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KING GYANENDRA INAUGURATED THE NEW building of International
Center for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD) at Khumaltar. The ICIMOD works for the
sustainable development and environment promotion in the mountain regions spanning from
Myanmar to Afghanistan. Its headquarters is located in Kathmandu. The new building has
been constructed at the 1.5 hectares of land provided by Nepal government. The building
was constructed at the cost of Rs 100 million. After the inauguration, King Gyanendra
inquired about the activities of ICIMOD. THE RECENTLY CONCLUDED 38TH Annual General Meeting (AGM) of
the Federation of Nepalese Chamber of Commerce and Industry (FNCCI) has adopted code of
ethics for the business community with the objective of making the sector clean, honorable
and transparent. Former FNCCI President Ravi Bhakta Shrestha presented the code, which was
adopted by the AGM. The code urges the business community to work for the public interest,
public health, values and norms. It also includes provisions urging the businessmen to
provide quality goods and services etc. The code of ethics is expected to decrease
corruption in the country. BREACHING THE ESSENTIAL SERVICES ACT, the staffs of the
Nepal Oil Corporation (NOC) have come out on strike for the last one week triggering
scarcity of petroleum products in the market. The staffs of the NOC have demanded that the
government raise the price of petroleum products to make them compatible with that in
Indian market. They fear that the NOC would collapse if the government continues to put
off the decision to raise the prices. Meanwhile, Prem Lal Maharjan, general secretary of
the Consumers’ Forum, Nepal has alleged that the whole strike is a drama being
enacted to create atmosphere to raise the prices of the petroleum products. “If the
government, indeed, wants to raise the price, it does not need to incite the NOC staffs to
organize strike and obstruct its supply,” Maharjan said. He urged the government to
end the strike by invoking the Essential Services Act, which prohibits strike in areas
that are of critical importance. THE THREE-DAY SECOND INTERNATIONAL Buddhist Conference
concluded on Thursday (December 2) by adopting 10-point Lumbini Declaration calling for
overall development of Lumbini area and restoration of peace in the country. The points of
declaration include promoting Lumbini as the world peace city. “Take immediate action
for implementation of Resolutions of the UN and other regional organizations that are
still unimplemented, and for the revitalization of the UN International Committee for the
Development of Lumbini and UN International Advisory Committee,” the Declaration
proposes. Its other important proposal was to take appropriate immediate action for
upgrading Gautam Buddha Airport to an international airport. It proposes to ensure full
national commitment and encourage and enhance communities in the promotion and development
of Lumbini and surrounding areas. Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba expressed the
commitment of Nepal government to implement the Declaration. THE GOVERNMENT IS PLANNING TO SET UP an independent Electricity
Regulatory Commission in order to make the Power Purchase Agreements (PPA) more
transparent, among others. The commission will also be responsible to fix the tariffs of
electricity. The government is amending the water resource and Nepal electricity Authority
(NEA) acts to set up the commission after dissolving the Electricity Tariff Fixation
Committee (ETFC). Currently, discussions are going on at the Department of Electricity
Development over the draft act of the commission. The Commission will have the authority
to monitor and supervise the various aspects including the quality of power supply. OWING TO UNFAVORABLE WEATHER, THE PRODUCTION of rice – the
principle agro-product – could decline this year by almost 3.72 percent
compared to the last year, according to the Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperatives. This
year, there was a period of drought in many placed during the time when rice had to be
planted. And that was followed by incessant rainfall. The rice production has particularly
suffered in Terai areas – the major production center. In hilly and mountainous
regions, its production has handsomely increased by 5.8 and 25.9 percent respectively.
This year the estimated total production of rice would be around 4.289 million metric
tons. However, the production of maize and millet are expected to grow significantly.
Maize production is expected to grow by record 7.92 percent to reach 1.716 million metric
tons. Likewise, the production of millet is expected to grow by 2.28 percent to reach
289,838 metric tons. THE NINTH ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING OF THE Nepal Britain
Chamber of Commerce and Industry (NBCCI) was held on December 5 in Kathmandu. Deputy Prime
Minister Bharat Mohan Adhikary inaugurated the ceremonial session of the AGM. He praised
the efforts of the bilateral chamber in advancing the trade and business opportunities.
Addressing the program, Rajendra Khetan, president of NBCCI, shed light on the activities
of the NBCCI and how it was actively involved in consolidating and promoting bilateral
trade with the United Kingdom. Apart from talking about the difficulties posed by
insecurity, Khetan also mentioned the challenges posed by WTO, SAFTA, BIMSTEC and other
similar trade regimes. "They not only provide us with untold opportunities but also
pose unknown challenges," he said. The program was also addressed by British
ambassador to Nepal Keith George Bloomfield and State Minister for Foreign Affairs Dr.
Prakash Sharan Mahat. |
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