Kathmandu, Aug 12. International Youth Day is being celebrated all over the world including in Nepal today. The day is also being celebrated in Nepal under the slogan ‘Transformation in Food System: Youth Innovation for Human and Global Health’.

On the occasion of the day, President Bidya Devi Bhandari and Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba will deliver a video message at a program organized by the National Youth Council at 10.30 am today. Various non-governmental organizations related to youth are also celebrating the day with variety of programs across the country.

Vice-chairman of the Council Madhav Dhungel said that the day is being observed virtually due to the corona virus pandemic. The Council has been conducting youth related programs on the occasion of the day since last year. In order to address the issues of the youth, the United Nations has decided to celebrate August 12 every year since 1999 as the International Youth Day.

In Nepal, the day was celebrated for the first time in 2004 under the leadership of organizations working with youth. It has been officially celebrated since 2016 under the leadership of the Council. The government has been working on youth leadership development by forming the National Youth Council in 2015. In Nepal, youth constitute 40.3 per cent of the total population. RSS

The government is releasing whitepaper incorporating the economic details of the country. Minister for Finance Janardan Sharma is releasing the whitepaper (Fact Paper) highlighting the current economic situation of the country in the meeting of the House of Representatives today.

The HoR meeting is taking place at 1pm today. According to Shreedhar Neupane, press expert of the Speaker Agni Sapkota, the Finance Minister has asked for the time to issue the whitepaper in the parliament meeting.
The government for the first time is issuing a whitepaper after the formation of new government led by Nepali Congress President Sher Bahadur Deuba.

Minister Sharma said the government is issuing the whitepaper incorporating the reality of the economic situation of the country rather than to blame others.

Kathmandu, July 28. Rastriya Janamorcha Chairman Chitra Bahadur KC has expressed his dissatisfaction at the meeting of the ruling coalition. He expressed his dissatisfaction over the appointment of Umesh Shrestha as the Minister of State for Health and Population by Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba.

He questioned why the businessman was made a minister without finding anyone. Deuba, however, said that KC’s dissatisfaction was only heard and did not respond.

KC has been saying that they will leave the alliance if the coalition government seeks to get the MCC passed. Today’s meeting has discussed about giving perfection to the government. And, the responsibility of deciding who will be the minister has been given to the top leaders. File Photo

Kathmandu, July 27: The Nepali Congress (NC) has provided the party active membership to 852 thousand 711 people across the country. The membership was granted in view of the party’s upcoming General Convention scheduled on September 1 to 4.

A report submitted to party President and Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba by the Active Membership Investigation Committee coordinator Ramesh Lekhak states that 443 thousand 678 have taken the new membership while 409 thousand 33 have got their membership renewed.

Now, the number of the active male members in the party is 653 thousand 438 followed by 199 thousand 97 women and 176 are categorised as others.

Province-wise number of active members

Province 1: 174,782

Province 2: 112,946

Bagamati: 186,143

Gandaki: 118,633

Lumbini: 130,885

Karnali: 54,566

Sudurpaschim: 74,756

The members belong to 16 to 75 years of age.
During its work, the Committee had received 46 sorts of complaints and grievances about the new members.

Kathmandu, July 27 : Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba and CPN-Maoist Central Committee Chairman Puspa Kamal Dahal have met each other.

A meeting was held at the Prime Minister’s official residence in Baluwatar at 9 am today to discuss the expansion of the Council of Ministers and current issues, said Deuba’s personal secretary Bhanu Deuba.

As soon as Nepali Congress President Deuba was appointed as the Prime Minister on July 13, the Congress and the UCPN (M) had two ministers each. Similarly, Prime Minister Deuba on Sunday added a Minister of State.

Although Prime Minister Deuba took a vote of confidence in the House of Representatives meeting on July 19, the expansion of the Council of Ministers has been delayed as all parties have to move forward together. RSS

Kathmandu, July 27 : The office bearers and ex-office bearers of Nepali Congress are meeting today to discuss the schedule of general convention.

The meeting is beginning at 10:00am at Budhanilakantha, private residence of Prime Minister and party President Sher Bahadur Deuba. Chief Secretary of party central office, Krishna Prasad Poudel, has informed that the meeting would discuss the new schedule of 14th general convention of the party.

The meeting of the office bearers held last Saturday had postponed the convention schedule at sub-national level to be implemented from today reasoning that the dispute on active membership was not settled. However, it remained mute on schedule of the central general convention.

