Butwal, Apr. 29: In a startling incident, two new-born babies have gotten swaped at a maternity ward here.

Amrita Thapa, a resident of Banganga Kapilvastu, and Vandana Chhetri of Pokharali, Nawalparasi gave birth to babies at the same time at the maternity ward of Lumbini Zonal Hospital. One of them gave birth to a girl and the other a boy.

But peons at the maternity ward got the two mixed up when the women were being transferred to another room and each ended up with the other’s baby..

Amrita Thapa, who was well aware of the fact that her new born baby was a girl vehemently rejected the baby given to her and some commotion followed.

Verification of the reports later revealed that she was right.

Following long discussions, family members of both the women agreed to correct the mistake and take their respective babies.

If there had not been a commotion over this matter, I would have returned home with someone else’s baby, Bandana Chhetri says.

Such negligence on the part of the hospital is too much, how could the matter have been settled if both the babies had been daughters or one of them was handicapped, one of Bandana’s relatives asked.

Kathmandu, Apr. 29: Minister for Land Reforms and Management Siddha Raj Ojha has said that it is the Sanskrit lovers and scholars themselves who should reach a conclusion on whether or not the Sanskrit language should be tought as a compulsory subject in schools and colleges.

Minister Ojha, who was speaking at a colloquium on “Sanskrit for all” organised by Jayatu Sanskritam here today, described Sanskrit as the origin of “Our culture and civilization” and stressed the need to make the people aware of the fact that preservation of the Sanskrit language helps to enrich the Nepali language.

MP Ramchandra Bhattarai spoke of the need to make the Sanskrit language modern and practical so as to enhance its attraction.

Vice-chancellor of Mahendra Sanskrit University Dr Madhav Prasad Gautam said no one has been discriminated against on the basis of ethnicity when it comes to studying Sanskrit.

A host of speakers emphatically said that Sanskrit is not a dead language; it should be preserved and promoted. Various working papers were presented at the programme.

Ramgram, Apr. 29:Minister of State for Agriculture and Cooperatives Baldev Sharma Majgaiya has said that His Majesty’s Government has introduced the Local Self Governance Act in order to make local bodies competent.

He was inaugurating the third town council of Ramgram Municipality here Friday.

Corruption cannot be controlled by denouncing or blaming each another, he said, adding the government would form a powerful body in the near future in order to bring it under control.

Lawmaker Devendra Raj Kandel expressed his commitment to do his best for the development of the district.

Mayor of Ramgram Municipality Govinda Chaudhari chaired the meeting at which Nepali Congress Nawalparasi district president Krishna Chandra Nepali, Badri Khanal of cpn-uml and Harilal Shrestha of cpn-ml also expressed their views.

Meanwhile, district cooperative ltd. Nawalparasi thanked the government for its decision to constitute a cooperatives ministry as per its commitment.

A delegation from the cooperative, met with the Minister of State Majgaiya and called for an effective programme package aimed at poverty eradication and rural development in order to consolidate the newly constituted ministry.

The delegation was led by Deepak Prakash Lohani.

Butwal, April 29: Newars who have been living in Butwal town for centuries have constituted a Newar Society Development Council (Shree Newa Pucha) for the preservation and promotion of their vanishing language, culture and social traditions.

The society has undertaken a mission to protect children, women and elderly persons of any community as well as the Newars’ native language and culture.

The society also aims at not discriminating against anyone on the ground of caste and community while providing scholarships and awards or accommodation in homes meant for elderly persons.

Chairman of the society Chandra Man Shrestha announced at a press conference that he has created a revolving fund of Rs. 100,000 for distributing scholarships to two children belonging to the Newar community and two others of any other community studying at high schools in Butwal town area.

The secretary of the society said there was a target to raise the amount of the fund to Rs. 2.5 million for the education of the children of the town.

It was also stated at the press conference that the society would launch an awareness programme to revive traditions such as Bel Bibah.

Ira Thaiba and Rabindra Gopal Lakaul are vice chairmen of the society while Mahalaxmi Joshi and Mahendra Prasad Shrestha are treasurer and joint secretary respectively.

Chandra Laxmi Shrestha, Gyanu Ligal, Rameswar Shrestha, Kamala Thaiba, Kalyani Lakaul, Dwarika Man Saiju, Muktinath Shrestha, Lavakush Kumar Shrestha, Arunlal Shrestha and Rupkeshari Shrestha are among members of the society.

Bhadrapur, Apr. 29: Ambassador of Bangladesh Cyril Sikder has said that Bangladesh has attached great importance to optimum utilization of the Phulbari-Banglabandh Transit Route opened two years back for promoting trade and economic relations between Nepal and Bangladesh.

