Naya Nepal Naya Blog

It sounds unbelievable that the rag pickers, who go around the city scavenging for rags, scrap and plastic wares in piles of waste, earn more than a gazetted first class officer of the country.

Presenting a study report about the scavengers conducted in 20 places of Kathmandu Metropolitan and Lalitpur Sub-Metropolitan City, Centre for Integral Urban Development (CIUD) said the professional pickers make more than Rs. 21,000 per month.

According to the report, one picker collects more than a hundred kg of trash including rags, plastic wares and scrap per day. These items are sold for Rs. 7 per kg in an average, which makes more than seven hundred per day, amounting to Rs. 21,000 monthly.

“Their earning is enough to manage the quality life but they don’t use it for their good and neither have the saving habit,” said Brinda Shrestha, one of the researchers. “They spend most of the income on alcohol and entertainment.”

According to Shrestha, more than 70 percent of the pickers are from indigenous communities out of which Tamang comprises over 20 percent. Around 12 percent pickers are Indian nationals.

The report has stated that 60 percent of the rag pickers are from economically active group—16 to 35 years. Seventy-seven percent of them are fully illiterate and the remaining can write their names.

Octogenarian leader Krishna Prasad Bhattarai, known by his near ones as Kishunji, is a celebrated name in Nepali politics. But, there is one more trait of him which makes him famous among his fellow leaders — his love for betel leaf (Paan).

According to Ameeta Kapaali, Bhattarai’s care taker, he chews three to four paans even these days. This is five times less than his earlier intake, all due to poor health. “He used to have 15 to 16 paans a day,” says Kaapali.

Since his health does not allow him to visit paan shops, Kaapali says she orders plain betel leaf usually from Pulchowk and prepare it hygienically at home.

Bhattarai’s love for paan has linked him with the sellers of paan too. His most frequently visited paan shop is at New Baneshor where he used to order paan until a year ago. The shop “Shree Ram Paan Bhandar” which has been running for 25 years now was Bhattarai’s preference even before the restoration of democracy in 1990. He used to visit a paan shop at New Road also which has now shifted from its spot.

“I remember him chatting with me for two hours before he had to attend a secret program during the Panchayat Regime. I was proud to have such a reputed personality as my regular customer,” said Shiva Narayan Shah, the shop owner.

According to Shah, Bhattarai’s favorite flavour was Maghai Patta, a flavour which uses small leaves of light-green colour, with tobacco. When the Nepali Congress party office was at New Baneshwor, he used to visit the shop at around 8:30 every Saturday. On other days, he used to come there as many times as he passed by. After he became Prime Minister of the interim government in 1990 and elected government in 1999, he used to come to the place on a vehicle and usually sent his security guard to the shop to get paan for him.

“Maghai patta become famous among others due to Bhattarai’s preference for it,” Shah said.

Sources say that Bhattrai is a paan addict right from his teens. When he was in jail, many of his friends used to take paan for him during visiting hours. “Many of his friends used to come with paan to meet him. Sometimes even the jail staffs used to get betel nut and leaves for him,” said Nepali Congress leader Ram Jeevan Singh, who was with Bhattarai in Nakhhu Jail for seven years (1973-1980).

Bhattarai was admitted to hospital last month after he had congestive heart failure and pneumonia.

Constituent Assembly (CA) Chairman Subash Chandra Nemwang is holding discussions with the heads of all the 14 thematic committees under the CA.

In the meeting underway at his office in Singha Durbar on Sunday, the thematic committee chairmen have put their views on technical and contentious issues of constitution drafting.

Nemwang held discussion with the thematic committee heads following an understanding, at a meeting with major three parties, to forge consensus on the CA calendar of events by tomorrow.

The activists of Matrika Yadav-led CPN (Maoist) smeared black colour on the face of Director General (DG) at the Department of Forest at Babar Mahal in the Capital on Sunday.

A group of about 20 Maoist cadres painted black on the face of DG Madhav Prasad Acharya in his own office. The group even chanted slogans against him in the office premises.

The group has accused Acharya of giving protection to the corrupt District Forest Officers (DFOs) and engaging in deforestation and embezzlement.

