REWARD MONEY INCREASED FOR MEDALISTS OF INTERNATIONAL GAMES

REWARD MONEY INCREASED BY NSC

Kathmandu, 4 April: Nepal Sports Council (NSC) has proposed increasing
reward money medalists of international sporting events.
Gold, silver and bronze medalists of Asian Games will get Rs. 2.5m, Rs.1.5m and one million rupees respectively if government ,accepts Tuesday’s recommendation of the NSC meeting chaired by sports minister Kamala Roka.
South Asian Games (SAG) gold, silver and bronze medalists will get Rs 500,000, Rs300,000 and Rs.200,000 respectively.
The recommendation also proposes rewards for coaches and associations.
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UML STAKES CLAIM IN PEACE PROCESS
Kathmandu, 4 April: The integration process that was supposed to conclude following a three-party meeting on Friday has been stalled. To many, it could be because the CPN-UML is demanding a legitimate political space in the peace process, primarily driven by two major actors--the Nepali Congress and the UCPN (Maoist), Bhadra Sharma writes in The Kathmandu Post..
It is perhaps no coincidence that it is former Home Minister and Special Committee member from the UML, Bhim Rawal, who has lately come out as the most vocal critic of the Maoist party and the prime minister-led Special Committee.
If all goes as planned, the Maoists will complete the peace process and a NC-led national consensus government will promulgate the constitution--the twin tasks of the political process that started in 2005. Moreover, the NC-led national unity government will get chances to hold the general elections.
The NC, which has already set up its organisational structures at the grassroots, has its own strength to compete in the elections, so are the Maoists in terms cadre mobilisation. But the UML seems to have a rare old time to save the past image.
"NC and the Maoists are in apparent togetherness on the integration issue but the UML is swimming against the current because of its inclination to exact revenge on the Maoists," said political analyst Shyam Shrestha. The Maoist party had announced urban protests to topple the Madhav Kumar Nepal-led government in 2008. Later, the Maoists backed UML Chairman Jhala Nath Khanal to replace his own party-led government but forced him to step down later due to non-cooperation mainly from the current PM.
Leaders involved in talks say NC and Maoists have now agreed to stand in favour of the directly elected presidential system. On forms of governance, the most debated issue of the constitution writing process, the NC had given its word to support the Maoist-proposed directly elected presidential system in the days to come. This is another move to keep the UML in distance. The NC seems ready to accept the Maoist-proposed directly elected president to get the opportunity to lead a national consensus government.
"Maoist-proposed directly elected president is better than UML's directly elected prime minister. On forms of governance, we can however compromise," said Krishna Prasad Sitaula, one of the key NC leaders involved in talks with the Maoists.
UML leaders, however, said they in no way wish to interfere in the peace process but want to complete it in accordance with the past accords. They said the Maoists have turned to the NC now to fulfill their partisan interests. "The Maoists, who are smart at playing within other parties tested the UML and served their vested interests and now are using the NC for the same," UML leader Pradeep Gyawali said.
He finds that the Maoists' policy of playing within the parties coupled with self-interpretation and distortion of past agreements is widening rift between themselves and the rest.
UML senior leader Madhav Kumar Nepal, Vice-chairman Bam Dev Gautam and Yubraj Gyawali, who initiated peace talks signing the six-point agreement with Maoist Chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal in Rolpa in 2005, are now kept in distance by the Maoists. Instead, they have strengthened their relationship with the second-ranking NC leaders. They are informally closer on most unresolved issues of peace and constitution and consensus government as well. The recent NC-Maoist tie up has thus raised UML's eyebrow.
Given this situation, PM Bhattarai's "irritating" and "immature behavior" in dealing with crucial issues is fueling anger of the UML, the third largest party in the Constituent Assembly. PM Bhattarai also tried to push the integration process forward without consulting on some crucial issues of integration such as basis of educational status, term of bridging course and mechanism to recruit the combatants.
Some analysts say UML is in fear whether its constituencies will be encroached on after peace process is completed. "Both Maoists and UML have similar class and political ideology. Owing to the fear of losing its political ground, UML appears to have adopted the politics of revenge, which is really not in favour of national consensus and peace process," added Shrestha.
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