DEB KUMARI THAPA DEAD

DEB KUMARI THAPA DEAD

Kathmandu, 6 May: Deb Kumari Thapa died Thursday in Biratnagar.
She was 83.
Thapa authored more than a dozen children books.
She was born in Khurseong, Darjeeling, India.
Deb Kumari was a recipient of Gorkha Dakshin Bahu and
Mahendra Ratna Bushan.
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UN BODY PUTS GDP GROWTH AT 4 PERCENT

Kathmandu, 6 May: Nepal’s gross domestic product (GDP) growth in 2011 will grow by four percent, UN Economic and Social Commission for Asia and Pacific (UNESCAP) projects.
Government’s own forecast is 3.47 percent GDP growth.
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MEDIA GOOGLE

“I fell he’ll widen the trail I dug into a highway. I also advised him to fight against corruption.”

(Superannuated Chief Justice Ram Prasad Shrestha’s advise tohissuccessor, Kantipur, 6 May)

‘Nepal’s communists are far away from Marx. The rule of proletariats can’t come here.”

(Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Upendra Yadav, Kantipur, 6 May)

‘Party chairman proposed I become minister being a woman also from the Newar community. I said there are also other capable friends who should be given responsibility.”

(Hishila Yami, Naya Patrika, 6 May)
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DINESH ADHIKARI CHARI RELEAED AMID HEAVY PRESSURE

Kathmandu, 6 May: Government office here was open until eight at night here Wednesday for an accused, Pratima Banskota writes in Kantipur.
Administration opened the office beyond normal hours to release Dinesh Adhikari Chari arrested with khukri and sword 15 days earlier.
An official said there was pressure for his release not only on police but also on the CDO and government lawyers.
Chari is UML Dhading constituency no. 1 deputy chairman.
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BAIDHYA THREATENS TO RECALL HISSOLE LOYALISTS FROM GOVT.

Kathmandu, 6 May: Senior Vice-chairman of UCPN (Maoist) Mohan Baidya has warned party Chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal that his faction will recall its sole minister -- Khadga Bahadur Biswakarma - and not cooperate over outstanding issues related to constitution writing if the portfolios for ministers from the party are not reshuffled, Kiran Pun reports in Republica.

Baidya issued the warning during a meeting with Chairman Dahal at the latter´s residence at Nayabazar on Thursday, a day after Dahal recommended "less important ministerial portfolios" for ministers from the Baidya faction in the fresh cabinet expansion. Baidya was accompanied by party Secretary CP Gajurel during the meeting.

Talking to Republica, Baidya said the chairman has assured them that he would settle the issue as per the understanding reached earlier.

Dahal had earlier agreed to give the Ministry of Information and Communications to Khadga Bahadur Bishwakarma and Tourism and Civil Aviation to Mahendra Paswan. "The chairman has assured us that he would settle the issue by tomorrow [Friday] morning. He has told us that he would arrange a fresh oath-taking ceremony after settling the issue of ministerial portfolios," Gajurel told Republica.

Jayapuri Gharti and Mahendra Paswan from the Baidya faction were appointed Minister for Women, Children and Social Welfare and Minister for Supplies and Industry, respectively. Dhurba Kumar Limbu was appointed state minister without allocating any portfolio. The three did not take the oath of office and secrecy, protesting the party chairman´s decision.

The Baidya faction is the least impressed despite assurances from Chairman Dahal. "We are likely to recall the only minister from our camp if Dahal does not correct the decision on allocation of portfolios," said a leader from Baidya´s camp.

A source said the Baidya faction has made up its mind to stick to its stance on various contentious issues that surfaced during the constitution-drafting process. Chairman Dahal has relinquished the party´s stance on a number of these issues.

The Baidya faction has alleged that Dahal relinquished the party´s stance on various agenda items concerning the new constitution even though that agenda had already been passed by majority at the various thematic committees under the Constituent Assembly. "We will keep our stance intact on all these contentious issues although Chairman Dahal has compromised on a number of agenda matters that the party had adhered to for so long," said a party leader belonging to the Baidya faction.
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JEMC THREATENS TO STOP PRINTING TEXTBOOKS





Kathmandu, 6 May: The Janak Education Materials Centre (JEMC), Sanothimi, Thursday warned that the centre would stop printing school level text books from Friday as it ran short of paper rolls over indecision to open tender in time, The Rising Nepal reports.
JEMC said this at a time when it had owned up the responsibilities to fulfill the demand of government school text books across the districts through government assigned book depots and centres.
Ram Chandra Silwal, Managing Director of JEMC, speaking at a press conference told journalists that the centre would not print any text books from Friday as the centre lacked any further or extra papers for printing the books of different grades.
"We have now no further stock of papers for printing the text books after our tender bid process was halted at the Ministry of Education," Silwal said at an interaction programme held by the Education Journalists Network Nepal (EJON).
The Ministry of Education is regarded as a major body in giving approval for calling tender bids for purchasing papers required for JEMC, MD Silwal clarified.
Currently, the decision has been pending at the Ministry following indifference from Minister of Education Ganga Lal Tuladhar.
According to Silwal, annually the JEMC has been buying 4,000 metric tons of papers through tender bids but this year the paper went short as the demand for textbooks increased tremendously.
The JEMC is currently in dire need of paper rolls for printing the text books at the earliest possible, he said.
So far, the JEMC had sold 16,000,000 sets of textbooks which have been dispatched to the concerned districts to meet the demands. The projection was to print 24,400,000 books this year, Silwal added.
Janardan Nepal, joint secretary of the Ministry of Education, however, blamed that JEMC had said so and started the tender process for buying paper rolls after JEMC failed to fulfill the demand of the market.
"It would not be logical for calling a tender process at this critical juncture. JEMC should have already been aware and cautious about fixed projections on how much quantities of paper rolls the JEMC required annually," joint secretary Nepal said.
JEMC has got the capacity to print 30,000,000 books annually, informed Silwal.

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