Pokhara: Spokesperson of the Nepali Congress, Bishwa Prakash Sharma, has taken exception to the government’s forcibly passing the medical education bill in the parliament in breach of the agreements reached before this with agitating Dr Govinda KC.
Addressing a press meet organised by Press Union Kaski here today, the main opposition party spokesman charged that the government has also neglected the spirit of the report of the High-level Taskforce on Formulation of National Policy on Medical Education and the reports of other taskforces.
Sharma said agreement was reached with Dr KC also on the clause which stipulates that a single university should not provide affiliation to more than five medical colleges and this agreement has also gone unheeded.
Stating that the number of medical colleges in the country has now reached 24 whereas it was only two before 1990, he said there was no need for setting up new medical colleges in Kathmandu at present.
The NC spokesperson said although the present government has refrained from addressing the demands put forth by Dr KC, his party was ready to fulfill his demands whenever the Nepali Congress garners two-thirds majority votes.
Expressing concern over Dr KC’s health becoming serious as he completes 23 days of fast-unto-death, he warned of intensifying protest movement if Dr KC’s life was not saved.
The NC spokesperson also lashed out at the government, saying it has not been able to carry out any pro-people works in its term of one year. He said the main opposition party would wage nation-wide protest programmes on February 4 to protest against increasing corruption, irregularities and what he called the government’s high-handed attitude.
Chitwan: Former Prime Minister and Nepal Communist Party (NCP) Chair, Pushpa Kamal Dahal ‘Prachanda’ has said the provision of proportional representation has been enshrined in the constitution as a compensation for the State’s discrimination against women empowerment in the past.
Addressing the national assembly of women journalists organized by the Women Department of the Federation of Nepali Journalists (FNJ) at Patihani here today, he called on women to prove themselves to be more capable rather than paying attention to securing reservation quota.
He said that the reservation system hampered the capacity development and urged women to enhance their skills and capabilities. Indicating to the women journalists, the CPN chair, said, “You people are coming to the leadership level, towards becoming the president (of your organization) which should take the form of movement for women’s liberation.”
Stating that Nepal at an important juncture of history, he said, “There is the opportunity before us. We should utilize this opportunity that has been achieved through many years’ efforts, struggles and sacrifices.”
He added that the present change could not have been possible had there not been the unity of the people of all classes, regions and communities; and implementing it is the present challenge.
The NCP chair spoke of the need of further strengthening the national unity and institutionalizing the progressive change so as to achieve the goal of prosperity.
Minister for Women, Children and Senior Citizen, Tham Maya Thapa, urged the women journalists to work competitively to reach the places where the men have reached.
FNJ central president Govinda Acharya said that the assembly of journalist women would be helpful in bringing them to the leadership status.
President of the then Press Chautari Nepal, Ganesh Basnet and Press Union senior vice-president Deepak Acharya said the women’s participation in journalism was increasing and called for the support from all sides for taking women forward.
Former chairperson of the Sancharika Samuha Babita Basnet, chair of the Bharatpur Metropolitan City, Ward No 22, Bishnu Raj Mahato, FNJ Chitwan president Radheshyam Khatiwada, among other speakers also puts their views on the occasion.
The national assembly will hold extensive discussions on the present situation of women journalists, their problems and ways of addressing their issues and arrive at a conclusion.
Chief of the FNJ Women Department, Laxmi Pun, presided over the opening session of the national assembly. Some leading and senior women journalists were honored amidst the programs.
More than 200 women journalists, including women leaders of the FNJ’s branch committees, central committee, media house committees, province committees as well as the former leaders of the central committee are taking part in the assembly.
The assembly will conclude today by issuing the Patihani Declaration.
KATHMANDU: Nepal Students Union (NSU) has protested what it called the police suppression on peaceful protests that it organised on Sunday. The student organization close to the main opposition Nepali Congress party had held protests against the lower house of parliament pushing through and passing the National Medical Education Bill.
The NSU organised protests in front of various colleges in the capital this morning to denounce what it called ‘police suppression’ of its Sunday protests.
NSU president Nain Singh Mahar said the student union has organised the protests as the government passed the Bill on the back of two-thirds majority without addressing the demands of Dr Govinda KC, who is on a hunger strike, calling for making amendment to the Bill.
