PM INAUGURATES 5TH NATIONAL AGRO EXPO
Kathmandu, 10 March. Prime Minister Baburam Bhattarai Friday inaugurated the
five-day 5th National Agro Expo n the capital Friday
Altogther150 stalls are showcasing agriculture products, herbs, and fertilisers
from 40 districts.
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MEDIA GOOGLE
“We joined the party with an empty hand and are returning home the same.
Sharmila Pun, an expecting mother who was based in PLA Third Division, Shaktikhor, Chitwan.
“I spent half of my life for the party. Now I want to live for myself.
(Former woman PLA fighter Sharmila, The Himalayan Times, 10March)
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UNSCRUPULOUS TRADERS TO
BE CHARGED
Kathmandu, 10 March 10: Eight unscrupulous traders that misappropriated Indian Currency (IC) worth Rs 1.98 billion are set to face multiple charges, including forgery and foreign currency embezzlement, at the court, a Department of Revenue (DRI) official investigating the case disclosed on Friday, Republica reports.
The official, who requested anonymity, said the investigations have already established that eight Birgunj-based firms used fake customs declaration form to siphon off IC from the banking system. “They had even forged customs seals and signature of customs officials,” said the official.
As their activities contravene with multiple laws, the department is preparing to file a charge sheet seeking actions as per multiple laws. The firms facing DRI´s wrath include Laxmi Traders, Rehan Traders, Maha Laxmi Enterprises, Shyam Galla Store, GS Traders, Maxwell Computers, Digital World and Jay Mata Di International. On the basis of 2,341 fake customs declarations forms produced at 15 branches of nine banks, the firms managed to issue demand draft to pay for the imports they never made. These demand drafts helped the firms siphon off IRs 1.24 billion from the banking system.
DRI had traced the racket when it raided those firms some six months ago and took their day book and other documents under control.
Interestingly, the DRI investigation has not yet established a clear involvement of customs officials as well as customs agents.
“We interrogated customs agents whose code numbers were mentioned in the declaration form. However, it was revealed that citation of their code numbers again was one of the fraudulent tricks that unscrupulous traders resorted to,” said the source. Similarly, the customs officials could not be implicated because all those customs declaration form were never issued by the customs office.
However, the official said some of the officials of the banks that made the payments could be implicated in the case, particularly as existing norms require bank staffers to cross-check authenticity of documents before issuing payment drafts.
“A single person was found to have withdrawn over Rs 600 million from a bank by producing multiple fake customs declaration mentioning the same date of imports. The withdrawals were carried out for a number of days. That should have rung warning bells,” said the source.
But investigating officials have failed to assert whether it (bank´s laxness) was due to negligence or ill-intention of staff. Given the situation, DRI is soon holding discussions with the senior officials of Nepal Rastra Bank - the central monetary authority - over its action against the bank staffers.
“We have enough facts to challenge the intention of some of the bank staff. Also we want to make sure banks act more responsibly and take steps to avoid such laxness in the future,” said the source, indicating that the fate of the bank staff would be decided only after hearing NRB´s opinion.
The banks that were investigated by DRI are Citizens Bank International, NIC Bank, Everest Bank, Nepal SBI Bank, Nepal Bank Limited, Siddhartha Bank, Laxmi Bank, Nepal Investment Bank and Nepal Bangladesh Bank.
Moreover, the source said DRI is planning to file case against those found involved in the IC misappropriation racket by
mid-March.
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TO END AGITATION, GOVT.ACCEPTING SERVIC OF TEMPORARY TEACHERS
Kathmandu, 10 March : The Ministry of Education (MoE) on Friday accepted three major demands of various agitating teacher associations, but fears remain that the stir could continue and possibly hamper the SLC exam, Om Astha Rai .
writes in Republica.
During a meeting Friday, MoE said it would acknowledge the service period of temporary teachers while making them permanent through open competition, give permanent status to relief quota teachers and form an effective mechanism to monitor private schools.
However, the associations are demanding the three-point deal be signed by Education Minister in the presence of prime minister, chief whips of four major political parties, the house speaker and vice president of the National Planning Commission (NPC).
"Many education ministers struck many deals with us in the past, none of which have been implemented," said Ramesh Rupakheti, central committee member of All Nepal Teacher Organization (ANTO). "Therefore, we sought the presence of representatives of all major political parties to ensure that the new deal is realized. We refused to accept a deal just signed by education minister this time."
According to Rupakheti, if the new deal is not signed by Saturday, the agitating teacher associations will boycott the district-level exams of grade eight beginning from Sunday. "The exams boycotted by teachers will not be illegal," said Rupakheti. "The boycott of the grade eight exams will definitely lead to the disruption of the SLC exams."
On Friday, following a series of talks, the MoE decided to incorporate a new clause in the Education Act (1971), which is now being amended, to acknowledge the service period of temporary teachers in the process of making them permanent through internal competition.
