Prime Minister KP Oli centralized the ministerial duties to the remaining five ministers, including himself.

Supreme Court declared the appointment of new ministers unconstitutional by issuing an interim order.

The PM has received the Presidential ratification for the new ministerial arrangements. The five ministers will hold oversee the ministries as follows:

The post Nepal Prime Minister distributes all portfolios to the remaining cabinet ministers appeared first on Nepali Sansar.

Doctors and health workers across the country are planning to halt all hospital services (except emergencies) if the government fails to immediately address Dr. KC Govind demands.

Govind has been on a hunger strike since January 9, 2019, demanding crucial reforms in the medical education sector.

Following this, the Nepal Medical Association (NMA) started a relay hunger strike across Nepal to pressurize the government for giving into Govind’s demands on the 20th day of his fast-unto-death.

Doctors in Kathmandu Valley gathered at Tribhuvan University’s Teaching Hospital, Maharagunj to hold a relay hunger strike, displaying their support for the education activist KC Govind’s cause.

Even various NMA chapters’ doctors from outside Kathmandu Valley staged hunger strikes.

However, the government stationed hired persons with national flags at different government hospitals as a counter move to the protest, said NMA officials.

“That was a misuse of national flag and of the right to protest,” stated Dr Mukti Ram Shrestha, NMA President.

“We will stage relay hunger strike for two days across the country if the government does not take any initiative to address Dr KC’s demands by Tuesday, then we will shut stop all hospital services except for emergency,” Shrestha added.

On January 28, 2019 services at hospitals across Nepal were partially affected.

Nepal Minister for Science & Technology Giriraj Mani Pokharel said that Govind does not have to protest against the parliament’s decision.

“I request him to embrace the achievements of the National Medical Education Bill,” he added.

Various groups including Nepal Students Union and Nepali Congress Student Wing staged protests on January 26, 2019, urging the government to implement the agreement signed with KC.

Read: Nepal House of Representatives Endorses Much-Awaited Medical Education Bill

Legal Experts Persuade Govt to Put An End to Govind’s Fast

As the turmoil over KC’s demands continues, many legal experts have suggested that the government find an amicable solution to end Govind’s fast-unto-death.

“The government is not showing any gesture toward settling the ongoing impasse. The kind of behavior and utterances by those in government only show that they are not for settling this amicably,” stated advocate Bipin Adhikari.

Adhikari suggests that the government should talk to KC’s supporters to address those demands that were not implemented and also persuade his supporters to utilize the provisions of the bill to their advantage.

“There is still a chance to amend the bill in line with the agreement reached with Dr KC in the past,” Adhikari added.

Legal experts hold the government responsible for not complying with Govind’s agreements and not trying to create an environment for reaching a fresh agreement with Dr KC.

They argue that PM Oli’s remark— the agreement with Dr KC was reached under different circumstances only, put the prime minister in poor light.

In Nepal the constitution is supreme rather than the parliament, argued Advocate Bhimarjun Acharya while expressing dissatisfaction over both parties inability to come to a conclusion.

“Of course, parliament is supreme when it comes to making laws. It is not good to obstruct the lawmaking role of parliament. However, remedy can be sought if any provision in the law breaches constitutional norms,” he added.

Similar:

• Heat Intensifies over Nepal Medical Education Bill, KC Writes Open Letter!

The post NMA Protests Against Government Over Dr KC Govind’s Demands appeared first on Nepali Sansar.

On January 09, 2019, the Education and Health Committee of the House of Representatives passed the National Medical Education Bill.

The revised bill was endorsed with support from two-thirds majority of the ruling Nepal Communist Party (NCP).

However, the said bill contradicts the agreement signed between the Nepal Government and medical education reform activist Dr Govinda KC.

Lawmakers from the opposition Nepali Congress (NC) were dissatisfied with its contents and voted against it, asking that the agreement signed with Dr Govinda KC be respected.

Congress Lawmakers also presented a seven-point note of dissent during the committee meeting, arguing that the bill failed to fulfill the requirements of Dr KC’s agreement.

Justifying NCP’s amendments to the Medical Bill, one of its lawmakers Yogesh Bhattarai said that the bill has truly honored the deals decided with Dr KC.

“Some people may feel that the endorsement of the bill manipulated or violated the deals reached with Dr KC. In fact, this is win-win for both the government and Dr KC. I would say this is also the victory of Dr KC,” Bhattarai argued.

The government also received criticism from former Health Minister and NC lawmaker Gagan Thapa who accused it of betraying people’s trust by not honoring the deals with KC.

