PM’s health improves further

Kathmandu, Mar. 8

Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli’s health has shown further improvement, said the Tribhuvan University Teaching Hospital (TUTH) on Sunday.

PM Oli had undergone a kidney transplant on Wednesday.

He had started having normal meal and brief walking from Saturday, said Executive Director of the hospital Prof. Dr. Prem Krishna Khadga in a statement.

PM Oli is given normal meal four days after kidney transplant. His vitals and lab indicators are normal, he said.

Meanwhile, PM’s niece Samiksha Sangraula’s health is stable and her vitals and lab indicators are also normal.

She also enquired about the health of Prime Minister Oli on Sunday, according to a twitter post of PM Oli’s Chief Political Advisor Bishnu Rimal.

Published in The Rising Nepal daily on 9 March 2020. 

Difference in opinion normal: Prachanda

Chitwan, Mar. 8

Chairman of Nepal Communist Party Pushpa Kamal Dahal Prachanda said that the party cadres at the lower levels must not be disappointed due to some differences in the views on the part of the top leaders.

“If you are sad or disappointed with the party leaders following small differences in opinion among them during the party secretariat meeting a few days ago, you have to take it easy,” he urged the cadres while addressing the CPN Chitwan Secretariat meeting on Sunday.

“In a party like ours, a difference in opinion is normal. Leaders have different opinions on different issues but they might have a similar view on some other issues. But if the lower level cadres are divided on this very basis, it would create problems,” he said.

Prachanda said that there were no problems at the central level and the leaders having different views on certain issues sit together and sort out the concerns. “But if there is a problem among you and you did not sort it out yourself, it will create bigger problems,” he said.

“You are the pillars of the party and you have the responsibility of implementing party’s action plan at people’s level, promote government policy and programmes and strengthen the party, therefore you must keep providing us your suggestions on concerned issues,” said Prachanda.

He stated that the decisions of the party secretariat would be implemented. “Prime Minister is undergoing treatment at the Teaching Hospital and the decision would be executed following his return from the hospital,” he said, “We have decided to take Bamdev Gautam to the National Assembly and the decision would be implemented. Rest assured.”

He directed the party cadres to spread the news of good deeds of the government to the people.

Published in The Rising Nepal daily on 9 March 2020. 

NCC hands over health tools to TIA to fight COVID-19

Kathmandu, Mar. 8

Nepal Chamber of Commerce (NCC) has handed over health materials to the Tribhuvan International Airport and the Department of Public Health to support them in the campaign against coronavirus (COVID-19).

It gave away materials like thermometer gun, mask, prime kit premium set, sprit and gown to domestic and international terminal at the TIA and Shukraraj Tropical and Infectious Diseases Hospital amidst a programme on Sunday.

Chamber President Rajesh Kazi Shrestha handed over the materials to DoH Director General Dr. Mahendra Prasad Shrestha, Shukraraj Hospital’s Dr. Rajesh Kumar Shah and Director of TIA Civil Aviation Office Dev Chandra Lal Karna.

Meanwhile, NCC has formed a committee led by its Vice-President Dipak Kumar Malhotra to facilitate in controlling the spread of coronavirus. The committee includes NCC working committee members Mrigendra Mehar Shrestha, Nabaraj Dhakal, Dipak Shrestha, Dipak Kunwar, Devendra Bhakta Shrestha, Surendra Sarada, Sanjaya Agrawal, Tribhuvan Dhar Tuladhar, Raju Shrestha, Arjun Sharma, Jyoti Prakash Pandey and Ananda Kumar Bagariya.

NCC President Shrestha demanded for easy supply of medicines, masks and sanitizer in the market.

Published in The Rising Nepal daily on 9 March 2020. 

PM Oli takes normal meal

Kathmandu, Mar. 7

Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli who is undergoing treatment at the Tribhuvan University Teaching Hospital (TUTH) following a kidney transplant on Wednesday has started having normal meal.

PM Oli is given normal meal after four days after kidney transplant and there has been significant improvement in his health, said Executive Director of the hospital Prof. Dr. Prem Krishna Khadga in a statement issued on Saturday.

According to the hospital, PM Oli has started brief walking while physiotherapy has been continued.

“His vital and lab indices are normal,” read the statement.

Meanwhile, PM’s niece Samiksha Sangraula’s health is also being improved.

Published in The Rising Nepal daily on 8 March 2020. 

Kaskey Survey Office launches app to provide services online

Kaski, Mar. 7:

District Survey Office of Kaski has launched a mobile application to provide its service directly to people without any hassles and support from the middlemen.

Minister for Land Management, Cooperatives and Poverty Alleviation Padma Kumari Aryal launched the first ever app of this type amidst a programme on Saturday.

