TRADER ABDUCTED FROM CAPITAL SAME DAY JEWELER SHOT DEAD AND ANOTHER INJURED

A TRADER ABDUCTED FROM CAPITAL AMID DETERIORATING LAW AND ORDER SITUATION

Kathmandu, 24 Dec.: A trader was abducted overnight from the heart of
the capital the same day another jeweler was shot dead in the city’s outskirt Kapan
The brother of the jewelry shop owner was seriously of gunshot wound late evening Friday
Trader Pawan Shanghai was abducted by suspected a terai rebel outfit
The shooting and abduction occurred late evening Friday.
The home ministry is run by Bijaya Kumar Gachedhar who is chairman of
MJFL—a terai based party.
He has been reshuffling senior police officers claiming the security situation has improved with the home ministry under him.
Most recent report said he’s attempting to replace the incumbent Nepal
Police IGP.
Law and order situation has deteriorated with another murder 8 December
at a jewelry shop in Pulchowk, Lalitpur.
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MAOIST CENTRAL COMMITTEE SCHEDULED TO MEET
SATURDAY

Kathmandu, 24 Dec.: A central committee meeting of UCPN (Maoist) is scheduled to be held Saturday after it was postponed Friday citing inadequate homework.
Party Chief Prachanda has been repeatedly postponing meetings of the
committee where he doesn’t have a majority.
Differences have broken out openly in the largest party which is communist
and leading he government with Madeshbadi parties.
The central committee was empowered to settle differences in the party.
.Prachanda Friday called the differences ideological while assuring
supporters in Chitwan Friday
Saturday’s meet will strengthen unity, he assured.
Differences broke out publicly after the establishment of the chief and Prime Minister Babura Bhattarai handed over keys of containers with insurgency-era weapons to a government committee to complete the peace process ad proclaim a
constitution.
But a hard-line faction led by First Vice-chairman with
.support of former military leader and General Secretary Ram Bahadur
Thapa have been obstructing initiatives of the party establishment to push the twin processes.
The Baidya faction has again launched a new drive to seize land even as promises to returned seized assets during the insurgency haven’t been fulfilled.
Secretary CP Gajurel has even said a formal split is being announced indicating the seriousness of the difference in UCPN (Maoist).
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/reoftaostcenral commlttee UNTY WILL BE BOOSTED IDELOGICAL

NATION’S FOOD SURPLUS CONFIRMED
Kathmandu, 24 Dec.: The country become successful to shake off food insecurity situation registering nine per cent food surplus last year, according to the amended report of Cereal Food Balance 2010-2011, Thee Himalayan Times reports.

The report mentioned that the country has a total of 443.1 thousand metric tones of edible food surplus in the fiscal year 2010-11 after analysing population and cereal production data of National Population Census (NPC) 2011, Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperatives, Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) and World Food Program (WFP).

The country had experienced cereal food deficit in four of the past six years since 2005/06. The highest food deficit of 330 thousand metric tones was reported in fiscal year 2009-10.

Due to the lower than estimated population number and the resulting lower edible cereal requirements, the amended national food balance situation shows a larger surplus for the crop year 2010-11 than previously estimated.

Earlier, cereal requirement was estimated based on the population growth rate of 2.25 per cent per annum as per 2001’s census, however according to preliminary report of the 2011 NPC Nepali population stand at 26 million with population growth rate of 1.4 per cent per. The revised population estimates have increased the amount of surplus food to 443.1 thousand metric tones from earlier estimate of 110 thousand metric tones..

In the previous fiscal year, the country has produced crops 5.51 million metric tones while the estimated food requirement stood at 5.06 million metric tones.

Paddy, maize and wheat are the top three cereals produces of the country. The country produced 4.46 million matric tones of paddy, 2.06 million metric tones of maize and 1,745 metric tones of wheat in the last fiscal year, according to the report.

Despite a record-high surplus in 2010-11, the amended cereal food balance shows that 33 out of 75 districts are still food deficit. Majority of these food insecure districts were from Mid and the Far-Western hills and mountains areas where road and market access is limited.

Some Terai districts such as Sunsari, Saptari and Siraha are also among the food deficit ones because of high population and low production.
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UML CONCERNED WITH RECENT POLITICAL STALEMATE

Kathmandu, 24 Dec.: The standing committee meeting of the CPN-UML
today [Frday] expressed serious concern about the recent stalemate in the constitution-drafting process despite November 1 seven-point deal reached between the major parties and Madhes-based parties, Arjun Bhandari reports in The Himalayan Tmes..

The deal had agreed on regrouping the Maoist combatants for integration, rehabilitation and voluntary retirement. A resolution passed by the meeting stated that the government had not shown its readiness to conclude the remaining tasks of the peace process, which should have been completed by mid-December. The resolution said some of the issues already settled by the Problem Resolution Sub-committee have been raised again by Maoist lawmakers in the Constitutional Committee. “We urge the UCPN-Maoist and the government to immediately conclude the remaining tasks of the peace process and expedite the constitution-drafting process at the earliest,” the resolution said, warning that the country would plunge into political and constitutional complications if the parties failed to draft the new constitution by May 28.

The party has also called upon the government to form the Truth and Reconciliation Commission and Commission of Enquiry on Disappearances.

The resolution also drew the Maoist and Prime Minister Baburam Bhattarai’s attention towards formation of a national unity government as per the November 1 deal, which had agreed to form a unity government by mid-December. The UML standing committee meeting has also called upon the government to roll back its decision to give a bulk entry of the Madhesi community into the Nepali Army, claiming that the decision violated the Military Act, adopted after the restoration of democracy, and recruitment regulation which has adopted the policy of inclusiveness in the national army.

