Alternative Energy Promotion Centre (AEPC) and World Bank signed an emission reductions purchase agreement (ERPA) for continued implementation of the Nepal Hydro Power project on Sunday.
According tot the WB statement, more than 142,000 households will benefit from this long-awaited electricity project.
This carbon offset project complements the ongoing World Bank Power Development Project to provide increased access to electricity for people living in rural areas. It is anticipated that by 2011, 15,000 kW will have been installed. The generating capacity of these plants will vary from five to 500 kW. Micro-hydro plants are installed for local communities by pre-qualified private companies that receive subsidy and credit support as well as technical assistance. Most of the plants will be managed by the communities themselves.
Ken Ohashi, the World Bank Country Director for Nepal, said, “The project is important for Nepal in terms of bringing power to the poor, but it’s also important for the world since it brings the global benefits of greenhouse gas reductions.”
The project developer, AEPC will sell a total of 191,000 tons of carbon dioxide equivalent in emission reductions until 2012 to the Community Development Carbon Fund, managed by the World Bank. There is the possibility to increase the volume of certified emission reductions by at least an additional 100,000 tons, the WB said.
“The Alternative Energy Promotion Centre has been promoting clean energy technologies throughout the country with significant contributions to sustainable development by reducing greenhouse gas emissions,” said Dr. Govind Raj Pokharel, the Executive Director of AEPC.
Breaking his long silence, embattled Chief Justice (CJ) Dilip Kumar Poudel claimed today that he “hasn’t violated any professional ethics”.
Talking to the media at the Tribhuvan International Aiport (TIA) before boarding a flight to China at the invitation of his Chinese counterpart Sunday, CJ Poudel completely denied that he privately met the defendants of corruption cases at his official residence.
Poudel even tried to defend himself saying that “such allegation are leveled to weaken the country’s judicial system”.
After reports of the his meeting with three corruption-accused persons– former minister Khum Bahadur Khadka, Rastriya Prajatantra Party (Nepal) chairman Rabindra Nath Sharma and former police DIG Kumar Koirala came in the media, CJ Poudel had come under fire for breaking international norms and code of conduct which forbids judges from meeting defendants of a case under review at the court.
Saying that his long silence on the matter may have been adjudged otherwise, Poudel said that since he is the chief of the country’s judiciary he regularly meets “all sorts of people in various public programmes” and reiterated that “no such meetings took place at his Baluwatar residence”.
But, when journalists mentioned that the RPP chairman Sharma himself admitted of personally meeting him at his residence when a corruption case against him was still pending at the Special Court, CJ left the press conference halfway and made off to the VIP lounge of the airport.
Lawmakers have said the upcoming budget for the fiscal year 2007-08 should give high priority to agriculture sector and infrastructure development.
In a discussion organised by the parliamentary committee on Finance at the Parliament Secretariat on Sunday, lawmakers said government must come up with radical policies for agriculture and rebuilding of infrastructure destroyed during the conflict.
UML General Secretary Madhav Kumar Nepal said the economic policies of the government must adhere to the common principles of the eight parties and the interim constitution.
Saying that the current budget did not reflect the spirit of the people’s movement, lawmakers Jhalanath Khanal and Dr Ram Baran Yadav said the upcoming budget should address the demands of the people expressed during the mass movement and that sectors like agriculture, food supply and extension of electricity should get more subsidies.
Maoist lawmaker Janardan Sharma aka Pravakar termed the draft of the policies and budget presented at the beginning of the meeting by Finance Minister Dr Ram Sharan Mahat as pointless. He said budget should be finalised as per the spirit of the 12-point agreement reached between his party and the seven parties.
Others parliamentarians asked the government to write off the debts of small farmers.
Dr Mahat in his presentation hinted at major spending on CA polls, management of the Maoist army, increased salary to government employees, among others.
The budget session of the parliament is to begin on Monday and prime minister is scheduled to present the policies and programmes of the government on July 4.
The Nepal Airlines Corporation (NAC), the national airline of the country, is celebrating the 49th anniversary of its establishment Sunday.
Minister for Culture,Tourism and Civil Aviation Prithvi Subba Gurung inaugurating the 49th…
Speaking in a program organised by the corporation to mark the occasion, Minister for Tourism, Culture and Civil Aviation Prithvi Subba Gurung lauded the crucial role played by the corporation in developing the aviation sector of the country and also hoped that it will continue to give its valued services in the days to come “successfully”.
He also advised the corporation, which has been running regular flights to the remote regions of Nepal and also various international cities, to expand its fleet size in order to make its service more effective.
Established in the year 1958 with one DC-3 aircraft, the government owned national flag-carrier airline which was formerly known as Royal Nepal Airlines Corporation or RNAC currently flies to 10 international destinations and 30 domestic destinations.
Officials at the Nepal Rastra Bank (NRB) today staged protest against the Commission for Investigation of Abuse of Authority (CIAA), which has dragged Governor Bijay Nath Bhattarai to the court accusing him of massive financial irregularities.
A group of NRB officials demonstrated in front of the CIAA headquarters at Bishalnagar, chanting slogans against what they called biased action of the anti-graft agency against Governor Bhattarai and NRB Director Surendra Man Pradhan. They said the CIAA’s move had “demoralised dedicated officials” at the central bank.