“The bill has undoubtedly breached the deals reached with Dr KC,” said Thapa adding that the bill was endorsed in favor of some government officials interest’s and influence of some businessmen.

Point of Contradiction

The bill is in alignment with Dr KC demands when it states that a university cannot grant affiliation to more than five medical colleges.

However, it sharply deviates from the original agreement stating that institutions outside the Kathmandu Valley will be exempted.

The post Nepal House of Representatives Endorses Much-Awaited Medical Education Bill appeared first on Nepali Sansar.

The Parliamentary Hearing Committee (PHC) of the Federal Parliament approved Nepal’s senior most justice Rana’s name for the country’s top judicial post on January 01, 2019.

The new appointment followed a thorough PHC hearing procedure on December 29, 2018 and January 01, 2019.

Rana took up the new role after swearing the oath of office and secrecy in Nepal President Bidya Devi Bhandari’s presence on January 02, 2019 and will continue in his new role until four years.

The hunt for the new Chief Justice began when ex-Chief Justice Om Prakash Mishra retired due to expiration of age limit (65 years) for the said post.

Justice Rana’s Hearing Process

During the hearing process on January 01, 2019, Rana was asked a series of questions and queries by the Parliamentary panel including 10 members from the National Assembly and the House of Representatives.

Committee members asked Rana questions on his work plan and complaints reported against him.

On the first day of the hearing Rana presented his work plan that he is supposed to execute after becoming CJ.

Rana’s 10-point work plan encompasses improving the level of judicial responsibility & good governance, people’s access to justice and increasing Nepalis’ trust in judiciary case management & justice delivery.

Besides, he also extended his commitment to the regulatory body to curb corruption in the country.

However, the committee was not fully convinced on Rana’s ability to become Chief Justice.

PHC Committee Dissatisfied

“The PHC grilled Rana thoroughly on Sunday and today before recommending him for the post of CJ despite having doubts about his ability to become the CJ because of his track record,” said Laxman Lal Karna, PHC Chairman.

According to sources, the committee will frequently monitor Rana’s work as it was not satisfied with his clarifications on previous verdicts.

The PHC Committee received nine complaints against Rana, out of which two were serious concerns that lawmakers also consider as controversial verdicts.

“They pose a question mark on Rana’s ability to become chief justice,” said Lawmaker, Neeru Devi Pal.

“Rana should not treat the clearance given by the committee as a ‘carte blanche’. “If he fails to execute his tasks properly, the Parliament will not let him go scot-free,” said Surendra Pandey, Nepal Communist Party (NCP) Lawmaker.

In his defense Rana said that the verdicts were made in accordance with the provisions of the law.

“The three organs of the state should function independently. The SC will not create hurdles for the government to initiate and execute development work if those actions do not violate the country’s laws and the constitution,” added Rana.

All said and done, Nepali Sansar wishes the Honorable Chief Justice good luck for his new role!

Chief Justice Rana Will Not Assign Cases to SJ Joshee
Newly-appointed Chief Justice Cholendra Shumsher JB Rana assumed office on January 02, 2018.

Following his appointment, Rana announced that he will not be assigning any cases to senior-most justice Deepak Raj Joshee at a press briefing.

Earlier, the Parliamentary Hearing Committee (PHC) had rejected Joshee’s nomination for the post of Chief Justice on August 03, 2018.

Speaking to the media, Rana said, “I haven’t assigned any case to senior-most justice Deepak Raj Joshee. I shall not assign him any cases in future either.”

The new Chief Justice explained that he took the decision following his commitment and respect for PHC.

“Even though he is my good friend and the senior-most justice, I took this stern decision because we need to respect the system and make headway with the problems facing the judiciary,” he further said.

Despite the presence of all the SC judges during the press briefing, Joshee was absent from the event.

However, Joshee said that he would continue to come to office since he had a lot more to do.

“I shall come to office continuously because I still have so much I need to do,” said Joshee.

Besides, Chief Justice Rana also assured media that the judiciary will be more stronger and united.

“We were not divided even in the past. There was no factionalism and groupism as such. But there is criticism at the level of the public that we are divided and that groupism was rife within the judiciary. Look at us here. We are all here at the press conference.” he said.

On his first day at work, Rana reshuffled benches for assigning cases to justices even when they could not hear many cases because of their busy schedule following the new CJ’s appointment.

Rana also asked media to deal sensitively with comments on tasks of judges and court activities while exercising their freedom of opinion on judicial matters.

About Cholendra Shumsher JB Rana
Earlier, Rana served as an appellate court judge beginning April, 1996 and a Supreme Court justice from May 26, 2014.

Justice Cholendra Shamsher became the Supreme Court’s permanent justice in 2071 BS.

