MAOIST CC MEET TO DISCUSS FREE DEBATE STOP Kathmandu, 13 July: Discussions on a 38-poliical report of Chairman begins Friday at the first central committee (CC) session of UCPM Maoist with first Vice-chairman Mohan Baidhaya launching the CPN Maoist formalizing a split in the biggest party leading government .. The first CC meeting of UCPN Maoist after a split is preparing for an extended plenary session. Politburo member and minister Top Bahadur Raamajhi said the meeting will conclude Friday. Charman Prachanda asked in the report if ‘free debate’ promoted anarchy and an ultimate split in the party. MORE GOVT. PUSHING FOR RS.12.50B BUDGET Kathmandu, 13 July: The government, which shelved its aspirations for a full-fledged budget, is still pushing for a partial budget that is some Rs 12.50 billion over the opposition-endorsed ceiling of one-third this fiscal year´s actual spending, Milan Mani Sharma writes in Republica.. After shelving a draft of a full-fledged budget, the Ministry of Finance (MoF) has now readied a new draft budget that incorporates allocations under at least three heads and is above the one-third limit. The three heads are: election of constituent assembly, payments to retired Maoist combatants and integration of combatants in the Nepal Army, said a top MoF official. The MoF has allocated Rs 7 billion, about Rs 4 billion and just over 1.50 billion respectively under these heads. “The draft has been worked out on instructions from the political leadership,” the source told Republica. Officials who are regularly receiving instructions from and giving briefings on the budget to Finance Minister Barsha Man Pun said that the government´s present mood is not to compromise on the partial budget, even though it agreed to the opposition call for ´no full-fledged budget´. “The FM has not said anything explicitly but his statements and instructions suggest the government is thinking of at least volleying the ball (of partial budget) to the president´s court,” said the source. FM Pun, in his public addresses in recent days as well, has pushed vehemently for a budget with allocations for elections, ex-combatants´ retirement benefits and integration. His assessment is that a one-third budget will not enable the government to hold fresh elections to the constituent assembly (CA) that the Prime Minister announced on May 27 or pay the outstanding installment of perks for combatants who chose voluntary retirement. “We have little idea what the government will eventually do. But at this juncture it appears desperate for a partial budget. Perhaps that is because in the absence of those allocations, it will have little basis for showing its relevance and existence,” said the source. Opposition leaders such as Dr Ram Sharan Mahat of Nepal Congress also vented similar views. Sensing the government´s mood, they have urged President Dr Ram Baran Yadav not to endorse a budget that is more than one-third of this year´s actual spending. Given the situation, MoF officials have expressed doubts over the president endorsing a partial budget. As for the one-third budget, they said the MoF was closely monitoring the public spending figures generated every day. “We will know the exact figures only when the fiscal year ends on July 16. But the figures we are getting so far suggest the one-third budget will probably be around Rs 120 billion,” said the source. Though the government appropriated Rs 384.90 billion for fiscal year 2011/12, the MoF estimates that the actual annual spending might not cross Rs 360 billion. Nnnn HERB EXPORT VIA NEPALGUNJ TO RESUME Kathmandu, 13 July: The Indian government has indicated that exports of medicinal herbs that came to a grinding halt few months back following introduction of a new law by the state-government of Uttar Pradesh (UP), contravening the bilateral trade treaty, will resume in a few days, Bhoj Raj Pokhrel writes in Republica.. Officials at the Indian Embassy in Kathmandu Thursday assured Nepali traders that exports of their consignments will resume within three days, following the government´s diplomatic initiation to resolve the problem.“ "The embassy officials said we would be able to export medicinal herbs worth of Rs 300 million stuck at Nepalgunj customs point two months ago within three day”," Madhukar Thapa, president of the Jadi Buti Association of Nepal (JBAN), told Republica. Exporters on Thursday held a meeting with embassy officials during which request to take immediate steps to prevent their products from decaying was placed. In this regard, the embassy has asked for a list of names of products so that it can communicate with the concerned agency in the central government and state-government back in India“ "We are pursuing the issue so that exports of medicinal herbs can resume as soon as possible,”one of the embassy officials said preferring anonymity“ "However, it will take a bit longer to change the law that has been imposed by the UP government." The exports of medicinal herbs from mid- and far-western regions came to a grinding halt after the UP government made it mandatory for Nepali exporters to acquire a license from UP´s Department of Forest to continue exports. Such