Good morning!
Here’s a quick summary of important, ignored and interesting reports from Sunday to kick-start your day:
Important
House panel reiterates errors in NAC widebody purchase
Confirming previous reports of various parliamentary committees, yet another committee of the House of Representatives has claimed the national flag carrier, Nepal Airlines Corporation, purchased two widebody aircraft last year without following due procedures. The International Relations Committee in the House completed its 10-month investigation and made the report public, pointing out ‘procedural errors’ in the deal.
Meanwhile, the committee has claimed that the audit of the procedure carried out by the Office of the Auditor General was also incomplete.
The committee, however, has not named who was responsible for the errors.
Nepal, China uninterested to implement past pacts
As Chinese Minister for Foreign Affairs Wang Yi has arrived in Kathmandu on a three-day official visit on Sunday, stakeholders have pointed out that both Nepal and China have looked uninterested to sign various agreements signed between them in the past. On the other hand, the two countries are preparing to sign two additional agreements this time also.
During Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli’s Beijing trips in 2016 and 2018, the two countries had signed various agreements. But, the status of their implementation is not satisfactory, accuses Nepali Congress leader Prakash Sharan Mahat.
Ignored
Police refuse to register complaint on cow deaths
Veterinary doctors have claimed that police refused to register their complaint about the mysterious death of 23 cows in Sukhet district of Karnali province recently. After police refused, a delegation of Nepal Veterinary Association met Minister for Home Affairs Ram Bahadur Thapa on Sunday and demanded that the government independently probe the incident and take action against the culprit.
CM Rai laments ‘lack of honesty’ in implementing federalism
Province 1 Chief Minister Sher Dhan Rai has complained that there is a lack of ‘honesty’ in implementation of the constitution and the new federal system it has introduced in the country.
During his address to the Province 1 Assembly on Sunday, Rai did not explicitly point out who lacked that honesty but hinted that the federal government could not delegate sufficient rights to the provinces and local governments as the constitution demanded. “Provinces are at the heart of federalism,” he said, “But, we hear people saying they don’t need provincial governments. How can federalism sustain by removing the provincial governments?”
In another context, Rai warned of action against corruption in the province.
No national anthem in cinema halls: Board
The government is preparing to introduce a new law to regulate the country’s cinema industry, which proposes that the cinema halls play the national anthem before beginning any movie. However, the Film Development Board, the government body through which the industry is governed, has objected to the provision.
The board’s chairman Keshav Bhattarai says the board has recently submitted a list of suggestions to the Ministry of Communications and Information Technology, according to which no national anthem should be played in the cinema halls.
However, the board has directed all cinema halls of the country to play the national anthem before the movies on the occasion of Constitution Day for three days. Nepal is celebrating the Constitution Day on September 20.
FNJ warns of protest against Department of Information
The umbrella organisation of Nepali journalists, Federation of Nepali Journalists, has warned that it would launch a protest against the Department of Information if the department would not make public a list of media houses which are yet to pay their journalists the minimum wage set by the law. The journalists’ body says exposing the names is necessary to force all the media houses to pay the minimum wage to the journalists.
The FNJ submitted a memorandum to the department in this regard on Sunday.
Interesting
House transfers lawmaker for ‘demanding probe against Ncell CGT verdict’
The House of Representatives on Sunday announced the transfer of Nepali Congress lawmaker Sanjay Kumar Gautam from the Law, Justice and Human Rights Committee to the Development and Technology Committee. As per the decision made public by Deputy Speaker Shiva Maya Tumbahamphe, Gautam will switch the position with his party president Sher Bahadur Deuba.
Meanwhile, some stakeholders have commented that Gautam was transferred as he demanded a probe into the recent Supreme Court verdict on Ncell capital gains tax. Gautam, however, denies the claim that the demand resulted in the transfer. He says he is adamant on the demand.
Govt’s fair price shops to open from Monday
Like previous years, the government is opening fair price shops of daily consumables targeting upcoming big festivals of Dashain and Tihar. Minister for Industry, Commerce and Supplies will inaugurate the first seasonal shop for this year at Ram Shah Path on Monday.
The ministry says a total of 73 fair price shops will be established across the country. Salt Trading Corporation, Dairy Development Corporation, and Food Management and Trade Company will operate the shops.
