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The government has fixed the minimum support price of paddy for fiscal year 2023/24 much earlier this year compared to last year. 

The cabinet meeting held on July 11 fixed the minimum support price. The minimum support price of paddy has been set at Rs 3,198 per quintal for thick rice, which is Rs 231 higher than the previous fiscal year. Similarly, the minimum support price of medium rice has been fixed at Rs 3,362 per quintal, which is Rs 262 more than the previous fiscal year. 

Last year, the government had fixed the minimum support price for paddy in October. This delay compelled farmers to sell paddy at lower prices. As a result, many farmers couldn’t even recover their cost of production. Since government agencies such as the Food Management and Trading Company Ltd and the Farm Modernization Project also delayed paddy procurement, farmers were left with no option but to accept whatever prices the traders offered. 

As per the standard, the government should fix the minimum support price before the seedbed is prepared. Although the government fixed the support price during the paddy transplantation season, agriculture expert Krishna Prasad Poudel said it was still late. “The government should fix the minimum support price before the seedbed is prepared. Since spring paddy is transplanted in March, the price should be fixed a month before that,” Poudel said. “This would enable farmers to compare their cost of production with the prices offered and decide whether to cultivate paddy. If the returns are high, they would cultivate it in more areas.”

Prem Dangal, chairman of the National Farmers’ Commission, said the minimum support price would mean nothing until the government agrees to buy all the paddy that farmers grow. “The government agencies procured only 31,000 tons of paddy last year, although 2m tons of paddy are sold in the market every year,” Dangal added. “The government should make necessary preparations to procure all the paddy that farmers intend to sell. Otherwise, there is no point in fixing a minimum support price.” 

However, as the minimum support price fixed by the government is higher than the market price, government agencies have been facing difficulty in selling paddy procured from farmers. As a result, they procured paddy at a much later date last year.

Sharmila Neupane Subedi, the spokesperson for the Food Management and Trading Company Ltd, said they would soon issue a circular to all their subordinate offices to make necessary preparations for paddy procurement.

Japan has provided mammography equipment to Nepal Cancer Care Foundation, a specialized medical organization focused largely on women’s cancer screening.

A handover ceremony was held at the foundation’s office in Satdobato, Lalitpur, on Monday. On the occasion Ambassador of Japan Kikuta Yutaka praised the foundation for its works in the field of cancer treatment. 

“The Embassy of Japan hopes that this initiative will further contribute to strengthening medical services and foster deeper friendship and cooperation between the people of Japan and Nepal,” he said.

The mammography equipment was provided under Japan’s Grant Assistance for Grassroots Human Security Projects (GPP). Since the start of GGP in 1991, it has successfully completed over 200 projects in Nepal. 

Ambassador Yutaka expressed optimism that the sophisticated mammography technology would result in early detection, thereby enhancing the health and quality of life for people, families, and communities throughout Nepal.

“Nepal Cancer Care Foundation has already conducted breast cancer screening for more than 500 women using the equipment provided by GGP, showcasing the immediate impact of the project on enhancing medical services,” said Yutaka.

The foundation was established in 2011 with the goal of  reducing the cancer burden through screening and counseling services, particularly for breast and cervical cancers. Its services are provided at their diagnostic center in Lalitpur, as well as through screening health camps in rural areas across the country.

“We are sincerely thankful to everyone who has contributed to the success and growth of this foundation. We extend our heartfelt gratitude to the Japanese Embassy for their generous donation of a mammography machine, a significant contribution that will undoubtedly improve the lives of thousands of Nepali women, enabling them to lead healthier and better lives,”  general secretary of the foundation Dr Sarita Ghimire.

The recent Bill on loan-sharking does not seem to have impressed loan-shark victims much as their continued protests continue. Evana Manandhar of ApEx spoke with Nirga Nabin, spokesperson for Meter Bjay Tatha Thagi Birudda Kisan-Majdoor Sangharsa Samiti, to know the reasons behind their continued protest and the way out.

Why are loan-shark victims protesting even after the parliamentary nod for the Bill on loan-sharking?

The Bill has materialized as a result of our protest, but we are not fully satisfied with it as it has not done justice to some of our pressing concerns. The Bill states that charging exorbitant interest rates can land the offender in jail for up to seven years with a fine of Rs 70,000. The lenders’ concern is that corrupt practices, loopholes and a lack of means and resources may weaken the effectiveness of the Bill. 

Home Minister Narayan Kaji Shrestha met and assured loan shark victims of justice, didn’t he?

It is not enough to meet us and give assurances, we must check what he has done for us thus far. Even if a new minister replaces him tomorrow, we want the impactful steps he has taken in our interest to continue. For those lenders, who are close to power holders, rules have been lax. Such people don’t have to pay the fine for delayed payments, while we have no idea what percentage of interest we will have to pay. Interest rates payable to loan sharks are not uniform, either. The victims have to pay a 20 percent interest rate in Surkhet; in some places it is 24 percent and 10 percent in some other places. The interest rate has to be uniform throughout the country.  

Are the protesters and the government holding talks regularly to resolve this problem? 

We had meetings where we discussed how government organizations can use their authority to alleviate our plight. We also asked why banks do not provide small loans at relatively low interest rates. The government can manage all this quite efficiently. We are staging this protest for the sake of our rights like access to bank loans with low interest. 

