NILAMBAR ACHARYA MAIN CONSTITUTION COMMITTEE BEGINS WORK

NILAMBAR ACHARYA COMMITTEE ON CONSTITUTION DRAFTING BEGINS WORK

Kathmandu,12 Jan.:: Main constitution drafting committee meet chaired by Nilambar Acharya begin its third successive attempt Thursday morning to discuss and approve recommendations of a Prachanda sub-committee to resolve differences on themes for inclusion in a proposed constitution that has to be promulgated by 28 May,
The constituent assembly (CA) has given the Acharya committee time untll the end of January to resolve differences on subjects for inclusion in a
basic law after a 29 January deadline couldn’t be met,.
The Acharya committee should have started work on drafting a constitution
A Mohan Baidya faction in the UCPN (Maoist) has raised objections in three successive meetings of the Acharya committee even on agreed themes at the
Prachanda sub-committee. prompting main opposition leader Ram Chandra Paudel to ask the party leading the government to come to meetings with its house in order.
The Baidya faction wants voting age to be reduced by two years to 16 years and I pushing to name the lower house of a bicameral legislature to a people’s assembly.
The rebel group in UCPN (Maoist) also ants mention of a people’s war in a constitution objected to by opposition parties.
The issue had been resolved at the Pachand sub-committee.
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PARTIES TO SUBMIT AUDITED FINANCIAL REPORTS
ON TIME

Kathmandu, 12 Jan 12: The three major political parties -- UCPN (Maoist), Nepali Congress (NC) and CPN-UML -- on Wednesday said they will submit audited reports of their financial activities to the Election Commission (EC) within the deadline set by the constitutional body, Gani Ansari reports.

The deadline for the political parties to submit their audited financial reports will expire on Saturday.

“We will finalize our financial report by tomorrow (Thursday) and will submit it to the EC on Friday,” UCPN (Maoist) office secretary Bikesh Shrestha told Republica.

The main opposition Nepali Congress (NC) also said that it is preparing to submit the report by Saturday.

“We are giving final touches to our annual report and will be able to submit the report within the set deadline,” said joint-secretary at NC headquarters Prakash Sharma, who has been involved in drafting the report.

Similarly, CPN-UML Spokesperson Pradip Gyawali informed that they will not miss the deadline for submission of the report.

Asked about the delay in submitting the report, Gyawali said, “We admit our weakness but the report was delayed as we were preoccupied with other major agendas.”
He clarified that the delay does not mean that the political parties intended to defy the constitutional body´s directive.

Likewise, Tarai Madhes Democratic Party (TMDP) and Sadbhawana Party said they would submit their report to the EC within the deadline.

“We respect the constitutional body´s directive,” said TMDP Joint-general Secretary Jitendra Sonal, adding, “And, we will submit our report on time.”

General Secretary of SP Manish Suman said that they have already prepared the report and will submit it to EC within the deadline.

However, Suman said the EC must strictly enforce its directive.

Madhesi People´s Rights Forum (MPRF) Treasurer Renu Kumari Yadav said her party has already prepared the report for submission.

Madhesi People´s Rights Forum-Democratic (MPRF-D) says that it will miss the deadline as the party has not worked on the report yet. “I don´t think our party will be able to submit the report within the deadline,” Asha Chaturbedi, treasurer of MPRF-D, told Republica.

Asked if they would urge EC to extend the deadline for submission of the report, Chaturbedi said, “The party will take an appropriate decision in this regard.”

With just three days remaining for the political parties to submit the report to EC, only two parties -- Rastriya Janamorcha and Hindu Prajatantra Party -- have submitted their reports so far while CPN (Unified) has urged the constitutional body to extend the deadline. Altogether 80 political parties are registered in EC.

Addressing a press conference in the capital on Tuesday, Acting Chief Election Commissioner Neelkantha Uprety had warned that the constitutional body would not remain silent if the political parties do not submit their audited financial report on time.

Existing law requires political parties to submit their financial reports to the commission every fiscal year.

As per the law, the EC can cancel registration of a party if its fails to furnish such details for three consecutive years.
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10 TOWNS PLANNED IN HILLS TO STEM MIGRATION OUTFLOW

Kathmandu, 12 Jan : The government has initiated the process of developing 10 small settlements along the Puspalal Mid-Hill Highway into big towns with necessary infrastructure and services, through the investment of over Rs 1.37 billion, in a bid to discourage out-migration from the hill districts, Prabhakar Ghimere writes in Repblica..

The settlements short-listed for the purpose include Phidim of Ilam district and Basantapur of Terhatum in the Eastern Development Region, Kurkot of Sidhuli and Baireni of Dhading in the Central Development Region, Dumre-Bhansar of Tanahun and Burtibang of Baglung in the Western Development Region, Chaurjahari of Rukum and Rakam of Salyan in the Mid-Western Region and Sanfebagar of Achham and Patan of Baitadi in the Far-Western Region.

“We had initially selected 58 towns along the 1,775-km Mid-Hill Highway to study the potential for and necessity of developing them into bigger towns. However, we brought the number down to 10 that qualified under our criteria,” Deepak Shrestha, Senior Divisional Engineer at the Department of Urban Development and Building Construction (DUDBC), told Republica.

Shrestha said separate urban development projects will be designed for the 10 mini-towns, which were chosen on the basis nine criteria-- availability of space (land) and water resources, prospects for economic development, non-agricultural activities, existing population as well as prospects of growth through inbound migration from other places, literacy rate and availability and prospects of electricity supply.

“After all, the main objective behind the proposed development of towns in the mid-hills is to retain the hill population and encourage proportional development across the country,” Shrestha said. He said the target of the program is to increase the population capacity of these towns to at least 50,000 each.