The interactive mobile application is named ‘Napi Pokhara SOKP’.

The government is planning to implement such technology-based service programme across the country, said Minister Aryal speaking at the closing programme of a two-day skill development workshop on survey management organised by the Department of Survey in Kaski.

The government has already launched online-based services in land revenue offices.

“We have initiated campaign for reform in land administration with the support of modern technology in providing the service. It has contributed to enhancing good governance in government offices,” she said.

She warned the government officers that the dillydallying in the service would not be tolerated and urged them to adhere to the legal provisions while extending their services. According to her, the impact of the use of technology in government services would be visible in near future and people would get the services in a quick and reliable way.

Minister Aryal also said that the civil servants must not show individual interest while dealing with the public.

Director General of the Department of Survey Prakash Joshi said that the app would be expanded to every district in the country. “I am hopeful that the app would not only ease in delivering and receiving the services of the office but also in improving the image of the department and its offices as well,” he said.

Chief of Kaski Survey Office Khim Lal Gautam maintained that the ‘Napi Pokhara SOKP’ app was launched to clean the land administration.

Services like obtaining token for daily services, filling forms, map printing and tracing, printing plot register, field mapping, area trial check, land segmentation and tallying the records can be obtained through the mobile app.

It has templates of application for various services of the survey offices, information of obtaining services, information about the office and provision for the compliant.

Published in The Rising Nepal daily on 8 March 2020. 

MCC taskforce submits reports, suggesting amendments to provisions

Kathmandu, Feb. 21

The task force on the Millennium Challenge Account (MCA) Nepal has concluded that the much-hyped grant agreement with the United States of America should not be implement as it was agreed upon.

It has found the Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC) – a bilateral US foreign aid agency established by the US Congress during George Bush administration in 2004 – had links with the Indo-Pacific Strategy (IPS).

“The grant agreement must not be executed in Nepal without changing some of the provisions as it can be counterproductive in for the country,” said the leader of the task force and Former Prime Minister Jhala Nath Khanal.

The task force has submitted its report to the chairmen duo—KP Sharma Oli and Pushpa Kamal Dahal ‘Prachanda’ of the ruling Nepal Communist Party (NCP) on Friday.

It had Minister for Foreign Affairs Pradeep Kumar Gyawali and Nepal Communist Party (NCP) Standing Committee Member Bhim Rawal as the members.

However, Khanal did not disclose the provisions that needed to be amended in the agreement and said that the content of the report would be made public in three days.

Although the MCA agreement does not mention about the IPS and has no clear links with the latter, the task force has found it dubious as various US leaders and senior military officers had mentioned its links with the controversial US Policy called IPS which allegedly aims at containing China’s influence in the Indo-Pacific region.

“For the last three weeks, we went through multiple documents related to the agreement and execution procedures and found that there is no mention or link with the IPS,” said Khanal, “But when the people in the US authority said that the both were connected, we cannot ignore it. This has created confusion among the people and leaders”

Regarding the statement of the US Embassy in Kathmandu that the MCA agreement couldn’t be amended, leader Khanal said that the pact was not the Bible or Vedas which was beyond the modification.

The task force has also found that some of the provisions in the agreement were already amended through correspondences between Nepal government and MCC.

The report will soon be presented to the Secretariat Meeting of the NCP, following which the amendment will be finalised.

The ruling NCP had formed a task force about three weeks ago to look into the provisions of the MCA grant agreement after its own central committee members and ministers raised questions in the pact saying that it would undermine the sovereignty and interest of the country.

Signed in 2017 after many years’ effort and meeting the MCC criteria for democracy and development, the MCA is supposed to bring US$500 million which would be used in constructing the cross-border electricity transmission lines and upgrading the strategic roads.

Published in The Rising Nepal daily on 22 February 2020. 

FM Gyawali leaves for Geneva

Kathmandu, Feb. 21

Minister for Foreign Affairs Pradeep Kumar Gyawali Friday left for Geneva to participate in the 43^rd session of the United Nations Human Right Council (UNHRC).

He is leading a Nepali delegation to the High-Level Segment of the event to be held from ^February 24.

He is scheduled to address the High-Level Segment of the Council on February 25. Nepal is a member of the UNHRC for 2018-2020. This is the first time the Himalayan nation was elected as the member of the global human rights body since its creation in 2006.

FM Gyawali will interact with the diplomatic community in Geneva in a reception being hosted in his honour by Permanent Representative of Nepal to the United Nations Office in Geneva Mani Prasad Bhattarai.

While in Geneva, Gyawali will have a meeting with the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights. Michelle Bachelet Jeria. On the sidelines of the session, he will also have bilateral meetings with his counterparts from various countries.

He will return home on February 28.

Published in The Rising Nepal daily on 22 February 2020.