WITHOUT F EAR OR FAVOUR Nepal’s largest selling English daily Vol XXIX No. 118 | 8 pages | Rs.5 O O Printed simultaneously in Kathmandu, Biratnagar, Bharatpur and Nepalgunj 34.8 C 13.0 C Wednesday, June 16, 2021 | 02-03-2078 Simara Jumla Nepal to purchase 4 million doses of Sinopharm vaccine from China Officials say procurement will be under a non-disclosure agreement. Price is not disclosed yet but is said to be around $10 per dose. No other details are available. ANIL GIRI relationship, which would mean many KATHMANDU, JUNE 15 details, including the price, are not made public. Increasingly under pressure to “The proposal to purchase vaccines acquire vaccines at the earliest, the from China was sent to the Cabinet, as government has decided to buy four a special permission was needed for million doses of the Chinese signing a non-disclosure agreement,” Sinopharm vaccine. Officials con- Dr Roshan Pokhrel, chief specialist at firmed that a Cabinet meeting on the Health Ministry, told the Post. “The Monday took a decision to that effect proposal approved by the Cabinet will as per a proposal moved by the be forwarded to the agencies con- Ministry of Health, but details like cerned in China. Price and other issues price and when the vaccines will will be determined accordingly.” arrive were not immediately known. According to Pokhrel, the Health “The Cabinet has authorised the Ministry is expecting all the due pro- vaccine procurement unit of Health cess would be completed within a week. Ministry to buy four million doses of Since the agreement is a non-disclo- the vaccine from China,” Minister for sure type, how much Nepal will be Industry, Supplies and Commerce paying for vaccines is anyone’s guess. Rajkishwor Yadhav, told the Post. A minister said discussion on the POST PHOTO: SANJOG MANANDHAR “Other issues including price, price at the Cabinet meeting was out A monkey rips the seat cover of a parked motorcycle at Swayambhu in Kathmandu on Tuesday. logistics and transportation will of the question because of the non-dis- be looked into by the govern- closure agreement. He, however, said ment agencies concerned.” that it could be around $20 for two At least two government offi- doses. The minister did not provide cials said that the vaccines any basis for that. would be bought under a non-dis- Two senior officials involved in INSIDE Is Oli government’s new closure agreement, as proposed negotiations for buying vaccines from by Sinopharm. Nepal’s procure- China said the Chinese side has ment laws, however, do not allow agreed to “provide the jabs at a dis- Floods and landslides wreak a non-disclosure agreement. counted price.” According to a Health havoc across the country Nepal map more about A non-disclosure agreement Ministry official, $20 for two doses implies a legally binding con- would still be too costly for Nepal. LAMJUNG: Incessant rains since tract, establishing a confidential >> Continued on page 2 Monday have triggered floods and landslides in several districts of optics than substance? Gandaki, Bagmati, Lumbini and Sudurpaschim provinces. The water level in several rivers and rivulets As India continues to expand the road via Lipulekh, Nepal has increased to alarming levels, put- ting many settlements at risk of has yet to make any diplomatic response. Foreign Ministry floods and landslides. Manang, a mountain district in Gandaki, has says it has asked Home Ministry to look into the matter. been hit hard by water-induced disas- ters with more than 100 families dis- placed in several villages. According to Chief District Officer Bishnu Lamichhane, 60 families were dis- placed in Chame Bazaar, 48 families in Taalgaun and five other families in a village across the Marsyangdi river. “Five houses, including the postal office, were swept away by floods in the local stream in Chame on Tuesday. Five other houses were waterlogged,” said Lamichhane. (Details on Pg 2) Lack of response to President’s letters for vaccines a diplomatic failure, observers say KATHMANDU: In the last week of May, President Bidya Devi Bhandari was busy writing to several heads of states, including those of India, China, US, UK and Russia, seeking their help in procuring Covid-19 vac- cines for Nepal. After the President’s POST PHOTO: MANOJ BADU Rockfall from India’s construction across Mahakali has blocked Nepal’s access to upper areas. letters, then foreign minister Pradeep Gyawali announced that there would BINOD GHIMIRE be a breakthrough on vaccine pro- said Shrestha at a meeting held with KATHMANDU, JUNE 15 curement within 15 days and that the officials from the Centre last government was planning to procure Wednesday, according to Ishwar five million vaccines each from China Last year, the KP Sharma Oli adminis- Dhakal, his press adviser. and the US.But nothing has