What’s your take on suppression of your protest?

We are staging a peaceful protest, yet the police are being quite brutal against us. I don’t think I need to say anything on this as we all can see what’s going on.

What’s your bottomline? 

We want this problem resolved at the earliest because it has been affecting many people. There’s a need to deliver justice at the people’s doorsteps as we’ve seen a lot of victims suffering from mental health issues. 

The ongoing Central Working Committee (CWC) meeting of the ruling Nepali Congress underpins the fact that the grand old party is a deeply divided house. The party is not even one when it comes to the issue of investigating and prosecuting corruption scandals involving their own leaders. 

The CWC gathering also showed that its president, Sher Bahadur Deuba, for better or worse, remains a force to reckon with in the party, and that the general secretary duo, Gagan Kumar Thapa and Bishwa Parkash Sharma, are not as popular as one believes them to be—not at least among the CWC members.  

Remember the situation of the ruling Nepali Congress before the oft-deferred CWC? Scores of leaders including Thapa and Sharma were critical of Deuba for running the party like a hegemon, without a care for party statute or internal democracy. 

Thapa even contested and lost the Parliamentary Party leader election against Deuba. Other leaders in the NC meanwhile talked about convening the special general convention to replace Deuba.  

At the time it seemed that the Congress president had fallen out of favor, especially after he failed to give continuity to the electoral alliance forged with the CPN (Maoist Center) immediately after the general elections of November last year (the alliance did get continuity eventually after a short-lived ruling partnership between the CPN-UML and Maoists). Deuba took even more battering from his party colleagues following the by-election outcome in Tanahun-1, which was won by Swarnim Wagle of the Rastriya Swatantra Party. Wagle, a former Congress member, had only just quit his old party expressing displeasure with Deuba and his coterie. His electoral victory was resounding and that too in the traditional political base of the NC.    

Many Congress leaders and members demanded answers from Deuba. They wanted a meeting of the CWC, which had not been held for nearly a year even though the party statute requires it to be convened every two months. 

Meanwhile Deuba remained unfazed and continued to maintain silence, even when the fake Bhutanese refugee scandal broke out, which led to the arrest of his close confidant and former home minister, Bal Krishna Khand.    

When Deuba finally agreed to call the CWC meeting, many had expected that he would face harsh criticisms from the leaders for his wilful leadership. There was a litany of complaints against the NC president, ranging from taking unilateral decisions on party as well as national affairs to failing to fix the date of policy convention and not appointing the chiefs of party departments. 

But the CWC meeting saw a different—and unexpected—scenario. It was Thapa and Sharma who got the thrashing for airing the party’s dirty laundry in public. Ironically, the meeting was live streamed for the first time in the party’s history.

The two general secretaries were reprimanded for ruining the party’s image with their call for a leadership change. Several CWC members even excoriated Thapa and Sharma for supporting Khand’s arrest in the refugee scam. The majority of the CWC members are of the view that Khand should be protected and that he must not be suspended from the party. 

What transpired at the CWC meeting is a serious blow to Thapa, who is preparing to fight for party presidency in the next general convention. It is apparent that his party colleagues are not ready to back him.

Despite being popular at the cadre level, Thapa does not have a strong sway among central members of the party.

Senior leader Shekhar Koirala, another party leadership hopeful, remained largely silent throughout what could be dubbed as the trial of Thapa and Sharma. The scion of NC founding leader BP Koirala is said to be maintaining a distance from Thapa to win Deuba’s support in the party leadership race.

As a general secretary, Thapa presented a political document at the meeting, which also faced criticisms from several CWC members. Arzoo Rana Deuba termed the document as a “wish list of non-governmental organizations” that offers no clear direction to the party or the country.

Dozens of CWC members appreciated Deuba’s leadership. Surendra Pandey blamed Thapa and Sharma of spreading negativity against the party president. If Deuba sinks, he warned, both general secretaries and the party will sink.  

Leader Mohan Basnet, also the health minister, criticized Thapa and Sharma for trying to widen the factional rift in the party. 

Ahead of the CWC meeting, the two general secretaries had convened a meeting of district presidents which was boycotted by Deuba and his supporters

Another key agenda of Thapa and Sharma was fighting the next general elections alone, without forming any electoral alliance. Thapa had even suggested leaving the current coalition if the government fails to deliver on its promises.  

But the issue too did not get much support from the CWC members.  

Leader Badri Panday said as the elections are still four years away, there is no need to take any decisions on electoral alliance. 

According to CWC member Bhishma Raj Angdembe, the meeting indicates that the popularity graphs of both general secretaries are going down, while the graph of Deuba is going up. 

After listening to the largely unfavorable views of the CWC members for days, it was time for Thapa and Sharma to speak on Monday. Both of them appeared somewhat defensive. They even softened their positions on several issues. 

Regarding the issue of electoral alliance, Thapa said he was in favor of continuing the current alliance with the Maoist Center until the next general elections. On the issue of leadership change too, Thapa seemed flexible, saying that he wanted to promote internal democracy and the culture of healthy debate inside the party. 

He added that the Nepali citizens were increasingly growing despondent with the current political state of affairs, and that it was upon the Congress party to lead them out of this situation. But first, Thapa told the CWC meeting, the Nepali Congress party should put its house in order.

Sharma reiterated that the NC needs a deep retrospection in order to find its footing to lead the country.