Vice president Paramananda Jha has said imposition of presidential rule in the country in the wake of continuous political deadlock is simply unthinkable.

‘Imposing presidential rule and the talk of reviving the monarchy are similar assumptions. Presidential rule is unthinkable,’ he said while speaking to reporters at Pokhara Airport on Wednesday.

He also said the parties should be able to give an 'alternative' if they fail to elect the new prime minister on September 5.

VP Jha, who arrived in Pokhara to inaugurate the newly erected statute of a Hindu god at Birauta, further said that the parties must be able to resolve the deadlock through consensus.

The disruption of flights for almost three weeks in the hilly districts of mid-western and far-western regions has created an acute shortage of food and other essential supplies there, Rastriya Samachar Samiti reported.

Flights have not been operated in the western hilly districts including Humla, Mugu, Kalikot, Dolpa, Rukum, Bajhang and Bajura for past 18 days due to adverse weather conditions.

Some of these districts including Humla and Dolpa have not been connected by road, while the roads to other districts are not in operation due to monsoon.

The districts face a shortage of food supply and the flights are disrupted in the rainy season every year. However, the government has not done much to transport food to the district before the rainy season starts.

Nepal's Foreign Affairs Service (FAS), which had only six officers in its six decade history, has got 14 new women officers this week, Nagarik daily reported.

Out of 28 positions advertised for, women candidates succeeded in half the positions through open competition and reservations.

The entry of women officers in such large number has changed the face of FAS, especially as the service had very few women staff in the past.

Some of the officers who have joined FAS left lucrative careers in private sector to join the government service. Dr Illa Mainali, left the highly respected profession in medicine, to join FAS.

This is the first time a medical doctor has left her/his profession to join civil service (apart from the Health Service).

There were only half-dozen women officers in the entire history of Nepal's FAS. Mina Rokka joined FAS as the first women officer some 55 years ago. Three years later Bindeshwari Shah joined the FAS. She later got promoted to the post of joint-secretary and also became Nepalese ambassador to India.

At present, joint secretary Sewa Adhikari is the women officer at highest level in FAS.

Miffed with the UML for staying neutral in the elections for the post of Prime Minister and helping the state of indecision prolong, Nepali Congress (NC) and Unified CPN (Maoist) have refused consent to present a full budget to the caretaker government.

Finance Minister Surendra Pandey had sought NC and UCPN (Maoist)'s consent for full budget through Constituent Assembly chairman Subash Chandra Nemwang saying the lack full budget was hindering the development process and could cause problem in paying salary to government employees.

NC chief whip Laxman Ghimire said, ‘how can we accept a proposal by a UML minister when the UML itself has become the main cause of indecision by staying neutral at the PM elections.’

Likewise, Maoist whip Posta Bahadur Bogati said, the party would not consider passing the full budget until the issue of Prime Minister is finalised.

Meanwhile secretary at the finance ministry Rameshwar Khanal said that the constitution does not stop the government from presenting a full budget.

Speaking at an interaction programme in Kathmandu Wednesday Khanal said, although there is a tradition to present the budget after the policies and programmes of the government, such practice is not mandatory.

He also said, the government employees would get the Dashain bonus and the salaries from the advance budget itself.