LALITPUR CLOSED DOWN TO PROTEST MURDER

LALITPUR CLOSED DOWN

Kathmandu, 5 Dec.: Two business bodies closed down Lalitpur district Monday demanding security following the murder Saturday of a man at a jewelry shop in Phulchowk Saturday morning.
Shops in Mangal Bazzar, Pulchowk downed shutters protesting themurder.
Traders closed down jewelry shops in the capital Sunday.
Hands and legs of the man were tied in an apparent bid.
Police haven’t found any new clues to the murder; three suspects have been arrested.
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DEPUTY PRIME MINISTER NARAYAN KAZI SHRESTHA CANCELS INDONESIA VISIT

Kathmandu, 5 Dec.: Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Narayan Kazi Shrestha has cancelled a scheduled visit of Indonesia saying his presence was need at home.
Shrestha was scheduled to fly to Indonesia to participate in an international conference.
The deputy premier is vice-chairman of UCPN Maoist leading the government of which he’s also spokesman.
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MINIMUM TEMPERATURE MONDAY MORNING 14 DEGREES CELSIUS

Kathmandu, 5 Dec.: Minimum temperature Monday morning in the capital was 14 degrees Celsius and maximum temperature us expected to rise to 21 degrees Celsius in the afternoon.
Minimum temperature is likely to fall to 5 degrees Celsius.
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MEDIA GOOGLE

“No government in the past was as corrupt at the present one. The jumbo cabinet with majority of controversial figures has proved that the government has come first in the corruption race.”

(NC Chief Whip Laxman Ghimere, The Himalayan Times, 5 Dec.)
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FURTHER DETAILS OF BIG THREE, MADESHBADI FRONT MEET





Kathmandu, Dec. Dec. Major political 5forces Sunday agreed to form a national consensus government by the third week of December after concluding the major tasks of the peace process within the next one-and-half weeks, Ram Prasad Dahal writes in The Rising Nepal.
The top leaders from three major parties and Samyukta Loktantrik Madeshi Morcha (SLMM) held their second meeting at Gokarna Resort this [Sunday] evening after their first meeting authorized them to start ground work for the formation of the national consensus government.
Nepali Congress president Sushil Koirala informed that the meeting had not reached any conclusion but they started the homework and would soon arrive at a decision on the formation of the national consensus government.
CPN-UML chairman Jhala Nath Khanal and NC parliamentary party leader Ram Chandra Poudel said that the parties would sit again to discuss the matter.
Talking to The Rising Nepal, Poudel said that the meeting did not discuss about giving the present government a shape of national consensus or form the new one.
"We entered into the matter. However, it is not the NC’s top priority. We are focused on concluding the peace process, not the government" said Poudel.
The sources claimed that the leaders,, in principle, agreed to form the new national consensus government after accomplishing the peace process and they would pick up the name of new PM on the basis of consensus.
UML leader Bhim Rawal said that forming the national consensus government meant to choose a new PM.
"This is the sprit of the seven-point and six-point pacts. Present government could not be converted into national consensus government" he told The Rising Nepal.
He added, "If present government takes the shape of the national consensus, the parties will have already given their nod to it."
Earlier, the joint meeting of the UCPN -Maoist, NC, UML and SLMM formed a high level mechanism of top leaders to do homework to forge consensus for the formation of national consensus government and take it up to the upcoming joint meeting.
Maoist chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal Prachanda, NC president Koirala, UML chairman Khanal and SLMM coordinator Bijaya Kumar Gachchhadar are in the high-level mechanism.
"The meeting decided to give responsibility to the top leaders to carry out homework from tomorrow on the said agenda but they started consultation from today" informed Rawal.


om today" informed Rawal.
Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Foreign Affairs Narayan Kaji Shrestha said that the mechanism was formed to find an agreement to form the national consensus government soon.
In the six-point agreement, reached among the major four political forces prior to the extension of Constituent Assembly term on November 29, the leaders had agreed to form a national consensus government at the earliest. The seven point agreement also mentioned to form the national consensus government.
Today’s meeting decided to appoint Dr. Madan Pariyar as a member of the State Restructuring Commission, to carry out the remaining task of the rehabilitation and integration of Maoist combatants on the basis of seven-point agreement and call the AISC meeting soon for the purpose.
It asked the

government to prepare directives to provide relief to the disabled and injured combatants, rectify its directives for the equal distribution of relief to the conflict victims and remove the illegally built settlements on the bank of the Bagmati River.
Similarly, it decided to speed the task of returning
the captured land to their rightful owners, and discuss about the extension of OHCHR’s term.
The parties agreed to form a probe body to investigate into alleged funds misuse in the Youth Self-employment Programme, and take initiatives to endorse the bills on Disappearances and Truth and Reconciliation Commission from the parliament.
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HISTORICAL RIVER SOLD TO INDIVIDUALS IN KAPILVASTU





