MAOIST SPLINTER GROUP MEMBERS NABBED WITH WEAPONS WHERE PRACHANDA, FORMER PM BHATTARAI WERE TO ADDRESS PUBLIC MEETING Kathmandu, 23 April: An attempt to disturb a meeting of UCPN Maoist that was later addressed by Chairman Prachanda and former Prime Minister Baburam Bhattaai was foiled by police in Bardiya. Four persons were arrested with arms and ammunition from the office of the CPN Maoist (Revolutionary) Monday to be addressed by senior Maoist leaders including Chairman Prachanda at Gulariya... A pistol, two bullets, a five kg bucket bomb and sharp weapons were recovered by police from Bokatiya Pahadi tole in Kalika VDC in the district. Documents with secret plans of various groups, including CPN-Maoist (Revolutionary) were recovered. UCPN (Maoist) Chairman Prachanda and Vice-chairman and former Prime Minister Baburam Bhattarai addressed the gathering. The public meeting was conducted peacefully after the raid. Nnnn. CPN MAOIST DIVIDED OVER CENTRAL COMMITTEE EXPANSION Kathmandu, 23 April: No sooner the central committee meeting of the CPN-Maoist had proposed to form a 151-member jumbo central committee than several quarters within the party had expressed discontent over the new decision thus affecting the party’s ongoing programmes, Tika R. Pradhan writes in The Himalayan Times.. Due to intense debate for and against the jumbo central committee, the scheduled plenum could not take place today, and has been postponed for Tuesday. The party had recently decided to form a 151-strong central committee including 51 full central members and 100 alternative ones having no voting rights. Party had been justifying the idea of jumbo central committee saying that it was necessary to satisfy the increasing aspirations of the leaders who have been contributing to the party since the people’s war. However, claiming that the jumbo central committee would have negative effects rather than good, several senior leaders of the party have handed over their protest letters to Chairman Mohan Baidhya. They have demanded that the decision must be scrapped. Former chairman of the party’s students’ wing All Nepal National Independent Students Union-Revolutionary Lekhnath Neupane has also handed over his differing views regarding the extension of the central committee saying that the policy would rather harm the party. Talking to THT, Neupane said Chairman Baidhya had called him to discuss on the issues today and he has clearly mentioned his concern about the possible effects of expanding the CC. “Chairman has said he would present my views for discussion during Tuesday’s plenum,” he added. Neupane, however, said the party was currently in the process of purifying its organisational structures among others, and therefore debates and discussions were essential but such debates should not take the form of factions. According to those presenting their differing views, the party should first devise appropriate criteria to select the central committee and then choose the right person accordingly. “Otherwise only those who grease the top leaders will get promotion. We have revolted from the Unified CPN-Maoist just to create a new type of communist party,” said one senior party leader. The disgruntled members have also been claiming that the new list contains the names of juniors in the party ranking and has excluded their seniors. “In Newa State Committee secretary has become alternative central member and his senior joint-in-charges were not promoted,” he said. Such activities would lead the party to disaster, they might either desert the party or remain inactive. Nnnn DONORS’ENGAGEMENTS UNDER WATCH Kathmandu, 23 April: The development partners engagement at the district level does not show reliable evidence as to why they are mostly engaged in Kailali, Achham, Kathmandu, Dang, Sunsari and Dailekh and less in Manang, Mustang, Gulmi, Arghakhanchi and Rasuwa, according to the Development Cooperation Report 2013 that concludes that donor engagement is not seen on the basis of poverty level of the districts, The Himalayan Times reports.. Kailali has the largest number of projects (51) — on budget and off budget combined under operation through the support received from various development partners — followed by Achham (50), Kathmandu (42), Dang (41) and Sunsari, Dailekh and Surkhet (40). “Manang is the district with the lowest number of projects (five) followed by Mustang (seven), Gulmi (eight), Arghakhanchi (nine) and Rasuwa (11),” it reported, adding that Ramechhap has also the highest number of on budget projects (18), followed by Dailekh (16), Okhaldhunga (14), Khotang, Sindhuli, Achham, Kalikot, and Sunsari (13) and Bajhang, Baitadi, Kailali, Morang, and Dang Deukhuri (12). However, Gulmi has only two on budget projects; Arghakhanchi and Mustang has three each; Bhojpur, Syangja, Rasuwa, Kaski, Manang, and Gorkha has four each; and Palpa, Nuwakot and Taplejung has five each, the report added. Likewise, Lamjung has the highest amount of foreign aid disbursement ($19.56 million) followed by Ramechhap ($12.03 million), Sindhuli ($10.77 million), Dailekh ($10.65 million) and Khotang ($9.29 million) in the last fiscal year, on the basis of on budget disbursement at the district level. Likewise, Bhojpur has the lowest amount of aid disbursement ($0.40 million) followed by Mustang ($0.66 million), Siraha ($0.68 million), Gulmi ($0.73 million) and Udayapur ($0.75 million), the report revealed, adding that Lamjung has the highest amount of disbursement — on budget and off budget combined — of ($20.14 million for 13 projects) followed by Jhapa ($17.64 million for 31 projects), Dailekh ($15.14 million for 40 projects), Ramechhap ($12.49 million for 35 projects) and Surkhet ($12.28 million for 40 projects). The government has since last fiscal year started to publish the Development Cooperation Report to bring all the foreign aid under online information system, Aid Management Platform (AMP), under the Finance Ministry to make aid more transparent and increase its effectiveness. Though, aid plays a key role in development, its effectiveness could be increased only if the government and development partners’ priorities align and the aid flows through budget, according to the Finance Ministry. Nepal has been receiving foreign aid since the last six decades but it failed to make any visible impact due to lack of transparency among donors and recipient both. nnnn