Thursday was the most significant day for Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba who is currently on a state visit to India. Therefore, major English and Nepali broadsheet dailies have given prominence to updates from New Delhi today.
Meetings of Prime Minister with Indian political leaders, signing of eight agreements between Nepal and India and a joint press conference addressed by PM Deuba with his Indian counterpart Narendra Modi at the Hyderabad House have received much attention.
Few newspapers have published reports about Rastriya Janata Party Nepal’s decision to take part in the third phase of local level elections and other aspects of preparations for the September 26 elections as well as provincial and federal polls scheduled for November 26.
Important
PM assures constitution amendment as India seems not yet satisfied
While addressing a customary joint press conference with Indian counterpart Modi at the Hyderabad House in New Delhi, Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba has assured that the current ruling coalition will launch a fresh bid to amend the constitution after the federal parliamentary polls as the current Parliament rejected it earlier this week, reports Naya Patrika.
The PM’s statement was followed by Indian PM Modi’s remark that India was happy about successful organising of local level elections and it wished for more effective implementation of the charter by taking all sides into confidence.
According to Rajdhani lead story, Modi in the comment suggested that India still had some reservations in the constitution and the PM’s assurance was just a bid to address them.
Meanwhile, Indian Foreign Secretary S Jaishankar clarified at a press conference later that India’s stand on the constitution implementation had not changed and Nepal should continue efforts to include all aspects of the society in constitution implementation process.
Republica from Kathmandu has reported that the Prime Minister’s assurance to amend the constitution just few days after the House rejected it has drawn flack from members of ruling and opposition parties in Kathmandu.
Election Commission sets age threshold for voting in November polls
The Election Commission has set the age threshold for voting in elections to the Provincial Assembly and the federal House of Representatives scheduled for November 26 on Thursday.
According to the constitutional body’s decision those who have their names in the voter list must have completed the age of 18 by the date the elections were announced, that is August 20, 2017, reports Gorkhapatra.
Likewise, those who have completed the age of 21 by August 20 can contest the polls, the Commission has clarified.
The Voter List Act has authorised the Commission to decide a “cut-off date” for set threshold of age for voting in any election, the report quotes Commission spokesperson Surya Prasad Sharma as saying. Earlier, the Commission had opened registration of new voters for the polls till August 18.
Meanwhile, the Commission also decided to verify new registrations and add them to the voter list immediately, according to Rajdhani.
Ignored
Rs 170 million embezzled in NOC land purchase in Sarlahi
Members of Parliament who are in Sarlahi district of east Nepal to investigate into alleged corruption in purchase of a land for construction of petroleum storage facilities for Nepal Oil Corporation have found that as much as Rs 170 million was embezzled in the deal, says Republica report filed from the district.
NOC purchased 306 kattha [10.36 hectares] of land in Lalbandi Municipality at the rate of Rs 961,000 per kattha whereas the rate for land in the area is not more than Rs 300,000, says lawmaker Dipak Karki.
Earlier, the lawmakers had also visited the land purchased for the same purpose in Duwagadhi of Jhapa and they had found that the land would be acquired by the proposed east-west railway project if the project was implemented.
Judgment Execution Directorate’s role suspicious in Kathmandu National Medical College affiliation
A committee formed to review implementation of agreements signed with Dr Govinda KC in the past has found the role of Judgment Execution Directorate under Supreme Court suspicious in the Tribhuvan University Executive Council’s decision to grant affiliation to the controversial Kathmandu National Medical College, according to The Kathmandu Post anchor story.
The panel led by Prof Kapil Shrestha raised suspicions after it talked with TU Vice-Chancellor Tirtha Raj Khaniya over the issue.
Shrestha has told the paper, “We are not mandated to investigate the affiliation issue of Kathmandu National. But when we discussed the matter with TU VC, he said he was oblivious of the annulment of the contempt of court case filed by National.” Therefore, the JED’s role is suspicious, he claims.
Interesting
Nepal has 77 districts now
You must have internalised since your childhood that Nepal has 14 zones and 75 districts. But, if you still think that it is correct today, you are wrong, for the government has decided to divide two districts into two each.
Accordingly, the Election Commission is preparing to complete elections of District Coordination Committees in all 77 districts now, Rajdhani anchor story reports.
While dividing the country into seven provinces, the constitution implemented in 2015 September had divided Rukum and Nawalparasi districts into two provinces each. While the eastern part of Rukum was in Province 5, the western part was kept in Province 6. Likewise, the eastern part of Nawalparasi was in Province 4 and the western in Province 5. After, local units in these districts already election their local governments in the elections held in May and June, the government on Sunday had decided to form 77 districts, according to the report.
Meanwhile, the Election Commission will hold provincial and federal elections considering east and west Rukum and east and west Nawalparasi as separate districts.
