Amid reports of the Young Communist League (YCL) closing down the (Maoist) party offices demanding same assistance package provided to the voluntarily retiring combatants, the UCPN (Maoist) Tuesday decided to provide assistance to them through its own sources.

A meeting of the Maoist standing committee decided to provide assistance to the agitating YCL cadres. "The party will make internal arrangements for this," party secretary C.P Gajurel said after the meeting.

The former combatants, who joined the YCL as per the party's decision, will be entitled to the assistance to be provided by the party, it is learnt.

Similarly, the Maoist standing committee also decided to ask the government to provide assistance to the disqualified and handicapped combatants through the Ministry of Peace and Reconstruction within one month.

Hundreds of YCL cadres and disqualified combatants have launched protest demanding the same financial assistance package made available to the voluntarily retiring combatants. They have padlocked the Maoist party's offices in nine far-western districts.

Meanwhile, the UCPN (M) has rejected the report of the State Restructuring Commission (SRC), saying that the creation of provinces as suggested by the commission is unacceptable.

According to Gajurel, the party has supported only those recommendations [for creation of provinces] that are based on the 'identity'. nepalnews.com

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