Non Resident Nepali Association (NRNA) has demanded voting rights for the Nepali Diaspora during the upcoming constituent assembly elections scheduled for November 22.
In a statement on Friday, president of NRNA International Coordination Committee (ICC) Dr Upendra Mahato said exclusion of Nepalis living outside the country from voting in the upcoming election would not make the new constitution inclusive and acceptable to all.
Mahato further said it is the responsibility of the state to make arrangement so that Nepali citizens, wherever they live, would be able to give their vote in this special poll, which determines the future course of the nation.
NRNA said the government must arrange for overseas voting mechanism.
We had withheld our demand earlier taking into consideration the short period that remained for the election, the statement reads, adding that the government has now enough time to make arrangement for that.
Earlier, the government said, in a limited time remaining, it cannot arrange for allowing the NRNs to vote in the election since it was scheduled to be held in mid-June. Later, the government made a new decision to hold the CA elections on November 22.
Cadres of Jwala Singh led Janatantrik Tarai Mukti Morcha (JTMM-J) abducted a youth in Siraha district Thursday night.
Sumit Karki, 26, an employee at the Rural Women Development Centre in Dhangadhi was taken away to an unknown destination by a group of armed cadres of JTMM-J from his residence at 10 pm Thursday while he was sleeping, reports quoting family members said.
Claiming the responsibility of Karki’s abduction, JTMM-J’s Siraha district incharge Tufan Singh Bidrohi said that the group had intended to abduct Sumit’s father Shalikram Karki, a resource person at a local school, on charges of corruption, but as he managed to escape they had instead abducted his son.
Police are said to have started a search operation for the missing youth.
The two factions of JTMM have stepped up targeted killings, abduction and extortion in Terai in recent weeks.
Prime Minister Girija Prasad Koirala is set to present the ‘programmes and policies’ of the interim government to the legislature parliament on July 04.
The decision to this effect was reached at a meeting between Prime Minister Koirala and Speaker Subash Nemwang held at Koirala’s Baluwatar residence Friday afternoon, it is learnt.
Koirala will present the government’s programmes and policies at 3:00 pm on July 04. The House will open debate on the policy document from July 06.
Home Minister Krishna Sitaula, Nepali Congress chief whip Ananda Dhungana and few other leaders were present at today’s meeting.
The government’s programmes and policies will focus mainly on peace-building, the November 22 election to constituent assembly, reconstruction of the infrastructure destroyed during the Maoist insurgency and relief programmes for people displaced by the insurgency, it is learnt.
A meeting of the Council of Ministers will endorse the policy document before it is presented to the parliament.
The Commission for Investigation of Abuse of Authority (CIAA) on Friday filed a corruption case at the Special Court against Nepal Rastra Bank (NRB) Governor Bijaya Nath Bhattarai and Executive Director of the NRB’s Financial Institutions Regulation Department Surendra Man Pradhan.
NRB Governor Bijay Nath Bhattarai (Photo source : nrb.org.np)
NRB Governor Bijay Nath Bhattarai (Photo source : nrb.org.np)
Following the filing of case at the court, both remain suspended from their official position.
The CIAA has alleged Governor Bhattrai and Pradhan of misusing over Rs 195 million received as foreign aid for financial sector reform programme.
As directed by the anti-graft body, the police arrested Pradhan and presented before the Special Court today. The Special Court has ordered Pradhan to appear before the court on Sunday.
Meanwhile, even though the CIAA, in its charge-sheet, has mentioned that Bhattarai has been avoiding arrest, governor Bhattarai was found meeting with Finance Minister in Finance Ministry in the evening.
“I have been attending office. You can verify the register there. I am doing my official duties. How can I be evading arrest?,” asked Bhattarai after he emerged out of Ministry of Finance in the evening where he had gone to consult with Finance Minister in relation with budget preparations.
Bhattarai added that he has not committed any corruption. “How can a governor commit financial crime?” he asked.
The CIAA is also investigating another case of Bhattarai for misusing the national treasury during the Jana Aandolan II. Rayamajhi commission recommended action against Bhattarai for misuse of national treasury. The government had earlier barred him from flying to Bangladesh.
The CIAA has demanded Rs 25 million penalty from the two accused and two years jail term to each of them.
The Kathmandu District Court has given its verdict in favour of Shyam Shrestha, former editor of Mulyankan monthly, asking the government to provide Rs 15,000 compensation to him.
The verdict was given by judge Shiva Narayan Yadav.
The court gave its verdict on a case filed by Shrestha demanding compensation against illegal detention by the state during the period of emergency in 2002.
Earlier, the court had scrapped his case saying it was filed late. Shrestha then filed writ at the Patan Appellate Court demanding revision on the case, which ordered the district court to review the case in 2004.
