BUDGET TO BE PRESENTED IN THIRD WEEK OF NOV.

Kathmandu, 12 Nov.: Prime Minister Madhav Kumar Nepal Friday morning consulted lawyers and finance ministry officials to present a delayed annual budget for fiscal year 2010/11.
Finance Minister Surendra Pandey and Law Minister Prem Bahadur Singh were present at the Baluwatar meet which concluded a caretaker government can present a full budget.
The meeting decided to present the document in the third week of this month.
The complete budget hasn’t been presented in parliament with government’s plans and programmes nearly four months after the beginning of the fiscal year.
A final attempt at consensus on the budget will be made at the third meeting of the Big Three Monday.
Main opposition Maoists oppose the presentation of a complete budget by a caretaker government.
The cash-strapped government says the country is heading towards a financial crisis as it prepares to present the budget by 16 November.
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CHATT CELEBRATED

Kathmandu, 12 Nov.: Chatt is being celebrated Friday mainly in the terai with the worship of the setting sun for family welfare, peace and fulfillment of wishes.
The festival concludes Saturday with the worship of the rising sun.
Government declared Friday a public holiday.
Devotes have flocked to rivers and ponds for the sun worship.
In the capital, Rani Pokhari was opened for worshipers.
President Dr Ram Baran Yadav expressed good wishes on Chatt.
Vice-president Parmananda Jha held a reception at his official residence Thursday.
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PEACE MINISTER DISMISSES INDIAN CHARGE

Kathmandu, 12 Nov.: Peace Minister Rakam Chemjung said Friday Indian charge Nepal’s Maoists were imparting military training and ideological indoctrination to Indian Maoists or Naxals in camps in Nepal was false and baseless.
He said no terrorist activities were being conducted by foreign
groups in Nepal refuting a Indian charge a Kashmir-based terrorist group trained Naxals in use of explosives.
Chemjung refuted the charge in while talking to reporters in Birtamodh, Jhapa.
The minister, who represents UML in government, publicly denied the Indian allegation even as the prime minister has ordered an official
probe on Indian request.
Chemjung said there should be agreement for another arrangement before UNMN leaves 15 January 2011.
More than 19,000 former Maoist combatants are under UNMIN
watch in 28 cantonments and camps.
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NA PROTESTS MAOIST CHARGE

Kathmandu, 12 Nov.: Nepal Army (NA) Thursday denied a Maoist charge it prepared a report, on order of Prime Minister Madhav Kumar Nepal, former commandants imparted military and ideological training to Indian counterparts or Naxalites in camps inside Nepal and dispatched it to India.
A protest was lodged at the joint monitoring coordination committee (JMCC) headed by UNMIN; NA and Maoists are represented in the committee.
NA has been boycotting the meetings of the JMCC. The charge was discussed at Thursday’s meeting where NA representative participated after a prolonged boycott.
Meanwhile, Maoist Chairman Prachanda attempted to calm NA anger at a public function in the capital Thursday.
“We don’t want to drag the Nepal Army into this controversy. I don’t believe Nepal Army will do this [prepare a report on Maoist training Naxals]. NA will always favour national sovereignty. It’ll not bow down to foreign interference and conspiracy,” he told reporters at a Maoist reception to mark Nepal Sambat
Prachanda said government should investigate the Indian
allegation.
Army Chief Gen. Chatrman Singh Gurung Thursday attended a Maoist reception celebrating Nepal Sambat and shook hands with the Maoist chief and exchanged pleasantries.
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NEA TO UP LOAD-SHEDDING FROM MAGH

Kathmandu, 12 Nov.: Nepal Electricity Authority (NEA) is to increase load-shedding during the peak winter season from the current daily two hour outage.
Power outage will peak to 14 hours a day from Magh, a NEA official said Thursday.
Repairs of the 70MW Marshyangdhi begin next week to create power shortage as power demand increases with the onset of winter.
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MEDIA GOOGLE

“The court [division bench of supreme court] should have given a
concrete decision in accordance with the demand of the petitioner if
it wanted to prescribe a way out [to extended voting for PM in
parliament]. There is no point in drawing the attention of the
legislature to a matter that solely falls under the jurisdiction of the House., All those comments were mot necessary in the verdict.”

