PM CONVENES MEETING OF 10 RULING PARTIES

Kathmandu, 28 Sept.: Prime Minister Madhav Kumar Nepal is convening meeting of 10 ruling parties Tuesday to discuss difficulties being encountered by government is running the administration without a full budget even by the end of September.
The meeting is being held as Maoists have failed to form a government in more than two months even after forcing the resignation of Nepal.
NC has become wary Maoists and UML are attempting to form a majority government.
The conclave is being held the same day Speaker Subash Nemwang has convened a meeting of Maoists, NC, UML and Madesh parties government formation and statute drafting.
No progress has been recorded in four months in completing a draft of a constitution to institutionalize a republic even exactly four months after the tenure of the elected constituent assembly (CA) was extended by one year 28 May.
Nemwang is attempting to end the political deadlock.
The meeting has been called as the CA is again reconsidering rescheduling programme to promulgate a constitution.
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RAM CHANDRA PAUDEL HURLS CHARGES AGAINST MAOISTS UML

Kathmandu, 28 Sept.: NC Vice-President Ram Chandra Paudel, the only candidate remaining in the race for prime minister, Tuesday charged Maoists and UML for trying to ‘corner him”.
“Why should I quit? It’s for parliament to decide,” Paudel told Kantipur Headliners Tuesday morning.
He charged the two powers at attempting to grab power.
“UML is making mockery of democracy,” he charged as UML remained neutral in voting,
The ninth round voting will be held Thursday; the parliamentary election will again be inconclusive if parties persist with their positions.
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NEXT MOVE OF SUSHIL KOIRALA BEING WATCHED

Kathmandu, 28 Sept.: Following the election of the NC party president, general secretary, treasurer and 61 central working committee (CWC) members, analysts are watching the next moves of Sushil Koirala who is expected to be discharged from hospital Tuesday.
The newly elected president was admitted to hospital for treatment of pneumonia.
Koirala can appoint 21 members to the CWC to strengthen his grip of the organization; political analysts are watching how he’ll accommodate Sher Bahadur Deuba in the party where his supporters were elected CWC members although the panel of the three-time prime minister failed to capture the presidency and the powerful position of general secretary.
Prakash Man Singh, son of Ganesh Man Singh, has strengthened his hold on the country’s oldest political party by capturing more vote than Koirala.
The Sushil panel won 35 while the Deuba panel won 29 seats in the CWC.
The Koirala clan did well in the election.
Sujata and Shekhar Koirala, who were defeated in the April 2008 election were elected in party elections; Shashanka Koirala, son of BP, was also elected along with relative Amod Upadhaya and Mahesh Acharya.
Ram Krishna Tanrakar, Shobakar Parajuli and former IGP DB Lama lost elections.
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PARAS SHAH RECEIVES TIKA FROM GODDESS KUMARI

Kathmandu, 28 Sept.: Former Crown Prince Paras received tika and prashad from Goddess Kumari on the last day on Indrajatra Monday.
President Dr Ram Baran Yadav also visited Kumari Ghar to receive tika and Prasad.
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HIMANI TRUST REGISTERED

Kathmandu, 28 Sept.: Former Crown Princess Himani Shah Monday registered “Himani Trust” in her name at the Kathmandu district administration office.
She collected the registration certificate personally with a retinue of former royal family members.
The trust will work for the welfare of children, women, destitute and promote skill development projects.
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PRESIDENT CONSULTS NEPAL BAR ASSOCIATION MEMBERS

Kathmandu, 28 Sept.: President Dr Ram Baran Yadav Monday consulted members of the Nepal Bar Association members amid a deepening and prolonged political crisis.
A concerned president had consulted other lawyers.
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TWO INJURED IN BARA BLAST

Kathmandu, 28 Sept.: Two persons were injured in a bomb blast at Simraungadh in Bara Monday.
Bimal Mahoto, 40, and Bihari Mahoto, 45, were injured.
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CIAA SEEKS DETAILS

Kathmandu, 28 Sept.: CIAA Monday wrote a letters to the parliament secretariat and the Office of the Prime Minister seeking names of ministers and lawmakers who haven’t submitted their property details.
Letters were sent to Chief Secretary Madhav Ghimere and Secretary General of Parliament Manohar Bhattarai.
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TRADE, COMMERCE, ECONOMY

