Biratnagar, Apr. 11:Nepal Homeopathic Association central office, Biratnagar held a week-long homeopathic refresher course here to mark the 245th anniversary of Dr Samuel Heinemann, the founder of homeopathy.

One hundred homeopathic health assistant, including fifteen women, from various parts of Nepal joined the third training course that includes diagnostics, causes of various diseases and their treatment through homeopathic therapy. Anatomy, physiology, homeopathic pharmacology, materia medic were also included in the training course.

C.D.O. Tulsi Prasad Bhattarai, giving away this year’s homeo prize to Terapanthi Mahila Mandal of Biratnagar at the function, stressed the need to prepare adequate homeopathic manpower to promote that system of treatment.

Central chairman of the association Dr Jivan Prakash distributed certificates to the individuals and institution helping in successfully conducting the training course.

Dr Chandra Shekhar Chaudhary, participant co-trainer Jaya Bhadra Jha, Sushila Golchha, Dr Abdul Gafoor and Dr Mohammed Hussain  and other speakers shed light on the homeopathic system of treatment.

Bhaktapur, Apr. 11: The district election office, Bhaktapur, has organised a four days long training for the assistant name registration officers of the district with the objective of collecting the names of eligible voters in the district and updating the voters’ list.

Representatives of political parties and secretaries from 34 local wards of Bhaktapur and Madhyapur Thimi Municipalities covering the two parliamentary electoral constituencies of Bhaktapur district are taking part in the training.

Political party representatives have urged for impartiality in the name registration process.

The participating ward chairmen would start collecting the new names of eligible voters after the completion of the first phase training programme recently, according to Dhurba Raj Wagle, chief district officer and the chief name registration officer.

Assistant name registration officer and assistant Chief District Officer Rabiraj Kafle provided the training to the participants.

Likewise, a two-day orientation training for assistant name registration officers of 29 Village Development Commitees (VDCs) from parliamentary constituency-1 of the district concluded in Besisahar recently. The training concerned updating of the voters’ list in the district.

Addressing the concluding function of the training, chief name registration officer and chief district officer Govinda Khanal directed the assistant name registration officers to be extra careful so that no names of the eligible voters is left out and no proxy names are registered. He said they should be impartial and keep in mind the consequences of such erroneous work.

Assistant chief district officer Durga Datta Poudel had provided the training to the participants.

Kathmandu, Apr. 11: Minister for Foreign  Affairs Chakra Prasad Bastola has stressed the need for international financial architecture to become more transparent and democratic.

In his address to the 13th ministerial meeting of the Non-aligned Movement held in Cartagena, Colombia from April 8-9, Minister Bastola said oda flows to developing countries should be in keeping with the international commitment the development partners have made.

Debt relief measures should be further widened to provide relief to developing countries and allow them to use resources released from debt obligations in development  activities, he added.

As non-aligned developing countries institute and implement painful reforms in their economies and strengthen democratic processes, the development partners should fling open their markets and technology to developing countries’ access, Minister Bastola observed.

Elimination of poverty, illiteracy, disease, deprivation and promotion of social justice and human rights deserve to be a common cause for countries from both South and North, he said, adding despite their painstaking implementation of economic reforms, most development partners are yet to meet the commitment at their end.

Stressing the need for collective efforts for bridging the widening gap between the rich and the poor both in terms of wealth and technology, he said to ensure a durable and total peace, we should engage in earnest disarmament of nuclear and other weapons of mass destruction and in preventing proliferation of small weapons mostly into terrorists’ hands.

It is imperative that these measures are accompanied by economic development and expanding gainful employment opportunities for the people, he observed.

Meanwhile, Minister for Foreign Affairs  Bastola and Indian Minister for External Affairs Jaswant Singh met at Cartagena, Colombia on sunday.

According to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, they discussed matters concerning bilateral relations between the two countries.

On the same day, Minister Bastola called on Colombian Foreign Minister Guillermo Fernandes De Soto during the ministerial meeting of the non-aligned movement.

On the occasion, they discussed matters of mutual interest.

Minister Bastola also had discussions with Pakistani Foreign Minister Abdul Sattar on matters of mutual interest the same day.

The Nepalese delegation headed by Minister Bastola reached Havana today to participate in the first ever south summit.

Baglung, Apr. 11: Ministerfor Information and Communications Jayaprakash Prasad Gupta has pointed out the need for public servants to extend their cooperation to the government in its campaign for removing administrative distortions, corruption and delays  and facilitating matters for the people.

