GUPTA BEING PRESENTED AT COURT UPDATE

GUPTA BEING PRESENTED AT COURT TUESDAY UPDATE
Kathmandu, 17 Jan.: Chairman of NSP (D) and lawmaker Shyam
Sundar Gupta is being presented before Kathmandu District Court
Tuesday for extension of his remand to prepare charges against the former supply minster
Police are preparing to charge him for abducting a businessman and industrialist from the capital last month.
Gupta was arrested Monday from his home in Bhairahawa following
Confessions of two persons who were also involved in the December abduction of Pawan Sanghai from Kamaladi in the capital.
Police quoted by newspapers Tuesday said Akash Lama of Kavre and Hit Bahadur Golay abducted the businessman who collected Rs.8.5 million for the kidnap.
They confessed Gupta paid them for the abduction
Sanghai, reports, said was kept in Kavre after abduction for nearly two weeks.
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BRITISH MINISTER ARIVES TUESDAY
Kathmandu, 17 Jan.: British Secretary of State for International Development Andrew Mitchell arrives Tuesday for his first Nepal to discuss and review British assistance.
“The British Government remains committed to supporting Nepal’s peaceful development and I was pleased to confirm last year that Nepal was prioritised as a recipient for UK aid.
“This means that between now and 2015 the UK Government will work hand in hand with the people and Government of Nepal to ensure that 230,000 direct jobs are created through our private sector development programme, 4,232 Kms of roads built or upgraded, 108,000 unintended pregnancies are averted, 110,000 people benefit from improved latrine facilities. In addition, we will help 4 million Nepalis to strengthen their ability to cope with natural disasters and the adverse impact of climate change.
“As I look at Nepal’s current situation, it is clear that the timely conclusion of the peace process in Nepal is now critical and I would encourage all of the political leaders and to work together to ensure this is achieved. A democratic and inclusive new constitution is within reach and with a final push a consensus is possible on federalism and other important issues. I am also encouraged by recent progress on the future of the former Maoist combatants and hope that this process can be concluded as quickly as possible,” he said.
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NRB DIRECTIVE ON PRIORITY LENDING
Kathmandu, 17 Jan.: At a time when banks and financial institutions (BFI) are giving low priority to the agriculture sector, Nepal Rastra Bank (NRB) has made it mandatory for commercial banks to make 10 percent of their total lending to the agriculture and energy sectors within the next three years. The central bank issued a new directive to this effect on Monday, The Kathmandu Post reports.
The move comes almost three weeks after Prime Minister Baburam Bhattarai said that the government will not ‘remain silent’ on the non-expansion of bank credit to rural areas where agriculture is a key economic activity. “The government will not adopt harsh measures without holding consultations with stakeholders concerned, but will also not remain silent if they fail to find ways to expand credit to these areas,” Bhattarai had said while addressing a workshop on ‘Status, Potential and Challenges of Financial Services in the Development of Nepal’s Agriculture Sector’ organised by the NRB on December 25.
As per NRB’s new directive, commercial banks have to increase their lending to the agriculture and energy sectors to 10 percent by mid-July 2014.
Banks having less than 10 percent exposure in these sectors need to make an annual increment of 2 percent in total by considering fiscal year 2010-11 as the base year.
Top NRB officials say such a provision was made to develop and expand the agriculture and energy sectors. “Nepali economy is highly dependent on agriculture; so we decided to increase investment there,” said Bhasker Mani Gnawali, the NRB spokesperson. “Likewise, with the country witnessing acute power shortages, it was necessary to facilitate the energy sector with adequate investment.”
Lending to the agriculture sector includes a wide range of sub-sectors like crops and crop service, tea and coffee, tobacco, jute, livestock and animal husbandry, slaughter house, forest and irrigation. Similarly, lending to energy sector includes hydro-electricity, renewable energy and other services related to electricity. Though bankers welcomed the NRB move and termed it a forward looking policy, they were sceptical of its implementation due to lack of infrastructural support, especially in the agricultural sector.
“Our agro-industry does not have insurance coverage and investment will carry a high risk,” said Ashoke Rana, the president of Nepal Bankers’ Association. “Hence, the central bank should come up with efficient mechanisms to facilitate such lending.”
In a bid to make implementation of the directive effective, NRB has also provisioned that only those commercial banks complying with the directive will be eligible to get credit facility at zero percent interest rate. “If banks fail to comply with the directive, the central bank will take strong action against them,” Gnawali said.
The central bank has said that refinancing facility will be provided to banks for their agro-loan at 6.5 percent. “The NRB announced such a facility so that banks can be more comfortable to lend in the agriculture sector,” Gnawali said.
While lending under such facility, banks must not exceed the lending rate beyond 10 percent, while the time frame for the lending is six months in maximum. BFIs should provide loans to these sectors at not more than 4.5 percent.
Over the last three decades, the sector received the highest percentage of lending from banks (24.8 percent) in the fiscal year 1992-93. Since then, bank credit in the sector continued to decline and the figure in 2010-11 stood at just 2.7 percent.
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MAOISTS PREPARE TO ASK PARTIES TO VOTE ON CONTENTIOUS ISSUES
Kathmandu, 17 Jan.: The UCPN (Maoist) is preparing to press other parties to put contentious issues of statute writing to vote in the Constituent Assembly in order to prepare the first draft of the constitution, Phanindra Dahal reports in The Kathmandu Post..
The party’s position comes a day after the ruling party unanimously decided to stand for a ‘dignified army integration process’ and ‘People’s Federal Republican Constitution’. Non-Maoist parties oppose the preparation of the first draft based on the decision of the majority saying it will be a futile exercise as the endorsement of the constitution requires two-thirds majority in the CA. All eyes are on the Constitutional Committee meeting scheduled for Tuesday morning. The committee is struggling to endorse an understanding reached by major political parties at the Dispute Resolution Subcommittee led by Maoist Chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal.
“We will not renege on issues settled by the subcommittee,” said Maoist lawmaker Khim Lal Devkota. “There is no longer a dissenting opinion over peace and constitution in the party.”
But hardliners offer varying interpretations. “We will stick to the proposals publicised by the party as its draft constitution. The recommendations of the subcommittee will be re-examined in the Constitutional Committee,” said Maoist leader Dev Gurung. Devkota is hopeful that the parties will find a meeting point on forms of governance and that the Nepali Congress will abide by the agreement on the mixed model of governance.
Gurung, claiming that there is little possibility of consensus at the Constitutional Committee, stressed the need for finalising the first draft on the basis of the majority vote. “There are 32 parties. Hence, there is diversity of opinion in the Constitutional Committee. It can settle only not-so-controversial issues,” added Gurung. “We will try to find consensus on outstanding issues. There is no alternative to voting on the issues that cannot be decided unanimously.”
UML leader Agni Kharel said putting contentious issues like forms of governance and state restructuring to a vote would be ‘devastating’. “For a while, the modality may work. But it will make it more difficult to garner a two-thirds majority required to promulgate the statute,” he said.
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NO ADVERSE EFFECTS ON FESHS ANTI-FILIARIASIS DRIVE