INDIA ASSIST FOR CDS

Kathmandu, 28 Sept.: Indian Ambassador Rakesh Sood Monday handed over a Rs 51.2 million grant to Nepal Stock Exchange (Nepse) to establish a central depository system (CDS).
The grant will be used to develop software to operate CDS at the Nepse.
Nepal has signed an agreement with CMC India Ltd to develop the software.
India is supporting the project with a Rs 150 million grant.
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MUTUAL FUND REGULATION ENFORCED

Kathmandu, 28 Sept.: Securities Board of Nepal (Sebon) Monday enforced the Mutual Fund Regulation after the finance ministry last week approved it.
With the enforcement, companies floating shares in the market, will have to set aside five percent shares for the mutual funds.
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12 NAXALITES KILLED

Kathmandu, 28 Sept.: Around 12 Maoists have been killed in a massive anti-Naxal operation launched jointly by security forces of Jharkhand and Orissa since Saturday in Samanda forest, a top official said, according to a PTI report from Jamshedpur Monday.
Jharkhand Director General of Police Nayar Ahmad said that ten to 12 Maoists have been killed since Saturday, with some of the bodies having been found.
Meanwhile, the Maoists blew up a hostel and panchayat bhawan at Anandpur and triggered three landmine blasts in the Tirilposhi jungle this morning [Monday].
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NEPALI COMMNITY LEADERS PICKED IN HONG KONG

Kathmandu, 28 Sept.: Hong Kong Police has made 18 Nepali youths community ambassadors in a bid to better relations with the community that deteriorated following the death of Dil Bahadur Limbu 18 months ago, Purna Basnet reports from Hong Kong in Republica.
Although the coroner’s inquest gave clean chit to the police officer who shot Limbu in March 2009, the police seem to have learnt a lesson and have also formed a special Nepali task force to mend fences and control crime in the community.
The initiative started as the Nepalese Crime Prevention Ambassador last year has been renamed Nepalese Engaging the Community Ambassador and it has included youths from the field of journalism, teaching , medicine and social services. Half of these ambassadors are female.
Similarly, the Nepali task force aims to curb crime in the community that is on top in drug abuse among minorities, The police have also been recruited persons five different minority communities, including Nepalis.
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HOME MINISTER RAWAL MEETS INDIAN FOREIGN MINISTER

Kathmandu, 28 Sept.: India has expressed interest to seen Nepal’s peace process reach a logical end as quickly as possible, The Kathmandu Post reports from New York.
India’s External Affairs Minister SM Krishna expressed such an interest in his meeting with Home Minister Bhim Rawal here.
“India hopes Nepal’s peace process will wrap up successfully within the slated time,” Rawal said, quoting Krishna.
Rawal, who attended a reception organized by Krishna on Saturday evening, also briefed Krishna on the latest developments in Nepal’s peace process.
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EC sends SOS on voter ID card plan

Kathmandu, 28 Sept.: In wake of the Madhes-based parties continuing protests in various districts against the Election Commission’s (EC) undergoing attempt to distribute new voter identity cards based on citizenship certificates, the Commission on Monday held discussions with top leaders of nine political parties elected through the first-past-the-post electoral system, The Kathmandu Post reports..

During the discussion, Madhesi leaders said EC shouldn’t ask for citizenship certificates while collecting the details for voter ID cards and asked the government to sent a team to distribute citizenship.

“Large numbers of Madhesi people are deprived of citizenship,” said Vice Chair of Sadbhavana Party Laxman Lal Karna. “The Madhesi people’s right to vote shouldn’t be curtailed in the name of citizenship.”

Chairman of Madhesi Janaadhikar Forum Loktantrik Bijaya Kumar Gachchhadar said the Commission must go ahead with the campaign making last year’s voter list the basis.

However, leaders of major parties expressed diverse opinions and stressed for the need of producing legal documents for voter-list.

UCPN (Maoist) Chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal louded the EC’s initiative. However, EC spokesman Rajendra Sharma said, “Political leaders should sit together to solve the citizenship related problems in the southern plain areas.”

Nepali Congress chief whip Laxman Prasad Ghimire, however, ruled out the Madhesi leaders’ demand of granting voter ID cards without producing citizenship.

“Producing citizenship is the most important thing. Only the Nepali citizen will get chance to get the voting right,” Ghimire said. “Those people who haven’t got citizenship should visit the respective District Administration Offices and get it done.”

Senior leaders, including Dahal, Gachhadar and Karna were Nepali Congress leader Ram Chandra Poudel, Prakash Man Singh, and CPN UML Chair Jhal Nath Khanal, Ishwor Pokhrel, Bidhya Bhandari and Nepal Majdoor Kishn Party leader Narayan Man Bijukchhe, attended the discussion.

