PM. PRACHANDA MEET INCONCLUSIVE

Kathmandu, 8 Feb.: A meeting between Prime Minister Jhalanath Khanal and Maoist Chairman Tuesday on assembling a government was inconclusive,
They agreed to meet again Wednesday.
Maoists demanded the home ministry portfolio claimed by UML
Khanal took his oath of office from the president Sunday without the cabinet.
Maoist standing committee is meeting later Tuesday to select its government team.
The share market Monday couldn’t sustain a 6.9 point gain in stock prices Sunday following the installation of Khanal as government chief; the market lost five points Monday.
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NEPAL ENTERS FINAL OF ACC U-19 ELITE CUP CRICKET TOURANAMENT

Kathmandu, 8 Feb.: Three-time champion Nepal beat Qatar by six wickets Tuesday in the ACC U-19 Elite Cricket tournament in Bangkok.
Nepal will play Afghanistan Saturday in the final..
Nepal bowled out Qatar for 113 runs in 47 overs; Nepal scored 114 runs.
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KOSI, MECHI DISTRICTS HIT BY STRIKE

Kathmandu, 8 Feb.: Normal life was disturbed in districts of Kosi and Mechi anchals Tuesday with continued strike by Limbuwan Federation demanding release of arrested leaders.
The Federation has been protesting distribution of digitalized voter ID cards by the election commission for the last four days.
Transport entrepreneurs also joined the strike after a minibus was vadalized in Dhankuta.
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PREMIER MOVES INTO BALAUWATAR

Kathmandu, 8 Feb.: Prime Minister Jhalanath Khanal Monday moved into the official residence of the government chief at Baluwatar from his home in Dallu.
Khanal and his wife conducted puja before the residence.
Outgoing Prime Minister Madhav Kumar Nepal moved out of Baluwatar to his residence in Koteshwor Sunday.
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SHARASHWATI PUJA OBSERVED

Kathmandu, 8 Feb.: Basanta panchami and Sharashwati puja was observed Tuesday—heralding the onset of indication spring.
Devotees flocked to Sharashwati temples and offered worship to the Goddess of Learning.
President Dr. Ram Baran Yadav listened to the chanting of Basanta shravan by priests at Hanuman Dhoka with the onset of spring.
Toddlers were initiated into writing Tuesday.
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NSP LEADER EXPELLED

Kathmandu, 8 Feb.: NSP General Secretary Ail Kumar Jha was expelled from the party Sunday for anti-party activities accusing him for attempting to split the party.
The party executive committee meet took the decision.
The party is led by Rajendra Mahoto.
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CITIZENSHIP A MUST SAYS SUPREME COURT

Kathmandu, 8 Feb.: A three-member special bench of the supreme court Monday ruled citizenship certificate is mandatory to acquire a digitalized voter ID card currently being distributed by the election commission.
Following protests, particularly from terai-based parties, the commission
3 November retracted its original decision to distribute citizenship certificates against presentation of citizenship certificates only.
The commission said several million non-citizens voted in the April 2008 constituent assembly elections.
Digitalized voter ID cards are currently being distributed to prevent
non-citizens from casting votes in the next national election which should be held after promulgation of a constitution to institutionalize a declared republic.
The commission succumbed to pressures and decided to distribute voter ID cards on presentation of other documents or suggestion from VDCs.
ID cards are currently being distributed in 71 of the country’s 75 districts.
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MAOIST, UML YOUTH LEADER SHOT DEAD

Kathmandu, 8 Feb.: Paltu Shah, 45, a Maoist village leader was shot
dead at Yagyabhumi in Dhanusha Sunday by an unknown group.
He was shot while he was asleep in his home.
Bhuva Karki , a UML youth leader, of was shot dead Monday night in Itahari.

NO MINISTERIAL REPRESENTATION AT SAARC MEET

Kathmandu, 8 Feb. Nepal will not be represented by a foreign minister at a meeting of the eight-nation SAARC council of ministers in Thimpu, Bhutan,
Nepal will be represented by Foreign Secretary Madan Bhattarai.
Nepali Congress has opted to stay in the opposition after the election of Prime Minister Jhalanath Khanal who has yet to assemble a government.
Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Sujata Korala led the NC team in the outgoing government of Madhav Kumar Nepal.
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USAID ASSIST FOR WATER, SANITATION Mid-WEST AND FAR-WEST

Kathmandu, 8 Feb.: USAID recently began two new projects directly with two local Nepali organizations to improve access to water, sanitation, and hygiene for more than 65,000 people in Nepal’s mid- and far-western regions. These Nepali organizations bring local expertise and will contribute 10% of their own resources, ensuring community engagement and support. the US embassy.

