DR.N.C.RAI DEAD

PRESIDENT’S YOUNGER AUNT DEAD

Kathmandu, 16 May: Shilkala Debi Yadav, President Dr. Ram Baran Yadav’s younger aunt, died Monday morning.
She was 85 and died at her village in Dhanusha
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DR.N.C. RAI DEAD

Kathmandu, 16 May: Senior ophthalmologist Dr.N.C Rai died Sunday.
at his residence in Lalitpur
Dr Rai was suffering cancer
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VOTER REGISTRATION CAMPAIGN DISRUPTED IN EAST
Kathmandu, 16 May: Election Commission today halted voters’ ID card updation in nine eastern districts — Sunsari, Morang, Jhapa, Ilam, Panchthar, Taplejung, Sankhuwasabha, Terhathum and Dhankuta — following the obstruction from Federal Limbuwan State Council, affiliated to Federal Democratic National Forum, and Samyukta Madhesi Morcha., Ratna Prasad Acharya writes in The Himalayan Times from Dharan

Sources at District Election Offices said they

halted voters’ ID updation after SMM and FLSC activists attacked EC employees in the field and seized election material.

Aswin Pokharel, chief, Sunsari District Election Office, said his office was forced to halt the work after SMM and Limbuwan activists assaulted EC officials and took laptops, cameras and other election-related material, adding that his office cannot resume the task unless the government guarantees security.

Accountant Ashok Kafle of Taplejung District Election Office said his office halted the work due to unfavourable environment, while Binod Kumar Dahal, chief, Morang District Election Office, blamed it on the obstruction from Madhesi parties in the southern parts of the district and Limbuwan activists’ resistance in the north.

Yadav Timilsina, non-gazetted second-class officer at Dhankuta District Election Office, said Limbuwan activists had looted two sets of laptop, and Jhapa Election Office chief Manoj Kumar Thakur conceded the work was hindered by the obstruction from Limbuwan cadres.

Panchthar District Election Office computer operator Ram Prasad Ghimire said two soldiers deployed per team in the field were not enough.

Binod Singh, Deputy Inspector General of Police, Eastern Regional Police Office, Biratnagar, said those involved in looting the EC materials and attack would be punished, while pledging to provide security to employees.

Central General Secretary of Federal Limbuwan State Council Surya Makhim said they had obstructed the EC’s work after FLSC’s grievances fell on deaf ears. Makhim warned of stringent protest and grave consequences if EC went ahead with their work.

Meanwhile, Acting Chief Election Commissioner Neelkantha Uprety has called upon political parties and the government to resolve the problem.

“We have tried on our part to resolve the problem but we could not manage, as they have been demanding a separate state,” Uprety said.
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HOW MANY UNIVERSITIES NEEDED?





Kathmandu, 16 May At a time when three universities are yet to come into operation even a year after the parliament approved bills to establish them, various education related bodies have taken initiative to set up yet another new university, Manjima Dhakal writes in The Rising Nepal.
Agriculture and Forestry University, Far Western University and Mid-Western University could not come into operation even after the parliament approved their bills when the government failed to appoint the officials.
An application was submitted by an Ad hoc committee in the Ministry of Education (MoE) Sunday to set up an Engineering and Technical University.
The committee submitted the application claiming that it has adequate infrastructure to set up the purposed university at Mastaar in Dhading district.
Chairman of ad hoc committee Shiva Prasad Adhikari said that the university would be set up in an area of 224 ropanis 50 kilometres away from the capital.
Similarly, applications were submitted in different agencies of MOE to set up other six universities including St. Xaviers University, Public Campus University, Open University, Kirati University two Dean Universities on Health and Law.
Likewise, bills to set up four universities-- Nepalgunj University, Birgunj University, Rajarsi Janak University and Madan Bhandari Industrial University are in the parliament.
The MoE would send all new applications to the University Grants Commission (UGC), which will constitute a feasibility study committee to find whether the proposed universitiescan be set up. It will later send its recommendation based on the reports of the committee to the Ministry.
If the UGC sends a positive report, the Ministry will table a proposal in the cabinet before it tables the bill in parliament. By passing these lengthy processes, bills to set up four universities have already been to the parliament
Dr. Roj Nath Pandey, Deputy Secretary at MoE, said that because of the growing awareness among the citizens, the ministry was receiving proposals to set up more new universities. He added, "If the new universities get good leadership, many Nepalese youths will benefit from them."
The UGC has already allocated budget for the seven universities. However, the budget of four universities is in the freezing condition as the parliament has not yet passed their bills and of the three due to lack of officials.
Meanwhile, the government Sunday appointed Ganesh Gurung to the post of chairman of the UGC and Bhola Pokharel as its member secretary. The UGC was without leadership for the past ten months.