EC on Monday informed that the collection of voter-list has come a cropper in some districts, including Kapilvastu, Nawalparsi, Parsa, Rupandehi and Banke. Election officials said that voter-list cannot be provided to those who cannot produce citizenship.

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Worst deforestation in three decades!

Kathmandu, 28 Sept.: Money does grow on trees...That’s what a House committee report has surmised after conducting a field study on deforestation and rampant corruption in the forest sector. The parliamentary Committee on Natural Resources and Means report claims that last year country saw the worst deforestation in 30 years, Ramesh Prasad Bhusal writes in The Himalayan Times reports.

The committee today endorsed a detailed study report on deforestation in last one year — comparing the depletion of forests in the lower plains and Churia range to that in 1979, widely believed to be the worst year in terms of deforestation — and forwarded it to the parliament for deliberations.

“I felt like crying after reading the report prepared by the committee. I strongly urge the authorities concerned to bring the wrong-doers to book,” said Constituent Assembly Chairman Subas Nembang.

The report prepared by seven sub-committees under the parliamentary committee after visiting 27 districts — Jhapa in the east to Kanchanpur in the west — claimed that deforestation, especially in the Tarai region, was at its worst. The report in its introductory part states ‘tree felling in 1979 during the Panchayat regime was rampant. Last year gave the glimpses of the same’.

“It took us three months to prepare the report and the corruption in the forestry sector has been found to be at its peak. It needs immediate addressing,” said Chairperson of the Committee, Shanta Chaudhary.

The report has concluded that the forests in the country were still in the grip of a few feudals, and bureaucrats were playing the role of a mediator and were highly engaged in irregularities.

The 51-page report has accused the government of turning a deaf ear to such a huge issue. Blaming all — political parties, government officials, community forest users — for turning the green forests into barren land, the report said no one should be spared.

It quotes Morang District Forest Officer Lal Narayan Singh: “The forest minister and director general of Department of Forests had sought money from me for my transfer, and in addition, officials at the Ministry of General Administration too wanted me to grease their palm to get consent for my transfer.”

The report terms government employee unions the catalyst for rampant corruption in the forest sector, adding that the leaders of the union are misusing their authority. They opt to stay in the most lucrative areas, mostly in the Tarai, where tree felling is high, added the report. “The union leaders are hardly working to protect employees’ rights; their ultimate aim is to benefit themselves and their near and dear ones,” mentions the report.

The report recommends that the government should bring about a radical change in the organisational structure of the Ministry of Forest, if it were to save at least 40 per cent of the total land covered with forests.
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LAW TO EXTRADITE THIRD COUNTRY NATIONALS PREPARED
Kathmandu, 28 Sept.: Law ministry has prepared enabling the extradition of third country nationals and will be sent this week to the cabinet for approval, Kantipur reports.
Parliament will then have to approve it for enforcement.
The road then will be paved for extradition of such nationals to countries with which Nepal has extradition treaty.
“When the law is enforced, if a third country national is living in Nepal after committing a crime in another count, such a person can be extradited to a country where the crime has been commected,” a senior government source told Kantipur.
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FIVE MILLION VOTERS FRAUD
Kathmandu, 28 Sept.: Acting Chief Election Commissioner Nilkantha Uprety said five million voters in the 2064 voters’ list are fake, Kiran Bhandari reports in Nagarik.
“The voters’ list of the 2008 constituent assembly election is flawed.” Uprety told reporters after a meeting with leaders of nine political parties. ”If data is collected making that a base, non-nationals can vote.”
He said 25 to 30 percent fake voters will again be Madeshis if a voters’ list is prepared as demanded by Madeshbadi parties making the voters’ list three years a base.
“To make the next election impartial and flawless, a voters’ list with finger prints and photos is being computerized. A new list is being prepared to remove past mistakes. The old list can’t be a basis,” he said.
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PRACHANDA GOING TO MALAYSIA FRIDAY

Kathmandu, 28 Sept.: Maoist Chairman Prachanda is going Friday to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, to attend a conference of Asian Pacific and Exchange Cooperation Foundation, Naya Patrika reports.
He’ll be accompanied by Chief of Foreign Department Krishna Bahadur Mahara and son Prakash.
Prachanda is also going to China to attend the closing ceremony of Shanghai Expo.
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