Jan 27, 2012

Web-based database of foreign workers to be kept

KATHMANDU, AUG 28 -The government is preparing to maintain a web-based database of foreign workers in the country. The move is targeted at keeping up-to-date records of non-Nepalis working in various sectors besides discouraging illegal hiring.

The Department of Labour has forwarded a proposal to the National Planning Commission (NPC) for approval. The department said that the planned system would help maintain records of foreigners coming to Nepal for work and those who have left after finishing their terms.

“The NPC is quite positive about our plan,” said Man Bahadur BK, director general of the department and coordinator of the Non-Nepali Employees Monitoring Committee. Once this provision comes into effect, the Department of Labour will maintain a database of foreign workers and publish it on the department’s website regularly. BK said that they were planning to update the data on workers obtaining an employment permit on a daily basis on the website with the numbers of the employees and the sector where they work.

Prices of building materials fall as demand drops

KATHMANDU, AUG 26 -Prices of building materials have declined amid a slowdown in construction activities. According to dealers, brick, cement and steel prices have dropped significantly in a year due to low demand and rising competition.

The price of cement price has come down by Rs 100-150 per bag depending on the brand, of which there are more than 30 in the market.

State-owned brands Hetauda and Udaypur, whose prices had increased up to Rs 800 per 50 kg sack, now cost Rs 715 and Rs 725 respectively. Currently, around 75 percent of the requirement in the domestic market is being fulfilled by local brands.

The current price of PPC cement is Rs 425-50, and OPC costs Rs 500-525 per sack in Hetauda and Birgunj where most of the manufacturing units are located. When these products reach the capital, prices go up by some Rs 100 with the addition of transport costs, mark-up by retailers and other charges.

Monitoring of Foreign Workers: Govt all set to finalise action plan

KATHMANDU, AUG 24 -The government is all set to finalise the action plan to monitor institutions employing non-Nepali workers illegally. The Department of Labour has said the action plan is ready and will be formally endorsed within a couple of days.

“We have readied the action plan and it will be formally approved within a couple of days,” said Man Bahadur BK, director general of the department, who is also the coordinator of the Non-Nepali Employee Monitoring Committee.

Based on the action plan, the department will form a monitoring team involving officials from ministries concerned such as Ministry of Finance, Ministry of Industry, Ministry of Energy, Ministry of Youth and Sports, Ministry of Women Children and Social Welfare and Ministry of Home Affairs to conduct monitoring in institutions related to respective ministries. According to the department, the committee will conduct inspection in at least 10 institutions within a month.

Nepal short of Rs 21b to develop roads to meet MDG

KATHMANDU, AUG 25 -The country needs an additional Rs 21 billion to develop the road sector to achieve the Millennium Development Goal (MDG) targets within 2015. Although the MDG has no direct target for road infrastructure, it plays a major role in mobility and accessibility to help realise the goals for other sectors.

The MDG Needs Assessment Report for Nepal 2010 released on Wednesday stated that the country had a resource gap of Rs 20.97 billion for the next five years to work as per the MDG for road sector development. Compared to the total requirement of Rs 264.34 billion, the available resources amount to Rs 243.37 billion for 2011-15.

Pushpa Lal Shakya, joint secretary at the National Planning Commission, said that there were possibilities of fulfilling or narrowing the gap by increasing investments through public-private partnership, foreign direct investment in the road sector and best utilising the foreign aid received.

Unified licensing policy: Ministry seeks

More details from NTA

KATHMANDU, AUG 22 -The Ministry of Information and Communications (MoIC) has sought more details from Nepal Telecommunications Authority (NTA) on the planned “unified licencing policy” that the latter has floated.

The ministry says the pre-condition set for rural telecom operators to bring them under the new policy was not clear. Two weeks ago, the telecom regulator NTA had asked its line ministry, the MoIC, to adopt a unified licencing regime—that will allow operators to provide all types of telecom services—to create a competition in the local telecom market, give equal footing to rural telecom service operators, remove licencing provision for limited mobility service and simplify the licencing system. It has proposed Rs 295 million for obtaining the licence.

Secretary at the MoIC Shreedhar Gautam said the recommendation forwarded by the NTA was not clear, mainly on the pre-conditions set for the operators that are currently offering services in rural areas.

Chinese team to study Ring Road widening

KATHMANDU, AUG 23 -A Chinese technical team is scheduled to arrive in Kathmandu on Wednesday to conduct a study on widening the Ring Road. According to the Ministry of Physical Planning and Works, the main objective of the visit is to complete preliminary work on the road design.

The team will spend 40 days in Kathmandu to do a survey for widening 9.5 km of the 27-km long Ring Road in the first phase.

Ministry officials said that the 18-member team would include geotechnical engineers, traffic engineers, material engineers and other technical experts. “They will start preliminary work with the assistance of engineers from the Department of Roads,” said a ministry official. The Chinese engineers will collect data related to traffic volume, types of vehicles that run on the project area, labour charges, transportation fares, sources and prices of construction materials, existing system of public utilities such as drinking water, telecommunications, electricity and metrology within the project area and geological data.

