Bhattarai wants package deal to step down

More documents

Recommendations

Info

PAGE 2 Himalayan News Service Kathmandu, August 3 A joint meeting of eight youth wings of the opposition parties today announced protests, including a Singha Durbar gherao, at 9 am on August 10 to press Prime Minister Baburam Bhattarai to step down for the sake of a national consensus government. The agitated youth are from the Youth Federation Nepal, Nepal Tarun Dal, Ras- triya Jana Swayamsewak Sangathan, Madhesi Yuba Forum Nepal, Pragatisheel Yuba Sangha Nepal, Krantikari Yuba Sangha, Rastriya Prajatantrik Yuba Sangha and Janashakti Yuba Sangha. In a press release, YFN General Secretary Niraj Acharya said the eight youth wings will hand over a memorandum to President Ram Baran Yadav on August 5, seeking a way out of the crisis. The meeting expressed solidarity with the anti-government protests the YFN has been organising. YFN today staged a half-hour chakkajam in 15 places in the Kathmandu valley. With the government bent on remaining in office, opposition parties have mobilised sister organisations for anti-government protests. As part of its protest,Nepal Student Union cadres had staged a protest to make Prime Minister cancel his visit to Rio the Janeiro for participation in a climate meet. www.thehimalayantimes.com THE HIMALAYAN TIMES, SATURDAY, AUGUST 4, 2012 CAPITAL Humour, satire in free flow as Valley celebrates Gai Jatra Himalayan News Service Kathmandu, August 3 Gaijatra, a Newar festival dedicated to dead family members, was observed in the Kathmandu Valley today with comedians and satirists enthralling the crowds in various places. TV serial comedians are putting up shows featuring social malpractices and the doings of political figures as part of the festival, a public holiday in the valley. Prakash Dahal, who eloped with Bina Magar, Prime Minister Baburam Bhattarai and heroine Rekha Thapa are among the major characters in these shows. Legends have it that King Pratap Malla initiated the festival in the 17th century, asking the subjects to come out with cows and mimicry, particularly to make the queen come over the grief over their son’s death. Comedy shows kicked off yesterday at Pragya Bhawan and will continue forr a couple of weeks. Teams for Tito Satya and Jire Khursani comedy shows are among the performers. Gaijatra falls a day after Janai Purnima. Oppn youth to gherao Singha Durbar 1 1. An artiste performing a dance as part of Gai Jatra in Bhaktapur on Friday. 2. Participants staging a funny parade in Basantapur, Kathmandu. 3. A cultural troupe playing the flute in Basantapur. 4. Revellers taking a dig at the government in Bhaktapur. 5. A child with a cow during a procession in Basantapur. 6. A festive crowd on a high in Bhaktapur. 6 5 4 PM aide’s vehicle seized KATHMANDU: YFN cadres on Friday seized six government vehicles, including the one carrying Prime Minister Baburam Bhattarai’s press adviser, Ram Rijhan Yadav, in Baneshwor as part of their ‘effort to control misuse of government vehicles’ on public holidays and other occasions. They handed Deuba parts with stately ride, finally Himalayan News Service Kathmandu, August 3 Former prime minister Sher Bahadur Deuba has returned the state-provided Toyota Prado (Ba 6 Ch 1026) to the government. Before Deuba, former prime ministers Pushpa Kamal Dahal, Madhav Kumar Nepal, Jhalanath Khanal and Lokendra Bahadur Chand and some former speakers and chief justices had returned their vehicles in view of outrage against an ordinance that the government had introduced to provide state facilities to former VIPs, who were in office after the restoration of democracy in 1990. The former PM’s New varsities seek more govt funds Say increased funding a must for quality education Himalayan News Service Kathmandu, August 3 Purbanchal University (PU) officials today urged the government to allocate more budget to new universities and enable them to improve the quality of education. Speaking at an interaction, Prof Maheshwor Man Shrestha, PU vice-chancellor, said new universities are unable to provide quality education to the students due to lack of funds required to develop infrastructure. Frequent changes in university leadership have also 2 Photos: Bal Krishna Thapa / Nimesh Jang Rai / Uma Bista / THT over the vehicles to police. YFN chairman Mahesh Basnet confirmed the seizure. However, Yadav said YAN intercepted his vehicle while he was returning after observing Gai Jatra festivities. “Fearing vandalism, I myself called police and handed over the vehicle,” according to Yadav. — HNS personal secretary Bhanu Deuba said his boss returned the vehicle on Wednesday, adding he had not received fuel and secretariat allowance he was entitled to. Bhanu said the former PM decided to part with the vehicle after the Supreme Court stayed the ordinance. Dahal returned the vehicle in response to increased pressure from his own party, becoming the first beneficiary to part with the stately ride. Civil society has opposed the government move saying it will bleed the state coffers. Among the former prime ministers, only Surya Bahadur Thapa is yet to react to the controversial ordinance. hampered efforts to upgrade