In a programme organised by CPN-UML at Baneshwor last Sunday, Acharya had criticised ex-minister Matrica Yadav as a corrupt minister and had praised the current Forest Minister Deepak Bohara.

Apparantly frustrated for failing in her Schools Leaving Certificate (SLC) exams, a student has committed suicide at Sataun Thulapokhari of Putalibazar Municipality here in the district on Saturday.

The deceased identified as Man Kumari Dhakal of Rajasthal Higher Secondary School was found hanging in the balcony of her residence. She might have killed herself after she failed in he SLC exams, District Police Office informed.

Dhakal was physically impaired too, family sources said.

An unidentified gang stabbed a youth to death in Bhadrapur, Jhapa, on Saturday night.

The deceased has been identified as Chhatra Bahadur Rai, 20, an employee at Mechi Zonal Hospital.

The gang of four persons who came on three motorcycles attacked Rai with sharp-edged weapon near the hospital at around 10 p.m. He died on the way to hospital.

Rai was a member of the Young Communist League’s Bhadrapur Municipal Committee, according to a Maoist leader, Hikmat.

He was killed while returning home after watching the World Cup football match with his brother.

Police have launched a massive manhunt to identify and nab the killers.

Police said few suspected persons have been detained for interrogation over the incident.

A person died after falling from a cliff in Chyamche of Taghring VDC-1 in Lamjung district on Sunday.

The deceased has been identified as Rajesh Sapkota, 28, a contractor of Beshi Sahar-Chame road construction. Sapkota is a resident of Sindhupalchowk.

Police who came from Bahundanda Police Post and locals are trying to retrieve his body from the cliff.

Tanahun VDC secretaries resigned en masse owing to the recent wave of threats against the local body employees across the nation.

A little-known underground outfit, Sanyukta Jatiya Mukti Morcha (SJMM), has been sending letters to VDC secretaries forcing them to quit their offices.

The secretaries submitted their resignations to Local Development Officer (LDO) Hari Prasad Dahal today.

33 VDC secretaries working in 46 different VDCs have resigned citing lack of security and the threats, VDC Secretaries' Welfare Protection Centre (VDCWPC) Chairman Buddhiman Shrestha informed.

VDC secretaries from different districts have been complying with the threats of SJMM by submitting en bloc resignation over the past few weeks.

Three-point deal includes:

--> Moving ahead with consensus and cooperation to take the peace process to a meaningful conclusion, to carry out all the remaining works related to the peace process, and to accomplish the historic responsibility of completing the task for writing the new constitution.

--> Extending the tenure of the Constituent Assembly by one year.

--> Forming a national consensus government and for that, the prime minister of the incumbent coalition government is ready to resign without delay.

Chairman of the Tarai Madhes Loktantrik Party (TMLP) Mahanta Thakur said on Sunday that the failure to implement the written agreements has put the government formation process in limbo.

The inter-party rift is widening due to the failure to put in action the May 28 three-point agreement, Thakur said. He also underlined the need to implement the pacts for lasting peace.

The TMLP chairman, who arrived here in Piperia VDC to attend the 13th day death ritual of his slain party cadre Birendra Sah, said that the practice of not implementing the agreements has become a major problem.

While pointing out that nothing has been done on the crucial points of army integration and lasting peace, Thakur maintained that a permanent solution could not be sought unless such problems persist.

Thakur, while noting that Prime Minister Madhav Kumar Nepal stepped down notwithstanding the House majority, said though paths have been cleared to move ahead in unity, the point of consensus is still elusive.

Confusion looms as there is no sign of a new government taking shape even in the wake of the president's mandate.

The TMLP favours consensus government and efforts should be made on the consensus system as the make of the Constituent Assembly beckons so, Thakur said.

Dhanusha district in-charge of Jay Krishna Goit-led Janatantrik Tarai Mukti Morcha (JTMM-G), an underground armed outfit active in the low-lying southern belt, was killed in what police describe as "retaliation" on Saturday night. The deceased JTMM-G cadre has been identified with his nom de guerre ‘Bombhola’ Yadav.

