Kathmandu, Mar. 15 :His Majesty’s Government has formed the Decentralisation Implementation and Monitoring Executive Committee under the convenorship of the Minister for Local Development.
The committee has the local development secretary as ex-officio member, and decentralisation expert Ram Chandra Pokharel of Tanahu, legal expert Srihari Aryal of Kathmandu and rural development expert Chakra Mehar Bajracharya of Lalitpur as members.
Similarly, joint secretary at the Ministry of Local Development Khemraj Nepal is member-secretary of the Executive Committee.
The term of office of the Executive Committee members will be three years, according to a press release of the Ministry.
The committee has been formed in accordance with the Local Self-Governance Act-2055 B.S.
Kathmandu, Mar. 15 :The Paradesh Sewa Padak awarded by His Majesty the King to the first batch of the 37th contingent of the Srinath Battalion (peacekeeping force) which returned here recently on completion of its assignment in unifil were given away by chief of the army staff general Prajwal Shamsher J. B. Rana at an investiture here today.
On the occasion General Rana also gave away the Khukuri of the Paradesh Sewa Padak and cash prizes to the peacekeepers.
Two hundred persons including officers and other ranks of the Srinath Battalion received the Paradesh Sewa Padak today.
Kathmandu, Mar. 15:A month long in-service training programme on Development of Management started here recently under the joint sponsorship of Nepal Public Administration Association and the T. U. Central Department of Public Administration.
Declaring the training programme, T. U. Service Commission chairman Sudarshan Risal said the training programme was being held in view of the importance of management in any field of activity in the competitive world today.
From the chair, member of the service commission Prof. Chuda Raj Upreti said as development of professional skill in a person would benefit both that person and the country one should share with others what one learnt from management training.
Chief of the department Dr Govinda Prasad Dhakal, general secretary of the association Vidya Sagar Mallik and the programme co-ordinator Rajiv Bikram Rana also expressed their views.
Lahan :The Value Added Tax Office, Lahan, has taken action against business houses in Saptari and Siraha districts for deviaton from VAT provisions.
The firms against which action has been taken are Kesharichand Bhavarlal Stores (Rajbiraj), Bina Hardware Stores (Rajbiraj), Khan Automobiles (Rajbiraj), Huma General Stores (Rajbiraj), Himanchuli Suppliers (Karedabona) and Manoj Plywood Industries (Rajbiraj) in Saptari district.
Likewise, action has also been taken against Maruti Cement Industry (Chandraudayapur) and Muraraka Trade Centre (Lahan) in Siraha district.
These business houses were not registered at the VAT office, did not issue bills for sales and hid their sales, according to office chief Ramesh Bahadur Dhakal.
Kathmandu, Mar 15: The XII Insurance Congress of Developing Countries (ICDC) has concluded here adopting various resolutions and electing Nepal as the President of Association of Insurers and Re-Insurers of Developing Countries (AAIRDC) and Chairman of Association of Insurance Supervisory Authority of Developing Countries (AISADC) for a term of two years, according to a pres release.
This is for the time first any nation is heading the executive bodies of the two parallel Associations simultaneously.
Chairman of the Insruance Board of Nepal Lava Prasad Sharma will represent Nepal to AISADC and the AIRDC Executive Board, which comprises Nepal, India, China, the Philippines and Bulgaria from Asia and Eastern Europe, Egypt, Morocco, Kenya, Nigeria and Senegal from Africa and Cuba, Argentina, Brazil, Columbia and Mexico from Latin America, the press release says.
“We are greatly pleased to have successfully organised the 12th Congress,” said Sharma of the Congress Nepal hosted for the first time by bringing together around 350 insurance personalities to discuss Facing Challenges in Emerging Insurance Markets of Development Countries. “All 201 foreign delegates were happy to be here.” A hundred and 48 participants represented Nepal during the three-day conference that ended Tuesday.
The 12th ICDC adopted various resolutions that Nepal as the Chair will have to see implemented, said Sharma adding that the thrust of the resolutions was to develop manpower through training and education.