the performance of the educational sector, Shrestha observed. He said, “Tribhuvan University, the country’s oldest and the largest varsity, gets around 90 per cent of its total budget from the government, while Purbanchal and Pokhara universities, among others, get nominal budget. Therefore, it is useless to compare the Tribhuvan University and other universities in terms of physical infrastructure and quality of education.” He urged the students to question the government’s decision to establish foreign American students receiving youth leadership training Himalayan News Service Kathmandu, August 3 South Asia Youth Summit (SAYS) 2012, a United States team comprising 10 students, two adult facilitators and two staff members of Magee Womancare International (MWI) and Amizade Global Service Learning, are participating in a youth leadership training in Nepal. The SAYS programme, the first of its kind in Nepal, engages a diverse group of motivated youth aged between 15 and 17 years — 18 South Asian students and 10 American students, who are interested in becoming leaders and decision makers in their own lives and communities. The main goal of the programme is to build individual and collective leadership, problemsolving skills and teamwork. As an implementing local partner for MWI, Nepal Break Dance Foundation (NBF) is organising the training, which began on August 1 and will conclude on August 7. An NBF press statement said the training programme in Nepal will focus on Kathmandu, Bhaktapur and Kavre districts. It said that since 2010, the university-affiliated colleges at a time when the country’s own universities are in dire straits. Shrestha informed that the new universities will introduce an improvised education policy next year, urging the government to increase funding. He said they will grant scholarship in all streams. Currently, these universities are providing freeship in medical science and engineering education only. The improvement of the PU is impossible without reviewing education policies, Himal Sharma, president of the UCPN-Maoist- government of the United States of America has been organising the South Asia Youth Summit: Developing Leadership in Young People to Transform Communities, annually. Every year, students from various schools of three countries — Nepal, the Maldives and Sri Lanka — are selected to go to the US to build individual and collective leadership qualities. The programme receives funding from the US Department of State, Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs. According to the statement, the US students will visit different places such as Namo Buddha Thrangu Tashi Choling Institute of Buddhist Studies in Kavre, Gahate Community Forest Users’ Group in Kavre, ICI- MOD Godavari Training Centre and other places for training on community leadership, volunteerism, environment and many other aspects at the highest level. In addition to the training, the youth team plans to visit local places of interest in the Capital city such as Thamel, Hanuman Dhoka, Boudhanath and Swayambhu Stupas, Pashupatinath, reads the statement. aligned All Nepal National Independent Students’ Union-Revolutionary, the programme organiser, said. Sharma threatened to launch a series of protests if university officials fail to improve the quality of education, conduct exams and publish results on time. Sanu Tuladhar, Model Campus principal, urged all stakeholders to join hands to improve the academic calendar and follow it thoroughly. Officials of PU-affiliated campuses also stressed the need to improve the academic calendar and implement it in full. 3 ‘Institute fund for victims of disasters’ Himalayan News Service Kathmandu, August 3 The government has stepped up preparations to manage the Civil Servant’s Contribution Fund. Sources at the Ministry of General Administration said civil servant’s fund had already been established some years ago and they had also collected some funds. According to the sources at the ministry, there must be more than two lakh rupees in the fund. Since last month, MoGA has been preparing to institute the contribution fund to help victims of natural disasters and to provide health education to people living in remote areas. MoGA has already forwarded Civil Servants’ Contribution Fund Operation Rules-2012 to the Cabinet for its final approval. As per the proposed rules, around 80,000 civil servants will voluntarily contribute at least Rs 100 from their salary every Shrawan. The rules envision contributions from retired civil servants and national and international organisations as well. They also aim to work with other governmental, non-government and community organisations for the utilisaton of funds in the sectors of health, education and environment. Acting Chief Secretary Leela Mani Poudyal has directed the general administration ministry to expedite preparations for the Civil Servant’s Day, which falls on September 7. Every year, MoGA conducts programme like cleaning campaign and health awareness to celebrate the day. However, this year the ministry plans to provide a day’s service to the people by visiting the target communities, Begendraraj Sharma Poudel, MoGA spokesperson, said.
