Here are some of the stories from The Kathmandu Post (January 15, 2020)

New Indian envoy to Kathmandu brings experience working with Modi, China, SAARC

Fifteen days after the departure of Manjeev Singh Puri, New Delhi has named Vinay Mohan Kwatra as the new Indian ambassador to Nepal. Kwatra, a seasoned diplomat who has served across the world, is currently serving as India’s ambassador to France.

A senior Foreign Ministry official confirmed to the Post the receipt of an agreemo from the Government of India for the appointment of Additional Secretary Kwatra as the next Indian ambassador to Nepal.

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Ten days since agreement, sugarcane farmers have little hope of getting paid

Babu Lal Ray is in deep trouble. He has received a foreclosure notice from his bank saying he could lose his land if he does not repay a loan he took three years ago for his daughter's wedding. But Ray is broke because the sugar mill that owes him money hasn’t paid him.

Ray, a sugarcane farmer from Ramnagar in Sarlahi, had planned on paying off his Rs900,000 loan with the money that he received from Annapurna Sugar Mill for his crops. He has repaid Rs500,000 so far but the mill still owes him Rs275,000. Ray does not expect to be paid anytime soon.

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Widows in Nepal still need to fight for their property right

The 2011 census estimates that there are 498,606 widows in Nepal. According to records maintained by Women for Human Rights, an organisation that advocates the rights of single women in Nepal, around 100,000 widows from across the country have registered as members.

Before the 11th amendment to the Muluki Ain, widows had few rights to property, with exceptions under special circumstances. However, after legislative changes, widows’ rights to inheritance have been addressed to a certain extent. According to the 12th amendment to the Muluki Ain in 2007, wives, along with children, are entitled to a share of the property of the husband, even if the husband dies before the property has been partitioned. The 2015 constitution and the new civil code both address widows’ property rights and set penalties for a failure to transfer property to widows.

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Corruption thriving at the local level, surveys by anti-graft body show

Two recent survey reports about the status of corruption and complaints received by the Commission for Investigation of Abuse of Authority suggest that corruption is thriving at the local level.

It was thought that the country would get accountable governments at the local level after the elected representatives took charge of the governing affairs. But the surveys conducted by the anti-graft body suggest that having elected leadership alone does not guarantee good governance.

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Study shows nearly 81 percent of private health facilities are not using WHO-recommended refrigerators to store vaccines

Around 81 percent of the private health facilities providing immunisation services are not using the World Health Organization recommended refrigerators to store vaccines, a report published by the Ministry of Health and Population shows.

The study, “Assessment of Immunisation Services in the Private Sector in Kathmandu Valley”, carried out by a consortium of Atlanta’s Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Johns Hopkins University, John Snow Institute and the Health Ministry shows that these health facilities have been storing crucial vaccines in normal refrigerators, which cannot ensure the quality of vaccines.

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