NARENDRA KUMAL ELECTED NEFIN CHIEF Kathmandu, 14 May: Nagendra Kumal has been elected central chairman of the Nepal Federation of Indigenous Nationalities (NEFIN) defeating his rival Chandra Bikram Rai in the election held here on Monday night, RSS reports from Chitwan.. Of the total 53 votes cast, Kumal garnered 32 and Rai 17, said outgoing chairman Raj Kumar Lekhi. There is a provision of voting by one representative each from one ethnic organization. Another candidate Naresh Tamrakar only received three votes. Newly elected Chairman Kumal has said he will continue to fight for establishing the rights of the indigenous nationalities. Likewise, the general secretary of the 13-member secretariat Pemba Bhote has been elected by garnering 22 votes. Five vice chairpersons elected are Roshni Meche (women), Dandu Sherpa (mountain), Surya Bahadur Majhi from the hills, Chini Lal Majhi from inner Terai and Ram Awatar Mandal from Terai. Yashoda Chaudhary, Genesh Lal Thakali, Yam Bahadur Chepang, Chinimaya Majhi, and Dhyani Urab are elected secretaries, and the treasurer is Jagat Bahadur Baram. The three-day general convention of the organization also adopted a 30-point Sauraha Declaration that includes, federalism with identity, secularism, republicanism and inclusiveness, NEFIN said. The declaration also called for Constituent Assembly (CA) reinstatement as far as possible, otherwise, non- fixing of threshold and constitution with identity after election. Nnnn 11 MEMBERS OF WEDDING PARTY INJURED Kathmandu, 14 May: At least 11 persons of a wedding party were injured when a micro-bus vveered off the Mahendra Highway at Nijgadh in Bara overnight. The vehicle was going to Sarlahi from Hetauda. Police said the vehicle was speeding. The driver has absconded. nnnn PREPARATIONS UNDERWAY FOR VOTE Kathmandu, 14 May: Home Secretary Nawin Kumar Ghimire has said the government is making extensive preparations for the Constituent Assembly (CA) Elections, RSS reports from Birgunj.. At a discussion with local administration and security chiefs of Bara, Parsa and Rautahat districts on security strategy to be adopted for election and law and order situation of the district in view of the upcoming election of the CA, he said the first priority of the government was CA election. Secretary Ghimire called on all the local administration and security chiefs to be prepared with sensitiveness to hold the election in free and fair, and fear-free environment. The participants said discussion was held on the law and order situation for CA election, problems and challenges that arise in voters list updating and citizenship distribution and their security strategy. Secretary Ghimire was here on Monday for a discussion programme on the situation of industrial security to be held here from today. [Tuesday]. Nnnn REGISTER AND OPERATE NRNA Kathmandu, 14 May: The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MoFA) has told the Non-Resident Nepali Association to resister its office in Nepal for operation and to revise the definition of the NRNA, The Kathmandu Post reports.. The global Nepali community has been operating in Nepal without registering since its inception in 2003. The MoFA communicated its concern after the NRNA submitted its amendment to the NRNA Act (2012), qualifying a Nepali who has spent more than 182 days beyond the Saarc region or a foreign national of Nepali origin to be an associate. But the ministry has a different version that those who have spent more than two years beyond the Saarc region will be defined as NRNs. “To serve the objective of NRNA registration in Nepal, the proposed Act amendment does not have a clear definition. We have informed the NRNA to submit a new definition to be incorporated in the Act,” the Foreign Ministry stated. A meeting of the NRNA advisory board in December, 2012 forwarded the amendment without a clear definition of the NRNA. The ministry also asked the NRNA to forward an amendment saying the registration process could begin only after that. Discussions between the ministry and the NRNA are under way in this regard. An NRNA delegation led by its Chairman Jiba Lamichhane talked to Foreign Minister Madhav Ghimire on May 2. “We want to make the period two years while the NRNA says it should be a minimum 182 days beyond the Saarc region for someone to be called an NRN. We need to amend the NRNA Act through an ordinance and we have not found a solution yet,” said MoFA spokesman Arjun Bahadur Thapa. According to the ministry, since the distribution of NRN Identify Cards in 2010, 230 foreigners of Nepali origin have obtained the identification while 36 Nepali nationals to have been in a foreign land for more than two years have been recognised. From various Nepali missions abroad, 455 foreign nationals of Nepali origin have obtained the ID cards. The total number of NRN ID holders is 685 so far. The ID cards will be valid for up to ten years for people of Nepali origin with foreign passport and two years for Nepali passport holders. Those in the former category have to pay US$ 500 to secure the ID whereas the latter need to pay US$ 250. As per the government policy to facilitate NRNs to buy land in Nepal, the government has allowed 14 individuals to own the property. Nnnn BRAILLE BALLOT PAPERS FOR VISUALLY IMPAIRED Kathmandu, 14 May: Visually impaired people will also be able to vote in the next CA elections. This is the first time in Nepal's election, RSS reports. history. The Election Commission (EC) came to the conclusion to prepare ballot papers in Braille for the visually impaired after long discussions. EC Commissioner Dolakh Bahadur Gurung said preparations are on to make the polling booths disabled -friendly wherever there is road transport in the district headquarters. A disabled friendly ramp will be made for wheel chair users, said Gurung. The Commission is to adopt process for voting through voters list with photo all over the country. This will enable minimization of voting on another's name and rigging ensuring impartial election. The commission has so far collected name list of 11.l3 million voters with photos. Voting through electronic voting machine used in Kathmandu Constituency-1 in the first CA election will be extended this time. But it is not yet decided in which districts it will be used, it said. Cooperation of all stakeholders and coordination and goodwill is necessary for making political atmosphere for election, said another commissioner Dr. Ayodhi Prasad Yadav. Election will gain momentum soon after identifying what the real problem and issue is, said Yadav. Voters are eager to vote as election environment is created as it was found in interactions in 15 places in 44 districts, the EC said. On this, Commissioner Gurung also said voters are excited and they want election. nnnn