Kathmandu, Jan 16, Learning lessons from the past, the government launched the anti-elephantiasis (filariasis) campaign in the mid-winter season this year so no adverse effects on public health occurred during and after the campaign, The Rising Nepal reports.
This added more confidence to the government’s anti-elephantiasis drive.
With an aim to eliminate Lymphatic Filariasis (elephantiasis), considered the second leading cause of permanent, long-term disability among infectious diseases, the government launched the three-day Mass Drug Administration (MDA) in 32 districts, including Kathmandu, Bhaktapur and Lalitpur between 6 and 8 January.
After the campaign, Epidemiology and Disease Control Division (EDCD) under the Department of Health Services has been collecting the reports about its effects in all MDA districts. However, no people complained about the side effects of the medicine, Dr. G.D. Thakur, director of the Epidemiology and Disease Control Division, said.
During the campaign, a total of 11,912 health workers and 90,055 health volunteers were mobilised for door to door services.
Last year, the campaign was launched in March and there were some reports that the elephantiasis medicine claimed some lives in different parts of the country and some people showed up negative reactions.
However, it is already proved that the anti-elephantiasis medicines were not the cause of the deaths.
The World Health Organization also said there was no adverse effect from elephantiasis medicines despite some side effect for people suffering from chronic ailments, pregnant women, children under two years and mothers within seven days of delivery.
The district court of Banke had issued a stay order to stop the campaign last year.
These events created a fear to the government authorities about continuing with the MDA campaign.
Experts suggested launching the campaign during January in the middle of the winter season to decrease the side effects.
The second phase of campaign is going to be held in 14 districts between Feb 5 and 7.
The governments has already excluded the campaign in five districts, namely, Rupandehi, Nawalparasi, Chitwan, Makwanpur and Parsa from this year as they are out of the elephantiasis risk. The campaign was launched five years ago in these districts.
People will be free from the risk of the disease for the whole life after getting one tablet of Albendazole for five years, one in a year. Similarly, one to three tablets of Diethylcarbamazine should be taken in a year, depending on the age, for five years
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RULING PARTY LEADERS AGREE TO SPEED UP PEACE PROCESS;
FURTHER DETAILS

Kathmandu, 17 Jan : Leaders of the ruling UCPN-Maoist and United Democratic Madhesi Front Monday decided to speed up the peace and constitution writing processes, The Rising Nepal reports.
The two sides met at the Prime Minister’s official residence in Baluwatar this evening.
They also decided to give the present government the shape of national unity by bringing in other parties.
The leaders pledged to conclude the national tasks of peace and constitution and get the due credit for this.
Talks would be held with Nepali Congress and CPN-UML immediately, they said.
Four parties would hold serious dialogues for peace and constitution, they are learnt to have said, adding, the present government would be turned into a national consensus government to accomplish these historic tasks.
Prime Minister Dr. Baburam Bhattarai and chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal Prachanda represented the ruling UCPN-Maoist and Deputy Prime Minister Bijaya Kumar Gachchhadar, Mahanta Thakur, J.P. Gupta and Rajendra Mahato represented the UDMF in the talks.
However, the leaders did not make any comments with the journalists after the meeting.
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DETAILS OF SUSHIL KOIRALA, PRACHANDA TALKS

Kathmandu, 17 Jan : Nepali Congress president Sushil Koirala Monday met with ruling UCPN-Maoist chief Pushpa Kamal Dahal Prachanda and requested him to move the remaining tasks of peace process forward with urgency, The Rising Nepal reports.
Koirala went to Prachanda’s residence at Naya Bazaar and requested him to give priority to concluding the peace process, which, Koirala said, was being delayed due to Maoist’s intra-party rift.
After the meeting, Koirala told journalists that he requested Prachanda to bid farewell to combatants, who chose voluntary retirement, and build a consensus on the disputed issues of the constitution as soon as possible.
Koirala, at the meeting, mainly took issue with Prachanda as to why there was the delay in the agreed peace process.
In response, Prachanda also expressed his concern that the process was stalled and vowed that he would actively work to conclude the peace process and constitution writing.
According to his aide Samir Dahal, Prachanda also told Koirala that the peace process would now move ahead as his party’s central committee had decided to do so.
The leaders also discussed implementing the seven-point agreement inked by the major political
parties.
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