Almost all newspapers published in Kathmandu on Tuesday report on the launch of the new national ID. Similarly, reports related to former Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal’s emotional tribute to his son on the anniversary of his death have also made it to the front pages. Here’s a summary of important, ignored and interesting stories published on the front pages:
Important
Prime Minister trying to delay NCP meeting again
Prime Minister and NCP Chairman KP Sharma Oli, who was supposed to convene a meeting of the party secretariat this week, has packed his schedule with interactions with ministers and secretaries, leading to a suspicion that he intends to postpone the key gathering. The Himalayan Times reports that the secretariat meeting has been scheduled for Thursday, and the Prime Minister would have to postpone his meetings with ministers and secretaries if the plan is to materialise. The paper says that disgruntled party leaders such as Madhav Kumar Nepal, Narayan Kaji Shrestha and Jhalanath Khanal want the party secretariat meeting convened at the earliest so that they can criticise the government. Oli, however, does not want that to happen.
Cambodia Prime Minister arriving next week
Annapurna Post reports that Cambodia’s Prime Minister Hun Sen is scheduled to arrive in Kathmandu next week to take part in an INGO-organised event. The government has reluctantly called the visit a ‘bilateral’ one, but it is anything but, says the paper. Ministers from other countries in the Asia Pacific region are also to attend the ‘Asia Pacific Summit-2018’.
Ignored
Duplication in digitisation of vital data
Republica reports in its lead story that lack of coordination and growing trust deficit among state agencies that have been digitising vital national data have cost the state coffers dear.
This comes at a time when the government began distribution national identity cards to its citizens on Monday. Since different authorities have been distributing voter ID cards, poor ID cards, smart licences, social security cards and passports among others, the state is spending unnecessarily, according to the report.
Interesting
Nepali, Chinese officials to discuss railway funding modality
Nepal and China have scheduled a meeting of their officials next month in order to discuss funding modality and detailed project report for a cross-border railway project they want to establish, The Kathmandu Post reports in its anchor story.
Officials from both the sides are busy preparing the agenda for the meeting, the report quotes Department of Railways officials to say.
Public will have access to ‘private rooms’ of kings at Narayanhiti
The government is preparing to open nine rooms of Ganesh Himal section of Narayanhiti Palace for the visit of common people, according to Nepal Samacharpatra lead story.
Former kings used to utilise those rooms for confidential political and diplomatic meetings, the report informs, adding the visitors can go to those rooms from next Sunday.