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FRESH ANTI-MONEY LAUNDERING SUGGESTIONS
Kathmandu, 16 May: With looming risk of being blacklisted, Nepal has made fresh commitments to the Financial Action Taskforce (FATF) on anti-money laundering (AML) and combating the financing of terrorism (CFT), The Kathmandu Post reports.
In a meeting of FATF’s Asia Pacific Regional Review Group in Macau, Nepal has pledged to complete the mutual evaluation report by May 25 and give final shape to the five-year strategy plan on AML. A high-level government team including the central bank governor, finance secretary and law secretary had gone to Macau on May 11 to attend the meeting.
“We assured that we will complete the mutual evaluation report by May 25 and send it to The Asia Pacific Group on Money Laundering (APG) and prepare the five-year strategy on AML in next three weeks,” said Finance Secretary Krishna Hari Banskota.
As per the commitments, the Parliament of Nepal has to endorse two international conventions— UN Convention against Terrorist Financing and UN Convention against Organised Crime— along with two bills— Anti-Money Laundering Act (First Amendment) and Mutual Legal Assistance— to avoid the possibility of being blacklisted. “We told them that we will get the Anti-Money Laundering Act (First amendment) and two UN conventions endorsed by the Parliament at the earliest,” said Banskota.
According to Banskota, FATF’s experts were convinced by Nepal’s efforts regarding AML. “However, FATF’s annual meeting to be held in Mexico from June 23 to June 25 will decide whether to blacklist Nepal,” said Banskota.
Nepal had assured to both Asia Pacific Group on Money Laundering (APG) and FATF that it will fulfill its commitments within December 2010, but failed. Political turmoil in the country has stalled the initiatives taken by the government. Such is the situation that except the Extradition Bill, the other bills have only reached the Parliament. The Cabinet is yet to endorse the Extradition Bill.
Nepal is under international scrutiny for its ‘failure’ to live up to its AML commitments. In 2010, the taskforce had dispatched two letters to the government, asking it to act fast on anti-money laundering measures. An FATF plenary held in Paris from Feb. 20 to Feb. 22 had asked Nepal to comply with anti-money laundering measures within four months.
FATF’s annual meeting may blacklist Nepal if it fails to meet all its commitments regarding AML and CFT by June 7. APG Executive Secretary Gordon Hook, during his recent visit to Nepal, had also warned of blacklisting Nepal.
In case of getting blacklisted, Nepal will find it difficult to get foreign aid from international organisations like the World Bank and International Monetary Fund. Foreign banks may not trust the letters of credit (LC) issued by Nepali banks.
Last year, FATF had categorised Nepal among 20 countries as seriously deficient in combating money laundering and terrorist financing, alleging that Nepal was posing a risk to the international financial system.
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HONEYMOON THAT NEVER WAS
Kathmandu, 16 May: The new government completed its first 100 days on Sunday, but Prime Minister Jhalanath Khanal doesn´t seem to be moving toward achieving the targets he set for himself after entering Baluwatar. Khanal had, back then, stated that reaching national consensus on peace and constitution would be his prime responsibility, but he has so far been unsuccessful. Republica writes

Prime minister´s press advisor Surya Thapa argues that this government, formed in a difficult phase of transition, should not be evaluated like the one formed during normal times.
The government has moved ahead despite non-cooperation and stiff opposition from inside and outside the party,” says Thapa.

The trouble for the government began immediately after it was formed when the “secret” seven-point deal between Khanal and Maoist Chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal became public.

The controversial seven-point deal, which aimed at polarization of the leftist parties and completing the peace process and constitution drafting through a two-thirds majority, not only alienated the prime minister within his own party, the main opposition Nepali Congress (NC) and others also felt suspicious and sidelined.

“Since the basis on which the government was formed came under controversy, it could not take any steps toward forging national consensus,” says UML Central Committee (CC) member Jaganath Khatiwada.

The deal also created a rift in his party with the party factions led by Madhav Kumar Nepal and KP Oli routinely attacked the prime minister in public. But Khanal not only failed to convince his party-men, but courted another controversy by giving the home ministry to the Maoists, which was against the party standing committee´s decision.

The latest cabinet decision to table a bill on CA term extension without taking the opposition parties into confidence was another step taken by his government that ruffled the feathers of opposition parties.

“We had not expected much from this government. But it also failed to forge minimum understanding between the parties on consensus,” says Maoist lawmaker Hari Rokka. But Rokka adds that the government was not in a condition to do anything due to unfavorable political atmosphere.

During its honeymoon period, the peace process became stagnant. There were only two meetings of the Special Committee for the Integration and Rehabilitation of the Maoist combatants. All the Special Committee did was form a four-member taskforce to take decision on the issues related to integration, including the number, modality, standard norms and rehabilitation packages. The taskforce also met twice but could not take any concrete decision.

But there were some agreements on the constitution drafting front. The subcommittee formed under the Constitutional Committee (CC) brought down the number of contentious issues from 75 to 31, though the major issues remained unresolved.

The prime minister´s aides agree that the government could not work as expected as much of its energy was spent in giving it a full shape. It took three months for the current government to get its full shape and some ministers have not yet taken an oath of office.

The prime minister´s advisor Thapa argues that the prime minister has, however, zeroed in on peace and constitution. “He is creating the basis for completing the peace process and constitution drafting. And he nearly has two-thirds majority for it,” he says.
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