The post Rana Appointed Nepal Chief Justice Amid Debate appeared first on Nepali Sansar.

In a new development that emerged, the government has drafted a law to govern sustenance allowance for its unemployed citizens in accordance with its constitutional statute of employment for every citizens.

What does the draft law do?
The draft titled ‘Right to Employment Bill’ was submitted at the Parliament on August 21, 2018. The law directs the government to provide employment to every Nepali for at least 100 days of work, annually. If the government fails to do so, it has to provide a ‘sustenance allowance’ equal to half the salary that is fixed for the 100-day period.

• The bill mandates Employment Service Centres (ESC) in every federal unit to keep a track of all employed and unemployed citizens. The draft law states that,“Citizens getting such support must work as directed by the respective ESC”
• The Central Directive Committee led by the Nepal Ministry for Labor, Employment and Social Security should ensure that this process is being practiced
• The law stipulates that the three tiers of government perform the following roles for creating jobs:
  • Provide information on employment opportunities
  • Conduct skill-based training
  • Provide Concessional Loans and
  • Promote Entrepreneurship

The bill that received approval from the Nepal Cabinet is now awaiting the Federal Parliament’s nod.

Additional Provisions:
Other than this, the law restricts employers from laying off employees, unless they have committed unlawful activity.

A person who is unjustly unenrolled from the organization can plead with the respective local government. If during the course of the investigation, the employee is found with ‘no fault’ then the government can fine the employer and have him/her reinstated.

If both the parties are not satisfied with the ruling of the local government, then they can appeal to the Labor Court.

The existing law determines the basic monthly salary given by the government as Rs 13,450. Once the law is passed, the basic monthly salary will be increased to Rs 22, 416.

Nepal Foreign Employment Promotion Board to be Renamed:
In another recent development, the Nepal Government has decided to change the name of the Foreign Employment Promotion Board (FEPB) in a bid to ‘promote employment opportunities inside the country’.

The new name will read as Foreign Employment Management Board (FEMB) and will give the initial impetus for the government’s goal of creating employment opportunities inside the country.

Speaking at the meeting of the parliamentary committee Gokarna Bista, Minister, Nepal Labor, Employment and Social Security said, “Utilizing the human resources and their skills for nation building is our main priority. We certainly don’t encourage our youths to go on foreign employment. The board name suggested it promotes labor migration. Therefore, it would be changed.”

Nepal HoR Approves Proposal on Deliberations for Right to Employment Bill
In a new development following Nepal’s Right to Employment Bill, the House of Representatives (HoR) approved the Ministry’s proposal for seeking deliberations on the bill.

Ministry Plans for Creation of Employment:
Creating hope for the job scenario in Nepal, Nepal Minister for Labor, Employment and Social Security Gokarna Bista said that the government has arranged for the provision to ensure employment to capable and qualified young Nepalis.

However, lawmakers emphasize the following:

• Creation of opportunities in Nepal
• Creation of environment to attract youth to good opportunities
• Increasing investment in industries, especially the energy sector among others, to create jobs

In response to lawmakers questions, Bista said that the government envisions creating jobs in Nepal itself and that the goal of providing job opportunities in the country can be achieved in a few years.

Adding further, he says that stringent measures will be taken for monitoring foreigners working in Nepal without labor permits. Foreign employment will also be made stringent to be more effective.

Bista also reveals that the government plans to set up Employment Service Centres (ESC) at the local level.

Similarly, the government will also compensate unemployment in event of failure to provide employment.

The post Nepal Employment Laws: Sustenance Allowance, Labor Retention in the Offing appeared first on Nepali Sansar.

Besides this, nearly 75 houses in Aitabare area received electrification, prior to which residents suffered in the absence of a central transmission line.

The project was funded by the Asian Development Bank, Alternative Energy Promotion Centre and the District Coordination Committee who contributed Rs 14.5 million, Rs 1.6 million and 600,000, respectively.

Speaking at the inaugural ceremony, Energy, Water Resource and Irrigation Minister Barsaman Pun said that the distant areas which do not have access to the central transmission line will be put in touch with solar energy.

Pun also added that the Nepal Government has put supply of drinking water and irrigation facilities on top priority.

Talking about future plans, he said that the formation of the Federal Government has paved way for energy tie-ups with China and Bangladesh.

There are many hydropower and renewable energy projects that are already initiated with small and large scale firms in Province 1.

Member of National Planning Commission Dr Krishna Prasad Oli, Executive Director of Centre Nabaraj Dhakal and Member of House of Representatives Ghanshyam Khatiwada, also shared their views on development prospects with the help of solar energy.