THE HIMALAYAN TIMES, SATURDAY, AUGUST 4, 2012 www.thehimalayantimes.com CAPITAL • IN BRIEF Four sustain burns KATHMANDU: Four members of a family, including two children, suffered burns when a fire broke out in their Kirtipur-based house in the wee hours of Friday. Of the victims, Krishna Lal Maharjan (55) and Hiramati (52) have suffered third-degree burns and have been undergoing treatment at the Maharajgunj-based TU Teaching Hospital. Police informed that the other victims — Suwana (7) and Sulabh (13) — are out of danger. They are receiving treatment at the Maharajgunj-based Kanti Children's Hospital and Kirtipur Model Hospital. Investigators said the short circuit-caused fire engulfed the house around 3.05 am when the family members were asleep. Police, fire engine and locals had rescued the family member and extinguished the blaze in two hours. The house has suffered extensive damage in the inferno. — HNS Held for knife attack KATHMANDU: Police on Friday arrested Nil Lama (19) of Sindhupalchowk for stabbing Raju Magar of Kathmandu. Investigators said Lama had attacked and injured Magar at Manmaiju around 3 am. He has been undergoing treatment at a hospital in Gongabu. Police have launched an investigation to establish the motive behind the attack. — HNS Gold chain snatched KATHMANDU: Two motorcycleborne people snatched a gold chain from a woman at the Pepsicola Town Planning on Thursday. According to a compalint, the two robbed Nirmala Koirala (56) of a gold chain weighing one tola around 3.50 pm when she was heading to Khichapokhari, where she lives. The snatchers are at large. The gang is said to have covered the bike's plate number with a piece of cloth. — HNS Waste disposal talks KATHMANDU: Garbage disposal, obstructed for the last four days due to a row between truck drivers and people living around the Sisdole landfill site, is likely to resume from Sunday. According to chief of the Environment Management Division of Kathmandu Metropolitan City, Rabin Man Shrestha, efforts are on to resume disposal from Sunday. "We will settle the problem as soon as possible," he said adding that they have a meeting with trade unions at 7 am on Saturday. Rain-triggered mudslides in and on the way to Sisdole have made garbage disposal more difficult. According to Shrestha, they removed debris on the way to Sisdole on Friday. — HNS Himalayan News Service Kathmandu, August 3 The Kathmandu-based Paropakar Maternity Hospital has established One-stop Crisis Management Centre (OCMC) on its premises to provide integrated services to the victims of Gender- Based Violence (GBV). The centre established in line with the National Plan of Action for 'year against gender based violence 2010' aims to facilitate GBV victims of all help they need in one place, director of the hospital, Dr Sheela Verma, said. The plan had directed the government to establish a separate centre in the district hospital to provide health care service, security, psychological counselling, legal support and rehabilitation to GBV victims. As public awareness grows, more women will come to OCMC for help, rather than suffering in silence and communities will be less tolerant of GBV and more likely to report cases, Dr Verma said. Established two weeks ago, the centre will follow a holistic approach focusing on the needs of women by Shielding themselves from the rain, pedestrians heading to their destinations, in Kathmandu on Friday. A brief shower affected life in the City. Himalayan News Service Kathmandu, August 3 Crime spiralling up in Kathmandu Valley Himalayan News Service Kathmandu, August 3 Crime is on the rise in the Kathmandu Valley, records at the Kathmandu District Court show. “Cases related to economic transaction, passport forgery, illegal land registration and divorce have increased in the fiscal year 2011-2012" compared to the fiscal 2010-11, according to district court Judge Bishnu Prasad Koirala. Cases registered in the court are a reflection of the society, Koirala pointed, adding that the court has been dealing with new kinds of cheating and burglaries. Lately, the court has settled some unique cases that the 50year-old Muluki Ain had not forseen, he added. A total of 1070 dacoity, theft and murder cases were registered in the country's busiest court from mid-July last year to this July, KDC registrar Bharat Lamsal informed