Major Nepali and English broadsheet dailies published from Kathmandu on Wednesday have given priority to a host of issues on their front pages. The most common news stories featured on the covers are the launch of an electric bus service in Kathmandu, exchange of arguments between Nepal Communist Party Chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal and Province 2 Chief Minister Lalbabu Raut and the Secretariat meeting of ruling NCP.
Besides, there are few other important and interesting stories from political, sociocultural and economic spheres.
Important
Keshav Sthapit accused of sexual harassment
A six column lead story in The Kathmandu Post reports that two women—a former staffer of Kathmandu Metropolitan City and a former journalist—have accused Province 3 Minister for Physical Infrastructure Keshav Sthapit, who is also a former mayor of Kathmandu, of sexually harassing them. Rashmila Prajapati and Ujjwala Maharjan have resorted to social media to share their stories as part of global #MeToo movement, according to the report.
Sthapit, however, has denied meeting Maharjan and countered details given by Prajapati.
Suspended cops to furnish clarifications over Pant murder probe today
Nepal Police SP Dilli Raj Bista and Inspector Jagadish Bhatta, who have been accused of mishandling the case related to rape and murder of 13-year-old Nirmala Pant in Kanchanpur three months ago, are preparing to furnish the government with their clarifications today, reports The Himalayan Times lead story.
On the other hand, the government is preparing to dismiss them irrespective of what they will claim in the clarifications, according to the report.
Meanwhile, The Kathmandu Post adds that the Police Headquarters is preparing to quiz them over the issue soon.
Thapa fears govt toppling by reactionary forces
Annapurna Post and The Himalayan Times report that Minister for Home Affairs Ram Bahadur Thapa has expressed his fears that reactionary forces including the main opposition Nepali Congress are preparing to topple the government and jeopardise the political achievements of federalism, republicanism, proportional representation, secularism and inclusion.
Thapa said so while speaking at a meeting of Nepal Communist Party Secretariat yesterday.
Meanwhile, two Secretariat members—Madhav Kumar Nepal and Narayan Kaji Shrestha—have given the birth to a new faction in the party over the formation of provincial committees, reports Rajdhani in its lead story.
Ignored
Congress yet to decide venue for mahasamiti meeting
The main opposition party Nepali Congress is scheduled to hold is mahasamiti meeting in November in Kathmandu. However, the party is yet to decide the venue for the event and the party President Sher Bahadur Deuba has recently directed Kathmandu district president Sabuj Baniya to find the place, reports Gorkhapatra.
Meanwhile, factions led by Ram Chandra Paudel and Krishna Prasad Sitaula have opposed the party leadership’s proposal of making the president more powerful through a amendment to the party constitution, according to the lead story of Naya Patrika.
Amendment to contradictory laws delayed
Kantipur reports in a three column story that the government has failed to prepare draft bills for the amendment to laws that contradict new constitutional provisions though the 2015 constitution has given a deadline of March next year for the task.
According to the constitution, the Federal Parliament should amend the provisions that counter the constitution within one year of its first meeting, and the deadline will expire in the first week of March.
Otherwise, the contradictory laws will be null and void automatically.
Local govts barred from distributing social security allowance at their discretion
The federal government has introduced the new Social Security Act, which will bar local governments from distributing social security allowance at their own discretion, reports Karobar in a two column story.
The new law has it that the federal government will allocate funds for the allowances, hence local governments cannot allocate separate funds to avoid duplication.
Staff shortage hits court functioning hard
Republica reports in a four column story that the country’s judiciary has been grappling with severe shortage of human resources, resulting in the delay in justice delivery.
The report informs that the Supreme Court two months ago had asked the government to approve 1,339 new positions in the judiciary. Though the Ministry has already given the green signal, the Cabinet is yet to approve the request.
Interesting
Record rice production predicted for this year
The government has predicted that the country will produce around 5.8 million metric ton rice, the highest annual cultivation since the government began recording the production, this year.
Secretary at the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock Development, Yubak Dhoj GC, has attributed the improvement to better monsoon rains and control of diseases, according to Nagarik anchor story.