Conclusion:
It is said that big changes begins with a small step. We hope that projects such as these pave the way for the overall development of Nepal.

The post Morang District Benefits with Solar Mini-Grid Project appeared first on Nepali Sansar.

“The existing Act prevents us from investing as promoter. This is a barrier in widening our investments,” said Brigadier General Raghu Bhandari, Director, Nepal Army Welfare Fund (NAWF) in his address at a press conference in Kathmandu.

It seeks to receive high ROI to support serving military personnel and retired officials ‘welfare activities’.

The Nepal Army is keen on revising the recommendations of the said Act as it restricts them from investing funds in energy, financial, business and other sectors, Bhandari says.

Currently, it is  not happy with the limited interest earned from the NAWF’s billions of rupees deposits in commercial and development banks. NAWF has cash deposit of Rs 35.77 billion and investments worth Rs 5.52 billion in various sectors.

Potential Areas of Investments:
It wishes to invest its deposits in two hydropower projects and in treasury bills that will earn the welfare fund more returns that it gets from banks.

Additionally, it is has proposed to the Nepal Department of Electricity Development (DoED) for the construction of 25 MW Dudh Khola and 32 MW Bhimdang Khola hydropower projects, before NAWF authorities can amend the Act.

DoED is willing to open Bhimdang Khola for investments, out of the two Manang-based projects.

What Experts Say?
There should be clarity on which areas the Nepal Army can invest in, said a security expert. The army should dedicate its focus to producing the things it needs rather than engaging in commercial activity. It’s money can be invested in the creations of arms and ammunitions, uniforms and other requirements.

Nepal House of Representatives member and security expert Dipak Prakash Bhatta said the Army who’s foremost duty is providing security should not pursue matters that make it vulnerable to controversy.

He also adds that to approve the amendment, it will have to get the Nepal Cabinet’s approval even before the Federal Parliament’s attestation.

In the past, it decision of leasing Tri-Chandra Military Hospital for business, running petrol stations in the country and selling land plots to staff has landed the army into controversy and receiving false accusations such as ‘focus on commercial gains’.

Nepal Army Act 2006 – Army Welfare Fund:
Chapter 6 of the Nepal Army Act 2006 provisions that the amounts saved from meeting the cost of welfare activities which are conducted from the interest of the fund, should be deposited in various Banks and financial institutions.

The post Nepal Army Approaches Ministry to Widen Investments appeared first on Nepali Sansar.

In his address at Tribhuvan University’s 59^th Annual Day, Kirtipur Oli said, “Universities have been granting affiliation to colleges without any research and study, thereby contributing to the increase in the number of educated unemployed people in the country.”

The government is conducting a study on HR requirement and is formulating a new education policy to bridge the gap between educated people of appropriate age and the right employment opportunities for them, Oli adds.

Long-awaited Bill in the Offing
Nepal is also awaiting its most-sought Medical Education Bill that is expected to bring in reforms in the country’s medical education and healthcare sector.

The Nepali Ministry of Education, Health and Technology presented the Bill to the House of Representatives (HOR) on July 12, 2018 amidst strong criticism and is awaiting further approval procedures.

However, the proposed Bill clashes with Dr. KC Govind’s Health Education Act that demands the right to accountable governance and the call for social justice in provisioning quality public education and healthcare.

The Act also suggests a 10-year moratorium be laid on new schools in the Kathmandu Valley and a mandatory provision that such schools should have a hospital functioning for at least three years.

Nepal Education, Health and Technology Minister Giriraj Mani Pokharel argues that it is not possible to execute all the recommendations of the Mathema-recommended Act but assures that a high-level commission will decide about affiliations and management of medical schools as recommended by the Health Education Act.

Youth Demands
In a recent development, the youth connected with various student bodies has demanded  nationalization or conversion of Nepal private medical colleges to non-profit Trusts.

The meeting persuaded the government to begin process of establishment for at least one medical college in every province of Nepal, informed the All Nepal National Independent Students’ Union (ANNISU Revolutionary) Vice-Chairperson Surendra Basnet.

All the student organizations demanded the formation of a high-level medical education commission to address the issues faced by the country’s medical education sector.

The meeting saw the participation of Young Communist League (YCL), Youth Association of Nepal, All Nepal National Free Students Union and All Nepal National Independent Students Union (Revolutionary).

Hope the new demands and policies in the offing would meet the right educational requirements of the country’s young populace!

The post Nepal PM Oli declares Plans for New Education Policy appeared first on Nepali Sansar.

