Tuesday, April 30, 2019

Third country trade via China, BRI and Nepal, disinterest in SSF and sugar politics

Nepal signs deal with China to access seven Chinese sea and land ports

From The Kathmandu Post: Nepal and China on Monday signed the Protocol on Implementing Agreement on Transit and Transport and six other agreements in Beijing after delegation level talks between President Bidya Devi Bhandari and her Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping at the Great Hall of the People. Minister for Foreign Affairs Pradeep Gyawali and Minister for Transport of China Li Xiaopeng signed the agreement on behalf of their respective governments, according to the Nepali Embassy in Beijing. The protocol had been pending since Nepal and China signed the Transit and Transportation Agreement in March 2016 during Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli’s visit to the northern neighbour.

The Transit and Transportation Agreement was signed just months after an undeclared Indian border blockade was lifted, with a view to diversifying Nepal’s trade and paving the way for landlocked Nepal to carry out third country trade through ports in the northern neighbour. But for the third-country trade via China to commence, the protocol was a must.

The signing of the protocol makes it possible for Nepal to use four Chinese sea ports--in Tianjin, Shenzhen, Lianyungang and Zhanjiang--and three land ports--in Lanzhou, Lhasa and Shigatse--for third-country import. It will also allow Nepal to carry out exports through six dedicated transit points between Nepal and China.

>>Other agreements include:

  • Handover Certificate of Grant-Aid for the Repair and Reinforcement Project of the Existing China-aided Projects
  • Agreement on Economic and Technical Co-operation
  • Minutes of Meeting on Strengthening Assistance Co-operation in the Field of Livelihood in the Northern Region of Nepal
  • Agreement on Co-operation and Mutual Administrative Assistance in Customs Matters
  • MoU on Co-operation on Standardization between Nepal Bureau of Standards and Metrology (NBSM) and Standardization Administration of China (SAC)
  • Agreement on Preventing the Theft, Clandestine Excavation and Illicit Import and Export of Cultural Property
Meanwhile, a joint communique of the Leaders' Roundtable of the 2nd Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation included "the Nepal-China Trans-Himalayan Multi-dimensional Connectivity Network, including Nepal-China cross-border railway"


Govt continues sugar import restriction until mid-July

From myRepublica: Though Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli had said that he was ‘tricked’ by sugar mills to restrict the import of sugar, the government has continued the quantitative restriction until mid-July. The restriction that was in place until Chaitra end (April 13) was extended till mid-July. According to a notice published in the Government on Nepal Gazette on April 15, the deadline for the import restriction was extended until July 16. The decision to give the import restriction of sugar continuity was taken a week after Prime Minister Oli’s statement criticizing sugar mills for ‘tricking’ him into imposing the quantitative restriction on import of sugar. 

According to the quantitative restriction which was put in place in April 14 last year, the import of sugar exceeding a total quantity of 94,900 tons was restricted. As sugar of that quantity has already been imported, there won’t be sugar imports anymore. The decision to impose restriction on imports, however, was not free from the controversy. Consumer activists have criticized the government for bowing down to sugar mills’ pressure to restrict imports which prompted price hike immediately after the imports came to a halt. Even Prime Minister Oli, after seven months of the decision, had admitted at a public program that sugar mill owners misled him about the scenario of supply and production of their products to make him impose the restriction. But instead of course correction, the government has not allowed the deadline for the sugar import restriction to lapse. 

Concluding that there was ‘collusion’ between government officials and the sugar mills to artificially drive up prices, the Public Accounts Committee, upon the recommendation of its sub-committee, instructed the Commission for Investigation of Abuse of Authority to investigate.

Employers hesitant to join Social Security Fund

From Nayapatrika: सरकारले निकै तामझामका साथ सुरु गरेको सामाजिक सुरक्षा कार्यक्रम कार्यान्वयनमै आशंका उब्जिएको छ । देशभर करिब साढे ९ लाख रोजगारदाता रहेको भए पनि अन्तिम दिन शनिबारसम्म सामाजिक सुरक्षा कोषमा आबद्ध हुने रोजगारदाताको संख्या नगन्य छ । सातै प्रदेशका रोजगारदातालाई सूचीकरणका लागि दिएको समय समाप्त भइसक्दासमेत कोषमा शून्य दशमलव २७ प्रतिशत अर्थात् २ हजार ४ सय ८२ रोजगारदाता मात्रै आबद्ध भएका छन् । ऐनको व्यवस्थाअनुसार कोषमा रोजगारदाता आबद्ध नभएपछि कोषको कार्यान्वयनमै आशंका उब्जिएको हो । पछिल्लोपटक रोजगारदातालाई कोषमा आबद्ध हुने म्याद आगामी असार मसान्तसम्मका लागि थप गरिएको छ । 

कोषको अनलाइन प्रणालीमार्फत रोजगारदाताले सूचीकरण गर्न सक्ने व्यवस्था मिलाइएको थियो । रोजगारदाताले आफू सूचीकरण भएको तीन महिनाभित्र आफ्नो रोजगार सम्बन्ध कायम रहेका श्रमिकलाई कोषमा सूचीकरण गराउनुपर्ने कानुनी व्यवस्था छ । कोषका अनुसार आबद्ध केही रोजगारदाताले हालसम्म ४ हजार ६ सय ३८ श्रमिकलाई मात्र कोषमा सूचीकृत गराएका छन् । सरकारी सेवामा बहाल रहेका तथा सरकारी कोषबाट पारिश्रमिक पाउने व्यक्ति, अनौपचारिक क्षेत्रका श्रमिकहरू र स्वरोजगारीसमेत सामाजिक सुरक्षा कोषमा समेट्ने भनिए पनि सरकारले त्यसतर्फ कुनै कदम चाल्न सकेको छैन ।