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Saptari Killings was purely Human Rights Violation by the state

Rayznews reported " On March 5th four United Democratic Madhesi Front cadets have been killed in a firing by Police trying to dis...

Monday, April 3, 2017

Kathmandu's Forest Risks Deforestation

It has been reported that the forest in Kathmandu has been risked deforestation with private development activities. After the success of Chandragiri cable car, Private sector in Nepal is very much showing interest in developing infrastructure in the name of tourism and development to exploit the forest area surrounding Kathmandu valley . With the controversy of Chandragiri Cable Car paying pennies as royalty for the use of the forest, the application at District Administration Office for building private recreational structures  have gone up.    

It is estimated that 50 hectares of forest risks the possibility of deforestation.  Many projects have applied for the use of forest for building infrastructure in the name of  development at various location in and around Kathmandu valley.

It seems with the lack of knowledge and limitation of future vision Nepalese political leaders are blinded by corruption and favoritism. In many cases they have allotted forest land to private firm with the authority of using such forest as a means of earning revenue which high risks deforestation and the diversity of the forest.  

#SaveTree campaign is an eminent project which needs to be incorporated in the awareness campaign of Nepal's political leaders who need to be aware and vigilant about the current climate change issue and its impact but sadly with the limitation of educated and quality leadership, Nepal's fate lies in the hands of  some deprived leaders who have no loyalty towards this nation and its future.

 




 

Saturday, March 11, 2017

Govinda Gautam Killed by SSB



Govinda Gautam of Nepal has been declared a Martyr by Nepal Government in view of him being   killed by Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB) on 9th march 2017.

It was  during a scuffle in between the locals and the force that Govinda was shot dead. The SSB troops entered Nepal in view of quarrel of a Calvert bridge constructed in the boarder for easy commuting purpose. Argument started when the SP of the SSB riped off the pavement on the bridge. The local were aggravated as from the Indian side the broader has been  encroached.

It has been noticed that from past few years the Nepal's bordering pillars at the boarder of Kanchanpur has been  destroyed by anonymous groups creating a problem in the boarder area.  The locals of Nepal have been complaining about the SSB troops violating their rights and have been entering Nepal in view of broader security threatening and using violence against the local people.


According to locals SSB  had entered the Nepali side and shot  Gautam, Gautam died  while being rushed to the Seti Zonal Hospital in Dhangadhi. Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Home Affairs Bimalendra Nidhi on Friday declared Govinda Gautam,  a martyr. Nidhi also announced a compensation of Rs 1 million to the victim’s family.
The Indian embassy in Nepal has denied the killings and have further have shown least concern about the issue. Likewise a reputed Indian Media  Indian Express  has written, " National Security Advisor Ajit Doval today telephoned Nepal Prime Minister Prachanda and condoled the death of a Nepalese man in alleged firing by the Sashastra Seema Bal and promised a probe into the incident that has sparked anger here. Doval, who made the phone call to Prachanda on behalf of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, said Indian authorities have initiated a probe into the killing of Govinda Gautam."

Wednesday, March 8, 2017

Saptari Killings was purely Human Rights Violation by the state


Rayznews reported " On March 5th four United Democratic Madhesi Front cadets have been killed in a firing by Police trying to disrupt the protesters in #Saptari. The  Communist Party of Nepal United Marxist Leninist was schedule to hold a rally in Rajbiraj  where the Madhesi groups oppose the CPN UML  party.  Top CPN UML leaders like KP Oli  Madhav Kumar Nepal, Lal Babu Yadav, Satya Narayan Mandal, were the leaders who  addressed the assembly. It was reported that the  UDMF protesters  violently attacked  security personnel and obstructed vehicular movement through out the day. In retaliation the police attacked the protesters and  shot dead four people during the process.In awake of the killing the UDMF has withdrawn its support from the coalition government and has declared a indefinite shutdown program."


The Recent #Saptari killing shows the weak mentality of how Nepal Government witness use of power against the innocent  villagers and minority group. It is very well testimonial that how our leaders and people in post do the wrong choices of misusing the power in favor of few  who are incapable and who are living in poverty.

