JOINT NC MEET TO DISCUSS FEDERAL STRUCTURE

JOINT NC MEET
Kathmandu, 9 Feb.: A joint meeting
of the main opposition NC parliamentary party committee and central
committee is meeting Thursday to adopt a formal position of a federal
state structure.
A government formed state reorganization commission couldn’t recommend a common perception after a two-month study and consultations.
A majority view recommended 11 while a minority recommended six
provinces.
The party rejected provinces on ethnicity.
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BOMB BEING DEFUSED IN KAKADVITTA
Kathmandu, 9 Feb. An army bomb disposal unit is attempting to defuse a bomb planted n front of a bank at Kakadvitta, Jhapa, Thursday.
Members of an unidentified group fled after planting the bomb there Thursday morning.
A group demanding a Limbuwan state s active in the area
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DRI TO QUIZ CUSTOMS OFFICIALS
Kathmandu, 9 Feb.: Department of Revenue Investigation will quiz customs agents and officials at different customs offices to reveal the reality behind the misappropriation of Indian Currency (IC), The Himalayan Times reports.

“The department, now, is grilling several bank managers on the issue,” said director general at the department Shanta Bahadur Shrestha. “It will start interrogating customs clearing agents and officials at different customs offices to identify whether they too were involved in the IC misappropriation.”

The investigation carried out by the department has revealed that traders and firms had misappropriated IRs 1.24 billion using fake customs declaration forms. The department has directed the customs offices to send in their views regarding IC misappropriation. “Customs officials and clearing agents will have to prove their innocence.”

Meanwhile, Department of Customs is facing a hard time in controlling frauds at Tribhuwan International Airport’s customs office due to loopholes in the existing Financial Act, according to a department source. “Air travellers and staffers at TIA are found to be involved in importing goods evading customs duty,” said an official at the department. “Generally, passengers import high value goods to evade customs liabilities.”

