SPECIAL COMMITTEE MEET INCONCLUSIVE

ANOTHER Rs. 2 BILLION GOVT, LOAN TO IMPORT POL PRODUCTS

Kathmandu, 7 May: Government Friday extended Nepal Oil Corporation (NOC) another Rs 2 billion loan through Karmachari Sanchaya Kosh,
The loan was extended to ease the energy crisis.
Indian Oil Corporation (IOC) has limited POL supplies with failure of NOC to settle its dues with its only supplier.
Market has been experiencing shortages for nearly one month.
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WOMEN THREATEN STIR WITHOUT ADEQUATE REPRESENTATION

Kathmandu, 7 May: Women lawmakers threatened Friday to launch a stir struggle demanding one-third representation in government.
Jayapuri Gharti, who was appointed cabinet minister Thursday but refused to take her oath of office and secrecy, was among the legislators who threatened the strike.
Gharti stayed away from the swearing-in ceremony arguing there’s a provision in the interim constitution for block representation of women in government.
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MODALITY AND NORMS FOR MOIST INTEGRATION

Kathmandu, 7 May: Prime Minister Jhalanath Khanal, at a meeting of a special committee on integration, resettlement and supervision of Maoist armies he heads, asked a task force under it to finalize a modality and norms for integration by 15 May.
The meeting was inconclusive.
The committee met after six weeks as the second deadline to promulgate a constitution by 28 May won’t be met for the second time in three years.
Maoist committee member Barsha Man Pun, who resigned as peace minister after he wasn’t appointed home minister in a controversial expansion and reshuffle of the Khanal government Thursday night said four integration modalities in Nepal Army.
Options are creating a unit under Nepal Army (NA), Nepal Police and Armed Police Force with former combatants, lunching a separate unit of Maoist fighters, a force of Maoists and NA or launching a separate directorate under the state army.
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118-YEAR-OLD WOMAN VOTER REGISTERED

Kathmandu, 7 May: Saraswati Rai Chetri, 118, has been registered as a voter from Ghatan VDC-2 in Myagdhi.
She was registered Thursday during the current distribution of digital voter identification cards by the election commission.
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CAN DEMANDS CLARIFICATION FROM PLAYER

Kathmandu, 7 May: Cricket Association of Nepal (CAN) Friday demanded a clarification national player Dipendra Chaudhary for demanding an election of executives in the Association.
Chaudhary has been charged for indiscipline and attempting to defame CAN.
Binaya Raj Pandey is its chairman.
Chaudhary denied the charge.
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LEAKS, BAD ACCORD WITH IOC COST NOC Rs 9.84b LSSS A YEAR

Kathmandu, 7 May: Leakages and corruption at Nepal Oil Corporation (NOC) and a faulty accord with the sole Indian supplier have been forcing Nepali consumers to unnecessarily pay Rs 9.84 billion a year for their petroleum supply, the latest study of the petroleum sector reckons, Milan Mani Sharma reports in Republica.

Of that amount, a financial burden of Rs 3.44 billion is attributable solely to leakages and corruption at NOC. “This amount is pocketed by corrupt officials, including the managing director and chairman of NOC and the minister for commerce and supplies,” said Jyoti Baniya, member of a high-level commission that submitted its report to the government on Friday.

The report has suggested that an anti-graft body probe irregularities at NOC, the property of top brass at the corporation and the line ministry and bring the axe down on them.

As for the remaining Rs 6.40 billion that consumers are forced to pay, the report says it goes to Indian Oil Corporation (IOC) as price adjustment factor (PAF). “PAF is equivalent to customs duty and taxes (charged on crude import) and such transfer of Indian duty and taxes to Nepali consumers is unfair and contrary to international trade law,” said Bhim Acharya, coordinator of the high-level commission.

IOC was transferring such customs duty and taxes to Nepal from 2002 till 2007. After NOC raised its voice, India promised to refund the amounts, but it also introduced PAF in pricing.

“The government must hold talks with India immediately for its elimination,” said Acharya.

The commission has urged the government to recover payments made under PAF. “Such amounts stand at around Rs 14 billion, almost enough to free NOC of its debt burden,” says its report.