After the row over active membership at lower levels of the party is settled, the meeting of the office bearers will take decision on new schedule and forward the decision to the central committee for the endorsement. RSS

KATHMANDU, May 15:The opposition political parties have said the policy and programmes the President unveiled on Friday failed to bring forth solid plans to cope up with the COVID-19 crisis. It is against federalism and lacked policy and programmes, they argued.

Major opposition Nepali Congress President Sher Bahadur Deuba observed, “It is like a short epic, too traditional; and lacks innovative approach.”

Similarly, leader of the Socialist Party, Dr Baburam Bhattarai, said the special schemes were needed to address the economy dented heavily by the COVID-19. “Although it sounds good, it is against the spirit of federalism. It is quite depressing,” he commented.”It has nothing special to combat crisis,” said Rastriya Janata Party leader Rajendra Mahato.
Pradip Giri of the Nepali Congress viewed that the policy and programmes failed to create hope and confidence.
Leader of the Rastriya Prajatantra Party Rajendra Lingden wondered why the policy and programmes failed to bring programmes to create jobs and combat coronavirus infection. RSS

KATHMANDU, Aug 5: Nepali Congress President Sher Bahadur Deuba has said that his party would support the good deeds of the incumbent government.

“NC will support government’s good activities but it cannot support the activities carried out against country’s welfare. This is the duty of opposition party”, President Deuba said.

At a program organized in the first memorial assembly of Syangja district president of NC, Kamal Pangeni, on Monday, he blamed the government of carrying out activities against the Constitution.

The NC president said, “Some of the activities of the government have been seen against the welfare of country and the people. The opposition party is engaged to stop the activities carried out against the nation and the people by making people aware about it.”

Saying there was no alternative to NC to be united, he said the NC would move ahead being united in days ahead.

NC president Deuba said that late Pangeni was a dedicated leader and his demise was an irreparable loss to the party.

Similarly, NC central committee members Gopalman Shrestha and Gagan Thapa blamed the government of failing to carry out activities as per people’s aspiration. RSS

‘NCP LEADERS TAPPED PERSONAL PHONE CALLS TO SWEEP ELECTIONS’

KATHMANDU, July 22: Nepali Congress (NC) President Sher Bahadur Deuba has claimed that BP Koirala’s democratic principle is being largely attacked.

In his address to a symposium entitled “BP’s thought and current political status” organized by the Martyrs Memorial Foundation in the capital on Monday to commemorate the 37th BP Memorial Day, the former Prime Minister said any attempt to hamper the international norms and values of democracy will not be tolerated.

“If any bill capable of curtailing democratic norms and values is introduced, we will be compelled to hit the parliament as well as the street,” he said.

Deuba accused the government of attempting to attack democracy by introducing the Media Council Bill and the Bill Related to the Human Rights Commission.

He described the bills aiming to place a hook on human rights and the freedom of expression. The main opposition party leader further alleged the government for indulging in the game of sweeping off the oppositions by tapping personal telephone calls.

He furthered that the achievement of national prosperity within a short period was possible if BP’s development thought was adopted.

“BP Koirala who owns multiple identities– as a writer, socialist thinker and a prominent political leader– was really an extraordinary figure.”

According to Deuba, BP was dedicated to the principle that nationalism, socialism and democracy should be taken ahead simultaneously and returned home with the ‘national reconciliation policy’ out of his love towards the nation. Democracy was the core thing in his life and he was a strong believer that socialism without democracy was never possible.

Vice President Bimalendra Nidhi was of the view that all should internalize that democracy was the first condition for nationality, democracy and socialism which kept people at the first as per the late BP’s principle.

NC Spokesperson Bishwa Prakash Sharma said BP had achieved a greater height in terms of the achievement of democracy by the nation.

“BP is the source of inspirations of all political leadership existing in the country, and it is widely accepted that the nation and people would have different status if the king and communists had well understood him.”

Foundation’s Founder Dhundiraj Shastri said the idea of the path of democratic socialism presented, advocated and exercised by BP was the appropriate destination for the welfare of humanity.

Foundation’s chair Khilanath Dahal and Vice-Chair Anjali Shrestha were of the view that duties and responsibilities to the families of martyrs should not be overlooked.

On the occasion, the Foundation’s founder and former minister Shastri was honored by leader Deuba who also launched a book ‘Martyrs’ published by the Foundation on the occasion. RSS