SRING HAS ARRIVED WTH SHRIPANCHAMI

SHRIPANCHAMI BEING OBSERVED

Kathmandu, 28 Jan.: Goddess of Learning Sarashwoti is being worshipped
Saturday at homes and temples since early morning to mark
Shripanchami on the first day of spring.
Toddlers are taught to read and write Saturday
President Dr Ram Baran Yadav will listen to chanting hymns from priests at 11.41 in the
morning at Hanuman Dhoka.
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NILAMBAR ACHARYA CALLS AN ALL-PARTY MEET
SATURDAY

Kathmandu, 28 Jan. Chief of the constitutional drafting committee Nilambar
Acharya has convened an all-party-meet later Saturday
to discuss a business schedule for promulgating a constitution,
Sunday’s deadline to resolve differences of themes for inclusion in a pasis law will abain the missed.
A December schedule was also missed.
The constitution has to be promulgated by 28 May.
Government isn’t sure the target date will be met,
The Office of the Prime Minister Friday registered a writ at the supreme court asking it to
review a decision of the court registrar not admit a
request of government and parliament asking for such an extensiosns.
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REMAND OF POLICE OFFICER WHO ADMITTED KILLING HIS WIFE EXTENDED ANOTHER 15 DAYS

Kathmandu, 28 Jan. The remand of APF DIG Ranjan Koirala, who admitted
killing his wife Gita, was extended another 15 days Friday.
His statement was recorded at the office of the government attorney.
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CORECTION

Kathmandu, 28 Jan.: Friday’s report said he request of the PMO to the supreme court was registered Saturday when yesterday in fat was a Friday.
The error is regretted.
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GHIMERE, MAINALI IN CAN

Kathmandu, 28 Jan.: Keshab Ghimere and Binod Kumar Mainali were appointed vice-chairman of Cricket` Association (CAN) by the board Thursday.
Thakur Prasad Pahadi and Uttam Kumar Karmacharya
were appointed secretary and committee members respectively.
CAN executive committee. Sanjeeb Pandey (Eastern Region), Ram Chandra Sharma (Central), Deepak Koirala (Western), Purna Lama (Mid-Western) and Bipat Ram Chaudhary (Far-Western Region) were nominated CAN executive members.

Sunil Man Amatya, Amrita Paudel and Dharma Sundar Bajracharya were appointed
committee members
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MEDIA GOOGLE

‘There’s no basis to put faith and trust in the good governance plan of the jumbo government that has protected the corrupt.’

(RPP-N Chairman Kamal Thapa, 28 Jan, Nagarik.)
“I learnt about the decision through the media. The cabinet took the decision on
its own to legalize the land transactions and the party
did not exert any pressure on that regard.”
(Maoist Chief Prachanada, Republica, 28 Jan.)
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PARLIAMENARY COMMITTEE RETURNS NAMES OF NOMINEES FOR
AMBASSADORS WITHOUT A HEARING
Kathmandu, 28 Jan.: The Parliamentary Hearing Special Committee (PHSC) on Friday refused to start a hearing process on 10 ambassadorial nominees, The Kathmandu Post reports.
The Cabinet on January 17 had recommended their names for 10 ambassadorial posts. Arguing that the decision was not inclusive, the Committee has asked the government and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MoFA) to review it.
“We have instructed the government to make the selection of candidates more inclusive,” said PHSC Chairman Kul Bahadur Gurung.
The Cabinet had decided to appoint six joint secretaries at the MoFA, along with four others, as envoys to 10 countries.
Out of the 10 candidates, Maya Kumari Sharma, proposed for Qatar, is the only woman candidate, while only Kaman Singh Lama, proposed for South Korea, represents the Janajati community.
Eight other candidates represent 'upper castes'. Shanker Das Bairagi (Geneva), Rudra Nepal (Australia), Mukti Nath Bhatta (Denmark), Bharat Raj Poudel (Pakistan), Paras Mani Ghimire (Myanmar) and Pralhad Prasai (Israel) are career diplomats who belong to 'upper castes'. Similarly, two of the four candidates recommended on the basis of political affiliations, are Brahmins--Ravi Mohan Sapkota (Russia) and Ram Mani Pokhrel (Belgium).
“The recommendations do not adequately represent women, Madehsi and Janajati communities. So we have asked the government to review the decision,” said Gurung.
The decision to allocate a large pie of the ambassadorial posts to the career diplomats had pleased the MoFA officials. But the PHSC rejection to begin the hearing process has disappointed them.
“We are really displeased," said a nominee. However, they are hopeful that Foreign Minister Narayn Kaji Shreshta, who is currently in Japan, will intervene in the matter. “Once the minister returns home, we hope he will intervene in the matter,” said the official.
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GUIDELINES ON FUND DISTRIBUTION LANDS NPC IN TROUBLE
Kathmandu,, 28 Jan.: A parliamentary committee on Friday formed a sub-committee to look into misconduct and gross negligence of the National Planning Commission (NPC) during implementation of budgetary programs on road development at the district level, Republica reports.