Minister Gupta was addressing a gathering of office chiefs organised by the district administration office, Baglung here today.

Disclosing that the present government has initiated steady implementation of the suggestions given by the administration reforms commission, he said that facilities would be provided to employees as permitted by the means and resources.

Prior to this, cdo ratna Raj Pandey and chairman of the employees get-together centre Govinda Mani Bhurtel apprised the Minister of the actual situation in the district.

Meanwhile, Minister Gupta declared open the Baglung festival-2056 and the “Dohari Geet” (singing) competition organised on the occasion of Chaitra Dashain  here today.

On the occasion Minister Gupta said everyone should be involved in safeguarding one’s art and culture  as it is a medium for introducing the nation.

Mr Gupta said that the present government has been giving special attention towards developing the art and culture of the country.

At the function chaired by chairman of the Baglung festival and chairman of Baglung ddc Lil Bahadur Thapa Magar, mayor of Baglung municipality Rishiram Sharma and other speakers also expressed their views on the festival.

Butwal, Apr. 11: The number of people wearing robes similar to that of Bhikshus and soliciting money from tourists in and around Lumbini is growing.

Ram Naresh Giri is one of those who puts on saffron robes to present himself as a monk and asks people for money.

He always plays a one-string instrument and locals call him “ektarananda”.

Earlier, he used to pull a rickshaw at Taulihawa bazaar of Kapilbastu district.

Always inebriated and playing on his musical instrument, he concedes that he boozes and is non-vegetarian.

He says, “ I have lost the habit of working for a living. I make sufficient money from begging.”

And there is “Cyclananda” who is to be seen at the bus stop in front of the Lumbini temple when the buses arrive.

He flies a Buddhist flag on his bicycle, comes daily from Paderiya 4 km south of Lumbini and goes about collecting money.

According to the local people, his previous name was Karunanidhi. He came to Lumbini from India two years back and presented himself as an “Aghori Baba.”

He used to consume hemp, liquor, fish and meat and even smack and give these out to others as Prasad. When the tourists complained, the district administration office removed from Lumbini.

After disappearing for five months, he reappeared as a Bhikchu in saffron with shaved head. Cyclananda forces tourists to give him money. He stays put, begging bowl in hand, before the tourists until they give him money.

He too has been prohibited from entering the premises of the Mayadevi temple.

As buddhists demanded that a Bhikchu should officiate at the Mayadevi temple, Chandra Bhushan, son of the temple priest, became a Buddhist and changed his name to Vivekananda, it is learnt.

Vivekananda, who hails from India, puts on his monk’s robes in the daytime and changes into other clothing in the evening. He has a wife and children at home.

Vivekananda says, “the high standard monks here sell items given to them by foreign visitors to the local shops, but we are not even allowed to beg. What kind of justice is this?”

Bhikshu Maitri of the International Buddhists Centre at Lumbini says that most of the fake monks had approached him requesting to be ordained as monks, but he had declined.

Vice-chairman of the Lumbini Development Trust Gajendra Kumar Lama says that such people impersonating as monks should be brought under  control.

But no action has been taken so far as no complaint has been made, he added.

Kathmandu Apr. 11:Thamel dot com Private Ltd launched a new high tech premium world widesite, for tourism development in Nepal through Information and Technology, it is stated at a press meet held this afternoon.

It is an effort to open a window to the outside world through which one may enter into the exotic world of endless opportunities that Nepal has to offer.

“Thamel is a historical and genuine world, which is recognised as much  abroad as at home. Thamel dot com, hence is a virtual site to feel the real Thamel”, says Rajesh Lal Joshi, Research and Development Director of Thamel dot com.

The web site Thamel dot com, it is said, integrates the Information, Digital Mapping, Database Management, Business Networking, Web Promotion and E-commerce into a website. This will enable the potential visitors to Nepal to make a well-informed choice based upon updated information available in Thamel dot com before he or she leaves the home country.

Thamel dot com has devised an affiliate system to network the business organisation of Thamel and its surroundings. By paying a very nominal affiliation fee on annual basis any business organisation can be affiliated with Thamel dot com and entitled to all the services provided by it.

Allen B. Tuladhar, Technical Advisor of  Thamel dot com and CEO Unlimited Numedia private ltd, also spoke on the press meet.

