Briefs (Spotlight Weekly)

Observing the 282nd Prithvi Jayanti National Unity Day

KING GYANENDRA HAS APPOINTED THREE commissioners at the Commission for Investigation of Abuse of Authority (CIAA). Indra Kumar Shrestha, Lalit Bahadur Basnet and Bed Prasad Shiwakoti have been appointed to the commission as per the recommendation of the Constitutional Council and in accordance with the Constitution of the Kingdom of Nepal 1990.

NEPAL AND BANGLADESH ARE ENGAGED IN preparing groundwork to expand their bilateral trade, according to Bangladeshi envoy Humayun Kabir. The envoy said that the two countries are preparing the list of 20 most-traded products, which will enjoy heavy concession in customs and other duties. He said that last year Nepal had exported goods worth US$ 3.3 million to Bangladesh. Likewise, Bangladesh exported goods worth US$ 3.6 million to Nepal in the same period. The Bangladeshi envoy talking to Nepalese businessmen in Biratnagar, said that Bangladesh was willing to provide more facilities so that the Phulbari route will come into better use in the coming days.

ENTREPRENEURS HAVE SAID THAT NEPAL would require to put in strong lobbying to maintain and expand its current trade partnership with the United States. They said that once the Multi-fiber Agreement terminates in 2004, Nepalese products will face difficulties to enter American market. Sunil Shakya, president of Nepal-USA Chamber of Commerce and Industry (NUSACCI) has said that the United States is Nepal’s most important export market for readymade apparels and an important one for carpets. He said efforts were on to work for duty-free and quota-free access of Nepalese apparels into American market. Once the duty and quota-free access is ensures, Nepalese apparels will get 18 percent concessions in custom duties. The NUSACCI recently held its ninth annual general meeting.

TEACHERS HAVE ALSO STARTED THEIR agitation putting forward seven-point demands. On Wednesday (January 7), they held a rally in the city and picketed the Ministry of Education from where dozens of them were arrested by police. The teachers are demanding safety for them, cessation of murder, abduction and looting of teachers in districts, among others

BEGINNING FALGUN 7 (FEBRUARY 19), THE Human Rights Organization of Nepal (HURON) will hold a major peace movement in conflict-hit districts. At a press meet on Wednesday (January 7), HURON president Sudip Pathak said that the movement will be held to promote the causes of human rights and values at a time when the incidents of rights abuses are growing in the country. “We are trying to give the shape of movement to the human rights campaign,” said Pathak. The movement will start from Dang district and spread to Rolpa, Rukum, Salyan and others. The HURON is all set to give a memorandum about its movement to the government as well as the Maoists.

THE ASIAN DEVELOPMENT BANK (ADB) HAS approved a US$ 450,000 technical assistance grant to develop a tourism plan for the four countries belonging to the South Asia Sub regional Economic Cooperation (SASEC). The TA will prepare a tourism development plan for ten years starting from 2004 to 2014 that will help promote economic growth and reduce rural poverty in the four members of SASEC – Bangladesh, Bhutan, India and Nepal. Geographically, ecologically and culturally diverse, SASEC could prove attractive to international tourists, offering vast physical and cultural diversity including the world’s tallest mountains, the longest sea beach and largest mangrove forest. The four countries already receive more than three million international visitors each year, generating combined revenues of US$ 3.5 billion in 2000.

TO MARK THE COMPLETION OF 100 DAYS of their nominations to head the Kathmandu Metropolitan City (KMC), the officials have opened the Dharahara tower for public for one week. The nine-storeyed Dharahara is the landmark of the city. On the first day of its opening over 400 people visited the tower. The charge to enter the tower has been fixed as Rs 75 per person – Rs 50 per student and Rs 200 per tourist. In the past the current Dharahara was even taller but the earthquake of 1932 damaged it and was later restored to present height. Earlier, the tower used to be open for public but was closed later.

THE GOVERNMENT HAS HANDED OVER TWO State Owned Enterprises (SOE) to the private sector on Tuesday (January 6). The government handed over the Bhaktapur Brick and Tiles Factory to R.R.P. Enterprises and Butwal Spinning Mills (BSM) to the Sal Trading Corporation (STC) on management contract. The government has sold the equipment and machines of the Bhaktapur Brick and Tile Factory at Rs 14.5 million whereas the land has been leased for 10 years at Rs 27.7 million. The factory occupies 252 ropanis of land. The R.R.P. Enterprises was selected on the basis of open tender. Likewise, the STC has been awarded the management contract of the BSM under the condition that it gives back 50 percent of the profit to the factory. STC officials claim that they will be able to increase the current output of the BSM from 5 ton to 15 tons. Both these SOEs had been running in losses in the last couple of years.