R&D_NewsBrief_19thJul

R&D Economic Research & Business Development Date: 19th July 2009

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New constitution could not go ahead without carrying out rehabilitation and management of the PLA combatants Sher Bahadur Deuba urged the UCPN-Maoist to hold talks with the government.

Nepal: Prachanda-Koirala Nexus!

Maoists’ combatants should be at best around one thousand only.

Maoist cadre’s pelted stones, burnt tires and hurled black flag(s) to the Nepali Congress President Koirala and the UML influential leader Mr. K.P. Sharma Oli. Nepal's two-month old communist government on Saturday bid adieu to its five sacred virgins – the Panchkanyas.

Prime Minister Madhav Kumar Nepal said his Egypt visit was successful.

Girija Prasad Koirala warned the UCPN (Maoist) that the party will be finished if Maoists dare to apply the culture of consensus, cooperation and unity as a strategy for their partisan interest.

UML has been suffering greatly due to an “epidemic of groupism”.

The talks held between the government and the civil servant organizations ended without reaching any agreement.

UNMIN term extension.

Court Security Study Committee (CSSC) has recommended to all courts to ensure effective security for all court users.

Implementation of its “Peace through Justice” project.

Nepal Rastra Bank (NRB) and Central Bank of Sri Lanka (CBSL) signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) on money laundering.

As the budget for fiscal year 2009/10 increased the excise duty on beer, liquor and cigarettes, their prices have also gone up in the market.

The government plans to invite bids from the private sector for detailed feasibility studies and construction of eight hydropower projects.

Decrease in capital gain tax has pushed the Nepse up by 32.99 points to 735.87 points.

The new rule on Capital Gain Tax government has introduced differential value added tax The government has annulled value added tax (VAT) on kerosene.

Vegetable prices have skyrocketed The demand for gold in the international market is increasing rapidly and pushing up the gold price even in the domestic market.

The Boss 6th Top 10 Business Excellence Awards have been given to the seven outstanding personalities.

Commission for Investigation of Abuse of Authority (CIAA) has sought the names of army officials who failed to furnish their property details in the previous fiscal year.

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POLITICS: Manage PLA fighters first: Poudel NC parliamentary party leader and vice-chairman Ram Chandra Poudel said on Saturday the drafting of a new statute could not materialize till the PLA fighters would not leave the cantonments and hand over their weapons to the state.

Speaking at a programme in the capital, the senior NC leader said the task of taking the peace process to its logical end and formation of a new constitution could not go ahead without carrying out rehabilitation and management of the PLA combatants.

Arguing that the constitution would be in peril if the fighters are discharged without submitting their weapons to the state, he urged to make necessary adjustments in that direction.

Leader Poudel stressed on an immediate management of the PLA combatants to put an end to rising instances of violence and violation of human rights. He also described the Maoists not favoring the concept of the new constitution as anti-democratic.

A broader consensus among political parties and stakeholders is required prior to determining the modality of the new constitution, he said adding the care should be taken while adopting recommendations made by preliminary subject wise committees.

He also said that the NC was passing through a tough transitional phase caught between ultra-leftist and extreme rightist forces, adding that the party was fractured by internal contradiction between those favoring status quo and those taking on a progressive line.

Source: The Himalayan Times Date: 07/19/2009

Deuba urges Maoists to join govt.

Senior leader of Nepali Congress Sher Bahadur Deuba urged the UCPN-Maoist to hold talks with the government to iron out differences with the latter.

Speaking at a press meet organised by the Banke chapter of Nepal Press Union here, Deuba said the NC wanted the UCPN-M to join the present government.

“It will be easy for the government to complete the tasks of writing the new constitution and taking the peace process to a logical conclusion, if the former rebels join hands with the government,” the former PM said, expressing optimism over the Maoists joining the government.

“If they join the government, the tasks of writing the new constitution and rehabilitation of the PLA combatants will be a lot easier. It’s also mandatory for the Unified CPN-Maoist to join the government as the PLA fighters won’t be integrated until the draft of the new constitution is ready,” he insisted.

Deuba also said the government was gradually solving the problems plaguing the country. “Prime Minister Madhav Kumar Nepal is an experienced leader. He is accomplishing tasks assigned to him smoothly.”

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Stating that the anarchic activities by the Young Communist League (YCL) cadres were creating problems in the country, Deuba underscored the need to bring an end to the culture of impunity.

The former premier, however, was optimistic about the drafting of new constitution within the stipulated time frame.

Source: The Himalayan Times Date: 07/19/2009

Nepal: Prachanda-Koirala Nexus!

Kathmandu: Is Prachanda a lost case or a sinking horse already? He could be the one as stated but one has to keep in mind that those who have been enjoying blessing from the movers and shakers of Nepalese politics residing in New Delhi and as a result of which they are governing the nation, are equally close to the Maoists party and its chairman though in a secret manner.

The hostile stance is just a pretension of the highest order disseminated solely to disillusion the Nepalese population.

New Delhi, as many understand, has several tentacles in Nepal. No wonder that such one tentacle has kept the entire Maoist paraphernalia under its firm grip. Rest assured that the Maoists are no different than Koirala and Madhav Nepal.

If Koirala gleefully handed over Tanakpur barrage to India during his tenure as country’s Prime Minister in the mid 1990s, then it was Madhav and his party band-the UML-which pleasingly allowed the Indian regime the Mahakali River and that too at a dirt cheap price. Khadga Prasad Oli notably remained instrumental in handing over Mahakali to India. The under table amount that finalized this “deal” however, remains still a matter for investigation.

No wonder that the Maoist’s party Chairman during his India trip last year assured the Indian establishment that his party would pleasingly manage and arrange the very construction of Koshi High dam by India as per its wishes. He was then Nepal’s Prime Minister.

The Indian Minister Pawan Kumar Banshal this time reminded the Maoists’ of its previous commitments.

If all the Nepalese leaders compete with full speed in awarding natural resources to India then to expect that this or that particular Nepali leader would ensure and secure Nepal’s prime national interests will be a matter of cruel joke.

Mother Nepal has remained the loser ever. This is her fate and has to bear with it for some time more to come. With so many Lendhup Dorjes already and many in the pipeline she has to feel the heat Thus Prachanda is neither a lost case nor is he a sinking horse. He is very much kicking and alive or else why he would say that “soon a new government of his choice will be formed in Kathmandu”.

What do all these mean? The hidden message is that he has just to “fix” some political scores in favor of India and the fixing process is currently in progress.

