269 APPLICANTS FOR FOUR CHIEFS OF CONSTITUTIONAL BODIES

268 APPLICANTS TO FILL IN VACANCIES AS CHIEFS OF FOUR CONSTITUTIONAL BODIES
Kathmandu,7 Dec.: Altogether 268 candidates have applied to fill in vacancies as chiefs of four constitutional bodies at the Office of the Prime Minister and Council of Ministers, Speaker Subash Nemwang said.
Nemwang is member of a constitutional council which met Tuesday to fill in vacancies in the bodies that haven’t been filled in for several years by successive governments.
Main opposition parliamentary party leader Ram Chandra Paudel also attended the council meeting chaired by Prime Minister Baburam Bhattarai.
Altogether 177 candidates have applied to be appointed chief of CIAA, 126 for chief of Election Commission, 131 to be chief of Public Service Commission and 24 as Auditor General.
Former officials filed a three-point memorandum at the council Tuesday asking the premier to remove Communication Minister Jayaprakash Prasad Gupta as a member of the body saying corruption charge has been filed against him at the supreme court.
Tuesday’s meeting agreed to develop transparent and objective criteria for selection and appointment.
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ONLY PACK-UP TIME FOR OHCHR-N: DPM SHRESTHA

Kathamandu, 7 Dec.: Despite mounting pressure to renew the mandate of the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights-Nepal (OHCHR-N), the government is not going to extend the term of the UN human rights body but is giving it some time to pack up, Kiran Chapagain reports in Republica.

OHCHR-N term is expiring Thursday.

Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Foreign Affairs Narayankaji Shrestha reiterated the government position on the future of OHCHR-N on Tuesday night when Republica asked whether the government would review its position as demanded by the opposition parties -- Nepali Congress and CPN-UML -- and the national and international human rights community.

“There will be no extension but the government will give OHCHR-N time to pack up. This should not be misconstrued as term extension," Shrestha, who is also the government spokesperson, said. The deputy prime minister, who is also the Maoist party´s vice chairman, reiterated that the government has not changed the previous government´s decision that requires the UN human rights office to prepare an exit strategy before Thursday.

Shrestha´s statement to Republica came hours after Maoist Chairman on told senior UN officials that he would "positively" raise this issue with Prime Minister Baburam Bhattarai Wednesday.

Dahal on Tuesday morning met UN Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator Robert Piper and OHCHR-N Chief Jyoti Sanghera to discuss term extension of the UN human rights body at his residence in Nayabazar.

"He told them that he would positively talk to the prime minister about the term extension and ask him to find a solution," said Samir Dahal, the party chairman´s personal secretary, about the meeting between Dahal and the senior UN officials.

However, a source told Republica that Dahal reportedly assured Piper and Sanghera that he would ask the prime minister to extend the OHCHR-N term. But Dahal´s secretary said he gave no such assurance to the UN officials.
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INDIA WITHDRAWS ADDITIONAL CUSTOMS DUTY ON EXPORTS

Kathmandu, 7 Dec.: In a bid to offer some relief to Nepali exporters who are finding it difficult to compete in Indian market, India has agreed to waive off additional customs duty on 162 Nepali export items.

The breakthrough on the long-standing trade issue came on Tuesday, when the two-day Inter-governmental Committee (IGC) meeting of Commerce Secretaries of the two countries concluded in New Delhi, Akaskshya Shah/ Prabhakar Ghimere write in Republica from New Delhi.

India had imposed an additional customs duty to 331 Nepali exportable items in 2006. Although it waived off the duty on 169 items in 2008, it continued such a duty on 162 items till date. Nepali business people hailed the removal of 4 percent additional customs duty, saying that it would increase competitive strength of those products in the Indian market.

"Exporters of products like metal products, steel, iron alloy, copper sheet, yarn, textile and cotton will benefit from the new agreement," Shankar Pandey, member of FNCCI overseeing Nepal-India trade, told Republica on Tuesday.

Records of Trade and Export Promotion Center (TEPC) show iron and steel items are Nepal´s largest export to India. Their export was valued at Rs 2.7 billion during the first quarter of 2011/12. Similarly, export of yarn products - the third largest export item to India from Nepal - was valued at Rs 1.63 billion during the period.

The Indian side even issued a notification of waiver on December 5, but it will come into effect from March 2012 only.

Pandey further said that India agreeing to end the Duty Refund Procedure (DRP) - a process of refunding the excise duty levied in India on Nepal-bound products - and allowing Nepal to collect excise duty at customs points will simplify imports.

Nepal had requested for end of DRP mainly because the refund was proving to be a tedious task. Owing to impractical DRP provision, India´s outstanding dues to Nepal have been piling up for years. In return, Nepal has assured India of eliminating the 5-percent Agriculture Reform Fee (ARF) that it has been imposing on import of Indian agricultural products by 2013.

On Nepal´s demand, India also agreed to hold a meeting to review the Railway Service Agreement (RSA). The review meeting will be held in Kathmandu on January 23-24, said Nepali Commerce Secretary Purushottam Ojha.

Nepal has been pushing for the revision of RSA mainly to pave the way for linking cargo train services between Birgunj dry port and Bangladesh via Rohanpur-Shinghabad route, and Visakhapatnum port in India. Secretary Ohja told reporters that both sides are positive to operationalize Rohanpur-Shinghabad railway line and Visakhapatnam ports at the earliest.

He said that the issue of constructing the 42-km Amlekhgunj-Raxaul petroleum pipeline, however, could not be settled during the talks. "The project is still being examined. We need to find money to move this project," said Indian commerce secretary Rahul Khullar, adding, "It will take time."
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