A secretary-level taskforce formed by the government to study the problems faced by civil servants has recommended doubling their salaries, according to a report by Kantipur daily.
The taskforce made the recommendation on the basis of report presented by National Pay Commission – 2061.
The coordinator of taskforce Yubaraj Pandey, Secretary at the Ministry of General Administration, said the recommendation will be submitted to the government on Thursday.
The government had formed the taskforce after its employees launched agitation demanding timely increase of salaries on the basis of market inflation, and formulation of Civil Service Act, among others.
As per the taskforce’s recommendation, monthly salary of a secretary should increase from existing Rs 14,000 to Rs 27,700. Likewise, it has suggested increasing the monthly salaries of joint secretary to Rs 23,300; under secretary to Rs 18,900; section officer to Rs 15,200; Nayab Subba to Rs 10,200 and peon to Rs 5500. In order to fulfill its recommendations, the government will need to allocate Rs 50 billion to pay salaries of civil servants – up from current Rs 30 billion.
The meeting of the Council of Ministers held at PM’s residence in Baluwatar on Thursday failed to set date for the constituent assembly election.
The cabinet decided, instead, to defer the decision on polls date to the next cabinet meeting scheduled for coming Sunday – after receiving report by taskforce of the eight parties entrusted to recommend government on constituent assembly election preparation.
The cabinet has proposed the name of former Chief Justice Kedar Nath Upadhyaya as the chairman of the National Human Rights Commission.
Earlier, during his meeting with Prime Minister Girija Prasad Koirala on Wednesday, Upadhyaya had hinted he would take up the responsibility on fulfillment of his few conditions including appointment of independent members. However, the actual decision of appointing NHRC chief will have to be taken by the Constitutional Council.
The cabinet meeting also decided to form a commission to look into the matters of disappeared citizens during the period of insurgency. It also appointed Maheshwor Man Shrestha as a member of the National Planning Commission (NPC).
Additionally, a special committee has been formed under the leadership of Peace and Reconstruction Minister Ram Chandra Poudel to initiate the procedure of “integration, supervision and management” of the Maoist army to carry forward the earlier understanding of integrating PLA into the Nepali Army.
Meanwhile, government spokesperson and Minister for Information and Communication Krishna Bahadur Mahara said the government has decided to release 19 Maoist cadres from jails. The meeting also re-constituted the National Development Council.
The meeting failed to reach a consensus on the proposal of Local Development Minister Dev Gurung regarding the formation of the local bodies. Gurung has been saying that the local bodies would be formed on consensus by mid July. The cabinet decided that issue would be resolved through mechanism of eight parties.
The Nepal International Indigenous Film Festival will be held by the Indigenous Film Archive from June 22 to 24 at the Nepal Tourism Board and the Russian Cultural Centre. This is the first festival of its kind being held in Nepal.
According to the organisers, some 30 films will be screened during the festival. They include 17 films from 11 Nepali indigenous groups and 13 international films.
The festival will screen movies, documentaries, short films, animated films and music videos. Most of the films selected for the festival are based on lifestyle and tradition and culture of various indigenous groups.
The best movies, according to the viewers’ choice, will be awarded.
The uncertainly over the Melamchi Water Supply Project (MWSP) may end soon with the main donor Asian Development Bank (ADB) responding positively to the Physical Planning Ministry’s commitment to reforms in Kathmandu Valley’s water distribution system.
The Physical Planning Ministry Thursday said the ADB headquarters had responded positively to minister Hisila Yami’s letter that the government was ready to meet most of the conditions put forth by the Bank including reforms in Kathmandu Valley’s drinking water distribution by involving the private sector.
The ADB is preparing to send a mission to Nepal in the first week of July to discuss the extension of loan duration and the restructuring of the long-stalled Malamchi project, the ministry said.
Yami in her letter to the ADB had also proposed to hire technical experts, preferably Nepali or non-resident Nepalis (NRN), for about two years ‘interim period’ that would take for appointing a new contractor through fresh bidding.
The letter was aimed at convincing the ADB to reconsider its decision to pull of Melamchi, which is deemed as the only solution to the deepening water crisis in the Valley.
ADB had said it was impossible to continue with its assistance in the multi-billion rupees MWSP after minister Yami’s decision not to award the Valley water management contract to UK’s Severn Trent company citing its bad track record.
The Melamchi project is designed to pump 170 million liters a day (MLD) to the Kathmandu valley, which has been facing acute shortage of drinking water for years. The current supply of drinking water stands at 90 MLD while the demand has shot up to 240 MLD.
Maoist chairman Prachanda made a blistering attack against the government claiming that it does not hold the power.
Maoist chairman Prachanda
Maoist chairman Prachanda (File Photo)
“What is the reason why they do not make public the report of Rayamajhi Commission? Why they do not take action against those named guilty by the report? All this indicate that the power still lies in Army Headquarters and Narayanhity Palace,” Prachanda said.