According to the District Police Office, Bombhola died during retaliation at Khajuri area, the eastern part of the district, while the police team was carrying out a routine patrol.

The dead body was brought to the Zonal Hospital in Janakpur for postmortem.

However, locals claim the police detained Yadav from Inarwa. The details of the incident are still sketchy.

Security personnel have stepped up security arrangement in both market and rural areas in Janakpur in the wake of recent crime wave.

Prime Minister Madhav Kumar Nepal on Sunday accused the UCPN (Maoist) of taking a U-turn on its commitment to abide by the past agreement.

The Maoists, who had committed to conclude the remaining issues of the peace process right after the prime minister’s resignation, have drifted away from their words, Nepal said.

Speaking at a function in Kirtipur, Kathmandu today, the caretaker prime minister remarked that it would backfire on the Maoists themselves if the parties raise questions on their words and actions.

"I vividly remember the Maoist leaders saying that they would take up the issue of forming a national consensus government only after concluding the remaining tasks of the peace process within few hours and days after the PM's resignation," said PM Nepal adding," But nowadays Maoists have been saying that the tasks of peace process are meant to be take ahead gradually. They have taken 180 degree turn from the past commitment and agreement."

While saying that he had some expectations from Maoist Vice Chairman Dr. Baburam Bhattarai, Nepal said he was left stunned at Dr. Bhattarai’s cheap and defensive statements in recent times.

"Dr. Bhattari has started saying that the government should be formed at earliest and the peaces process can be taken ahead slowly," said PM Nepal. "This has raised serious questions on the credibility and honesty of the Maoist. All the parties have raised question on them."

Remarking that the Maoists have not been able to rise above the rebellion and totalitarian mindset, the outgoing prime minister urged all the parties to form a national consensus government.

Nepal said that it is the responsibility of parties to form the government by showing a two-thirds majority as he had resigned from the prime minister's post for broader consensus even when his government had the support of a majority.

Fringe parties represented in the Constituent Assembly (CA) on Sunday said that they would not accept a national consensus government formed with the agreement of big three parties—UCPN (Maoist), Nepali Congress, CPN-UML—alone.

A meeting of the fringe parties held at Singha Durbar in the capital concluded that the national consensus government should be formed on the consensus of all the CA parties.

“The consensus government in the name of major three parties would not be acceptable to the small parties,” said Chure Bhabar Rastriya Party Chairman Keshav Mainali, emerging from the meeting. “The next government should be formed with the consent of all 25 parties in the CA.”

The meeting also called for an immediate implementation of first point of the three-point agreement reached between the big three parties on May 28.

The meeting also concluded that both the consensus and majority government formed without the implementation of first point of the agreement would be meaningless.

According to Mainali, the fringe parties' meeting maintained that dilly-dallying in the name of consensus should not obstruct the peace process. He said no parties can claim the government leadership unless consensus is forged. “The leadership of the government cannot be had just by being the largest party,” said Mainali adding, “Whoever is capable of forging consensus can take the government leadership.”

Minister for Culture and Parliamentary Affairs Dr. Minendra Rijal said on Sunday that the national consensus government would not be formed due to the UCPN (Maoist)'s stubbornness.

He said the parties can get the president to extend the timeframe for the government formation if the chances of forming a national government come into vision.

There is still a possibility of the formation of a majority government, once again, due to the Maoists' self-righteous attitude, Rijal charged.

"If the political parties reach an understanding on national consensus, the president can extend the government-formation deadline by a day or two," said Rijal.

He was speaking at a press conference organised by Press Union, Morang today.

Minister Rijal, who is also the central member of the Nepali Congress (NC), claimed that his party will lead the new government. "The turn is ours as the Maoists and UML could not give a way out," said Rijal.

While saying that there is no dispute over the prime ministerial berth in the party, Rijal claimed that an agreement has already been reached on the leadership issue within the party.

Only yesterday Ram Chandra Poudel held discussion with Sher Bahadur Deuba and once the NC gets support from other political parties the party will float its candidate for the prime minister's post, Rijal said.

"The government which Dahal said would be toppled within two weeks lasted for 13 months and what would he do if the government he is challenging to topple within two months lasted till the end of his political career," sniped Rijal, who looked angered by Maoist Chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal's recent statement of toppling government within two months if his party does not get the government leadership.

