UML MOUTHPIECE NOW DISCLOSES CHAIRMAN KHANAL IN INDIA FOR POLITICAL DISCUSSIONS
Kathmandu, 25 March: Opposition UML confirmed Sunday Chairman Jhalanath Khanal is currently in New Delhi for ‘political discussions; with senior political leaders and government officials’.
This was disclosed Sunday by party weekly mouthpiece Chalphal.
The newspaper said his visit to the Indian capital was also for a ‘regular medical check-up ‘ and didn’t give details of his meetings with political and government leaders.
The new revelation Sunday amid dismissal personally by Khanal the trip to India was only for medical reason gives a new twist to the Khanal India visit and reason for it.
The newspaper said the latest developments will be discussed besides medical consultations and ‘programmes have been fixed’.
Khanal has in the past avoided visiting India and is considered an ‘anti-India’in his attitude to New Delhi ‘ former Prime Minister Madhav Kumar Nepal and KP Sharma Oli are considered India friendly in the party.
The party officially said one day later he was entering hospital for a prostrate condition and kidney stone.
The newspaper Sunday described Khanal’s consultations in the Indian capital with doctors as ‘regular medical check-up’ and made no mention of his announced admission to hospital Sunday for treatment of prostrate and a kidney stone.
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SLC EXAMINATION AT CENTERS AMID INREASED SECURITY WITH INCREASED IRREGULARITIES
Kathmandu, March: Amid additional security with increased irregularities, high school student appear for compulsory science test Sunday in the on-going SLC examinations this year amid reports of widespread irregularities.
Police fired five rounds at an examination center in Surkhet when relatives were prevented from assisting examinees Friday
More than 1,000 relatives demonstrated at the center protesting police attempt to prevent cheating.
Four policemen were injured last week at Shimraunghad, Bara, last week in clashes at a high school center during tests for mathematics; police fired and lobbed teargas shells to control the mob.
A girl expelled in Rukum died after expelled for cheating while extensive cheating has been reported from Chitwan where for former Maoist fighters were appearing for tests.
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THREE NEPALI MIGRANT WORKERS KILLED IN BAHRAIN
Kathmandu, 25 March: Three Nepali migrant workers were killed while crossing a highway in Bahrain Friday, Kantipur reports quoting agencies report from Manama.
Bel Bahadur Pun,47, Kul Prasad Pun, 23, and Tuk Raj Thapa,22, died.
They were getting on to a car after finising work at a company; the driver was injured.
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RS.2.18B SOUGHT FOR SOCIAL SECURTY SCHEMES
Kathmandu, 25 March: Social Security Fund Management Committee (SSFMC) has sought Rs 2.18 billion from the government for the next fiscal year to implement social security schemes.
The government has been raising 1 percent social security tax since 2009-10 to provide social security coverage to contributing workers.
The committee’s plans to implement three social security schemes—insurance coverage for maternity, workplace accident, and health hazards—beginning this year could not materialise due to the lack of adequate budget and procedural clarity. The government has provided just Rs 200 million to committee over the last two years.
“If the government provides the sought budget, we can implement all nine social security schemes next year, said Mahesh Baral, director at SSFMC.
Besides the three schemes, other schemes are unemployment insurance, insurance coverage for dependents, disability, old age, medical insurance and family insurance.
The government collected an estimated Rs 640 million in fiscal year 2009-10, Rs 740 million in 2010-11 and is expected to collect about Rs 1 billion in this fiscal year under social security tax, according to the committee. “We want the government to provide the entire amount, excluding the Rs 200 million that we have received,” said Baral.
The committee has requested the Labour Ministry to ask the amount from the Finance Ministry. However, the Labour Ministry is yet to do so. It says the committee has not submitted a concrete proposal on how the social security schemes would be implemented.
“How can we ask the Finance Ministry to release the amount without a detailed action plan and assurance of implementation of the programmes?” asked Buddhi Khadka, joint secretary at Labour Ministry.
Khadka, however, made it clear that there won’t be a problem to seek the amount from the Finance Ministry if the committee comes up with a detailed action plan and start implementing a few schemes. Currently, the Finance Ministry is holding most of the amount collected under the social security tax.
The implementation of the programme also faces another hurdle: absence of the Social Security Act. The Labour Ministry has approved the draft bill, but it is yet to forward it to other ministries concerned, Cabinet and the parliament.
The Labour Ministry says four bills and two policies under the labour reform
package, including the new Labour Act, Unemployment Benefit Act, Labour Commission Act, Trade Union Act, Labour Policy and Bonus Policy, are yet to be finalised, and once they are done with the process, all will be sent together.
There are also confusions that whether the scheme can be implemented without a separate act guiding the scheme. Stakeholders, however, are resented by the slow progress on the social security front. “The government is denying implementing social security schemes, seeking excuses,” said Achyut Pandey, a trade union leader. “The government should ensure safety of workers’ contribution and introduce social security
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