Referring to lack of transparency in the existing pricing structure at IOC, the commission has suggested the government switch back to the system of providing crude to IOC and collecting refined oil from it, instead of directly buying the finished product.

The commission has ascertained shrinkage of fuel (technical loss due to temperature difference) as another major factor behind the unwanted financial burden of some Rs 5.04 billion a year imposed on consumers.

“We now know why the government, the Ministry of Commerce and Supplies and NOC turn a deaf ear to any news report on burgeoning technical loss. NOC transfers the shrinkage to dealers who in turn say this leaves them with no option but to manipulate the quantity supplied to consumers,” said Acharya.

The commission has also identified transport cartelling and quantity theft by liquefied petroleum gas bottlers as factors adding to the burden on consumers.

“If all these leakages are plugged, we need not hike petroleum prices,” the report further says. Nonetheless, in case NOC´s loss becames unmanageable, the commission has suggested the government hike prices in such a way as to distribute the burden equally amongt NOC, the government and consumers.

It has also asked the government to introduce structural reforms at NOC prior to any price hike. In its suggestion, the commission has asked the government to designate the vice-chairman of the National Planning Commission as chairman of NOC and appoint a chief executive through free competition.

The commission has pushed the government to enact law governing the petroleum sector, set up a Nepal Petroleum Authority as a regulatory body and adopt an automatic pricing mechanism.

The commission has pushed strongly for opening imports to the private sector. “This is necessary to end NOC´s monopoly and make it more accountable to consumers,” the report further says.
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DAHAL FACTION SEIZES PRO-BAIDHYA MAGAGINE FROM STREET

Kathmandu, 7 May: The ongoing intra-party conflict within the UCPN (Maoist) has scaled a new height after the faction led by Chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal seized 2,000 copies of Nayan Koshi -- a monthly magazine published by faction close to Mohan Baidya -- from the market for allegedly publishing an editorial that is against the party line, Republica reports.

Editor of the magazine Indra Rawat told Republica that the Dahal faction seized the magazines from Bhugol Park and Sinamangal in Kathmandu.


“We have concrete information that of the 2,000 copies, 600 copies were seized from the Bhugol Park and another 1,400 copies from Singamangal by party cadres close to Dahal faction,” Rawat said.

Rawat accused Kirat state in-charge Gopal Kirati from the Dahal faction of violating press freedom by seizing the magazines.

When contacted, Kirati defended his decision to seize the magazines. “How can the editor appointed by the party take an editorial line that is against the party´s official line of peace and constitution,” he questioned.

“The editor is free to run news and articles that are in favor of the political line floated by Kiran [Mohan Baidya] but the editorial should embrace the party´s official line,” he argued.

Rawat however refuted the allegations and said the editorial only pressed for revision in the party´s official line. He also vowed to reprint the magazine if he doesn´t get the seized copies within 2-3 days.

However, Kirati warned that the Kirat State Committee would disown the magazine if the editorial is reprinted.
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NC WARNS MAOISTS TO TREAD WITH CAUTION

Kathmandu, 7 May: Nepali Congress leaders today warned UCPN-Maoist leaders that their fate will be no different from other autocrats if they try to impose authoritarianism at the expense of peace and statute drafting processes, The Himalayan Times reports from Butwal..

Speaking at a gathering in Butwal, NC president Sushil Koirala accused the Maoists of trying to fulfil vested interests by resorting to extortion, abduction and murder.

He held that his party’s focus is on institutionalising the gains achieved through democratic movements.

Speaking at the programme, NC senior leader Sher Bahadur Deuba remarked that his party is ready to cooperate with the Maoists if the latter show commitment to statute-making and peace processes, while Ram Chandra Paudel, the NC vice-president, accused the Maoists of attempting to create confusion among people by plotting against peace and statute.

Congress general secretary Prakashman Singh accused the Maoists of putting peace and constitution-drafting processes on the backburner.

NC youth leader Gagan Thapa argued that only after the management of Maoist combatants and its weapons can the constitution be drafted.
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