at an interaction between court officials and Stand united for your rights, leader tells indigenous peoples Former chairman of the Nepal Federation of Indigenous Nationalities (NEFIN), Pasang Sherpa, today said indigenous nationalities should unite sooner than later for the protection of their rights. Addressing an indigenous youth gathering, organised in Sundhara to discuss the prospects of a new indigenous party, Pasang Sherpa, also a former Constituent Assembly member, said it’s high time that all indigenous nationalities joined hands regardless of their political affiliation for the sake of their rights. Sherpa, who had quit the CPN-UML accusing it of standing against indigenous peoples, claimed that UML leaders have been alluring to promote him to a politburo journalists in the Capital today. As per the record, a total of 1959 fraud cases were filed in the last fiscal against 300 cases of the preceding fiscal. In the last fiscal, 1745 divorce cases were filed against the preceding fiscal's 1245 cases. Lamsal said that the divorce cases have increased by almost seven times compared to 200 cases a decade ago. The court disposed 58.57 cases in the last fiscal settling 8,533 of the 14,568 registered cases, he said. According to the registrar, KDC shares 18 per cent work load of the total 75 district courts but has only 7.6 per cent staff and 5.9 per cent judges' of the total district courts' strength. "There are only 14 judges to deal with the work load in this court and infrastructure and human resources are also insufficient,” he said, adding that they need more human resources to provide prompt justice to the public. Centre to help victims of gender violence respecting their privacy and confidentiality, said the hospital director, adding that they have also made arrangements for physical health care, referral for psychological counselling and referral services. Padam Raj Bhatta, chief of the Population Division at the Ministry of Health and Population, said the main purpose of the centre is to minimise the effect of physical, psychological and sexual violence against women. Besides the wide range of integrated legal, health, welfare and counselling ser- member if he returns to the party. Sherpa said returning to the UML was out of the question, adding that he would rather join Janamukti Party or some other pro-indigenous party. Sherpa said thousands of people have been pressing him to form a new party, though indigenous leaders have not shown enough enthusiasm. “We have been holding talks with several organisations and communities, including Muslims, Dalits and Madhesis," he said. Describing the talks as positive, Sherpa said they will make some announcement on August 9 and urged all participants to support the endeavour to empower the indigenous peoples. Sherpa said he is against the NC and UML’s stance on indigenous issues, adding that he found most lower-rung cadres vices in one location, the centre aims to bring down GBV cases, said the chief. The government has provided two lakh as financial assistance for operating the centre. Last year, the ministry had established the centres at seven district hospitals, namely Makwanpur, Bardiya, Kanchanpur, Doti, Baglung, Panchthar and Sunsari. The ministry plans to establish such centres in eight more districts -- Kavre, Solukhumbu, Sarlahi, Tanahu, Nawalparasi, Jumla, Saptari and Dang -- this fiscal year. According to of the Maoist party were willing to join the new party as they could not 'trust their Brahmin leaders'. “One caste has been running dozens of political parties, so why can’t we lead one party that stands for more than 60 per cent of the population,” he asked. At the gathering, Janajati leaders, including Chandra Narayan Chaudhary, Rabindra Thing and Om Gurung, stressed the need to form a brand new party that is different from conservative parties. Suvash Palunga, who presided over the gathering, said all indigenous youths are ready to sacrifice for the sake of equity. The discussion is part of political training programmes that some senior Janajati leaders are organising for politically indoctrinating youth throughout the nation. Con artists in police net They had pledged to provide a Prado at cheaper rate through auction Himalayan News Service Kathmandu, August 3 Three swindlers landed in jail as detectives from the Metropolitan