PRESIDENT, UML CHAIRMAN DISCUSSIONS

Kathmandu, 26 Nov.: UML and NC Friday morning made separate calls to President Dr Ram Baran Yadav to convene a session of parliament soonest.
to end uncertainty created after the promulgation of a constitution through ordinance.
The parties made the request when UML Chairman Jhalanath Khanal and NC President Sushil Koirala held separate discussions with the president.
Khaanal told reporters after the meet the president was concerned with uncertainty prevailing in the country.
Koirala told Dr. Yadav the peace process had been sidelined and Maoists were behaving ‘irresponsibly’, according to the NC president.
The president and Speaker Subash Nemwang this week discussed convening parliament to approve the ordinance promulgating the budget and election of parliament of PM Madhav Kumar Nepal’s successor.
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MAOIST STANDING COMMITEE MEET BEGINS IN GORKHA

Kathmandu, 26 Nov.: Maoist standing committee began meeting Friday morning in Gorkha after group discussions were completed Thursday.
The committee is discussing remarks of Chairman Prachanda and Vice-chairmen Dr Baburam Bhattarai and Mohan Baidya to points raised by speakers, including former PLA fighters, in 30 groups.
The committee is also discussing preparing a single proposal for discussion at the full plenum session Friday.
The three top leaders have presented separate suggestions the party plenum should adopt to take the communist movement forward amid a prolonged political crisis.
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PASCOE ARRIVING; OTHER DETAILS

Kathmandu, 26 Nov.: UN Under-Secretary General for Political Affairs B.Lynn Pascoe arrives probably for this third and last visit from 2 to 4 December.
He arrives as UNMIN, the political arm of the UN in Nepal, prepares to leave 15 January 2011 even as the peace process between then parliamentary parties and Maoists hasn’t been implemented in four years.
He’ll report to the security council on the latest status of the peace process.
Pascoe will hold discussions in India prior to his Nepal arrival.
“Pascoe’s talks in India will focus on a range of regional and
international issues,” Faran Haq, Acting Spokesman of
Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon said in New York Wednesday.
Pascoe will be looking at the status of decision-making and
planning for integration and rehabilitation of Maoist
combatants and for ensuring an orderly withdrawal of UNMIN,
Haq added.
Meanwhile, security council working group for children and armed coflfict led by Chairman Claude Heller held separate discussions with
Defence Minister Bidya Bhadari and Army Chief Chatraman Singh
Gurung Thursday.
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PROGRESSIVE ALLIANCE FORMED

Kathmandu, 26 Nov.: Seven fringe parties in the constituent
assembly (CA) Thursday formed what they called a ‘progressive
alliance’ to complete the delayed peace process and draft a constitution.
NSP(Ananda Devi), CPN-ML, CPN-Unified, Rashtriya Janamukti Party, Nepal Rashtriya Party, Sanghiya Loktantrik Rashtriya
Manch and Nepali Janata Dal launched the alliance.
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SUPREME COURT INTERVENES

Kathmandu, 26 Nov. Supreme court intervened Thursday and
stopped government from withdrawing murder changes against
persons involved in the killing of Bhutanese refugee leader
RK Budhathiki who was killed 2058 24 Bhadra.
A writ was filed Wednesday by Bhutan People’s Party leader
Balaram Paudel.
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UNMIN’S ATTENTION DRAWN

Kathmandu, 25 Nov.: Peace and reconstruction ministry wrote a letter to UNMIN Representative Karin Landgrin Thursday drawing her attention to the presence of former PLA fighters at the 6th plenum in Gorkha,
The fighters presented their views at the jamboree Thursday.
UNMIN told Maoists the presence of representatives at the plenum would be a violation of the 12-point peace accord between the parliamentary parties and Maoists who disregarded the UN request not to let fighters participate in the party meet.
Ruling parties opposed the participation by the 19,000 fighters.
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SUSHIL KOIRALA RETRACTS STATEMENT

