The most significant issue covered by major Nepali and English broadsheet dailies published from Kathmandu on Friday is the decision made by Cabinet on Wednesday night to scrap all political appointments made by previous Sher Bahadur Deuba-led government after August 30, 2017. The issue has become more important as ministers have expressed different opinions about whether province chiefs (governors) appointed by the previous government will be sacked. On the other hand, the government has received a severe criticism by the main opposition party, Nepali Congress, over the decision.
Meanwhile, the fast-unto-death being staged by medical education reform activist Dr Govinda KC continues to draw the attention of newspaper reporters and editors as most newspapers have covered the issue on the front pages. Few other sociocultural and economic issues have also been featured on the cover pages today.
Important
Ministers make contradictory claims over governors’ sacking
Whereas Minister for Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs Sher Bahadur Tamang has told media that with the Cabinet decision on Wednesday, chiefs of seven provinces will also lose their jobs, Minister for Communications and Information Technology Gokul Prasad Banskota says the decision will not cover the chiefs as their appointment was made with a different law.
Gorkhapatra, Rajdhani and Kantipur among others say the top provincial officials will lose their jobs. The Himalayan Times and Naya Patrika say they will not be immediately removed.
Meanwhile, five additional inspectors general of Armed Police Force have resigned after the government warned them of demoting before giving retirement, according to Naya Patrika.
PM directs party to defend govt
Concerned about the fresh protest launched by the main opposition Nepali Congress, Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli has directed leaders and lawmakers of his party to defend the government strongly.
The party chairman directed participants of the Standing Committee meeting of Nepal Communist Party to cooperate with the government to keep promises the party had made earlier, according to Gorkhapatra.
Meanwhile, some leaders of the PM’s party including Bhim Bahadur Rawal, Amrit Kumar Bohora, Yubaraj Gyawali and Raghuji Panta criticised the government for failing to meet expectations, according to Naya Patrika.
Parliament to form hearing committee today
The Federal Parliament Secretariat is preparing to form the Parliamentary Hearing Special Committee incorporating members from both the houses, according to Gorkhapatra. House of Representatives Speaker Krishna Bahadur Mahara has taken initiatives to form the panel at the earliest as the lack of committee has blocked the appointment of new chief justice though the Judicial Council and the Constitutional Council have already recommended Acting Chief Justice Deepak Raj Joshee for the position.
The committee formation was delayed as the main opposition Nepali Congress did not give the list of its lawmakers to represent the party in the panel demanding that the party be allowed to head some parliamentary committees.
Meanwhile, the Secretariat is preparing to form other committees too even if the Nepali Congress does not cooperate in the process, according to The Kathmandu Post anchor story.
Ignored
Dr KC refuses to get examined by Ktm doctors
Saying that he is ready to die in Karnali, medical education reform activist Dr Govinda KC has refused to receive treatment from a team of doctors dispatched by the government from Kathmandu, according to a four-column box story in The Kathmandu Post.
Earlier, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Health Upendra Yadav had sent Dr Jeevan Thapa and Dr Suresh Subedi to Jumla to look after the fasting doctor.
Kantipur informs that Dr KC is continuing his fast-unto-death in the intensive care unit of the hospital of Karnali Academy of Health Sciences.
Doctors attending to him have said his condition is serious but stable.
Judicial service least popular among job applicants
Collecting data from past five years, Annapurna Post reports on its front page that the judicial service has remained the least popular among government job applicants as the category has drawn fewer applications than vacant positions in three years whereas the number of people passed in the examinations is always less than the vacancies.
The report warns that the country will face problems in appointment of judges if the trend will continue in next few years.
UN expresses concerns over Tibetan refugees in Nepal
The United Nations agency for rights of refugees, UNHCR, has expressed concerns over rights of Tibetan refugees staying in Nepal as its Nepal chief Bushra Halepota has requested Minister for Home Affairs Ram Bahadur Thapa to register the refugees living in Nepal. Nagarik report informs that the official, however, did not raise any concern about Bhutanese and Burmese Rohingya refuses currently living in Nepal.
Over 200 Nepalis arrested in Malaysia
The Malaysian government has launched a special operation against foreigners living in the country without documentation since last week. In that process, more than 200 Nepali migrant workers have been arrested, according to a report in Karobar.
In total, 6,678 persons have been arrested in past one week.
Ministry sends officials abroad ‘to exhaust budget’
Nepal Samacharpatra reports in a brief two-column story that the Ministry of Agriculture, Land Management and Cooperatives has sent its staff to various countries abroad so as to spend all money allocated for the Ministry for this fiscal year as the year is ending next week.
Just on Wednesday, 12 officials have flown to Korea for a visit, the report informs, adding, some of its key officials are currently visiting Mongolia.
Interesting
Province 7 govt to operate its own bus service
The Province 7 government is preparing to launch a public bus service in the province on its own as it has allocated Rs 200 million budget for the project for the next fiscal year, according to Karobar.
Quoting Provincial Minister for Financial Affairs and Planning Jhapat Bahadur Bohora, the report that the government is currently conducting a study on how the service can be made more effective.