Indian goldsmiths raking in the moolah

30,000 Indian jewellery makers working in Nepal send home Rs 5 billion annually

KATHMANDU, AUG 21 -It may surprise many, but Rs 5 billion goes to India annually through Indian goldsmiths working in Nepal. With dearth of domestic workforce, the local jewellery market is heavily dependent on Indian jewellery makers, employing above 30,000 Indians.

Nepal Gold and Silver Dealers Association (Negosida) says there are an estimated 50,000 workers engaged in the local jewellery sector, of which 60 percent are Indians. “Many Nepalis leave the country for foreign employment, but we are facing shortage of workers,” said Tej Ratna Shakya, president NEGOSIDA.

According to Shakya, Indian workers are hired in all major cities and they are gradually making to hilly markets such as Baglung, Nuwakot and Gorkha. Salaries of these Indian workers range from Rs 10,000 to over Rs 100,000 per month depending on their skills.

Govt to conduct market monitoring for festive season



KATHMANDU, AUG 19 -The government is all set to start effective market monitoring in all 75 districts with the festive season approaching. The Ministry of Commerce and Supplies has asked the Ministry of Home Affairs to correspond with all the District Administration Offices for this purpose.

According to government officials, the market monitoring will basically concentrate on controlling market prices, examining the quality of essential products and ensuring a smooth supply of essential goods. The ministry has also directed the Department of Commerce, the Department of Food Technology and Quality Control and the Nepal Bureau of Standards and Metrology to carry out effective inspection as per their work areas.

Gold price soars to all-time high

KATHMANDU, AUG 19 -The price of gold went up by Rs 1,330 per 10 gm on Friday. With this, the price of the yellow metal has touched a record high of Rs 44,795 per 10 gm (Rs 52,250 per tola) in the domestic market. Friday’s hike was the result of the price hike in the global market.

The precious metal was traded at Rs 43,465 per 10 gm on Thursday. The price of gold has been increasing significantly for the last three weeks propped up by the price hike of the precious metal in the international market.

The swelling price has affected daily business in the local market, according to Nepal Gold and Silver Dealers Association (NEGOSIDA). It says dealers from districts including Parbat, Makawanpur,

After strike, fare hike looms

KATHMANDU, AUG 19 -The smile brought about on common people’s faces by the withdrawal of the nationwide strike called by transport entrepreneurs may be short-lived given an understanding between the government and the entrepreneurs to hike transport fares. Commuters may have to be ready to pay an extra 10 percent in fares within a month if things go as planned by the entrepreneurs.

A government team and the transport entrepreneurs who were negotiating on the demands of the latter agreed to speed up work on increasing the public transport fare and goods carriers’ maximum charge.

The entrepreneurs called off the strike after officials of the Ministry of Labour and Transport Management and the entrepreneurs struck a deal on fare hike and other issues early on Friday morning.

Two mineral water companies ordered to stop operations

KATHMANDU, AUG 17 -The government has ordered two mineral water companies to stop the production and sale of their bottled water for violating regulations. The two companies, Nilkantha Natural Spring Water and Pure and Natural Water, have been charged with not fulfilling the legal criteria for running a business and selling contaminated water bearing the label “WHO Standard Water”.

The Department of Commerce has found Aqua Cold and Penguin Aqua Cold brands of bottled water to have been passed through a very poor filtration system after being extracted from a filthy well.

Building material dealers to unite



KATHMANDU, AUG 12 -Construction material dealers have decided to form their apex body to deal with problems in policies, their common challenges and to unite themselves. A meeting of dealers from 15 districts held in the Capital on Friday formed an ad hoc committee to this effect.

With the rise in construction work propped up by the realty sector over the last couple of years, the number of construction material dealers is increasing. However, there is no any record on the businessmen involved, the sector’s annual turnover, tax being paid to the government and employment opportunities generated. The proposed Federation of Nepal Construction Materials Dealers’ Association aims to unite

Govt-transporters faceoff: Ministry warns of strong action

Consumer rights body wants trouble quelled

KATHMANDU, AUG 17 -The Ministry of Labour and Transport Management has warned of strong action against transport entrepreneurs as per the Essential Service Operation Act if they do not call off their nationwide strike planned from Thursday onwards.

The ministry said the entrepreneurs’ 41-point charter of demands was under discussion and headed for a “positive direction.” It said the Act would be used if they enforce the strike with force.

According to the ministry, the transporters must withdraw their strike as the transport service falls under the essential service category. Closing services under this category is illegal. A government talks team is also slated to hold a second round of talks with the entrepreneurs on Thursday afternoon.

Transporters gear for face-off on strike issue

KATHMANDU, AUG 16 -The government has warned agitating transport entrepreneurs not to call a strike as it is against the law to shut down transport services. Following a meeting with representatives of transport entrepreneurs on Tuesday, the Ministry of Labour and Transport Management has requested the prime minister and the home minister to strictly enforce the Essential Services Operation Act to prevent the planned protest.