Kathmandu, 26 Nov.: NC President Sushil Koirala said
Thursday his recent remark he’ll push one person, one post
concept in the party was his personal view.
The issue has to be decided by the party, he Told a function in the capital.
Koirala has only appointed three-time prime minister Sher Bahadur Deuba member of the central working committee which is likely to meet Sunday.
He can appoint 21 members to the CWC.
The just concluded party convention has elected only three office bearers including general secretary Prakash Man Singh.
Vice-president and parliamentary party leader Ram Chandra Paudel opposed Koirala’s view.
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TRADE, COMMERCE, ECONOMY

$20 MILLION ADB GRANT FOR FARMERS

Kathmandu, 26 Nov.: Board of directors of the Asian Development Bank (ADB) has approved a grant of US$ 20.1 million for the Raising Incomes of Small and Medium Farmers Projectm an announcement said.

The project will support nearly 900 farmer groups in 10 districts in western Nepal.
It will help the poorest farmers shift production from traditional low-earning crops to high-value commodities, resulting in improved quality of life and incomes for nearly 19,000 households.

“This initiative will sharply increase the production of high-value commodities in target areas, resulting in greater profitability for farmers, including many women,” said Ahsan Tayyab, head, project administration unit in ADB’s South Asia Department.

“The project design will help catalyze private sector investment and establish strategic market linkages, and by 2017 the 7,500 hectares of land contracted to produce high value commodities will have estimated annual output of 64,500 tons with a projected retail value of US$ 31 million,” said Tayyab.
The grant from ADB’s concessional Asian Development Fund will cover 60 percent of the total investment cost of almost US$ 34 million.

The government of Nepal will provide US$ 5.3 million and the Netherlands Development Organisation, SNV, US$ 490,000 to cover the project’s agribusiness and value-chain backstopping package.

The Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperatives will be the executing agency for the project, which is due for completion in June 2018.
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DRESS ALLOWANCE FOR TEACHERS, OFFICIALS

Kathmandu, 26 Nov.: Government has set aside Rs. 1.33 billion in the budget as dress allowance for employees and teachers.
No salary hike as demanded was announced.
Officials and teachers will get a Rs. 7,500 annual allowance.
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CIVIL BANK STARTS OPERATIONS

Kathmandu, 26 Nov.: Civil Bank, the country’s 30th commercial bank, started operations Friday from Classic Complex in Kamaladi with a paid-up capital of Rs 2.6 billion.
Forty percent shares has been set aside for the public.
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NEPAL BLAMED FOR BIHAR FLOODS

Kathmandu, 26 Nov.: Blaming rivers that flow from Nepal for the floods in Bihar in India, the Indian government on Thursday said it has proposed construction of five high dams in Nepal to tame rivers that wreak havoc in 22 of the 28 districts of the state every year.

“All the districts in north Bihar suffer from floods almost every year due to rivers flowing from Nepal,” Minister of State for Water Resources, Vincent H. Pala said in a written reply in the Rajya Sabha on Thursday.

India is in continuous negotiations with the Nepal government to construct high dams on the rivers Mahakali, Karnali, Saptakoshi, Kamala and Bagmati, Pala told the Indian Upper House.

The field work of the Sapta Koshi Multipurpose Project is moving ahead at a snail’s pace and completion of the task has been deferred many times due to security concerns.

“There exists an India-Nepal Joint Committee on Water Resources headed by Secretaries from both sides to hold talks on bilateral water resource projects. In order to prevent spilling of flood waters in rivers Bagmati, Kamala, Lalbakeya and Khando rivers, India is providing financial assistance to Nepal for raising, strengthening and extending flood embankments on these rivers to tie them with high grounds in Nepal,” Pala said.

