IN THE FIRST 11 MONTHS OF THE current fiscal year, the government has paid the principal and interest totaling Rs 14.43 billion to settle internal as well as foreign loans. This amounts to 13 percent of the total budget this year. According to latest data made available by the Office of the Accounting General, around Rs 7.43 billion was paid to settle foreign loans and the rest were paid to settle internal loans. Of the total foreign loans settled, Rs 5.49 billion was paid to settle principal amount and Rs 1.94 billion to settle interest amount. According to the office, the total loan amount of the country has increased slightly this year to reach the total of Rs 233.5 billion – from Rs 232 billion a year ago. The total loan occupies over 49 percent of total GDP of the country. Likewise, the government paid Rs 4.21 billion and Rs 2.79 billion to settle the principal and interest amount of internal loans respectively. The total internal loans of the country has reached Rs 86 billion – 18.22 percent of GDP.
THE INDIAN SEEMA SHASHASTRA BAL (SSB) is to deploy sniffer dogs to locate the cross border smuggling of explosives. A.K. Singh, an official of SSB at Bahraich informed that a center for training such dogs was being established at SSB headquarters in Gorakhpur. The trained dogs would be deployed at major border points and sensitive areas. They will test the vehicles moving to and fro the border.
AS A PART OF THE GLOBAL INITIATIVE to choose 1000 women as candidates for this year’s Nobel Peace Prize, activists have picked the names of 9 Nepalese women. They include Sahana Pradhan, Stella Tamang, Rita Thapa, Indira Shrestha, Binda Pandey, Jahamak Ghimire, Anju Chhetri, Jagansub Gurung and Chhinglamu Sherpa. Across the world, activities chose the names of 1000 such women from 150 countries. In South Asian, names of 157 women including 9 from Nepal, 16 from Bangladesh, 29 from Pakistan, 12 from Sri Lanka and 91 from India were also picked.
THE INTERNATIONAL NETWORK OF journalists called Reporters Sans Borders has criticized the policy of Nepalese government to introduce restrictive advertisement policy aimed at hurting local and national independent media. The Paris-based organization has deplored the policy of providing advertisement only to those organizations committed to ‘nation, nationalism and crown.’ It has stated that it is the duty of the government to distribute advertisements without bias.
THE GOVERNMENT RECEIVED DOUBLE the amount of proposal for buying development bonds. The government had called for tenders to sell Rs 750 million worth of development bonds but it received proposals for buying Rs 1.54 billion worth of the bonds. “Around 43 investors have responded to our tender call,” said Tula Raj Basyal, executive director of Internal Public Loan Department at the Nepal Rastra Bank. Analysts say that shrinking areas for investment and high rate of interest (for the bonds) drew huge interests over development bonds. A month ago, the government had sold Rs 1.5 worth of bonds through two different tender calls. The recently issued development bond will also be listed at the secondary market. The government has announced it would announce development bonds worth Rs 750 million next week as well.
THE DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORT Management has started consultations with transporters to facilitate the supplies of essential goods throughout the country. The department held a meeting with transport entrepreneurs on Monday to discuss on ways to improve the supply situation. The department has requested the Federation of Truck Entrepreneurs to submit their recommendations on this issue within 15 days. The department has initiated the consultations in view of impending monsoon season and amid reports of disruption in supplies in different districts. The department has also formed a committee including representatives from the department, traffic police, line ministries and truck entrepreneurs to make decisions to resolve problems faced by this sector.
THE GOVERNMENT OF STATE OF BIHAR, India has moved security to high alert situation in bordering areas with Parsa and Rautahat districts of Nepal. According to local state police officials, the security was alerted after the information of around 50 armed Maoists from Bihar having entered into Nepal. S.K. Bhardwaj, DIG of Police, has said that the Maoists involved in last Thursday’s attack in Madhuban of Bihar have entered into Nepal. “We opened fire at them and they entered into Nepal,” said Bhardwaj, adding that he has alerted security apparatus in the area as well as Indian embassy in Kathmandu.
Managing Editor Bereaved
Keshab Poudel, Managing Editor of SPOTLIGHT Newsmagazine, has lost his mother. His mother Kul Kumari Poudel died at the age of 77 on Monday, July 4.
The SPOTLIGHT family is grieved at her demise and wishes to extend heartfelt condolences to Poudel family.
Since our Managing Editor will be away for a couple of days, there might be delay in the next issue of SPOTLIGHT.