Talking to rss correspondent Somnath Lamichhane at Bhadrapur Airport today, ambassador Sikder said despite the great importance of the Kakarvitta-Phulbari-Banglabandh Route in promoting trade relations between Nepal and Bangladesh, the route has not been utilized to the fullest extent so far for several reasons.

Disclosing that an agreement will be signed between the two countries to resolve the problems facing proper utilization of the route during the visit by the minister for trade and commerce of Bangladesh to Nepal next month, the Bangladesh envoy said he made this field study and has also been talking to trade and industry people with a view to making the agreement more effective.

This is high time both Nepal and Bangladesh reviewed the bilateral trade and transit treaties signed two years back to make them more practical and simple, he said, adding both countries are doing necessary homework in this regard.

Mr Sikder also said that he is going to submit a report to the government of Bangladesh after looking into the possibility of operating air cargo flight between Saichadpur of Bangladesh and Bhadrapur. If found feasible, the plan will be incorporated in a transport model agreement to be concluded next month, he added.

Also today, the Bangladesh envoy visited Bhadrapur Airport and Mechi customs office and acquired necessary information.

The Phulbari-Banglabandh route opened in 2054 is a crucial route providing Nepal an overland access to a third country.

Problems like lack of proper road, communications and customs facilities, hassles in Indian side, and inconvenience caused by the provision for labourers and truck drivers to produce passports and identity cards have been an obstacle to proper utilization of the route. And the government of Bangladesh also has not so far taken much interest in developing necessary physical facilities.

According to chief of the Mechi Customs Office Dipak Kharel, Nepalese products equivalent to Rs. 59.8 million were exported to Bangladesh through the route during the last fiscal year.

The volume of exports to Bangladesh declined in fiscal year 2056/057. The exports have amounted to about Rs. 24.8 million so far in the current fiscal year.

Kathmandu, Apr. 29: CPN-ML president Mrs Sahana Pradhan has said even 10 years after the restoration of democracy, the people have not been able to experience democracy mainly due to the lack of political tolerance.

Mrs Pradhan, who was inaugurating the third Kathmandu district convention of Nepal Intellectuals’ Council here today, said despite the electoral debacle her party suffered due to unfavourable condition, the existing political situation is quite favourable for the party.

She asked the council to disseminate the party’s ideology and principles across the country.

Party politburo member C.P. Mainali accused the CPN-UML of ignoring professional intellectuals on ideological grounds.

Central member Kamal Chaulagain, council president and MP Dr Ramman Shrestha and others also expressed their views.

Meanwhile, president of CPN-UML and All Nepal Women’s Association Mrs. Sahana Pradhan has said that women who constitute more than half of the country’s population should unite for their rights and well-being.

Inaugurating a two-day national level women trainers training programme organised by the association here today, Mrs. Pradhan said the Constitution of the Kingdom of Nepal-1990 has guaranteed women’s rights but they not yet been able to exercise their rights.

Association secretary Kalpana Rizal, treasurer Tulsa Thapa and other speakers also expressed their views at the function chaired by general secretary of the association Sushila Shrestha.

Itahari, April 29: Chairperson of the Sushma Koirala Memorial Trust Miss Sujata Koirala has expressed the view that only people with democratic ideals and thinking would succeed in reining in the vice of corruption and aberrations which has increased following the reinstatement of democracy in the country.

She said she stood ready to lead such a crusade against corruption and vice.

Chairperson Koirala said this while addressing a new year greetings exchange programme at a gathering of Nepali Congress party workers from all the five constituencies of Sunsari district at local Itahari on Friday.

Miss Koirala said the entire Nepali people had hoped for positive change and development following the reinstatement of democracy in the country.

But some corrupt persons with malicious intentions gave a bad name to democracy and conspiracies were afoot to further tarnish the democratic process and spread disenchantment among the people, she added.

She said it was necessary for the party workers to launch a very effective and powerful purification campaign of their own now that the government was moving ahead with concrete programmes to relieve the people from the burden of corruption, anomalies and a climate of fear and terror.

Nepali Congress Constituency-2 regional vice-president Phulran Subedi and Krishna Adhikari also expressed their views on the occasion.

Similarly, addressing a gathering of Nepali Congress party workers at Constituency-5 of the district, Miss Koirala said that she would push for the construction of the Sunsari Khola Irrigation Project and the B.P. road, two important development projects for the people of the area, with His Majesty’s Government.

Miss Koirala also visited some localities of the constituency and said she would strive for the implementation of long and short term development projects in the area.

Butwal, Apr. 29: Minister of State for Health Tirtha Ram Dangol has said that health workers should give priority to the service of the helpless, orphans and the weaker section of society.

Minister of State Dangol was inaugurating the fourth convention of the Nepal Health Workers Association Rupandehi here today.

On the occasion, Dangol pointed out the need for all concerned to be sensitive to the fact that better environment of hospitals will have a positive psychological effect on patients.