By saying this I am not in support of the violence of the Madeshi Morcha, I strongly condemn their act of violence and do not justify that but I am not supporting the kill to shoot and Human Rights violation that happened in Saptari, Nepal as well. HUMAN RIGHTS STANDARDS are the basic standards that have to be followed  at all times, if the state or state representative fails to recognize this then who will follow and how will we ensure HUMAN RIGHTS for all.

From an individual citizen to the president, our Constitution guarantees the right of #equality. Just because someone is an ex prime Minister doesn't mean he or she should be prioritized on the top list of Human Rights standards or human right issue and for his comfort the whole nation's #HUMAN RIGHTSSTANDARDS should be undermined. It should be the same for all at all level and at all counts.

My point is law should be enacted to all and the constitution protects the right of every individual
in respect to his or her position or  education or level in safeguarding his or her basic rights.

It is Democratic right of every citizen of Nepal to have the right to protest or to have your voice. It is the fundamental right but why is it just limited within the reach of people who know law, who are educated and who have access. The current act of Saptari clearly should #brutality of armed police force against the Madeshi people only. I live in Thamel every now and then there is a big chaos and hurdling of stones that goes around in government colleges located near by but I have never seen policemen firing guns or even using force. Most of the times the students are so aggravated that they peddle stones and they use violence but the police never pushes them to the level of  Human Right Violation.  

MY MAIN QUESTION IS WHY THIS DISCRIMINATION ?


Having said above statement I am also not constraining the right of CPN UML leaders of publicity or reaching out to the public but the major question is when there is an outcry of an issue why are the CPN UML leaders persistent about creating a fuss about their publicity . They could have stand down in terms of understanding the current tension in Madesh. The people feel they have been betrayed or they feel they are marginalized. It is our duty to  reach out to them and understand and bring them in dialogue  rather than aggravating the situation. so why this political game ?

They knew the situations, they knew that things were very violent in Madesh then why CPN UML was persistent about their rally. What was their real intention?

In few of the TV interviews, I heard the government representative saying if bullets were not fired then the situation would have got out of control and resulted in TIKAPUR. I was really surprised to even hear such answers from officials who have swear in to protect the rights of people and they talk like this.

What was "TIKAPUR KANDA" we have to understand the whole story first.  It was a politically staged drama that went out of control with the public sentiment fueled in by political dumbness.
There is a huge difference in between what happened then and what was happening in Saptari. I think now with that situation it was very easy for officials especially in Madesh to fire arms in account of TIKAPUR.

If the Government or Government Representative do not follow the HUMAN RIGHTS STANDARDS than Who will?


If we trust in DEMOCRACY people should have the right, there should not be discrimination. No Human Rights violation should be tolerated at any account or at any level.

Wednesday, March 1, 2017

What a Joke: only 11 % of budget finished after 8 months



It has been reported that only 11% of the total budget that was allocated for the fiscal year 073/74  has been released for various development work.

This year  the Nepal government had  raised the salary of civil servants by 25 per cent in the next fiscal year which increase the total salary amount  by 26.9 per cent to NRs 132.3 billion. The government had plans to spend NRs 140.7 billion in post-quake reconstruction and rehabilitation.

Similarly, NRs 10 billion has been allocated for the construction of the Kathmandu-Tarai Fast Track ; Gautam Buddha Regional International Airport had allocated NRs 7.2 billion; NRs 5 billion had  allocated for Pokhara Regional International Airport; NRs 4.2 billion had  allocated for the  construction of Postal Highway; and NRs 1.50 billion  for construction of Second International Airport at Nijgad.

It is really shocking that after 8 months the only budget spent is only 11% of the total forecast.  so what is the problem?