The sub-committee was formed after lawmakers alleged that the NPC had arbitrarily altered conditions on fund distribution for road projects, making it difficult for district development committees (DDCs) to apply for the sum.

The parliamentarians also claimed the NPC had been negligent while listing projects in the red book, as a project submitted by one district had fallen under the list of another district.

The Parliamentary Committee on Development has asked the three-member sub-committee to thoroughly look into the matter and submit a detailed report within a week.

"We will then decide on the issue," Jitendra Sonar, chairman of the Parliamentary Committee on Development and an MP representing Tarai Madhesh Democratic Party, said.

The NPC, an advisory body that formulates development plans and policies, had landed in hot water after it issued a controversial guideline on distribution of Rs 500 million aimed at supporting road development projects of various districts.

The guideline specifically said districts cannot implement projects that do not fall under the District Transport Master Plan and the District Development Plan.

"But there were no such conditions when the proposal was presented at the parliament for approval," Krishna Prasad Sapkota, an MP from Kavrepalanchowk, told the parliamentary committee hearing on Friday, questioning, "Who gave NPC the authority to make amendments to policies endorsed by parliament?"

This amended guideline, which was forwarded by the NPC to the Ministry of Local Development (MoLD), underwent further changes, as the ministry added another condition which prevented projects worth less than Rs 500,000 from being eligible for consideration.

The ministry has, however, said it had to include the clause as its internal policy does not allow distribution of sum of less than half a million rupees on road projects. "This was introduced to prevent dispersal of small amounts, impact of which could not be seen," Dinesh Kumar Thapaliya, acting secretary of the MoLD, said.

But lawmakers argued that if this was the case, it should have been mentioned when the proposal was forwarded to the parliament for approval.

The lawmakers also claimed the NPC had been careless in listing the projects, as many projects proposed by one district had fallen under the list of another district.

For instance, six projects submitted by Kavrepalanchowk are mentioned in the government´s red book as projects of Bhaktapur and Sindhupalchowk, while three projects of Sindhupalchowk have been entered as projects of Kavrepalanchowk, according to Sapkota.

"Now the problem is that the local development ministry has already released budget based on inaccurate data," Sapkota said.

But Thapaliya said his ministry has already asked DDCs to freeze the amount that were mistakenly deposited in their accounts.
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NC, UML REJECT MAJORITY VOTE IN SRC

Kathmandu, 28 Jan.: Amidst reports that State Restructuring Commission (SRC) is taking decision on a number of contentious issues through majority votes, Nepali Congress and CPN-UML have said they would not accept decisions taken through majority votes, Kosh Raj .Koirala writes in Republica.

During a meeting held between the two parties at Singha Durbar Friday afternoon, the two opposition parties reached an understanding that a proposal on a sensitive issue like state restructuring should not be made through voting. NC and UML leaders also conveyed their concerns to SRC members, according to leaders involved in the talks.

“We have learnt that the commission is taking decisions through majority votes. If this is true then such decisions won´t be acceptable to us,” said NC leader Dr Ram Sharan Mahat. “The issue of state restructuring is not something that can be decided on the basis of majority and minority voting.”

Dr Mahat argued that SRC was formed to forge consensus among parties on issues concerning state restructuring. “We would have voted in the parliament itself if the decisions were to be taken through majority voting,” he added.

CPN-UML leaders also vowed not to accept a state restructuring proposal based on majority votes.

The eight-member SRC comprises Malla K Sundar and Stella Tamang from the UCPN (Maoist), Ramesh Dhungel and Sabitri Thapa from the NC, Bhogendra Jha and Sarbaraj Khadka from UML, and Krishna Hachhethu and Surendra Mahato from the United Democratic Madhesi Front (UDMF).

SRC members are reportedly sharply divided over the number of federal states and whether the federal states should be carved along ethnical lines and whether they should be delineated from north to south.

The reactions from NC and UML come in the wake of media reports that the SRC had taken decision on many crucial issues through voting when some members representing NC and the UML were not present.

The two-party meeting held after the Constitutional Committee (CC) meeting also discussed the stalled peace process and Maoist dilly-dallying over integration and voluntary retirement of Maoist combatants.

The two parties have decided to continue exerting pressure on the Maoist government to withdraw its controversial decision to legalize conflict-era land dealings arbitrated by the "people´s government".
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