Among the towns picked, Phidim had the highest population of 13,650 whereas Rakam was inhabited by the lowest-- 1,800, according to the census of 2001.

Provisional Detailed Project Reports (DPRs) for individual town developments have already been prepared and the revised reports are to be finalized within a couple of weeks.

“Besides, we have also given priority to towns located at the intersections of north-south roads and the Mid-Hill Highway so that they will grow rapidly through greater connectivity,” Shrestha added.

While selecting the towns, DUDBC left out towns which have already been declared municipalities and receive donor assistance for necessary infrastructure and facilities.

Shrestha said development of land, roads, drainage, nearby river bridges and drinking water systems are priority under the urban development plans for the selected towns.

“We have already initiated implementation of the plan in Chaurjahari, Phidim and Sanfebagar, where we are developing water supply systems and undertaking land development, among other work,” Shrestha said.

He said about Rs 60 million has already been allocated so far in the current fiscal year for implementation of the proposed program in the three towns. DUDBC has also provided a list of the selected towns to Nepal Telecom for the development of telecommunications services there.

“We are also coordinating with other concerned ministries to develop health, education and other crucial services in those towns,” he further added.
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MEDICAL DISUPTE ADVERSELY IMPACTS MIGRATION OUTFLOW
Kathmandu, 12 Jan.: Dispute between Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) approved medical centres and the government approved medical centres has hit Nepali workers outflow, The Himalayan Times reports.

Currently, only the half to about 700 Nepalis are leaving the country for major job markets – Saudi Arab, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Qatar and Malaysia – while two months ago the number was 1,500. The destinations have been hiring nearly 90 per cent of Nepali migrant workers since 2001-02.

“Nepalis joining Saudi Arabian job have reduced to half following the dispute,” said president of Nepal Association of Foreign Employment Agencies Som Lal Bataju.

“It has affected the complete migration process,” he said, urging the government to solve it as soon as possible.

According to him, workers migration to Gulf countries will further slide in the current month due to dispute.

Dispute that has started a decade ago and come to street in 2009 when the Nepal Health Professional Federation laun-ched protest against GCC approved medical centres (GAMCA) is ongoing as the former protested against GAMCA urging the government to close it.

Some two months ago, the protest has started started again as the top hiring country Qatar decided to accept medical reports issued by GCC approved medical centres only.

Qatar, Saudi Arabia, UAE, Bahrain, Kuwait and Oman come under the GCC.

Bahrain, Kuwait and Oman had started accepting GCC approved medical centres reports since 2009 but top hiring countries like Saudi Arabia, Qatar and UAE are also gradually accepting medical reports from GCC since 2010.

“The protest is against syndicate,” said president of federation Khadak Bahadur Shrestha. Following the protest from federation, the Department of Commerce had also issued order to close GCC approved medical centres.

The Nepal Health Professional Federation, some 179 medical centres registered under Foreign Employment Act 2007 that is leading the protest claimed that it is not targeted against the GCC approved medical centres.

“We are protesting for the rights of 179 medical centres registered for medical check-up with the government,” he said, adding that they are, however, not stopping medical check-up of migrant workers.

“Its GCC approved medical centres decision to stop medical check-up,” he said.

However, the federation has stopped seven medical centres to issue medical reports dragging them to apex court questioning their legal status.

The case currently is under the court.

GAMCA hikes fee

KATHMANDU: GAMCA Nepal – a loose coordination mechanism of GCC approved medical centres in Nepal – has hiked medical check-up fee for migrant workers from Rs 3,200 to Rs 4,000. “We hiked the fee according to the decision of GCC,” said GAMCA Nepal chief Dr Ravi Rauniyar. However, outsourcing agencies are opposing the decision demanding to withdraw the hike.

Agencies object

KATHMANDU: Outsourcing agencies objected the medical check up fee hike from Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) approved medical centres. Nepal

Association of Foreign Employment Agencies has

decided ‘not to send’ workers to Saudi Arabia following price hike to Rs 4,000 from Rs 3,200 from last week. “We have decided to stop workers sending process to GCC countries till the hiked medical check up fee not withdrawn,” said general secretary of the association Kumud Khanal. The association has nearly 800 member outsourcing agencies.
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FRENCH HUMAN RIGHTS ENVOY WARNS NEPAL
Kathmandu, 12 Jan.:: A senior French human rights envoy has warned that Nepal would face severe consequences if the government goes ahead with its plan to grant amnesty to all persons accused of being involved in rights violation, The Himalayan Times reports.

French Ambassador for Human Rights François Zimeray, who is based in Paris and is currently in Nepal said, “A blanket amnesty to rights abusers will isolate Nepal from the international community. We have found no reason for such a pardon.”

Talking to mediapersons yesterday, he said he was going to take up the issue with government officials, including Prime Minister Baburam Bhattarai and Attorney General Mukti Pradhan.

Zimeray’s show of concern comes as the Maoist-led coalition government is seeking to grant blanket amnesty for all alleged-human rights offenders during the Maoist insurgency, and rights activists have been protesting the government move.

“Only the victims and the law can pardon offenders. Nobody else can grant such amnesty,” the French official said.

“Pardon should come after truth, not before truth. Let the truth prevail before absolving rights violators,” he said.

A blanket amnesty would be a breach of victim’s right to justice, he argued.

Citing rights violation cases in former Yugoslavia, Cambodia and Peru, he stated, “The world wants justice, not impunity.”

Asked what sort of consequences Nepal would face if it does grant blanket amnesty to rights abusers, Zimeray warned, “The international community would be unable to listen to Nepal’s request for help to cope with its challenges in the future.”

Zimeray, who is also senior official at the French Foreign Ministry, said his government has particular interest in issues of rights in Nepal, including that of women and children.
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