BIRD FLU

FRESH CASES OF BIRD FLU IN CAPITAL REPORTED WEDNESDAY

Kathmandu, 4 July” Bird flu was detected Wednesday at two other farms in the capital district two days after avian flu came back to the Valley.
After fresh cases in the capital were detected at Ghotethar, the disease
broke out at Chauni-13 and Syuchatar.
The flu was caused by the H5N1 virus and the Central Veterinary Laboratory
confirmed the fresh outbreak.
Sixty-five cases of the epidemic have been reported nation-wide this year.

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EC HAS A LONG SHOPPIN LIST

Kathmandu, 4 July: As the country braces itself for the new Constituent Assembly elections and the clock is ticking for the Election Commission to speed up preparations, the EC still has a long ‘shopping list’., Bhadra Sharma writes in The Kathmandu Post.
Getting things done before November 19, according to EC officials, will be a tall order if all poll-related logistical arrangements are not made according to just what the doctor ordered.
The EC requires 67 kinds of election materials ranging from needles to helicopters to make the elections a success. “Elections may look an easy job, but making all logistical arrangements is a tough  job,” said Chief Election Commissioner Neel Kantha Uprety.
Despite several challenges standing in its way, the EC is confident that the elections would be held on time in a free and credible manner.
Of the bulky poll-related materials required for the polls, the EC can buy a few inside the country, whereas the others needs to be imported from foreign countries. The election body has already initiated a process to purchase those materials from the domestic market and aboard.
Along with producing electoral materials and voter roll sheets the EC has to purchase stamps, sacks, ropes, plastic materials, pens, T-shirts, caps, candles, seals and bags,
among other things, from domestic markets. The remaining materials such as security seals, stickers are being imported from Japan, while CCTV cameras will be purchased from China. The EC is bringing in indelible ink from India and has requested the southern neighbour for vehicles.Japanese authorities have assured of an electoral assistance to the tune of Rs 120 million and China  maximum Rs 180 million for logistic arrangements. Japan, which had provided ballot boxes in the 2008 CA elections, has assured of logistic support, including ballot boxes, this time too.
The EC has already called on the Ministry of Finance to request Indian, Chinese and Japanese governments for logistic support. According to Uprety, the EC is importing 41 kinds of materials and eight items from China. EC officials estimate that the country would require 10,000 ballot boxes and around 300 million ballot papers for the upcoming elections.
“We have been keeping a close watch on local and international markets to purchase logistics. Except helicopters, we have to buy everything,” added Uprety.
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BOTTLERS NEPAL GETS NOD TO INCREASE CAPACITY
Kathmandu, 4 July: The Industrial Promotion Board ( IPB ) on Wednesday decided to allow foreign investment in 44MW Super Madi Hydropower Project and endorsed a proposal from Bottlers’ Nepal on increasing its capital to increase production capacity of the Chitwan-based plant. The decisions were made during the IPB meeting chaired by Minister for Industry Shankar Prasad Koirala, The Kathmandu Post writes..
Super Madi, which holds a construction license for electricity generation, is seeking to bring foreign investment from its Costal Project Limited India. The project, being developed by Himal Hydro and General Construction, had sought the government’s permission to bring foreign investment for the project.
According to information posted on Himal Hydro’s website, Costal Projects India has a majority share holding (82.21percent) at Nepal Jalabidyut Prabardhan Tatha Bikas Ltd which in turn has 78 percent stake in Himal Hydro.
Bhaskar Raj Rajkarnikar, vice-president of Federation of Nepalese Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FNCCI) who participated in the meeting, said that the exact amount of foreign investment was not revealed during the meeting.
However, the Industry Ministry said in its press statement that the total capital of the project is Rs 6.35 billion. The run-of-river project is located at the bordering area of Namarjun and Parche Village Development Committees in Kaski district.
Meanwhile, Bottlers Nepal, the producer of cold drinks including Coca-Cola, Fanta and Sprite in Nepal, is seeking to increase the production capacity of its Chitwan-based plant with massive investment.
The IPB approved the company’s plan to increase its capital to Rs 3.12 billion from the existing Rs 121 million. “More capital was required for adding new facilities to out Chitwan plant,” said Salman Latif Rawn, the managing director of Bottlers
Nepal. The company expects the planned upgradation to increase the production by four times on its current capacity. The 205th meeting of the board asked the Finance Ministry to do necessary amendment to the existing laws for ensuring the reimbursement of excise duty for export oriented industries as per the court order. The court had ordered the government to refund excise duty paid for raw materials that are used for producing packaging stuff.

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