(Chairman Subash Nemwang, The Kathmandu Post, 12 Nov.)

“I’ve heard some of my friends saying the president [Dr Ram Baran Yadav] to vote against me in the party general convention. I don’t know how much truth there’s to it. Newspapers have reported this was to retaliate my non-cooperation in the Dhanusha bye-election; the vice-president’s son was al candidate.”

(NC leader Bimalendra Nidhi who was defeated by Prakash Man Singh in election for party general secretary, Sambodhan, 12 Nov.)
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HIGH CHILD MARRIAGE INCIDENCE IN NEPAL

Kathmandu, 12 Nov.: Nepal ranks second among the South Asian countries in early marriage practice revealed a survey Thursday, RSS reports.
According to a report released in a two-day executive board meeting on violence against children held in the capital, 51 percent children in the country get married at an early age.
The survey was conducted among people of the 20-24 year age
group married before reaching 18 years.
The survey says Bangladesh ranks first in early marriage in the
region where 64 percent of the people get married before 16 years
of age.
The prevalence of child marriage in India is 47 percent while it is
43 percent and 24 percent in Afghanistan and Pakistan respectively.
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PM NEPAL BEGINS DISCUSSIONS ON INDIAN CHARGE

Kathmandu, 12 Nov.: Prime Minister Madhav Kumar Nepal has started discussions after government received a letter from India saying
Nepali Maoists are training their Indian counterparts in camps, Naya Patrika reports.
Nepal held secret discussions Thursday with Home Minister
Bhim Rawal, Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Sujata
Koirala, Home Secretary Gobinda Kusum and Foreign Secretary
Dr. Madan Kumar Bhattarai. Senior foreign and home ministry officials participated in the two-hour meet.
A source said Home Minister Rawal has been directed to start investigation
immediately and submit a report.
A government official told Naya Patrika the meeting discussed finding out facts to inform India.
Home Secretary Kusum discussed the matter with the foreign
minister at her office Thursday.
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HIGH INCIDENCE OF TIGER PART SEIZURES IN NEPAL, INDIA AND CHINA

Kathmandu, 12 Nov.: More that 1,000 tigers have been killed in the past decade to fuel the illegal trade in parts of the endangered big cats, a report by a wildlife monitoring up said in Tuesday, according to a AFP report from London.
India, China and Nepal ranked highest in the number of seizures of tiger parts but the trade has spiked recently South-east Asian nations, British-based Traffic International said.
Complete skins, skeletons, claws, skulls ad penises were among
The most common items seized, while officials has also found
whole animals—both live and dead, it added.
From January 2000 to April 2010 parts of between 1,069 and
1,220 tigers were seized in 11 of the 13 countries where tigers
live in the wild, the report said.
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MAOIST ONE-MONTH PLAN TO WRAP UP PEACE PROCESS
Kathmandu, 12 Nov : UCPN (Maoist) has floated a month-long plan of action to complete all outstanding tasks of the peace process, including return of seized property and disbanding the paramilitary structure of the Young Communist League (YCL), Kiran Chapagain reports in Republica.

The plan presented by UCPN (Maoist) Chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal during the talks at Hattiban Resort and Gokarna Resort, also proposes to form a coalition government after completion of the time-bound plan.

Maoist leader Janardan Sharma, who is a member of the Special Committe, told Republica the plan has a specific timeline for integration and rehabilitation of Maoist ex-combatants, doing away with YCL barracks if any, and returning seized property.


The plan, circulated among certain Maoist leaders, proposes to designate a coordinator for the secretariat proposed for overseeing integration and rehabilitation of over 19,000 combatants within a week of an agreement among the parties in this regard.

