The much-touted high level political coordination committee has fallen flat the same day it started its formal job after a senior leader of UML declined to be its member.
Former general secretary of UML Madhav Kumar Nepal.
Former general secretary of UML Madhav Kumar Nepal who was to take over the committee as its coordinator has said that he was not informed about its formation.
“I hear they have included me as a member. I won’t be a member of a committee where there is no participation of Prime Minister,” he said speaking in Jumla on Thursday.
“We will also send our representation at the similar level,” he added.
Instead of taking part in the first meeting of the committee, Nepal left Kathmandu – where he had arrived on Wednesday after foreign visit – for Jumla showing his lack of enthusiasm over its formation.
On the other hand, opposition parties, too, have played down the significance of the committee.
“They are already in the cabinet. So, the separate political committee is meaningless,” said Arjun Narsingh KC, spokesperson of main opposition Nepali Congress (NC).
Earlier, the first meeting of the committee had set its working guidelines and jurisdiction Thursday. The meeting of the committee held at parliamentary party office of the CPN (Maoist) in Singha Durbar adopted the guidelines prepared by big three parties with minor amendments.
The committee will immediately look into efforts made towards improving security situation, implementation of the agreements reached with various agitating groups in the past and ongoing negotiation with the Terai armed groups.
The committee will meet again on Friday to chalk out its initial works. The committee has been formed to coordinate with government to ensure common minimum programs announced during the formation of the new government are implemented effectively. nepalnews.com sd Dec 05 08
The dwindling participation by Constituent Assembly (CA) members has started obstructing the normal procedure.
On Thursday, only 363 members were present in the hall while the presence of at least two-third members or 396 members were necessary to take up the proposal on sixth amendment of the interim constitution.
This issue will now be taken up next week.
The sixth amendment seeks to make some changes regarding the eligibility of voters for the upcoming by-elections.
The CA had also discussed the important motion of global financial crisis and its likely consequence on Nepal but there were very few CA members present in the hall. nepalnews.com sd Dec 05 08
Finance Minister Dr. Baburam Bhattarai has said that the ongoing global financial crisis will have minimal impact on Nepal.
Speaking at the Constituent Assembly (CA), Thursday, FM said that since Nepal was neither too much linked with the global market nor totally aloof from it, the impact will be very negligible.
He said that the government has already formed a panel headed by vice chairman of National Planning Commission (NPC) Dr. Pitambar Sharma to study the likely consequences of global crisis on Nepal.
“The government will proceed based on the panel’s recommendation,” he said.
On Thursday, CA member and an industrialist Binod Chaudhary had tabled a motion of public importance drawing the attention of the government on the global crisis and its likely impact on Nepal.
Meanwhile, speaking at CA, FM said that the government was encouraged by the growth of revenue collection by 34 percent. nepalnews.com sd Dec 04 08
US ambassador to Nepal Nancy J. Powell called on Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal at latter’s office in Singha Durbar on Thursday.
US ambassador to Nepal Nancy J. Powell meets Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal at the PMO in Singha Durbar on Thursday, Dec 04 08. nepalnews.com/NPA
US ambassador to Nepal Nancy J. Powell meets Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal…
Relations between the US and the Maoist-led government, the ongoing peace process and the US assistance to Nepal’s were chiefly discussed at the meeting, it has been learnt.
US ambassador is also known to have informed the Prime Minister about the cancellation of the Nepal visit of Richard Boucher, US Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asia.
Boucher, who would be the senior most US official to visit Nepal since the formation of Maoist-led government, was to arrive in Kathmandu next Tuesday.
Reports quoting sources at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said the US embassy has informed them about the suspension of the visit, but no reason has been given. nepalnews.com Dec 04 08
At least four persons were killed and 13 others injured when a passenger bus collided head on with a truck coming from opposite direction at Chainpur in Chitwan Thursday morning.
The bus was on its way to Kathmandu from Hetauda.
The deceased haven’t been identified yet.
