PARLIAMENT MEETS WEDNESDAY FOR 11TH AMENDMENT OF INTERIM CONSTITUTION; PASSAGE UNCERTAIN
Kathmandu, 16 Nov.: Main opposition NC has issued a whip
asking all members to be present at parliament’s session
Wednesday to approve a 11th amendment to the interim
constitution to form an experts committee to suggest a federal
state.
The interim constitution is being amended to replace a
constitutional provision to form a state reorganization
commission for redrawing a unitary state.
The three-party deal to form an expert panel to recommend a model for state restructuring has received a jolt, with Constitutional assembly (CA)
members mainly from the UCPN (Maoist) and CPN-UML, registered amendments to the bill scheduled to be tabled for final approval by the House on Wednesday.
The CA members from the Janajati caucus raised objection to the content of the bill, saying the expert panel should not have the power to infringe upon the decisions of the CA State Restructuring Committee. The CA committee has decided to propose 14 provinces, most of them based on the ethnic identity of the dominant groups of the various regions.
Altogether eight amendment proposals have been registered by groups as well as by individuals. The group of 78 CA members led by Maoist lawmaker Suresh Ale Magar has proposed that the jurisdiction of the panel should be limited to "assisting with the recommendations of the report prepared by the CA Committee on State Restructuring and Distribution of State Powers."
The leaderships of the major parties had agreed to form a powerful expert panel to assist the task of state restructuring after a constitutional state restructuring commission to make recommendations to the CA State Restructuring Commission could not materialize.
CA members Sapana Pradhan Malla and Prithvi Subba Gurung from the UML, Urmila Thapa and Kumar Rai from the NC, and Santosh Kumar Budha Magar and Tilak Pariyar, among others, have undersigned the amendment proposal registered with the CA secretariat. Some non-Janajastis including Maoist lawmakers Pampha Bhusal, Ashok Kumar Rokaya, Bharat Kumari Regmi and Dama Sharma have also signed the proposal.
Most lawmakers from the Maoist hardline faction are against the formation of such a panel.
"The constitutional committee itself should form a technical team to assist the task of restructuring. But the proposed panel seeks to usurp the task of the CA committee," said Ram Bahadur Thapa Magar from the UCPN (Maoist), who has registered a separate amendment proposal, besides signing the proposal registered by Ale Magar.
Similarly, another Maoist lawmaker, Shivaram Yadav, has registered a separate amendment proposing removal of any expert panel or commission from the constitution.
UML lawmaker Sapana Pradhan Malla said that she has pressed for the amendment to safeguard the spirit of the report prepared by the CA committee on state restructuring
"The CA committee has delineated the provinces based on identity and economic viability. So we registered the amendment to save the spirit of the CA committee´s decision," said Pradhan Malla.
A few NC lawmakers including Urmila Thapa and Kumar Rai have also signed the amendment proposal. Asked to comment, NC Chief Whip Laxman Prasad Ghimire said that they would abide by the party´s decision. "We have already informed the party president about it. We have issued a whip and they will comply with the party decision," said Ghimire.
Sarbadev Ojha, who has also registered a separate amendment, argued that the government bill is against the spirit of the seven-point deal.
"The party may issue a whip but I also have the right to express my opinion in the House," he said.
Similarly, Indrajit Tharu, Gopal Thakur, Rukmini Chaudhary and Biswendra Paswan have registered separate amendments of their own.
Asked to comment on the move by the hardliners of his own party against party establishment decisions, Maoist Vice-chairman Narayankaji Shrestha said that the issues would be settled through intra- and inter-party talks on Wednesday morning.
"There are some communications gaps. We will settle the issue Wednesday morning," he said. Shrestha, who is also deputy prime minister and foreign minister, stated that the expert panel is not meant to replace the CA committee altogether, but to help in the task of state restructuring. "Hence the misunderstanding," he said.
The Maoist party has postponed its ongoing Central Committee meeting for two days to settle the inter- and intra-party row over the bill.
Following the seven-point deal, the government registered the amendment bill in parliament on Nov 4.
On Nov 12, senior leaders from the major parties planned to endorse the bill through suspension of a provision in parliamentary regulations that provides a 72-hour timeline for lawmakers to register any amendment to the bill, but Maoist Chief Whip Dev Gurung, who is from the party hardline faction, opposed the move, saying the bill should not be endorsed in
haste.
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PRESIDENT CHIEF GUEST AT DIAMOND JUBILEE
CELEBRATION OF NBL
Kathmandu, 16 Nov. President Dr. Ram Baran Yadav will be
the chief guest at Thursday’s the diamond jubilee function of the establishment of Nepal Bank Ltd. (NBL) at the New Road head
office the country’s first bank.
The state bank was established by the Rana regime 75 yeas ago; government has divested part of its shares.
The president is attending the NBL function one day after inaugurating the Rs. 530 million 500 bed Biratnagar Eye Hospital.