Last month, the Home Ministry had made a list of 16 service sectors based on the Essential Services Operation Act where strikes are prohibited to prevent suffering to the general public. Defying the warning, transport entrepreneurs have threatened to call an indefinite nationwide strike from Thursday.

Trade unions ask FNCCI to implement pay-hike decision

KATHMANDU, AUG 16 -Although they were not part of the pay hike given to industrial workers by the government, three big trade unions on Tuesday asked the Federation of Nepalese Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FNCCI) to implement the government-fixed minimum wages within 15 days.

They have also requested the private sector’s apex body to withdraw a case filed in the Supreme Court against the new pay hike. On July 3, the court issued an interim order against implementing the new salary.

The General Federation of Nepalese Trade Unions (GEFONT), All Nepal Trade Union Federation (ANTUF) and Nepal Trade Union Congress-Independent (NTUC-I) on Tuesday submitted a memorandum to the FNCCI demanding implementation of the hike of Rs 1,600 minimum salary

BUS, TAXI PLANS FOR BADI COMMUNITY: Transporters cry foul, announce nationwide protest

KATHMANDU, AUG 15 -The government move to allow import of taxies to youths belonging to the Badi community and operate buses or taxis through cooperatives in urban areas has enraged transport entrepreneurs.

The country’s major transport entrepreneurs’ associations including the Federation of Truck Tanker and Transport Entrepreneurs, Nepal, and Nepal Petroleum Transport Entrepreneurs’ Federation, have threatened to call a nationwide indefinite transport strike from Wednesday in protest against the government plan.

The entrepreneurs have demanded the government first meet their 41-point charter of demands that include scrapping the provision to waive customs duty on the import of taxi for youths of the Badi community and cancel plans to operate buses or taxis in urban areas with the involvement of transport

Janakpur-Jayanagar Railway Upgradation

PAC directs ministry to allocate needful resources

KATHMANDU, AUG 11 -The parliamentary Public Accounts Committee (PAC) on Thursday directed the Ministry of Finance to allocate needful resources for land acquisition to fast-track upgradation of the Janakpur- Jayagar Railway. The government is planning to extend the railway network to Bardibas, besides upgrading it from the narrow gauge to broad gauge under the grant assistance from India.

The newly established Railway Department under the Ministry of Physical Planning and Works has already published notices on acquiring land for upgrading the railway of the Nepal Railway Company Limited and construction of a cross-border railway link-Rani Sikiyahi-Biratnagar.

Gold hits record Rs 40,725


KATHMANDU, AUG 08 -Gold touched yet another record on Monday, trading at Rs 40,725 per 10 gm (Rs 47,502 per tola) in the domestic market. The price of the yellow metal in the international market reached more than US$ 1,700 per ounce.

Gold rose Rs 2,745 per 10 gm in a week from Rs 37,980 last Monday. A slump in the international stock market and a weakened dollar resulting from the economic crisis in Europe and the US led to gold reaching all-time highs, said traders. According to the Nepal Gold and Silver Dealers Association (NEGOSIDA), the yellow metal on Monday became dearer by Rs 730 per 10 gm compared to the price on Sunday. Last Friday, it traded at Rs 39,565 per 10 gm.

Ring Road widening work to start by January

KATHMANDU, AUG 04 - The Ministry of Physical Planning and Works has stated that the work on widening the Kathmandu Ring Road will start by January next year. A technical team from China is visiting Nepal to start work on detailed design for the road improvement within next three months.

In the first phase, the government, under the grant assistance of the Chinese government, is planning to improve 9.5 km road stretch from Gangabu-Jhamshikhel.

Under the improvement project, the current two-lane Ring Road will be widened to a four-lane two-way main road, a four-lane two-way relief road, two-way bicycle path and two-way pedestrian path, including bus stations and parking lots.

Parliamentary panel starts market monitoring

KATHMANDU, AUG 01 -The sub-committee on labour, transport, industry, commerce and supplies under the parliament’s Finance and Labour Relations Committee inspected the milk processing units of two companies, Kathmandu Dairy and Sitaram Gokul Milks Kathmandu, on Monday. Suspecting the companies of selling adulterated milk containing hazardous chemicals, the lawmakers and government officials has confiscated 11 sacks of caustic soda and five sacks of sodium bicarbonate (baking soda) from them.

Caustic soda, whose chemical name is Sodium hydroxide (NaOH), is a caustic metallic base. It is used in many industries, mostly as a strong chemical base in the manufacture of pulp and paper, textiles, drinking water, soaps and detergents and as a drain cleaner.

Govt told to maintain adequate stock of essential goods

KATHMANDU, JUL 31 - The parliamentary Finance and Labour Relations Committee on Sunday directed the government to maintain sufficient stocks of essential goods to ensure smooth supply and check artificial price hikes with the festive season approaching. The committee has also asked the government to conduct effective central and district level market monitoring and take immediate action against wrongdoers.

The committee has asked the concerned ministries and departments under them to keep ample stocks of food, LP gas, kerosene, petrol and diesel in response to its sub-committee’s recommendation