Rijal also ruled out the possibility of UML-led government. "The turn of UML chairman, who has worked hard to oust Madhav Kumar Nepal, may come some day and he must be tired, he should take rest for now as the turn is NC's."

The eldest Nepali Congress (NC) leader and former minister, Bal Bahadur Rai passed away while undergoing treatment at TU Teaching Hospital, Maharajgunj in the Capital on Sunday. He was 90.

Rai, a long time patient of diabetics, kidney and spine related complexities, was admitted at the hospital for the past four days. He was declared dead at 4:10 p.m. today.

His body will be kept at the NC headquarters in Sanepa, Lalitpur for the final tributes.

According to family source, Rai's body will be taken to his ancestral village in Okhaldhunga for the last rites as per his wish.

The nonagenarian leader was born on Feb. 17, 1921 in Moli of Okhaldhunga district. He had played an active role in major democratic and republic movements of Nepal since his early age. Rai had served as acting prime minister for 19 times. He joined active politics in 1947.

The major two allies of the outgoing coalition—the Nepali Congress (NC) and the CPN-UML—concluded on Sunday that the formation of a national consensus government is possible only after the implementation of first point of the three-point deal. The two parties have decided to initiate dialogue with the UCPN (Maoist), one of three signatories of the last-minute deal, on the same.

The second and third largest parties in Constituent Assembly (CA) set the conditions before the Maoists after Prime Minister Madhav Kumar Nepal resigned as per the three-point deal between the major three parties signed in the midnight of May 28 that extended the Constitutional Assembly (CA)’s tenure which was due to end minutes after it was signed.

A meeting between the two parties held at the UML Parliamentary Party office in Singha Durbar today reached the conclusion that the Maoists should implement the agreement related to the peace process and statute-drafting.

Saying that the environment of forge consensus could not be created due to the Maoists, the NC and UML stressed on the need for forging an agreement by holding a discussion among the big three parties. They categorically stated that only the implementation of first point of the three-point deal will pave way for consensus as the other point has been implemented.

In a separate discussion held on Saturday, the NC and the UML had raised the issue of peace process as condition. Following the meetings, they had resolved that the formation of Maoist-led government could be considered only after the execution of three point deal.

NC Acting President Sushil Koirala, Vice President Ram Chandra Poudel, Senior leader Sher Bahadur, UML Chairman Jhalanath Khanal and General Secretary Ishwor Pokhrel, among other leaders, were present at today’s meeting.

Three-point deal includes:

--> Moving ahead with consensus and cooperation to take the peace process to a meaningful conclusion, to carry out all the remaining works related to the peace process, and to accomplish the historic responsibility of completing the task for writing the new constitution.

--> Extending the tenure of the Constituent Assembly by one year.

--> Forming a national consensus government and for that, the prime minister of the incumbent coalition government is ready to resign without delay.

Altogether four billion six hundred and ninety-six million seven hundred eighty-four thousand and eighty-one rupees have been released for the monthly allowances and salary of the Maoist combatants following the signing of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement between the government and the UCPN (Maoist).

At present, five thousand rupees per month per person is provided to the combatants. Similarly, each combatant is provided Rs. 60 per day in places with road transport facilities and Rs. 75 per day to combatants living in cantonments in remote districts as subsistence allowance. Initially, the monthly allowance was fixed at Rs. 3,000 only.

Accounts officer at the Office of the Central Coordinator of the Cantonment Management at the Ministry of Peace and Reconstruction, Bishnu Wagle said, so far Rs. 3.13 billion has been released under the monthly allowances head while Rs. 1.29 billion has been released under the subsistence allowance.

The data shows that in some years the subsistence allowances has outstripped the monthly allowances.

Ninety-two million and five hundred and fifty-six rupees have been spent under the monthly allowances in fiscal year 2006/07, Rs. 514 million and 488 thousand in fiscal year 2007/08, Rs. 1.855 billion in fiscal year 2008/09 and Rs. 938 million and 954 million in the current fiscal year 2009/10 under the monthly allowances.

