All major English and Nepali broadsheet dailies published from Kathmandu on Thursday have given the prominence to Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba’s India visit that began on Wednesday. Deuba’s unplanned meeting with Indian counterpart Narendra Modi held yesterday has drawn attention in the Kathmandu press very prominently.
Likewise other contemporary political issues including Tribhuvan University Executive Council’s decision to affiliate controversial Kathmandu National Medical College, and officer-bearers’ meeting of the Rastriya Janata Party Nepal have also been prioritised.
Important
Deuba receives ‘surprise invite’ from Modi
Nepal’s PM Sher Bahadur Deuba is scheduled to hold formal bilateral talks with Indian Counterpart Narendra Modi in New Delhi on Thursday. However, Modi chose to extend an invitation to him a day before and hold informal talks at his 7 Race Course Road residence, and this has caused a stir in the Nepali press today.
The Himalayan Times says though the meeting was unplanned and the invite was a surprise for Nepali PM, the duo took stock of various bilateral issues. It quotes Nepal’s Ambassador to India, Deep Kumar Upadhyaya, as saying that “The informal talks are expected to facilitate both sides in finalising the memorandums of understanding between the two countries.”
Annapurna Post says diplomatic officials of both the countries have not spoken anything about what the two PMs talked. However, Deuba’s foreign affairs advisor Dinesh Bhattarai tells the newspaper that such visits at the high level give a new height to the bilateral relationship.
TU VC says he was under pressure to affiliate Kathmandu National Medical College
After his decision to grant affiliation to the controversial Kathmandu National Medical College, Tribhuvan University Vice-Chancellor Tirtha Khaniya says he made the decision due to excessive political pressure.
Nagarik anchor story says Khaniya told the newspaper that he surrendered himself to the pressure from various authorities including Office of the Prime Minister and Council of Ministers though he was aware that the College did not have sufficient physical infrastructures.
Meanwhile, Naya Patrika says the Ministry of Health launched an investigation under the leadership of its Monitoring and Evaluation Section Chief Dr Dipendra Raman Singh into the affiliation process.
On the other hand, Dr Govinda KC, who has launched fast-unto-death 11 times in past few years demanding various reforms in Nepal’s medical education sector says the affiliation reflects the irresponsibility on the part of government and TU officials.
Ignored
Court order to compensate ‘innocent’ detainees yet to be followed
Nepal’s law allows police to keep persons accused of various crimes in custody even before that are convicted of crimes. However, a recent Supreme Court order told police and concerned government authorities that they have to compensate the detainees for their time in the custody if they are found to be innocent by the court later.
Though the Supreme Court had made the order to prepare sufficient legal grounds to implement the provision around one and half year ago, it has not been implemented yet, according to Abhiyan.
The then Chief Justice Kalyan Shrestha had made the order.
The issue came to the light once against after Som Prasad Luintel from the People Forum filed a writ demanding such compensation. The first hearing on the case was held on Wednesday.
Induction of state ministers create chaos
Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba inducted 15 state ministers in his Cabinet on Tuesday. With this 23 ministries of the government have both ministers and state ministers. The presence of two political leaders in a single ministry has given a tough time to the staff to manage furnishing and logistics, according to a front page story published in Annapurna Post.
The report says offices of joint-secretaries have been turned into the offices of state ministers at some ministries as they did not have sufficient rooms and consequently, the joint-secretaries have been deprived of their office. On the other hand, carpeting and other logistic tasks have deeply affected daily administrative functions of the ministries.
Some secretaries have said that the Prime Minister appointed state ministers even at some ministries which had very low work pressure.
Interesting
Floods and landslides reduce Teej showing off
Gorkhapatra‘s anchor story says recent floods and landslides in various parts of the country have reduced the extravagance in celebrations to be organised on the occasion of annual Teej festival that is being marked across the country today.
It says recent floods and landslides reduced the number of pre-festival Darr events to be organised since days and weeks before the main celebration as many women got displaced by floods and landslides whereas many others were involved in rescue and relief operations.
On the other hand, many women organisations have decided to donate their Darr expenses for the flood victims.