a provision was introduced against the spirit of bilateral trade treaty between Nepal and India that ensures free movement of all goods of Indian or Nepali origin in each other´s territory, without subjecting them to any quantitative restrictions, licensing or permit systems. The exporters had last week met Prime Minister Dr Baburam Bhattarai and asked him to take initiatives to solve the problem. According to Thapa, 7,000 to 7,500 tons of medicinal herbs are exported from the Nepalgunj customs point to India. "We have been reassured that the medicinal herbs which are now lying at the customs point won´t decay due to the procedural hurdles that were created by the UP government," Thapa said, after the meeting at the embassy. nnnn ________________________________________ OUTSOURCING AGENCIES POCKET RS.1 BILLION Kathmandu, 13 July: Outsourcing agencies and their agents have cheated over Rs 1 billion from foreign job aspirants despite their promises to be responsible and the government plan to control fraudulent activities, The Himalayan Times reports. The Department of Foreign Employment recorded 1,898 fraud cases with claims of about Rs 1.04 billion in 11 months of the current fiscal year, the department’s data revealed. Outsourcing fraud cases have been rising sharply in recent years. The department had recorded 1,012 fraud cases during the same period last year. About 722 outsourcing fraud cases were recorded in fiscal year 2009-10. The data revealed that outsourcing fraud cases have increased by 46.68 per cent in the last one year. It has raised questions on the efficiency of regulatory agencies and the ethics of people involved in the sector. At the first glance of the data, labour expert Dr Chiranjivi Nepal questioned on whether we were controlling or promoting fraud. “It is a complete failure of the regulatory agencies. The data does not show their presence in the market,” he said, “It does not show that the government is committed towards protecting people.” He also blamed outsourcing agencies for not being responsible in fair business. “Registered outsourcers are directly involved in 725 fraud cases which is an alarming situation,” he commented. According to him, urgent steps must be taken to control the growing ills in the sector. More than 11,000 foreign job aspirants have been cheated by outsourcing agencies across the country. According to the department, most of the people who were cheated were poor and living in remote villages. Outsourcing agencies have a large agents-based network and are fuelling fraud in the sector. “Agents make big promises to people and trap them,” said an investigation officer at the department. According to him, the department could not track their agents as they are no records. Only a dozen of the 1,136 outsourcing agencies have registered their agents at the department. “Therefore, the number of individual cases is higher in the records but most of them have close ties with agencies,” the officer said. About 1,173 cases have been registered in the department against individual agents. However, outsourcers do not accept the charge that they have close ties with agents based across the country. “Most outsourcers don’t have agents. Individuals who facilitate the process cannot be identified as agents,” said president of Nepal Association of Foreign Employment Agencies Bal Bahadur Tamang. “If there is a tie between individual frauds and outsourcing agencies, then the regulatory agencies must prove it and punish them,” he said. The association will help the department in the issue, he added. The government has formed a high level committee under Dr Ganesh Gurung to suggest reforms in the foreign employment sector. The committee had suggested a 30-point reform programme in November 2011 but it has not been enforced strongly. “Controlling fraud is still a challenge. It can’t be reduced without reforms at the department,” said Gurung. Nnnn MALAYSIA BAN ON BAGLADESHIS LIFTED; MAY AFFECT ASPIRING NEPALI WORKERS Kathmandu, 13 July: Nepali foreign job aspirants wanting to join Malaysian jobs may face difficulties from the next month — August 1, 2012 — as the destination has withdrawn the ban on Bangladeshi workers that was imposed in October 2007. Malaysia has been offering jobs to about 7,500 Nepalis every month, The Himalayan Times reports. Reopening of the market to Bangladeshi workers will increase competition among migrant workers, said second vice president of Nepal Association of Foreign Employment Agencies Kumud Khanal. “Bangladeshis are cheap workers, so demand for Nepali workers may take a dip and be diverted towards Bangladesh,” he said. The Malaysian Bureau of Manpower Employment and Training had decided to lift the ban this week, official news agency Bernama reported. Director general of the bureau Begum Shamsun Nahar had submitted a proposal to the Malaysian government to open the job market for Bangladeshi workers on July 3. The East Asian job market currently needs about one million workers in the manufacturing, agriculture and construction sectors. Its palm sector has been badly affected by a shortage of workers. According to the bureau, about 300,000 workers are needed