ELECTRICITY TARIFF RAISED 20 PERCENT
WITH PM APPROVAL

Kathmandu, 21 Dec.: Electricity tariff is to increase by 20 per cent effective from January 15, RSS reports.

Prime Minister Dr. Baburam Bhattarai and Chairman of the Electricity Tariff Determination Commission Ganesh Prasad Subba agreed in principle to increase the electricity tariff at a meeting held in the office of the Prime Minister at Singha Durbar, on Wednesday.

Talking to media persons after the meeting, Subba said the prime minister agreed in principle to increase the tariff as per the suggestion of the Commission and added that the tariff will be increased by 20 per cent from January 15.

The Nepal Electricity Authority (NEA) had proposed to increase the tariff by 30 per cent but the Commission has recommended increasing the tariff by only 20 per cent for the time being.

It is known that the NEA is incurring loss of seven billion rupees annually and has a total accumulated loss of Rs. 27 billion.
nnnn



________________________________________



DIFFERCENCES EMERGE IN TERAI ON INCLUSION BILL
Kathmandu, 21 Dec.: Six different parties and affiliated organizations based in Tarai have demanded that the government withdraw bill on inclusion, RSS reports.

They criticized the bill, citing the bill tries to include indigenous communities in the Madhes and the Tharu community under the Madhesi category.

Organizing a joint press meet on Wednesday, the Tharuhat Tarai Party Nepal, the Tharuhat Tarai Students´ Union, the Tharuhat Tarai Women´s Union, the Tharuhat Tarai Cultural Union, the Tharuhat Tarai Youth Force and the Tharu Artists´ Society demanded that the government take back the inclusion bill.

The meeting of the Council of Ministers held on Tuesday had approved the bill. It is said that the bill is for forming a separate battalion by recruiting the Madhesi youths en bloc in the Nepal Army (NA).

On the occasion, Chairman of the Tharuhat Tarai Party Nepal Laxman Tharu alleged that the decision to form separate battalion through en masse recruitment of the Madhesi youths in the NA is a ploy to remain in power.

Tharu further said they will launch stern agitation in Tarai if the bill is not scraped within 15 days.

The six parties and affiliated organizations also called on the government to follow the agreement forged between the Madhesi Front and the Tharuhat Struggle Committee on July 13.

It is stated in the agreement that the Tharus are the indigenous nationalities of the Tarai.
Nnnn



________________________________________