The 12-member secretariat, supposed to materialize much earlier, is yet to be formed because the Maoists have not sent a name to represent the People´s Liberation Army (PLA) on it. A meeting of the Special Committee on September 17 had decided to form the secretariat immediately. The Maoists had also agreed then to speedily dissociate their ex-combatants from the party.

Similarly, the UCPN (Maoist) has proposed to hand over the cantonments to the Special Committee formed by the government for supervision, integration and rehabilitation of ex-Maoist fighters. This will take place in the second week after the process begins.

“The government and our party will organize a function to hand over the cantonments to the Special Committee in the presence of the international community,” Sharma, a PLA deputy commander, said, elaborating on the party´s plan.

Those combatants who opt for voluntary retirement will leave their respective cantonments and the remaining combatants will be regrouped for integration and rehabilitation, in the third week of the process.

Meanwhile, modalities for integration will be hammered out so that the whole process is completed within a month, according to the plan.

The Maoists also proposed to NC and CPN-UML leaders at the talks to disband YCL barracks if any within 10 days after an agreement is reached on the proposed plan.
Maoist Plan
• 1st week: Coordinator of secretariat to be named
• 2nd week: Cantonments to be handed over to Special Committee
• 3rd week: Regrouping of combatants for integration and rehabilitation
• 4th week: Formation of a coalition govt after implementation of the plan

In addition, Dahal presented a plan to the NC and UML to address the problem of property seized by Maoists during the conflict.

Sharma said the party has proposed three alternative mechanisms to handle the problem.

The mechanisms include: a) reactivating the parliamentary committee formed in 2008, b) formation of a high-level committee and c) return of property by the local administrations through consultations with parties at local level.

Any of the mechanisms can be used to return seized property, Sharma added.

Sharma said the Nepali Congress rejected the plan.

Asked why the NC opposed the Maoist plan, NC leader Dr Ram Sharan Mahat said all the leaders had a gentlemen´s agreement during the Gokarna talks not to divulge details of the talks in public.

According to a UML leader who participated in both meetings, Dahal´s plan was a verbal one.

At the Gokarna meeting, NC and the UML also proposed a separate plan to complete the peace process before the United Nations Mission in (UNMIN exits on January 15, 2011.
According to a source, the NC-UML proposal, like the Maoist plan, has set out a time-bound plan of action for each remaining task of the peace process that the parties plan to conclude by mid-January 2011.
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GOVT LENIENT TOWARDS CASINOS
Kathmandu 12 Nov.: The government that has been taking stringent measures to ensure tax compliance has been lenient toward casinos that have often been blamed for promoting social illsM Millan Mani Sharma and Sundar Khanal report in Republica.

Records at the Inland Revenue Department (IRD) show eight casinos operating in the country have never bothered to maintain discipline even when it comes to the settlement of tax liability. “They have an outstanding royalty worth Rs 350 million to settle this year,” said an official.

Casino Nepal has biggest dues of over Rs 100 million. Anna Casino has tax worth Rs 83.2 million to settle, while Casino Royal has Rs 31.7 million and Casino Tara has some Rs 26 million to settle to the government.

Each casino has to pay Rs 20 million per annum as royalty. As per the financial regulations, casino operators are required to settle it within first two months of the fiscal year. “However, none of the casinos ever comply,” said Mahesh Dahal, director general of Department of Revenue Investigation (DRI). On the other hand, revenue officials have been letting the casino operators get away with impunity.

So much so that a senior official of Inland Revenue Office (IRO) - sector 1 complained to Republica that the casino operators do not respond to their call for payment of taxes.

“They even treat our staff badly when they are sent for a follow-up,” he said, requesting not to be named. This statement of the senior tax official speaks volumes about the lack of efficiency and professionalism of the tax administration.

Meanwhile, Finance Secretary Rameshwor Khanal has directed IRD and DRI to initiate action against the casinos.

Casinos owe Rs 500m to hotels too!

