NC NOT OPPOSED TO CONTROVERSIAL AGREEMENT IN PRINCIPLE

NC PRESIDENT SUSHSIL KOIRALA SUPPORTS CONTROVERSIAL AGREEMENT WITH INDIA IN PRINCIPLE

Kathmandu, 26 Oct.: Main opposition President Sushil Koirala said Wednesday NC is not opposed in principle won’t to a controversial Nepal, India agreement signed during the just concluded India visit of Prime Minister Baburam Bhattarai to protect Indian investments by compensating closed down establishments.
Koirala said his party supports a policy for open economy.
But the agreement without an environment for foreign investment was unfortunate and Maoists to created an atmosphere for it.
Even UCPN (Maoist) has opposed the agreement as anti-national by a a section of the premier’s own party heading the government; the premier hs defected the agreement in parliament and his party.
RPP Chairman Pashupati Shumshere
Rana supported the agreement while talking with reports
visiting his house of play defense Wednesday.
Maoist opposition to the agreement is unfortunate, he said and
and asked the party adopted by China’s economic policy.
Vice-president Parmananda Jha dismissed opposition from various
quarters as opposition for the sake of opposition only and a reflection of
anti-Indian sentiments.
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CORRECTION

Kathmandu, 26 Oct.: Maoist central committee meets 2 November and not 31 Oct. as earlier reported.
Sorry and regrets for the mistake.
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US NEPAL’S SECOND LARGEST EXPORT MARKET
Kathmandu, 26 Sept.: Iron and steel products have emerged as the country’s top export items. The annual trade statistics of Trade and Export Promotion Centre (TEPC) show that the country exported iron products worth Rs 9.7 billion in the last fiscal year,
The Kathmandu Post reports.
According to the TEPC record, yarns, woollen carpets, readymade garment and textile products make up the top five export items. Nepal exported woollen carpets and readymade garment worth Rs 4.92 billion and Rs 4.08 billion, respectively, in 2010-11. The garment sector benefited from impressive export to EU, now the largest buyer of Nepali readymade garment.
The data shows there has been impressive growth in the export of two agriculture products—cardamom and tea. Their export jumped by 74.4 percent and 29.7 percent, respectively, in last fiscal year.
India, the US, Bangladesh, Germany and the UK are the top five export destinations. As per the TEPC statistics, export to India increased by 7.41 percent to reach Rs 42.86 billion. Many may find it surprising, but the US is Nepal’s second largest export partner with an export volume of Rs 4.39 billion. It is one of a few trading partners with which Nepal has a trade surplus.
Export to Turkey also rose significantly. It surged to Rs 865.69 billion in 2010-11 from Rs 276.97 billion in the previous year.
Nepal-Turkey Chamber of Commerce and Industry President Akhil Chapagain attributed the growth to increasing publicity of Nepali products. Exporters say goods like yarns, carpet and handicraft products are on high demand in Turkey.
Like last year, petroleum products topped the country’s import chart, followed by iron and steel products, machinery and parts, vehicles and electronic and electrical equipment. The TEPC figure shows that Nepal’s petroleum import more than doubled in the last three years. The country’s annual petroleum import bill reached Rs 75.75 billion in 2010-11.
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INSTITUTIONAL DEPARTURE OF WORKERS SLIPS 12.28 PERCENT
Although the total departure of migrant workers has increased, departure through recruitment agencies has slowed down in the first quarter of the current fiscal year. The first three months’ figure shows that institutional departure has fallen by 12.28 percent.
According to the Department of Foreign Employment, 54,623 individuals left the country for jobs abroad through institutional arrangement in the first
quarter. The figure was at 62,271 in the same period last year.
The reason behind the decline, according to department officials, is the rise in departure through individual contracts. The first three months of the current fiscal year saw a dramatic surge in departure of migrant workers through individual contracts. The department’s statistics show that such departures increased by a whopping 236.23 percent.
Foreign employment aspirants leave the country for jobs through agencies and also through personal contacts or individual approach. The number of workers going abroad through both the means in the first quarter stands at 109,554, including 54,931 individuals leaving through personal approach.
Officials at the department say the festive season also played a crucial role in the slowdown. “The overall departure of workers in mid-Sept and mid-Oct of the Q1 declined drastically due to the festive season,” said Kashi Raj Dahal, director at the department.
According to Nepal Association of Foreign Employment Agencies, the government’s inability to provide machine readable passports (MRPs) from major districts and slowdown in demand from Malaysia also played a crucial role in decline in institutional departures.
As Malaysia accepts workers only through institutional means, slowdown in demand from the country brought down workers’ institutional departure. The first three months of 2011-12 saw Malaysia hiring 23,503 workers, against 33,239 in same period last year. Qatar has taken 36,385 workers, including 28,900 who went through personal approach. Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirate and Kuwait absorbed 22,393, 16,816 and 5,138 workers, respectively.
“The demand has not declined, but we are not being able to supply the workforce because of the delay by the government to provide machine readable passports from major districts such as Dhanusha, Siraha, Nawalparasi and Dang,” said Kumud Khanal, general secretary of the association, adding that these districts annually send over 10,000 individuals in Gulf countries and Malaysia.
Departure
Quarter/Year Institutional Way Individual Contracts Total
Q1 2011-12 54,623 54,931 109,554
Q1 2010-11 62,271 16,337 78,608
Top Five Labour Destinations
Country Q1 2011/12 Q1 2010/11 % Change
Qatar 36,385 16,136 125.48
Malaysia 23,503 33,239 -29.29
Saudi Arabia 22,393 15,149 47.81
The UAE 16,816 9,152 83.74
Kuwait 5,138 1,825 181.53
Others 5,319 3,107 71.19
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