Kathmandu, October 11, 2007

The special session of parliament began with a heated debate over the Maoists’ demand to declare the country a republic by abolishing the monarchy.

Speaker Subas Nembang scheduled Sunday and Monday for discussion of the proposals tabled by the Maoists in the House today. Maoist leader Krishna Bahadur Mahara tabled two proposals demanding that the country be declared a republic and an all-out proportional representation system be adopted in constituent assembly polls.

He also tabled a private bill to amend the Interim Constitution of Nepal 2007 abolishing the monarchy and proposing that the Prime Minister work as president of the republican country. The Maoists faced strong criticism by the lawmakers of UML and Nepali Congress over the kidnapping of a journalist, Birendra Shah, just because he had published news about Maoist cadres’ involvement in illegal timber trade.

UML MP Raghuji Pant raised the issue of kidnapping of Shah. Home Minister Krishna Prasad Sitaula told the House that he had directed the police chiefs to take action against the kidnappers. Mahara said his party would take action if their cadres were involved in the kidnapping of the journalist.

Tabling the proposals, Mahara said, “At the beginning of the peace process we thought we can declare the country a republic through CA polls, we recently reached a conclusion it is not possible and so we sought postponement of the elections.”

Cabinet appoints 27 secys

Kathmandu, October 11, 2007

A meeting of the council of ministers held this morning decided to appoint 27 government secretaries from among the 81 joint secretaries recommended by the Secretaries Promotion Committee.

Joint secretaries Shankar Prasad Koirala, Purna Prasad Kadariya, Rameshwor Prasad Khanal, Arbind Kumar Shrestha, Deep Bahadur Swar, Puroshottam Ojha, Shankar Prasad Pandey, Shyam Prasad Mainali, Baburam Acharya and Baman Prasad Neupane have been appointed to the post of secretaries.

Other joint secretaries who have been promoted include Uma Kant Jha, Ram Kumar Shrestha, Punya Prasad Sharma, Dr Govinda Prasad Kusum, Bajra Kishor Prasad Shah, Rameshwor Dubey, Balnanda Poudel, Brinda Hada, Tej Bahadur Thapa Gharti, Dr Ramhari Aryal, Lilamani Poudel, Gyanchandra Acharya, Sushil Bahadur Rana, Tana Gautam, Bhagwati Kumar Kafle, Chhaviraj Panta and Dr Uday Raj Sharma.

The government had not been able to fill the vacant posts due to differences among the ministers representing seven parties in the interim government. The government has also decided to provide relief to those displaced internally during the decade-old conflict and the cabinet directed the government’s finance committee to make necessary arrangement to this effect.