KATHMANDU: A parliamentary panel has endorsed a proposal to jack up cash deposit and bank guarantee to establish a manpower agency by up to 29 times to tighten a noose around companies that do not work in the interest of the foreign job aspirants, reported The Himalayan Times.

According to the report, if manpower agencies intend to export 3,000 workers per year, they have to deposit Rs 5 million in government coffers and furnish a bank guarantee of Rs 15 million to start operation.

Similarly, those intending to export 3,000 to 5,000 workers per year must park Rs 10 million in state coffers and present a bank guarantee of Rs 30 million to operate their business.

Likewise, the agencies that export over 5,000 per year must deposit Rs 20 million in state coffers and furnish a bank guarantee of Rs 40 million to start operation, according to the report.

KATHMANDU: Experts have claimed that the new bill tabled at the House of Representatives aimed at barring civil servants from sharing their views on social media would infringe their right to expression, a report in The Kathmandu Post said.

The Federal Civil Service Bill proposes strict provisions for civil servants and that they will remain in effect even after their retirement.

The new bill does not allow public officials to criticize the government nor can they publish news about government businesses once the act comes into force, said the report.

KATHMANDU:  Nepal Army (NA)’s decision to procure an ammunition plant has courted controversy, reported Annapurna daily. NA has decided to spend about 4 billion rupees to procure the plant in cahoots with some companies, while the actual cost of the plant is only 1.5 billion rupees.

According a source at the Ministry of Defense, the decision to procure the ammunition plant had been taken during the tenure of then Chief of Army Staff Rajendra Chhetri.  Sher Bahadur Deuba was the prime minister during the period.

The procurement process has been hit following the reports that the NA is procuring the plant for higher prices than its actual value, says the report.

KATHMANDU: Nepal Rastra Bank (NRB), the central bank of Nepal, has showed concerns over the increasing trend of commercial banks’ lending money to other commercial banks at an average rate of up to 6.4 percent recently, a report in The Himalayan Times has said.

Earlier, NRB was clueless with the commercial banks’ intention to go for inter-bank transaction while it is offering funds at far cheaper rates. Surprisingly, there are few takers of the funds provided by NRB.

On December 26 last year, NRB had issued a directive allowing banks and financial institutes to treat credit obtained through inter-bank window as deposit to meet the credit to core-capital-cum-deposit ratio.

KATHMANDU: Experts have warned that some provisions of media laws which are being drafted are not in favor of the press freedom. They said the provisions are detrimental and are designed to curtail the press freedom, according to The Kathmandu Post report.

Meanwhile,observers have urged the provincial assemblies to take into account the importance of fourth estate in democracy and governance.

The media bills introduced by some provinces have criminalized media-related offences, such as incarcerating journalists.

KATHMANDU: The Nepal government has barred as many as 53 Malaysian firms from hiring Nepali workers over their mistreatment tract record, according to the Department of Foreign Employment,  reported Republica daily.

The DoFE has received hundreds of complaints against the companies regarding exploitation of migrant workers and non-payment of salaries, said officials.

The companies in question are among 67 companies in Malaysia and the Gulf region blacklisted by the DoFE in the recent weeks.

KATHMANDU: The government’s decision to ban polythene bag is limited to papers. The government had decided to impose a ban on the manufacture and sale of polythene bags on May 2015 citing environmental hazard by the non-degradable products. However, even after some four years, the decision is not in effect since the manufacturing and sale of polythene bags continues as normal, according to Naya Patrika.

CDOs of different districts are still enjoying  the full-fledged power even after the country adopted federal system of governance in 2017.  The situation persists against common assumption that following federalism of three-level representatives, the power of the CDOs will gradually dissipate, Republica reports.

Mahottari district in the plain belt of the country under province number two boasts of the only commune in Nepal, reports Annapurna Post. A commune is a system where many people live as members of a single family sharing property and work. Known as Aadharshila, the commune is located at Bardibas Gauridanda area of the district and houses members from 13 different families, divergent in terms of caste and ethnicity. Members of the commune run several business ventures but they share the earning and cost besides living and dining together.

Nepal is less likely to meet the UN target of reducing maternal mortality rate in lack of a smooth administrative functioning thanks to structural change taking place in the country, reports The Kathmandu Post. The target as per the UN Sustainable Development goal is to limit maternal mortality to 125 per 100,000 births by 2020. However, shutting down of some 42 District Public Health Offices and an improper channel of supplying the budget by the government stand as the major challenges in realizing the goal.