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Maoist leader Krishna Bahadur Mahara left for New Delhi a fortnight ago. Nobody knows whether he is still in Delhi fixing things or has already come to Nepal upon fixing things of the Indian preference which by extension mean that he has allowed India to fix Nepal.

Anyway, the bold manner in which the Maoist senior leader claims that he will manage a new government in Kathmandu sooner than later does tell that things may have already been fixed in New Delhi.

For the general people, perhaps it doesn’t make any sense as to who is ruling this country? Madhav or Koirala or even Prachanda? The fixing job is done in New Delhithe former British colony.

All stand exposed by now. The difference in between these three leaders, if any, is the degree of submission to the Indian grand designs that are aplenty.

In the process, the northern neighbor-China-for some time got disillusioned and calculated that the Maoists were their real friends in Nepal in one way or the other.

The clever Maoists pretended and sent signals to Beijing that they could be the best Beijing ally in Kathmandu, however, Beijing clearly understood and that too very quickly that the Maoists party of Nepal was no less than a grand extension of the Indo-pendent Nepali Congress and the UML. The Chinese must have come to their senses by now, analysts presume. The speed with which China had entered Nepal has unfortunately reversed. China is the prime loser in Nepal.

Now back to the troubled domestic politics.

It was July 8, 2009.

Place: UML leader Ishwar Pokhrel’s private residence.

Time: 7 PM Evening.

Attending guests: Prachanda, Dr. Babu Ram Bhattarai, PM Madhav Kumar Nepal, Girija Prasad Koirala and indeed the host Mr. Pokhrel.

It was at this meeting between the Indo-centric leaders a decision was taken that the disrupted Constituent Assembly will now be allowed by the Maoists to function.

But the Maoist’s pre condition was that the Nepal PM must make a grand speech at the CA hall that he was against the Military supremacy.

PM Nepal agreed to this condition and made a speech accordingly as had been promised.

A pretty encouraged Dr. Babu Ram Bhattarai even told Mr. defeated Nepal that if he spoke against the military supremacy then that may facilitate concurrently the entrance of the Maoists in his government time permitting.

While Dr. Bhattarai kept the host and other political luminaries busy in his talks, Koirala and Prachanda have had a secret “political session” in between the two.

Neither the host nor the other luminaries could guess that Koirala and Prachanda may have talked and agreed upon a separate political equation time permitting minus Madhav Nepal. A buffoon Nepal PM could not even guess that a clever Koirala and an extra intelligent Prachanda talked over on how to “bring into effect” the new political equation as suggested rather instructed by Indian Foreign Secretary Shiv Shanker Menon on June 21, 2009, the day he left Kathmandu.

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The fact is that Menon prior to his Delhi departure told Koirala to once again steer the country by taking into confidence the Maoists as well.

Thus it was this Menon instruction over which Koirala and Prachanda talked in depth on the sidelines of the small room of the host-Pokhrel.

Whether the Menon instructions are being well taken care of by Koirala and Prachanda but it will in all likelihood be given a further push by the new Indian Foreign Secretary Nirupama Roy who is taking over the charge from Menon on August 30, 2009, next month.

It should be in this light the talks of the formation of a new government in Nepal ought to be taken.

Needless to say, Prachanda though will not enter into the Koirala structure in person but he can send his second men in Koirala’s government if everything goes smooth by then.

Koirala’s lust and greed for power remains no longer a secret. He is supposed to have told Indian FS Menon that if Prachanda’s party welcomes a government led by him then he will definitely abide by the Indian instructions as he used to do in the past and serve once again the Indian establishment more effectively and honestly. To recall, Koirala was born in Bihar, India.

For Koirala, this chance is a rare one for he is being sidelined in his own party by his immediate colleagues. Koirala knows that if he takes the lead of the country once again then he can somehow or the other manage to rescue his fast deteriorating image and grip in the party he leads at the moment.

Needless to say, power hungry Nepali Congress leaders if offered a lollypop will surely dance to his tune once again thus Koirala can bring to the desired place his sinking and shrinking image in the NC party. In the process, the steroid administered Koirala can also ensure and secure his daughter’s grip in the party in case he is told to retire by his hard core detractors in the party.

Koirala will not retire from the party activities unless he concludes that Sujata has already made a firm place in the NC paraphernalia.

Koirala-Prachanda nexus should be viewed in this light.

Politics is more than meets the eye. In all, analysts presume that Mr. defeated Nepal’s government is an interim and a caretaker one which will remain in place as long as the Delhi based movers and shakers of Nepalese politics so desire it to continue.

Source: http://www.telegraphnepal.com Maoist’s soldier actual strength is one thousand only: Oli K.P. Sharma Oli, the firebrand UML leader said on Saturday July 18, 2009, in Biratnagar that the real number of Maoists’ combatants should be at best around one thousand only and nothing more than that.

“The real combatants are only one thousand”, said Oli addressing a gathering of UML cadres at the UML District office in Biratnagar.

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Oli somewhat surprising remarks have come at a time when the UML led 22-party Alliance government has begun rehabilitating the disqualified Maoists’ Militias which began Friday, July 17, 2009.

Oli said the disqualified Militias were those who did not qualify the UNMIN verification and were below eighteen years of age when the Maoists’ laid down their weapons.

“Trying to forcefully capture the State, time and again threatening to rearm the militias and also advocating in favor of peoples’ supremacy, these are nothing but the Maoists double standard”, said Oli. When asked to comment on India’s repeated acts of threatening Nepal’s territorial integrity by illegally occupying Nepali lands, Oli was of the opinion that the border dispute with India needs to be addressed diplomatically.

Oli, for various seen and unseen reasons, is taken as an Indo-pendent leader in the UML camp.

Source: http://www.telegraphnepal.com/news_det.php?news_id=5837 Nepal Maoist’s cadres dub Koirala, Oli as Regressive Leaders “The Maoists are still plagued with the jungle mindset”, Octogenarian Girija Prasad Koirala made comments against the Maoist’s offensive in Birtamod of Jhapa on Saturday July 18, 2009.

The Maoists cadres pelted stones, burnt tires and hurled black flag(s) to the Nepali Congress President Koirala and the UML influential leader Mr. K.P. Sharma Oli who had arrived in Birtamod, Jhapa district, to inaugurate the Janaandolan monument.

The police fired several rounds of Tears gas and resorted to baton charging.

Yet amidst the prevailing humbug and chaos Koirala and Oli jointly inaugurated the monument amid Maoists’ cadres continued protests.

Koirala later addressing the gathering said of the Maoists that they are completely lost in the Jungles.

A furious Koirala even told the Maoists to return to the Jungle, analyze their behavior and find the right way for another come back.

