transport management office in jumla

Jumla, Jan 3: The Transport Management Office in Jumla was officially established as the youngest transport office of the country here on Friday.

The Office was jointly inaugurated by Under Secretary at the Ministry of Physical Infrastructure and Transport Management Lekhnath Gyawali and Chief District Officer Dupendra Raj Poudel.

On the occasion Under Secretary Gyawali and CDO Poudel urged the newly establish office staffers to work efficiently to provide driving license, renewal and vehicle registration services to service-recipients.

Director of Department of Transport Basant Adhikari and Chief of Transport Management Office Karnali Umesh Basnet emphasized on the need for a joint monitoring mechanism to wipe out the shortcomings and problems in road management.

Meanwhile, the newly established office inaugurated its services on the same day after renewing the driving license of investigation officer at the National Investigation District Office Pappu Sharma Poudel and local Bijaya Budthapa. RSS

uml flexible on number of federal units-vc shakya

Belauri (Kanchanpur), Jan 3: CPN-UML Vice-chair Asta Laxmi Shakya has said that new constitution would be promulgated through the due process if a consensus was not forged among the political parties.

Speaking at a gathering organized by UML Kanchanpur here on Friday, she said there was still a possibility that the parties could promulgate a new constitution on January 22, based on a consensus.

Stating that the UML had outlined a clear federal structure based on multi-ethnic identity and viability, the UML Vice Chair said her party was ready to exercise some flexibility in the number of federal units. RSS

south asian martial art championship from jan 15

Kathmandu, Jan 3: The first South Asian Martial Art Championship is to be held in the capital from coming January 15.

Some 500 athletes from Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and hosts Nepal will compete for 50 gold medals in the tournament to be organized by the Student Olympic Association Nepal.

The tournament shall feature competitions in Karate, Kick Boxing, Tae Kwando, Wusu and other martial art sport categories, according to General Secretary of the Association Purusottam Budhathoki.

The two-day regional event shall be held at the covered hall of National Sports Council in Tripureswar.

The tournament is expected to cost around two million rupees, as per the estimation of the organizers. RSS

Information Ministry's quarterly progress

  

Kathmandu, Jan 1: Ministry of Information and Communications has achieved 40 per cent progress in physical and 48 per cent in financial sectors during the first quarter of the current fiscal year.   

 At the ministerial-level Development Problem Resolution Committee meeting of the ministry held Thursday, the Ministry said that the Rastriya Samachar Samiti (RSS), one among the 13 bodies under the Ministry, achieved cent percent progress in both physical and financial sectors.

Ministry's Policy and Monitoring Evaluation Department Chief Under-Secretary Bharat Dhungana presented the report at the meeting stating that RSS achieved cent percent progress compared to National Information Commission (NIC), Radio Broadcasting Service Development Committee, Gorkhapatra Corporation, Nepal Television, Press Council Nepal, Department of Information and Nepal Telecom.

Dhungana said the Ministry collected Rs 5.7 billion plus in revenue during the review period.

At the meeting, Information Minister Dr Minendra Rijal urged the line agencies of the Ministry to offer suggestions to give the Communication Policy and Film Policy draft a final shape.

Likewise, Dr Rijal said the works were underway for appointing commissioners at NIC, bring the Frequency Policy and transform the regulations in connection to the communication sector.

On a different note, Minister Rijal said, "It is the duty of all to protect and preserve the physical infrastructure, roads and gardens of the Kathmandu valley constructed during the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC)."

Likewise, National Planning Commission member Prem Dangal said the bodies under the Ministry must be professional and competitive and called for new programmes.

Information Secretary Sunil Bahadur Malla underscored the necessity for the Ministry and its bodies to implement the new development in information and technology. He said the fund collected in the Rural Telecommunication Trust must be used in the development and expansion of telecommunication service.

On the occasion, RSS General Manager Shreeramsingh Basnet underlined the surging trend of unauthorized use of the RSS news and said the Press Council Nepal was urged to control such use.

