Democracy For Nepal

Sunday, September 16, 2012

The Janajati Party

The Janajati Party might be the best outcome of the unfortunate demise of the constituent assembly. The NC and the UML are no longer big enough for the Janajati leaders.

Federal Socialist Party is a good name. I also like the idea of naming the Karnali province Khasan. That and a non territorial state for Dalits, and we are golden.

Why Federalism Bothers Ram Sharan Mahat (2)
Why Federalism Bothers Ram Sharan Mahat
Krishna Bhattachan On BBC

Janajati leaders trying to give national character to new party

Federal Socialist Party .... a group of leaders from Madhesi, ethnic and indigenous communities from CPN-UML and various other major political parties have announced in public that they are going to form an alternative political party. ..... the disgruntled leaders from CPN-UML have been actively involved in forming the new party and they are holding talks with dissidents from NC, Maoist parties and other political parties. ..... UML Vice-Chairman Ashok Rai held a meeting with Madhesi People´s Rights Forum (MPRF) Chairman Upendra Yadav ..... Yadav approached Rai and proposed to work together. "I told him that it is too early to talk over the proposal because we have so far not detached ourselves from the UML. We may work together with the forces such as MPRF if we form a new party in future" ..... holding talks with a number of former lawmakers and central committee members from NC, both the Maoist parties and other political groups such as Sanghiya Limbuwan Rajyaparishad led by Kumar Lingden. ..... Leaders associated with the proposed Social Democratic Pluri-National Party, which had unveiled its name and manifesto in August, are also closely working in the process of forming new party. ..... They are also planning to include various social organizations working against all kinds of exclusion. ..... "It may be any institution from Madhesi or dalit communities or any organization from Karnali working against regional discrimination," said Kangmang, who is working to form Federal Socialist Party. ..... also in talks with some leaders who are lobbying for delineating a Khashan province based on Khas [Bahun-Chhetri] identity in the farwestern region. .... Kangmang said former lawmakers and central committee members from Khas community associated with various political parties are in close dialogue with them.

Madhesi parties divided over CA revival
'CA revival if Maoists agree multi-ethnic identity, 11 provinces'
Anti-Putin protest draws tens of thousands
A gentle revolutionary

Wednesday, September 12, 2012

संगठनका कुरा

हिजो बिहान विश्वजीले भोइस मेल छोड्नु भको रैछ। दुई तीन पटक त फ़ोन ट्याग मै गो। पछि बल्ल गफ्फ भो भरे तिर। शनिवार 4 बजे के गर्दै हुनुहुन्छ ? थकालीमा NRN को मीटिंग छ। आउनुस न भनेर भन्नु भो। 4 बाट 2 मा कुरा पुग्यो। Lunch ख्वाउने हो भनेर सोंधें। चिया ख्वौंछु भन्ने जवाफ आयो।

म नेपालको लोकतान्त्रिक र मधेसी क्रान्तिमा केही वर्ष अगाडि फुल टाइम लागेको मान्छे। तर digital activist भएर, कुनै संगठनको सदस्य भएर होइन। ANTA नेपालमा मधेसी क्रान्ति भएपछि बल्ल अमेरिकामा विस्तार भएको संगठन। ANTA लाई न्यु योर्क मा जन्म दिएको मैले हो। तर मैले सदस्यता कहिले लिएन। Founding charter मा social, cultural organization भन्याथ्यो। म full time political काम गरि रा मान्छे, कहाँ social, cultural मा लगिराखने भनेर लिइन।

Money, message, organization. मैले message मार्फत् contribute गरें। तर अब money र organization बारे पनि सोंच्नु परेको छ। It is only a matter of time, नेपालमा संविधान पनि आउंछ र संघीयता पनि आउंछ। त्यस पछि 20-30 वर्ष लगाएर गर्ने भनेको आर्थिक क्रान्ति नै हो। नेपालमा आर्थिक क्रान्ति गर्नु पर्छ भन्नेले आफ्नो personal आर्थिक क्रान्ति गरेर पनि देखाउनु पर्ने हुन्छ। नत्र भने त्यो भनाइ खोक्रो हुन जान्छ। मैले केही कदम हरू चालिरहेको छु। मेरो tech consulting business लाई expand गर्नुछ। हिमालयन याक restaurant को नया वेबसाइट मेरो टीम ले बनाएको हो। नेपालमा hydroelectric प्रोजेक्ट हरू कालागि यहां investor खोज्ने कुरामा पनि लाग्या छु। पछि microfinance मा जाने पनि सोंच छ।

संगठन को जहाँसम्म सवाल छ त्यो म अहिले एक्कासी हाम फाल्दैन। त्यस बारे मैले NRN को न्यु योर्क chapter बारे पनि सोंचेको छु र Jackson Heights को South Asian community बारे पनि सोंचेको छु। NRN मा 1,000 member बनाए NRN ICC मा जान पाउने र त्यो member न्यु योर्क मै बनाए न्यु योर्क बाहिर जान नपर्ने घतलाग्दो कुरा हो। म अमेरिका गल्ली गल्ली घुमेको मान्छे। न्यु योर्क शहरको सीमाना बाहिर जान मलाई खासै रहर छैन, कमसेकम अहिलेलाई छैन।