To institutionalize the great change there was the need for greater consensus and unity among all the parties, the Maoists on the other hand are trying to erase the history”, an insulted Koirala continued.

K.P. Sharma Oli made it clear that the Maoists’ party was nothing more than a crowd of undemocratic minded people.

However, the Maoists cadres who were furious not to see their local top leaders invited to inaugurate the memorial and participate in the program had started pelting stones and burned tires to halt Koirala and Oli enter the venue.

“The reactionary and the regressive leaders like Koirala and Oli have time and again humiliated the families of the martyrs”, claimed the Maoists cadres.

Now the table has turned. The champions of the previous movement are now being taken by the maoists as "regressive" and reactionaries.

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Politics is surely much more than meets the eye Source: http://www.telegraphnepal.com/news_det.php?news_id=5842 Nepal bids adieu to its sacred virgins KATHAMANDU: Nepal's two-month old communist government on Saturday bid adieu to its five sacred virgins – the Panchkanyas – who were regarded as an integral part of all festivities Prime minister Madhav Kumar Nepal, who had taken his oath of office in May without invoking god, Saturday set the new pattern for his government, scrapping the time-honoured tradition of having five little girls, dressed up in traditional clothes and jewellery, welcoming the head of state back home upon his arrival from foreign destinations.

In the past, along with government officials, ministers and foreign diplomats, the group of little girls would wait in the airport, seeing off the head of state and welcoming him back when he returned. Known as the Panchkanyas, they signified the five Hindu goddesses – Durga, Laxmi, Radha, Annapurna and Saraswati – and symbolized good luck.

The Panchkanyas have a temple dedicated to them in Dharan town in eastern Nepal.

On Tuesday, when Nepal left for Egypt to take part in the 15th Non-Aligned Movement summit, his first trip abroad after becoming prime minister, he was seen off at the Tribhuvan International Airport by the Panchkanyas.

In the flurry of having the budget presented in parliament as well as the government’s policies and programmes before he departed, Nepal had not paid much heed to the tradition. However, when he saw the little girls at the airport, he remembered and gave instructions to officials to halt it.

Consequently, when he returned to Kathmandu on Saturday, the little girls were not there. It must have been a welcome reprieve for the little girls, who often would have to wait for hours.

The earlier atheist government of the Maoists had tried to curtail the ritualistic worship of the Kumari, Nepal’s most revered living goddess, by slashing allowances for her worship in the budget. However, they had to reinstate it after widespread protests in the capital by the Newar community, who are the prime worshippers of the Kumari and from whose families; young girls are chosen to be anointed the living goddess.

Source: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com PM: Egypt visit windfall for peace, constitution KATHMANDU, July 18 - Prime Minister Madhav Kumar Nepal said his Egypt visit was successful to garner international support for Nepal’s peace process and new constitution drafting process.

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Upon his arrival at Tribhuvan International Airport taking part in the 15th NonAligned Movement (NAM) Summit held at Sharm el Skeikh, Egypt, he said, “The international community has shown concerns over Nepal’s peace process and drafting of the new constitution. They reiterated their commitment to both the issues.”

Apart from peace and constitution drafting process, the prime minister said they assured Nepal of necessary support to the present government. “They are ready to extend all possible help and we discussed the possibility of economic investment here,” he said.

Referring to another context, he said the government is ready to welcome the UCPN (Maoist) in the government. “Doors are open for them (Maoists) to be a part of coalition,” the PM said.

During his stay in Egypt, he met many heads of states and governments on the sidelines of the summit.

In his meeting with Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, Nepal briefed him about Nepal’s peace process and the new government’s endeavors to instutionalise durable peace and drafting the new constitution within stipulated time frame.

In response, Singh appreciated Nepal’s efforts and assured the country of extending all possible support, according to PM. Foreign Minister Sujata Koirala and other members of delegation also arrived on Saturday.

Covering the wide range of issues along with 517 paragraphs as final document, the NAM summit issued a Declaration of Palestine, a Special Declaration on Nelason Mandela International Day ( 18 July) and a Special Declaration on the necessity of ending the economic, commercial and financial embargo imposed on Iran. According to a press release issued by the Foreign Ministry, the Summit welcomed Iran’s offer to host the 16th NAM Summit in 2012.

Source: www.kantipuronline.com Koirala pulls Maoists to pieces JHAPA, July 18 - President of Nepali Congress (NC) Girija Prasad Koirala warned the UCPN (Maoist) that the party will be finished if Maoists dare to apply the culture of consensus, cooperation and unity as a strategy for their partisan interest.

Unveiling a Jana Andolan memorial pillar at Muktichowk of Birtamod in Jhapa on Saturday, he blamed Maoists for trying to breach the politics of consensus.

“Consensus, cooperation and unity is the mantra at present. The fallout of Maoists is inevitable because they are taking it as their strategy,” the former prime minister said.

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Citing an instance of former king Gyanendra Shah, the octogenarian leader said that those who try to erase the history would find themselves vanished in the near future.

He also urged Maoists to participate in the high-level mechanism formed to run the government.

On the occasion, CPN-UML leader KP Oli heavily criticised Maoist activities. He said that Maoist tried to impose “guerrilla supremacy” by raising the issue of civilian supremacy.

Accusing Maoists of continuing violent activities in the country, he claimed that the present government would control their anarchic activities.

Meanwhile, Maoist-affiliated families of the disappeared people hurled stones at the programme venue to disrupt the pillar unveiling programme.

At least 16 people, including four policemen, were injured when demonstrators clashed with police. Police lobbed dozens of tear gas shells to disperse the mob.

Maoist activists hit the street from the early morning to prevent Koirala and Oli from participating in the programme. They shut market area and obstructed vehicular movement by burning tires at several places in Birtamod area.

Owing to security situation, the pillar unveiling programme ended within just five minutes.

Source: www.kantipuronline.com ‘Groupism marred UML’ NEPALGUNJ, July 18 - Chairman of CPN-UML Jhalanath Khanal said that there has been increasing groupism in the central committee of the party in the recent days.

Speaking at a programme in Nepalgunj on Saturday, Khanal said that the UML has been suffering greatly due to what he called an “epidemic of groupism”.

“There is groupism, which is like a disease in the central committee,” the UML chief said. He, however, said that he was not involved in such a foul game. Stating that the increasing groupism would take its toll on the party, he urged UML cadres to stand against those who encouraged and promoted groupism.

“The UML suffered bitter defeat in Constituent Assembly election due to the internal conflict in the party,” he said. Khanal admitted that the UML was losing its stronghold in some places the recent days.