"We had already promised to make all temporary teachers permanent by amending the act," Dr Rojnath Pandey, assistant spokesperson for the MoE, said. "Today, we accepted the demand of counting years served by temporary teachers while making them permanent."
The counting of years served by temporary teachers is a significant achievement of the agitating teacher associations. "If the service period of temporary teachers is acknowledged by the MoE, all those temporary teachers who have already spent 20-30 years in service will be entitled to pensions," Rupakheti said. "Otherwise, they will get nothing."
Similarly, setting up of an effective mechanism will force all private schools to provide salaries to private school teachers on par with their colleagues in public schools.
Currently, a secondary level teacher in public school gets monthly salary of Rs 18,000. But, private school teachers in the same level get as low Rs 4,000.
Meanwhile, teachers working in higher secondary schools called off their strike on Friday after the MoE promised to address their demands. Higher secondary schools were shut for the last four days due to the strike.
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GAS HOARDERS TO BE TRIED AS BLACK MARKETERS
Kathmandu, 10 March: The government has decided to punish liquefied petroleum gas hoarders under the black marketing law, as the cooking gas is still in short supply despite significant increase in LPG import. The Prime Minister Office has directed market monitoring authorities to punish cooking gas hoarders under black marketing law, said Jagdish Regmi, spokesperson for the office, The Himalayan Ttimes reports.
Nepal Oil Corporation had imported record high 17,529 metric tonnes of cooking gas in February. However, the cooking gas shortage that started in November has not yet eased. The supply has not improved despite Minister for Commerce and Supply Lekh Raj Bhatta inspecting the bottling plants and depots for more than six times.
Monthly demand of cooking gas in the country is around 16,000 MT, which is sufficient to fill around 1.2 million cylinders.
“Meeting of consumer groups and authorities today issued directive to all concerned agencies to support the decision,” Regmi said. According to him, all agencies— NOC, bottling plants, depots, dealers and retailers— have been involved in hoarding and black marketing. “Not a single agency was found to be doing genuine business.”
According to the decision, bottling plants have to furnish details of their stock and distribution to depots, dealers and retailers to Department of Commerce, NOC and District Administration Office. “If they don’t comply their licence will be scrapped,” said Jyoti Baniya, consumer rights activist who participated in the meeting headed by Chief Secretary Madhav Prasad Ghimire.
“We have decided to let DAO monitor cooking gas irregularities,” he said. The DAO has the right to enforce Black Marketing & Other Social Offences Act, which deals with black marketing of essentials goods. Black marketing and consumer protection laws will apply to 29 items, including rice, pulses, wheat flour, milk, sugar and petroleum products.
“Any irregularities from bottling plants, dealers, depots and retailers will be punished under the black marketing law,” Baniya said, adding that the law grants up to three years imprisonment and fine. However, the law has not set a limit on fine.
The meeting also dwelt on punishing consumers for lodging false complaints but no decision was taken on quantum of punishment.
In case bottling plants, dealers and retailers fail to justify their stock, NOC will stop product delivery order. “Even the consumers who gives false information regarding hoarding and black marketing will be punished,” said Regmi. “We have urged consumer groups to start an awareness campaign on the issue,” he said.
Marketing monitoring team of Department of Commerce did not find irregularities in most of cooking gas depots and dealers while following consumer complaints last month.
PMO’s fiat
• Any irregularities from bottling plants, dealers, depots and retailers will be punished under the black marketing law
• If bottling plants don’t
furnish details of their stock and distribution to depots, dealers and retailers to
Department of Commerce, NOC and DAO, their licences will be scrapped. District Administration Office
• In case bottling plants, dealers and retailers fail to justify their stock, NOC will stop product delivery order
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MINISTER KIRATI DENIES INVOLVEMENT IN ANTI-CHINA ACTIVITIES.
Kathmandu, 10March: Minister Gopal Kirati has denied involvement in the Free Tibet Movement and reiterated his support for one-China policy, The Himalayan Times reports.
Organising a press conference at the Ministry of Federal Affairs, Constituent Assembly, Parliamentary Affairs and Culture, Minister Kirati trashed media reports, which claim that National Investigation Department (NID) has prepared a report accusing him of involvement in anti-China activities.
“This is a conspiracy aimed at character assassination,” he said, condemning ‘false reports’. “Nepal has always remained equally non-aligned to both of its neighbours — China and India. This is an attack on national sovereignty and integrity and peace and constitution writing processes.”
The minister said he would look into the issue through the Cabinet and take legal action against those involved in defaming him.
He said using Nepali territory to launch anti-China activities is unacceptable.
The Ministry of Home Affairs said NID has not prepared any report pointing Kirati’s association with the Tibet movement.
Meanwhile, Metropolitan police has upped security amid Tibetan exiles’ preparations to mark the anniversary of Dalai Lama’s exile from Tibet on March 10. According to SP Rajendra Shrestha, chief of the Metropolitan Police Range, Hanumandhoka, the main focus is on possible sites of anti-China protests like Bouddha.
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