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40 Finalists To Compete For WB Innovation Grant
The World Bank, Nepal office announced on March 21, the 40 finalists for the final round of Nepal Development Marketplace 2005, a competition intended to generate fresh thinking about the delivery of basic services to the poor living in the conflict-affected areas. All these forty innovative ideas and inventive partnerships have been invited to compete in a national competition scheduled for May 5, said Rajib Upadhya, senior external affairs specialist, World Bank Nepal Office. An independent jury comprising of prominent personalities from different backgrounds will select at least 20 winners out of the 40 finalists. Each winner is expected to receive a grant of up to Rs 1.4 million to test their ideas over a one-year period beginning July 1, he informed. The finalists range from grassroots service providers, including public sector development agencies, community-based organizations and non-government organizations, to schools and universities, private sector businesses and even private citizens, according to a press release. “Their enterprising ideas and creative partnerships focus on improvement in the delivery of basic services in areas of education, health, water and sanitation, agriculture, irrigation and food security, financial services, small business and micro-enterprise support, energy, information and communication technologies, infrastructure and integrated rural development,” adds the release. WB-Nepal had called for entries for the competition in November and December last year. 1037 eligible entries were received, said Upadhya. A technical team of over 50 development practitioners, sectoral experts and journalists screened all proposals and narrowed down the most promising proposals to a short-list of 245. The criteria were innovation, partnership, sustainability, replicability, impact and cost-effectiveness. Te technical assessors on March 19 selected the top 40 proposals from the short-listed 245, for graduation to the national competition, said Upadhya. The Himalayan Times daily reports.
Bista Says Govt. Has No Knowledge Of Chinese Offer
Two days after former Royal Nepalese Army (RNA) chief Satchit SJB Rana revealed that China had made offer of military aid to Nepal, vice chairman of the Council of Ministers Kirti Nidhi Bista indicated that the remarks were untrue. “I have no knowledge of such offer by the Chinese,” he told reporters on Monday. He, however, added: “We will welcome if India gives us military assistance. We will also welcome if China gives us the assistance.” Bista said that forthcoming visit by Chinese foreign minister would enhance political and economic relations between the two countries. Leading dailies report.
Royal Commission Interrogates Four Former Ministers
Royal Commission for Corruption Control (RCCC) summoned and interrogated four former ministers on Monday. It summoned former ministers Dr. Mohammad Mohasin, Badri Prasad Mandal, Purna Bahadur Khadka and Hom Nath Dahal on charges of committing irregularities while disbursing Rs 4 million by amending rules during Dashain festival last year. They have been charged of illegal distribution of PM’s Relief Fund. All the four ministers belong to previous Deuba government. The four ministers have been set free on bail amount and have been asked to produce themselves before the commission again on March 31. “They have abused the authority by distributing money to whoever they liked by changing rules. They have been summed on suspicion that they committed corruption by doing so,” said an official at the commission. This is the first case seen by the RCCC after it was formed following February 1 royal move. Dahal later complained that the commission was guided by political prejudice and has notified to challenge it in the Supreme Court. Leading dailies report.
SAFMA Expresses Solidarity With Nepali Media
The high-level fact finding mission of South Asian Free Media Association (SAFMA) led by Imtiaz Alam has expressed solidarity with the Nepali media community. Wrapping up their mission, the SAFMA has concluded that state of emergency has been particularly bad for press. “We support the demands of Nepalese journalists,” said Alam at a press conference on Monday (March 21). It has protested against the difficulties faced by publication houses, journalists and has also asked the government to reconsider its decision not to provide government advertisements to private media. “Worse, the media is in strict self-censorship. They don’t know what they can write and what they cannot,” the mission states in its preliminary report. The SAFMA delegation included senior journalists from India. They met with journalists, officials, publishers, among others. Leading dailies report.
Indian Envoy Returns From New Delhi
Indian ambassador to Nepal Shiv Shankar Mukherjee returned on Sunday (March 20) after consultations with top government officials in New Delhi. It is reported that the ambassador, who had met Indian External Affairs Minister Natwar Singh, Defense Minister Pranab Mukherjee, Home Minister Shivraj Patil and National Security Advisor MK Narayanan, has returned with a message that the international community will not blink on Nepal even if the ‘bogey’ of China and Pakistan is raised. However, Indian embassy officials refused to divulge details of what message the envoy has brought from India. The Himalayan Times daily reports.
Pyakurel Flies To US
Sushil Pyakurel, a member of the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) and a human rights activist, has flown to the United States at the special invitation of senators there. Although he was briefly stopped at the airport (on March 20) by the security guards, soon he was allowed to board the plane. According to joint statement issued by human rights activists, Pyakurel would brief the US senators about the human rights situation and challenges faced by the NHRC after the imposition of state of emergency. Earlier, Pyakurel had been stopped from flying to Kapilvastu to inspect human rights situation there. This time, Pyakurel had been invited by US Senators including Patrick Lehay, Edward Kennedy, Dianne Feinstein, Joseph Biden, Richard Lugar, among others. Kantipur daily reports.