The meet warned the government against taking any decision on citizenship certificates violating the prevailing law.

The abrupt cancellation of Chinese Prime Minister Ben Jiabao’s planned official visit to Nepal is a result of the government’s ‘imbalanced foreign policy, immature diplomacy and an indifference to the Chinese sensitivity towards Nepal’, according to the meeting.

Besides, the meet demanded legal action against those involved in the murder of Manbir Bishwokarma of Kalikot over casteism and compensation to his kin.

It condemned the government for failing to save Shiva Poudel, who was beaten to death in judicial custody .

Khanal’s proposal on strengthening UML

KATHMANDU: Earlier in the day, party chairman Jhala Nath Khanal put forward a ‘12-point proposal on strengthening the party unity’, which was more of a policy paper, a standing committee member said.

Sources said chairman proposed to give standing committee member KP Sharma Oli the third place in the party hierarchy after the chairman and leader Madhav Kumar Nepal.

But party general secretary Ishwor Pokharel reportedly objected to the proposal on Oli’s hierarchy, arguing that the party statute did not have a provision to take such a decision. He objected to media reports that the party chairman would come up with a proposal to make Oli and others Constituent Assembly members.

Party secretary Shankar Pokharel said the chairman’s policy paper has proposed giving suitable responsibility to all the central committee, politburo and standing committee members and taking special initiatives to settle internal disputes.

Pokharel said Khanal’s paper proposed nothing about appointing Oli, vice-chairman Bamdev Gautam and standing committee member Amrit Kumar Bohara as CA members calling back three of the UML CA members nominated by the council of ministers.

“The chairman might float a proposal to this effect only after the standing committee endorses his policy paper,” Pokharel said.
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NO REVIEW OF SECURITY BY GOVT.
Kathmandu, 24 Dec.: The government on Friday decided not to alter the security arrangements given to VVIPs and VIPs following five day study conducted by Central Security
Committee, Republica reports.

The Central Security Committee, under Home Ministry, concluded that the VVIPs and VIPs still have security threats.

“Following the threat analysis study, the ministry decided not to review the security arrangements given to the VVIPs and VIPs,” said Shankar Prasad Koirala, Spokesperson at the ministry.

The meeting held on December 17 at the ministry had asked the committee to conduct a study about the threats facing the VVIPS and VIPs.

The Home Ministry has been providing security to the incumbent and former VVIPs and VIPs as per the Directive on Security Management of VIP, 2068. At present, the Home Ministry provides up to two PSOs or bodyguards or both to ministers.

A few weeks ago, the State Affairs Committee (SAC) of parliament had directed the government to take necessary decisions with regard to providing security to VIPs and review security strategy and plan of action as and when needed.
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MADESHI YOUTH TO BE RECRUITED THROUGH FREE COMPETITION
Kathmandu, 24 Dec.: Reversing the government´s decision to recruit 3,000 Madheshi youths in the Nepal Army (NA) taken three days ago, the defense ministry on Friday clarified that the proposed recruitment will be carried out through free competition, meaning that the proposed recruitment will not only be reserved for youths, from the Madheshi community, Shreejana Shrestha writes sn The Republica.

The government on December 20 had decided to recruit 3,000 Madhesi youths.

At a press conference on Friday, the Defense Ministry revealed policy paper 2068 aimed at making Nepal Army (NA) more inclusive and said that the proposed recruitment will be carried out on the basis of NA rules.

“The new recruitment will be conducted as per the existing rules of the Nepal Army,” said Nabin Kumar Ghimire, secretary at defense ministry, adding, “We will allot 45 percent of upcoming openings under the reserved quota as per the existing norms of NA.” Under the NA´s existing policy, remaining 55 percent of the vacancies will be filled through free competition.

However, Defense Minister Bijaya Kumar Gachchhadar, who also holds the home portfolio, claimed that of the upcoming 3,000 recruitments, 2,000 will be allotted to Madhesi youths and that the NA would have to follow the ministry´s decision in this regard.

“We will begin the recruitment of Madhesi youths, whoever meets the criteria, and the number will reach up to 2,000,” he claimed, adding, “It will definitely take some time to recruit 10,000 Madhesi youths, as per the four point deal inked between the government and United Democratic Madhesi Front (UDMF), in NA.”

He even reiterated that the recruitment process will be initiated soon and the backward communities, indigenous, dalits will be encouraged to apply. The policy paper passed by the cabinet and publicized by the defense ministry reads that the government will announce the vacancy as per the inclusion policy adopted by NA. It also states that awareness campaigns will be conducted in the Tarai to encourage Madhesi youths to apply.

He even added that the ministry is planning to attract Madhesi people from backward and other indigenous communities to join the NA.

As per the policy paper, there will be altogether 16 recruitment centers -- three in the mountain areas, five in the hill and eight in the Tarai region.

Separate unit of Madhesi youths in NA

There will be a separate unit of Madhesi youths in NA. The policy paper states that a unit will be formed that will have an historical name like Janaki or Gadimai or Simraungad or Birat. At present, there is a battalion called Naya Sabuj Gan, which was formed for Madhesi recruits, in NA. This separate battalion, set up like other battalions for specific ethnic groups, currently has 850 personnel.

Petition at SC

Meanwhile, a writ petition has been filed at the Supreme Court (SC) challenging the government decision to recruit 3,000 Madhesi youths in the NA.

The Chure Bhawar Rastriya Ekta Party filed the petition at the apex court stating that any ethnic-based induction into the national army is inappropriate, and demanded that the policy paper on proposed recruitment be scrapped.

The cabinet decision infringes the constitutional rights of other communities, said CBREP lawmaker Badri Neupane.

The petitioner has also demanded that the apex court issue an stay order against the implementation of the government´s decision.
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