Nepal

Kathmandu, October 3

Nepali Army has made public the events it is going to hold for promoting tourism during Visit Nepal Year 2020.

At a programme organised here by NA in the presence of Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defence Ishwor Pokhrel, Minister of Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation Yogesh Bhattarai, high-ranking government officials and representatives from several foreign diplomatic missions in Kathmandu, it was shared that nine adventurous and tourism related activities and sports competition will be held.

Marathon, paragliding, jungle safari, trekking, and multinational joint military Everest expedition will be organised, according to the NA.

On the occasion, Deputy Prime Minister Pokharel lauded the initiative of Nepali Army to promote events to be held abroad to attract as many as two million visitors in Nepal in 2020.

He said that a country like Nepal with rich biodiversity could make stride in terms of development if we could organise tourism activities in high altitudes and dense forests. Chief of Army Staff Purna Chandra Thapa pledged full support of NA to the government in making Visit Nepal Year 2020 a success. Chief of General Staff Sharad Giri shed light on the host of events Nepali Army was going to organise to promote local tourism across the country.

Lieutenant Colonel Sunil Singh Rathor and Lieutenant Colonel Ashok Khand briefed about the 90-day Everest expedition named ‘Destination Everest& to be organised in the spring of 2020. Military representatives from many countries will participate in the event.

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Kathmandu, October 3

Journalist Ajaya Babu Shiwakoti has been receiving threats after he broke the news about alleged rape of Parliament Secretariat employee Roshani Shahi by Krishna Bahadur Mahara, who has since stepped down as House speaker.

This undated image shows Ajaya Babu Shiwakoti, editor at hamrakura.com. Photo courtesy: hamrakura.com

&I and my wife have been receiving calls from unidentified callers who intimidate us and enquire about the news that I broke,& said Shiwakoti, the editor of hamrakura.com. &I&ve also been told that plans are being made to kidnap me and vandalise my office.&

Shiwakoti was the first journalist to interview Shahi after her alleged rape. In a video interview on Monday, Shahi told Shiwakoti that Mahara had raped her and indiscriminately beaten her on Sunday night. Mahara stepped down from the post of House of Representatives speaker on Tuesday after the interview appeared on the online portal. &The news that I broke has offended some of the people and they are devising plans to launch an attack on me,& Shiwakoti said.

A high-level security source recently told one of his relatives that someone by the name of Rameshwor Pandey, a former Maoist cadre, was on his way to Kathmandu from his hometown at Birta Deurali of Koshi Pari in Kavre district to vandalise his office and kidnap him.

He has also received information about another plan to vandalise his office and assault him. &I was told this plan was being discussed by five men with western Nepali accent at Baneshwor-based Red Mud Café on Tuesday,& Shiwakoti said. &People I know also heard a group devising similar plans at another Baneshwor-based restaurant.&

Following avalanche of threats, Shiwakoti has sought security from police. He went to Metropolitan Police Office at Rani Pokhari today at 3:30pm and asked its chief Deputy Inspector General Shailesh Thapa Kshetri to ensure his safety.

&DIG Kshetri has promised to deploy adequate number of police personnel around my residence in Balaju and my office at Kamal Pokhari,& Shiwakoti said. &I have also talked to heads of police stations at Balaju and Kamal Pokhari and they have assured me security.&

Deputy Superintendent of Police Hobindra Bogati of Metropolitan Police Range, Teku, said he was in constant touch with Shiwakoti and his team would take prompt action at any given time if he faces security threat.

Several district chapters of Nepal Press Union have expressed serious concern about the safety of Shiwakoti and have warned they will launch protests if security is not guaranteed to the journalist and legal action is not initiated against those who issued the threats.

• Roshani, her husband part ways

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Kathmandu, October 3

The Narcotics Control Bureau has arrested five persons, including a woman, with one kilogram of amphetamine, which is also called ice drug, from different places of Kathmandu.

According to the NCB, Bhuwan Adhikari, 37, of Kaski and Naseem Akhtar Teli, 29, of Parsa were held in possession of the psychoactive substance from Samakhusi on Tuesday.

Acting on statements given by the duo, the narco cops rounded up Mohammand Akhtar, 28, of Parsa, Rajiya Khatun, 23, of Tanahun and Josang Liyana, 31, of India with 4.5 grams of amphetamine from Kalanki.

The NCB said the gang was active in smuggling and illegal trade of the drug. According to the NCB, Myanmar is one of the biggest producers of amphetamine and the drug was smuggled into Nepal from India. The seized drug weighs 682 grams which sells at approximately Rs 30 million in the international illegal drug market.

Amphetamine is a strong synthetic stimulant drug that is manufactured by pharmaceutical companies for medical use and by illicit laboratories for illicit trading. It is a drug that is used as stimulant and appetite suppressant. The drug stimulates a person to greater wakefulness and energy, said the NCB.

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Kathmandu, October 3

Nepal Administrative Staff College has established Federalism Study Centre. The study centre has been established to carry out study, research and capacity enhancement on federal governance system by building the capacity of public administration and governments of various levels.

The centre has the objective of functioning as a resource centre for conducting research on various aspects in the implementation of federalism. It aims at increasing the capacity of civil servants and peoplerepresentatives, analysing international practices, borrowing knowledge, organising workshops and conferences, and documenting and preserving works related to federalism. The Constitution of Nepal has allocated tasks and responsibilities of the federal, province and local levels by specifying their specific rights and duties.

Experts are of the view that problems have started to surface in the federal structure due to lack of uniformity between the vision of the constitution and the practice.

National Assembly Chair Ganesh Prasad Timilsina, speaking at a discussion programme on various aspects of the future course of action of the centre and federalism implementation, urged supporters of federalism to be proactive to protect the federal system in the context of various unnecessary comments on the concept of federalism itself. Former minister Rekha Sharma stressed on the need to strongly articulate the division of work among the three levels of governments.

Chair of the National Natural Resource and Fiscal Commission Balananda Poudel said the Staff College had been active for implementation of the statute and federalism. He assured the commissioncooperation to the centre. Expert on federalism Pitambar Sharma called for strengthening the relation among federal, provincial and local governments as per the constitutionspirit and provisions. He also stressed on improving the performance of public administration.

Constitution expert Bipin Adhikari suggested to move forward by coordinating all issues of the provinces as per the spirit of federalism.

Joint Secretary Baburam Shrestha at the Ministry of Federal Affairs and General Administration, Secretary Bharat Raj Gautam at the Parliament Secretariat, Bishnu Adhikari of The Asia Foundation, federalism expert Khim Lal Devkota and Nepal Administrative Staff CollegeExecutive Director Punya Prasad Neupane expressed their conviction that the study centre would play an important role in leading the country ahead on the path of prosperity by consolidating the federal structure.

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