Hitting The Road
My Hurricane Story
Driving Coast To Coast

NRN ICC को सदस्य बन्न मन लागेको दिन टेम्बाजीलाई ल जानुस 1,000 member बनाएर ल्याउनुस भन्छु अनि कुरै सकियो। त्यो भन्दा मुनि त के पद खाई भो र? तर त्यो कदम चाले पनि मेरो फोकस न्यु योर्क मै रहन्छ। NRN को NYC chapter लाई इन्टरनेट technology र social media को सहायताले ग्लोबल NRN movement भित्रको नमुना संगठन बनाउने प्रयास हुनेछ। But at a personal level money before organization. कुन चाहिंले एक चोटि भन्या थियो, all name and no money bhanera. अहिले मेरो starting point त्यस प्रकारको छ। तर 1999 मा म fouding member भएको dot com कम्पनीले round 2 मा 25 मिलियन डलर fundraising गरेको हो।

Saturday, August 25, 2012

Hydro Politics

Three Gorges Dam
Hydropower In Nepal
Hydropower In Nepal: Videos
Hydropower In Nepal: Images

You ain’t seen nothing yet

despite us being in the middle of the monsoon, NEA has just raised power rationing to seven hours daily. ... this winter there will be electricity for only four hours a day..... nothing is going to prepare us as individuals, families and as a country to the looming dark winter ahead .... Politicians were distracted by fighting, by infighting, by greed and corruption, but by and large, they were just breathtakingly incompetent. .... only 8MW of power was added to the grid in the last fiscal year, while the increase in demand was 80MW. This fiscal year is .. demand has grown by another 90MW, but there has been zero augmentation in supply. .... It is a great leap backward to the dark ages. .... In five years, demand is set to rise to 1500MW which means we will need an installed capacity of 4500MW to cover for the winter deficit. The projects expected to be completed in the next few years, including Upper Tamakosi, Upper Trisuli 3A and 3B, and Chamelia, will only add 586MW to the grid. ...... Foreign investors are being harassed either by the government, by local extortionists, or by the hydro mafia. Projects that were on the verge of starting construction have had their licenses revoked, local opposition has stalled three big projects with Indian investment, like Arun III, Budi Gandaki and Upper Karnali. The Brazilian investor, Engevix, is on the verge of pulling out of the 400MW Lower Arun. ..... Nepal needs to be more investment-friendly, tariffs need to be revised to make it worthwhile and the bureaucratic hurdles need to be smoothened. .... the real reason: incompetence, corruption, mismanagement and political interference. ..... Among the recommendations: •Political consensus on future strategy •Generate enough power to meet domestic demand for value-added industry and only then export • Immediately commission a reservoir project in each development zone • Unbundle transmission and distribution, address inefficiencies, corruption, pilferage in the NEA .... acting now so there will be no power cuts by 2018.

Nepal to produce hydroelectricity under sub-regional framework

Nepal will come forward to jointly produce and share hydroelectricity with its neighbours including Bangladesh

Nepal seeks more deals in hydropower sector

Nepal has extended a warm welcome to more Chinese hydropower companies to invest in projects worth $400 billion, following the approval of the $1.8 billion contract to China Three Gorges Corp for West Seti Hydropower. ..... “In terms of capital, nobody can compete with China,” said constituent assembly member and entrepreneur Binod Chaudhary here on the sidelines of the Boao Forum for Asia in Hainan province yesterday. “The biggest opportunity for Chinese companies in Nepal is to build projects in the same manner as the West Seti project.” ..... The government has just approved China Three Gorges Corp to undertake the $1.8 billion West Seti River hydropower project. The 750-megawatt (MW) plant has opened a ‘complete new chapter’ for Chinese investment in its neighbouring country ..... The Export-Import Bank of China will provide loans of $1.8 billion for a period of 10 years for the project, in which Three Gorges Corp will hold 75 per cent equity and Nepal Electricity Authority the remainder. ..... The construction of the hydroelectric dam is expected to start in 2015 and could be in operation as soon as 2020 .... some of the electricity generated by the West Seti plant could be supplied to China, as Nepal was unlikely to absorb all the power ..... Rivals of Three Gorges Corp, including Sinohydro Corp, are also building hydropower plants in Nepal, but private companies from Europe and India are the major investors in the sector. ..... Chaudhary allayed concerns that local residents could oppose the West Seti project because of environmental damage. Local people showed a very positive attitude, believing it would improve the area’s infrastructure and living standards, he said.

Key Elements of Improving Nepalese Hydropower Sector

Nepal is experiencing a huge energy (electricity) deficit. .... To solve these problems in the sector of hydro electricity and ensure adequate electricity supply in the future, national, international and private investment is needed, regardless of its form – be it unilateral, bilateral or multilateral investment. ..... By endorsing foreign investment into the sector of hydro electricity generation, Nepal would not only tackle its prime problem of water supply in the country (because of unsatisfactory distribution); it would also enable Nepal exporting water and energy to its neighbouring countries and thus acquiring resources so needed to alleviate its poverty. Exporting hydro energy could become one of the most important “Cash Drivers” for Nepal

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