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From the Kathmandu Press: Sunday, January 13, 2019

Various newspapers, Nepali and English, published from Kathmandu on Sunday have published stories about a range of issues from political, sociocultural and economic issues. Many newspapers have published news stories about various forms of irregularities in the country’s biggest academic institution, Tribhuvan University. On the political front, the virtual split surfaced in the Bibeksheel Sajha Party has been featured on the front pages of some newspapers today as well. In the meantime, some newspapers have put in priority the controversy regarding the National Medical Education Bill as medical education reform activist Dr Govinda KC is staging a fast-unto-death in Ilam district, demanding various changes in the bill.

Here is a summary of important, ignored and interesting stories from the cover pages of national broadsheets:

Important

Irregularities rife in TU

File image: Tribhuvan University Central Office, Kirtipur

Kantipur, Annapurna Post, Naya Patrika and Rajdhani have published different stories related to the Tribhuvan University. All the stories talk about problems than prospects of the giant institution.

Kantipur says organisations of the university’s professors and staff have been misusing the land under the ownership of the university as they have rented it for commercial purposes. Likewise, Annapurna Post reports the university leadership has been using the same criteria for both annual and semester programmes to select students for various awards, which is unjust because the two systems deploy different methods of evaluation.

Meanwhile, the university has not granted permanent affiliation to any of the colleges since its establishment though laws have a provision for that, according to Rajdhani. Naya Patrika story is related to the hefty fees the university’s Institute of Medicine and its affiliated colleges collect from the students.

Dr KC’s health deteriorates

Dr Govinda KC

Medical education activist Dr Govinda KC, who launched the 16th round of his fast-unto-death last week, is experiencing various problems in his health, according to reports in Naya Patrika, The Kathmandu Post and Republica.

“Glucose level in his body has declined and acetone has been detected in his urine. He is at high risk of cough and pneumonia and his blood pressure has been fluctuating,” The Kathmandu Post quotes a doctor who attended the fasting senior orthopaedic surgeon.

Officials object to new pecking order

File: Office of the Prime Minister and Council of Ministers

Republica has published a five column story, reporting some former and sitting officials of federal and provincial government bodies have objected to the new pecking order of officials the government recently announced. Those unhappy with the order of precedence include Deputy Speaker Shiva Maya Tumbahamphe, National Assembly Vice-Chairman Shashi Kala Dahal, former Deputy Speaker Ganga Prasad Yadav and National Human Rights Commission Chairman Anup Raj Sharma.

Ignored

54 local units still lack banking facilities

Already six months into the new fiscal year, the government is yet to meet a target it set for the past fiscal year, reports Annapurna Post in a four column story.

The government had earlier announced that all 753 local units would have at least one bank in their jurisdiction by mid-July 2018. However, only 699 units have met the deadline, according to the report.

Chandragiri’s pressure to keep transmission line underground

File: Chandragiri cable car

Chandragiri Hills Limited, a private company that operates a cable car service to Chandragiri hill on the western outskirts of Kathmandu, has put pressure on the government to keep the transmission line of Upper Trishuli III-A hydropower project underground, according to a report in Kantipur.

The company has put pressure on Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli among others, the report states.

Bibeksheel Sajha ‘committed’ to continuing the journey

Rabindra Mishra among other leaders of Bibeksheel Sajha Party, in Kathmandu, on Saturday, January 12, 2019.

Though some key leaders of Bibeksheel Sajha Party announced the formation of a new party on Friday, the Rabindra Mishra-led group of the party said it was committed to its objective of establishing an alternative political force, according to a four column story of The Kathmandu Post.

Mishra had organised a press meet on Saturday to express his views about the split.

Interesting

Those without citizenship can also get national ID

The government has decided to issue national identity cards to the citizens even if they have not acquired the citizenship certificate, according to Nepal Samacharpatra. People who have not met the age criteria for the citizenship also qualify for the national ID, according to the report.

New law obliges children to save money for parents

The Himalayan Times anchor story for the day reports that the government has registered a new bill amending the Senior Citizens Act 2006, proposing that those who earn have to deposit certain percentage of their salary into a joint bank accounts of their parents.

However, if the parents also earn money regularly, the children are not obliged to deposit the money, the report informs.

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