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“We have to move forward to bring about a revolution by correcting mistakes committed in the past,” said Khanal, adding that the UML would be the largest party of the country in the near future.

“Though UML is the third largest party in Constituent Assembly, the country needs its leadership for peace and prosperity,” he claimed. Khanal arrived in Nepalgunj on Saturday after participating in party programmes in Kalikot and Mugu districts.

Source: www.kantipuronline.com POLICY: No headway in pay hike talks The talks held between the government and the civil servant organizations affiliated to political parties ended Saturday without reaching any agreement on increasing salary of government employees.

However, Finance Minister Surendra Pandey informed that the next cabinet meeting would take a decision on increasing allowance and other facilities for the civil servants. Though Pandey talked about increasing allowance, he did not mention increment of salary.

Several civil servants’ organizations have been urging the government to increase salaries of government employees, considering the rising inflation. The cabinet meeting held on Thursday had principally agreed to increase the salary of the civil servants. The meeting had entrusted Pandey to hold dialogue with the representatives of civil servants’ organizations to resolve the issue.

The civil servants’ organizations’ failed to take a common stance in today’s talks.

Interestingly, all of them have separate demands. The talks failed to reach a conclusion because of the lack of uniformity in demands of the civil servants’ organizations.

While the UCPN-Maoist-affiliated Nepal Civil Servant Organisation wants the government to increase Rs 5,000 in salary for employees at all levels, others, including the NC-affiliated organisation, have been demanding the salary in range of Rs 10,500Rs 55,000 for employees at different levels.

“We have found Minister Pandey positive to increase salary and other allowances of the civil servants,” Punya Prasad Dhakal, general secretary, Nepal Civil Servant Organisation, said after the meeting. Dhakal also said the Finance Minister had promised to increase the salary of government employees. “We are waiting for a cabinet decision to this effect,” he added.

Meanwhile, the Nepal Civil Service Workers’ Union affiliated to the Nepali Congress boycotted today’s talks. Subodh Kumar Devkota, general secretary of NCSWU, alleged that Minister Pandy had done no groundwork on their demands.

“We will now devise a new strategy for our future protest,” he added.

Apart from hike in salary, other demands of civil servants’ organizations include allowance for employees deployed in remote areas, service training, cancellation of revenue group — under which employees were entitled 200 per cent allowance — and allowance to all other service groups.

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The civil servants have been protesting throughout the country ever since the government declared a budget for the 2009/10 fiscal. Day to day functioning of various government offices have been halted because of the protests.

Source: The Himalayan Times Date: 07/19/2009

Ban proposes UNMIN term extension United Nations Secretary General, Ban Ki-moon, has recommended to the UN Security Council to extend the term of UN Mission in Nepal till 23 January 2010.

Secretary General’s report presented to the UNSC on Friday stated that the growing complexity of the political situation revealed a discrepancy between the needs of the peace process, the limited mandate of the UNMIN and the support that could be sought to reinforce the implementation of peace process commitments.

“I encourage the Government to take full advantage of the UNMIN presence, and the Security Council to support this, in order to help ensure the timely completion of the peace process and the mandate of UNMIN,” Ban stated.

Ban further said the UN and its partners remained prepared to work closely and more intensively with the government in implementing a suitable programme that would effectively meet the needs of the disqualified Maoist combatants.

“A planning process should be initiated to address in parallel the commitment contained in the Comprehensive Peace Agreement and the Interim Constitution to democratize and determine the appropriate size of the Nepali Army, while ensuring that the institution reflects the diversity of Nepal and is imbued with the values of democracy and human rights,” he said adding that all parties have emphasized the importance of a strictly professional and non-political profile for the Army.

He noted that there was near unanimity that it would be difficult to meet the prescribed time frame of May, 2010 for the promulgation of a new constitution.

“Arriving at a consensus on the form of federalism to be adopted, which will both address the aspirations of traditionally marginalized groups and ensure the unity of the country, will no doubt be a major challenge. I strongly encourage steady progress in this area.”

Ban stated that without unity and continuous consensus-building, the political parties would continue to face grave difficulties in moving the peace process forward.

Source: The Himalayan Times Date: 07/19/2009 Courts asked to ensure security for justice givers Court Security Study Committee (CSSC) has recommended to all courts to ensure effective security for all court users including judges, court officials, litigants and lawyers.

The committee headed by Supreme Court justice Bal Ram KC was set up some four months ago in the wake of increasing instances of threat facing courts and judges around the country.

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The committee is to submit its report to the Chief Justice shortly as it is almost at the final stage of its work.

The CSSC has also proposed to the government to provide one personal security officer (PSOs) to each appellate and district level judge. SC and appellate court chief justices were given this facility some two years ago following an attack on former chief justice Kedar Prasad Giri when he was serving at the apex court.

In the wake of increasing attacks against courts, justices and officials and demonstrations on court premises, the committee reached a decision to recommend to all courts to ensure effective security arrangements in court premises.

“We have decided to recommend to the courts to ensure the safety of litigants, the accused, lawyers, journalists, witnesses, experts, court proceedings observers and others inside the courts” SC justice KC told myrepublica.com.

The report suggests that those who enter court premises should be provided effective security by the court. For that, the government will be asked to arrange security personnel to be stationed in the court.

The courts concerned will be responsible for any attacks on justice seekers, any disturbances and other violent activities that take place inside court premises, it is stated.

Courts can also ask for additional security personnel from the government to control such unwanted activities. The committee has further recommended to the government to provide adequate security personnel for the courts as per their needs.

The Supreme Court, appellate courts and district courts will have to provide security to all those inside the court premises once the recommendations of the Committee are implemented.

KC said that all judges will get one personal security officer for their personal safety.

“There shouldn´t be any discrimination among the judges in this regard no matter which court they work for,” KC said.

Chief Justice Min Bahadur Rayamajhee said that incidents of attack against courts and justices are a matter of serious concern. He hoped the government would be more serious over the matter as he has already held two rounds of talks with the Home Secretary in this regard. “If the current threat situation persists, judges will be compelled to compromise and it will be difficult for them to deliver impartial justice,” Rayamajhee told myrepublica.com.

Assistant spokesperson of the Supreme Court, Hemanta Rawal, said that the government needs to be serious about addressing this problem.

“In particular, judges and officials serving in the troubled Tarai districts have been receiving death threats. The situation in the capital has also been deteriorating,” Rawal said.

As recently as Friday, a group of people tussled with police in the premises of Kathmandu District Court, demanding stern action against the murderers of Khyati Shrestha.