Similarly, Press Council Nepal Chairman Borna Bahadur Karki said the new customers of the RSS using the news illegally were being taken action by classifying them and stressed the problem seen in monitoring the use of code of conduct in electronic media.

Also speaking at the programme, Nepal Television General Manager Laxman Humagain urged the Ministry to focus on digital frequency distribution and analogue.

Gorkhapatra Corporation General Manager Sushil Koirala said the due amount owing to lack of timely payment of the government advertisements published in the Gorkhapatra daily reached Rs 170 million.

On the occasion, Director General at the Information Department Laxmi Prasad Koirala highlighted the problems seen in implementing Conflict Victim Journalist Relief Programme. RSS 

Leaders urge leadership to adopt flexibility on contentious issues

Kathmandu, Jan 1: Leaders of different political parties have urged the top leaders to adopt flexibility as soon as possible on the disputed issues of constitution writing to promulgate the new constitution within January 22.

At a face to face programme organised by the Reporters' Club Nepal here Thursday, the leaders stressed on the need of heading the country towards the path of economic development by promulgating the new constitution as soon as possible, as other development works are under the shadow after leaders of political parties are focused in constitution writing for long. 

On the occasion, Nepali Congress leader and lawmaker Arjun Joshi said the new constitution should be promulgated soon even by keeping the disputed issues intact as new constitution could be amended again.

Similarly, CPN (UML) leader Dr Rajan Bhattarai said youth leaders associated with different political parties should exert positive pressure for the promulgation of the new constitution on slated time.

Likewise, UCPN (Maoist) Secretary Top Bahadur Rayamajhi said the new constitution should be promulgated by forming a national consensus government.

                            

Also speaking at the programme, chief whip of the Mashesi Janadhikar Forum-Nepal Dr Shivaji Yadav and Chairman of the Nepal Pariwar Dal Yeknath Dhakal urged the major political parties to rise above their personal and partisan interests to promulgate the constitution on stipulated time. RSS

Chances of constitution by Jan 22 slim: Dahal

Gajuri, Jan 1: UCPN (Maoist) Chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal on Thursday said that the chances of promulgation of the new constitution by January 22 were becoming slim.

At a news conference organized by the Revolutionary Journalists Association Dhading Chapter here, Dahal said the country will not get a constitution if the major parties fail to reach a consensus within the next four days.

Apprising of the four days time handed by the Constituent Assembly (CA) Chairman at the Business Advisory Committee meeting, the UCPN (Maoist) Chairman said the constitution will not be drafted by the stipulated time if the parties fail to reach an agreement on the given time.

Ruling out the possibility of the third Constituent Assembly, Chairman Dahal said there was no other alternative to drafting a new constitution through the current CA.

On a different note, Dahal said UCPN (Maoist) has no internal disputes and said the party would soon move ahead for the special general convention.

Dahal said the UCPN (Maoist) would not split again but said that unification process with other Maoist parties including CPN-Maoist were underway. RSS 

Cabinet meeting decisions

 Kathmandu, Jan 1: The meeting of the Council of Minister held today has decided to provide Rs 20 million in relief to the Mugu farmers whose crops were damaged due to the hailstorm occurred on October 25, 2014. 

According to the government spokesperson and Minister for Information and Communications Dr Minendra Rijal, the meeting also decided to accept 25 million US dollars grant assistance from the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) meant for climate change resilience to the small farmers of the hilly region.

Likewise, the cabinet meeting appointed Dr Prayash Shrestha as the chairman of the Lumbini Hospital Development Committee.

Similarly, the cabinet meeting decided to table the SAARC Convention on Mutual Assistance in Criminal Matters signed in 2008 in the SAARC ministerial-level meeting at the Legislature-Parliament meeting for approval. 

Furthermore, the meeting promoted six Senior Superintendents of Police of the Armed Police Force (APF) to DIG, Dr Rijal said.

In relation to the selection of the supervision consultant of the Tanahun Hydropower Project, 

Dr Rijal said, the Ministry of Energy would review its decision by upholding the decision of the Tanahun Hydropower Limited. RSS