All major Nepali and English broadsheets published from Kathmandu on Thursday have accorded the highest priority to the registration of nominations for National Assembly elections in all seven provinces of the country. Many newspapers have published the list of candidates and likely winners in the front page. Decisions taken by the Cabinet meeting yesterday have also received significant attention.
Some other contemporary political, socio-cultural and economic issues have also made it to the front page of newspapers published today.
Important
83 candidates for 56 positions; 17 elected unopposed
Total 83 persons representing nine political parties have filed nominations for 56 positions of National Assembly, according to newspaper reports. Among them, 17 have been elected unopposed though their election is yet to be formally announced.
Nepal Samacharpatra informs that the least number of candidates has been reported from Province 2. There are just nine candidates for eight positions, according to Nagarik. The highest number of candidates is in Province 3, where 17 persons have registered their names. Total 21 seats have been reserved for women, for which 26 are in the fray, according to Rajdhani lead story.
Among those being elected unanimously, three are from Province 1, five from Province 2, three from Province 5 and six from Province 7, according to Nagarik report. Of them, 12 are women, informs The Himalayan Times.
In provinces 6 and 7, only three major parties—CPN-UML, Nepali Congress and CPN-Maoist Centre—are competing.
Rajdhani has published a separate story explaining how the elections will be conducted. The report informs that there are total 2,056 votes and they have total 53,508 votes as votes cast by provincial assembly members and leaders of local governments have different weights.
Meanwhile, The Himalayan Times reports that discontent with the leadership is rife in major political parties over the nomination of candidates.
Govt pulls down threshold for senior citizen allowance
The government on Wednesday decided to change the minimum age to receive senior citizen allowance from 70 to 65 years, according to newspaper reports.
Naya Patrika says people living in Karnali, all Dalits of the country and singe women will receive the allowance 10 years earlier, that is after crossing the age of 55.
A senior citizen is getting Rs 2,000 a month from the government, according to Rajdhani. Republica and Annapurna Post say the decision to reduce the age bar will add billions to the government’s annual expenses.
Meanwhile, the government also added Rs 100,000 to the grant assistance provided to 2015 earthquake-hit families. Earlier, the government had decided to provide each family Rs 300,000.
Likewise, the deadline to receive the reconstruction grant has been extended for six months, Nagarik informs quoting Minister for Youth and Sports Rajendra Kumar KC.
On the other hand, the government is preparing to scrap the provision that Nepal Police officials get retirement after 30 years in service, report Nagarik and Kantipur.
Heavy snowfall hits Nepal hills
Most newspapers have published at least one image in their front page about the snowfall that many parts of the country witnessed yesterday.
The Himalayan Times lead story says life in hilly districts across the country has been affected due to heavy snowfall since Tuesday night. The report says hilly districts of mid- and far-west regions—Bajhang, Humla, Jumla, Mugu, Bajura, Darchula, Baitadi and Achham—have been adversely affected due to heavy snowfall.
Meanwhile, Nepal Samacharpatra informs that winter rainfall has been weakened this year. In previous years, there would be five to six events of rainfall in the winter, but the country has witnessed just two events of rainfall this winter, according to the report. Quoting meteorologist Barun Paudel, the report says there will not be any rainfall in the country in next eight to 10 days.
Ignored
Chakre Milan acquitted of money laundering
Gangster Chakre Milan has been acquitted of a money laundering charge filed against him, Republica says.
The Special Court on Wednesday issued a clean chit to the notorious gangster in relation to a case filed by the government six years ago.
A three-member bench of judges Ratna Bahadur Bagchand, Chandi Raj Dhakal and Pramod Kumar Shrestha Vaidya acquitted Milan and his wife Indira Ghale Gurung, stating that the government could not prove the charges with concrete evidence.
Earlier, the government had claimed the couple amassed assets amounting to Rs 78.1 million from unknown sources.
Interesting
China hopes high from Nepal’s ‘stable’ govt
Janata Post lead story for the day says China has high hopes from the new government to be formed in Nepal as it expects political stability in Kathmandu. The report says Beijing has prioritised peripheral diplomacy and it wants to strengthen ties with neighbours followed by countries in the Middle East, Africa and America.
Quoting a ‘Nepal expert’ of a Chinese university, the report says China expects that projects with its investment in Nepal will be completed on time with the stable government.