Similarly, Rs. 173 million and 920 thousand was spent as the subsistence allowance in fiscal year 2006/07, Rs. 510 million and 751 thousand in fiscal year 2007/08, Rs 547 million and 544 thousand in fiscal year 2008/09 and Rs. 522 million and 193 thousand in fiscal year 2009/10 as subsistence allowance.

Accounts officer Wagle said although the expenses for the Maoist combatants are audited every year, distribution by the local offices by political instructions will also be considered as official expenses.

Deputy Secretary at the Office, Govinda Khanal said a total of Rs. 1.45 1 billion has been released for the allowances and subsistence allowance for the Maoist combatants until mid-May of the current fiscal year.

The total number of Maoist combatants verified by the United Nations Mission in Nepal (UNMIN) is 30,852. They have been kept at seven main camps and 21 satellite camps throughout the country. The number of combatants in the cantonments is said to have dwindled over the years.

Caretaker Prime Minister Madhav Kumar Nepal has accused the Maoists of making a complete 180 degree turn from their earlier commitment to complete the "remaining tasks of the peace process" following his resignation from the post.
Talking to media-persons in Kirtipur on Sunday, he said that the Maoists need to be careful as well as greatly improve their habit of saying one thing and doing just the other if they want to form a government under their leadership.

PM Nepal said the Maoist leaders had promised him that they will try to forge an understanding for a national consensus once they complete the remaining tasks of the peace process, but they failed to live up to their commitments.

In the three-point agreement of May 28 the Maoists agreed to extend the term of the Constituent Assembly (CA) and complete the remaining tasks of the peace process if PM Nepal resigns from his post to pave way for a national consensus government.

He also charged the Maoists of not being able to shed their totalitarian past and warned that if the Maoists keep the same attitude it will fall into trouble.

Senior Nepali Congress (NC) leader and Constituent Assembly member Bal Bahadur Rai, who was undergoing treatment at Tribhuvan University Teaching Hospital (TUTH) in Maharajgunj, has passed away at the age of 89 at 4:10 pm Sunday.

Rai, 89, who had opened the first House session as its senior most member following the restoration of civilian power by the former King Gyanendra, was suffering from various health problems including kidney failure, and admitted to the TUTH on June 30.

Meanwhile, NC leaders including acting president Sushil Koirala, vice president Ram Chandra Poudel and senior leader Sher Bahadur Deuba have reached the TUTH.

NC will keep Rai’s body at its central office in Sanapa to pay him last tribute, a NC source informed. Then, the body will be airlifted to Okhaldhunga, his home district, for cremation.

Taken as a profiled leader of NC, Rai got several chances for holding ministerial portfolios.

Rai, who was born in 1920 in Moli VDC of Okhaldhunga, and is survived by two sons and two daughters. Earlier today, party's vice president Ram Chandra Poudel reached the TUTH to learn about his health condition.

The fringe parties have maintained that the "national consensus government" formed only after understanding between the three major parties won't be acceptable to them.

A meeting of 22 small parties represented in the Constituent Assembly (CA) held at the old national assembly building in Singha Durbar on Sunday stressed on the need to form a consensus government by garnering support of all the parties in the CA.

Talking to media-persons after the meeting, Chure Bhawar National Party chairman Keshav Prasad Mainali said that a consensus government formed only on the basis of understanding between three major - UCPN (Maoist), NC and CPN (UML) - would never be acceptable to other parties in the CA.

The meeting also urged the three major parties to implement the three-point agreement of May 28, adding that till it is not implemented there will be no meaning in trying to forge understanding for a consensus or majority government.

At the meeting, the small parties also called upon the major parties not to stall constitution drafting process by creating political turbulence while trying to forge consensus to form a government under their leadership.

Freedom Forum, a media rights watch dog, on Sunday said it denounced the vandalism carried out by cadres of Youth Force (YF), a youth wing of the Communist Party of Nepal--Unified Marxist Leninist (CPN-UML) in the office of Jhapa-based Janasamsad daily in the eastern plain of Nepal on June 1, Thursday.

A group of YF cadres led by Raju Karki, a central committee member,vandalised the newspaper office over a news story covered by the paper.