Monitoring teams

Department of Revenue Investigation will mobilise 100 teams across the country to make its integrated market monitoring drive a success. “Some 100 teams will be mobilised from tomorrow,” director general Tanka Mani Sharma said. “The team can issue a fine of up to Rs 5000 on the spot to those who are escaping tax liabilities.” Monitoring teams will recommend the concerned Inland Revenue Office in case of a larger tax evasion.
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GOVT. BODY TO SUB-CONCRACT TEXTBOOK PUBLICATION
Kathmandu, 9 Feb.: Admitting that it will not be able to meet the text book printing target by the start of the new academic session, Janak Sikshya Samagri Kendra (JSSK) has decided to award contracts to print over 2 million books to two other
Organizations, Binod Ghimere writes in The Kathmandu Post..
While the JSSK has only two months before the academic session begins, around 7 million text books are yet to be printed.
According to JSSK Spokesperson Manohar Lamichhane, Sajha Publications and UCP, an organisation working for the rights of orphans, will be asked to print 2.3 million books.
Though JSSK has been printing the books for the last five months, it has readied only around 13 million books, including last year’s stock, against the target of 19.9 million. Over 1 million books of the primary level were in stock.
Speaking at an interaction organised by the Education Journalist Group on Wednesday, Lamichhane said the Ministry of Education has given a go-ahead to the JSSK to allow the two organisations to print the books.
“We can even turn to Gorkhapatra Sansthan if Sajha and UCP are unable to ready 2.3 million books on time,” he said.
The JSSK, the sole authority that publishes books for the Central, Mid-Western and Far-Western regions, had set a target of printing 21.3 million units this year. However, it revised the target to 19.9 million after the government decided to continue with the old syllabus for grade six. It said the sales go down when old textbooks are used the following year.
“If printing goes in the current pace, the textbook crisis (seen last year) will be seen
this year too,” said Suparbhat Bhandari, the chairperson of Nepal Guardian Association, who also represents the central level textbook
monitoring committee. According to sources, the JSSK is also likely to run out of printing paper. Some 26 tons of paper is needed to publish 100,000 units, while it still needs some 1,222 tons to meet the current target. “We are not in a position to buy all the required quantity of paper at one go,” Lamichhane said.
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INDIA SEEKS CLARIFICATION FROM MAOISTS
Kathmandu, 9 Feb.:- Senior officials at the Ministry of Energy ( MoE) have sought official position of the ruling UCPN (Maoist) on implementation of the Pancheshwar Multi Purpose Project, a part of Nepal-India Mahakali Treaty, ahead of the Nepal-India ministerial-level talks, Anil Giri writes in The Kathmandu Post..
During a preparatory meeting held on Wednesday in Energy Minister Post Bahadur Bogati's chamber to determine the agenda for the meeting, Joint-secretary at the MoE Arjun Karki asked the minister to seek a mandate from his party on the Pancheswor project before attending the meeting. "Before holding the meeting, it is my humble request to you to seek a mandate from your party," Karki told Bogati.
"Only after an official position on the project, will we able to negotiate with the Indian side," Karki and other officials told Minister Bogati.
New Delhi is hosting on February 15 the first-ever ministerial-level meeting, the highest mechanism in the Tier 3 structure--joint secretary, secretary and ministerial levels, to look into water resource issues. The energy minister is leading the Nepali delegation.
India is likely to raise the issue of implementation of the Pancheshwar project and formation of the Pancheshwar Development Authority (PDA).
"Political parties have different takes on the implementation of the project, which has long been puzzling us. You should talk to the prime minister before arriving at an official position on it," Karki said. Other officials also agreed with the joint-secretary and advised the minister to decide on the issue immediately. "Then the minister ordered us to give in writing Nepal's position on implementation of the Pancheshwar project. He also made it clear that he will discuss the issue with Prime Minister Baburam Bhattarai on Thursday and will inform them accordingly," said an official.
Political parties are divided over the controversial bilateral treaty which was ratified by a joint sitting of the parliament in 1996.
The ruling Maoist party, terming the Mahakali Treaty as "anti-national", has been demanding its scrapping. The party, in its 40-point agenda submitted to the then Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba in 1996 at the onset of their 'People's War and various other platforms, has been warning against the implementation of the project. However, the Nepali Congress and the CPN-UML have supported the project.
India and Nepal have agreed to set up the PDA but due to the claim and counter claim from both the sides on appointing the chief executive officer on rotation basis, deputy positions and investment structure to generate hydropower, it has not come to fruition.
The ministerial-level meeting is said to review and explore the entire gamut of issues related to resources, including power import, inundation, hydropower generation and cooperation, construction of cross-border transmission lines, and Sapta Koshi Multi Purpose Project cum Sun Koshi Diversion Scheme. "Our prime agenda is to import 200 MW electricity from India and to expedite the construction of the 400KV cross-border transmission corridor to be built between Dhalkebar-Muzaffarpur," said another MoE official.
As the Indian side failed to forward its agenda, the Nepali side has requested for its tentative agenda and position at the earliest.
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DETAILS OF GOLDEN HANDSHAKE FOR FORMER MAOIST
FIGHTERS IN DANG