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MINIMUM TEMPERATURE IN CAPITAL WEDNESDAY WAS 11 DEGREES CELSIUS
Kathmandu, 16 Nov.: Minimum temperature recorded in the capital Wednesday morning was 11 degrees Celsius amid foggy condition.
Maximum during the day is expected to rise to 22/ 23 degrees Celsius.
All schools have been closed because of a cold wave in Upper
Mustang north of the Himalayan range.
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MORE THAN 800 TOURISTS AGAIN STRANDED IN MOUNT EVEREST REGION
Kathmandu, 16 Nov.: Tourists have again been stranded in Solokhumbu, the home of Mount Everest, the 8848 meters high Mount Everest, the world’s tallest peak, for the last four days because of inclement weather.
The area attracts thousands of trekker every month.
Inclement weather and early winter has disrupted flights
between the capital ad two airports in the area at Lukkla and Phaplu for the last four days.
Earlier, 3,5000 tourists were stranded for one week because of bad weather.
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YETI HIMALAYAN SHERPA, NEPAL ARMY
TRIBHUVAN CLUB PLAY WEDNESDAY IN SEMIFINAL OF POKHARA FOOTBALL TOURNEY
Kathmandu, 16 Nov.: Yeti Himalayan Sherpa and Nepal Army
Tribhuvan Club play in the first semifinal of Safal Pokhara Cup International Inter-club Football Tournament Wednesday.
Pokhara Eleven qualified for the semifinal Tuesday beating India’s United Sikkim.
MEDIA GOOGLE
‘There was no undue pressure from the present minister to
corner me; but there was no environment to work in the
Authority.”
(Executive Director of NEA Dipendra Nath Sharma who resigned, Nagarik, 16 Nov.)
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PM’s NEW RECORD IN TEA PARTY EXPENSE
Kathmandu, 16 Nov.: In a blatant violation of austerity measures announced by his own government, Prime Minister Dr Baburam Bhattarai has surpassed his predecessors again by spending the highest amount of money for a tea party he hosted two weeks ago,
Republica reports.
Only recently, Bhattarai had set a new record by appointing a record number of aides (44) for his secretariat.
According to a knowledgeable source within the PM´s Secretariat, about Rs 2.7 million was incurred for his tea party, which was attended by nearly 9,000 invitees. PM Bhattarai hosted the tea party at his official residence at Baluwatar on the occasion of Dashain, Tihar, Chhath, Eid and Nepal Sambat new year collectively.
According to the source, the Prime Minister´s Secretariat had issued the highest ever number of invitations --- 12,000--- to guests ranging from ministers, heads and members of various constitutional bodies and leaders of various political parties to diplomats, ambassadors, chiefs and deputy chiefs of various missions in Nepal, CA members, government employees, journalists, businessmen, civil society leaders, human rights activists, and chiefs and deputy chiefs of leading NGOs and INGOs, among others.
"Nearly Rs 2.7 million was spent on the PM´s tea party," divulged the source close to the PM, on condition of anonymity, adding, "The total cost incurred in the party covers expenses on food items and the cost of other arrangements."
The austerity measure issued by the Ministry of Finance (MoF) under direct instruction from PM Bhattarai does not allow the government to print large numbers of invitation cards and host any party out of state coffers for large numbers of guests.
Following the measure, ministers had not printed greeting cards during Dashain and Tihar festivals.
"Currently, officials working at the PM´s Secretariat are mulling how to reimburse the bill of about Rs 2.7 million," said the source, adding, "Expenses incurred on functions organized by the PM have to be reimbursed by state coffers. However, the PM´s aides are in confusion whether to submit the bill at the PM´s office, fearing possible information leakage."
Some of the PM´s aides had attempted to submit the bill at the PM´s office.
"However, they haven´t submitted the bill at the PM´s office, saying that consultations with officials concerned before seeking reimbursement would be better," the source added.
The tea party hosted by Prime Minister Bhattarai was a continuation of a practice observed by past prime ministers including Sher Bahadur Deuba, Girija Prasad Koirala and Pushpa Kamal Dahal and Madhav Kumar Nepal.
Items served to guests included a piece of banana, jerry, mini-samosa, laddu, sweets, some nimkee and cold drinks, among other things. "A single packet cost Rs 300," said the source.
Another source informed Republica that the PM was advised to invite only a small number of guests. "Inviting a large number could send a negative message,” the PM´s well-wishers had advised, according to the source. However, the PM´s wife, Hisila Yami, had pressed officials to invite a large number.
According to a source close to the PM, most of the invitees were from the Newar community.
Former prime minister Madhav Kumar Nepal had issued 6,000 invitations and incurred Rs 500,000 in cost for his tea party while Pushpa Kamal Dahal had issued 4,000 cards and incurred nearly
Rs 300,000.
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