CABINET TO APPROVE SPECIAL BUDGET Kathmandu, 15 July: The cabinet Sunday will approve a special budget for the fiscal year 2069/70 to run the administration with no development expenditure. Opposition argues a caretaker government announce a complete budget with new proposals. Money has been set aside in the budget for constituent assembly elections and completion of the stalled process. The money set aside in the new budget won’t exceed one-third of the expenditure of the current fiscal year which ends Sunday, Following cabinet approval, the document will be sent to President Dr.Ram Baran Yadav for approval. The budget will be then be televised as it is announced at a news conference.. Nnnn FORMER NC LAWMAKERS DEMANDING CA REINSTATEMENT WITH CHAIRMEN PRACHANDA AND JHALANATH KHANAL Kathmandu, 15 July: Lawmakers of main opposition NC Sunday are pressing demands with UCPN Maoist Prachanda and UML Chairman Jhalanath Khanal demanding reinstatement of parliament/constituent assembly (CA) which was automatically dissolved with announcement of assembly elections of government 22 November. The CA was dissolved four years after it was elected even though its mandate was only for two years A move have been demanded by some former lawmakers across party lines to reinstate the assembly for their convenience even though there is no constitutional provision for two assembly elections. The former lawmakers have already demanded CA reinstatements in separate with their own party President Sushil Koirala and UPN Maoist Chairman Mohan Baidhaya . NC Saturday decided to discuss the demand at a central committee meeting. Parliamentary election is the only logical and legal outlet to the present constitutional and political crisis. Nnnn MEDIA GOOGLE “A new constitution should be promulgated only through CA, not any commission and the constitution should guarantee identity based federalism.” (Decision of all-party meet, The Himalayan Times, 15 July) “As united Nepali Congress is indispensable to give a way out to the country from the current crisis, NC has to resolve disputes seen in the party’s local units at the earliest.” (Sujata Koirala, The Himalayan Times, 15 July) nnnn SOME BLACK BUCKS BEING TRANSLOCATED FROM BARDIYA TO KANCHANPUR Kathmandu, 15 July: After rhinos and tigers, it is time for Nepal´s blackbucks, listed as near threatened species by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), to move to a new habitat, Republica reports. Soon after this year´s rainy season is over, the Department of National Parks and Wildlife Conservation (DNPWC) will relocate around 15 blackbucks to Suklaphanta Wildlife Reserve in Kanchanpur from Khairapur of Gulariya, Bardiya. “It´s just a trial,” said Ram Prasad Lamsal, spokesperson for the Ministry of Forest and Soil Conservation (MoFSC). “If we get positive results, we will shift more blackbucks.” According to Waden Yubaraj Regmi, a 75,000 square meter area of Hirapur in the Suklaphanta Wildlife Reserve will be fenced with barbed wire for the new guests, which are now facing troubles mainly because of domestic dogs in Blackbuck Conservation Area in Khairapur. “Blackbucks´ main enemies are dogs in Khairapur,” says Lamsal. “As Khairapur is close to human settlement of Gulariya municipality, we are shifting some blackbucks to a natural habitat. It´s an effort to detach blackbucks from humans.” In March of 2009, the government declared a 15.95 square kilometer area of Khairapur in Gulariya as Blackbuck Conservation Area. Today, there are 213 blackbucks in Khairapur. In 1975, the government woke up to the threat facing blackbucks when their population declined to just nine. By 1990, the number of blackbucks rose to 177. However, largely owing to conflict with domestic dogs, the blackbuck´s population is declining once again. Lamsal says the government will coordinate with various stakeholders to develop Hirapur as the new sustainable blackbuck habitat. As blackbucks mainly feed on wheat and mustard, the government is also planning to cultivate these two crops in Hirapur. Nepal is the only habitat of the blackbucks on the northern edge of the Indian subcontinent. Earlier, in 1986, DNPWC had relocated 13 rhinoceros to Bardiya from the Chitwan National Park. Later, 66 more rhinos were relocated to Bardiya. Two-and-a-half years ago, a tiger, which was named Namobuddha, was transferred to Bardiya from Chitwan. Namobuddha, which was fitted with a GPS before being released in Bardiya, was later killed by poachers. nnnn ________________________________________ CHAIRMAN DAHAL, DEPUTY PREMIER SHRESTHA RAP GOVT. Kthmandu, 15 July: Leaders close to UCPN (Maoist) Chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal and Vice-chairman Narayan Kaji Shrestha have criticized their own government, saying it could not work in accordance with the party spirit and has rendered the party weak on the issue of nationality, Kiran Pun writes in Republica.. Speaking at the ongoing Central Committee meeting at party headquarters, Perisdanda, they also asked party Vice-chairman and Prime Minister Dr Baburam Bhattarai why he signed the BIPPA agreement with India and went for the extradition treaty ordinance. They likewise brought up the question of entrusting security at Tribhuwan International Airport to foreigners. "The government could not move in accordance with the party´s spirit. The government´s decisions have weakened our nationality. What is the fact about the security of Tribhuwan International Airport being entrusted to foreigners?" a CC member quoted Agni Sapkota, who is close to Dahal, as saying at the meeting. Sapkota also alleged that the government could not even carry out ordinary development work. Another leader, Hit Bahadur Tamang, who is also close to Dahal, criticized the government for weakening Nepali nationality. The leaders asked Bhattarai why he entered into the BIPPA agreement with India, pointing out that it was against nationality. "Why was an extradition treaty by ordinance needed? Why did the government go for BIPPA," another CC member quoted Giriraj Mani Pokharel, who is close to Vice-chairman Narayan Kaji Shrestha, as saying. He also said that the government was not