Health institutions urged to keep notice board on penalty against mistreating docs, health workers
The Ministry of Health and Population has issued a circular to all health institutions to keep a notice board containing information about the legal provisions for punishing people who mistreat doctors and attack health institutions.
The Ministry has directed health institutions to keep a notice board containing the legal provisions in Clause 3 and 15 of the Security of Health Workers and Health Organizations Act, 2066 so that service seekers and stakeholders can view it.
In this connection, various health-related organizations including the Nepal Medical Council, the Nepal Nursing Council and the Nepal Nursing Association held a meeting with Deputy Prime Minister and Home Minister Narayan Kaji Shrestha and Minister for Health and Population Mohan Bahadur Basnet.
On the occasion, DPM Shrestha pledged to take action against the guilty. The meeting decided to inform the body and the procedure to complain if there are any shortcomings committed by doctors, health workers and the hospital and publish the Security of Health Workers and Health Organizations Act in a citizen charter.
Those meting out physical attacks on doctors and health workers across the country will face action, the meeting concluded.
PM Dahal reaches Lhasa of Tibet
Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal has reached Lhasa, the capital of Tibet, an autonomous region of China that borders Nepal, today in the course of his official visit to China.
The Prime Minister is presently on an official visit to the northern neighbor beginning on September 23.
He reached Tibet from Chongqing of China at 12:00 noon as per the local time. Upon arrival at the Lhasa Gonggar Airport, the Prime Minister was received by officials of the Tibet government led by its executive Vice President.
In Lhasa, the Prime Minister will attend an interaction to be organized at the Office of Consul General of Nepal. He is scheduled to visit Potala Palace at Tibet and Jokhang Temple today itself.
He is scheduled to hold a bilateral meeting with Wang Junzheng, Secretary of the CPC Xizang Autonomous Regional Committee.
The Prime Minister's entourage is to stay in Lhasa today.
He is accompanied by Foreign Affairs Minister Narayan Prakash Saud, Minister for Water Supply, Mahindra Ray Yadav, and Minister for Physical Infrastructure and Transport, Prakash Jwala, among others.
PM Dahal leaving for Lhasa
Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal is leaving for Lhasa of China's autonomous region Tibet today.
Prime Minister Dahal, who is on an official visit to China since last Saturday, is leaving for Lhasa from Ching Chong city this morning.
As per the local time, PM Dahal will reach the Lhasa Gonggar Airport at 12.05 pm.
PM Dahal will attend an interaction scheduled to take place at Lhasa-based Office of Consulate General of Nepal this afternoon.
PM Dahal is also set to visit Potala Palace and Jokhang Temple in Tibet.
The Prime Minister is also having a bilateral meeting with Secretary of Communist Party of China Xixhang autonomous regional committee, Wang Junzheng.
The PM entourage comprises Minister for Foreign Affairs Narayan Prasad Saud, Minister for Drinking Water Mahindra Roy Yadav, Minister for Physical Infrastructure and Transport Prakash Jwala and others.
Earlier, PM Dahal had arrived in Ching Chong city from Beijing on Tuesday.
He held a meeting with Communist Party of China (CPC) central member and also enquired about the initiatives taken by the Ching Chong Metropolis in agriculture sector.
Lalita Niwas probe exemptions: Supreme Court takes government to task
The Supreme Court has sought written explanations from the Office of the Prime Minister and the Council of Ministers, the Office of the Attorney-General, the District Attorney’s Office, Kathmandu (DAO) and the Central Investigation Bureau (CIB) regarding the exemption of former Prime Ministers Madhav Kumar Nepal and Baburam Bhattarai as well as former chief secretary Lilamani Poudel from the Lalita Niwas land-grab probe.
A single bench of Justice Binod Sharma, following Tuesday’s hearing, sought explanations within 15 days from the above-mentioned offices as well as the two former PMs and former chief secretary Poudel in the high-profile scam involving the illegal transfer of the government-owned land (Lalita Niwas) located at Baluwatar in the name of influential individuals.
The court was responding to a petition from senior advocate Balkrishna Neupane, who claimed that the three had been enjoying immunity in the case because of their clout.
Additionally, the court has directed that this (Neupane’s) writ be attached with another petition concerning the land-grab, in which the Commission for Investigation of Abuse of Authority (CIAA) had given the two former PMs a clean chit, stating that the Cabinet’s policy decisions were beyond the purview of its investigation.
On Aug 27, DAO had filed cases at the Kathmandu District Court against 310 individuals vis-a-vis the land-grab, taking it as a case involving forgery of government documents, despite recommendations from the CIB to move the court by taking it as a case of organized crime, citing the ‘lack of clinching evidence’.
Among those charged with forgery are former Deputy Prime Minister Bijaya Kumar Gachhadar, former ministers Chandra Deo Joshi, Dambar Bahadur Shrestha and Chhabi Raj Pant along with former Minister of State Sanjay Sah. Former Chief Commissioner at the Commission for the Investigation of Abuse of Authority, Deep Basnyat, and former government secretaries Dineshhari Adhikari, Narayan Gopal Malego and Yubaraj Bhusal have also been facing charges in the same case.
Furthermore, the police (CIB) probe into the case has identified ‘brokers’ Shobhakant Dhakal and Ram Kumar Subedi as well as Min Bahadur Gurung, the owner of Bhatbhateni Supermarket, as ‘important players’. But the ex-PMs have managed to avoid the investigation process by and large, though police have recorded their statements as government witnesses on the basis of an Aug 6 SC directive. In earlier proceedings in August, the court had mandated an inquiry to bring all individuals directly linked to specific Cabinet decisions made on 11 April 2010, 14 May 2010, 13 Aug 2010, and 4 Oct 2013 under scanner. This included those responsible for both drafting as well as executing cabinet decisions.
The Cabinet under Nepal had sanctioned the transfer of government-owned land to private individuals whereas the Bhattarai Cabinet had approved the registration of a portion of the prime property in the name of ‘Pashupati Tikinchha Guthi’.
