THE GOVERNMENT HAS INSTITUTED Economic and Financial Sector Reforms Programs Monitoring and Review High Level Committee headed by Finance Minister. Other members of the committee include vice chairman of National Planning Commission (NPC), governor of Nepal Rastra Bank (NRB), chief secretary and finance secretary. Likewise, the government has also approved the report submitted by a committee (headed by NPC vice chairman Dr. Shankar Sharma) that was formed to recommend ways to take action against willful defaulters of bank loans. The committee has laid down clear definitions of “willful defaulters” and those defaulters who could not pay due to plausible circumstances. It has also recommended separate sorts of action against the two different kinds of defaulters.
NEPAL TELECOM (NT) AIMS TO HAVE at least two lines of telephones in each and every VDC in the country within next two years. Although the telephone facility has spread to 1700 VDCs already, only in half of them they are in operation at present. The government, too, had aimed to extend the telephone facility to touch all the VDCs within the Tenth Plan period. Sugat Ratna Kansakar, managing director of NT, said that works are already on to extend the service throughout the country. “If the security situation improves, we will not have much difficulty in achieving the aim,” he said, adding, “Of late, we have been using cheaper and innovative technologies.” He said that the cost of extending the service to all VDCs would be around Rs 4 billion. Kansakar further clarified that if the security situation remains complicated then NT will employ VSAT technology to install telephone service in remote and security-sensitive VDCs whereas it will spread wireless technologies like CDMA or cellular phones in accessible VDCs. He said that the aim of extending the service has become attainable because of reduced cost of the new technologies. Only a decade ago, one line of VSAT used to cost around Rs 6 million. This cost has now reduced to Rs 700,000. One VSAT line can be used to provide telephone service to one PCO (Public Call Office), two tele centers, one VDC office, two commercial enterprises and few remaining to common people. The NT is going to introduce the CDMA-based wireless technology to extend the service from Dhangadi of far west to Ilam of east. It is going to invest Rs 3 billion in this technology and distribute one million telephone. “We can distribute CDMA lines to any place where there is demand of at least 100 lines,” said Kansakar. Since 1998, Maoists have destroyed 400 telephone stations affecting the communication with a large number of remote VDCs.
IN ORDER TO JOINTLY LOBBY FOR the Asia and Pacific bill, which proposes to provide duty free access to apparel products from 14 LDCs, at the US senate Bangladesh is going to host an international garment conference in Dhaka on June 8-9. The conference will be organized by Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA). Associations and stakeholders from 14 LDCs including Nepal are set to take part in the conference. “The main objective of the seminar is to forge a new strategy to lobby for the bill by passing a joint declaration,” said Kiran Sakha, president of Garment Association of Nepal (GAN). He informed that Dhaka declaration will urge for a bill similar to “African Growth and Opportunity Act.” He added that since diplomatic sector of these countries have been unable to push through the proposed bill, the associations had decided to join hands.
THE ROYAL NEPALESE ARMY (RNA) Public Relations Directorate has requested the general public to allow security personnel to search their homes only after they produce proper Identity Cards. Saying that there were incidents where criminals were found to enter into the houses of public and loot them posing as security personnel, the RNA has asked the public to remain alert against such imposters. It has also requested the public to contact army office if anybody tries to enter into their house without producing ID cards.
THE SEVEN POLITICAL PARTIES HAVE condemned the action being taken by the Royal Commission on Corruption Control (RCCC) terming it as being guided by political vendetta. They have also expressed solidarity with former Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba, who is under arrest by RCCC. The parties at a meeting held in Nepali Congress (NC) central office on Tuesday (May 17), have called for dissolution of the RCCC.
AROUND 300 FAMILIES OF SOLDIERS have been displaced by the Maoists from different parts of the country. According to the Human Rights Cell of the RNA, till last week, 292 families had been displaced because their sons/husbands worked in the army. “Their number is increasing,” said major Raju Nepali, chief of the cell. “Most of them are taking refuge in the houses of their relatives.” Among the displaced include, families of sepoys as well as officers. Maoists are also said to be using the houses of such families back in villages for their own purposes. According to available data, 1270 people of 292 families of 50 districts have been so displaced. A member of National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) Dr. Kapil Shrestha said that these incidents mark violation of Common Article 3 of Geneva Convention, which prohibits the non-state actors from bringing harm to non-combatants or their properties. “These activities seem to be guided by sense of revenge, which is condemnable,” said Dr. Shrestha, adding, “This also increases risk of revenge from soldiers.” Dr. Shrestha added that the Maoists are displacing the families of soldiers in a planned manner by first asking for astronomical sums from their families as ‘donation’ failing to provide which results in their displacement.