Kathmandu, 5 Dec.: The holy Bhagirathi River, now known as Banganga River that flows from Tilaurakot,

the ancient capital of Shakya kings, was sold to individuals! Lord Buddha was born to the Shakya kings who ruled Kapilvastu, Tilaurakot and other states in vicinity, The Rising Nepal reports from Kapilvastu.
The sale of river as revealed 30 years after the river was sold. Records at the district land revenue office showed that an area covering 62 bigahas of the river was sold to three individuals in 1981.
The truth was exposed after the individuals claimed their rights to use the land and obstructed the District Development Committee Kapilvastu when it tried to contract out the river areas.
The 1971 map of district land survey office, Kapilvastu, clearly shows plot number 548 of Motipur "Kha" lying completely in Banganga River and plot number 547 as the river bank.
According to the district land survey office, the two plots have been sold to 36 different individuals since 1981.
The plot number 548 of the river had been further divided into 35 plots and sold.
The district land revenue office said that the then land revenue Chief Sete Gharti had registered the plot jointly in the names of Nilkumari Upadhayayani, Govinda Prasad Poudel and Dharmaraj Upadhaya.
The plot has been divided and sold to different people since then, said Shankar Subedi, chief of the district land revenue office.
Local Bhola Acharya said that the Banganga Crusher and New Banganga Crusher are currently in operation in the river area while some people have deposited the land in the banks and have managed to get huge amount of loans.
The locals alleged that the land was registered to the individuals by bribing former chief Gharti.
The land revenue office stated that the plot number 547 was distributed to landless squatters in 1988 by the Forest Reforms Commission.
Local resident Chiranjibi Giri said that the exposure of fraud of its kind shows active move of land mafia in the areas.
The locals expressed their disappointment over the failure of the local administration and the government to bring the culprits to book despite the disclosure of such fraudulent activity. They demanded that the registration of the land be promptly scrapped.
The chief of land revenue office said that they were looking for the record of land registration but it was yet to be found.
Archeologist Basanta Bidari said that such activities could tarnish the image of Kapilvastu and the Palace of Shakya where Lord Buddha was brought up and spent 29 years of his life.
He said that it was evident that the authorities were involved in registering the land to the individuals and a proper investigation should be carried out into the matter.

The land revenue office stated that it was unaware how the land of river was registered in the names of the individuals and said that it could be known only if the missing record files were found.
Only the Ministry for Land Reforms could solve the problem, as the land revenue office does not hold the power to scrap the registration, said chief Subedi.
Chief District Officer Dr. Kamaleshwor Kumar Singha said that the initial investigation would be made by calling the chiefs of the district land revenue office and land survey office.

kot, the ancient capital of Shakya kings, was sold to individuals! Lord Buddha was born to the Shakya kings who ruled Kapilvastu, Tilaurakot and other states in vicinity.
The sale of river as revealed 30 years after the river was sold. Records at the district land revenue office showed that an area covering 62 bigahas of the river was sold to three individuals in 1981.
The truth was exposed after the individuals claimed their rights to use the land and obstructed the District Development Committee Kapilvastu when it tried to contract out the river areas.
The 1971 map of district land survey office, Kapilvastu, clearly shows plot number 548 of Motipur "Kha" lying completely in Banganga River and plot number 547 as the river bank.
According to the district land survey office, the two plots have been sold to 36 different individuals since 1981.
The plot number 548 of the river had been further divided into 35 plots and sold.
The district land revenue office said that the then land revenue Chief Sete Gharti had registered the plot jointly in the names of Nilkumari Upadhayayani, Govinda Prasad Poudel and Dharmaraj Upadhaya.
The plot has been divided and sold to different people since then, said Shankar Subedi, chief of the district land revenue office.
Local Bhola Acharya said that the Banganga Crusher and New Banganga Crusher are currently in operation in the river area while some people have deposited the land in the banks and have managed to get huge amount of loans.
The locals alleged that the land was registered to the individuals by bribing former chief Gharti.
The land revenue office stated that the plot number 547 was distributed to landless squatters in 1988 by the Forest Reforms Commission.
Local resident Chiranjibi Giri said that the exposure of fraud of its kind shows active move of land mafia in the areas.
The locals expressed their disappointment over the failure of the local administration and the government to bring the culprits to book despite the disclosure of such fraudulent activity. They demanded that the registration of the land be promptly scrapped.
The chief of land revenue office said that they were looking for the record of land registration but it was yet to be found.
Archeologist Basanta Bidari said that such activities could tarnish the image of Kapilvastu and the Palace of Shakya where Lord Buddha was brought up and spent 29 years of his life.
He said that it was evident that the authorities were involved in registering the land to the individuals and a proper investigation should be carried out into the matter.

