Kathmandu, Apr. 19: Ambassador-designate of the State of Kuwait to the Kingdom of Nepal Mr Abdullah Ahmed Al-murad arrived here today to present his letters of credence.
He was received at the Tribhuwan International Airport by adc to His Majesty the King and the protocol officer, according to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
A 5-member high level delegation of journalists from the Myanmar Journalists Association arrived here today on a week-long visit to Nepal at the friendly invitation of Nepal Journalists Association (Shakya).
The delegation led by president of MJA Soe Naung includes head of the Information Ministry Khin Maung Myint, Editor of Myanmar News Foreign Agency, assistant editor of information and public relations department Tun Tun Oo and editor of Myanmar Ahalin Daily Aung Myaing.
The delegation was welcomed by the president of Nepal Journalists Association (Shakya), ambassador of Myanmar to Nepal Tin Win, second secretary Augn Myo Mying and Nepalese Journalists.
Kathmandu, Apr. 19: President of Rastriya Prajatantra Party Surya Bahadur Thapa has on behalf of his party and his own wished for speedy recovery of senior leftist leader Nirmal Kumar Lama, who is undergoing medical treatment at the Teaching Hospital for the last few days.
In a press release issued here today, the rpp has called on hmg to make additional necessary arrangement for Mr Lama’s treatment.
Kathmandu, Apr. 19: Dr. Surin Pitsuwan, Minister for Foreign Affairs of the Kingdom of Thailand has congratulated Mr Chakra Prasad Bastola on his appointment as Minister for Foreign Affairs of the Kingdom of Nepal.
In a message of congratulations, Dr. Pitsuwan said that he looked forward to working with Mr Bastola to further strengthen the friendly relations between Thailand and Nepal for the benefit of the two countries and peoples.
Italian Minister for Foreign Affairs Lamberto Dini has congratulated Mr Chakra Prasad Bastola on his appointment as Minister for Foreign Affairs of the Kingdom of Nepal.
In the message, Mr Dini has expressed the confidence that the traditional relations of friendship that exists between Nepal and Italy will be further intensified in all sectors and in reciprocal interest.
Austrian Minister for Foreign Affairs Benita Ferrero-Waldner has congratulated Mr Chakra Prasad Bastola on his appointment as Minister for Foreign Affairs of the Kingdom of Nepal.
In a message, the Austrian Minister for Foreign Affairs has expressed confidence that the relations between the two countries will further strengthen during Mr Bastola’s term of office.
Mr Salim El Hoss, President of the Council of Ministers and Minister for Foreign Affairs of Lebanon has congratulated Mr Chakra Prasad Bastola on his appointment as Minister for Foreign Affairs of the Kingdom of Nepal.
In a message, Mr Hoss has expressed confidence that relations between the twocountries will continue to develop in the same spirit of cooperation and understanding.
Likewise, Minister for Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Bulgaria Nadezhda Mihailova has congratulated Mr Chakra Prasad Bastola on his appointment as the Minister for Foreign Affairs.
Wishing Mr Bastola success in his highly responsible activities, Mr Mihailova expressed confidence that the friendly relations between the two countries will successfully develop in the future.
Croatian Minister for Foreign Affairs Tonino Picula has congratulated Mr Chakra Prasad Bastola on his appointment as Minister for Foreign Affairs.
In the message, Mr Picula has expressed the confidence that Mr Bastola’s appointment will contributeto further cooperation between the two foreign ministries to the benefit of further advancing the bilateral relations between the two friendly states.
In the same manner Algerian Minister for Foreign Affairs Yiucef Yousfi has has congratulated Mr Chakra Prasad Bastola on his appointment as Minister for Foreign Affairs.
Wishing Mr Bastola success in his new mission and the people of Nepal greater progress and prosperity, Mr Yousfi has expressed his desire to strengthen further the friendly relations which exist between the two countries.
Mexican Minister of External Affairs Rosario Green has felicitated Mr Chakra Prasad Bastola on his appointment as Minister for Foreign Affairs.
In a message of felicitations, the Mexican Minister for External Affairs has wished for the strengthening of the ties of friendship between the two countries.