“It is hereby resolved that the member countries exert individual efforts to help themselves or through their industry associations, to raise funds for education with the help of the government and the international organisations that have interest in making the developing countries become a more significant part of the global insurance market,” read a resoluiton.
Other resolutions include: The permanent Secretariat of the AIRDC will take initiatives to prepare a programme of relevant training seminars and secure the cooperation of the international organisations like the UNCTAD, UNDP, WTO or even the international or regional banks to fund the seminars.
The insurance and re-insurance companies will call upon their governments to provide incentives to direct insurers who will expand their insurance protection to the less privileged and security to the sectors of the economy facing higher risks and that the government play the role of re-insurer of last resort for catastrophic losses sustained by the participants, the press statement says.
The management of insurance companies in the developing countries will learn and adopt the method or system that is most appropriate to the cultural factors obtaining, and the social and economic state of their markets so that faster growth of insurance is achieved at the least cost insurred.
Apart from the resolutions, the local insurance companies have benefited from their exposure to and interaction with the international participants, Sharma added. “Nepal as the host country has also benefited from the tourism point of view as well.”
Rasuwa, Mar. 15:Mineral ore such as lead has not yet been extracted from the Paigutang mine situated at an altitude of 13,500 feet in Ganesh Himal area 60 kilometres North-West from Dhunche, headquarters of Rasuwa district.
The mine was discovered five years after the Department of Zeology gave permit for exploration with a view to properly tapping indigenous resources.
Although work at the site started some 27 years ago, no progress has been made towards production nor has the state of progress been made public from time to time because of shortcomings in the management.
According to manager of Nepal Metal Company Chanchal Kumar Chakravarti, about 30 metric tonnes of ore has already been extracted and this will be enough for producing raw material for 30-40 years. With this and additional ore to be extracted, a processing factory can easily be kept going.
It costs about Rs. 400 million to set up such a factory, and talks are being held in this connection with a Canadian company.
According to tests, some 13.2 per cent of zinc, 2.1 per cent lead and 27 grams of silver can be extracted from each ton of ore.
The government has been alloting Rs 10 milion annually for running the mine, but this is not adequate, the management says.
A base camp has been set up at Somdang for storing food and necessary equipment as the mine area is covers with snow six months of the year. The material is taken to the mine site some 3 km uphill by porter.
Some 75 persons including locals have found technical and non-technical employment at the mine. Local residents of Nuwakot, Rasuwa and Dhading are getting employment transportation goods from the base camp to the mine site.
A motorable road has been constructed up to Somdang and electricity has also reached the mine site. But the management has installed a turbine to generated electricity from water originating at the site to avoid irratic power supply.
Local people here are of the opinion that if the mine is run at full capacity, it will raise the income of the country and create employment opportunities also.
Kathmandu, Mar 15 :The South Asia Regional Conference on ‘Physical mobility and development in the mountains’ organised with an objective of making an exchange of experiences on the potentials and hindrances of the mountain development in South Asian countries began here today.
At the conference participated in by 80 participants from South Asian countries, the United Kingdom and Norway, discussions will be held on social, economic and cultural diversity as well as preservation of the heritages for the sustainable development of mountain environment, environmental tourism and utilisation of natural resources, migration, etc.
Inaugurating the three day conference, T.U. guest professor Dr. Mangal Raj Joshi stressed the need to preserve the Himalayan ranges as they are the identity of the nation and they are necessary for the bio-diversity and human ecology.
At the conference organised jointly by the T. U. Department of Geography, and the East Anglia University of U.K., various speakers including dean of the T. U. Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences Dr. Triratna Manandhar, Head of the Department of Geography Prof. Vidyabir Singh Kansakar, Director of the British Council Ms. Barbara Wickham and a host of speakers shed light on the importance of mountain environment and development.
Kathmandu, Mar. 15:Despite His Majesty’s Government’s willingness to establish a export processing zone (epz) in the Eighth Plan with a view to promoting Nepalese exports, this could not come into force due to lack of concrete programmes.