He also informed the House of an agreement to provide financial assistance for the construction of a 19.86-km embankment along the Gagan river in Nepal to close the breach and revive the original course of the river and to prevent inundation in Nepal and neighbouring areas of Bihar.
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THREE JUDGES UNDER SCRUTINY

Kathmandu, 25 Nov.: A high-level probe committee formed to investigate controversial judicial decisions to release murderers and kidnappers against very low bail has concluded that the three incumbent judges involved should have sentenced the culprits to jail
terms instead, Republica reports.

According to a Judicial Council (JC) member, a probe committee headed by Supreme Court Justice Bala Ram KC found that SC Justice Rana Bahadur Bam, Biratnagar Appellate Court Judge Hari Bahadur Basnet and Hetauda Appellate Court Judge Tej Bahadur Karki had released notorious offenders on many occasions.

The committee has concluded that Sanjay Shrestha, Rohit Paliwan Agrawal and Bhimsen Pandit, who were repeatedly arrested on kidnap and murder charges, were freed on bail under controversial orders issued by the three judges at different times.

"Evidence shows that the judges were involved in releasing culprits, overruling the decisions of quasi-judicial bodies to convict them," reads the committee report submitted at the JC Thursday, adding, "The judges should have sentenced the culprits to jail terms instead of releasing them on very low bail."

Shrestha, Agrawal and Pandit have also been accused of kidnapping Dr Bhaktaman Shrestha a few months ago.

The JC had initiated investigations into Justices Bam, Basnet and Karki following the arrest of the three on the charge of kidnapping Dr Shrestha. The three have claimed that they bribed the judges many times in the past also.

Police filed cases against the three on many ocasions on charges of murder and kidnap in different parts of the country. But they were freed on bail every time.

Evidence collected by the probe committee shows that a division bench of Justices Bam and Basnet, the former in his capacity as chief judge at Patan Appellate Court, had released the three on Rs 100,000 bail, overruling the Kathmandu District Administration Office, which had slapped three years in jail and Rs 22,000 fine on each of them for possessing arms and ammunition.

The three were arrested again on kidnap charges but a single bench of Kathmandu District Court Judge Tej Bahadur Karki released them on bail although they had confessed to police that they were involved in kidnapping and possession of arms and ammunition.

Based on initial evidence, the JC suspended Judge Karki two months ago.

The JC formed the probe committee on July 15.

The source said the JC will recommend to parliament to take action against Bam as per existing law while the JC itself will decide the punishment for Basnet and Karki.
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SRI LANKAN PRESIDENT ASKED TO MEDIATE NEPAL DISPUTE?

Kathmandu, 26 Nov. Sri Lankan foreign minister has claimed President Dr Ram Baran Yadav has asked his President Mahinda Rajapaksa to
Mediate in the political crisis, Kantipur reports.
The foreign minister told this to parliament Thursday.
According to the foreign minister, the request was made during a two-day visit of the Sri Lankan president to China one month ago.
President Yadav has also gone to China to attend the Shanghai Expo.
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PLA FIGHTERS DEMAND CLEAR CONCEPT ON INTEGRATION

Kathmandu, 26 Nov.: UCPN (Maoist) told leaders at the party
plenum to forward clear concepts for a revolution or fighter
integration, Bhoj Raj Bhatta and Manoj Adhikari report in Nagarik for Nagarik.
They warned leaders not to be negligent in the name of army integration.
On the fifth day of the plenum Thursday, commanders demanded a clear
work schedule to clear the camps soonest.
According to integration committee member and party in-charge Barsha Man Pun, they urged early integration.
“Say whether there’ll or there won’t be integration. Clear concept
on army integration should come and say whether that will be implemented or not,” Pun told reporters.
They fighters were divided in their support for three leaders.
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DANG DECLARED PROTECTED DISTRICT FOR EAGLES

Kathmandu, 26 Nov.: Dang is being declared a protected district
for eagles Friday, Annapurna Post reports.
Government is declaring 13 districts protected districts for the endangered eagles.
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