Rawal asked the government to enforce special security arrangements to provide relief to justices and court officials Source: www.myrepublica.com

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Date: 07/19/2009

UN Chief Recommends Extension of Mission in Nepal Kathmandu, Nepal (AHN) - The United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon has recommended to the UN Security Council to extend the term of the UN Mission in Nepal (UNMIN) for another six months.

"On 7 July, the Permanent Representative of Nepal to the United Nations wrote to me expressing appreciation for the work of UNMIN and requesting, on behalf of his Government, an extension of the current mandate and the related work of UNMIN by a further six months, from 23 July 2009," the UN chief said in a report, released in the capital, Kathmandu on Saturday.

Mr. Ban also said the UNMIN has an important role to play while some key commitments of the comprehensive peace agreement remain unfulfilled.

"I therefore recommend that the Security Council extend the mandate for a further six months until 23 January 2010," he added.

The UN chief said political leaders in Nepal have expressed the view that the presence of UNMIN is needed until the integration and rehabilitation of the Maoist army personnel is resolved.

He also urged the Nepalese government to take full advantage of the UNMIN presence, and the Security Council to support this, in order to help ensure the timely completion of the peace process.

Source: http://www.allheadlinenews.com/articles

UN peace project kicks off KATHMANDU, July 18 - The Office of the High Commissioner on Human Rights in Nepal (OHCHR-Nepal) is starting implementation of its “Peace through Justice� project funded by the UN Peace Fund for Nepal (UNPFN), delivers focused rapiddisbursing support through UN agencies to support the peace process.

The objective of the project is to provide assistance to the establishment and effective functioning of the transitional justice mechanisms provided for in the Comprehensive Peace Agreement, including the Commission of Inquiry on Disappearances and is designed to provide a flexible response to the unique transition needs of Nepal, according to a press statement.

Since its inception, the UNFPN has contributed to: the verification process; improved cantonment conditions; electoral assistance; and demining. The UNPFN is financed

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by contributions from the Governments of Norway, the United Kingdom, Denmark, Canada, Switzerland and the UN Peace Building Fund.

Through the “Peace through Justice” project, support will be provided to the Ministry of Peace and Reconstruction for the preparations and establishment of the Commissions, as well as technical assistance, including direct material support to the Commissions themselves.

Part of the project will focus on documenting human rights and international humanitarian law violations committed during the conflict, aimed at handing over the findings to the Commissions.

The project will also support civil society, including victims groups, as well as national human rights institutions, to implement activities that engage the grassroots level in the transitional justice process and contribute to the work of the Commissions.

Richard Bennett, Representative of the High Commissioner for Human Rights said, “I am convinced that the project will provide the necessary and additional support to the government.” The project, financed through a $2 million grant from the UNPFN, will run initially for 12 months.

Source: www.kantipuronline.com BANKING: Nepal, Lanka sign money laundering MoU KATHMANDU, July 19 - Nepal Rastra Bank (NRB) and Central Bank of Sri Lanka (CBSL) signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) on money laundering last week which would enable two sides to exchange information on suspicious transfer of money between the two countries.

Dharma Raj Sapkota, chief of financial information unit at NRB and H.A. Karunaratne, chief of financial investigation unit of CBSL signed the agreement during the 12 annual meeting of Asia Pacific Group on Money Laundering held in Australia. According to a press release of NRB, with the singing of MoU, the two countries will exchange information, coordinate and assist each other in order to tackle the money laundering and investment of money for terrorist activities.

Earlier, Nepal had singed similar MoU with Bangladesh on October 21, 2008.

Sapkota said that the Japan and Mongolia have also expressed desire to sign similar agreement with Nepal.

Source: www.kantipuronline.com BUSINESS & ECONOMY:

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Prices rise with excise up KATHMANDU- As the budget for fiscal year 2009/10 increased the excise duty on beer, liquor and cigarettes, their prices have also gone up in the market.

The customs duty has also been increased in liquors and cigarettes which have contributed to the increase in the price of imported liquors and cigarettes.

There is a tendency of increasing duty on harmful products for health and luxurious goods on the part of the government for several years.

Surya Nepal, a leading cigarette producer in Nepal published the increased price on July 17. Asian Distillery also made public the increased prices of its liquor products on the same day.

The excise duty on beer has been increased by five rupees per liter to Rs. 65 from Rs. 60 as per the new budget. "We had to increase the price of beer to Rs. 140 for 750 milliliter bottle from Rs 125," said Rajendra Khetan, chairman of Khetan Group of Company. The Khetan group is the brewer of major beers of the country including Tuborg, Carlsberg and San Miguel in the country.

The readymade liquor and its raw materials also saw increase in excise duty on them.

The excise duty on all liquors including whisky, rum, wine, brandy, gin, vodka and liqueur and cordials saw increase to Rs. 347 per liter from Rs. 324 for 25 UP (42.8 percent alcohol). The duty went up to Rs. 324 per liter from Rs. 302 for 30 UP (39.94% alcohol), according to Fiscal Act 2009/10.

The budget increased the customs duty on the liquors to Rs. 500 per liter from Rs. 400. The tariff on raw materials of liquors also went up to Rs. 450 per liter from Rs. 360.

The increased tariff will raise the price of imported liquors but the increase of tariff on raw materials of liquors will also contribute to rise in the cost of Nepali liquor industries. The excise duty on non-filter cigarettes increased to Rs. 210 per 1000 units from Rs. 195 last year in the category of 70 millimeters. The excise duty stands at Rs. 445 per 1000 units in case of filter 70mm cigarettes, an increase from Rs. 415.

The excise duty on filter cigarette in a size of 70-75mm increased to Rs. 570 from Rs. 530 per 1,000 units. The duty on cigarettes sized 75-85mm stands at Rs. 730 per 1,000 units, an increase from Rs. 690 last year. It has been increased to Rs. 950 for cigarettes above 85mm length from Rs. 915.

Rabi K.C. senior general manager of Surya Nepal said that increase in excise duty on cigarette every year was increasing the consumption of chewing tobacco (khaini) which gives no significant returns to government's revenue.

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According to him, chewing tobacco covers 55 percent of market shares amongst tobacco products.

The customs duty on cigarettes has also been increased to Rs. 1500 per 1000 units from Rs. 1000 which will increase the price of imported cigarettes. "It is good on the part of the government to increase customs duty on imported cigarettes since this will benefit domestic industries," K.C. said.

The excise duty on vehicles also increased to a significant level although the budget has ended the tradition of imposing duty twice at customs points and at sales.

