NEPSE INDEX TUMBLES Kathmandu, 20 Jan.: Nepse index tumbled on the first day of weekly Trading Suday closing at 507.92points after losing 12.99 points. Altogether 137,176 were traded for Rs. 55.911 million in 854 transactions. nnnn OPPOSITION KICKS OFF ANTI-GOVT.MOVEMENT FROM DAILEKH Kathmaandu, 20 Jan.: Opposition parties, including Nepali Congress and CPN-UML kicked off the first phase of the anti-government agitation in Dailekh, The Himalayan Times reports.. Speaking at a programme, UML Vice-chairperson Bamdev Gautam described the Baburam Bhattarai-led government as treading on the authoritarian path driven by its lust for power and argued that the movement would not rest until the fall of the incumbent government. “This is the start of the third people’s movement,” declared Gautam at the programme attended by thousands of people. He added, “We, the opposition parties initiated this movement through a meeting in order to show our solidarity with the ongoing agitation for the noble purpose of democracy, human rights and rule of law.” Nepali Congress leader Ram Sharan Mahat labelled the ruling UCPN-M a regressive force. “They are regressive forces as they want to make people’s livelihood difficult, divide the country into many chunks in the name of ethnicity and are also yet to change their criminal mindset,” he said, vowing that the ‘neo-tyrants’ Pushpa Kamal Dahal and Baburam Bhattarai, would finally meet their doom. Journalist Dekendra Thapa’s wife Laxmi, lauded the support of all fellow citizens from across the country in her fight for justice and urged the opposition parties to take initiatives to get her husband declared a martyr. Rastriya Janamorcha Vice-chairperson Janakraj Regmi, CPN-Samyukta’s Thakur Sharma, CPN-ML politburo member Gopalmani Gautam, Rastriya Prajatantra Party central member Govinda Bikram Shah, among others, also spoke during the programme. Most speakers condemned Bhattarai’s attempts to free Dekendra Thapa’s murderers. Nnnn FIRMS PENALIZED FOR TAX EVASION Kathmandu, 20 Jan.:: Department of Revenue Investigation (DRI) collected a total of Rs one million initial amount and Rs one million fine from 12 firms in the first six months of the current fiscal year (mid-December to mid-January The Himalayan Times reports.. DRI slapped fines on firms after they were found to have evaded revenue, said deputy director general of DRI Damodar Regmi, adding the firms were involved in various businesses. Similarly, it also slapped fines of Rs 0.5 million on three vehicles during the same period, he said. The vehicles were ferrying readymade garments, steel utensils and calculators, he said. DRI had impounded the vehicles suspecting them of ferrying under-invoiced goods, he said. He further said that DRI has completed the investigation of suspected firms and companies. DRI has almost finalised the investigation into the documents confiscated from Pooja Dal Mill, Kohinoor Agro Industries and Amrit Pulses Industries. nnnn nnnn