Kathmandu, 9 Feb.: Distribution of cheques to the Maoist PLA combatants opting for voluntary retirement at the fifth division here concluded Wednesday. Dahaban headquarters and other divisions have already handed over cheques to the combatants whereas the PLA combatants of Sakram Brigade are yet to receive their cheques, The Rising Nepal reports from Dang.
Dirgha Smriti Brigade Sakram had 360 combatants choosing integration. The cheque distribution programme was delayed by a day in the fifth division. A total of 898 combatants have chosen for voluntary retirement in the fifth division As the work was gaining pace, the Young Communist League (YCL) and some combatants have protested the process. A team led by the man in charge of YCL Muldhan Roka of the Dirgha Smriti Brigade Sakram Dang demanded facilities like that of voluntarily retiring combatants. Roka said that the state neglected their problems. Claiming that he was an assistant brigadier of the fifth command sent out of the camp as YCL, he asked “the Maoists should tell me that I am no more an army or else our demand should be addressed.” Responding to the query of Roka, comrade Sharad answered, “Many comrades of YCL have served as army during the 10-year armed conflict. The state should address this issue.” Roka said that earlier the party looked after their combatants. “Now that the party no longer looks after its combatants and the fact that some have been integrated whereas others have opted for retirement, this situation arose,” he said. Meanwhile, Maoist PLA of the first division from Chulachuli, Ilam, demanded with their commanders to return their seized cheques. The headquarters has been claiming that those making these demands were not the Maoist combatants but they were elements trying to obstruct the peace process. It clarified that the party had no policy of grabbing cheques from the combatants. Speaking with the journalists in Damak Wednesday, Bijaya Lama, who claimed himself to be a Section Commander of the 1st division, said that the headquarters grabbed cheques from 63 combatants including himself. Lama, a resident of Soyang, Ilam, said that he entered the People’s Liberations Army in 2059 B.S. Grabbing cheques of combatants was an injustice, he added. Lama claimed that their cheques were grabbed by the people’s army. The commanders took their cheques claiming that the amount of the first payment was needed for the disqualified combatants. He further claimed that the combatants had been provided a monthly Rs.1, 000 less from the salary and pension provided by the government for the PLA. “So the money collected from them should be provided to the disqualified combatants by returning their cheques,” added Lama. He warned of protesting against the headquarters if the cheques were not returned. “We need our cheques back,” he added.
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PM ASSURANCE TO OPPOSITION

Kathmandu, 9 Feb.; Prime Minister Dr Baburam Bhattarai Wednesday assured the opposition parties that the cabinet meeting tomorrow would review its earlier decision on the land deals that were approved by the ‘people’s court’ during the Maoist insurgency, The Rising Nepal reports.
The Prime Minister said he would address the concerns by the opposition parties at a meeting of the major three parties at Gokarna Forest Resort, 8 km north-east of the capital city The opposition parties, Nepali Congress and CPN-UML, had taken a stand that there was no meaning of holding talks before the Prime Minister assured them that the controversial decision would be revoked. As agreed on Saturday, top leaders of the parties, including the ruling UCPN-Maoist, gathered in Gokarna to push the peace and constitution writing processes ahead and form a national consensus government. “We discussed about ways to end the stalemate in the peace and constitution writing processes. We agreed to resolve problems through dialogue. The future of dialogue depends on what decision the cabinet makes tomorrow regarding our concerns,” UML senior leader Madhav Kumar Nepal informed the journalists after the meeting. Two main opposition parties, NC and UML, have been obstructing the parliament continuously over the cabinet decision to recognise the war-era land dealings. Although the Prime Minister’s assurance facilitated the meeting to move ahead, the main ruling party, however, did not budge from its stance on the Cabinet decision on legalizing the land dealing transactions made by the Maoists’ people’s court during the armed insurgency. “Our party’s stand on the Cabinet decision is the same that the decision of the people’s power should be legalized. We said it is correct. The opposition parties spoke against it. The Prime Minister has said he would take the issue to the Cabinet and discuss the matter. As things stand now, we are also waiting for the Cabinet decision,” Maoist secretary CP Gajurel said. The secretary of the ruling party said his party was against withdrawal of the Cabinet decision instead for implementing it as per the existing laws and practices. He also said that the meeting agreed to hold the meeting of the Army Integration Special Committee on Thursday and take necessary steps over the reported incidents of cheque capturing by the PLA commanders while the payee cheques were being distributed to the combatants opting for voluntary retirement. Arjun Narasingh KC, NC leader, maintained that the meeting was focused more on issues pertinent to conclusion of peace and statute writing processes than on formation of unity government. “We will think about suspending our protests in the parliament against the cabinet decision to legalise the war-era land dealings made (by the Maoists) once the government revokes the cabinet decision,” KC said, adding, “The Prime Minister has assured us of addressing our demands through tomorrow’s cabinet decision.” KC said that his party also put forward issues related to return of the property captured during the armed conflict to the rightful owners. He said that the parties also discussed the formation of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission and were one in categorizing the crimes related to war era in TRC and take necessary action
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MAOISTS ASKED TO BE PRACTICAL