The duty on cars and jeeps has been increased to 50 percent of the value of them from existing 45 percent. The excise duty on motorcycle also increased to 45 percent from 30 percent. The duty on microbus, double cab pickup, and three wheelers saw an increase on duty by 50 percent from 35 percent.

Single cab pickup van saw rise in the excise duty to 45 percent from 30 percent and minibus saw an increase in the duty to 30 percent from 25 percent.

Source: www.kantipuronline.com Govt to invite bids for 8 power projects KATHMANDU, July 18 - The government plans to invite bids from the private sector for detailed feasibility studies and construction of eight hydropower projects with a total capacity of 175 MW. The Department of Electricity Development (DoED) under the Ministry of Energy will set the bidding process rolling soon and the government will contribute Norwegian grant of 100 million kroners for the feasibility studies.

The eight projects are Simbuwa (53MW), Dudh Koshi (49MW), Inkhu (20MW), Mauwa (12.7MW), Madi (12MW), Ghunsa (10MW), Budhi Ganga (6.4 MW) and Siwa (11 MW).

According to a senior official with the DoED, the eight projects come under three categories. The first category includes projects in areas severely affected by the decade-long Maoist insurgency, namely Budhi Ganga in Accham district, Madi in Rolpa district and Inkhu in Solukhumbu district.

The second-category projects aim to address power shortfall in the eastern region.

They are Ghunsa, Mauwa and Sinwa projects in Taplejung district.

The estimated cost of the projects in Taplejung will be relatively low as the project sites are linked with the road network and have transmission lines, the official said.

Dudh Koshi and Simbuwa come under the third category. The first-category projects are ready for bidding for feasibility study; contractors are studying the second-

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category projects, while officials are evaluating proposals for the third-category projects.

Source: www.kantipuronline.com Nepse could not impress transaction The decrease in capital gain tax has pushed the Nepse up by 32.99 points to 735.87 points but the transaction amount could not justify the whopping gain. The transaction amount observed only 3.06 per cent growth to Rs 394 million this week in comparison to last week’s Rs 382.3 million.

However, the shareholders of seven sub-groups — except manufacturing and trading — commercial banks, development banks, hydropower, finance companies, insurance, others and hotels gained this week.

As expected the budget brought capital gain tax down to 10 per cent from the earlier 15 per cent but the Nepse could not perform better than last week.

Last week too, the Nepse had surged more than this week as last week it had gained by 35.45 points to 702.88 points after a long spell of bearish trend.

This week Nepse gained only 32.99 points to 735.87 points. The selling pressure has pulled the Nepse down by 13.24 points to 735.87 points on Thursday, other days the Nepse ended in the green zone.

Similarly, the contribution of Group-A companies — the blue-chip shares in the domestic market — also increased to 53.78 per cent against last week’s 44.36 per cent. The 78-scrip sensitive index also flared by 7.09 points to 195.18 points from last week’s 188.09 points. Last week sensitive index had surged by 10.73 points.

Similarly, the float index — calculated on the basis of real transactions — gained 2.61 points to close at 70.08 points from last week’s closing of 67.47 points.

This week Nepal Bangladesh Bank (with Rs 64.77 million) topped the chart in terms trading amount followed by National Hydropower Company (with Rs 50.55 million), Standard Chartered Bank Nepal (with Rs 49.15 million), Bank of Kathmandu (with Rs 27.55 million) and Nabil Bank (with Rs 19.06 million). Both — Nepal Bangladesh Bank and National Hydropower Company —are promoted by NB Group.

In terms of number of share units traded National Hydropower Company topped the chart with 5,44,000-unit shares changing hands, in terms of number of transactions Bank of Asia topped the chart with 296 transactions.

The new rule KATHMANDU: According to the new rule on Capital Gain Tax announced in the budget for 2009-10, as per the, section 1, subsection 2 of the Aarthik Bidhayak Act 2066 the provision of section 1, 2,3,4,5 and 10 will be executed immediately and the rest of the provisions are executed from Shrawan 1, 2066 (July 16)

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The section 52 of the said act specifies that the capital gain tax on listed securities are as follows: • Capital Gain Tax for Individuals — 10 per cent of the gain • Other than individuals — 15 percent of the gain In Case of Non-Listed Securities • •

Capital Gain Tax for Individuals — 10 per cent of the gain Other than individuals — 15 per cent of the gain

Source: The Himalayan Times Date: 07/19/2009

Govt halves VAT thresholds for service sector The government has introduced differential value added tax (VAT) thresholds for service sector firms and traders dealing with goods -- a move which will widen the tax net and help it mobilize additional revenue. Said a senior official at Ministry of Finance, VAT threshold for service sector has been halved to Rs 1 million, whereas threshold for goods traders has been kept intact at Rs 2 million. What this means is, service sector firms and also the firms dealing with both services and goods will now need to register with and pay VAT compulsorily if their transactions stood at or crossed over Rs 1 million.

“The decision will mainly bring in education consultancies and also the project and research consultancies into the VAT net,” said Shanta Bahadur Shrestha, director general of Inland Revenue Department.

The government has estimated that the change will generate additional Rs 238.10 million in VAT from contract and consultancy firms alone. This is about 20 percent of what the sector is contributing to VAT. Also, it believes the change will help it generate additional Rs 111.40 million from hospitality industry and Rs 572.90 million from other service sectors.

“Apart from direct raise in revenue contribution, this will also help to plug leakage of VAT from the service sector as a whole,” Shrestha told myrepublica.com.

Officials attributed the decision for lowering threshold for service sector players to the recent revelation of IRD that consultancies and related service providers were contributing substantial amount to income tax, but owing to higher threshold, a large number of them were excluded from the VAT net.

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Source: www.myrepublica.com Date: 07/19/2009 VAT exempted on kerosene import The government has annulled value added tax (VAT) on kerosene, lowering Nepal Oil Corporation (NOC)´s import costs, even though it has nearly doubled the import duty on the fuel. The exemption of VAT on kerosene will, however, not benefit the consumers as the government has indicated that the retail price of kerosene will not be adjusted anytime soon.

"Exemption of VAT might have lowered kerosene price, but increased import duty has made petrol, diesel and liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) expensive. If the government is to transfer the benefits on kerosene, it will have to transfer the evils of price rise on other products as well," said an official at the Ministry of Supplies, elaborating on why the government is not in a mood to adjust oil prices.

NOC, on the other hand, has argued that the net financial impact of duty changes on different products without retail price adjustment has added financial burden to it.

The Ministry of Finance announced VAT exemption on kerosene through a circular issued to the Department of Customs on Thursday. It had raised customs duty on its import to Rs 2 per liter from Rs 1 a couple of days ago.