“The government has hit the students on a peaceful protest with truncheons and detained them, while turning a blind eye to spate of murder, violence, rape and corruption,” Mahar said.
KATHMANDU : Secretary of the National Assembly, Rajendra Phuyal, tabled the ‘National Medical Education Bill, 2075 BS’ forwarded by the House of Representatives with its message in the Assembly’s second meeting today.
At the outset of the meeting, the Nepali Congress lawmakers stood from their seats as a symbol of protest and obstructed the meeting. Amidst the obstruction, the National Assembly Chairman Ganesh Prasad Timilsina announced that there would not be the ‘zero hour’ and ‘special hour’ in today’s session, and that various points have been removed from the meeting agenda.
Following this announcement, the main opposition party, Nepali Congress, lawmakers stood up from their respective seats, trooped in front of the rostrum and continued chanting slogans.
The upper house secretary Phuyal tabled the ‘National Medical Education Bill, 2075 BS’ amidst the sloganeering by the opposition party lawmakers.
Thereafter, NA chair Timilsina adjourned the meeting for half an hour. The first meeting of the National Assembly was also postponed due to the obstruction by the Nepali Congress.
The main opposition party has obstructed the today’s meeting to protest the government’s no-decision regarding under which bodies the hospitals named after its two top leaders the late Girija Prasad Koirala and the late Sushil Koirala were to be operated.
The Nepali Congress had obstructed the National Assembly meetings on January 7 and 21 before this also over the same issue.
KATHMANDU: The Nepali Congress is to launch protest in all 77 districts against the move of government and parliament. A central working committee meeting of the MC held on Sunday decided to condemn government’s move, saying the Medical Education Bill was passed forcibly against parliamentary system and practice at the House of Representatives on January 25.
The meeting has decided to protest in all districts on February. It protest programme would be focused on various issues including government’s behavior towards Dr Govinda KC’s hunger strike, attempts to root out the hospitals established in the name of Girija Prasad Koirala and Sushil Koirala, government’s failure to arrest those involved in rape and murder of Nirmala Panta of Kanchanpur, increasing price hike and corruption, said NC Party Chief Secretary, Krishna Prasad Poudel.
The meeting held under chairmanship of party president Sher Bahadur Deuba where senior leader Ram Chandra Poudel, Vice-Presidents Bimalendra Nidhi and Bijay Kumar Gachchhadar, Joint General Secretary Dr Prakash Sharan Mahat, among others expressed their views.
The NC central working committee will meet next at 1:00 pm on Monday.
Damauli: Senior leader of Nepal Communist Party, Madhav Kumar Nepal, has said the positive works of the government could not get wider publicity for the ruling party’s failure to conclude the unification process.
During a party cadres meet at Abukhaireni of Tanahu district, slow unification process has created problems. He pointed out the need to conclude the unification process at the earliest.
“The government has performed positive activities since its formation. But its publicity is low because the unification process has delayed the incorporation of the low level cadres of the party,” he added.
Justice should be ensured even at the local level with the party unification, he added, arguing that the party would however address cadres’ concern with organizational management.
The senior leader said government may have some weaknesses, which should be corrected.
On today itself, leader Nepal and party Spokesperson Narayan Kaji Shrestha inspected a goat research centre of Bandipur in the district.
Kathmandu: The Nepal Students Union organized demonstrations in front of various colleges in the central capital today against the endorsement of the National Medical Education Bill by the Lower House. The students’ wing of the main opposition Nepali Congress assembled in front of the Tri Chandra, Pashupati, Gramin Adarsha, Saraswoti and Patan campuses to protest against the passage of the bill. The NSU has accused the government of the forced endorsement of the document, ignoring the voices of Dr Govinda KC who has long been advocating for reforms in medical education sector.
It has also vented ire at the government for its ‘prejudice’ against two hospitals established in commemoration of two prominent leaders of the NC (party’s former presidents) and former prime ministers Girija Prasad Koirala and Sushil Koirala.
NSU Kathmandu President Manoj Baidya said the agitation would continue until the bill was withdrawn. In course of the agitation, police arrested agitating students from several campuses. Meanwhile, Tarun Dal, the young wing of the party, and Women Association have also announced protest programmes for today against the bill. The House of Representatives passed the bill with majority last Wednesday.
