PABSON issued an Ultimatum

Handing out a 20-day ultimatum to the government to fulfill its five-point demands, the Private and Boarding Schools' Association of Nepal has demanded that the education service tax be scrapped.

Such a concern comes at a time when the government is busy preparing the upcoming fiscal year's budget. The government had reduced education service tax to one percent in fiscal year 2009/10 from five percent in 2007/08 introduced for the "empowerment of marginalized students".

Organizing a press meet in the Capital on Monday, PABSON officials said the one percent education service tax has only added economic burden to the parents' woes and maintained that it was against the government commitment to free education.

"Ever since the tax provision came into implementation we have been demanding that it be annulled. But the government hasn't heeded our requests," said PABSON President Rajesh Khadka. "Our main concern is that the guardians mustn't be victimized in the name of tax."

The PABSON has also demanded its representation in every committee formed by the Ministry of Education (MoE), Department of Education, District Education Offices and other government bodies. Khadka accused the government of sidelining the private sector under which some 9,000 schools are in operation across the country.

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Jhalnath Will Continues As a PM: Minister Sapkota

UCPN (Maoist) leader and Minister for Information and Communications Agni Sapkota refuted the media reports that his party is considering recommending Maoist Vice Chairman Baburam Bhattarai as the next prime minister.

“Prime Minister Jhala Nath Khanal would not resign from his post until an alternative to a national consensus government is struck,” said minister Sapkota. If the prime minister resigned under the status quo. the country would plung into chaos.”

Minister Sapkota, who is said to be close to party chairman Prachanda, clarified that the time has not arrived yet to discuss leadership in the party. “The Maoists have not taken any official decision regarding the leadership,” said Sapkota said at the Reporter’s Club.

“Chairman Prachanda [Pushpa Kamal Dahal] has not thought about premiership,” said Sapkota. “Not only Baburam ji, another Vice Chairman Kiran [Mohan Baidya] could also become the next prime minister.”

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Maoists set to hold CC on July 13

The UCPN (Maoist) Standing Committee meet on Sunday decided to hold the party’s long-stalled Central Committee (CC) meeting from July 13 (Wednesday).

However, the Maoist SC meet held has not finalized the agenda to be discussion at the much-anticipated CC meet. It has been reported that the leaders have agreed to carry out homework for the same from today itself.

Earlier on June 24, the Maoist CC meet was put off after party Chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal put forth his agenda citing the need for more homework on the same.

The top brass leaders of party are yet to find a common ground on the issues such as integration of combatants, constitution-drafting, government formation, internal rift, work division and future strategies.

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Madhesi Front Threatened to Obstruct the Budget

A delegation of Democratic Madhesi Front handed over memorandum of understanding to minister of finance Bharat Mohan Adhikary threatening to obstruct the budget for the new fiscal (2011/12) if the finance minister did not include its demands.

“We will compel to obstruct the budget if Ministry did not respond to our demand,” said J.P Ananda Gupta, a leader of Front. The government is trying to ignore the agenda raised by the members of Madheshi party. We will not let fiancé ministry to read the budget without credible evidence,” said Gupta, chairman, Madhesi Janaadhikar Forum (Republic).

The government is scheduled to table the budget on June 14. The Democratic Madhesi Front, which has strength of 70 members in the Constituent Assembly (CA), condemned the government policy and program for ignoring “The policy document is influenced by hill-centric thought and totally ignores and discriminates against the Madhes. The front condemns the anti-Madhes policy approved on the basis of blind majority,” said Gupta.

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Nepalese PM committed to five point agreement

Prime Minister Jhalnath Khanal said that he is working to implement the five point agreement signed by three major political parties in May 28 before extension of five point agreement. “I am seriously working to implement the five point agreement so that the constitution writing process and peace process complete in logical end,” said Prime Minister Khanal.

His statement came when Nepali Congress leaders are criticizing him for not showing any sincerity to abide five point agreements. One of the clauses of the five point agreement is the resignation of prime minister on the basis of consensus

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Maternal mortality rate down by half in South Asia: UN

Eleven years after adopting millennium development goals (MDG), the UN has observed a reduction in maternal mortality rate by over 50 percent in South Asia, a report said here Friday.The MDG, adopted by world leaders in the year 2000, are a set of targets to reduce global poverty and improve living standards by 2015.

"Between 1990 and 2008, maternal mortality declined by 53 percent in South Asia, including Bangladesh, India, Sri Lanka, Pakistan, Bhutan, Nepal, and Afghanistan among others," the report said. But it added the South Asian region still "lags in nutrition, sanitation, and gender equality".

The ratios of girl education were also startling: "74 girls were enrolled in tertiary education as compared to 100 boys for South Asia."

WORLD DEVELOPMENT REPORT 2011 Nepali Anti-trafficking Hero Honored in Washington

Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton, left, hugs Charimaya Tamang of Nepal, a trafficking survivor herself, as she is awarded the 2011 Hero Acting to End Modern-Day Slavery Award, Monday, June 27, 2011, during the release of the 2011 Trafficking in Persons (TIP) Report, at the State Department in Washington. Shortly before her departure for the U.S., Ambassador DeLisi welcomed Ms. Tamang to the Embassy in Kathmandu to congratulate her and wish her safe travels.

The 2011 TIP Report notes: “Born into a poor family made poorer by the passing of her father, Charimaya Tamang was 16 when she was trafficked to India. She spent 22 months enslaved in a brothel before the Indian government rescued her and more than 200 other Nepali women in 1996. Upon her return to Nepal, Ms. Tamang faced social stigma and was outcast from her own community. But she courageously filed a case against her traffickers, becoming the first person to file personally a trafficking case with the district police. In 1997, the District Court – in a landmark decision – convicted and sentenced eight offenders involved in her case.

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