Birgunj, Apr. 11:Arya Samaj organised various programmes to mark its 75th anniversary (Platinum Jubilee) at the premises of the Samaj’s Raxaul-situated building, also commemorated the historical importance of the same building where pro- democracy leaders like late Nepali Congress Supremo Ganesh Man Singh, former Prime Minister Krishna Prasad Bhattarai and late Gopal Prasad Bhattarai stayed while directing the movement against the autocratic Rana rule during the Revolution of 2007 B. S.

Woman leader late Mangala Devi Singh also spent six months there in the process of waging an armed struggle against the Panchayati regime after the  Royal takeover in 2017 B. S., according to Arya Samaj.

Addressing the programme, MP P L Singh said that the building was an important place for organising various political activities during the Revolution of 2007 B.S.

He also commended the contributions by Nanda Kishor Sikariya (Nandubabu), who fed and lodged the revolutionaries in the same building.

Singh released special issue of the Platinum Jubilee on the occasion.

Similarly, industrialist Shankar Lal Kedia called for the construction of a building in the memory of late Ganesh Man Singh.

Nandalal Sikoriya, who was honored at the programme, recalled that late Ganesh Man Singh lived in the building to direct the popular revolution of 2007 B.S.

Kathmandu, Apr.11: The government will launch investigation on why Royal Nepal Airlines Corporation (RNAC) directly renewed the aircraft lease deal with China South West Airlines (CSWA) earlier last month ignoring the official instruction to lease an aircraft only through global tender, Tarini Datta Chataut, Minister of Tourism and Civil Aviation said at a press meet in his ministry today.

“We will investigate why did RNAC not follow the government’s instructions,” he said. “If only RNAC had taken timely actions, there would have been no problem.”

In a press release today, the Ministry has claimed that RNAC’s March 19 aircraft lease agreement with CSWA last month has created a complication. “According to the agreement, if RNAC does not begin the operation of the leased Boeing 757 from March 28, 2000 and if it does not pay US $ 200,000 to the Chinese company within 10 days after the agreement, the national flag carrier will have to pay US $ 50,000 as penalty to CSWA.”

Said Chataut, “We have the compulsion to agree with RNAC board’s decision to fly in the CSWA Boeing given the dire need of aircraft to press in RNAC’s routes. But at the same time, we take serious reservation on the way RNAC has decided to lease the aircraft.”

As the lease period of the earlier leased Boeing 757 of CSWA was coming to an end (March 27), RNAC bosses last month flew to China and under a new contract renewed the lease period of the same aircraft for three months.

Earlier, the national flag carrier had sought permission from MoTCA to lease a Boeing 767-300 ER under Aircraft, Maintenance and Insurance basis. Then, the Ministry, citing the written instructions of the Cabinet Secretariat, had instructed RNAC to select pre-qualified companies under global tender issuing 35-day notice.

“Following the ministry’s instruction, RNAC wrote a letter to the ministry claiming that the global tender could not be completed and that it had to go for re-tendering. Since the process would take time, it said that it was going to renew the lease period of the leased Boeing 757 of CSWA for three months,” the press release stated. “Three days after the it received the letter, the ministry instructed RNAC to stick to the global tender process.”

Despite the instruction, read the press statement, RNAC has been found of not following the course it should have.

In yet another confronting move, MoTCA has denied RNAC’s request to waive off the sealed tender requirement to lease an aircraft for three weeks later this month when one of its Boeing two 757s will leave for C-check. “The ministry wrote a letter to RNAC denying its request,” read the press statement.

Responding to reporters’ queries, Chataut said that the Nepal-India talk on the resumption of Indian Airlines flights will take place very soon. “During the last talk there was no discussion on deploying Indian security personnel at TIA.”

In a bid to improve its facilities and to ensure safety of the incoming and outgoing flights, Tribhuvan International Airport has already introduced facilities like security binding on luggage, computerised security pass system, fully sterile passenger hold area, read the press statement. “To add security screening of passenger luggage, a secondary x-ray screening will also be added at the airport.”

Kathmandu, Apr. 11:Main Opposition Communist Party of Nepal (UML) today unveiled  a number of protest programmes that aim at “revolutionising the people” against social ills.

The new series of protests will begin early next week with the UML workers directed back to the villages for stirring up general awareness.

The new protests under UML’s fourth programme will cover virtually all areas, according to K. P. Sharma Oli. Oli, UML’s Deputy Leader at the House of Representatives, heads a central movement mobilisation committee that ferried thousands of workers from across the country on April 8.