The Nepal government priority is only government overhead cost which include salaries and other daily operation cost only, other than that are just merely expenses which are adjusted and managed creating overheads.  Below are the problems listed:


1. Lack of clarity of planning and operation
2. Finance Ministry of Nepal lack of efficiency
3. Leader of Nepal Fail to raise the problems in Parliaments
4. Huge gaps in between bureaucracy and leadership
5. high level frustration in Bureaucracy
6. Lack of Open government
7. Lack of clarity in core values
8. Orthodox management and operation process
9. No accountability to public governance


Apart from this reality is Nepal's political culture focuses more towards party politics than nation first ideology. In every sector people are bound to suffer due to lack of public governance. From government services to facilities to tax system, Nepal government has created a complex system of  orthodox and prejudice values where political leaders are creating unwanted situation and  political chaos which is not hidden. Corruption, favoritism, nepotism and minority quota has become political agenda and political agenda.



Sunday, February 26, 2017

Nepal Army showcasing fire crackers on Army Day



The Nepal Army celebrated its ARMY DAY on Shivaratri. Every year the pristine organization celebrates ARMY DAY with huge excitement showcasing its technology and various level of skills and activities among its personnel and dignitaries.
This year the celebration included a fire cracker show which was surely an excitement to the public but looking at it form the perspective  of an environment and  sound pollution  way it certainly seems arguable about why wasting so much of in such a way.

Nepal Army is the discipline institution which follows the rule and regulation of Nepal government, so using fire crackers which has been restrain to public access during festivals certainly sounds impractical.

Another aspect to the argument is Nepal Government prohibits the use of fire crackers especially during the festivals of Deepwali on the basis of sound and environment pollution. The same rule does not apply on the government organization like Nepal Army simply shows how the hypocrisy works in creating double standards. Likewise, even the organization which has always been the pride and respected among the public should have restrain its fire cracker show in view of its image.

How can there be two standards that effects public directly?  








  


Monday, February 6, 2017

Does #nepal needs such controversial issues to promote #VisitNepal Campaign ?






Recently, Sahana Bajracharya an elite VJ and public icon shared these messages on her twitter account. It was appraised and shared by hundreds of her followers on social media  and created a buzz among the Nepalese community. When I saw these messages I was quite not offended but I didn't feel comfortable about those messages.

The first question that came to my mind was why  all these complication. People love Nepal for no reason they come here because its beautiful and people feel good and natural about Nepal. Using such campaign with such background of hatred and negativity, it has its share of baggage as well which can be chronic and contemplating.

Good or Bad, I think Nepal is something which is beyond such controversy. Nepal is famous in the world for its natural beauty and serene environment. Apart from that Nepalese are also known for their genuine attitude and nature. Why would we want to capitalized trump's issues of negativity and hatred  when we have our own share of goodness and so many other things to explore?

With such campaign comes the pros of buzzing in the social media for a short period but its also has a wide side of criticism where the aspect of capitalizing on issues of racialism and negative attitude can be very costly.

#socialmediacrisis is a unwanted situation of creating scope of problems and complexity with wrong interpretation and unwanted justifications. The possible solution is to avoid such acts by building a credible image and strategy of social media without by passing hard work and efforts.

Jeopardizing a national campaign or even creating speculation for cheap marketing strategy is not a good marketing strategy. It can be a instant success but at times can and will result in sad  and unwanted  consequences as well.








      

Sunday, January 29, 2017

New home for the president of Nepal but no home for Earthquake victim



Nepal's President Bidhya Devi Bhandari  has shifted to the new palace built by the Nepal Government where as on contrary the same Nepal government has not been able to distribute the billions which it  received for the reconstruction and rehabilitation program of earthquake victims of April 25 devastating earthquake. After 2 years people are still waiting for the money where the Nepal government leaders are still playing politics in the name of victims and the issue.

I think this is one of the most satirical issue where thousands of earthquake victims are living under the sky with temporary zinc sheet and the head of the state is shifting to a fully furnished luxury palace. such a pitty !
        
