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NEPALI RUPEE SLIPS FURTHER AGAINST THE DOLLAR

Katmandu, 7 Aug.: The Nepali rupee slipped further against the dollar.after the greenback gained against the Indian rupee.

The Nepali rupee slipped to 98.60 against the dollar Tuesday and will increase priuces of imported foods.

The Nepali rupee is floated against convertible currencies while the exchange rate is fixed with the Indian rupee.

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TWO MORE WATER BOTTLING PLANTS SEALED

Kathmandu, , 7 Aug.: Two more bottling and water treatment

plamts were sealed Tuesday bringing to six the closure of such plant in the capital.

The bottling units were penalized for producing and marketing contaminated potable water during the summer when diseases caused by drinking

contaminated water is high..

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WEST SETI IN LIMBO

Kathmandu, 7 Aug.: The construction of much-awaited 750MW West Seti Hydropower Project is in limbo after a Chinese company that was entrusted with the task of building it maintained an eerie silence about the project for the last few months, The Rising Nepal reports..

The government of Nepal had entrusted a Chinese company China Three Gorges Corporation (CTGC) to develop the reservoir-based project nearly one and a half years ago.
A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed between the Ministry of Energy (MoE) and the CTGC on February 29 to carry out the project under the public private partnership (PPP) model.
However, the project hit a snag when the then Parliamentary Committee for Natural Resources and Means smelled foul in the project’s deal and asked to fulfill several procedural requirements before implementing it.

The project was later dealt by the Board of Investment (BoI). The BoI and the CTGC had several round of talks and meetings for carrying out the project.

The CTCG had asked the Nepali team to visit China to precede the deal ahead. However, as the Nepali team did not go China and asked the CTGC team to visit Nepal.

“The CTCG has pledged to send their team by the end of July. However, they have not come yet responded to us,” Mukunda Prasad Paudel, Joint Secretary at the BoI, said.

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TALKS BEGIN WITH OPPOSITION, NO HOPE CREATED

Kathmandu, 7 Aug.: The High Level Political Committee (HLPC) Tuesday held separate talks with the CPN-Maoist-led 33 party alliance and the Upendra Yadav-led Federal Democratic Front-Nepal, The Rising Nepal reports..
During the talks held at the HLPC secretariat office at New Baneshwor, the CPN-Maoist-led alliance handed over an 18-point demand to end the prolonged political difference between the poll-supporting and poll opposing parties.
The 18-point list includes postponement of the November 19 polls and nullification of the electoral laws and election schedule, dissolution of the interim government, and conduction of an all-party round table conference
The Alliance also sought a fully proportional electoral system and ‘scrapping all the decisions made by the incumbent government against the national sovereignty’.
Talking to media persons after the meeting, CPN-Maoist chairman Mohan Baidhya stated that today’s meeting was the start of negotiation between the agitating parties and the four major political forces.
Baidya further said that the country should move ahead on the basis of broader consensus among all the political parties as the consensus of the four parties could not give a way out to the current political crisis.
UCPN-Maoist leader Narayan Kaji Shrestha said that changes on the 25-point presidential decree might be possible considering the demands of the 33-party alliance.
Shrestha also said that the HLPC would formally make its comments on the demands floated by the dissident parties only after holding discussion within it.
Similarly, CPN-UML leader Raguji Panta informed that the agitating parties forwarded their views and they would continue discussions on the same.
Before the meeting with the 33-party alliance, the HLPC leaders convened a meeting with the Madhesi Janaadhikar Forum-led Federal Democratic Front-Nepal.
During the meeting, The Front presented its stances including the dissolution of the HLPC,  the resignation of Chairman of the Interim Election Council of Ministers Khil Raj Regmi from the post of Chief Justice retaining the CA strength of 601-member and extending the deadline of the voter’s registration process for the left out voters.
UML leader panta said that the talks was positive and the HLPC leaders would take appropriate decision after discussing with themselves.
Front coordinator Upendra Yadav said that the HLPC leaders kept mum over their demands during the meeting as they were sitting for talks without carrying out necessary homework to their concerns.
On Monday, a meeting of the HLPC had decided to hold talks with the three dissenting forces – the 33-party alliance led by the CPN-Maoist, the Yadav-led Front and the Ashok Rai-led Federal Socialist Party-Nepal.
According to the HLPC leaders, the scheduled talks with the Rai-led party could not possible due to the time constraints and the talks would be held on Wednesday.

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