to manage the palm sector, whereas the manufacturing sector has been facing a shortage of 500,000 workers. “Bangladeshi workers demand lower salaries than Nepalis, so there is more chance of them being hired,” said Khanal. The average monthly salary for Bangladeshi workers is Malaysian Ringgit 350 (Rs 9,800) while Nepalis are getting MR 750 (Rs 21,000). “Salary will be the major factor in giving preference to Bangladeshis,” he said. However, the minimum wage in the destination is MR 900 (Rs 25,200). Malaysia has taken the decision to lift the ban after Bangladesh legalised their 267,803 workers and committed to a streamlined migration process. The ban had been imposed in October 2007, when over 2,000 workers who were cheated by outsourcing agencies were stranded in Kuala Lumpur. About 400,000 Nepalis are believed to be working in Malaysia. According to the Department of Foreign Employment, about 84,351 Nepalis have joined Malaysian jobs in the last 11 months. S Korea bans job change South Korea, a lucrative destination for Nepali migrant workers, has banned foreign workers from changing jobs. The Ministry of Labour took the decision this week to manage foreign workers entering the job market through Employment Permit System. "The decision has been taken due to the emerging number of illegal foreign workers," the ministry said. Similarly, South Korean immigration office has made it mandatory for EPS workers to submit a police report to track their criminal history. South Korea had ranked Nepal as the best worker supplying country for the year 2011 under the EPS for the second time recognising Nepal's fast and efficient procedure of sending workers. Earlier in 2009 too, among 15 countries sending workers to South Korea, Nepal had ranked as the best country. South Korea is considered one of the best labour destinations for Nepali job seekers due to nice salaries, safety and perks compared to other destinations. Nepal’s efficient work on holding Korean Language Test and fast procedure for sending workers compared to other countries have impressed South Korea. Nnnn FORMER FIFA PRESIDENT HAVELAND NAMED IN SCANDAL Kathmandu, 13 July: Ex-FIFA President Joao Havelange and his former son-in-law Ricardo Teixeira took multi-million dollar bribes on World Cup deals, Swiss prosecutors said in a legal document released today, dealing a fresh blow to world football’s ruling Body, Reuters reports from London.. The two Brazilian football administrators were named for the first time in a case which has its roots in the 1990s but will add to the pressure on FIFA to show it is cleaning up its act. The document, issued by the prosecutor’s office in the Swiss region of Zug, noted that both Teixeira and FIFA’s legal representative had denied any criminal conduct. Havelange did not comment on the accusation of criminal conduct, it added. Havelange, who was head of FIFA from 1974 to 1998, received a payment of $1.53 million in March 1997 from now-defunct sports marketing body ISL, the Swiss prosecutors said. ISL sold the commercial rights to broadcast World Cup competitions on behalf of FIFA. It collapsed with debts of around $300 million in 2001. Teixeira, who led the Brazilian Football Confederation from 1989 until stepping down earlier this year, took 12.7 million francs between 1992 and 1997, the prosecutors said. Released after pressure from a number of media groups, the document gave details of a Swiss criminal case which was dropped in May 2010 after Havelange and Teixeira agreed to pay reparations. Havelange, who is 96 and has been suffering from poor health, and Teixeira have been two of the leading figures in Brazilian sports administration for decades. The two men could not immediately be reached for comment on Wednesday. Meanwhile, FIFA issued a statement welcoming the release of the documents and noting that Havelange’s successor, Sepp Blatter, was not involved in the case. However, the documents raise questions over how FIFA handled corruption in its ranks, saying the organisation was aware its officials had taken bribes. “The finding that FIFA had knowledge of the bribery payments to persons within its organs is not questioned,” said the 42-page document. FIFA had been rocked by a series of corruption allegations recently which have led to the departure of five of its executive committee members including Teixeira. Brazil have won the World Cup five times and will host the tournament in 2014, while Rio stages the Summer Olympics two years later. “With the constant feeding that took place over several years, the services of not just Joao Havelange but also those of Teixeira were bought,” the prosecutors said. “The latter was the son-in-law of Havelange — a circumstance from which the ISMM/ISL Group hoped, without doubt, to achieve appropriate benefits,” it added. Teixeira, who has had a series of disputes with Brazilian soccer idol Pele, stepped down in March from his role as head of the organising committee for the 2014 World Cup and his role as head of the football federation. Havelange resigned from the International Olympic Committee (IOC) last December, days before an ethics hearing into his conduct in the ISL affair. nnnn