SPECIAL COMMITTEE MEET ON MAOIST ARMY INTEGRATION TO PUSH PEACE PROCESS

WOMEN FLOCK PASHUPATINATH FOR TEEJ CELEBRATIONS

Kathmandu, 31 Aug,: Women have been flocking Pashupatinath temple since early morning Wednesday to celebrations underway Haritalika teej
Women fast and avoid drinking water praying for long life of husbands.
Women feasted on daar Tuesday before Wednesday’s fast.
Women flocked Shiba temples nation-wide Wednesday to observe teej.
Government Wednesday declared special public holiday to observe Eid
nnnn

GANGA NARAYAN SHRESTHA PERSONAL SECRETARY OF PM BHATTARAI

Kathmandu, 31 Aug.: Ganga Narayan Shrestha has been appointed personal secretary of Prime Minister
Dr.Baburam Bhattarai Tuesday.
Shrestha, 41, is a UCPN (Maoist) central committee member n hails from Sindhuli.
Shrestha was jailed for six years during the Maoist people’s war and is an established writer.
Nnnn

CHINA CONGRATULATES PM BHATTARAI THROUGH FOREIGN MINISRY SPOKESMAN

Kathmandu, 31 Aug.: Chinese Foreign Ministry Ma Zhaoxu has congratulated Prime Minister Dr.Baburam Bhattarai on behalf of the Chinese government.
nnnn

NO CONSTITUTION AND COMPLETION OF PEACE PROCESSES

Kathmandu, 31 Aug.: A commitment to complete the peace process and draft of constitution in a five-point tripartite agreement between Maoists, and now main opposition NC and UML parties couldn’t be completed Wednesday 31 Aug..
The tenure of the constituent assembly (CA) was extended three months after 28 May to complete the process incomplete now in three years and three months.
The peace and constitution drafting processes weren’t completed in the extended three months
The tenure has again been extended through a 10thamendment of the interim constitution.
Prime Minister Dr, Baburam Bhattarai said the second extended tenure is inadequate and said he’ll seel another constitution amendment to extend the deadline for at least another six months.
Political party leaders agreed Tuesday agreed to form a new parliamentary committee to monitor progress in completing the two delayed processes.
The parliamentary committee whose tenure ends Wednesday was headed by Speaker Subash Nemwang.
nnnn
a
SPECIAL COMMITTEE ON INTEGRATION, RESETTLEMENT TO MEET WEDNESDAY

Kathmandu, 31 Aug.: Special committee for integration, resettlement and supervision now headed by Prime Minister Dr Baburam Bhattarai has been scheduled to meet for the first time Wednesday morning.
The meeting comes after Maoist standing committee Tuesday decided to dispatch party teams to cantonments to re-group 19,000- plus former fighters either for integration or resettlement/
Maoists have proposed completing in 45 days to complete a delayed peace process.
They have proposed a Rs.700,000 golden handshake for those opting for resettlement.
nnnn.

EAST NEPALL STRIKE WITHDRAWN BY LIMBUWAN RAJYA PARISHAD

Kathmandu, 31 Aug.: A strike by Limbuwan Rajya Parishad covering nine districts east of Arun river was withdrawn Tuesday.
The strike was withdrawn after government, Parishad talks in Jhapa.
The three-day continuous strike was lunched Monday.
Nnnn

FOREIGN SECRETARY MADAN KUMAR BHATTARAI RETIRES

Kathmandu, 31 Aug.: Foreign Secretary Dr, Madab Kumar Bhattarai was superannuated Tuesday.
Bhattarai has been nominated ambassador to Japan by the outgoing government; parliament’s hearing committee has scheduled a confirmation hearing.
He served as ambassador to Germany during a long diplomatic career.
A former journalist with The Rising Nepal, Bhattarai has a doctorate on Rana prime ministers.
Nnnn

TRADE, COMMERCE, ECONOMY

BAHRAIN AIR TO RESUME FLIGHTS

Kathmandu, 31 Aug>; Bahrain Air is resuming suspended daily flights between Bahrain and Kathmandu 21 September.
‘Arrival and departure times to and from Kathmandu has been set for early morning mainly so that passengers can reach destinations in Nepal on the same day,” the airline said.
Nnnn