The land revenue office stated that it was unaware how the land of river was registered in the names of the individuals and said that it could be known only if the missing record files were found.
Only the Ministry for Land Reforms could solve the problem, as the land revenue office does not hold the power to scrap the registration, said chief Subedi.
Chief District Officer Dr. Kamaleshwor Kumar Singha said that the initial investigation would be made by calling the chiefs of the district land revenue office and land survey office.
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INTERVIEW

REVIEW FOREIGN POLICY BEFORE WRITING NEW CONSTITUTION SUGGESTS PROF. DR.GUNARAJ SHARMA IN THE RISING NEPAL







Prof. Dr. Gunanidhi Sharma is a former vice-chairman of the National Planning Commission (NPC). Sharma has worked with the Tribhuvan University (TU) for more than three decades as a professor of economics. A well-known economist, he has been advocating firmly for social justice and national interests in economic policies for last several decades. In his opinion, only economic growth is not the end for human needs and satisfaction. According to him, social justice, maintaining natural and environment balances as well as addressing psychological needs of human beings are crucial factors for creating a more happier and peaceful society.
As new constitution writing process is going on, the need for incorporating the economic issues in the new constitution and political system has widely been realized. Against this backdrop, C K Khanal and Yogesh Pokharel of The Rising Nepal talked with Prof. Sharma on a wide range of economic and development issues. Excerpts:
Nepal is now at a transition in terms of social, political and economic aspects. What kind of economic model will be appropriate at this stage of development?
Nepal falls in the group of the least develop countries. If we compare Nepal with our neighbours, we are so much lagging behind in terms of process and speed of development. Equally important, the pace of social transformation is very slow. That is why, we are less efficient compared to other countries. More than that, we are very much suffered from the kind of inefficiencies that we have in the society which are determined by our development perception, cultural legacy and more non-economic factors rather than economic ones. Nepal was never under full fledged capitalist system in the past. It was governed by feudal, semi-feudal and aristocratic type of government where there was no market perfection and competition. This means, so far, we have no perfect competitive market. Under these conditions, no capitalism could be flourished.
Basically, capitalism is of two types- free market capitalism and the state assisted capitalism. Free market capitalism does not prevail here in Nepal as there are various market imperfections as caused by our behaviors, bottlenecks in different sectors, fragmentations and frictions. For example, we have geographical, transportation and information bottlenecks. It is also equally important that we have no mobility of labour which is caused by various cultural and social factors. This kind of sticky parameter results in market imperfection. So, there should be a crucial role of the government in balancing these market imperfections. So, there are various grounds for state interventions. Without government, we could not imagine the society and the economy at all. Therefore, we need the state assisted capitalism, where the government will have a balancing and correcting role of the different market imperfections and bottlenecks. The nature of government assisted capitalism is similar as what we say mixed economy and economic model under the democratic socialism.
What will be the role of the government in such a state assisted capitalism?
As we have various market imperfections in our economy, we could not expect that the market works as per its principles and rules to yield the price efficiency. Since market is governed by its profit making motives, it does not provide social justice. Market is basically meant for profit making and not meant for social justice. It always creates disparities in between haves and have-nots. A weaker section will be wiped out from the market and a stronger one will rule the markets. So, the government should play a crucial role in narrowing the gulf between the haves and have-nots.
The government should guarantee for the social services and essential public utilities to all the people. Education, health services, drinking water and sanitation, social security, old age benefits, employment opportunities as well as essential public utilities like public transportation, electricity, etc. should be guaranteed by the government.
What should be the characteristics of the key economic policy in the new constitution based on the federal system?
As the new constitution and system of government is in the offing on the basis of the decade long civil war and the people’ uprising of 2007, the new system of government should address the economic factors that give a ground for the new governance system. Basically, economic disparity, unequal sharing of opportunities and unbalanced economic development were the key economic issues that drive the country to the new system of governance. So, the model of new economic policy should be based on social justice. Capitalism with social justice will be appropriate in the country’s present stage of development and also to address the people’s voices raised from various revolts in the past.