YF cadres attacked the newspaper's office as the paper published a story stating that the YF illegally took control over two motorcycles owned by Mahendra cooperative organisation in the region.

Similarly, Saroj Adhikari, a Pokhara-based journalist, was thrashed and looted by an unidentified armed group on July 1, Thursday.

Journalist Adhikari of Gandaki Media House was beaten nearby District Police Office, Kaski-a western district of Nepal. The perpetrators behind the incident are yet to be identified.

In yet another incident, staffers of Land Revenue Office (LRF) of Bhaktapur adjacent to Kathmandu attacked journalist Bhesh Bahadur Karki, an editor of Loktantrik Dabab Weekly, Bhaktapur.

Following a news item published in the newspaper regarding irregularities at the LRF, a group of staffers headed by Devraj KC threatened journalist KC of life.

Freedom Forum urged the government to take immediate action against those involved in incidents.

"This kind of activities by the cadres of ruling party is regrettable and is against the motives of free press. The Forum asks the concerned party to help investigate into the incident and bring the guilty to book and show commitment that such incident do not recur in the days to come," stated a press release issued by Freedom Forum on Sunday.

Similarly, the Forum also urged the local authority to identify and punish those involved in assaulting journalist in Pokhara. Further, the Forum called on the government to take action against government officials involving in abusing journalist in Bhaktapur.

The Ministry of Finance (MoF) has prepared a special budget of Rs 110 billion ready to be tabled at the parliament anytime to ensure smooth functioning of the government before the government to be formed presents a full budget.

Finance minister Surendra Pandey informed a meeting of the UML parliamentary board on Saturday that the size of the special budget would be Rs 110 billion.

According to Pandey, in the special budget Rs 53 billion had been earmarked for regular expenses, Rs 26 billion for development and Rs 31 billion for reimbursement of interest and principal on loans.

The MoF prepared a special budget as a caretaker government cannot present a full budget as per the provisions in the interim constitution. The Madhav Kumar Nepal led government has been relegated to caretaker status after Nepal resigned through a televised address on Wednesday.

A cabinet meeting on Thursday, one day after the government stepped down, had decided to present a special budget to address the contingency needs if a new government is not formed on time.

There are provisions the government can spend one-third amount proposed in the full year's budget as advanced budget. The size of the special budget was determined based on this provision.

A special budget was presented three years ago when Girija Prasad Koirala was heading a caretaker government following the elections to the Constituent Assembly (CA).

At least 19 passengers have been injured when a bus en route to Kathmandu from Nagarkot veered off the road falling 60 meters at Kharipati of Bhaktapur Sunday morning.

According to reports, five of injured passengers are critical. The critically injured have been identified as Keshab KC, Sanubabu Lamichane, Pramod Khadka, Sagun Gautam and Dilip Lamichane. The injured are undergoing treatment at Iwamura Memorial Hospital and Research Centre while some of them have been brought to other hospitals in the capital city.

The passenger bus (Ba 2 Kha 4662) overturned at Laptan Danda when the driver lost control of the steering, police informed.

Although not much damage has been reported, a socket bomb rocked Nepalgunj municipality building in Banke district Sunday morning. According to police, some walls of the building have been partially damaged and window panes have shattered.

According to eyewitness, an unidentified group of three people planted the bomb in the office premises and fled the scene at around 11 am this morning.

Police informed that they were also unaware of who planted the bomb. According to Banke police, no one has owned up the responsibility for the blast yet, and they are hunting for the offenders.

Dhanusha district in charge of Jayakrishna Goit-led Akhil Jantantrik Terai Mukti Morcha (AJTMM) Pradip Yadav, alias Bam Bhola, has been killed in police action last night.

According to District Police Office, Dhanusha, Yadav was killed in a shootout in Khajuri area of the district that ensued in the course of regular police patrol.

However, some locals have claimed police had arrested Yadav from Sunsari Saturday afternoon.

The trend of threatening businesspersons, government employees and others and extorting huge amounts of money from them is rising in Nepalgunj, Annapurna Post daily reported.