He gave assurance that the government will take necessary measures soon to reconstruct Bhim Hospital of Bhairahawa.

Central president of the Nepal Health Workers Association Dr. Sampurnananda Dhungana said Nepal has made considerable achievement in the last ten years in the field of health and that there is a need to reassess the returns coming from it.

Central general secretary of the association Ram Bhandari said the appointment and transfer of the health workers should be transparent.

President of the Siddarthanagar Chamber of Commerce and Industry Dhruba Kumar Shrestha opined that the health workers should make their profession service-oriented and disciplined.

Various other speakers including Dr. Manohar Joshi, Siddarthanagar nc president Deepak Chhetri, and central member of the association Miss Bishnu Gurung also expressed their views at the function presided over by district president of the association Ishwori Prasad Dhungana.

Kathmandu, April 27: Rasmi Prasas and Vindya Dayananda won the women’s doubles title in the first King’s Cup Open Tennis Championship beating Cathy Hunt and Francoise Hewitt in the final on Thursday.

The youth pair of Prasad and Dayannda play all-round tennis for a 6-2, 6-4 triumph over Hunt and Hewitt.

In the men’s singles, both Subha Ratna Shahi and Rupert Colbourne, who were tipped to meet in the final lost their semifinals.

Shahi, who played so well against Kamal Bhandari in the first set winning it at 6-1 pulled his muscle in the right arm towards the close of second, which he lost by 5-7. Despite his desperate try, he could hardly continue and forced to retire, thus conceding the match to Bhandari, Shahi at that time was leading by 1-0 in the third of the best of five sets match.

In the other men’s semifinal, Sanu Gurung caused the biggest upset so far, ousting the pre-tournament favourite, Rupert Colbourne in four sets.

Colbourne held the upperhand on quite a number of occasions in the match only to falter away when it mattered most, that eventually cost him the match. After dropping the first set at 3-6, he managed to pull one back, winning the second one 6-2 to level the match. But he has only himself to blame for what happened thereafter.

In the third set, he was one game away from moving 2-1 as he was leading by 5-1 with double break of serves. But he went on committing sequence of mistakes and conceded the set to Gurung at 5-7. It was again the same story in the fourth set and Gurung ended his challenge by taking it at 6-3.

Earlier, Subha Ratna Shahi and Krishna Ghale beat Sharad Lama and Rupert Colbourne in straight sets, 6-4, 7-5, 6-0, to enter the men’s doubles final while Ram Sharan Thapa and Kamal Bhandari set up the final, outclassing their semifinal opposition, Raju Chhetri and Mahesh Shrestha, 6-4, 6-1, 6-0.

Sraddha Basnet and Mallika Rana entered the women’s singles final as they beat Francoise Hewith (6-1, 6-1) and Elizabeth Nott (6-4, 6-4) respectively while Shreyans Karki and Sang Ryal Kim set up the Friday’s final following their respective win over Suraj Shah (9-5) and Utsav Rijal (9-6) in the semifinals. Meanwhile, Manoj Rana, Kamal Thapa, Deepak Shrestha and Madhukar Rana were through to the last four in the veteran’s singles event.

The tournament, organised by All Nepal Lawn Tennis Association in conjunction with sponsor International Leasing and Finance Company and co-sponsors Himalayan Bank Ltd and National Life and General Insurance Ltd to mark the 55th Birthday of His Majesty the King.

Kathmandu, April 27: A delegation led by president of Nepal Chamber of Commerce Rajesh Kaji Shrestha met Minister for Commerce and Supplies Ram Krishna Tamrakar.

On the occasion, Mr Tamrakar said diplomatic efforts are under way to resolve the problems in trade and transit with India, adding that India’s response is positive.

Correspondence is being made with foreign countries on promoting investment in Nepal after the export promotion conference-2000, he noted.

President Shrestha said the Chamber is ready to work with the government hand-in-hand.

Meanwhile in Lalitpur, ex-chairman of Lalitpur Chamber of Commerce and Industry Keshar Bahadur Amatya gave away certificates to the trainees completing a five-day training on “Export Process and Documentation” amidst a function here Wednesday.

The training was organised by the Chamber in co-operation with the Small Industry Promotion Programme.

On the occasion Mr Amatya hoped the training programme would help promote export trade.

Chairman of the Chamber Kedar Lal Khosi said the Chamber planned to organise such training programme on larger scale in the future.

On behalf of the trainees, Bipin Raya and Pramila Bajracharya spoke on the usefulness of the programme.

In Butwal a programme of interaction on “the Objectives of the Consumers Protection Act-2054 B.S. and Local Unit’s Role in its Implementation” was held here Wednesday by the Consumers’ Interest Protection Forum, Rupandehi.

At the programme, the participants were of the view of that consumers, for lack of the knowledge about the act, continued to be cheated on purchase of consumer items.