Besides, as we are entering into the federal system of government, first of all we should focus on basic economic capabilities of the new federal states. The number and territory of the federal states should be fixed by considering their economic capabilities. If we did not take consideration of economic capabilities of the state at a time of fixing their territory, it could ultimately harm the entire federal system. While allocating the power in different levels of government, we should make the local level government more powerful than that of the federal one. Weaker, federal government and stronger local and central governments are needed to make the federal system more effective both politically and economically. Autonomy and self-deciding rights should be given to the local level government, but not to the federal government.
The strong local level government will ensure the participatory approach of economic development. The issue is to enrich the economy more efficiently and judicially distributing the economic power to the states. The federal system should be able to mainstream the deprived groups of people economically.
Which sectors should be given top priority in order to expedite the pace of economic development?
For the country’s sustainable development, tourism and rural development should be the priority areas. Nepal is rich in natural and cultural resources, which are never exhausting ones. If we promote the tourism sector, these resources could be a perpetual sources of income through which a rapid economic development will be possible. As about 83 per cent of the people still live in rural areas, rural development should be the main focus for the economic development. Rural transportation, rural education, electrification, banking and finance, information and communications, modernization and commercialization of agriculture fall under the package of rural development.
For the development of the national economy, we should give priority to the production sector. Agriculture and industry sectors are the productive sectors which grow side by side. What is happening wrong at the present is the focus on service sector instead of production sector. As service sector is demand generating sector, prioritizing this sector increases the volume of imports.
Besides, foreign policy also should be the priority area for the economic development. Due to the unfair foreign treaties and agreements in the past, our development processes have been facing obstacles. As I have already said, Nepal is so much weaker than its neighbors that the opening of economy without any conditionality will harm the pace of the economic development.
During the recent visit of Prime Minister Dr. Baburam Bhattarai to India, both the countries have agreed to review the treaty of 1950. Which provisions of the treaty should be amended to protect the Nepal’s interest?
Some provisions of the 1950’s treaty are troublesome for Nepal. The security and development concerns as well as the treatment of the people of each other as nationals are the main provisions to be reviewed for protecting our national interests. Besides, proper management and regulation of boarder should be raised while reviewing the treaty.
We have already experienced an obstacle to the construction of Kohalpur-Banabasha road which had been delayed for more than a decade as per the provision of the development concerns. India obstructed the construction of the road with the assistance of Chinese as per the provision in the treaty. According to the provision, we need to give priority to the Indian companies in development works if the conditions of development projects are accepted by India.
Why the recent agreement on Bilateral Investment Promotion and Protection Agreement (BIPPA) become controversial is due to the 1950’s treaty. The BIPPA with India and with others are completely different because of the treaty with India. Why BIPPA was signed prior to the review of 1950’s treaty is suspicious. BIPPA agreement could not be in favor of Nepal unless and until the provision of treating Indian nationals as Nepali will be there. Indians could move and reside freely in Nepal, but Nepalis could not get benefits of much hyped employment generation by the Indian investments here. As there is no provision of reinvestment, the multiplier effect of the Indian investment could not be flourished.
Do you want to add anything more to this?
Now we are in the process of writing a new constitution. Sovereignty and national unity should be an uncompromised principle of the country. Capitalism with social justice must be the basic economic principle for Nepal. This is also the verdict of the people’s revolt that took place at different times.
However, the recent economic agreements signed prior to the promulgation of the new constitution have created policy confusion. Unconditional openness of the economy is also creating ground for the foreign interventions in political as well as policy making. So, reviewing the whole foreign policy is necessary before writing the constitution.
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