On that day, the party also made public a controversial name list of close to 3000 “corrupt” personalities that excludes the UML supporters. “The names are based on the reports of the Commission for the Investigation of Abuse of Authority, which has not included UML leaders and workers in the list of the corrupt,” Oli told journalists today. “We did not appeal to the CIAA to exclude our names,” he said. “UML workers are not there, simply because they are not corrupt.”

The six week long protest, “Let’s Go To The Villages, Let’s Make People Aware” is beginning nationwide,  Oli told a press conference at the Party’s head office this afternoon. Oli’s committee plans to take nationwide the messages about the corrupt as declared at the April 8 gathering in Kathmandu.

“Under this, we have also included a programme against the black marketers,” Oli said of the new activity on its menu that intends to force shops and stores to hang price lists. “We are doing this to control black marketing.”

“UML has also planned a week long camp to expedite campaigns against those who accept bribe, indulge in dilly-dallying and the corrupt,” Oli said. “Under this, the UML will extend help to the general public, do monitoring and take popular action if required.”

The programme will attempt at revolutionising the people against class oppression, Oli said. The campaign also intends to enhance resistance and skills for popular action at the people’s level against what he called Congressisation, violence, murder and corruption.

Oli said effective programmes would be launched to pressure the government to dissolve committees that oversee the Bisheshwor with Poor and Ganeshman Peace Campaign. UML has charged the government with misusing the state funds allocated under these programmes.

The party said it would also launch activities aimed discouraging discrimination against women and flesh trade and come up with a special action plan to solve the scarcity of drinking water in the Kathmandu valley.

Oli said the party will launch a sit-in at the Foreign Ministry to protest against the high dam of Purnagiri, which the Indians are planning as this is against the Integrated Treaty on Mahakali Rivers, signed and ratified in 1996.

The party, he said, will also protest against the border encroachment to give a vent to express the feeling for nationhood in the people.

Kathmandu, Apr. 11:Leaders of major political parties today expressed mixed experiences of the first decade of multiparty democracy in the country.

The first ten years witnessed fruitful parliamentary exercises whereas the developmental activities were far from people’s aspiration, they said at an interaction “One Decade of Multiparty Democracy: Achievements and Challenges” organised by Foundation for Parliamentary Studies and Development (FPSD) here this afternoon.

Stating that lack of political culture, morality and clarity of vision and erosion of firm will were some of the shortcomings that appeared during the period, the politicians said the practice of value-based politics would help consolidate democracy by setting the nation on the path envisaged by the Constitution.

“In order to strengthen the democratic system, all the concerned political parties and leaders should work towards ending the malpractice currently existing in Nepalese political scenario,” former Prime Minister and Nepali Congress (NC) leader Krishna Prasad Bhattarai said.

Though ten years is a very short period to judge the achievement of democracy in a country, with a long history of despotism, people developed a greater sense of their self-respect during the post democracy era, he said.

Referring to the recent political instability resulting from the changes in the government, he said that such “undemocratic” exercises would result in political aberration. “I am more doubtful of the highly ambitious NC leaders than anyone else who could pose threat to democracy culminated in by the Popular Movement of 1990.”

Bhattarai also informed that he would contest for NC President in the upcoming general meeting of his party.

General Secretary of the Communist Party of Nepal – Unified Marxist-Leninist and the Leader of the Main Opposition Madhav Kumar Nepal accused the Nepali Congress government of failing to address people’s problems.

“The anomalies and irregularities seen in the Nepalese society, politics and economy can lead to public distraction to the system itself,” he said. “If the system fails to fulfil people’s aspiration, they will seek for the alternative.”

Nepal said that there was a need of value-based politics to bring about a radical social reform in the country.

President of the Rastriya Prajatantra Party and former Prime Minister Surya Bahadur Thapa said that the current political and economic anomalies had overshadowed the achievements of the first decade of the multiparty democracy.

“There is a sharp difference between the constitutional norms and their practice that should be directed towards people’s welfare,” he said. “The cases of growing corruption, poverty, unemployment and violence have posed a question to the democratic system.”

From the chair, FPSD President and former Speaker Daman Nath Dhungana said that the country was suffering from the crises of corruption, good governance, violence and human rights violation. He suggested the concerned political parties and leaders to bring about reforms by correcting the past shortcomings.