SNEHA RANA FAILS TO MAINTAIN EVEN NATIONAL RECORD AT LONDON OLYMPICS Kathmandu,, 29 July: Shooter Sneha Rana failed even to maintain her national record Saturday at the London Olympics 2012 in the election phase. She was the first of five Nepalis to participate in mega games. Rana scored 383 points in the 10m air rifle hooting event -- five points sort of her own national record. nnnn He got a wildcard entry to the Games. Nnnn MEDIA GOOGLE “A federal province named after ethnic group does not necessarily empower the group if such a province fails to guarantee religious, linguistic and culural freedom. We have concluded that the debate on federalism is misplaced only on Nomenclature alone. NC is open to holding discussions, on the issue of naming provinces.” (Gagan Thapa, Republica, 29 July) ACTING CHIEF ELECTION COMMISSIONER SAYS 22 NOV. POLLS NOT POSSIBLE WITH ORDINANCES ONLY Kathmandu, 29 July:: A day after the government forwarded election related ordinances to the president, Acting Chief Election Commissioner Neel Kantha Uprety on Saturday said the November 22 Constituent Assembly (CA) election was not possible by simply issuing ordinance without political consensus and amendment of the interim constitution, Santosh Pokhrel writes in Republica from Pokhara. . The statement of acting chief election commissioner came at a time when opposition parties have ruled out the possibility of November 22 polls. The government on Friday forwarded two election related ordinances to President Ram Baran Yadav for endorsement. "The president may endorse the ordinances, but it is not possible to hold the polls if the Interim Constitution is not amended," Uprety added. "The EC can move ahead, only if necessary laws are available." He said that the constitutional body needed clear constitutional guidance to hold election. Talking to the media in Pokhara, Uprety also said the election would be possible only if political parties arrived at a consensus on the issue. "If election are to be held, political parties must forge consensus at the earliest," maintained Uprety. He said the CA election will not get legitimacy if major political parties do not participate in the polls and it would not have credibility. "If the election is conducted without the participation of major political parties including Nepali Congress and CPN-UML, it will not be legitimate," said Uprety, adding, "The legitimacy of November 22 elections is getting slimmer each day." "NC and UML are protesting the election and it´s not our job to forge consensus among political parties," said Uprety, "Ours is a technical job." Uprety expressed dissatisfaction over government preparation for the election saying it could not clear legal and constitutional hurdles as sought by the EC. The EC had set a deadline of July 22 to remove legal and constitutional difficulties by amending election related Acts and the interim constitution to hold the election on the stipulated date. nnnn ________________________________________ IMMEDIATESTRATEGIC PARTNER FOR NT SOUGHT Kathmandu, 29 July: The government has initiated the process to find a strategic partner for Nepal Telecom (NT) by forming a new committee under Ministry of Finance (MoF), Republica reports. A recent secretary level meeting of the ministry decided to form the committee that will carry out necessary ground work to take the necessary steps for divesting state owned operator´s stake to foreign partner. Although the government had decided to divest at least 26 percent of the NT´s share to a foreign partner, not a single imporatnt step had been carried so far in two-year of period. A committee formed about three months ago also failed to conduct a single meeting. “A new committee will come into effect from Sunday which will be chaired by joint-secretary of Finance Ministry,” Khum Raj Punjali, the head of the corporation coordination division at the MoF said. He said the new committee was being formed as the previous committee failed to carry out expected work for the strategic partner. " The meeting of the commitee has been scheduled for next week and we are hopeful it will yield necessary result in a few weeks," he said. Punjali said the committee will prepare a bid document, necessary terms and conditions to invite strategic partner and will submit to the Finance Ministry. "The name of the coordinator of the committee will be finalized by Sunday,”he said. The six-member committee includes two officials from Nepal Telecom (NT) Surya Bhakta Pokharel and Rajesh Joshi, under secretary of Ministry of Information and Communications Saileja Regmi and under secretary from Ministry of Finance and Ministry of Law and Justice. Although the privatization process of the operaor began in May, 2010 it failed to gain any momentum. The high-level taskforce has suggested the government to invite a strategic partner allowing the partner to own at least 26 percent equity shares. The committee suggestion was based on growing competition against private operators and examples of state-owned operators in Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and Pakistan