The cumulative impact of these changes is estimated to lower NOC´s import costs and raise its profit margin on kerosene to Rs 10 a liter.

The rise in import duty on petrol to Rs 15.2 a liter from Rs 14, diesel to Rs 2 a liter from Rs 1.60 and LPG to five percent of import value from four percent, however, will make their imports expensive.

"In total, tariff changes have increased loss for the corporation because the consumption of kerosene stands far less to counterbalance the increased costs on other products together," said NOC Spokesperson Mukunda Dhungel.

It will help government mobilize more revenue from petroleum business though. The business contributed about Rs 9 billion in the state treasury during the first 11 months of 2008/09.

Relief for the state-owned petroleum importer, however, is that the import costs for petrol and diesel have gone down by Rs 2.42 and Rs 2.96 per liter respectively for the second half of July. This will help the corporation plug the loss it incurred over the first half of the month.

Going by the new export rates Indian Oil Corporation (IOC) forwarded to NOC on Thursday, diesel´s import price now is almost equal to retail price, said Dhungel.

Profit margin on petrol has inched up to about Rs 7.50 a liter.

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Officials tagged that the news is still bad for the NOC because it will face a financial crunch of Rs 500 million to service its loans in July.

To adhere to its schedule of repaying about Rs 11 billion in loans that it took to finance imports over the past four years, the corporation needs to reap a profit of Rs 15 on every liter of petrol and Rs 6.50 on a liter of diesel.

Source: www.myrepublica.com Date: 07/19/2009 Rice yields in hills to plummet People in hilly and high-hill districts, who suffered a huge loss in winter crops, are set to receive a severe blow in the next harvest season which is expected to witness a fall in paddy production by 450,000 tons due to prolonged drought, according to the Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperatives (MoAC).

"Because of poor rainfall during the plantation season, paddy has been planted in only 60 percent of the fields in mid-hills and only in 40 percent in upper hilly districts," Dr Hari Dahal, MoAC spokesperson, told myrepublica.com. This will reduce rice production by over 405,000 tons in the mid-hills and 44,000 tons in the high-hill districts.

Rice is planted in over 1.55 million hectares of land across the country, of which 1.1 million hectares is in the Tarai, 385,000ha in mid-hill and 64,000ha in high-hill districts. However, irrigation facility is available in less than 350,000ha of land. Rice production in the Tarai makes up 74 percent of total national production, while midhills constitute 24 percent and high-hills three percent.

Production of paddy had touched a record high 4.52 million tons in 2008/09, up by 5.2 percent as compared to a year earlier. Still the people in the hilly districts had suffered from severe food scarcity.

This time around, paddy has not been planted in 175,000ha of land in hill and highhill districts. That means about 38 percent of the total cultivable land in hill and high hill districts has been left barren this season.

Worse, plantation of paddy has been completed only in 25 percent of land in the Tarai. However, as the plantation season in the Tarai lasts till mid-August, the ministry has not projected the possible production loss in the Tarai. "What is for sure though is paddy production in the Tarai will also go down if the drought continued," Dahal said.

The decline in rice production will seriously hit economic growth in 2009/10 as rice contributes 16 percent in total agricultural gross domestic production (GDP) and

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production of this season makes about two-third of total rice production throughout the year.

Still worse, it will have strong negative bearing on the lives of people in the far-flung and inaccessible districts.

For instance, MoAC´s latest report notes that Dailekh, one of the districts facing severe food shortage, has witnessed 75 percent drop in paddy plantation. Kalikot, another food-deficit district, has paddy planted in a mere 40 percent of its total land under paddy.

Okhaldhunga in the eastern hill has paddy planted in 30 percent of land, whereas plantation in Kavre, Ramechhap and Sindhupalchowk of central region stands at a mere 40 percent of the total riceland. Paddy plantation in Surkhet of mid-western region too has been completed in only 40 percent of riceland.

Given the situation, the ministry has rung a warning bell of a looming food crisis in those districts. Unfortunately, the government which has failed to control soaring food prices and address food shortage is still unsure about how to fight the imminent crisis.

Source: www.myrepublica.com Date: 07/19/2009 Exports from Hetauda down HETAUDA, July 18 - Hard hit by the labour problems, highway blockages and loadshedding, the total export from the Makawanpur district decreased by 10 percent in 2008/09 compared to previous fiscal year, During the last fiscal year the district exported the various products worth Rs. 1.33 billion, while its export during the 2007/08 was Rs. 1.47 billion. Compared to the total export during 2007/08, export declined by 9.72 percent.

Jiban Kaji Makaju Shrestha, president of Makawanpur Chamber of Commerce and Industry (MCCI) said that the frequent highway blockages, up to 16 hours of load shedding, labourers' strikes and closure of some export-base industries had resulted in less production of industrial products.

He said that the lack of peace and security inside the industrial area had also pushed down the production during the year. However, as per MCCI's statistics export of the crusher industries has heavily increased during the last fiscal year.

Grabbles, stones and sand produced by the crusher industries here are exported to India and the export of these items plays a vital role in total export from the district. If the export from the crusher industries separated, the total export during the last year

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declined by more than 30 percent compared to corresponding year. Twelve crusher industries of the district have been exporting is products to India.

The fall in export of the district is also driven by closure of Colgate Palmolive, a multinational company, November last year. Its export declined by 65 percent in 2008/09.

Everest Polymers, Gurkha Lawri, Makawanpur Engineering, Niwan Banaspati, United Brewery, Nepal Tobacco Company of the district have witnessed decline in their annual export.

Source: www.kantipuronline.com CNI reacts to budget KATHMANDU, July 18 - Terming the budget for the fiscal year 2009/10 basically positive, the Confederation of Nepalese Industries (CNI) has expressed dissatisfaction over its failure to bring specific programmes to address insecurity, strikes and bandhs.

The CNI said that the budget had taken the right approach by emphasizing infrastructure development and agriculture with an allocation of Rs. 33 billion and Rs. 18 billion respectively.

Issuing a press release, the CNI stressed the need to implement programmes related to major infrastructure projects to achieve a high and accelerated economic growth. The Kathmandu-Nijgadh fast-track highway, the 130 MW Upper Seti hydropower project and the East-West Postal Road which the government aims to construct with its own resources needs to be completed as soon as possible, it said.

The pledges to construct an international airport in Nijgadh, a regional airport in Bhairahawa, outer ring road in Kathmandu, Raxaul-Amlekhgunj oil pipeline and expansion of electricity transmission lines should also be fulfilled, the CNI added.