Similarly, officials at the NRB branch office in Thapathali stopped works for some time in the morning to protest the CIAA action.
Accusing them of massive embezzlement in the Rs 195 million Financial Sector Reform Programme launched with foreign aid, the CIAA filed corruption cases against Governor Bhattarai and Director Pradhan at the Special Court on Friday. The anti-corruption agency has demanded Rs 2.4 million penalty from the two.
With the CIAA lodging a corruption case against him, Bhattarai has been suspended from his post.
The World Bank has said that it hopes for professional investigations based on credible evidence on allegations of corruption leveled against Nepal Rastra Bank (NRB) governor and official by the Commission for Investigation of Abuse of Authority (CIAA).
“The World Bank’s attention has been drawn to the controversy surrounding alleged fraud in a World Bank financed contract administered by the Nepal Rastra Bank,” states a press release issued by the Bank.
“We take these allegations very seriously and hope that the investigations are carried out in a professional manner and on the basis of credible evidence,” said Susan Goldmark, World Bank Country Director for Nepal, in the statement.
“We are also carrying out our own internal review of the allegations and the circumstances around them,” she said. “At this point we can confirm that the World Bank provided it’s no objection to both the award and termination of Nepal Rastra Bank’s contract with IEF Inc. under routine World Bank procedures. Furthermore, we have received a copy of the consultant’s Inception Report, which was the basis for Nepal Rastra Bank’s release of payment to IEF Inc.,” she added.
“More importantly, we hope that the uncertainty will clear soon so that Nepal’s attention can be refocused on the important task of reforming the financial sector,” said Goldmark. “We hope that these recent developments do not undermine the morale of staff of the Nepal Rastra Bank who are leading these efforts in a very challenging environment,” she said.
The CIAA has charged governor Bijaynath Bhattarai and NRB director Surendra Man Pradhan of committing irregularities of Rs 24.5 million in carrying out a programme under the financial sector reforms initiatives. The CIAA has filed cases of corruption against them at Special Court.
Earlier, Finance Minister Dr. Ram Sharan Mahat, too, had said that the action taken by the anti-graft body CIAA will adversely affect the ongoing financial sector reforms program in the country. “This case is already sub-judice now. But I think this will affect financial sector reforms adversely. It will also affect morale of employees working in this program,” Dr. Mahat said.
Finance Minister Dr. Ram Sharan Mahat has said that the action taken by the anti-graft body Commission for Investigation of Abuse of Authority (CIAA) will adversely affect the ongoing financial sector reforms programme in the country.
“This case is already sub-judice now. But I think this will affect financial sector reforms adversely. It will also affect morale of employees working in this programme,” Dr. Mahat told Kantipur TV referring to the filing of case of corruption against governor of Nepal Rastra Bank (NRB) Bijaynath Bhattarai and director Surendra Man Pradhan.
The two have been charged of having committed irregularities of Rs 24.5 million under the programme and the CIAA has filed cases against them at Special Court. While Pradhan has been arrested, Bhattarai has been mentioned as ‘avoiding arrest’ in CIAA’s charge-sheet. Both remain suspended from their position.
“We are stunned by this action,” FM Dr. Mahat added. He said that even within CIAA there were divided opinions regarding the current action.
In his first visit to Europe, Maoist chairman Prachanda left for Switzerland on Saturday evening.
He said that he will discuss issues such as peace process, Constituent Assembly (CA) and federalism during his stay there.
Prachanda said that the visit will be helpful in developing international relations of the Maoists.
Talking to reporters at the Tribhuwan International Airport (TIA), Prachanda revealed that his party had good relations with Swiss government officials even during the peak of their conflict.
Another senior Maoist leader Dr. Baburam Bhattarai had already left for Norway a few days ago to take part in an international conference on conflict resolution. He is expected to travel to Switzerland also. n
CPN-UML standing committee member Bam Dev Gautam
CPN-UML standing committee member Bam Dev Gautam (File Photo)
CPN-UML standing committee member Bam Dev Gautam has expressed severe objection on the Maoists being termed ‘radical leftists’ in the political paper presented by party general secretary Madhav Kumar Nepal.
On the 5th day of the 15th central committee meeting of the party, Gautam, commenting on Nepal’s political paper, said looking at the power balance in the country, there were only two kinds of political powers in Nepal – one democratic and another non-democratic.
In his political paper, general secretary Nepal has termed the king, the royal family and the regressive elements supporting it as ‘royalists’, Nepali Congress and its splinter Nepali Congress (Democratic) as ‘bourgeoisie reformist’ and Maoists as ‘radical leftists’.
Works at the Mid-Marsyangdi hydropower project in Lamjung have come to a complete halt from yesterday after the locals of Bhoteodar blocked the road to the project site.
Demanding a bridge on the Bhote-Odar Belghari section of the road, the villagers have been preventing the project’s vehicles from plying on the road since last six days.
Project officials said the contractors issued a notice on Thursday announcing to stop the works citing difficulties in supplying construction materials to the project site.
The 71 MW Mid-Marsyangdi is the only major power project under construction at present. Works at the project, which is expected to complete by the end this year, had been disrupted frequently in the past.