The FPTP election vote count for 165 House of Representatives (HoR) and 330 Provincial Assembly (PA) seats declared the victory of the Communist Party of Nepal (CPN)-Unified Marxist-Leninist (UML) in the recent polls.

With 80 HoR seats & 167 PA seats by UML and 36 HoR & 74 PA seats by its poll partner CPN (Maoist Centre), the left alliance finally emerged as the single largest party as per the FPTP results.

With this, the ruling Nepali Congress (NC) could find its presence only in 23 HoR and 41 PA constituencies, followed by Rastriya Janata Party-Nepal (RJP-Nepal) that received 11 HoR and 16 PA seats.

While the independents proved their presence in 1 HoR constituency and 3 PA constituencies, 6 women candidates made it to HoR.

According to EC, the vote counting of both HoR and National Assembly has come to final stages with 164 parliamentary and 329 provincial representatives elected so far in the polls held for 165 parliamentary and 330 provincial seats.

PR Counting Underway

Overall, the left alliance won 116 of 165 FPTP seats for HoR and was leading the Proportional Representation (PR) count, held for 60 districts, for 110 seats.

Out of the 7,684,328 PR votes counted so far, “CPN-UML has so far secured 2,631,991 votes followed by NC (2,546,069), CPN-MC (1,045,446), Federal Socialist Forum Nepal (351,525) and the RJP-Nepal (295,448),” informed Nepal Election Commission (EC) Spokesperson Nawaraj Dhakal.

The PR vote counting is currently underway in around 17 districts and the final PR result is expected by December 15, 2017 evening.

Once the parties submit their HoR winners under PR category, EC will take the process ahead to President for further approval before making the list public.

Decline in Women Representatives

The number of directly-elected women to the HoR seats under the FPTP category has decreased this time as only 6 women candidates made it to HoR.

This number indicates a gradual decline in women representatives in Nepali elections over a period.

While the first Constituent Assembly (CA) elections in 2008 saw 30 women representatives, the number declined to 10 in 2013 CA elections, and now it has come down to 6.

This situation lies in contrast to the constitutional rules that recommend 33 percent women representatives in the House.

This time, only three parties including CPN-UML, CPN-MC and Rastriya Janamorcha the winning female candidates.

While UML had only 3 female winners in a total of 80 FPTP seats, CPN-MC also saw a similar number among its 36 total FPTP winners.

Meanwhile, the ruling NC party saw the failure of its 9 female candidates fielded for HoR seats.

Brainstorming Begins

With the results announced, now the winner leftist alliance is brainstorming on the formation of the new Nepali government with key discussions on power-sharing, among others.

According to the senior left leaders, KP Oli, UML Chairman and the next PM of Nepal (likely), and the MC Chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal, also called Prachanda, are likely to hold discussions during December 14-15, 2017 over the formation of new government at the Center.

While some experts feel the formation of central government will be possible only after Assembly results, UML feels that the Assembly (Upper House) election will not be an issue and aims at the formation by the end of December 2017.

Following the formation, the President will call for the first Federal Parliament session under the new government, within 30 days of the declaration of final results of HoR as recommended by the Nepali Constitution.

The post Nepal General Election 2017: Left Alliance Wins FPTP Polls, New Govt Likely by Dec End appeared first on Nepali Sansar.

A total of 4,482 candidates are competing in this phase that is being held at 15,344 polling centers across 45 districts of the country.

The first phase, held on November 26, 2017, was held across 32 districts.

While the first round saw around 65 percent voter participation, the Nepal Election Commission (EC) expects the second phase polls to register more than 70 percent turnout with over 12.2 million voters exercising their vote.

The completion of this First-Past-The-Post (FPTP) election will result in formation of Federal Parliament at the Center and Provincial Assemblies across seven provinces of the country as planned in the new constitution in 2015.

The counting process will also begin the same day in the evening.

A Worth-waiting Election

The world governments, especially the bordering nations, are eagerly watching this landmark election of Nepal.

“I think the party I feel like voting [for] is popular because it strongly claims Nepal as a nation that is capable of bringing those golden days of Nepal back, where Nepal stood economically, socially and politically strong without aid dependency,” says Lawyer Jyoti Singh Bhandari.

“The Election Commission calls on all eligible voters to take part in the elections to convey a strong message to those who are against the implementation of the constitution as well as political stability in the country,” reads a statement by the Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Ayodhee Prasad Yadav.

While Nepal has saw a governmental transition 26 times in the past 28 years, many hope this election would end long-standing political turmoil and open ways for new Nepali constitution, while also bringing in needed development across the country.

The post Nepal General Election 2017: Final Phase of Landmark Polls Across 45 Districts appeared first on Nepali Sansar.