come of tration unveiled a new Nepal map and “Confiscate those textbooks and it yet. And now Deputy Prime got it endorsed from Parliament seek clarification from the publish- Minister and Foreign Minister through a constitutional amendment. ers,” Shrestha said at the meeting. Raghubir Mahaseth has written to The new map depicting Limipiyadhura, The government’s decision to unveil his British counterpart Dominic Lipulekh and Kalapani, the areas a new map of Nepal in May last year Raab, seeking Covid-19 vaccines fol- claimed by India as its own, within came at a time when Oli was increas- lowing the British government’s Nepal borders came in response to ingly under pressure, with his prime announcement of supplying vaccines Delhi’s announcement of a road link to ministerial position at stake. By pub- to poorer countries across the world. Manasarovar in Tibet Autonomous lishing a new map, which was Soon after this announcement, a let- Region of China via Lipulekh. endorsed unanimously in Parliament, ter was sent so that Nepal would be a Oli’s move of unveiling the new Oli had managed to pull off a coup. He priority, sources at the Foreign map was hailed as historic. was also hailed for “standing up to” Exactly a year later, India last week India for the sake of nationalism, sov- Ministry told the Post. (Details on Pg 3) lauded its engineers for the ongoing ereignty and territorial integrity. progress on the road expansion in the But the goings on in the region bare- Provinces unveil budgets with Lipulekh area. The road construction ly concern Oli now. has continued, while security officials The recent blasts by Indian authori- focus on improving healthcare from the Indian side have been pre- ties on the Indian side in Garwadhar KATHMANDU: All seven provinces on venting the Nepali side from con- have now affected the daily lives of the Tuesday unveiled their budgets for structing embankment along the people on the Nepali side. The govern- the next fiscal year 2021-22 beginning Mahakali river. ment has not responded to India yet, mid-July, putting maximum focus on The Oli administration does not rather it has left the issue for local constructing advanced health care seem to care. His ministers rather are officials to deal with. systems and infrastructure, and allo- making statements more for optics “The debris from the blast has cating funds to vaccinate all people than substance. pushed the flow of the Mahakali river against the coronavirus. Their com- Last week Minister for Education, east towards Nepali territory chang- bined budgets for the next fiscal year Science and Technology Krishna ing its course,” said Sidda Raj Joshi, come to Rs262 billion, down slightly Gopal Shrestha directed the chief district officer of Darchula. from the Rs264.20 billion for the cur- Curriculum Development Centre to “This has obstructed the road in rent fiscal year. The value of the confiscate textbooks that don’t have Tawaghat to Bundi area in Byas Rural annual financial plan of Bagmati updated versions of Nepal’s map Municipality.” Province has increased significantly showing Kalapani, Lipulekh and The federal government has been among all provinces. Province 1 has Limpiyadhura as parts of Nepal. informed about the situation but it unveiled a Rs32.46 billion budget for He even called having textbooks has not taken the issue up with New the next fiscal year. Out of the total with the old map “unconstitutional” Delhi. investment plan, Rs14.16 billion has and “unacceptable” to the govern- This has left Joshi to write to his been set aside for recurrent expendi- ment. counterpart in Pithoragarh district in ture and Rs15.05 billion for capital “The textbooks without the new Uttarakhand state of India. expenditure. (Details on Pg 5) map of the country are unacceptable,” >> Continued on page 2 C M Y K WEDNESDAY, JUNE 16, 2021 | 02 NATIONAL Petroleum truck drivers given Covid-19 jabs Floods and landslides wreak TIKA R PRADHAN agreed to provide jabs to our drivers,” Katuwal claimed that the Finance KATHMANDU, JUNE 15 said Ishwar Lama, chairman of the Ministry has provided Covid-19 jabs Nepal Petroleum Tanker Drivers even to the kin and relatives of influ- At a time when the authorities are Association. “We will get the jabs from ential businessmen. under tremendous pressure to man- the Armed Police Force Hospital in “The vaccines should be provided havoc across the country age sufficient jabs against the corona- Balambu from Wednesday.” equitably but that is not happening. virus for the most vulnerable elderly Lama said they were forced to go We cannot sit idly by and watch them Rivers swollen by incessant rainfall in last two days have displaced hundreds of people. population, the government has start- into strike for jabs after seven of their misusing the vaccines,” Katuwal said.