This is the first instance that court has ordered the government to pay compensation for unlawful detention during the emergency period.
Rajan Adhikari.
Rajan Adhikari.
Rajan Adhikari, the tallest person of Nepal and Chitra Paudel, a differently abled cyclist are currently in Dhaka, Bangladesh.
According to the Embassy of Nepal, Dhaka, the pair paid a courtesy call to Md Hafiur Rahman Bhuiyan, Chairman of the National Tourism Organization of Bangladesh on May 27. On the occasion, Adhikari handed over a crest of a stupa, signifying the message of peace and love to Bhuiyan.
Adhikari and Paudel were also warmly received by Md Nazmul Qnaunine, Director General, External Publicity Wing of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Bangladesh and by Sikder Bodiruzzaman, Director of the South Asian Department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Bangladesh, the Embassy said. The Nepali duo enlightened the dignitaries of their peace mission and its objectives to spread message of love and peace throughout the world.
On May 26, Charge de Affaires of Embassy of Nepal, Ramesh Prasad Khanal, hosted a welcome ceremony in honour of the Nepali travelers at the Embassy premises where a large number of Nepali expatriates, their family members and representatives of manpower agencies of Nepal in Dhaka were present.
Nepal Telecommunications Authority (NTA) has recommended to the Ministry of Information and Communications (MoIC) to permit companies operating basic wireless telephone service with limited mobility to go fully mobile.
As per the recommended provision, the state-owned telecommunications service provider Nepal Telecom (NT) and the joint venture United Telecom Limited (UTL) will be able to operate their Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA) based phone service like mobile phones. The mobile service operated through this technology is cheaper and more effective than other telecommunication being used.
Along with it, the NTA has also decided to adopt the Unified Licensing System of neighboring India, according to the released issued by the telecom regulatory body.
The decision of the body to allow limited mobility services based phones to go fully mobile is said to have come following the pressure applied by NT workers for the permission by organising sit-ins in different parts of the country as well as the MoIC.
Although these companies are already quite capable of operating this effective and cheaper system all over the country, they had been operating other telecommunications systems after not getting government permission for it.
According to reports, the companies obtaining the license will be able to operate all types of telecommunication services including local phones, domestic trunk calls, international trunk calls, telegraph services, tele-fax including mobile services, among others.
The Kathmandu District Court has asked for the bail amount of Rs 18 million from controversial businessman Sitaram Prasai.
Prasai, the chairman of Cottage and Small Industries Development Bank, along with 48 others are facing charges of embezzlement.
As Prasai could not deposit the bail amount on Wednesday, he has been sent to jail. Prasai’s lawyers have said he will soon deposit the amount.
He was slapped with the charges and produced at the court by the police after Maoist-affiliated Young Communist League (YCL) abducted him, presented him before the public and handed him over to the police. The YCL accused police of not arresting him despite charges of irregularities.
The YCL’s extra-legal action had been roundly deplored by even Prime Minister. However, the police later decided to file case against Prasai even though the police had earlier shown lack of interest to arrest him.
Eight “military commanders” of the Jay Krishna Goit faction of Jantantrik Terai Mukti Morcha (JTMM-G), an outfit waging an armed “movement” in terai, have rebelled from the mother party and have announced the formation of another breakaway faction with the same name, reports said.
They formed an eight member “central committee” under the leadership of ‘Bisfot’ Singh concluding that the JTMM led by Goit “cannot liberate the Terai and its people”, Kantipur Daily reported.
Chairman of the newly formed faction of JTMM Bisfot Singh told the daily that they formally created the group on Jestha 30 by rebelling along with one company of the Terai Liberation Army. He also claimed that each of their ‘companies’ has 150 armed combatants.
Stating that the people of Terai have been victims of severe oppression since ages, Singh said the main aim of his outfit would also be to undertake an armed struggle for the liberation of Terai and its people.
Security and water resource experts of Nepal and India have agreed to let the Rapti river flow freely without any obstruction, reports said.
In a meeting between Indian and Nepalese officials in the border town of Nepalgunj on Wednesday, the Indian side assured that the Laxmanpur barrage would not be closed during inundation in the Rapti river so as to let the water flow naturally, Kantipur reported.
A technical team of India’s Sarju Canal and the security chiefs of bordering Baharaich district asked the Nepali side to give prior information about the inundation to the Indian officials. Chief District Officer of Banke including police chief and officials of Water Induced Calamity Division represented Nepal in the meeting.
In the meeting, the Nepali side also reiterated their stance of allowing the water of Sutaili and Gandhaili stream to flow naturally. The natural flow of these two streams have been obstructed by the embankment built unilaterally by India, causing some 10 VDC’s of Banke district to submerge under water every monsoon. However, the two sides didn’t reach any understanding regarding this.