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Upendra Yadav was the chief instigator of the 2007 Mad­hes Movement, which was instrumental in enshrining ‘federalism’ in the interim constitution. The interim charter in turn was the basis for the constitution of the federal republican Nepal issued in 2015. This architect of the 2007 Madhes Movement is now joining the central government in Kathmandu after a seven-year hiatus. With the formal inclusion of his party Sanghiya Samajbadi Forum Nepal (16 seats), the ruling coalition has 190 seats in the 275-member federal parliament. Importantly, it now has a two-thirds majority needed to amend the constitution.

The Yadav-led SSFN decided to join the Oli government after inking a two-point deal, which stipulates that the constitution will be amended based on ‘mutual agreement’. Such an amendment will incorporate the demands raised by political movements of recent times, says the deal. Interestingly, as per the deal, the proposed amendments would be reflected in the government’s annual Policies and Programs, even though there was no possibility of that: the two-point deal came only a day ahead of the May 29 budget presentation.

This is not the only reason to doubt the feasibility of the chief demand of the 2015 protests in Madhes: revision of provincial boundaries in the constitution so that the entire Tarai belt comes under two Madhes-only provinces. It is nigh impossible to imagine the Nepal Communist Party agreeing to such demarcations, even though it now has the requisite strength to amend the constitution any way it likes. The vast majority of NCP leaders are viscerally opposed to separating Tarai from Pahad, and so is a high proportion of the party’s electorate. So what kind of amendments can we realistically expect?

SSFN will most certainly ask for more tax-collection and spending rights for provinces. The SSFN-led government in Province 2 has long chaffed at the centralization of revenue-collection and revenue-mobilization powers in Kathmandu. SSFN will also pitch for an easier citizenship provision for those born to Nepali mothers and foreign fathers, another pressing issue for its core constituents in the Tarai belt.

In the bigger picture, with the inclusion of SSFN, the Oli government now seems unassailable, with total control over the federal government as well as all the seven provincial governments.

The budget unveiled on May 29 by Finance Minister Yubaraj Khatiwada has a dual focus: expanding revenue base and creating jobs. The goal is apparently to make positive changes in the lives of low-income folks by taxing high- and middle-income individuals.

In a society with a huge informal economy, the budget tries to convey another message too: stop over-consumption. The hike in excise duties on motorbikes and cars hints at it. The auto sector is but one example; the budget has caused many other entrepreneurs to lose sleep. The private sector in general will bear the brunt of the changes in taxation. In a review session on May 30, a day after the budget, Khatiwada said, “Businesses have to pay their due to the state.” Lest someone missed the message, he added that tax evasion will be strictly punished.

Economist Madan Kumar Dahal thinks at least some proposed measures are unrealistic. For instance, the 8 percent growth target will be difficult to achieve without more capital expenditure. The government will have to spend much more than its target capital spending (23.9 percent of total allocation).

Predictably, Nepali Congress came down heavily on the budget. “In the election campaign trail, the parties heading this government claimed that the NC’s economic policies were flawed. But this budget is a strange hodgepodge of NC’s policies and communist orthodoxies,” NC central working committee concluded a day after the budget’s announcement.

It is safe to assume that we have not heard the last of the argy-bargy over the 2018-19 budget.

By Shreedhar Khanal

Full story on SUNDAY....

The 3^rd edition of the wheelchair basketball competition in Nepal, the Turkish Airlines ENGAGE Empowering League, is set to start from June 2 at the Central Covered Hall, Dasarath Rangasala.

With seven days of games involving 134 players (94 male and 40 female) from five female and nine male teams, including, for the first time teams from outside the Valley (Chitwan, Pokhara, Nepalgunj), each team will play against each other once. The best two teams with the highest scores will play for 1^st place final and 3^rd and 4^th teams in terms of scoring will play for the 3^rd place.

The Turkish Airlines ENGAGE Empowering League, an initiative organized by ENGAGE, a local NGO, is going to be played under the banner “Fair Game for Nepal: Make Disability rights REAL,” directly advocating for the implementation of the new Disability Rights Act. The Act has the potential to be a real “game changer” in terms of new rights and provisions for persons with disabilities.

The League has an important role in raising awareness of disabilities and more in general on issues related to Gender, Equality and Social Inclusion (GESI), contributing to a more just, inclusive development of the country, creating space for action and participation for persons with disabilities, one of the most vulnerable groups.

