During his meeting with CPN-Maoist Chairman Mohan Baidya, whose party leads an alliance of various 33 parties that are opposed to election under chief justice-led poll government, Minister Duncan asked him not to disrupt the democratic process. [break]"I urged him to agree to participate in the election. I also asked him not to encourage his supporters to disrupt the vote," he said.
Addressing a press conference organized at the UK Embassy before he wraps up his fourth visit to Nepal in two years on Wednesday, Minister Duncan said the agitating parties may abstain from participating in the poll process if they wished so. "Not participating in the elections is a choice, but disrupting them is absolutely wrong," he further said.
Minister Duncan, who arrived in Kathmandu to see the progress of the UK-funded development projects and to get first hand information about the latest political developments in Nepal, expressed satisfaction over the formation of new interim election council of ministers and necessary preparations being made to hold the fresh Constituent Assembly (CA) elections. He said that trustworthy and inclusive election is the only way forward to the constitutional and political settlement that Nepal wants to achieve.
Minister Duncan announced to substantially increase the volume of British aid to Nepal in the next fiscal year. He said UK is planning to spend just over £ 100 million in the next fiscal year to create the opportunities and jobs Nepal needs. "This is a very signification increase," he said adding that UK government is committed to helping in Nepal´s development endeavor even when it is facing financial strain back home.
The money will be spent on various priority areas such as rural access roads, forestry, health, governance, peace and security. UK had allocated 60 million pound in 2012/13, up from £57 million in 2010/11 for implementing various projects in Nepal. Of which, only 53 million sterling pounds was spent due to lack of full-fledged budget in Nepal and delay in getting approval for its projects by the Nepali finance ministry.
Minister Duncan said political stability and the introduction of full-fledged budget in the country would make their job easier in Nepal. He also asked the government to remove unnecessary bureaucratic hurdles to get their projects implemented at the earliest so that more and more needy people in Nepal could be benefitted.
Besides holding meeting with President Ram Baran Yadav, Chairman of Interim Election Council Khil Raj Regmi, Minister for Home and Foreign Affairs Madhav Prasad Ghimire, Finance Minister Shanker Koirala and top leaders of all major parties, Minister Duncan along with Nepali Minister for Federal Affairs and Local Development Bidyadhar Mallik inaugurated a bridge across the Sabha Khola in Sankhuwasabha district on Monday. "I was elated that the access provided by the bridge will transform so many people´s lives in Eastern Nepal," he said.
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