KATHMANDU, Jan 27: Chief Minister of Province No. 2 Lal Babu Raut has said that the bills relating to police and internal security is against the spirit of federalism.
Speaking at a face-to-face organised at Reporters Club here today, he said the bill against the spirit of the Constitution and norms of federalism must be withdrawn.
He objected to the provision giving the Chief District Officer all the powers relating to law and order, including police mobilization.
Chief Minister Raut also made it clear that his government had already introduced the provincial police act and stressed on the need to follow the list of jurisdiction as provided in the schedule of the Constitution in this regard.
“Both the bills should be withdrawn and re-written as per the constitution, which gives the right to the provincial government,” he said. (RSS)
KATHMANDU: Nepal has secured its voting rights by deciding to purchase an additional 309 unit of shares in the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development under the World Bank Group.
The meeting on January 17 of the Council of Ministers decided to purchase additional shares to take the total number of shares to 1,714 in the Bank, according to information shared at the weekly press meet held to inform the media about the government decisions.
This secures the voting rights of Nepal in the Bank, according to Minister for Information and Communications Gokul Prasad Banskota.
Likewise, the government decided to accept a technical grant worth 1.996 million euro from the EU delegation in Nepal. The support would be utilized to enhance the capacity of 15 municipalities in the country.
Reconstruction support from Saudi Fund A decision was taken to constitute talks team led by the Joint Secretary at the International Financial Aid Coordination Division under the Ministry of Finance for loan assistance from the Saudi fund for Reconstruction and give authority for the same.
The Fund is to provide 20 million US dollars in loan for 25 years in a concessional interest rate of one per cent.
The cabinet agreed in principle to formulate the bill designed to amend and integrate laws relating to impeachment.
The government also decided to form talks team led by Joint Secretary at the Ministry of Industry, Commerce and Supplies Rabi Shanker Sainju for the second meeting on review of the Nepal-India Treaty of Trade and Commerce 2009.
The cabinet meeting also decided to appoint Gyaneswar Karki of Thaiba, Lalitpur as the General Manager of Herbs Production and Processing Company Limited, permit to fell trees to clear way for installation of undergoing petroleum pipeline and endorse the Ministry of Federal Affairs and General Administration to move ahead with the formulation of a federal law on determination of basic principle and standards relating to formation, operation, management, terms and condition of service of local service.
Another appointment made by the meeting was of Usha Hamal (Surkhet) as member of the Language Commission.
The government also decided to bear the cost of treatment worth Rs. one million including for medicines, travel and accommodation for 44 armed conflict survivors including among others Nardevi Damai of Dailekh, Saman Darji of Kalikot and Bir Bahadur Pariyar of Jumla.
Kathmandu: Deliberation on various Bills including the one formulated to consider amendment to the Nepal Citizenship Act-2063 has begun from today in the State Affairs and Good-Governance Committee under the House of Representatives.
This amendment bill is considered very important in terms of implementation of constitution. The Members of Parliament had submitted 23 proposals seeking deliberations and amendment on the bill. Earlier the Committee had held intensive discussions on the bill with the stakeholders.
Today’s meeting was attended by Minister for Home Affairs Ram Bahadur Thapa where Committee member Janardan Sharma said that consensus on the bill should be sought from the top political leadership.
He argued that if the bill was formulated in all’s agreement, then only it could increase the sense of belonging among the citizens.
Lawmakers Rekha Sharma and Yasodha Gurung spoke of the need to ensure that process of obtaining citizenship on the basis of naturalized and descent be made easier. Stating that some articles in the new constitution relating to the citizenship identity card were not gender-friendly, they viewed that no woman should be granted citizenship identity card at the cost of their self-dignity.
Binda Pandey and Hridayesh Tripathi commented that there were 15 issues in the bill for the women to obtain citizenship identity card on the basis of descent and pointed out the need to amend them. Likewise, Committee member Prem Suwal said that citizenship obtaining process should be such that it should not pose threat to national sovereignty while lawmakers Nawaraj Silwal, Jhapat Rawal, Minakshi Jha and Bina Kumari Shrestha voiced that women’s dignity should be protected while granting citizenship ID card.
Committee President Sashi Shrestha said that the Bill would be amended in everyone’s consensuses.