A budget of five million rupees has been allocated under the current Ninth Plan for the export promotion fund aimed at establishing the epz, free trade export zone and technological park and export oriented unit.
Minister for Foreign Affairs and Finance Dr. Ram Sharan Mahat inaugurated a seminar on ‘Investment opportunities in Nepal’ organised with an objective of familiarising Nepal’s industrial and business community with the export processing industry under the joint auspices of the Nepal-India Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Indian Embassy and the B.P Koirala India-Nepal Foundation here today.
Speaking on the occasion, Minister Dr. Mahat said as Nepal is a landlocked nation, the plan to establish the export processing zone for the high price products near the Tribhuwan International Airport did not materialise due to lack of availability of land, it has been planned for Birgunj.
Stating that investment and export trade have increased because of the industrial policy adopted by Nepal after 1991, Dr. Mahat said despite some constraints 40 percent increase has been recorded in exports to India.
He said South Asia is rich in manpower, the number of consumers and talents adding that an export oriented strategy is necessary for the economic development of the country.
Royal Nepalese Ambassador to India Dr. Bhekh Bahadur Thapa said we should develop ourselves as an attractive market keeping in mind the three million economically capable Indian consumers adding that we could learn from the experience of our neighbouring countries.
Indian Ambassador K.V. Rajan said Indian investment in Nepal and the Nepalese exports to India have been increased after the agreement signed on trade and transit in 1996.
Director of the Indian Ministry of Commerce Amita Prashad said the concept of export processing zone was for the first time developed in India in 1965 and that the concept has changed after liberalisation and globalisation.
President of Nepal-India Chamber of Commerce and Industry Rukma Shumsher Rana said there have been improvements in Nepal-India trade relations since a few years after the signing of various agreements and treaties.
Convenor of the seminar Diwakar Golchha spoke highly of Indian cooperation in the economic development of Nepal.
Beltari, Syangja, Mar. 15:Kaligandaki-A Hydro-electricity Project, country’s largest hydro power project, is to be completed in July 2001, seven months later than it was initially planned. As per the initial plan and agreement reached with donors and contractors, the project was to generate electricity in December 2000 and provide relief to the people long suffered from regular power outage especially in the winter season.
The delay for the completion of project was attributed to several reasons. Keshav Bahadur Chand, chief of the project said about six months was delayed because necessary equipment for the project construction could not arrive in time and works for more than one month was hampered by labour unrest in the construction site at different times.
However, Chand is confident that the project would be complete in July 2001 and start generating electricity.
Almost 60 per cent construction work of the project has been completed now.
The 144 MG Kaligandaki A Hydroelectricity Project was launched in 1997 with loan assistance from Asian Development Bank and Japan Overseas Development Agency and contribution from His Majesty’s Government and Nepal Electricity Authority.
There are seven lots of work in the project. The lots 1,2, and 3 comprise civil construction works which have been given to Italian contractor, Impregilo SPA, one of the leading companies working in the field of hydro power.
The other lots comprising mechanical, electrical and transmission line construction are given to different foreign companies like Japanese, German and Indian.
Had the equipment arrived in time and works not disturbed by labour unrest, the project would have been completed even before the scheduled time, said Robiyati.
The Kaligandaki-A Hydroelectricity Project is the run-off -river type of project with the 144 mg installed capacity. The dam is being constructed in Mirmi to divert water through six-meter long tunnel to the powerhouse in Beltari of Krishna Gandaki VDC. Almost 75 per cent of construction of the powerhouse has been completed, according to engineer working in the site.
In the same way, the tunnel work is also being done in full swing.
Along with construction of the project, Nepal Electricity Authority has been strictly monitoring to ensure the minimum environmental damage in the project site. NEA has its own monitoring unit called Kaligandaki A Environmental Monitoring Unit that regularly monitors the activities of the contractors to ensure that their activities cause minimum damage to local environment.
As per the EIA of the project, several measures have to be taken in order to mitigate the negative impact on the local environment. However, some of the measures had not been taken, which, according to NEA staff and contractor, was because such works could not be done simultaneously with the construction work.