DIFFERECES STALL CABINET EXPANSION

Kathmandu, Aug 31: Unable to settle the distribution of ministries among rival factions in the party, and also with coalition partner United Democratic Madhesi Front(UDMF), the UCPN (Maoist) has formed a three-member panel to work out a compromise Republica reports.
A meeting of the party Standing Committee on Tuesday formed the high-level panel comprising Chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal, Senior Vice-chairman Mohan Baidya and Vice-chairman and newly elected Prime Minister Dr Baburam Bhattarai.
"We have formed a three-member panel to nominate new ministers," said party Spokesperson Dinanath Sharma.
Though there has been tentative agreement between the UDMF and UCPN (Maoist) regarding the number of ministries to be shared between the two sides, they are yet to finalize the allocation of ministerial portfolios. There also seems to be a difference between the two sides regarding the number of deputy prime ministers in the cabinet.
The leaders of the Front, who wanted to meet the Maoist leadership today and sort out the differences, failed to do so as the Maoists were busy trying to resolve their own internal differences over cabinet formation.
The major bone of contention in the UCPN(Maoist) is who it should nominate as deputy prime minister from the party.
While Baidya has floated the name of party Secretary CP Gajurel as deputy prime minister with the foreign ministry portfolio, General Secretary Ram Bahadur Thapa and Standing Committee member Netra Bikram Chand have argued that the position should be given to Vice-chairman Narayankaji Shrestha, deputy prime minister and home minister in the last cabinet, which was led by Jhalanath Khanal.
"Thapa and Chand have argued that Shrestha should be made deputy prime minister as he only had a very brief stint in the last cabinet," said a senior party leader. Leaders close to Shrestha have also claimed that there was an understanding at the time of the last reshuffle that those sent into the cabinet then would continue as ministers in the new government also, taking into account that they were likely to have had brief stints.
According to sources however, the party establishment wants to make Posta Babadur Bogati deputy prime minister.
The party has also been undecided over the minister of finance. The party establishment is vehemently opposed to choosing Dev Gurung as minister of finance as proposed by the Baidya group.
"There are three options: first, Gurung can take charge of the ministry; second, Bhattarai himself would directly oversee the ministry along with a capable state minister; and third, Shrestha, as deputy prime minister, can take charge of the ministry," he said.
In case Shrestha doesn´t join the government, his faction is likely to send Ram Kumar Yadav if it gets an ordinary ministry, and either Giriraj Mani Pokharel or Bishwo Bhakta Dulal if it gets a plum ministry.
The Dahal faction has demanded one more portfolio from Bhattarai´s share. "Dahal wants to make Gopal Kirati a minister from Bhattarai´s share of three ministries, something which was agreed earlier," said a leader close to Dahal.
In the previous cabinet, Dahal and Baidya had taken four ministries each and Bhattarai, three. The leader also said that either Janardan Sharma of Barshaman Pun from the Dahal faction is likely to join the cabinet.
According to sources, Top Bahadur Rayamajhi and Hisila Yami, both from the Bhattarai faction and ministers in the previous cabinet, would stay out of the new cabinet. It is highly possible that Bhim Prasad Gautam, also from the Bhattarai faction, will join the government," said a leader close to Bhattarai.
As per the agreement, the United Madhesi Democratic Front (UMDF) has been allocated 11 ministries, and the remaining 15 have are the share of the UCPN (Maoist). The Maoist party plans to give four of these ministries to other small parties, including the MPRF led by Upendra Yadav.
"We will hold talks with the UDMF and expand the cabinet in the next couple of days," said Maoist spokesperson Sharma.
Row over deputy PM
According to senior Maoist leaders, the prime minister might not appoint any other deputy prime minister in addition to Bijaya Kumar Gachchhadar, who is currently deputy prime minister and home minister.
There are at least five aspirants for the posts of deputy prime minister and that has put the prime minister in a difficult situation. The UMDF has stated that if the Maoists appoint a deputy prime minister, it would for its part send three more deputy prime ministers including Hridayesh Tripathi, JP Gupta, Mahendra Yadav. "So there is a chance that only Gahchchhadar will be deputy prime minister," said a Maoist leader.
nnnn


DOL TO STUDY , RECORD FOREIGN WORKERS IN NEPAL
Kathmandu, 31 Aug :The Department of Labor (DoL) will soon begin identifying and recording details of foreign nationals working in the country, Ashok Thapa reports in Republica .
It has decided to conduct a study after non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and international non-governmental organizations (INGOs) cold-shouldered its recent initiatives to secure details of foreigners working with NGOs and INGOs so that they can be made to comply with work-permit rules. Only around 500 foreign workers responded to the department´s call.
As a result of massive non-compliance to its order, DoL is left with no definite record of volunteers and professionals working in Nepal. Nonetheless, DoL estimates that more than 20,000 foreign nationals are working with NGOs and INGOs alone.
As of today, only around 7,000 foreigners are currently working in the private sector with work permits from DoI. However, government and private sector organizations estimate the actual number of foreign nationals working in Nepal to be over 50,000.
"We are all set to begin the study to gather information about foreign workers working in various organizations in the country ranging from sports to services and industrial sectors to diplomatic missions - be it embassies or UN mission - in Nepal," said Dr Man Bahadur BK, director general of DoL.
He said the study and monitoring will go simultaneously, which will seriously screen out the workers continuing to work without receiving due permit from the department.
"We have decided to take the initiatives in order to ensure effective implementation of the Labor Act and also to develop database of foreign nationals working in the country," said BK.
He said that Non-Nepali Employee Monitoring Committee (NNEMC) of the department has developed an action plan for monitoring overseas workers in all sectors.
"The committee has prepared a list of multinational companies and organizations employing foreign staff without due work permit," said Krishna Hari Puskar, under-secretary at the Ministry of Labor and Transport Management (MoLTM). "We will check out their employment and compliance records during the study," he added.
DoL officials said the department will take action against the organizations which have been employing foreign workers without work permit and it will also recommend the government to take action against them.
nnnn