was issued after the trend of opening personal accounts to carry out donor-funded programs picked up. “From now on, if any ministry accepts foreign assistance without the consent of the Finance Ministry, the particular ministry has to be fully responsible (for the consequences),” the Finance Secretary Bhanu Prasad Acharya writes in the letter that has been sent to all ministries. Recently, the Commission for Investigation of Abuse of Authority (CIAA), too, had recommended the government to take action such practice of misusing foreign assistance.