Various underground outfits including Jantantrik Terai Mukti Tigers, Terai Jantantrik Party Madhes, Bhisma Ekata Parishad and Nepal Marxist Ganatantrik Yuwa Tigers have been threatening businesspersons by exploding bombs and extorting from them.

Superintendent of Police (SP) Mahesh Bikram Shah of Banke said, the trend of asking for money through phone or letters and exploding a bomb if the ‘donation’ is not given is rising.

“At first, they ask for hundreds of thousands through letters or slips at business houses and factories,” said SP Shah. “They bargain for the amount and settle for even a few thousands. If the businesspersons don’t give anything, then they threaten them by exploding bombs.”

Businesspersons, government employees and general public are suffering due to the extortion. All the Village Development Secretaries (VDC)s of the district had resigned en masse recently due to security threats and extortion.

Underground outfits exploded bombs in Ganapur VDC office, Khanal Resin Company and a plywood factory, among others in the recent weeks.

According to SP Shah, the underground outfits call other businesspersons after exploding a bomb at one place threatening them of similar fate if they don’t give ‘donations.’

Everest Boarding School of Butwal has claimed its student Bibek Adhikari topped this year's School Leaving Certificate (SLC) Exams.

Bibek has scored 747 marks out of 800. His highest score is 99 in compulsory mathematics and lowest is 84 in social studies. Bibek’s average score is 93.39.

This is the highest score reported so far in the SLC exams this year. The Office of the Controller of Examinations (OCE) had published the SLC results on Friday.

Although, OCE used to publish the names of top ten students in the SLC in the previous years, it stopped publishing the list of toppers in the recent years after growing unhealthy competition among schools to feature in the top ten list.

In the SLC exams of 2060 BS, the school's student Bishal Khanal had topped the SLC exams.

SLC exams used to have a lot of importance in pursuing further education in the yesteryears. Although the government has changed its policy to make the 12th grade exams the final exams for high school level, the charm of SLC exams and its results has not reduced.

The possibility for the formation of new national consensus government has grown thinner following adamant stances of three key parties Unified CPN (M), Nepali Congress (NC) and CPN-UML.

In the separate parleys with NC and CPN-UML held on Saturday, the Maoists proposed the formation of the unity government under their leadership in the capacity of the largest party in the Constituent Assembly (CA). On the contrary, the NC-UML leaders have demanded implementation of past commitments by the Maoists for kick-starting new government formation process.

While talking to reporters after the meeting, NC Vice-Chair Ram Chandra Poudel said the new government formation process can’t proceed ahead till the Maoists put to action the first point of the May 28 pact concerning peace process.

The three big have intensified consultations with other parties to lead new government following Prime Minister Madhav Kumar Nepal’s resignation on June 30.

President Dr Ram Baran Yadav had earlier issued July 7 dateline to parties for constituting unity government as per article 38 (1) of the Interim Constitution.

Governor of Nepal Rastra Bank (NRB) Dr Yuvraj Khatiwoda has rubbished out cash crunch in the nation for the next three years citing sufficient stocks of currency notes.

While inaugurating a function organized in Damauli Saturday by Tanahu chapter Federation of Industry and Commerce (FIC), Dr Khatiwoda said the general public could not withdraw cash from banks last year due to delay in governor appointment.

Adding that there is no possiblity of currency shortage during festivals this year, Dr Yadav urged the people to deposit their money in the banks without hesitation.

UML leaders have pointed a fingar at the party leadership behind Prime Minister Madhav Kumar Nepal’s stepping down on Wednesday.

In the parliamentary party meeting held in Singh Durbar Saturday, the UML lawmakers criticized the party leadership for its non-cooperation with the government and also expressed concern behind PM’s resignation without any intra-party discussion.

Demanding the disbanding of the Maoist military structure, the participant lawmakers argued for taking initiatives for UML-headed unity government again or to lend a helping hand to the Maoists for the same.

UML parliamentary party leader and Chair Jhalanath Khanal has urged all lawmakers to present issues effectively in the upcoming meeting of Legislature-Parliament slated for Monday.

UML senior leader and caretaker Prime Minister Madhav Kumar Nepal walked out amidst the meeting.