Reports quoted police as saying that the injured have been rushed to Bharatpur Medical College for medical checkup. nepalnews.com Dec 04 08
The high level political coordination committee of the ruling coalition set its working guidelines and jurisdiction Thursday appointing CPN (UML) leader Madhav Kumar Neal as its chief.
The meeting of the committee held at parliamentary party office of the CPN (Maoist) in Singha Durbar adopted the guidelines prepared by big three parties with minor amendments.
The committee will immediately look into efforts made towards improving security situation, implementation of the agreements reached with various agitating groups in the past and ongoing negotiation with the Terai armed groups.
The committee will meet again on Friday to chalk out its initial works.
The committee has been formed to coordinate with government to ensure common minimum programmes announced during the formation of the new government are implemented effectively. nepalnews.com ia Dec 04 08
In what might prompt sharp reactions from the ruling parties, Vice President Parmananda Jha today said the government has not done enough to persuade the armed groups of Terai to enter into the dialogue process.
Parmananda Jha
Speaking at a programme organised by the Reporters Club in Birgunj on Thursday, Jha said the armed groups would already have sat for talks with the government had the latter done proper homework.
Saying that his views were personal, the Vice President went on to say that the government had not given due respect to the rebel groups which may be a reason behind the delay in the negotiation process.
He was of the view that warning the armed groups of security actions on the one hand and inviting then for talks on the other were contradictory actions on the part of the government. This, according to him, is not a way to go about as far as talks are concerned.
As in the past, Jha reiterated his disappointment over the composition of the armed integration special committee, saying that all the political parties should be represented in it [not the major parties only]. nepalnews.com mk Dec 04 08
The United Nations Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF) has allocated US $3 million (Rs 247 million) to assist rural communities in Nepal suffering from serious food insecurity caused by rapidly increasing food prices, the destruction of food stocks and crops by the recent floods, and the effects of long-term conflict, according to a release issued by the UN body Wednesday.
Life-saving projects developed by the UN and humanitarian partners aim to meet critical food needs of vulnerable households especially those most at risk, including women, children, ethnic minorities and indigenous populations in the Mid-Western, Far-Western and Terai districts of the country, stated the release.
“Nearly one and a half a million (1.5 million) people in these remote regions need urgent assistance to meet their basic food needs,” noted UN Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator for Nepal, Robert Piper in the release. “Levels of acute malnutrition are extremely high, especially among poor, landless and marginalized populations.”
CERF funding, the release said, will ensure that vulnerable families continue to receive the critical food assistance being provided by the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) and partners as well as creating quick-impact opportunities to help restore family livelihoods through community construction and infrastructure projects
In 2008, Nepal received a total of US $ 12.6 million (Rs 1 billion) from the CERF in four different allocations to provide humanitarian assistance in response to the Koshi floods, flooding and landslides in the mid and far-western regions, the food crisis, and other urgent humanitarian needs. nepalnews.com Dec 04 08
Chinese Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi met with President Dr Ram Baran Yadav at Shital Niwas Thursday morning.
The 40-minute meeting primarily focused on improving Nepal-China relations and increasing material assistance from China for the peace process and economic development of Nepal.
During the meeting, Jiechi is learnt to have expressed China’s support for protecting Nepal’s territorial integrity. On Wednesday as well when he met with Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal, the Chinese minister had said his country was ready to extend all possible support for protecting Nepal’s ‘sovereignty’.
Jiechi left for Myanmar later in the afternoon, completing his three-day tour to Nepal. nepalnews.com ia Dec 04 08
The Supreme Court has given its assent for establishing commercial benches in four major commercial hubs in the country which would work as centers to settle disputes related to business and finance.
The full-court meeting held Wednesday took decision to this effect.
Four major towns Biratnagar, Patan, Butwal and Nepalgunj will have such centers at the first phase. Hetauda and Pokhara are also on the proposed list. The benches will have authorities equal to those exercised by the appellate courts. Each bench will have two judges initially appointed by Chief Justice.
The four benches will hear the cases pertaining to Company Act 2007, Secured Transaction Act 2007, Insolvency Act 2007 and Competition Promotion and Market Protection Act 2007. nepalnews.com ia Dec 04 08