Following a safety assessment, technicians put red stickers to the rear part of the residence.
Nepal’s Rastrapati Bhawan, was declared unsafe for use by a technical team after the building developed cracks due to the devastating earthquake of  April 25 2015

The president was living in a prefab home built in the compound of sheetal niwas

Wednesday, January 25, 2017

Unilever Nepal bullying Nepali soap market


From a  source, I came to know that the current Animal Fat awareness campaign which is currently being run in radio and newspaper is financed by Unilever Nepal. Breaking news is they are planning to launch their own range of animal fat free soap. As part of their aggressive marketing campaign  they have launched this customer awareness campaign where they are targeting print and audio media with the whole concept of first driving the people with awareness and then launching their fat free soap.

On one hand this campaign certainly shows the unhealthy competition in the market where the big organization like Unilever uses such campaigns and power of money in favor of capitalizing their own benefit where as on other it is really sad for smaller industries who have been struggling to survive as they have no option.

Good or bad driving people for a certainly motive this campaign has its pros and cons on the table. I think the Unilever Nepal should not radicalize this issue in such a way creating bad impression of the whole industry. The way this marketing campaign has been pushed showcases the aspect of business world vs public welfare. Since this issue is very closely related to people's belief and culture the Unilever should not push it hard. It should have been put it in a more shuttle way giving option to the people.

Playing it indirectly, they are trying to capture the market but hey its a open world where cost, quality and comfort matters.

If you can give a product in lower price with a good quality the product is genuinely successful. Aggressive marketing campaigns like this at times can have serious consequences.


   

Monday, January 23, 2017

Government Attorneys boycott their session in court


The Nepal Government attorneys are boycotting their court session protesting against the recent appointment of high court judges by judicial council from Sunday.

Government attorneys and trade unions at  the Office of the Attorney General (OAG) have decided not to participate in court proceedings including hearings.

The controversy started when the appointment was claimed to be highly political and un-justifiable in may ways. On January 13 the Judicial Council lead by CJ Sushila Karki  appointed 80 judges at the high courts with 37 from district judges, 27 from Nepal Bar Association and 16 from joint secretaries and secretaries. The controversy started when the news broke out that the appoint was done at the middle of the night with only 3 members involving the appointment process
The Judicial Council currently has 5 members which is chaired by Chief Justice Sushila Karki.

Chief Justice Sushila Karki has been drawing controversy as her term period is ending, one after the other she has been putting question mark on the issues of management and administration of Justice system in Nepal.

The lawyer fraternity has been blaming the process to be very political and unjustifiable as the people who have been appointed are not reasonably qualified in terms of experience and quality. They are demanding a fair appointment process with no politics.

     

Saturday, January 21, 2017

No 4G for Ncell Axiata Group

The controversy of capital gains tax (CGT) of Ncell during its takeover has been a long lasting headache for the Nepal government. With view of that  the lawmakers of Nepal have decided not to  allow 4G services to Ncell in Nepal. It has been confirmed that till  it clears the outstanding capital gains tax (CGT) to the Nepal Government, 4G services will be withheld for Ncell Axiata Group.

Axiata Group acquired Ncell last December 2015 from TeliaSonera and Reynolds for US$1.365 billion . The takeover  drew immense criticism as Ncell did not pay CGT as required by the law which is expected to be NRs 23 billion. The deal effectively secures Axiata an 80 percent equity interest and full control over Ncell.

The Nepal Telecommunications Authority (NTA) rolled out  4G  plan for Ncell in the last week of October last year. The Nepal Telecom (NT) has already started its soft launch of  4G service in Nepal after obtaining the licence from NTA.

Axiata Group is  one of the largest Asian telecommunication companies, Axiata today operates in ten countries, servicing approximately 290 million subscribers. With a diverse portfolio in mobile network operations, communications infrastructure services and digital services, the Group pieces together the best in connectivity, technology and people in its vision of Advancing Asia.

Axiata has controlling stakes in market leading mobile operators in South East Asia and South Asia. Axiata Group of companies operate under the brand name of ‘Celcom’ in Malaysia, ‘XL’ in Indonesia, ‘Dialog’ in Sri Lanka, ‘Robi’ in Bangladesh, ‘Smart’ in Cambodia and 'Ncell' in Nepal. Further to this, the Group also holds strategic interests in ‘Idea’ in India and ‘M1’ in Singapore.

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