Reports related to hundreds of trucks ferrying vegetables and fruits coming into Nepal from India has been featured in a few newspapers along with news of a writ being filed at the Supreme Court demanding pesticide residue tests on vegetable imports from India. UNESCO withdrawing from Hanumandhoka Durbar Square temple restoration citing ‘threats to workers’ 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, both Nepali and English, on Wednesday.
Important
Vegetables continue to enter Nepal, labs not operational
Annapurna Post reports that vegetables from India are being brought into Nepal without testing. Hundreds of trucks have been seen coming into Nepal from three border points in Province 1. Doctors throughout the country have warned that eating vegetables and fruits bearing harmful chemicals could cause a lot of dangerous diseases.
On the other hand, Nagarik reports that the labs established to test vegetables for pesticides are for show only. The labs which were open four years ago have not been in regular operation say, government officials. They say that fruits and vegetables produced in Nepal do not undergo a pesticide test due to lack of skilled manpower.
Hospital in hilly areas below par
Nagarik and Republica report that people in the hill districts of Province 1 are compelled to go to expensive hospitals in the Terai for most of their medical needs as local facilities provide only basic medication. Locals in remote districts complain that though party leaders tout the new constitution as an exemplary statute that includes medical care as a fundamental right, they are compelled to pay through their noses even for the most basic medical services.
People complain that hospitals in hilly districts lack specialist doctors, equipment, know-how, medicines and other inputs. People are gradually losing faith in district hospitals due to such shortcomings.
There is a provision in the constitution according to which district government hospitals need to provide 70 types of medicines free of cost and primary health centres and health posts should likewise provide 58 and 40 types of medicines respectively free of cost respectively. However, these facilities have failed to comply with this rule. In practice, the role of the district hospital is limited to referring patients to other hospitals.
Ignored
Govt slashing CIAA’s rights
Rajdhani reports that the government is preparing to bring a bill with an intent of slashing rights of the Commission for the Investigation of Abuse of Authority (CIAA). A cabinet meeting held on Tuesday decided to cut off the right of the anti-graft body to investigate undue activities of those holding public posts. On the other hand, CIAA has been demanding that it should be allowed to investigate the property details of public posts holders.
Diplomats show concerns over transitional justice system
Annapurna Post reports that diplomats from America and Europe have shown concern regarding the whole transitional justice process. Due to the government’s lack of planning and cooperation, the two transitional justice commissions – Truth and Reconciliation Commission and the Commission of Investigation on Enforced Disappeared Persons still doesn’t have a chairman. The foreign diplomats are planning to contact the government and put pressure on them to quickly appoint the heads of the commissions.
Pesticide import continues to increase
The Kathmandu Post reports that even as the political fallout over the KP Sharma Oli administration’s recent decisions over pesticide testing continues, the use of pesticides in Nepal’s own farm produce has been quietly growing to alarming levels.
Nepal imported 635 tonnes of pest-killing chemicals, worth around Rs830 million, in the last fiscal year alone, according to data from the Plant Quarantine and Pesticides Management Centre. Most of these pesticides—85 per cent—was applied on vegetables, according to Ram Krishna Subedi, information officer at the centre. In the last decade, imports of pesticides have climbed nearly five-fold—from 132 tonnes in 2007-08 to 635 tonnes in 2017-18.
Interesting
Lack of rainfall hits rice plantation
The Himalayan Times reports that paddy plantation has been severely affected across the country this year owing to lack of adequate rainfall, especially in the Tarai belt.
As per the statistics of the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock Development, paddy plantation was completed across 23.76 per cent of arable land in the country till July 8, a whopping 29.19 per cent less compared to the area covered by the same time last year. Paddy plantation was carried out on 52.95 per cent of arable land by July 8 last year. This means that paddy plantation has been completed across merely 326,000-hectare land so far this year out of 1.37 million hectares arable land.
PM considering reshuffling cabinet
The Kathmandu Post reports that faced with increasing criticism over a host of controversial decisions, Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli has started evaluating his Cabinet ministers’ performances in a series of meetings.
Oli held three Cabinet meetings on Monday and Tuesday, and also met with President Bidya Devi Bhandari on Monday evening. During the meetings, ministers discussed ways to prevent controversies while preparing bills and laws.
The ongoing evaluation is aimed at a Cabinet reshuffle, said ruling party leaders, as some recent decisions, from the Guthi Bill to the testing of pesticides on vegetables and fruits imported from India, invited controversy and “tarnished the image of the government.”
Ministers close to the party say that the government is doing a serious review, where its strengths, weaknesses and controversies are being discussed.
FNJ withdraws protest
Nagarik reports that Federation of Nepali Journalists has suspended the remaining programmes of its third phase of protest being organised against the bill after the NCP lawmakers in the upper house made a written commitment to address its demands.
FNJ and media fraternity have taken a serious objection to the provisions in the Media Council Bill, which they said were intended to curtail press freedom. The bill stipulates a provision of a fine of up to one million rupees on media outlets, editors, publishers and journalists if they are found guilty of damaging someone’s reputation. It also proposes punishment for violating the code of conduct, which include suspending press identity cards of media persons and downgrading the classification of print media outlets.
