A meeting of the Special Committee headed by the prime minister on Monday approved the time-bound plan of action that promises to complete the groundwork by June 24. [break]
According to Prime Minister and Special Committee Chairman Jhalanath Khanal, the Special Committee has set June 19 deadline for finalizing integration modality, integration numbers, standard norms for integration, rank harmonization and rehabilitation packages.
The finalization of these issues is at the center of the much-awaited management of the ex-Maoist combatants, who have been living in 28 cantonments since their verification in 2007 by the United Nations.
The combatants will be separated in three camps after categorization. Those opting for integration will be placed in one camp while those who choosing rehabilitation will be kept in another camp. Combatants opting voluntary retirement will be kept in a third camp.
The Maoists have already accepted a Nepal Army-proposed integration modality that says the ex-Maoist fighters can be integrated by creating a new directorate under the army. Such a directorate will also have personnel from the Nepal Police, Armed Police Force, Nepal Army and the Maoist PLA. But the UCPN (Maoist) has yet to accept the modality in its entirety.
The Special Committee also decided to deploy 126 arms and army monitors at all 21 satellite cantonments by Friday.
Though the committee had decided to send the monitors to the satellite cantonments last week, lack of logistics delayed the deployment.
The secretariat under the Special Committee had readied all the monitors comprising personnel from the Nepal Army, Nepal Police, Armed Police Force and the Maoist PLA one week ago but they have yet to be deployed to the cantonments due to lack of logistics related to accommodation.
In yet another decision, the Special Committee decided to complete recruitment and training of human resources to be deployed at the cantonments for profiling and survey of ex-Maoist combatants by June 24, said the prime minister.
"Once the human resources reach the cantonment sites and complete profiling and survey, this will pave the way for categorization of the Maoist combatants," said Dr Ram Sharan Mahat, a member on the Special Committee.
The Special Committee has planned to deploy 120 persons, who will have experience in conflict management or have worked in the UN, to complete profiling and survey of the ex-combatants in 60-63 days.
Mahat said the Special Committee is working out a plan of action on the management of combatants to complete the peace process by August 13.
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