Addressing a programme organised by the families of people disappeared by the state, on Thursday, Prachanda said, “Until the power remains in Army Headquarters and the Narayanhity Palace, it will only be an intellectual exercise to talk about holding Constituent Assembly elections, having republic or making the whereabouts of disappeared persons public.”
Stating that he still believes in consolidating the eighty party unity, Prachanda added, “But if the need arises, our party will not hesitate a moment to take a tough decision. Let there be no doubt about this.”
He said that currently his party was leading the agitation from the government, streets and the parliament.
President of Nepali Congress (Democratic) and former prime minister Sher Bahadur Deuba
President of Nepali Congress (Democratic) and former prime minister Sher Bahadur Deuba (File Photo)
President of Nepali Congress (Democratic) and former prime minister Sher Bahadur Deuba has expressed doubts that the Constituent Assembly (CA) elections will be held in Mangsir (November/December).
Talking to reporters following a meeting of his party leaders in the capital on Thursday, Deuba said, “In the hilly regions, the Maoists continue to spread terror and violence. They seize vehicles even of police and have not returned properties they have captured. On the other hand, there is violence in Terai region. Elections cannot be held without improving these situations.”
Deuba has been making a series of statements denouncing Maoist violence and doubting the credible polls in recent times.
He has just returned from an extended trip to the far west region.
Around 20 children are reported to have died due to lack of timely treatment of diarrhoea in the remote hilly area of Khin village in Kalikot district in north-western Nepal.
Newspaper reports said these children suffering from the disease died due to lack of medicines and health workers in the last one month.
Reports further said that some 300 people in the area are infected with the disease.
Local villagers who arrived in district headquarters looking for medicines disclosed the information of the spread of the disease. The Chief District Officer Omkar Prasad Neupane said a team of five health workers has been deployed to the area with necessary medicines.
Similarly, latest reports say over 100 residents in Gaidakot of Rautahat district in the central terai have been suffering from the disease since a few days.
Lack of clean drinking water and medical facilities have added to the woes of the villagers. Medical team has not reached the area yet.
Minister for Works and Physical Planning Hisila Yami has unveiled her Ministry’s plan of constructing the east-west highway across the northern hilly region.
Minister for Works and Physical Planning Hisila Yami (File Photo)
Minister for Works and Physical Planning Hisila Yami (File Photo)
The northern highway will cut across foothills and pass through hilly and mountainous districts running parallel to the Mahendra highway in the southern belt.
At a press meet, Wednesday, Yami also came out with plans ranging from short and medium to long-term (1 to 3 to 20 years). She informed that the government aimed to connect with road the headquarters of Bajhang, Bhojpur, Sankhuwasabha and Jajarkot districts within this year.
The Ministry’s plan also includes improving postal roads and roads in Inner Terai and hilly regions. The plan includes building 30 bridges and 4200 km of roads. It also includes plans to link Humla, Manang and Khotang district with roads. It also aims building tunnel way linking capital valley with Terai as well as building ropeways and railway lines.
The plan aims to complete Melamchi project on time and build 80 new drinking water projects; expand ring road and create 15 model villages and 3 model cities during the period.
Likewise, the plan envisages constructing half a dozen north-south roads linking India and China. The plan will have to be adopted by the cabinet before it can be put into implementation.
The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) has criticised the Nepal government for not doing enough to protect journalists even after continuous threats and attacks on them.
“We urge the Nepalese government to take a firm stance against the shocking treatment of journalists,” IFJ Asia-Pacific Director Jacqueline Park said Wednesday, reinforcing the calls from the Federation of Nepalese Journalists (FNJ) demanding the government provide journalists with adequate security.
“The increasing number of attacks and threats directed at journalists is deeply distressing,” Park added, “We are very concerned about the safety of threatened journalists and the Nepalese government must take responsibility to ensure its journalists’ basic human rights are protected.”
The IFJ’s call came after reports of physical attack, threats and abducton by different groups including the Madhesi Janadhikar Forum (MFJ) and the two factions of Janatantrik Terai Mukti Morcha (JTMM) over the past few weeks. There were reports of harassment of journalists by the police also.
The IFJ, which represents over 500,000 journalists worldwide, also condemned the treat and verbal abuse by the management of New Delhi-based Nepal 1 television to its employees, which led to the resignation of eight newscasters.
“This is shocking news that reflects terribly on the management of Nepal 1 TV,” Asia Pacific Director Park said, adding, “The IFJ calls on Nepal 1 television to launch an investigation into these threats and verbal attacks, to ensure bullying such as this no longer occurs in their workplace.”
Two persons were killed when a house in Bagre VDC of Lamjung district was washed away by landslide.
The house belonging to one Santa Bahadur Sarki was washed out by the landslide killing his wife Bishnumaya Sarki, 46, and daughter Indira Sarki, 16.
Two other persons – Prem Bahadur Sarki and Kaji Sarki – were injured in the incident, according to district authorities.