RAIN TO BOOST WINTER CROP Kathmandu, 20 Feb.: Production of winter crops is likely to go up this year following winter rainfall although it occurred a bit late, RSS reports. … production of wheat, barley, and lentils is likely to increase according to the ministry of agriculture. This year wheat production is likely to remain at 2.4 metric to remain per hectare. The rain is likely to hemp maze crop as well. . GACHHADAR ATTEMPT TO EXTEND POLICE TENURE FAILS Kathmandu, 20 Feb.: Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Home Affairs Bijay Kumar Gachhadar’s proposal to extend the service tenure of Nepal Police’s personnel from 30 years to 32 years was flatly rejected by the Cabinet on Sunday, Anil Giri writes in The Kathmandu Post.. Sunday’s Cabinet meeting decided to conduct more homework on the proposal and ordered an assessment of future consequences for the police force, if the proposal comes into operation. If Chief Secretary Lilamani Poudel had not taken a strong stand against it, the proposal was likely to get a nod, which would have set a wrong precedent for the police force, said a minister who did not wish to be identified. In the single-page proposal, tabled at the Cabinet meeting without adequate discussions with the Home Ministry, DPM Gachhadar had proposed extending the service tenure of Nepal Police personnel and officials from 30 to 32 years and reduce the term of the Nepal Police IGP from four to three years. IGP Kuber Singh Rana, who is set to retire in September, would receive a lease of another 23 months in office. The proposal, however, did not contain the signature of Home Secretary Nabin Ghimire, which could mean that there is suspicious underfoot, said the minister. Each proposal tabled at the Cabinet required the signature of the concerned government secretary. The proposal, which aimed to amend existing Nepal Police regulations, was also tabled without required consent from the Ministry of Law and Justice. When Poudel called on Home Secretary Ghimire at his office on Sunday morning, the latter admitted that consent was not sought from the Law Ministry before preparing the proposal. “Both DPM Gachhadar and the chief secretary exchanged words for and against the proposal. DPM Gachhadar told Secretary Poudel that he had received consent from Prime Minister Baburam Bhattarai before tabling the proposal at the Cabinet,” said the minister. While the PM did not object to the proposal, some ministers and the chief secretary sought reasons for the need to amend the service term of the police at this critical juncture. Gachhadar responded that the new proposal will elevate and provide chances to sitting DIGs to reach the post of IGP for the first time in the history of the Nepal Police. Later, even the PM realised that this was not a scientific proposal and required serious homework and a detailed study on the kind of impact it would leave on the police force. Gachhadar is making a ‘last ditch effort’ to pass the proposal by attempting to woo ministry mandarins to gain support but that this is unlikely to happen anytime soon. nnnn GOVT. LUKEWARM TO IMPLEMENT SOP FOR FOREIGN WORKERS Kathmandu, 20 Feb.: The delay in the introduction of the Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) has raised questions about the government’s commitment to regulate the foreign employment sector, said representatives of overseas employment agencies. They said that the failure to implement the SOP, despite eight months of continuous exercise, is proof of the government’s unwillingness to combat widespread malpractices in the sector. Acknowledging the problems faced by migrant workers due to the overlapping of duties and the poor distribution of power among different state bodies, the Ministry of Labour and Employment (MoLE) had initiated the process to introduce an SOP over a year ago. “The state mechanism is extremely messy. In absence of the clear demarcation of work, both migrant workers and manpower agencies have to deal with several offices to complete one single work,” said Bal Bahadur Tamang, chairman of the Nepal Association of Foreign Employment Agencies (NAFEA). Stating that the solution to a wide range of problems lies in the implementation of the SOP, the NAFEA has threatened to take to the streets if the government fails to set up the SOP within a week through endorsement by the Cabinet. The SOP’s preliminary sketch, as envisioned by the MoLA, incorporates the work jurisdiction of all stakeholders, including the Department of Foreign Employment, (DoFE), the Ministry of Home Affairs (MoHA), the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MoFA), the Department of Immigration (DoI), the Nepali missions in destination countries, the labour desk at the Tribhuvan International Airport (TIA) and recruiting agencies. Stakeholders have admitted that the allocation of specific duties to specific bodies could enhance the speed, quality and volume of services. According to NAFEA, the preliminary draft has also clearly outlined work and deadlines to all concerned bodies. For example, the draft SOP directs the DoFE to issue final work approval within one day, three minutes to immigration to check documents and the like. “Currently, immigration, the labour desk and airline staffers can demand documents that do not concern them. Since such activities are planned loopholes for bribery and irregularities, workers will heave a big sigh of relief if such issues are resolved,” said Tamang. MoLE officials too admitted that workers face difficulties due to the involvement of various ministries and related departments. They said that various reasons, including the bribery scandal involving two sitting ministers, the formation of the Rapid Response Team and a High Level Monitoring Commit-tee, had delayed the SOP. MoLE Joint-secretary Binod KC said they are still working out the SOP to avoid any drawbacks. “Since it directly concerns various stakeholders, it is natural that planning will consume time and effort,” said KC, who also heads the Foreign Employment Division at the ministry. According to officials, NAFEA’s announcement of protest against the backdrop of constant discussions is a mistake and will do them more harm than good. nnnn