UML POLITBURO MEETS SATURDAY Kathmandu, 2 June: UML politburo meets Saturday to discuss internal differences and review current politics. The party meets amid revolt by Janajatis and Madeshi lawmakers charging Cheetris and Brahmins of sidelining disadvantaged and marginalized groups. Differences surfaced when Maoist pushed creating of ethnic provinces based on ethnicity; UML leadership opposed creation of single ethnic states. Pasang Sherpa has formally quit the party which has asked the groups for are-think ami assurances from leadership for consideration of ethnic demands. UML, the third largest party in the dissolved constituent assembly (CA), has joined 18other parties to oppose announcement of 22 November elections for another CA. Nnnn PM BHATTARAI IN DHULIKHEL Kathmandu, 2 June: Prime Minister Baburam Bhattarai is spending Saturday at a resort in Dhulikhel. The premier went to Dhulikhel amid pressures and protests from parties opposed tohis announcement of 22 November elections for a CA and automatic dissolution of the assembly/parliament. The action has created a political crisis and uncertainty as foreign Capitals called the Nepal developments a ‘disappointment’ and northern neighbour China saying it is following developments closely. Opposition parties have called Bhattarai’s move illegal and unconstitutional. nnnn Dhulikhel in rest GOVT’S IT DEPT. IN A MONTH Kathmandu, 2 June : The government is preparing to set up a separate department for information and technology within a month. The government took the decision acting on the recommendation of the Ministry of Environment, Science and Technology (MoEST), Republica reports. "However, the department will start operations only from mid-July," said Subash Dhakal, senior official at MoEST. Earlier, then minister for science and technology Kalpana Dhamala dissolved the High-Level Commission for Information Technology (HLCIT) in December, 2011 citing lack of coordination between the commission and the MOEST. Minister Dhamala had proposed to set up a new IT department after drawing criticisms from the parliamentary committees and the private sector. The new department will work as IT implementing agency of the government. The major objectives of the department will be to reduce the digital divide, secure digital data of the government and to generate employment opportunities. Subash Dhakal of MoEST said the department will have 16 members headed by a director general. The department will have three technical and one administrative director. Likewise, 10 engineers, one administrative officer and one account officer will work under the department. The four divisions under the department include E-governance, Infrastructure Development Security and Regulation, Training Research and Development and Administration Planning and Development. The E-governance division will coordinate with government offices in implementing e-governance master plan, regulating the standard and development IT based system in the government offices. Similarly, Infrastructure Development Security and Regulation division will look after network, hardware and will also work as a facilitator in r implementing private sector projects. Nnnn ________________________________________ . ________________________________________ DEFIANT SHARAT SINGH BHANDARI SAYS HE’S READY TO BREACH PARTY DISCIPLINE Kathmandu, 2 June 1: Leader of the Madhesi People´s Rights Forum (Democratic) Sarat Singh Bhandari has said he is ready to breach party discipline for the sake of democracy and "autonomy" of Madhesh, Republica reports. Bhandari´s remark came a day after the party sought clarification for joining the anti-government alliance led by the Nepali Congress and the CPN-UML to demand resignation of the prime minister and denounced the government decision to go for a fresh election to the constituent assembly. When asked whether he would split the party, Singh said, "I cannot say anything but we are holding discussion among friends in the party." However, a source in the party told Republica that Singh and other dissatisfied leaders were discussing the split. "But it is not clear whether we will join any other parties or establish a new one," the leader said. Once a close confidante of party Chairman Bijaya Kumar Gachchhadar, Singh has been dissatisfied after he was asked to resign as defense ministry amidst controversy over his remark that the Madhesh could be separated from Nepal if the center remained indifferent to Madhesi issues. • MPRF-D Seeks Clarification From Sharat Singh Bhandari Since his resignation, the disgruntled leaders in the party have united under the leadership of Singh to raise voice against what they called "undemocratic behaviour" of Gachchhadar. The disgruntled leaders organized under the umbrella of Broader Madhesi Front went against the party´s official position on the dissolution of the Constituent Assembly and the announcement of the fresh election. They have opposed the dissolution of the Constituent Assembly and the announcement of the election without consulting other political parties. When asked whether he would respond to the clarification which appeared in some national newspapers, Singh said, "Let us wait and see." nnnn ________________________________________ MORE PLAs SEEK RETIREMENT Kathmandu, 2 June:: Following months of delay in joining the Nepali Army, hundreds of UCPN-Maoist’s former fighters billeted at the Nepali Army-commanded cantonments now want to go for voluntary retirement instead of the integration, according to the Secretariat under Special Committee (for supervision, integration and rehabilitation of Maoist combatants), :Lekhnath Pandey writes in The Himalayan Times.. PLAs’ local commanders and individual combatants have been calling the Secretariat’s members over phone expressing their desire to opt for retirement scheme. Of the 17,076 Maoist combatants surveyed, 13,941 have already opted for voluntary retirement taking home Rs 5 to 8 lakhs, based on their service to People’s Liberation Army. Only six had opted for rehabilitation scheme while 3,129 had shown willingness to join the national army in the course of two rounds of regrouping conducted by the Secretariat. “Due to delay in commencing integration process, along with uncertainty regarding their final selection, hundreds of combatants — who still are billeted in the cantonment — have expressed their desire to retire,” said Balananda Sharma, Coordinator of the Secretariat. “If we recommence the regrouping process barely 10 per cent of the combatants will opt for integration,” a PLA commander told THT over phone. “They are fed up with government promises and the Maoist leadership.” Regrouping of the ex-PLAs was concluded in mid-April following a surprise handover of the command and control of the billeted combatants to the Nepali Army on April 8. Since then, nothing substantial, except formation of a selection committee to determine the eligibility of integrating combatants, has been achieved so far. Integration responsibility was handed over to the Nepali Army with the formation of a selection committee — dominated by NA officers — chaired by Acting Chairperson of Public Service Commission. Coordinator Sharma said the combatants willing to retire could be sent home once the Nepali Army began final selection process for the integration into the national force. Nnnn INTEGRATION OF PLA IN ARMY SOON Kathmandu, 2 June:: Preparations are afoot for the integration of former Maoist PLA fighters into the Nepali Army, The Himalayan Times reports. NA spokesperson Ramindra Chhetri told this daily that members of the selection committee tasked with picking combatants eligible for integration into the army recently inspected the site in Bharatpur, Chitwan, where selection is to get underway. This came a week after the selection committee decided to expedite its work. “A team has returned after inspecting the site for the selection of Maoist combatants,” Chhetri said, adding that the selection will begin soon. According to Chhetri, the NA has asked the Ministry of Defence to make available the details of Maoist combatants awaiting integration. “We will speed up the entire process once the defence ministry provides us the information,” Chhetri added. A total of 3,000-odd combatants have been living in Maoist cantonments under the command and control of the Nepali Army, awaiting integration. The ministry will pass on information about individual fighters to the committee once it gets it from the Secretariat under the Special Committee (for supervision, integration and rehabilitation of Maoist combatants). The SC formed a six-member selection committee comprising mostly of NA officers under acting chief of the Public Service Commission in mid-April, but it failed to convene a meeting due to early retirement of a top NA representative Maj Gen Daman Ghale. nnnn