Interestingly, Nepal Recreation Center (NRC) -- the manager of casinos in Nepal -- has troubled not just the tax officers. Hoteliers said it has not paid rentals to the hotels where the casinos are run.

“The hotels have an outstanding rent worth Rs 500 million to recover from the NRC. Unfortunately, it turns a deaf ear when asked to make payments,” said Madhav Om Shrestha, executive director of Hotels Association of Nepal (HAN).

What´s the status of NRC?

In Nepal, all the casinos are operated by NRC.

However, their operating licenses are issued under the names of the hotels where they operate. Hence, license agreements signed between the Ministry of Tourism and Civil Aviation (MoTCA) and hotels make the latter liable to settle taxes.

But the reality is the NRC functions as the owner of the casinos, shares a portion of financial benefits with the hotels and hoteliers want it to pay the taxes.

Meanwhile, Nepal Police had to drop the idea of issuing arrest warrants against casino owners that illegally entertain Nepali clients in the casinos on Thursday.

“We could not do so because Company Registrar´s Office (CRO) informed us that casinos are not registered under the ownership of NRC,” said Bhog Bahadur Thapa, Superintendent of Police (SP) and acting chief of Metropolitan Police Range Kathmandu (MPRK).
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SC OPTIONS WILL BEDEVIL NEMWANG
Kathmandu, 12 Nov.: Even after the Supreme Court verdict directing CA Chairman Subas Nembang and the Constituent Assembly to find an alternative to the futile prime ministerial elections, the question of executing the verdict remains an irksome issue, Ananta Raj Luitel writes in The Himalayan Times..

“Since the apex court did not issue a specific mandamus order, execution won’t be easy,” senior advocate Shree Hari Aryal said. “This judgment is not mandatory, it’s just a suggestion. That’s why it can’t be implemented easily, especially when political parties have different stances,” Aryal added.

Stating that even mandamus orders and directives are not implemented easily in the country, Aryal added that execution of an order with options was quite impossible. “Unless political parties support him, the Speaker can’t abide by the verdict,” Aryal added. The apex court forwarded the full text of its verdict today to Nembang with its three options — declare sole candidate Ram Chandra Paudel the PM; review the current polls process; and find a way to end the current constitutional and political impasse.

Nembang himself is not so enthusiastic about finding a solution. “I have emphasised time and again that we do not have other options except these at the business advisory committee meeting and in discussion with political leaders,” he said. “I have full respect for the verdict and this judgment will help me find a solution,” Nembang said, adding. “Now I will hold consultations with the parties in line with the verdict.”

The challenge before Nembang is to find a way because the verdict has clearly rejected his earlier interpretation of Rule 7 of the CA Rules, 2008 which speaks of continuing the poll. As SC has said his interpretation of the Rules is wrong, he will face further problems with his only one option losing morality and legality.

Senior advocate Shambhu Thapa does not see any option before Nembang but to respect the order. “He must declare the PM or give another valid and convincing alternative,” Thapa said adding, “He no longer has the option of holding election.”

Thapa emphasised that whether it is an ad hoc PM, an elected one or a confirmation of caretaker PM Madhav Nepal, he has to give a chief executive. “This is a constructive judgment. So, it should be recognised, as it has its own importance in judicial history,” Thapa claimed.
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CHILD, WOMEN SEXUAL ABUSE SOARING; REPORT





