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In a Big Blow to Oli, Supreme Court Annuls Appointments of 20 Ministers

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In a Big Blow to Oli, Supreme Court Annuls Appointments of 20 Ministers WITHOUT F EAR OR FAVOUR Nepal’s largest selling English daily Vol XXIX No. 125 | 8 pages | Rs.5 O O Printed simultaneously in Kathmandu, Biratnagar, Bharatpur and Nepalgunj 35.6 C 14.0 C Wednesday, June 23, 2021 | 09-03-2078 Nepalgunj Jomsom In a big blow to Oli, Supreme Court annuls appointments of 20 ministers Interim order asserts government is a caretaker one and terms induction of new ministers earlier this month, after prime minister lost a confidence vote, unconstitutional. TIKA R PRADHAN final hearing on petitions against his KATHMANDU, JUNE 22 May 21 House dissolution. With Tuesday’s order, the Oli gov- The KP Sharma Oli government is a ernment is left with five ministers, caretaker government. including himself. This is what the Supreme Court The Article of the constitution the said on Tuesday, as it quashed appoint- court has cited to relieve the 20 minis- ments of 17 ministers and three minis- ters of their positions states that if ters of state, citing Article 77 (3) of the the Office of the Prime Minister falls constitution. vacant after the prime minister fails Responding to six different peti- to win a vote of confidence or resigns, tions filed against Oli’s move of the same Council of Ministers shall expanding his Council of Ministers continue to act until another Council twice after his May 21 House dissolu- of Ministers is constituted. tion decision–on June 4 and June 10–a Oli lost a vote of confidence on May divisional bench of Chief Justice 10 after at least 28 members from his Cholendra Shumsher Rana and jus- own party, the CPN-UML, decided to POST PHOTO: KABIN ADHIKARI tice Prakash Kumar Dhungana called abstain. The Nepali Congress and the As more shops reopened in Kathmandu on Tuesday, people’s movement increased in Ason. Prohibitory orders have been eased in the Valley with private vehicles and taxis with odd and even the appointments unconstitutional Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist numbers allowed on alternate days and stores other than those selling food items permitted to open on designated days of the week. and ordered not to let the ministers Centre) as well as a section of the discharge their duties. Janata Samajbadi Party voted against. “The appointments of June 4 and 10 But as many as 15 members from the by the President on the recommenda- Mahantha Thakur-Rajendra Mahato tion of the Cabinet are against the faction of Janata Samajbadi Party intent and spirit of the constitution,” stayed neutral, as they had committed INSIDE Economic growth target unchanged for states the Supreme Court order. “An support to Oli. interim order has been issued not to Oli, however, was reappointed allow the ministers to perform their prime minister three days later on Settlements in Chure foothills duties until the case is finalised.” May 13 after the opposition alliance at high risk of floods the next three years despite the pandemic Tuesday’s Supreme Court order failed to show a majority, largely comes as yet another blow to Oli, as at because of the Thakur-Mahato fac- KANCHANPUR/DHANGADHI: A week least three of his government’s deci- tion. Constitutionally, Oli needed to back, the flooded Khanya stream, Target of 6.5 percent for 2021-22 may be met if situation normalises given the negative sions have been stalled by the judici- secure a vote of confidence within 30 which flows from the Chure region of ary over the past two weeks, just as the days–by June 12. Kanchanpur district, broke its growth last fiscal year, but double digit growth after that is impossible, experts say. Constitutional Bench is set to start the >> Continued on page 2 embankment and entered the sur- rounding settlements. “We were safe from floods and inundation for a few years because of the embankment. But this year we are at risk,” said Uttam Chand, a local resident of Tilakpur in Bhimdatta Municipality Ward 3. According to the local people, the embankment was constructed by Mahakali Irrigation Project five years ago. “Monsoon has only just begun and the embankment is already dam- aged. The stream has also changed its course towards the settlement,” said Keshav Saud, another local resident of Bhimdatta Municipality Ward 3. “We don’t know how much damage we will have to suffer in the coming months.” (Details on Pg 2) Expecting mothers who need Caesarean delivery are at risk in flood-ravaged Helambu KATHMANDU: Seventeen-year-old POST PHOTO: BEEJU MAHARJAN Investment in infrastructure has long-term impact on wealth creation, economists say. Chandra Tamang (name changed), a