Police Commissioner's Office thwarted a plot to cheat an unsuspecting man of hefty cash. Janak Prasad Adhikari aka Prakash (41) of Solukhumbu, Bidur Dhungana (33) and Bimal Pakhrin (33) of Kavre had cheated Tulanath Kunwar (42) of Rs 3.34 million in course of a month, promising to make a Prado jeep available to him through a Department of Customs auction. Police rounded up the three from separate places in Kathmandu yesterday, investigators said, identifying Ad- hikari, accused of defrauding a number of people in the Kathmandu Valley and in Kavre, as the brains behind the plot. "Adhikari and his associates lured Kunwar of Kavre into giving him the amount pledging to make available an embassy's Prado jeep, on auction, at a cheaper rate," an investigator informed. A preliminary investigation suggests that Adhikari had assured Kunwar of making the vehicle available for Rs 4.5 million and collected the cash from the 'prospective buyer' in installments. The three had showed a number plate bearing Ba 9 Cha 9734 to make Kunwar believe that the vehicle of the diplomatic mission had got that licence plate for auction. The MPCD said it confiscated Rs 2.15 million that the three had collected from Kunwar. It handed over the three to the Metropolitan Police Range, Hanumandhoka, for further action. The Kathmandu District Court remanded Adhikari, Dhungana and Pakhrin to seven days in police custody for further investigation. According to police, Dhungana was with Khojtalas, a Nepali daily. He is also said to be a former Nepal Police employee. Keshav Basnet, an accused in the fraud case, is at large, MPCD informed. Bhatta, the centre will provide better access to legal support to strengthen the position of GBV victims and increase their confidence. Nepal Demographic Health Survey (NDHS)-2011 showed that more than two in 10 women in Nepal suffer from physical violence at some point since age 15. More than 60 per cent of women, who have ever experienced physical or sexual violence, were found to have never told anyone about the violence, whereas 23 per cent have sought help from some sources, the survey reported. Prank calls flooding police control room Cops found flirting with women over phone Himalayan News Service Kathmandu, August 3 The police control room is finding it hard to deal with prank calls and this is affecting the performance of the police force. According to the Metropolitan Police Commissioner's Office, Metro Control entertained 5,09,540 calls in the fiscal 2011-12, of which 26 per cent turned out to be prank calls. Ten per cent and 64 per cent of calls at 100 were meant for prompt action and enquiries, respectively. Officials say the control room gets prank calls mostly at night. According to the MPCO, the users' unfettered access to mobile phone is mainly to blame for the situation. Most of the hoax callers are children and drunken men. It is not possible to track down every hoax caller and take action against them, police said, informing that they had arrested some of the offenders for serious false alarms. Machendra Rai (38) of Ilam is one of them. On December 10, police arrested Rai and charged him with public offences. Rai had called up the control room at around 9 pm the same day to report a 'scuffle' in Chhetrapati. A police team rushed to the scene, only to find that Rai had raised a false alarm. The MPCO pointed that PAGE 3 THT hoax calls affect other emergency responses, appealing to all not to make such calls and enable police to fight crime. Interestingly, police have come across instances of staff at the control room flirting with women callers over the phone. With a view to keeping a tab on control room staff, the MPCO has installed a voice recorder to analyse the calls and verify them every day. It has warned receivers against indulging in unnecessary telephonic conversation. The MPCO has classified calls at the control room in three categories — A, B and C. A stands for immediate police response, B for enquiries and C for hoax/prank calls.
Page 1: Nepal’s No. 1 English Daily www.t
Page 5 and 6: THE HIMALAYAN TIMES, SATURDAY, AUGU
Page 7 and 8: THE HIMALAYAN TIMES, AUGUST 4, 2012
Page 15 and 16: The Himalayan Times, Saturday, Augu

Bhattarai wants package deal to step down

You also want an ePaper? Increase the reach of your titles

Delete template?

Save as template?