Briefs (Spotlight Weekly)

The country observed 283rd Prithvi Jayanti and National Unity Day on January

THE GOVERNMENT DECIDED TO fly the national flags at half-mast in all the government offices and diplomatic missions abroad on Friday (January 7) in memory of victims of Tsunami waves. Likewise, the government has also expressed deep sorrow over the huge loss of lives in South and South East Asian countries due to Tsunami waves.

NEPAL ELECTRICITY AUTHORITY (NEA) has withdrawn the phase-wise load-shedding that it had announced a couple of days ago. The scheduled load-shedding has been withdrawn after being imposed for the period of two days after one of the three turbines of 144 MW-strong Kali Gandaki A project broke down. According to NEA officials, its technicians and engineers have been able to repair the turbine for the time being.

ON THE OCCASION OF ITS 42ND ANNIVERSARY, the Kanti Children Hospital (KCH) has announced that it would treat all the infants who are up to 28-days-old for free. KCH is the only children hospital in the country. King Gyanendra and Queen Komal graced the function organized by the hospital on Thursday (January 6) to mark its anniversary. Speaking on the occasion Health Minister Ashok Rai said that the government plans to develop KCH as a Children Health Research Institute. The government of Japan is one of the leading donors that had helped in the development and modernization of the hospital.

THE HOME MINISTRY HAS STATED THAT RELATIVES and human rights groups including members of National Human Rights Commission (NHRC), UN High Commission for Human Rights and representatives of ICRC can meet detainees at the Detention Center at Sundarijal. The visitors, however, will be barred from taking pictures of detainees, record their voices or talk over cell phones. The meetings will be allowed within office hours. The decision comes soon after the NHRC officials accused the security officials of barring them from visiting the center on December 29. According to the Commission, its team had gone to probe the incidents of security forces blindfolding the detainees and questioning them by posing as NHRC members and also the re-arrest of three youths previously released from the center.

THE GOVERNMENT HAS DRAWN THE ATTENTION of all that its security forces could be compelled to launch operations in schools if the Maoists do not immediately stop activities like forcefully making the teachers, locals and students dig trenches and bunkers in and around schools. This decision (to draw the attention) had been taken two weeks ago at the meeting of security situation sub-committee. As per the decision, the government has drawn the attention of human rights activists and child rights activists towards the situation.

DEPUTY PRIME MINISTER AND FINANCE MINISTER Bharat Mohan Adhikary has said that there is a need to set up a permanent apparatus to advise the government on the economic activities going on in the country, neighborhood and the world. While receiving a report prepared by the Revenue Advisory Board (RAB), DPM Adhikary said that such apparatus would provide invaluable inputs to the government all the year round and not only on the eve of budgets. Adhikary’s remarks came at a time when the Ministry of Finance is preparing to present a renewed ordinance of the budget of the current fiscal year. In the absence of the parliament, budgets have to be announced through ordinance – whose tenure does not exceed six months. At the program, Adhikary hailed the private business sector saying that it was because of them that the government could collect revenue as per the targets despite difficult situation. The RAB report has made recommendations on issues of expanding VAT and other tax instruments. It has urged the government to control illegal production, sale and distribution of liquor. It has also called for effective custom rates to protect the domestic industries.

A HELICOPTER BELONGING TO AIR DYNASTY crashed in Those of Ramechhap district on Tuesday (January 4) morning killing all three passengers on board. The helicopter was en route to Lukla from Kathmandu. The chopper had taken off from Tribhuwan International Airport (TIA) at 8 am and lost contact after 23 minutes. An army helicopter later located the wreckage of the chopper. The pilot Pemba Ghelu Sherpa and two passengers Pemba Thundu Sherpa and his 9-year-old son Pemba Tsering Sherpa were killed in the crash. A five-member committee has been formed by the Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal (CAAN) to establish the cause of crash.

THE GOVERNMENT IS SAID TO BE RECONSIDERING appointing people’s representatives in local bodies. Local Development Minister Yubaraj Gyawali told Radio Nepal that there were two proposals before the government. “One is about restoring the former elected representatives and the second is about appointing all-party committees to run the local bodies. The government is yet to make a decision which proposal to implement,” he said. Minister Gyawali, however, added that all the partners in the government were willing to hand over the local bodies to people’s representatives. At present, the local bodies are being run by secretaries, LDOs and chief executives appointed by the government.

THE MAOIST-AFFILIATED TRADE UNION All Nepal Trade Union Federation (ANTUF) has issued a statement warning the government that it would launch ‘strong programs of agitation’ if it does not make public the whereabouts of its leaders. It has also asked the government to implement the agreements reached with the government and the Federation of Nepalese Chamber of Commerce and Industry (FNCCI) on September 15, 2004. The statement was signed by ANTUF president Shalik Ram Jamarkattel. The ANTUF had made dozens of industries to close down in September.

INDIA HAS AGREED TO PROVIDE GRANT assistance for the implementation of the project for development of farmer managed deep tube well irrigation systems in Jhapa, Sunsari, Saptari and Siraha districts in the eastern development region of Nepal. Shiv Shankar Mukherjee, Ambassador of India and Bhanu Prasad Acharya, Finance Secretary signed the agreement on behalf of their respective governments. The project will be executed by the Ground Water Resources Development Board (GWRDB) under the Ministry of Water Resources, HMG/N. The total project cost for construction of 22 Deep Tube Well will be Rs. 88 million and the Indian grant assistance for the project will be Rs. 73.92 million. Remaining cost will be contributed by the beneficiary farmers. The Project will be called "Nepal-Bharat Maitri Irrigation Project" and this is expected to irrigate over 800 acres of land.

A 14-MEMBER THEATRE GROUP Pratiwimba left for New Delhi last week to participate in the 7th Bharat Rang Mahotsav. Bharat Rang Mahotsav organised by India’s premier National School of Drama (NSD) is an annual theatre festival that attracts international participation as well. Pratiwimba is led by well-know Nepali theatre personality, Anup Baral, who has directed the Nepali play “Khuma” for presentation at Bharat Rang Mahotsav. Last year, ‘Aarohan’ a theatre group run by Sunil Pokharel had represented Nepal in this festival. Nepali participation in Bharat Rang Mahotsav has been sponsored by the Embassy of India and the B.P. Koirala India-Nepal Foundation.