functioning in a collective spirit. Another leader, Bishwabhakta Dulal, who is close to Shrestha, likewise criticized the government over the extradition treaty. According to party CC member Kali Bahadur Malla, Bhattarai on the occasion engaged in self-criticized over the government´s performance. "I appreciate the comments of the comrades. The government could not work properly because of the complex situation," Malla quoted Bhattarai as saying. Speaking at the CC meeting Vice-chairman Bhattarai countered Chairman Dahal´s proposal on doing away with ideological groups, saying that would be hasty. "Factions should be dissolved but ideological groups can exist," another CC member quoted Bhattarai as saying. Dahal had proposed to dissolve the ideological groups also. Expressing his agreement with the spirit of Dahal´s document, Bhattarai added various suggestions to meet the shortcomings that emerged during the review of the party´s emergence. According to CC member Dor Prasad Upadhyaya, Bhattarai said the party should properly evaluate all the parties which merged in the Maoist party, saying Dahal only mentioned Narayan Kaji Shrestha´s CPN (Ekatakendra Masal). Dahal had mentioned that the CPN (Ekatakendra Masal) had operated on the outside while the Maoists were underground during the insurgency. Bhattarai also said that the party should reform its organizational structure in accordance with the state of peace and give concrete shape to this. Dahal had only mentioned in his document that the party could now reform the party organizations in accordance with peace times. The Maoist party organization is still what it was during the insurgency. He said Dahal should make clear in the document that the party is to practice a new ´democratic centralism´. "The old democratic centralism is out of date. The current one which we are practicing as being faithful to Lenin has also failed. It split the party. So we should research and develop new one. And it should come in a concrete fashion," Upadhyaya quoted Bhattarai as saying. Nnnn NO MONEY FOR NATIONAL ID CARD DISTRIBUTION Kathmandu, 15 July: The government has started looking for funds for the multimillion dollar National Identity (NID) Card project after failing to keep its commitment to start issuing the multipurpose biometric NID card to all citizens this fiscal itself. According to executive director at the National Identity Card Management Centre (NIDMC), Naredra Dahal, the paperwork related to the project is almost ready. He said the project is in need of funds. NIDMC has requested the Ministry of Finance to seek more Asian Development Bank (ADB) funds for the project. ADB has approved $3.3 million for the initial phase of the NID project, which is one of the eight components of the ADB-funded Information and Communication Technology (ICT) Development projects. According to a source at the Ministry of Home Affairs (MoHA), the government is tying to convince the ADB to invest in the NID projects from two other ICT components, which could not start. The finance ministry has already sent a proposal to this effect to the ADB. “If ADB is ready to invest the funds meant for the two ICT components (around $8 million), the NID project can start,” he said. Dahal informed that the World Bank has shown keen interest in funding the NID project. NIDMC has also held consultations with the Office of the Prime Minister and the Council of Ministers (OPMCM) and National Planning Commission (NPC) on soliciting World Bank assistance for the project. After a positive response from NPC and OPMCM, NIDMC has requested the finance ministry to further the process. nnnn PROLONGED DHARAN HOSPITAL STRIKE INCONVENIENCES PEOPLE Kathmandu, 15 July: Hundreds of patients were deprived of treatment due to doctors’ agitation at BP Koirala Institute of health Sciences on Saturday, The Himalayan Times reports from Dharan. Doctors, who had been agitating since Thursday, refused to admit patients at the Emergency ward today leaving service seekers high and dry. With this, all medical service at the hospital has come to a grinding halt. Around 1,000 patients from Mechi, Koshi, Sagarmatha, Janakpur, Narayani and India have been deprived of treatment. Nabin Chaudhary of Damak said that he had to take his sister to Biratnagar after medical service was closed at BP Hospital. The Emergency ward wore a deserted after patients were not admitted there. After doctors demanded discharge of 28 children undergoing treatment at INCU and ICU, kin of the patients were left in a lurch. Bhima Koirala, Kalpana Khadka, Tilmaya Nepali, Sumitra Gurung, the mothers of children admitted at INCU and ICU today submitted a memorandum to hospital director Arbind Sinha demanding treatment for their children. Nepal Civil Society Sunsari Secretary Shyam Pokhrael accused the hospital management of turning a blind eye to the sensitive issue of service closure. Pokhrael demanded that the government intervene in the hospital and resume service immediately. Talks between protesting doctors and hospital management today ended inconclusively. Dr Madhu Basnet said talks failed after the hospital management refused to put the agreement in writing. A doctor involved in the talks said negotiations failed after the hospital management expressed its inability to punish goons who had earlier thrashed doctors. Dr Bibek Kshetri warned that they would not halt their agitation unless there was an end to hooliganism. “How can doctors work to save life when they themselves are insecure?” Kshetri asked. Arbind Sinha, director of BP Koirala Institute of Health Sciences, however, informed that effort was under way to resolve the problem. Meanwhile, Dr Hemantaraj Joshi of BPKIHS tendered his resignation today citing security reasons. Joshi said he was forced to put in his paper after the hospital management failed to agree in writing that it would ensure doctors’ security. “I resigned after the hospital management failed to punish those threatening my life”, Joshi added. He accused the vice-chancellor Balbhadra Prasad Das, registrar Nanda Kumar Thapa and director Arbinda Kumar Sinha of shielding goons and deploying them for their benefit. nnnn