who have already welcomed strategic partner to survive the tough competition. Privatization committee had formed a sub-committee under the coordination of Hari Rokka in May 2010 to find a strategic partner for the state-owned telecom operator along with other public enterprises. However, no praiseworthy work was done in the lack of political consensus. nnnn ________________________________________ LANDSLIDES DAMAGE 11 MINI HYDEL PROJECTS IN DHADING Kathmandu, 29 July: As many as 2,000 households have been deprived of electricity after incessant rainfall-triggered landslip and floods damaged 11 mini hydro projects in different parts of Dhading in the past few weeks, The Himalayan Times reports rerts from Dhading.. Monsoon-triggered flood has damaged seven mini hydro projects on Manpangkhola because of which around 1,000 households have been compelled to live in the dark. Chairman Shambhu Thapa of Mini Hydro Electricity Union Dhading said electricity production was halted after the flood destroyed the canal, embankment, pipes, and hydro electricity houses. He informed that seven hydro projects used to generate 70 kilowatt power. Floods has damaged Kalsyang hydro project, Andherikhloa mini hydro project in Budhathum, and Kintangphedi mini hydro project at Marpak in the district. Likewise, landslide has partially damaged Kichetkhola mini hydro project and swept away the pipeline of Lapa mini hydro project in Ri VDC. Thapa said that Rs 2.3 million is required immediately to repair the damaged projects and bring them back into operation. Altogether, 27 mini hydro projects are in operation across the district. After the hydro projects were damaged by the monsoon flood and mudslide, village folks have been using oil-fed lamps. Of the 84,500 households in Dhading, 57,000 are yet to be electrified. District Energy and Environment Office energy development officer Suresh Shrestha said that only 43 per cent households have electricity. Of the electrified 36,120 households in the district, 1,717 families receive 160 kilowatt power produced from District Energy and Environment Office. Around 55.25 kilowatt generated with support from Energy Area Cooperation Programme is meeting the power needs of 3,938 households. As many as 5,464 households are using electricity from solar power, while 25,000 households use power from NEA Central Transmission Line. Nnnn UCPN MAOIST NOT WORTH JOINING SAY FORMER PLA FIGHTERS Kathmandu, 29 July:: Dev GC quit his studies in the eighth grade and left home in Gulmi to join the Maoist People’s War, Lekhnath Pandey writes in Lekhnath Pandey writes in The Himalayan Times reports. As a combatant in the People’s Liberation Army, he resided in the Fourth Division Cantonment for about five years and took Rs 2.5 lakh as voluntary retirement package from the state. Dev GC, now 27, of Peepaldhara, Gulmi, is now more interested in caring for his family than in politics. “We sacrificed for the betterment of people and the nation. Sometimes I look back, compare our goals with the current mess, and feel remorse,” said GC. Many ex-PLA fighters who were discharged as minors or took voluntary retirement share GC’s feeling. These days, GC sells momos and noodles from a push cart along with his ex-PLA minor wife Tara Khanal at Bankatta (Paruwa, Rupandehi) section of the East-West Highway. Tara and GC fell in love while living in the cantonment. They got married four years ago and have a two-and-half-year-old son. “My focus is to ensure his future,” says GC. “We came here to give him education so that he will not do what we did.” GC and Tara earn Rs 1,000 a day on average and up to Rs 2,500 in local Haat (market day) thanks to the UN Interagency Rehabilitation Programme, which trained Tara and provided them the push cart and other cooking accessories worth up to Rs. 50,000 under its Micro Enterprise Development scheme for discharged ex-PLA minors. This help was part of UNIRP support programme through counselling, training and education to facilitate their return to civilian life. Like the GC couple, Sikandar Chaudhari of Amuwa-7, Rupandehi, also discharged with the ‘minor’ tag from the cantonment has no reason to look back on the struggle with a sense of satisfaction. “Now, the political scenario makes me think we were used to fulfil leaders’ ambitions,” said Chaudhari, who for last one-and-half-year has been operating a fresh house at Kanari Chowk with the help of UNIRP scheme. Chaudhari supplies chicken to cold stores in Butwal and Bhairahawa. His seven-member family is doing well. His father Mangal Chaudhari said, the Mohan Baidhya-led CPN-M had approached his son to join the party, but he responded unenthusiastically. “I cannot change my past, but I am sure I will now not be involved in the politics of guns,” Chaudhari said. Mainya Rai (29) of Khanikhola, Dhading, who now owns a mobile-shop at Sarada Nagar Chitwan, is also unenthusiastic. But, Buddhi Chaudhari of Rudrapur-5, Rupandehi says he will join Maoist politics if the party approaches him. Buddhi quit Nepali Army to join PLA in 2002, before being discharged as minor in January 2010. nnnn