The first project – School-Led Safe Water, Sanitation and Hygiene Improvement project – (SWASTHA) will benefit approximately 45,000 people in the mid-west. The second – Safe Practices on Water, Sanitation and Hygiene project (Safe-WASH) – will improve access to safe drinking water and sanitation facilitates and provide training on environmental sanitation, personal hygiene, irrigation and kitchen gardening to 27,000 rural people in the far-west.

Regarding the launch of the two new programs, Jed Meline, Acting Mission Director of USAID/Nepal, remarked, “The socio-economic development, including access to water and sanitation, of these two regions lags far behind the rest of the country. New reforms at USAID, called USAID-Forward, encourage us to work directly with local organizations. These two projects are excellent examples of how local expertise and buy-in will ensure a better development outcome when working in these particularly challenging areas with some of the poorest and most vulnerable people.”

The poor situation of sanitation and health, particularly in the mid-western region, was exposed in 2009 when a cholera epidemic claimed the lives of more than 300 people. These two projects will help prevent such epidemics in the future, in addition to improving the well-being of some of the most vulnerable rural Nepalese.

The $345,200 SWASTHA program includes an integrated community-based water, sanitation and hygiene campaign to achieve “SWASTHA” communities, where all households have toilets, use household water treatment systems, and practice hygienic behavior. In addition to the 45,000 people that will benefit, 54 schools will also benefit from improved child-friendly and gender-sensitive water, sanitation and hygiene facilities. This program will be implemented by the Environment and Public Health Organization (ENPHO), which will contribute approximately $33,200 of its own funds.

The goal of the $449,900 Safe-WASH program is to contribute to the well-being of rural communities through equitable access to and efficient use of water resources and safe hygiene practices. The program will be implemented by the Social Empowerment and Building Accessibility Centre Nepal (SEBAC), which will contribute approximately $40,900 of its own funds.
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34 NEPALIS STRANDED IN IRAQ

Kathmandu, 8 Feb.: Thirty-four Nepali workers have been stranded in Iraq, Gorkhapatra reports.
Persons close to the workers said Iraqi ad Nepali agents are out of
touch.
The agents have gone missing with the passports of the workers.
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DETAILS ON UML STANDING COMMITTEE MEET



Kathmandu, Feb. 8 - The standing committee meeting of ruling CPN-UML Monday endorsed the seven-point deal struck with UCPN-Maoist, The Rising Nepal reports.
"The meeting approved the agreement reached between UML and the Maoists," said Vice-chairman Ashok Rai talking to The Rising Nepal.
The meeting, held at the Prime Minister’s official residence late this evening, discussed the deal between UML chair Jhala Nath Khanal and Maoist chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal Prachanda.
Some of the party’s standing committee members termed the agreement ‘illusionary’ and demanded to rectify it.
However, party’s played down the criticism about the agreement. "Such thing is normal in the party system."
It also decided to hold the meeting between the UML and the Maoists in order to clear controversy besetting the Maoist claim to Home Ministry.
According to a ‘clandestine’ agreement between the UML and the Maoists before the PM’s election, they agreed to give Home Ministry to the Maoists and the Defense to the UML.
Rai said that the meeting extensively discussed on the division of portfolios but could not arrive at conclusion.
"The discussions were about future strategy, power-sharing and concluding the peace process," he added.
The meeting will continue tomorrow[ Tuesday].

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UML OKAYS SEVEN-POINT DEAL -

Kathmandu, 8 Feb.: Following heated discussions, the CPN-UML Standing Committee (SC) late on Monday decided to endorse the seven-point deal that the party chairman signed with the UCPN (Maoist) ahead of the prime ministerial election last week. However, some amendments will be made in the pact after consultations with the Maoists, The Kathmandu Post reports.

The meeting decided to rephrase the wordings of the deal to ensure that a) all the parties that join the coalition get an opportunity to lead the government on rotational basis, b) the alliance is not a Left alliance but a broad based one and c) that the parties agree to write a “federal democratic constitution” and not a people’s democratic constitution as stated in the deal.

“The meeting endorsed the decision with some amendments and further discussions will be held with the Maoists soon,” UML Vice Chairman Bam Dev Gautam said.