Kathmandu, Apr. 19: Deputy Prime Minister Ram Chandra Poudel and Minister for Local Development will, on the recommendation of the Prime Minister, hold the additional portfolio of Water Resources, and Works and Physical Planning in the absence of Minister for Water Resources, and Works and Physical Planning Khum Bahadur Khadka who left here today for Britain for medical treatment.
This is stated in a notice issued today by the Principal Press Secretariat of His Majesty the King.
Kathmandu, Apr. 19: Mr Nihal Rodrigo, Secretary General of the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (saarc) called on Prime Minister Girija Prasad Koirala at the latter’s office in Singha Durbar today.
On the occasion the saarc Secretary General briefed the Prime Minister on saarc related matters, according to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Kathmandu, Apr. 19: Dr. Atef Ebeid, Prime Minister of the Arab Republic of Egypt has congratulated Mr Girija Prasad Koirala on his appointment as Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Nepal.
In a message of congratulations, Dr. Ebeid expressed the confidence that the coming days will witness more cooperation between the two countries for the prosperity of the two peoples.
Dr. Ebeid also wished Mr Koirala all success in his new office as well as the friendly people of Nepal more progress and welfare.
Prime Minister of Singapore Goh Chok Tong has congratulated Mr Girija Prasad Koirala on his appointment as the Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Nepal.
In a message, the Singaporean Prime Minister said “You bring to the government of Nepal a wealth of knowledge and experience, which will undoubtedly prove to be crucial as Nepal faces new challenges in the new millennium.”
Singapore and Nepal enjoy good and problem-free relations, he said, adding that he looked forward to working with Mr Koirala to further strengthen the bilateral relations between the two countries.
Likewise, Croation Prime Minister Ivica Racan has congratulated Mr Girija Prasad Koirala on his appointment as Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Nepal.
Wishing Mr Koirala every success in carrying out his high and important duty, the Croation Prime Minister expressed the confidence that the relations between the two states will continue to develop to the mutual benefit and satisfaction of the peoples and states.
In the same manner the Bulgarian Prime Minister Ivan Kostov has felicitated Mr Girija Prasad Koirala on his appointment as Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Nepal.
Wishing Mr Koirala success in his highly responsible assignment, Mr Kostov hoped that relations between the Republic of Bulgaria and the Kingdom of Nepal will develop successfully.
Rajbiraj, Apr. 19: As water from the Koshi Barrage has not been released into the Western Canal and Pump Canal, summer paddy shoots sown on 21,000 hectares in Saptari district have dried up.
A group of farmers obstructed the flow of traffic and demonstrated at the Koshi Barrage last Sunday to highlight their hardship.
A delegation headed by member of Saptari District Development Committee and Vice-President of Nepal Sadbhavana Party (nsp) district committee Bishweshwar Rajak and Surya Narayan Mandal of the same party manhandled Assistant Cdo Bharat Mani Adhikari alleging that water had not been released into the canals and that Dr. Murali Singh of Sagarmatha Hospital had refused to provide medical treatment to patients.
Ddc member Rajak, Mandal and 10 others involved in the incident have been arrested.
Participants of an all party meeting convened by the district administration office to discuss the issue deplored the incident and demanded stern action against the guilty.
The meeting was attended by mp Mrigendra Kumar Singh Yadav, ddc chairman Dinesh Kumar Yadav, ddc vice-chairman Balaram Chaudhari, the Rajbiraj Mayor, the cdo of Saptari, a Superintendent of Police, the head of the Koshi Pump Irrigation Office, the Medical Superintendent of Sagarmatha Zonal Hospital, representatives of various political parties and journalists.
Action has been initiated under the Public Offences Act against those arrested, it is learnt from sp Sanandan Prasad Kurmi.
Kathmandu, Apr. 19: Ministry of Population and Environment (MoPE) today organised a seminar on Finalisation of Country Report on the Implementation of the UNCCD (United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification). Nepal prepared the report in line with the UNCCD National Reports Help Guide that has to be submitted to the Convention Secretariat as a signatory nation.
Nepal is yet to formulate a special policy to implement the Convention. But, according to the MoPE the Ministry is working towards formulating a National Action Programme (NAP). The Ministry also claimed that it would attempt to make the NAP coherent with other environmental strategies and planning framework and link it with sub-regional and regional action programmes.
In spirit with the Convention, MoPE has identified the key actors and stakeholders for effective participation for preparation and implementation of the action programme. The country report claims that policies and strategies have also been formulated to involve women and youth through user groups.