Kathmandu, 12 Nov.: As sex and matters relating to sex are still considered a taboo in the Nepalese society, many incidents of child and women sexual abuses remain unreported, giving more escape routes to the offenders, The Rising Nepal reports.
Such a situation has also encouraged the offenders in sexual abuse cases to continue to get involved in such incidents, putting the women and children in more vulnerable position in the society.
The Sexual Abuse Crime and Situation Report 2066/67, which was made public on Thursday by Women and Children Service Directorate under the Crime Investigation Department of Nepal Police, stated that the cases of child and women sexual abuses that were reported during the last 14 years revealed that some 1, 65,005 children and women from all over the country have fallen victims of various forms of crime.
The report estimated that the criminal activities, including sexual abuses, illegal abortions, domestic violence and some other activities against the women and children went up alarmingly in the fiscal year 2066/67 in comparison to the fiscal year 2053/54.
A total of 1,757 cases of crimes were reported in the fiscal year 1997/98 while such crimes reached up to1, 782 in the fiscal year 2009/2010, said the report.
The report, which has been prepared on the basis of cases filed at the Directorate since the 14 years of its establishment, said that a total 9,659 incidents of domestic violence against women and children were reported. There were a total 3,552 cases of rape and sexual abuses against women and children. The incidents of trafficking of women and children occupied the third place.
Deputy Inspector in General (DIG) Durga Singh said that a total of 477 cases of sexual abuses were reported at the Directorate. Among them 376 cases were of rape and remaining were reported for those of creating environment for the rape, she added.
Last fiscal year’s report showed the incidents of sexual abuses are high in the Eastern Region with a total of 146 cases. The report said that mostly the incidents of rape and sexual abuses took place during 12 noon to 6 pm.
Moreover, the report disclosed that women of 13-16 year age group are found to be more vulnerable to the sexual abuses. The women and children belonging to the Hindu families, students and those having agriculture background are the ones who often become the victims of sexual crime, the report disclosed.
The report which was prepared on the basis of the study conducted at five development regions revealed that a total of 582 offenders were found involved in 477 counts of sexual crimes during the last fiscal year. Among them, 466 were arrested, 116 have been enlisted in the police’s wanted list.
Likewise, the report said that most of the offenders belonged to the age group of 19-25 years and 26-35 years. Persons who are nominally literate are found involved in such sexual crimes, said the report.
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MRPs ARRIVE 19 NOV.
Kathmandu, 12 Nov.: After repeated delays and controversies, Nepal is finally preparing to bid adieu to the manually issued passports and adopt the Machine Readable Passports (MRPs). The first recipients of the MRPs will be Nepal’s top five dignitaries, Anil Giri reports in The Kathmandu Post..

According to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MoFA), the first MRPs will be handed to Nepal’s five Right Honorables - President Dr Ram Baran Yadav, Vice President Paramananda Jha, Prime Minister Madhav Kumar Nepal, Chairman of the Constituent Assembly Subas Chandra Nembang and Chief Justice Ram Prasad Shrestha on Nov. 19.

A four-hour meeting chaired by Foreign Secretary Madan Kumar Bhattarai on Thursday at MoFA decided to issue the first MRPs at a function to the five top officials. Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Sujata Koirala will sign the first five copies of passports to be issued to them.

“We will distribute MRPs on Nov. 19 to highest officials of the country. Gradually, we will start distributing to other officials and common people,” Harish Chandra Ghimire, assistant spokesperson at MoFA told the Post.

MoFA will start distributing the passports to the public after Dec. 15, ahead of the deadline of Dec. 31, 2010. “We are working out the feasible dates to issue the MRPs and accordingly, we will start collecting applications,” said Ghimire. Having missed the first deadline by 12 days, which meant that France-based Oberthur Technologies had to deliver the first consignment of MRPs by Nov. 4, the passports are reaching here on Nov.17.

“The cargo consignment of the passport is expected to fly from Paris on Nov. 14 and will likely land in Kathmandu on Nov. 17. After receiving the first consignment from Oberthur Technologies, we will start distributing passports from Nov. 19,” said a senior government official. The officials blamed that the Yemeni ‘terror plot’ of Oct.30 delayed the passport consignment.

The first consignment, which included 400,000 passports includes diplomatic, official, ordinary and travel documents from Paris.

Once the copies arrive here, MoFA will begin filling up personal details of aspirants with laminated technology. The key technical aspect of the MRP - establishment of personalisation centre - which deals with technical details and personal data and its security of any applicants, has been completed. The French firm, which had committed to pay penalty on a daily basis if it failed to deliver the passports by Nov. 4, has to pay fine for 12 days and it has agreed to pay up sources added.
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