resident of Helambu Rural PRITHVI MAN SHRESTHA Municipality-2 of Sindhupalchok, is With the country gripped by the KATHMANDU, JUNE 22 expecting her first child in the first second wave of the pandemic, much week of July. Her due date is July 6 of the country has been under prohib- and she has been advised by the doc- When the 15th five-year plan was itory orders and they were eased in tor at her local health facility to go to announced in 2019, the growth target Kathmandu Valley and businesses Kathmandu for delivery. “Since she is for the fiscal year 2021-22 was 9.9 per- allowed to operate from Tuesday after underage, it will be riskier for her to cent, that for 2022-23 was 9.6 percent nearly two months. give birth at the local health facility, and it was 10.3 percent for 2023-24. Experts have meanwhile warned of which is ill equipped and lacks Although the National Planning a third wave within a few months. trained health workers,” Gyanendra Commission, in line with the budget From a high of 9,317 on May 11, the Sigdel, health coordinator of target for the fiscal year 2021-22, number of cases has been coming Helambu Rural Municipality, told the revised the economic growth target to down gradually and on Tuesday the Post over the phone. “It will be diffi- 6.5 percent amid the ongoing the pan- Ministry of Health and Population cult to send her to Kathmandu imme- demic, it has kept the target set by the reported 3,703 cases although the fig- diately in case she has to undergo a periodic 15th five-year plan, that lasts ure stood at 1,584 on Monday. from 2019-20 to 2023-24, unchanged for The Medium Term Expenditure Cesarean section.” (Details on Pg 3) the following two fiscal years. Framework has also kept unchanged The Medium Term Expenditure the most other targets too such as per Government allows limited Framework (2021-22 to 2023-24), capita national income, people living released last week announced the eco- under the poverty line and people liv- domestic flights to resume nomic growth target for the next fiscal ing under multidimensional poverty. KATHMANDU: The government has year was kept at 6.5 percent. The In late April, the Central Bureau of freed domestic airlines to operate Medium Term Expenditure Statistics projected that Nepal’s econ- half the number of flights they were Framework is a document that the omy would grow by 4 percent in the conducting before Covid, and opened National Planning Commission pre- current fiscal year 2020-21 considering up several international routes as it pares every year projecting the that the lockdown would be lifted in moved to loosen the lockdown and get required expenditure of the govern- early May but the prohibitory orders the economy moving. On Monday, the ment for the next three years to meet are still in place. Although the final cabinet decided to lift the virus the growth target. figure for the fiscal year is not expect- restrictions that had kept the country According to Krishna Prasad Oli, a ed until data are reviewed based on paralysed for nearly two months fol- member of the commission, the target complete data for the fiscal year, while lowing a drop in the caseload, offi- for the last two years of the 15th Five- presenting the budget for 2021-22, the cials said. “We have received a copy year Plan is achievable despite the government admitted that meeting of the cabinet decision. We will hold economy being in doldrums since the the projected growth of 4 percent discussions on this matter on start of the pandemic. would be a challenge. Wednesday to fix the operation date,” “Obviously, we have set an optimis- The country suffered a negative Tourism Joint Secretary Buddhi tic target and that is achievable if big growth of 2.12 percent in the fiscal Sagar Lamichhane told the Post. disasters won’t occur again,” he said. year 2019-20, the first time in nearly (Details on Pg 5) “Energy sector is also promising and four decades there was a negative many government and private growth. The country’s economy had sector developed projects are suffered a contraction in the fiscal completing which will boost the year 1982-83 when the economy saw a growth.” negative growth of 2.97 percent. The The targeted growth would be Central Bureau of Statistics had then achievable in normal times, he attributed the negative growth to a added. drought in 1980-81 that led to a severe But with no end of the pan- food crisis. demic in sight, whether it is But it is precisely because of the achievable is open to question. negative growth that economists say “Growth is uncertain at the that the target is achievable for the time of pandemic,” said Govinda fiscal year 2021-22, despite the recent Nepal, a former member of the economic woes of the country.
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