PANCHTHAR

ONE DEAD TWO INJURED IN PANCHTHAR TRACTOR ACCIDENT
Kathmandu, 20 July: Driver of a tractor died overnight when it
overturned in Panchthar
Two seriously injured are undergoing treatment at a hospital in
Biratnagar.
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RICHEST AND POOR COLLAGE IN VALLEY
Kathmandu, 20 July: A recent survey conducted by the Central Bureau of Statistics has revealed that Area No 5 of Lalitpur district that includes Imadol and Wards No 16, 18, 19 and 22 of Lalitpur Sub-metropolis is the most prosperous in the country, with only 140 people, or 0.53 per cent of the total local population, living below the
poverty line,Kupak D.Sharma writes in The Himalayan Times..

Of the five areas that topped the list of most prosperous clusters, three are located in Lalitpur district, while one each is located in Bhaktapur and Kathmandu districts, states the report titled ‘Small Area Estimates of Poverty’.

The report is based on the data gathered while conducting Nepal Living Standard Survey 2010-11 and Population and Housing Census 2011.

“It focuses on people’s spending on food and non-food items, and their annual income (which has to be at least Rs 19,261 per person per year to remain above the poverty line),” CBS director Dilli Raj Joshi told The Himalayan Times.

Second on the list of the most prosperous areas is Area No 7 of Lalitpur that includes Tikathali and Wards No 7, 8, 9 and 11 of Lalitpur Sub-metropolis. Here, 0.78 per cent of the population (77 people) lives below the poverty line, the report states.

Next on the list is Area No 8 of Bhaktapur district, which includes Katunje and Wards No 14 and 16 of Bhaktapur municipality. In this area, 0.80 per cent of the population (152 people) lives below the poverty line.

Area No 4 of Kathmandu district is the fourth most prosperous area in the country. It includes Mulpani, Gothatar and Wards No 10, 34 and 35 of Kathmandu Metropolitan City and has only 0.85 per cent of the population (464 people) living below the poverty line.

Area No 3 of Lalitpur that includes Thecho, Dhapakhel and Wards No 4, 13, 20 and 21 of Lalitpur Sub-metropolis is fifth on the list of the most prosperous areas in the country, with one per cent of the population, or 220 people, living below the poverty line.

Although Kathmandu Valley is home to some of the most prosperous areas in Nepal, it also has some pockets where as many as 32 per cent of the population lives below the poverty line, adds the report.

Area No 13 of Lalitpur district, for instance, where village development committees like Pyutar, Ashrang, Chandanpur, Gimdi, Kaleshwor and Thula Durlung are located, has poverty level as high as 31.94 per cent (3,105 people). Likewise, Area No 1 of Bhaktapur district — a grouping of Wards No 1-6 of Madhyapur municipality and Wards No 13 and 15 of Bhaktapur municipality — has 27.23 per cent (22,216 people) population living below the poverty line. In some parts of Kathmandu district, over 12 per cent of the population lives below the poverty line.

In fact, poverty in Kathmandu district has soared to 7.6 per cent from 4.4 per cent a decade ago, while Bhaktapur district has seen poverty level rise to 12.5 per cent from 8.7 per cent 10 years ago. “High disparity in the Kathmandu Valley is due to lack of balanced growth,” economist Dr Chiranjivi Nepal, chief economic adviser at the Finance Ministry, said.

Lalitpur Area No 3: Thecho, Dhapakhel and Ward No 4, 13, 20 and 21 of Lalitpur Sub-metropolis

Number of people living below poverty line: 220 (1% of local population)

Lalitpur Area No 5: Imadol and Wards No 16, 18, 19 and 22 of Lalitpur Sub-metropolis

People living below poverty line: 140 (0.53% of local population)

Lalitpur Area No 7: Tikathali and Wards No 7, 8, 9 and 11 of Lalitpur Sub-metropolis

Number of people living below poverty line: 77 (0.78% of local population)

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MJFD SEEKS 121 CONSTITUENCIES

Kathmandu, 20 July: The Bijay Kumar Gachhadar-led Madhesi Janadhikar Forum-Democratic has demanded that the Constituency Delimitation Commission (CDC) delineate 121 constituencies in the Madhesh, pointing that the region has 50.31 per cent of the country’s total population, The Himalayan Times reports..

At a press conference the party had organised to inform the media about the decisions of its 17th Central Committee meeting, which concluded yesterday, Gachhadar said the CDC had suggested three alternatives to resolve the constituency delineation problem. Gachhadar called on political parties to be ready to amend the Interim Constitution for the same.

He said the CPN-Maoist’s demand to defer the poll date and change the current government, and refusal on the part of the Nepali Congress and the CPN-UML to effect even minor changes in the 11-point pact and 25-point Presidential order are a ploy to sabotage the upcoming elections.

The party said Constituent Assembly elections should be held on the stipulated date of November 19 and under the current government.

In a press release, the MJF-D also opposed the Supreme Court’s recent stay order against the Election Commission (EC)’s effort to include even those without citizenship certificates on the voters’ list. The party claimed that the stay order is against the letter and spirit of the Interim Constitution. “The court’s stay order can fuel communal tension and ultimately sabotage CA elections. The CC meeting opposes the order,” the Madhesi party said in the release. Compared to the earlier voters’ list, the number of voters has gone down by over 5.2 million in the new list, the party said. Such a huge decline will cast doubt on the credibility of the CA elections, the party said, urging the EC to extend the deadline for voters’ registration by at least one month.

In response to a query, Gachhadar said his party had changed its flag, but the report that they were changing the party’s name was false. He said his party is ready to merge with like-minded Madhesi parties.

The party has nominated 19 new leaders in the CC. Govind Chaudhary is the vice-chair and Arvind Sah is secretary of the party.

Sound bites

• The stay order against the inclusion of those without citizenship certificates on the voters’ list will sabotage CA polls

• The new voters’ list shows a drastic decline in the number of voters. So, the EC should extend the deadline for voters’ registration by at least one month

• This government should hold elections on the stipulated date

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MEDIA GOOGLE

Talking to a group of journalists yesterday, Wu Chuntai revealed that his country has been reiterating to the CPN-M leadership that the November vote is in the best interest of Nepal.

“In my meetings, I do share our view that the CA is in the best interest of

Nepal, And, I hope the party (CPN Maoist)will take an appropriate decision in the interest of Nepal.”

(Chinese Ambassador Wu Chuntai in The Himalayan Times,20 July)

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