Broadsheet daily newspapers published from Kathmandu on Tuesday, including both English and Nepali, have diversified their priority in the selection of issues for the front pages. As usual, political issues are on the top; but there are many followup stories about the announcement of Secondary Education Examination results.
Few other sociocultural and economic issues have also been featured on the front pages of Kathmandu newspapers today.
Important
Supreme Court rejects UNDP support offer
Lead stories in Kantipur, Annapurna Post and The Kathmandu Post have reported that the Supreme Court has decided not to accept a support offer extended by the United Nations Development Project. Earlier, the UN agency had offered Rs 460 million support to the apex court for a five-year programme named Rule of Law and Human Rights Protection System in Nepal, according to The Kathmandu Post.
Kantipur adds that the court has argued that it will be inappropriate to accept foreign assistance for regular functioning of state agencies; rather it will be better to press the government for more budget allocation.
Earlier, the Court had formed a committee consisting of three justices—Hari Krishna Karki, Bishwambhar Prasad Shrestha and Prakash Man Singh Raut—to study and make recommendations about the issue, according to Annapurna Post.
Panel to probe errors in SEE result update
Many newspapers on their front pages have published followup stories about errors surfaced in the updating and uploading of Secondary Education Examination results published on Saturday. They have reported that the Ministry of Education, Science and Technology has formed a committee to investigate into the issue.
Nepal Samacharpatra reports that Administrative Chief of the Teachers Service Commission, Tulasi Prasad Thapaliya, heads the committee whereas Under Secretary duo Shambhu Raj Regmi and Dinesh Khanal are its members. The committee has been ordered to submit its report to the Ministry within next five days.
Meanwhile, Education Minister Giriraj Mani Pokharel has assured action against the culprit, according to Kantipur.
Congress prepares to obstruct House
The lead story in Rajdhani reports that the main opposition Nepali Congress is preparing to obstruct Parliament meetings demanding that either the Speaker or the Deputy Speaker of House of Representatives and either the Chair or the Vice-Chair of National Assembly resign.
The constitution has it that the two top officials of the House of Representatives must belong to different parties. Earlier, the balance was maintained as Speaker Krishna Bahadur Mahara represented then CPN-Maoist Centre whereas the Deputy Speaker Shiva Maya Tumbahamphe represented then CPN-UML. However, the two parties later merged into the Nepal Communist Party.
Following the merger, the Congress has been demanding that one of them resign. The ruling NCP, however, argues that no one should resign as both of them have already ‘left’ their parties after getting elected to the parliamentary positions.
Meanwhile, Speaker Krishna Bahadur Mahara has issued a ruling that ministers should be present at the House of Representatives when the House discusses budget allocations for their ministries as their absence has hit the discussions hard of later, according to Gorkhapatra lead story.
Ignored
92 per cent NGOs have not renewed their registration
A snippet in Nepal Samacharpatra reads that around 92 per cent of national non-government organisations registered with various district administration offices have not renewed their registration every year. Whereas more than 48,000 NGOs have been registered across the country, more than 44,000 are not regularly renewed, according to the report.
Nevertheless, around 15,000 NGOs are in active functioning currently, the report informs quoting officials of the Social Welfare Council.
Gaddi Baithak design changed?
A three-column box story in The Kathmandu Post reports that conservationists have objected to the reconstruction of Gaddi Baithak in Hanumandhoka Durbar Square claiming it has visible changes on its main façade. The reconstruction process, however, is about to complete and Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli is scheduled to inaugurate the historic palace, severely destroyed by the 2015 earthquake, on Wednesday.
Gorkhapatra anchor story, however, claims that the reconstruction has not altered the design of the historical monument.
NTA functionless for last two months
The Nepal Telecommunications Authority, the country’s telecom regulatory body, is functionless for last two months as the government has directed its leadership not to take major decisions except regular administrative works, reports Karobar in its anchor story.
In the second week of May, the Ministry of Communication and Information Technology had issued the directive expressing dissatisfaction with the performance of its Chairperson Digambar Jha.
Interesting
Rs 150 million allocated for Kathmandu monorail
Gorkhapatra reports in a snippet that the Kathmandu Metropolitan City has allocated Rs 150 million from the budget for next fiscal year for the construction of hyped monorail line. Earlier, a Chinese team has already been assigned to carry out a feasibility study for the operation of monorail along the Ring Road in Kathmandu and Lalitpur cities.
Just two days ago, the capital city had announced a budget of Rs 13 billion for the next fiscal year.