Kathmandu, 9 Feb.:8 Founding member of the Communist Party of Nepal (CPN), Narbahadur Karmacharya has urged the leaders and cadres of the Unified CPN-Maoist to become practical. Karmacharya, who is also the central advisor to the UCPN-Maoist party, said this while speaking at a function here today [Wednesday], RSS reports from Bardbas.
He expressed his concern over the current behavior of the party leaders and cadres while urging them to become practical for the welfare of the public. Addressing the same programme, Standing Committee member of the UCPN-Maoist Krishna Bahadur Mahara said all the political parties, the people who believe in democracy and the party rank and file should now focus on peace and constitution writing.
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HIMALAYAN MELTDOWN WAS EXAGGERATED
Kathmandu, 9 Feb.: Himalayan glaciers and ice caps that supply water to more than a billion people in Asia are losing mass up to 10 times less quickly than once feared, reports a study published Thursday, AFP reports from Paris..

Based on an improved analysis of satellite data from 2003 to 2010, the findings offer a reprieve for a region already feeling the impacts of global warming.

But they do not mean that the threat of disruptive change has disappeared, the researchers warned.

"The good news is that the glaciers are not losing mass as fast as we thought," said Tad Pfeffer, a professor at the University of Colorado's Institute of Arctic and Alpine Research and a co-author of the study.

"The bad news is that they are still losing a lot of water. There is still definitely a serious problem for the Himalayas."

Much of that loss, it turns out, is taking place in the huge plains immediately south of the towering mountain range, where pumping from wells is draining ancient aquifers far faster than precipitation can replenish them.

Earlier estimates -- also based on satellite data -- mistakenly attributed much of the draining of these water tables to glacier melt-off, Pfeffer said in a phone interview.

Other calculations now thought to be off the mark were based on scaled-up extrapolations from lower-elevation glaciers that were more accessible to observation, but also more subject to warming trends.

"Many of the high glaciers would still be too cold to lose mass even in the presence of atmospheric warming," said co-author John Wahr, a physicist at the University of Colorado.

The study, published in Nature, provides what may be the most accurate global estimate of how much mass Earth's frozen regions -- glaciers, ice caps and the continent-sized icesheets sitting atop Greenland and Antarctica -- have shed over the last decade.

From 2003 through 2010, they collectively lost about 4,200 cubic kilometres (1,000 cubic miles), enough to raise sea levels by 12 millimetres (a half-inch) over that eight year period, the study found.

Most of that increase came from the Greenland and West Antarctica, while only 3.2 mm (0.125 inches) of the total can be attributed to the world's melting glaciers and ice caps.

"For high-mountain Asia, we are reporting loss of only four gigatonnes (Gt), or four cubic kilometres, annually," said Pfeffer. "Other studies have reported loss as high as 50 Gt per year. There's a big difference."

For the icesheets, however, the new estimates of ice mass loss over the last decade are roughly in line with other measurements based on different methods, the researchers said.

The second major driver of rising oceans is thermal expansion -- water taking up more space as the atmosphere heats up.

Satellite data used in the study, published in Nature, was taken from the Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment, or GRACE, a joint NASA-German effort to measure changes in the planet's gravity field.

Two GRACE satellites launched in 2002 whip around Earth in tandem 16 times a day at an altitude of about 480 kilometres (300 miles), sensing subtle variations in gravitational pull caused by shifts in mass in ice sheets, oceans and water stored in the soil and in underground aquifers.

The new data will help scientists refine predictions about how quickly sea levels will rise, and by how much.

Current estimates vary between about half-a-metre and a metre by century's end.

"A better estimate of past behaviour, such as that obtained [in the new study], will therefore result in better estimates of future behaviour," Jonathan Bamber, a professor at the University of Bristol, noted in a commentary, also in Nature
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