It seems that some movement towards the peace process is finally discernible, and the Special Committee (for the supervision, integration and rehabilitation of Maoist combatants) has come up with an integration programme and rehabilitation package. This is quite welcome in view of the fact that the Maoists refusing to budge on them seems to have ended for the moment. It had been the UCPN (Maoists who had time and again played very adamant, delaying the peace process as a whole, especially on the integration and rehabilitation aspects. Now, the Special Committee (SC) works on all its members being present and endorsing the decision. The Maoists do not have the authority to move on any aspect of integration or rehabilitation on their own. The SC document would probably set the pace for the delayed important part of the peace process. It now sets the stage for the regrouping of the Maoist combatants in the cantonments. As per the plan, the regrouping is scheduled to begin from November 19 and would continue for ten days. This, at least, would mean that there would be no turning back, unless the Maoists come up with some excuses of their own to stall the move.

For once, the Maoists seem to be in a mood to set things right and, thereby, remove the tag of being the obstacles to the peace process to achieve tangible results. The SC plan outlines that up to 6,500 former Maoist combatants can be integrated into the directorate under the Nepal Army (NA), which, however, would be according to the standard norms of the NA. Moreover, leverage would be provided for the fighters regarding their education and age. The rehabilitation packages would also vary from Rs. 6 to 9 million, so has the voluntary retirement package been floated. All these augur well because the SC meeting were far and between, and all hope for any of its decision coming had been lost. But, a ray of hope is being seen that something concrete would be achieved within a short period of time, hoping for the cooperation of all the political parties, particularly the UCPN (M).

It took a long time for the political parties to come together so that the Special Committee’s integration and rehabilitation plan could get the final shape. However, all is not over yet. There is still a long way to go to finally get to the logical conclusion of the peace process, but it paves the way for progress on constitution-drafting, as well as to be able to support the move for Constituent Assembly (CA) tenure extension after November 30. The political leaders have not been to work wholeheartedly in the over two and half months since the latest CA extension had been endorsed. Now with a mere fortnight remaining for the CA term expiry, the political leaders have presented a glimmer of hope that they are adhering to their commitment. As usual, the last-minute flurry of activities seem to have taken hold of the politicians, and they might have acted a bit more flexibly for the integration and rehabilitation of the Maoist combatants. But, the question that always emerges is whether they will have the same amount of sincerity once the CA term is extended again. That is a conundrum for the moment!

Sugar talk

Diabetes is assuming epidemic proportions, particularly amongst the people of the developing countries. It is estimated that in Nepal alone 450,000 people are afflicted with the life-threatening disease. Among other reasons, it is the changing lifestyle that is the reason for the increase in the incidence of diabetes. There is a need to make people aware about the disease, and the various rallies that are held to mark the World Diabetes Day, with awareness programmes could come in useful. Obese people are particularly at risk from contracting the disease together with those who are physically inactive. This non-communicable disease is one of the leading causes of deaths. 

It is learnt that diabetes can be prevented to some extent through the right diet and regular exercise. Moreover, a matter of concern is that many diabetic patients in Nepal do not receive the optimal management that is necessary for those with the disease. It is high time that a center for the management of diabetes was established to facilitate treatment of those with diabetes.