NEPAL MAINTAINS FIFA RANKING Kathmandu, 7 June: Nepal maintained its soccer FIFA ranking in June. Soccer’s world governing body ranked Nepal 171. Afghanistan is South Asia’s top soccer nation. Only Sri Lanka and Bhutan are behind Nepal is South Asian ranking. Nnnn GURKHA CUP Kathmandu, 7 June: In the fist quarterfinal of the Gurkha Cup, Machindra plays MMC at Dashrath Rangashala Friday. The quarterfinal line-up was decided Thursday after Jawalakhel Youth Cup and Boys Union entering the quarterfinal. ….nnnn . CAPITAL TEMPERATURE AT SEVEN IN MORNING 21 DEGREES CELSIUS Kathmandu, 7 June: Temperature on a cloudy Friday morning at seven in the capital was 21 degrees Celsius. Mercury is expected to rise to 32 degrees Celsius on a rainy day. Nnnn FORMER PM BHATTARAI HOPES HLPC WILL FIND OUTLET Kathmandu, 7 June: UCPN Maoist vice-chairman Dr. Baburam Bhattarai Thursday said that the meeting of the High Level Political Committee (HLPC) Friday would make an effort to forge consensus on contentious issues. Addressing the valley-level meeting of ANNISU-R here, Dr Bhattarai said that the government should decide on its own if the political parties failed to reach a consensus for holding Constituent Assembly (CA) election. “The government has the right to make its decision on the election-related laws,” said Dr. Bhattarai, reiterating that the Interim Election Council should make suitable decisions on the laws and hold CA polls. Stating that the UCPN-Maoist was determined to hold CA election at any cost, he said that the political parties should not waste valuable time by debating on the provision to introduce threshold and allowing the candidates with criminal pasts to contest the election. He blamed that those who were behind the dissolution of CA election had spoiled the Free Student’s Union (FSU) election as well. “Students should continue exerting pressure to the Tribhuvan University to announce FSU election date immediately,” he said, and added that the reactionary forces would keep spoiling each and everything till they exist from the political scenario. Meanwhile in Rolpa, party leader Barshaman Pun said that the resignation of Interim Election Council Chairman Khil Raj Regmi would be counter-productive to the country. Speaking at a press meet organized by Federation of Nepali Journalists (FNJ), Rolpa here, he said that everyone should support the current government hinting that Chairman Regmi’s resignation could create political chaos. “The country will head towards uncertainty if there is no CA election within mid-November,” he said, adding that the political parties should forge consensus on contentious issues as there was no alternative to CA polls. Stating that the party was focused in all constituencies from hilly regions to Terai, he said that the UCPN-Maoist was a party of all communities. Answering a query of the journalists about the possibility of party reunification with CPN-Maoist, Pun said that his party could form alliance with the splintered Maoist for CA election. He warned that the CPN-Maoist would align themselves from the people if they reject to go to the election. Nnnn MAOIST STUDENT LEADER RESIGNS Kathmandu, 6 June: Himal Sharma, Chairman of UCPN Maoist All Nepal National Independent Students Union’s Revolutionary (ANNISU-R), resigned Thursday. The move comes after TU postponed indefinitely elections for student unions in campuses nation-wide under it following widespread manipulation in voters’ list. nnnn. FOOD DEFICIT DISTRICTS DEMAND MORE FOOD Kathmandu, 7 June: Major food-deficit districts have demanded the more than 50,000 quintals of additional food supply for the current fiscal yearm Laxman Kafle writes in The Rising Nepal.. According to Indra Sitaula, Deputy General Manager of Nepal Food Corporation (NFC), these districts demanded additional food supplies to address the recurrent problem of hunger. “We have forwarded the demand to the concerned ministry and we will make supplies after the government provides additional budget,” he said. Sitaula said that around Rs. 30 million will be needed to supply food as per the demand of the people. Major food-deficit districts include Humla, Dolpa, Darchula, Bajura and Mugu. Dolpa has demanded additional 16,600 quintals of food, Humla 6,200 quintals, Darchula 2,500 quintals, Bajura 7,000 quintals and Mugu 10,000 quintals. “We will supply additional food on the basis of additional budget available. The actual needs of the districts will also be taken into consideration, he said. NFC has been supplying food at subsidy rates in 23 food-deficit districts including Taplejung, Sankhuwasava, Bhojpur, Solukhumbu, Okhaldhunga, Khotang, Manang, Gorkha, Mustang, Rukum, Rolpa, Jajarkot, Jumla, Dailekh, Humla, Mugu, Dolpa, Kalikot, Bajhang, Bajura, Achham, Baitadi and Darchula. NFC has already supplied around 112,000 quintals of food in the various district till now, he said and added that the corporation was effortful to supply food as per the targets of the current fiscal year. The corporation targets to supply around 143,000 quintals of food for the current fiscal year. The government has committed to provide Rs.420 million to the NFC for the transportation of food to the districts. “We will supply food as per our targets in the different districts if the government allocates budget as per its commitment. So far, we have received only Rs. 30 million from the government as transportation costs,” he said. He asked the government to release remaining Rs.120 million as soon as possible to supply food in the food deficit districts. Sitaula, however, said that the supply of food was delayed owing to carteling of contractors as well as transportation problem. According to him, the corporation has failed to supply the subsidy food in time to the needy people due to monopoly of the contractors. He said that the transportation cost was high in Karnali zone because food has to be transported by air in some places of Karnali zone included in Humla. “We are focusing to supply of foods in Karnali Zone because food shortage is more acute here,” he said. nnnn