PM KP Sharma Oli and Pushpa Kamal Dahal announcing the names of the NCP’s heads of department has been featured in most national dailies along with news of Nepali Congress lawmaker registering a motion of public importance in the Lower House. The CIAA proposing amendments to the CIAA Act and Prevention of Corruption Act has also been featured in a few newspapers.
Here is a summary of important, ignored and interesting stories published on front pages of Kathmandu broadsheet dailies, on Sunday.
Important
Oli, Dahal to name heads of departments today
Annapurna Post and The Kathmandu Post report that just as concerns were growing among ruling party leaders over a widening rift and trust deficit between the two top leaders, KP Sharma Oli and Pushpa Kamal Dahal appear to have found common ground.
According to party leaders, the two co-chairmen have finalised after several rounds of talks tentative work divisions for the central members, departments and committees between the leaders of the former CPN-UML and Maoist party.
According to the leaders, the two chairmen will decide the names of heads of 32 departments—18 allocated for the former UML and 14 for the former Maoist Centre—during the secretariat meeting scheduled for Sunday. The two chairmen are expected to zero in on the gentleman’s agreement reached between them in May last year after completing the outstanding works related to the party unification.
Nagarik reports that members of the erstwhile UML held a meeting on Saturday to discuss the future of the communist party. PM Oli held talks with Madhav Kumar Nepal, Jhalanath Khanal, Bishnu Paudel, Bam Dev Gautam and Ishwar Pokharel. PM Oli wanted to meet the leaders before announcing the heads of the various departments.
Nepali Congress lawmaker backs ruling party, party red-faced
The Kathmandu Post reports that a week after the Nepali Congress joined hands with the Rastriya Janata Party-Nepal to strengthen its opposition to the government in the federal parliament, one of its lawmakers, Amresh Kumar Singh, has backed the ruling parties in registering a motion of public importance in the Lower House, prompting the main opposition to find a face-saver and discuss the code of ethics for its parliamentarians. Singh, along with Nepal Communist Party (NCP) leader Prabhu Sah and Samajbadi Party Nepal Chief Whip Uma Shankar Argariya, on Friday registered a motion which envisions short- and long-term government actions to support and rehabilitate the victims of floods and landslides. Nepali Congress say Singh made the move without the party’s consent.
TJ bodies to have office bearers by next month
The Himalayan Times reports that the committee to recommend office bearers of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission and the Commission of Investigation of Enforced Disappeared Persons is likely to nominate office bearers by August 15. Member of the committee Prakash Osti said the committee was taking time to nominate office bearers because it wanted to address the nine reasons behind the failure of the erstwhile office bearers. Osti said that his committee didn’t want to repeat old mistakes and added that although the committee had found probable names among 57 candidates suitable as members of the two bodies — the TRC and CIEDP — the committee had not found anybody who could shoulder the responsibility of chairpersons of the two transitional justice mechanisms.
Ignored
CIAA and Prevention of Corruption Act: CIAA proposes new drafts
The Himalayan Times reports that the Commission for the Investigation of Abuse of Authority has prepared new drafts of the CIAA Act, 1991 (Amendment) Bill and Prevention of Corruption Act, 2002 (Amendment Bill) proposing to bring employees of international agencies, financial offices and corporate houses under its ambit. This means the CIAA can take action against employees of financial sectors and corporate houses if they indulge in improper action and corruption.
Three highways affected by monsoon
Kantipur reports that Siddicharan, Mechi and Koshi highways have been heavily affected by the monsoon. Police say that it will take up to seven days to re-open the Siddicharan highway as the engineers have to change the alignment of the highway. Similarly, the Mechi highway is also not in operation since 16 July due to landslide. Police say they are making an alternate route. Police further added that it would take up to three months to clear the landslide in various parts of the Koshi highway.
Hospitals charging inconsistent fee while conducting whole body check-ups
Rajdhani reports that hospitals across the valley have been charging different fees to its patients wanting to do a whole body check-up. Hospitals are charging patients up Rs 25,000 for their check-up. The government has not set a free for the check-up which is why hospitals are charging different fee to its patients. A committee of the Health Ministry is supposed to set the fee but it has turned a blind eye to the extortion by hospitals.
Interesting
Rain likely in central and eastern Nepal
Gorkhapatra reports that the Meteorological Forecasting Division (MFD) has forecast heavy rainfall at one or two places of the eastern and central regions. In a weather bulletin issued for Sunday, the met office said that the weather will remain generally to mostly cloudy in the eastern region and partly to generally cloudy in the central and western regions.
Lower house overturns upper house proposal on Administrative Court
Republica report that in a rare parliamentary practice, a lower house committee of the federal parliament has overturned a decision of the National Assembly (upper house) over the status of the Administrative Court.
The Law, Justice and Human Rights Committee of the House of Representatives has finalised the revision of a bill with a provision of the continuing the Administrative Court in Kathmandu and establishing its provincial branches depending on the flow of cases at the administrative bench under the high court in the respective provinces.
Tourist number increases, spending decreases
Karobar reports that even though Nepal saw a record number of tourists in 2018, the average spend has decreased. According to statistics from the Tourism Ministry, expected to be released next week, the average spending per tourist per day dropped to $44 in 2018. The average spending was $54 per day in 2017. Tourist arrivals crossed the coveted one-million mark for the first time in 2018, with 1.2 million foreign visitors streaming into the country, but their spending plummeted to a seven-year low.
