Almost all newspapers published in Kathmandu on Tuesday have prioritised reports related to the agitation by doctors demanding amendments to the new civil code. The papers report that the doctors have agreed to call off protests after the government assured them an amendment will be tabled in Parliament by Monday. Other social and economic issues have also been covered in the press on Tuesday. Here’s a summary of important, ignored and interesting reports that made it to the press on Tuesday:
Important
Doctors call off protests
The Himalayan Times reports that doctors have called off nationwide protests after the government agreed to revise the new penal code as per the demand of the medical professionals. The paper says that the Ministry of Health and Population has agreed to amend contentious provisions of the new law. The Kathmandu Post quotes NMA president Dr Mukti Ram Shrestha to say that the association is positive about the agreement. “At the health ministry’s request, we have postponed our protests until Monday,” Dr Shrestha told the Post. Kantipur says that the doctors and the government inked a three-point agreement on Monday night. As per the agreement, the government has agreed to scrap section 230 (2) and to authorise Nepal Medical Council to investigate cases of malpractice. Similarly, the two sides have agreed to make provisions for a six-month statute of limitation and take into custody members of the public who assault doctors.
Ignored
Police yet to crack Jha murder case
Naya Patrika reports that police are yet to get a lead in the Keshavraj Jha murder case, two weeks after the former ambassador was murdered in his home in Kathmandu. The report says that police have taken into custody the housekeeper and interrogated people working for Jha. However, police are yet to crack the case.
Nepali rupee tumbles further
The Himalayan Times reports that the Nepali rupee has tumbled to an all-time low of 114.24 vis-a-vis the US dollar on Tuesday. Nepali currency has been setting a new record every day since August 30, when it breached the 113 mark for the first time in history.
Govt unlikely to revise retirement age to 60
Nepal Samacharpatra says that the draft of the new Civil Service Act has set 58 as the age of retirement for civil servants amid speculations that the limit will be raised to 60. The paper says that the government decided not to tamper with the retirement age after officials suggested that the bureaucracy needed fresh blood and that was possible only after the old members retired.
Interesting
Farmers turn to tea farming to repel elephants
Kantipur reports that farmers in Bahundangi in eastern Nepal, who have been suffering from wild elephant menace are turning to tea plantation to repel the animals. The paper reports that elephants do not like the smell of tea and that prevents them from entering into the village.