A Journalist Killed In Its Custody By Maoists
A journalist working for Radio Nepal who had been abducted two and a half years ago has been found to have been killed by the Maoists two years ago in their custody. Dhan Bahadur Roka Magar, a reporter who worked for Radio Nepal’s regional transmission center in Surkhet as editor for its Kham language news, was killed in jungle of Khawang in Rolpa district, according to his wife Dil Kumari. She said that the Maoists broke this news at a program organized in Rolpa some five months ago. Meanwhile, Federation of Nepalese Journalists (FNJ) has expressed shock over this news. FNJ along with national and international community had been appealing for Magar’s release since long time. The federation has charged that the incident showed Maoists’ “hollow” commitment on press freedom. Kantipur daily reports.
Unity Among Parties Need Of The Hour: US
The US Ambassador to Nepal, James F. Moriarty, has laid emphasis on unity among political parties so that the current situation can be resolved. “Dialogue with the King will be easy if the political parties work together,” he said. Speaking at a “Meet the Press” program organized by Federation of Nepalese Journalists – Kaski recently, he said: “The US is serious over the situation faced by Nepal and the international community, too, is expressing concern.” Ambassador Moriarty said that though the US military aid to Nepal has been suspended for the time being, the development assistance will continue. But even for this, the US government is evaluating the current political scenario. On the recent remarks of vice chairman of the Council of Ministers Dr. Tulsi Giri, he said: “I don’t want to comment on Dr. Giri’s statement.” The US ambassador gave suggestions to bring the Maoists to mainstream politics. Commenting on reports that China and Pakistan are ready to offer military assistance to Nepal, he said: “It is not easy for them to do so, taking into consideration the international scenario.” Leading dailies report.
Prachanda Under Pressure: RNA
Chairman of the Maoists, Prachanda, is reported to have been facing strong protests within the party, according to the Royal Nepalese Army’s public relations directorate. In this connection, red banners bearing slogans like ‘down with Prachandapath,’ ‘declare ceasefire immediately,’ ‘hold peace talks promptly’ were found hanged on the entrance gates of Ilam buspark and Sukrabare Path in Godak of Ilam district on Thursday. Improvized explosive devices, found attached with the banners, were later defused. Similar banners attached with explosives were also recovered and defused at Taplejung district headquarters on March 16, adds the directorate. The Himalayan Times daily reports.
Govt. To Fill Vacant Posts In Local Bodies
The government is all set to ‘revive’ the local bodies by appointing ‘political figures’ representing different political parties, former bureaucrats and secretaries at the zonal, district and municipality level soon, sources said. The move, the source said, is aimed at introducing an administrative system to deliver “efficient and transparent” services to the people. The Local Development Ministry is said to be engaged in homework to fill up the posts lying vacant for the past seven months after the representatives appointed by then government resigned from their posts with the fall of Surya Bahadur Thapa government. The source said the first phase of the move will see appointments of mayors and deputy mayors in all the 58 municipalities and chairmen and vice chairmen in all the 75 DDCs. The local bodies have been lacking elected representatives since 2002 after fresh elections could not be held. The government is also working to appoint former administrators, secretaries and judges as zonal commissioners or chief zonal commissioners in all the 14 zones to ‘coordinate and network’ with CDOs on maintaining peace and security. The government is also planning to appoint ‘land reform officers’ at the district level, the source added. The Himalayan Times daily reports.
Pandey Addresses Geneva Session
Foreign Minister Ramesh Nath Pandey has said that the royal move of February 1 was the last resort to effectively ensure the security of the nation and restore the tethering confidence and alleviate the continued hardships and sufferings of the people. Minister Pandey, who is leading the Nepali delegation to 61st session of the UN Human Rights Commission, said this while addressing the commission meeting in Geneva on Tuesday (March 15). “The King, as the symbol of the national unity and the custodian of the Constitution of the Kingdom of Nepal had a constitutional duty and obligations to stop this downward spiral of the country and to restore security and stability in ultimate interest of the nation,” he said. He made it clear that the state of emergency was of temporary nature and is being continually relaxed. Meanwhile, another report said the Foreign Minister of Switzerland, Micheline Calmy-Rey, after meeting Pandey in Geneva, said her country would officially sponsor a resolution on Nepal at the 61st session of the UN Commission for Human Rights. Leading dailies report.
King Grants Audience To ICRC Delegate
King Gyanendra granted audience to Reto Meister, the delegate general for Asia and Pacific of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) at the Narayanhity Royal Palace on Monday (March 14). Meister had arrived in Kathmandu on Saturday for talks with Nepalese authorities on the “humanitarian situation and ICRC’s mandate and activities in Nepal.” Leading dailies report.
Nepal And Qatar Sign Labor Pact
Nepal and Qatar have signed a labor pact aimed at regularizing and promoting the rights and interests of Nepalese workers in the Gulf state. The visiting foreign minister Ramesh Nath Pandey signed the agreement in Doha along with Minister for Civil Service Affairs and Housing of Qatar Sheikh Falah bin Jassem Al-thani on behalf of their respective governments. Valid of r four years, the agreement will guarantee besides allotted salary, other benefits like round trip airfare, local transport and accommodation, medical facilities and gratuity provisions to the Nepalese workers. According to Labor Minister Ram Narayan Singh, the cases of fraud and cheating can also be checked from now onwards. There are approximately 100,000 Nepalese working in Qatar at present. Leading dailies report.
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