Earlier, the SC stood sharply divided after newly-elected Prime Minister Jhala Nath Khanal proposed the endorsement of the accord. Former Prime Minister and senior UML leader Madhav Kumar Nepal and K. P. Oli opposed the deal saying that it was signed by “keeping the party in the dark.” The Nepal-Oli

faction seriously objected to the Dahal-Khanal agreement to form a separate security force for the integration of former Maoist combatants, and to lead the coalition government on a rotational basis. The Nepal-Oli faction also stressed that Khanal should not compromise with the Maoists by handing them the Home Ministry portfolio.

Though the Khanal faction said there had not been any agreement to hand over the Home Ministry to the Maoists, it defended the seven-point deal. The faction argued that as the chairman of the party, Khanal had every authority to take a call at that crucial time and strike an agreement with the Maoists “for the good of the party and the country”. “The time was so crucial and short that there was no other better way the party leadership could have acted,” said a leader close to Khanal.
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CHAND UNLIKELY TO JOIN GOVT.
Kathmandu, 8 Feb.: Despite pressure from the party establishment, Maoist leader Netra Bikram Chand is not likely to pick any powerful ministry under the new coalition, Republica reports.

According to sources, Chand has so far declined to join the government, for two reasons: 1) he is a hardliner who has always pushed for people´s revolt and joining the government would raise doubts over his commitment to a revolt; 2) he is ambitious and doesn´t want to tarnish his image as a weak minister for a few months.

"He would certainly join the government if doing so would help the revolution the party is bracing for. Since it will obviously not help the revolution, why are they pressuring him?" said one party leader close to Chand.

The Maoist hardliner is a popular figure among young party cadres and had taken on the responsibility of mobilizing youths during the so-called people´s revolt.

Those close to Chand smell a rat in Dahal´s move to send Chand into the coalition government.

"It is to dilute the party´s commitment to revolt. Dahal is playing a game to damage Chand´s reputation," said a leader from the hardline faction.

According to Chand´s associates, Dahal also doesn´t think that the party can seize state power through revolt, and he wants to block the party from going in that direction. "If Chand joins the government, his image would be damaged like those who have enmeshed themselves in dirty parliamentary politics."

Party sources say Chand turned down Dahal´s request to join the government the very next day after the prime ministerial election. Later Prime Minister Jhalanath Khanal also asked him to join the government, but to no avail.

Previously also, Chand declined to become a Constituent Assembly (CA) member under the party´s proportional representation.
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THAPA OR GARUREL MUST IN GOVT.: BAIDYA FACTION

Kathmandu, 8 Feb. 8: The Standing Committee meeting of the UCPN (Maoist) on Tuesday is likely to pick someone from among multiple candidates to head the party in the new coalition, Republica reprts.

"The party will decide its team leader by Tuesday or Wednesday after a power-sharing formula is worked out with the CPN-UML ," Maoist leader Shakti Basnet said.

Though leader Krishna Bahadur Mahara is the choice of the party establishment faction, the hard-line faction led by Senior Vice-chairman Mohan Baidya has thrown its weight behind General Secretary Ram Bahadur Thapa.

Thapa has currently taken a neutral position amidst the growing intra-party factionalism, but party leaders say he has always been loyal to Baidya behind the scene. During the famous Kharipati meeting, Thapa had taken neutral stance.

According to sources, the hard-line faction has also floated the name of party Secretary C P Gajurel as an alternative to Thapa to head the Maoist team in the government.

“The Baidya faction is not happy with Mahara as he openly backed Chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal in the Palungtar plenum. So the faction is backing either Thapa or Gajurel,” said a Maoist leader close to Baidya. Mahara had apparently been a supporter of Baidya before the Palungtar plenum.

Similarly, Gajurel enjoys the support of Dr Baburam Bhattarai-led faction, which has argued that he has lately played a responsible role in the party. Gajurel was against taking action against Bhattarai in the recent series of intra-party disputes.

Another contender in the fray is Dev Gurung, who is close to Baidya. But none of the factions has openly backed Gurung as he never shows flexibility while dealing with other parties.

Party insiders say Dahal is likely to pick Mahara from among the multiple contenders as the latter has lately become the chairman´s most trusted confidant in the party.
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BUDDHA AIR SUSPENDS BHUTAN OPERATIONS

Kathmandu 8 Deb.Buddha Air has ssuspended its Bhutan opeations.
The airline was the only foreign carier flying to Paro, a publshed report said.
Bhutan was discouraging citizens not to fly Nepali carriers after17 Bhutanese citizens wwere killed dlast year in an aircrash.
Operations were suspended followng drop in Bhutanese departures to Nepal from Paro.
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