PM ADMITS CHILD SUPPRESION CONTNUES Kathmandu, 20 Nov.: Prime Minister Dr Baburam Bhattarai has urged all the government entities to bring the policy-based reform regarding the child rights and bring them into practice, RSS reports. Addressing a programme organised by the Child Workers in Nepal Concerned Centre (CWIN) here on Tuesday, the Prime Minister urged all ministries to keep the national policy-2069 BS regarding the child rights in their work plan. Prime Minister said the current government was sensitive over the child rights and expressed hope that the organisations that have worked and have long experience in this sector would support the government for the protection and promotion of the child rights. The children's excess [read access] to education has increased and admission ratio in the primary level has reached some 95.1 per cent but it is the matter of concern that still there are five percent children deprived of this facility. There are challenges to face in the education, he said. Prime Minister Dr Bhattarai further said that the children are not provided with qualitative health and added, "The child labour in the country has been the bitter reality. The suppression and mistreatments to the children are still in practice." Dr Bhattarai said that the government has amended the 10-year work plan on child rights and is planning to chalk out a master plan on child labour reduction. He said, "Work plan for rehabilitation of conflict hit children is prepared. Children-friendly local governance, national policy and procedures for its implementation and schools as zone of peace and other policies have been prepared." Likewise, member of National Human Rights Commission Gauri Pradhan hailed the contribution of CWIN for the establishment of child right in the country. On the occasion, chairperson of CWIN Madhav Pradhan said that the state should contribute more for the capacity development of the children by establishing their rights. nnnn NEW DEADLINE FOR COMPLETION OF MELAMCHI Kathmandu, 20 Nov.: The much-awaited Melamchi Project has made public its amended work plan aiming to complete the project by March 2016, RSS reports. Construction of the 27.5-kilometer tunnel and head works, one of the major tasks of the project of national pride was rescheduled very recently following the termination of contract with China Railway 15 Bureau Group. The implementing agency of the project- Melamchi Water Supply Development Board (MWSDB) has finalized the bidding document for the construction of the tunnel and head works and international bidding will be called within this week. In order to commence construction works by the end of January, international bid will be invited by Friday said officiating Executive Director of Melamchi Project Ghanashyam Bhattarai. The MWSDB will hold a meeting within a day or two and detailed bid document will be publicized, said Bhattarai claiming that the work will gain momentum as the government has placed the project under high priority. The new work shall begin from where the China railway group has left and all issues related to the construction would be finalized today following discussion with the consultants, he said. The China Railway Group has already completed 6.5 kilometers of the tunnel. Learning from the bitter experience of the past, the Board this time will award a contract with the company not quoting the lowest price but with high work efficiency, resources, technical capacity, human resource, success of the past among others, Mr Bhattarai said. It may be noted that the construction of the tunnel also falls under the immediate action plan of administrative and economic reforms unveiled by the Office of the Prime Minister and Council of Ministers a few weeks ago. The project that targets to supply 170 million litres of water daily is expect to cost more than 464 million US dollars. The construction of the tunnel and intake alone would cost around 100 million dollars. The Asian Development Bank that has contributed the large amount of soft loan for the project has been working to ensure that the project is completed at any cost to resolve the drinking water problems of the residents of Kathmandu. It may be noted that two days after the contract with China Railway Company was annulled, Director General of the South Asian Department of the Bank, Juan Miranda had organized a press conference in the capital and expressed commitment to continue support the project until its completion, even though its cost had increased. The Company to be awarded the new contract to complete the tunnel shall receive a time of 36 months and would receive bonus if the work is completed before 6 months, said officiating executive director Mr Bhattarai. If the new company works accordingly to receive a bonus then drinking water from Melamchi would arrive to the capital in March 2016. The project was estimated to be completed a year ago, but the China Railway Company delayed the work by repeatedly demanding for funds citing increasing cost. Meanwhile, Vice-chairman of National Planning Commission, Dipendra Bahadur Khsetry said that the Government is expecting cooperation and support of all the sides concerned to complete the project as per the new schedule. No side should obstruct this project of national pride, he added. By 2025, the capital would require 680 million liters of drinking water every day. Water supplied from Melamchi is expected to reach to some 1.1 million residents of Kathmandu. The Melamchi Water Supply Project (MWSP) founded some 14 years ago was designed to finance four major components including Infrastructure Development, Social and Environmental Support, institutional reforms and Project implementation Support. The MWSP was projected to cost 464 million US dollars in 2000. According to the original financial plan, ADB shouldered the largest financing share equivalent to 120 million US dollars followed by the World Bank (US$80 million), the Japan Bank for International Cooperation (JBIC), US$52 million equivalent), NORAD (US$28 million equivalent), Sida (US$ 25 million equivalent), the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA, $18 million equivalent), the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries Fund for International Development (OFID/OPEC), $14 million equivalent), and NDF ($9 million equivalent). The Government´s original financing share in the MWSP was equivalent to 118 million US dollars. Nnnn FORMER MEDIA CHIEF OF BRITISH PM TO BE CHARGED FOR CONSIRACY TO PAY OFFICIALS IN RETURN FOR DETAILS OF ROYAL FAMILY MEMBERS Kathmandu, 20 Nov.: Prosecutors said on Tuesday they would charge Prime Minister David Cameron's former media chief Andy Coulson with conspiring to pay public officials to secure the contact details of members of the Royal family, Reuters reports from London. The charges stem from a wider investigation into the British press that was sparked by revelations that journalists at Coulson's former tabloid, the Rupert Murdoch-owned News of the World, had hacked into phones to secure salacious stories. Coulson was editor of the News of the World from 2003 to 2007 before he took over as Cameron's spokesman from 2007 to 2011, and the latest charges are likely to pose yet more difficult questions for Cameron over his judgement in hiring Coulson in the first place. Another friend of Cameron's, Murdoch's former British newspaper boss Rebekah Brooks, was also told on Tuesday that she would be also charged with conspiring to make payments to public officials. "We have concluded, following a careful review of the evidence, that Clive Goodman and Andy Coulson should be charged with two conspiracies," Alison Levitt of the Director of Public Prosecutions said, referring to former royal reporter Goodman. "The allegations relate to the request and authorisation of payments to public officials in exchange for information, including a Palace phone directory known as the 'Green Book' containing contact details for the Royal Family and Members of the Household." Brooks and Coulson have already been charged in connection with phone-hacking offences - the original crime that sent shockwaves through the British political establishment and exposed the close ties between government and sections of the media. Brooks, a close friend of Cameron, has also been charged along with her husband and staff over allegations that she sought to interfere with the police investigation. British police began investigating the conduct of the press last year after it emerged that staff at Murdoch's News of the World had hacked into phones on an industrial scale. Facing a public backlash, Murdoch closed the mass-selling Sunday title last year and formed an internal committee to cooperate with the police. Police have since arrested 52 people in connection with making payments to public officials, including staff from Murdoch's daily Sun newspaper, the police and a member of the armed forces. In addition to Coulson, Brooks and Goodman, prosecutors also charged John Kay, the chief reporter at the Sun from 1990 to 2011 and Bettina Jordan Barber, from the Ministry of Defence. nnnn