AJYA KUMAR MISHRA CEO OF PRUDENTIAL FINANCE Kathmandu, 18 Nov.: Ajya Kumar Mishra has been appointed CEO of Prudential Finance. He was previously general manager. Nnnn ENHANCED SECURITY FOR DEUBA IN FAR-WEST AFTER FRIDAY’S PRACHANDA SLAP Kathmandu, 18 Nov.: Former Prime Minister Sher Bahadir Deuba arrived Saturday for a visit of the far-West, Dil Bahadur Chattyal writes in Nagarik. Security was tight following Friday’s slapping incident in the capital when Maoist Chairman Prachanda was slapped on the cheek. Limited persons were allowed at the airport when Deuba arrived. Police said security was enhanced to prevent a recurrence of the slapping incident. nnnn GOVT..PREPARING NEWBUDGET WITHOUT NEW PROGRAMMES Kathmandu, 18 Nov.: In a bid to forge consensus with opposition parties, the government is mulling two options—bringing a one-third budget or going for a full budget excluding any new policies and programmes, The Kathmandu Post writes.. Prime Minister Baburam Bhattarai and Finance Minister Barsha Man Pun floated the options, which could be a compromise formula, during their meeting with President Ram Baran Yadav on Friday. The head of state has been pressing the government to garner political consensus for the budget . The government is scheduled to hold discussions on the issue with opposition parties on Sunday to finalise one of the options. “Since the government is planning to bring the budget through consensus, it is presenting the two options,” said a source close to Prime Minister Baburam Bhattarai. The planned budget , sources suggest, would continue the old policies and programme and pave the way for the government to collect revenues and make expenditures. According to prime minister’s Political Advisor Devendra Poudel, the government is preparing to bring budget without new policies after President Ram Baran Yadav hinted that he will endorse a budget sans new policies and programmes. President’s Press Advisor Rajendra Dahal said the government had offered various options so that the budget can be brought through compromise. “The president has been stressing that there should not be any delay in budget ,” said Dahal, adding that “parties were yet to reach consensus over any of the options proposed by the government.” Maoist leaders claim even the opposition parties Nepali Congress and CPN-UML are positive towards such budget . Earlier, UCPN (Maoist) Chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal had proposed a budget to NC President Sushil Koirala. President Yadav has called the top leaders of major parties on Monday to discuss the issue. “We have been informed that the preparation for a full budget has been futile as the government has received indications that the President will not endorse such a budget ,” said Vice-chairman of National Planning Commission Dipendra Bahadur Kshetry. On Monday, the government had also deferred its plan to forward a budget ordinance for endorsement to President Yadav. The decision followed a “request” to the government from the President to forge consensus with the opposition on the matter. Finance Minister Pun was all set to hand over the ordinance to the President on Monday. The NC and UML leaders had been maintaining that besides the budget , they would hold talks on all issues, including change of government. The government had prepared a full budget with a ceiling of Rs 458 billion. After failing to forge consensus for the full budget , the government on July had presented a partial budget authorising it to spend Rs 161.02 billion for the current fiscal year. The government allocated Rs 51.29 billion for constitutional bodies, payment of domestic and foreign loans which can be spent for the entire year. Counted as consolidated fund, the budget under this heading does not require parliament’s endorsement. The government has allocated Rs 109.72 billion as one-third of this year’s expenditure. On the basis of estimated expenditure of Rs 365 billion of fiscal year 2011-12, the one-third budget was fixed by reducing Rs 38 billion which had been spent under consolidated fund. Finance Ministry sources say regular expenditure of Rs 80 billion has already been spent. However, only Rs 4 billion of Rs 20 billion capital expenditure has been spent so far. But the government cannot transfer the unused capital expenditure for salary and other expenses due to which the Finance Ministry will not be able to impart salaries to its 500,000 government officials. Nnnn DENGUE CASES ON RISE IN JHAPA Kathmandu, 18 Nov.: Dengue has been detected on eight people in three weeks in the district, the District Public Health Office (DPHO) in Jhapa said, The Kathmandu Post writes from Kakadvitta,. Jiban Chaulagain, vector control supervisor of the DPHO, said eight out of 40 people, whose blood was put on a laboratory test, were found to be suffering from the disease. The victims include Lab Technician at a Dhulabari-based Primary Health Centre Tikaram Dhakal, 52, his wife Parbati, 45, son Nishchal, 20, and Bishal Gautam of Kakadbhitta, among others. The patients, however, have recuperated. Health officials said the number of dengue patients may increase as the area is adjoined by Siliguri in India where six people died of the disease some months ago. The dengue virus is transmitted through the female Aedes mosquito and can easily become an endemic. Symptoms of the disease include high fever, joint pain, nausea and eye ache, according to health workers. Dr Purusottam Gautam, epidemiologist at the Health Service Department, said 40 per cent people suffering from the disease may die if not cured at the earliest. Local people accused concerned authorities of being apathetic towards the increasing number of dengue cases in rural areas. Bina Tamang, a Nepali Congress leader in the district, effective measures should be implemented to control the disease. Chaulagain, however, said that awareness campaign had been launched to control the disease. “Besides awareness campaign, we have also initiated a drive to destroy mosquito eggs,” he said. Meanwhile, a medical team from Kathmandu is scheduled to come to the district on November 17 to inspect the affected areas. nnnn