The League will also be about awareness programs at schools level targeting at least 900 school children and youths at basic and secondary levels. The League will also mobilize around 40 volunteers, all trained on social inclusion and disability rights, and different members of social clubs being supported by ENGAGE. This will help create links between youth with and without disabilities, towards more awareness and understanding on disabilities issues.

While advocating for the new Act, the League will promote not only the physical and mental wellbeing of persons with physical disabilities but also will contribute greatly to enhance the adaptive sports in Nepal.

With the National Youth Council as Co-Convener, Turkish Airlines as Title Sponsor and the strategic support of Governance Facility and Embassy of Switzerland to Nepal and a coalition of nonprofits and corporate houses, the League is a great example of partnerships among different stakeholders to promote social inclusion and disability rights.

Weekly Editorial Cartoon

The date for the much-cov­eted musical event in Nepal—Kathmandu Blues N’ Roots—has been announced. The third edition of the musical jamboree, on Septem­ber 29, is going to be bigger and better, according to the organizers. The best of the blues musicians in Nepal will gather at one location, Tan­galwood Events, to woo the audience with their soulful blues music. Musicians Satish Sthapit and Roshan Kansakar, the men behind Kathmandu Blues N’ Roots, are teaming up with Tarang Entertainment to bring the best of Nepali musicians together in the event. “This is not a profit based event,” Sthapit, the co-organizer says. “We’re doing this for the love of music. Since many organizers and sponsors in Nepal do no indulge blues-based live bands, we’re doing our own event so that the music and musicians are kept alive in Nepal.”

To keep the legacy of the blues alive and encourage upcoming musicians, the organizers are also hosting a nation-wide band competi­tion, the winners of which will get to perform in the event as well as get a single recorded courtesy of Skathi records. Bands with blues as their core music are encouraged to take part in the competition by uploading their live video per­formance on the Kathmandu Blues N’ Roots Facebook page.

The videos generating most reactions on social media will then be judged by a panel of judges and win the opportu­nity to perform alongside the heavy lineup of Nepali musi­cians consisting of Mukti N’ Revival, Newaz, TMR Trio, Spirit X to name a few, and also the international act, The Well from the United States.

The competition is for bands of all genres with blues as their core and musicians outside Kathmandu are also encouraged to apply since the winners will get an all-expense paid trip to Kathmandu to per­form at the festival alongside the record real.

The submissions are open and the deadline ends on June 30. The winners will be announced in August.

ShaVi’s Berlin’s Street Food or ShaVi's Berliner Fritten more authentically, is a small joint with a big name in the heart of Thamel. The German restaurant has become a pop­ular eatery for both tourists and locals in a short time since its establishment.

ShaVi’s serves authentic German cuisine that is unique in Kathmandu. The small menu lists the best of fast-food, something that Germans would eat on the streets of Berlin. No points for guessing why it’s named so. Currywurst, boulette and homemade fries are the go-to for ShaVi’s food patrons, and the sweet-tooth connoisseurs get to between churros and cookie dough balls with various options.

THE MENU

Chef’s Special:

- Berlin Currywurst with Fries and Mayo

- Pulled Wild Boar on Fries

- Jaeger-Boulette with Fries and Mayo

Opening hours:11 am – 11 pm

Location: Thamel, Kathmandu

Cards: Not accepted

Meal for 2: Rs 2,000

For reservation: Call 980-2096555

Bookworm or just a casual reader, you can’t miss this event. In celebration of the 22nd anniversary of its premier event on literary and publishing, Global Exposition is organizing a grand book gala—the 22nd Nepal Internation­al Book Fair 2018. The mega event is all set to lure the readers, book lovers and literary enthusiasts from June 1 to June 9 at Bhrikuti Mandap Exhibition Hall, Kathmandu.

The 14th Korean Film Festival is set to be held at QFX Cinemas, Labim Mall. The film festival, being organized by the Embassy of the Republic of Korea, will start at 08:15 am on May 26 and end on May 29. Opening ceremony will be held at 5 pm on the first day.

The event is free of cost and the tickets will be available at the box office of QFX cinemas, Labim Mall. The condition is, the tickets are made avail­able only two hours prior to the screening of each film and one person can get only two tickets at one time.

More details are available on the QFX cinemas website and mobile app.