The confederation has praised the budget's provisions to exempt industries providing high and inclusive employment from taxation, eliminate scrap and local development taxes, reduce the agriculture improvement fee and cut the capital gains tax to 10 percent. Likewise, Nepali investors being allowed to invest abroad, end to tax collection centres on the highways, provision to fix the areas for protests and third party insurance by public transporters are other positive steps, the CNI said.

However, the confederation has expressed unhappiness at the increased role of cooperatives in the budget and lack of a definite policy whether the government would continue to operate public enterprises or not.

Source: www.kantipuronline.com

MARKET:

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Telecom subscribers swell to 4.2m KATHMANDU, July 18 - The number of Nepal Telecom (NT) subscribers swelled by 1.55 million during the last fiscal year 2008/09. Its new customers include users of mobile, CDMA and PSTN fixed telephone services.

Counting the latest subscribers, the total number has reached 4.28 million, surpassing the previous year's record of 2.72 million, said NT. Speaking at a press meet organised to highlight NT's progress, managing director Amar Nath Singh said the number of cell phone users soared by 74.5 percent to 3 million from 1.71 million in fiscal year 2007/08.

CDMA users also surged by 49 percent to 718,000 while 30,000 new fixed telephone lines were installed bringing the total to 562,000 lines.

With rapid growth in the number of telecom service users, NT's contribution to the country's tele-density rose to 15.5 percent from 10.12 percent. The telecom giant claims it has 66 percent share of the market.

The company has set a target of increasing the number of its customers to 7 million this year.

According to NT spokesman Surendra Prasad Thike, the company aims to add 2.2 million mobile users, 400,000 CDMA users and 50,000 fixed telephone users in the current fiscal year 2009/10.

Singh said the company has plans to add five million mobile users and 3.5 million CDMA users in the next three years.

The company also aims to expand its broadband internet service (ADSL) to all 75 districts within a year. The NT board has approved the company's budget of Rs. 45 billion for this year, said Thike.

Responding to customer complaints about the quality of its mobile service, NT said it had been using batteries and solar power to improve service that has been marred by long power outages.

The NT has installed generators in 10 places of Kathmandu Valley, batteries with a 12-hour back-up capacity in 10 places and solar equipment in 10 places, said Thike.

"Generators will be installed in 200 additional places, battery banks in 100 places and solar equipment in 200 places this year," he added.

Source: www.ekantipur.com

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Vegetable prices hit all-time high Dhangadhi, July 18 - Vegetable prices have skyrocketed within the past one week, leaving people cross their fingers.

The rise in vegetable prices has reached an all-time high in Kailali district. According to the current market price, per kilogram of cluster bean costs Rs. 65, a kg of bitter gourd Rs. 65, per kg tomatoo Rs. 60, new potato Rs. 35, old potato Rs. 25, cauliflower Rs. 70, snake gourd Rs. 60 and capsicum Rs. 70. However, the prices of onion and bottle gourd have remained stable. The vegetable price hike is a kick in the teeth for people belonging to marginalized communities.

Source: www.kantipuronline.com Gold price looks up The gold market this week closed on Friday at Rs 23,920 per 10 gram — Rs 345 more than Sunday’s opening price of Rs 23,575 per 10 gram.

According to Nepal Gold and Silver Dealers’ Association (NEGOSIDA), the demand for gold in the international market is increasing rapidly and pushing up the gold price even in the domestic market. Gold per ounce in the international market on Sunday was $913, and which on Friday priced at $937 per ounce in the international market.

Gold opened at Rs 23,575 per 10 gram on Sunday and gained Rs 45 to reach Rs 23,620 on Monday. It remained at the same price on Tuesday. On Wednesday, it rose

by Rs 85 to reach Rs 23,705 per 10 gram. Thursday saw another increase of Rs 105, with gold going up to Rs 23,835. The domestic market for gold closed at Rs 23,920 per 10 gram.

Meanwhile, silver opened at Rs 356 per 10 gram on Sunday. However, with a fall of Rs 6 it priced Rs 350. Silver continued to remain at the same price till Wednesday. A slight rise of Rs 3 was observed with silver being traded for Rs 353 per 10 gram on Thursday. Silver closed at Rs 353 per 10 gram on Friday.

Source: The Himalayan Times

GENERAL: Biz excellence awards given KATHMANDU, July 18 - The Boss 6th Top 10 Business Excellence Awards have been given to the seven outstanding personalities for their entrepreneurship and devotion for business excellence in Nepal.

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According to the decision of the advisory board of the award, this year the awards were presented only in non-financial categories of Best Social Entrepreneurs, FNCCI - NYEF Award, Person to Watch, Top Three Management Students Awards and Lifetime Achievement Awards.

The board had excluded categories that require financial details citing the reason of ongoing political and financial crisis. Anil Chitrakar of Ashoka Nepal received the Best Social Entrepreneurs. Pratyush Acharya bagged the FNCCI - NYEF Award. He is a chairman of Bhoomi Food Products. Person to Watch Award was given to Min Bahadur Gurung, owner of and managing director of Bhatbhateni Group.

The organizer gave away the Top Three Management Students awards to Reshma Saria (South Asian Institute of Management), Parikshya Pokhrel (Kathmandu University School of Management) and Saloni Agarwal (Ace Institute of Management). Similarly, Lifetime Achievement Award was given away to pioneer hotel entrepreneurs Ambica Shrestha, president of Dwarika's Hotel.

Similarly, the organizer gave away Posthumous Awards to late Mohan Gopal Khetan, of Khetan Group and late Hulas Chand Golchha of Golchha Organization. Rajendra Khetan, son of late Khetan and Sanjaya Golchha, son of late Golchha received the award on the behalf of them. Subas Chandra Nembang, Chairman of the Constituent Assembly on Friday handed over the awards amid a special function attended by business community, policy makers, government officials, representatives, upcoming entrepreneurs and students at in the capital.

The Top 10 Business Excellence Awards are instituted by the BOSS magazine, a leading monthly business and management magazine.

Source: www.kantipuronline.com CIAA seeks property details of NA officials Commission for Investigation of Abuse of Authority (CIAA) has sought the names of army officials who failed to furnish their property details in the previous fiscal year.

In a press release issued Friday, the commission said it has asked the National Vigilance Centre (NVC) to provide the details of army officials who had not submitted their property details last year.

This is the second time the CIAA asked for the names of defaulting army officials.

NVC had turned down its first request saying action could be taken against the officials within the army as per the Army Act. According to the Anti Corruption Act, any official holding public position should submit details of his or her property within 60 days of each fiscal year

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Source: www.nepalnews.com

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