VVIPs wiping coffers clean ANIL GIRI KATHMANDU, SEP 02 - Here are two recent examples of how our VVIPs are milking the state coffers to finance foreign junkets for their near and dear ones. The proud records go to none other than the country’s head of the state President Ram Baran Yadav and head of the government Prime Minister Madhav Kumar Nepal. The visits take place in September and October, respectively. President Dr Yadav heads to China and Prime Minister Nepal to the United Nations, New York. Both entourages are loaded with relatives, unwelcome guests and aides—the numbers well over the benchmark set by the hosts. Nepal usually gets just five seats in the United Nations General Assembly every year since the Panchyat system and that was strictly followed. However, the caretaker Prime Minister whose legitimacy is questioned whether he holds any right to make a political or policy commitment on the UN platform, is all set to visit with a horde of 30 members in UNGA, New York, beginning form Sept. 17. “Two dozen names have been finalised for the junket. We are yet to get the names of lawmakers who are attending the GA,” an official privy to preparing the groundwork of the trip said. UN will reimburse the expenditure incurred by five dignitaries and the rest of the bill including two-way airfare, daily allowance, hotel accommodation will be footed by the Nepal Government, which claims it has launched an austerity drive. Two security officials and three journalists are riding piggyback as well. There will be a separate list given by Foreign Minister Koirala which is yet to be finalised. Former Ambassador Dr Lok Raj Baral questioned the credibility of the PM’s trip to New York. “As a caretaker PM, why does he have to go there?” said Baral. “In 1991, Interim PM Krishna Prasad Bhattrai instructed then Nepal’s envoy to UN Jaya Pratap Rana to participate in the UN meetings and segment saying that he country is devoted to the statut writing process and that he cannot lose a single minute. Moreover, since decades we have five quotas for UNGA and no need for jumbo delegations.” The upcoming China visit of President Dr. Yadav during the closing ceremony of Shanghai expo (Oct. end) is also a case in point. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MoFA) will hand over to the Chinese side the list of guests. Limpets on the junkets New York trip Madhav Kumar Nepal    Prime Minister Sujata Koirala    Foreign Minister Gyatri Nepal    Spouse of PM Ishwor Pokhrel    CPN-UML Meera Dhouju    Spouse of Pokhrel Kul Chandra Gautam    Nepal’s candidate for UNGA Jagadish Chandra Pokhrel    NPC Vice Chair Gyan Chandra Achrya    Nepal’s envoy to UN Rajan Bhattarai    PM’s Foreign Advisor Madan Kumar Bhattarai    Foreign Secretary Ram Chandra Man Singh    Secretary at PMO Durga Bhattarai    JS, MoFA Hari Kumar Shrestha    JS, MoFA Lal Shanker Ghimire    JS, Finance Ministry Mukti Nath Bhatta    Chief of Protocol Pushpa Man Shrestha    JS, NPC Three journalists    NTV/ National News Agency China trip Dr Ram Baran Yadav    President Anita Yadav     Prez’s daughter Madan Kumar Bhattarai    Foreign Secretary Baman Neupane    Secretary at the president office Mukti Nath Bhatta    Chief of Protocol Rudra Nepal    JS, MoFA Rajendra Dahal    Press Advisor to the president Lalit Basnet     Advisor to the president Personal doctor of president Protocol officer An aide to president Dharmendra Jha    FNJ President Two ADCs to president