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From the Kathmandu Press: Monday, June 18, 2018

Issues from contemporary political, financial and sociocultural activities in the country have been featured on the front pages of major Nepali and English broadsheet dailies published from Kathmandu on Monday. Besides regular activities, the rescue of four workers after around 38 hours of their trapping in a tunnel in Sankhuwasabha district has received a significant attention from the newspaper reporters. Some papers have also published testimonies of the victims on the front pages.

Important

Physical Infrastructure Minister assures no action will be taken against contractors

File: Raghubir Mahaseth

Multiple newspaper reports have claimed that Minister for Physical Infrastructure and Transport Raghubir Mahaseth has assured that he will protect contractors from arrest and any other action from the state mechanisms. His statement follows a crackdown launched by the Ministry of Home Affairs on contractors who delay assignments or do not complete them on time.

At a meeting of the Construction Business Development Council that he chaired on Friday, the Minister told contractors that action would be initiated against non-performing and underperforming contractors, but there would not be arbitrary arrests. He also asked the contractors to notify him in cases of arrest so that he could save them, according to The Kathmandu Post.

Meanwhile, receiving a memorandum from the contractors, the Minister said the contractors would not be solely responsible for the delay in projects so that they would not be the single side to get punished, according to Nagarik.

Abhiyan‘s anchor story also carries the same statement.

National Assembly members’ tenure to be decided today

File: A National Assembly meeting

In line with the Article 86 of constitution, the National Assembly is deciding the tenure of its 59 members through a drawing of lots on Monday, according to newspaper reports. The lottery today will give a two-year term to 19 lawmakers and four-year and six-year to 20 lawmakers each, according to Rajdhani.

Prominent members of the Upper House include National Assembly Chair Ganesh Prasad Timilsina, Vice-Chairperson Shashi Kala Dahal, Home Minister Ram Bahadur Thapa, and Finance Minister Yubaraj Khatiwada.

Meanwhile, their tenure will be counted from the first day of the meeting, which was March 5 this year, according to Nepal Samacharpatra lead story.

Fuel price goes down first time in eight months

Newspaper reports have informed that the government-run Nepal Oli Corporation on Sunday decided to reduce the price of petroleum products including diesel, kerosene and petrol following the change in international market.

This is the first time the prices have come down in past eight months. Otherwise, the prices were ever increasing.

According to the new price structure, petrol has become Rs 3 cheaper than its previous price whereas a litre of diesel and kerosene will also cost Rs 2 less, according to Karobar. The report informs that no changes have been made in the price of liquefied petroleum gas and aviation fuel, adding the state agency is still in a loss of Rs 78.4 million every fortnight.

Govt helpless to stop education strikes

Nagarik and Nepal Samacharpatra report that the government has failed to control activities of political parties-affiliated student unions and other organisations which have been directing affecting schools in the country. While a student organisation close to Netra Bikram Chand Biplav’s communist party imposed a strike on schools yesterday, Nagarik reports that such strikes are organised after big schools do not pay them certain amounts demanded by them. Meanwhile, the Ministry of Education is uninformed about the issue, according to the report.

On the other hand, Nepal Samacharpatra has blamed regulatory bodies including the Department of Education for their long silence over the issue.

Annapurna Post has also raised the issue on its front page story.

Ignored

PM consults predecessors to finalise China visit agendas

File: KP Sharma Oli

Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli held a meeting with former prime ministers to discuss his China visit and seek suggestions about agendas to make the visit a successful one. The Prime minister also assured to keep the nation’s interest top most priority of the visit, reports Naya Patrika. Meanwhile, former Prime Minister Baburam Bhattarai presented a 10-point suggestion to Oli for the visit, reports Rajdhani in its anchor story.

Activities of political agents rampant in judiciary

File image: Supreme Court of Nepal

The Supreme Court has issued a circular to keep an eye on political agents and warned the concerned judicial officials to stay away from such agents as these agents are being excessively and unnecessarily active in the judicial system, says the lead story in Annapurna Post. As per a directive from Acting Chief Justice Deepak Raj Joshee, the circular was sent to courts across the country.

Provincial govts also promote pork barrel politics

Four provinces have followed the footsteps of federal government to promote pork barrel politics by extending grants to electoral constituencies. Province 1, 2, 5, and 7 have allocated funds for infrastructure development based on recommendations from provincial assembly members, showed the provincial budget documents for next fiscal year. The provincial programme will cost the taxpayers Rs 3.22 billion in fiscal 2018-19, reports the anchor story published in The Himalayan Times.

Nepal’s Ambassador to US buying a posh house

The lead story of Republica says the Nepali Embassy in the United States is buying a posh property for Ambassador Arjun Karki in Washington DC for US$ 7.25 milllion (Rs 750 million). It has been learnt that the proposed residence will become more expensive than former US President Barack Obama’s new house bought last year. However, the Office of the Auditor General and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs have suspected this decision to be motivated by lucrative commissions. Minimum of six per cent commission is legal in the US on purchase of residential building and around two per cent on commercial building.

Interesting

Five places to be developed as agri tourism villages

With an aim to develop and promote the rural areas and improve the living standard through economy, various five places of the country will be established as agri tourism villages. Machhamara of Sunsari, Ghodaghodi of Kailali, Patale of Solukhumbu, Rautamai of Udayapur, and Kakani of Nuwakot will be developed as agri tourism villages, according to Abhiyan. According to Ministry of Agriculture, Land Management and Cooperatives, work for the same has already started.

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