The report further claim that land degradation problems have been continuously identified while formulating sectoral plans and programmes and recommends for launching of further programmes with people’s participation and empowerment. The report also says that the basis for the NAP formulation will be the various studies conducted by the MoPE to analyse problems, causes and consequences of land degradation.
The report also claims that the action plans will be implemented according to the priority fields set out in the Convention. MoPE has concentrated on soil and water conservation activities and put land degradation and forest depletion issues in the forefront of public awareness programmes. Moreover, it hopes that establishment of functional network of district level organisations for the implementation of forestry and agriculture related will further mainstream NAP process at the field level.
According to the Population and Environment Ministry sources, the suggestions received from various concern agencies in today’s seminar will be incorporated in the country report before it is submitted to the UNCCD Secretariat by the last week of this month.
Kathmandu: A two day workshop seminar on sustainable village banking in Nepal organised with a view to hold discussions among concerned experts on the success and failure of the community banks established at the initiative of women for uplifting the living standards of women of the rural areas, began here recently.
The programme was organised by the NGO Pact Nepal.
Inaugurating the seminar, governor of Nepal Rastra Bank Dr. Tilak Rawal said this programme will contribute in the alleviation of poverty as envisaged by HMG.
At the seminar, Dr. Marcia Odell and Dr. Cheryl Lassen are to present working papers.
BY A STAFF REPORTER
Kathmandu, April 19: Nepal Rastra Bank (NRB) has reduced the bank rate from 9.0 to 7.5 per cent effective April 14.
It is almost two and a half years since NRB reduced its interest rate on loans it provides to the banking system. The central bank had then reduced the bank rate form 11 to 9.0 per cent.
The commercial banks, agricultural development banks and Nepal Industrial Development Corporation are entitled to this facility on the refinance loans they take from the central bank after making investments in the priority sectors.
“We hope that bank rate reduction will enlarge the demand for credit in agriculture, industry and employment generation sector as it is expected to reduce the interest rate on lending,” NRB Governor Dr. Tilak Rawal told a press meet here today.
Rawal said that readjustment of the bank rate would augment the credit access facility, employment opportunities and raise the income level but failed to make a projeciton about the elasticity of investment.
“We just want to give a signal that the commercial banks should lower their interest rates,” he said.
The central bank has also reviewed the interest rate on the refinancing loans to the Grameen Biksah as well as other institutions that offer micro-credit faqcilities to poor people in the rural areas. The interest rate on such loans has been reduced to 6.5 per cent which preivously stood at 9.0 per cent.
Rawal said that this provision would help promote the economic activities as the micro-credit institutions could provide loans at lower interest rates, as their cost of capital would go down.
NRB has also readjusted the interest rate on the refinancing loans it provides to the commercial banks for export sector loans. The interest rate for such loans is fixed at 6.5 per cent from the previous 7.0 per cent.
This is down with a view to encourage export trade, Rawal said.
NRB last year introduced a provision of refinancing commercial banks on export sector loans at 7 per cent. Under this provision, the commecial banks provided loans to the export sector at 10 per cent. According to the revised provisions, they are to flow credits at 9.5 per cent.
This provision will make Nepalese goods competitive in the international market by reducing the cost of production, Rawal said.
Meanwhile RSS adds, the measure is expected to bring down the interest rates on loans to the agriculture sector, industry and small scale self-employment programmes and help significantly in increasing income-generation and employment opportunities through larger flows of banks loans, said NRB governor Dr. Tilak Rawal.
Dr. Rawal said besides the new arrangement to cut down bank rates, the bank has also decided to lower the refinance rate on loans provided by rural development banks and other financial institutions disbursing micro crerdit to the rural sector and the economically poor section of the society from the earlier 9 per cent to 6.5 per cent.
According to information provided at the press conference, there has been a significant improvement in the country’s export sector in the last few years and provision for the new refinance and lending rates had to be worked out in order to encourage exports.
This facility would however be available to only those exporters who attain incremental export over their previous years’ export according to the NRB.
Similarly, the bank has also retained its provision of refinancing the preshipment and post-shipment loan to the exporters in foreign currency at 5.5 per cent interest rate. According to this provision, the banks are required to extend preshipment and post-shipment loan to the exporters at 7.5 per cent.