Robiyati, however, said that they would be done in course of time. Moreover, both NEA and Impregilo spa have carried out some social and developmental activities in the area which have directly benefited the local people.
“Although the contract does not require us to do these works, we have already initiated the work of constructing a modern hospital in Mirmi, a school for the poor people who are affected by the project,” said Robiyati. Impregilo itself has so far recruited teachers and paid them to teach the children of local Botes (fishermen).
Apart from this, it has given priority to local people who were affected by the project in the employment.
Besides, NEA has started work for providing drinking water facilities to the people of Krishna Gandaki VDC.
“We saw the problem of drinking water in Krishna Gandaki VDC and started work for providing drinking water to the people” said Chand. According to Chand, source of water in Mohandanda village has already been purchased for the same.
Similarly, the other benefits that local people have received from the project are electrification in the village and access road.
Some local people complained that they have already experienced some negative impacts because of the construction of the project. Bed Prakash Bhattarai, vice chairman of Krishna Gandaki VDC, said that cracks were seen in some houses of local people and some sources of waters have dried up because of heavy explosion while constructing tunnel. However, both Chand and Robiyati said that there was no scientific proof of his claims. “We have checked and rechecked whether there were really an impacts of explosion, but we could not find it,” said Chand.
Similarly, chief of Impregilo spa Robiyati said that his company wanted to leave very good impression among the people and was very cautious about any kind of negative environmental and social impact by the project.
Kathmandu, Mar.15:Police arrested 30 Bhutanese refugee activists this afternoon as they tried to force their way inside the Foreign Ministry where the secretary level talk between Nepal and Bhutan on the Bhutanese refugee issue was still in progress for the fourth day today.
The arrested refugees including eight women were carted off in a police van at five p.m. to the nearby Maharajgunj Ward Police Station where they were detained for around an hour before being released, the refugees said.
The refugees, representing the Appeal Movement Coordination Council, a Bhutanese human rights organisation, were staging a sit-in programme with their three-point demands at the Foreign Ministry’s entry for the second day today.
According to the refugee leaders present in the scene, they had sent three written requests seeking an appointment with the Bhutanese Secretary leading the Bhutanese delegation here. “We wanted to know what decision was being taken about the refugees. We have the right to know,” said Ratan Gajmer, a representative of AMCC.
Having received no response, the refugees claim, they tried to force their way in when police intervened and whisked them away. “We have been told not to continue our programme at the ministry entrance,” said Gajmer.
The police, however, dismissed of having issued such instruction. “We arrested them since they wanted to push themselves in and we could not allow them to do so because the talks were still going on,” said Inspector Raj Kumar Lamsal who headed the police team that arrested the refugees. “They were insisting to get in as the office time was about to be over.”
The refugees who staged a sit-in in front of the Foreign Ministry have made three specific demands: Drop the categorisation of the Bhutanese refugees, invite Tek Nath Rijal, Bhutan’s ace Human Right Leader, in all future refugee talks, and halt the resettlement of the other Bhutanese citizens in refugees’ lands in Bhutan.
Nepal and Bhutan in 1993 agreed to categorise the refugees into four groups: Bonafide Bhutanese citizens, Bhutanese who have emigrated, Non Bhutanese, and Bhutanese who have committed crimes.
The ongoing bureaucratic level talk has been focussing on the modality of verification process of the four categories of refugees. Nepal’s stand has been interviewing the head of each family member of the refugees. According to Foreign Ministry officials, the talks between the two sides were continuing till late night today.
The refugees involved in sit-in programme today have arrived here from all the seven refugee camps from eastern Nepal where around 100,000 of them have been languishing for the last eight years.
The UNHCR built the camps for the Bhutanese refugees who entered Nepal after the Dragon Kingdom forcefully evicted them under its ethnic cleansing policy. Guided by its “one nation one people” policy, Bhutan began to crack down on its southern Nepali-speaking citizens, locally known as Lhotsampas, in the late 80’s.