Kathmandu, Mar 18: His Majesty’s Government has urged consumers not to use any medicines or medicinal products advertised with a view to promoting markets.

A press release issued by the Health Ministry recently stated that some sellers or pharmaceutical companies are found to be doling out misleading information through ads about their products without the permission from the department of drug administration despite the legal provision stipulating that any individual or company is not permitted to indiscriminately disseminate fake information about the use of medicines as well as their effectiveness.

the press release signed by Health Ministry spokesman Dr Benu Bahadur Karki further said any individual or company is required to seek permission from the department while importing or advertising or distributing medicines or medicinal products used for human health.

the ministry also warned of complications one may have to face upon being attracted by such ads which are not worth-believing.

Nepalgunj, Mar 18: A total of 500 persons are employed at the 21 industries currently in operation at Nepalgunj Industrial Estate (NIE).

It is learnt that among the workers are many Indians and the annual output of the industrial estate is about Rs 700 million.

The industrial estate contributes a revenue of Rs 25 million to the national exchequer annually.

Textile, metal wares, plywood, polythene pipes,wheat flour, oil, steel furniture and engineering goods are manufactured at the industrial estate.

Five new industrial units are under construction. At the industrial zone at present, they are a dairy unit, two furniture industries, and metal works and cold storage units.

four industrial units being operated at the industrial zone have however closed due to lack of market, mismanagement and shortage of raw materials.

There are 22 industrial blocks at the industrial state sprawling over 233 ropani land.

Construction of a boundary wall and a plane table survey of the land of the industrial zone is being carried out at present at an estimated   cost of rs 186,000.

The Nepalgunj Industrial Estate was established in 2032 B.S.

Amargadhi (Dadeldhura), March 18: A District Small Industries Development Programme Implementation Committee has been constituted under the chairmanship of District Development Committee (DDC) chairman Gajendra Bahadur Shahi to assist in the development of small scale industries in the district.

The other members of the committee include chief of the District Small and Cottage Industries Development Committee Durga Prasad Sharma, manager of the Agricultual Development Bank Dadeldhura Sub-branch Office, president of the District Chamber of Commerce and Industries Kali Prasad Joshi and Bhawani Datta Pandey.

The district manager of the Small Scale Industries Development Programme is the member-secretary of the Implementation Committee, according to the District Small Scale Enterprise Development Centre.

The Small Enterprises Development Programme is currently under implementation in ten districts including Dadeldhura. the other districts where the programme has been launched include Terhathum, Sunsari, Dhanusha, Nuwakot, Parbat, Nawalparasi, Pyuthan, Dang And Baitadi.

The Small Enterprises Development Programme is jointly launched by His Majesty’s Government and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP).

The main objective of the programme is to provide various services to people living under the poverty line in coordination with various partnership agencies at the local level and to improve their economic status through small scale enterprise development.

Kathmandu, Mar. 18:The Higher Secondary Education Council is to conduct examinations for classes XI and XII from the second week of Baisakh, 2057.

Refuting the allegations that differences, conflicts and leg-pulling among the council employees had made the future of students uncertain, education secretary Jayaram Giri said there were some technical constraints in the council, but now all these have been removed.

The controversy created after council vice chairman Kaushalraj Regmi closed the bank accounts claiming that the council was bogged down in financial irregularities has also come to an end.

But, council member-secretary Dr Sriram Lamichhane complained that though there is no working environment in the council, he is committed to perpetuating the tradition of the council.

Examinations schedules have not been published yet since application forms have not been received from 112 schools, said Mr Lamichhane, adding, but preparations are being made to hold the exams on time and to publish results by the end of Asadh.

One employee on condition of anonymity complains of not having salary for the past three months and said in such a situation it would be difficult to conduct examinations in all 500 higher secondary schools of the country at the same time.

The Guardians’ Association Nepal, the higher secondary schools association, etc had put pressure on the council to hold the exams on time.

General secretary of the Higher Secondary Schools Association Baburam Pokhrel seems assured that the government in the offing would come with a new thinking for education.

Some 100,000 students appear in higher secondary school examinations every year.

Mahendranagar, Mar. 18 : Mahendranagar Municipality is now showing deep concern over the growing environmental degradation and pollution in the municipality.

The municipality held here an all party meeting to elicit suggestions on the ways of  maintaining cleanliness in the municipality and marking the new year “a polythene free year “.

The meeting decided to remove encroachment in the vicinity of Mahendra Highway, lauch a drive against polythene, form committee at local level for maintaining sanitation, remove street vendors and weed out bushes in the town.

In the town which is well known as a gateway for the south Asia region such measures are necesary to maintain cleanliness and healthy environment.

During the meeting chaired by the Mayor of the Municipality Surya Bahadur Kunwar, Deputy Mayor Iswari Prasad Pokharel said that the town area could be made neat and clean through the cooperation from all quarters.

Bhaktapur, Mar 18: The National Tuberculosis Centre has been providing treatment services to tuberculosis patients through 149 “D.O.T.S. centres” in 52 districts across the kingdom in the second quarterly of fiscal year 1999/2000.

A total of  4,659 patients have been provided treatment services under what is called the directly observed treatment short course (DOTS) programme during this period, it is learnt from the DOTS centre. Tuberculosis patients are provided treatment under the direct supervision of doctors under the DOTS regime.

This information was given at the two-day national quarterly review seminar organised here by the DOTS centre for tuberculosis and leprosy paramedics from all the 75 districts where the national tuberculosis control programme has been implemented.

On the occasion it was disclosed that DOTS services was also available at 416 DOTS sub-centres across the kingdom.

Besides DOTS, the centre has also been running a 12-month special tuberculosis treatment programme and an eight months short term treatment programme. A total of 1,951 tuberculosis are said to be undergoing treatment under the short and long term special programmes.

Speaking at the conclusion of the seminar, the National Tuberculosis Centre Director Dr. Dirgha Singh Bom expressed satisfaction that the recovery rate of tuberculosis patients at present had increased since the start of the DOTS programme in 1996 on an experimental basis.

At the programme presided over by director of the central region health services directorate Dr. Kedarnath Sharma, Deputy Director of the SAARC tuberculosis centre Dr. Pralhad Kumar, team leader of the JICA Tuberculosis Control Project Dr. K. Osuga, Miss Rosalind of the World Health Organisation (WHO), Dr. Govinda Bahadur Shrestha, Dr. Jaya Prasad Baral, Dr. James, Dr. Pushpa Malla and others spoke on the main highlights of the DOTS proramme in Nepal.

At the beginning of the DOTS programme, four DOTS treatment centres were opened in Nawalparasi, Parsa, Bhaktapur and Kailali districts in 1996. At that time there was an objective of expanding the programme depending on the success of the programme at these centres.

It was found that 85 out of 100 tuberculosis patients were cured of the disease through the DOTS regimen.

Based on this result, His Majesty’s Government has decided to expand the programme to all the districts in the kingdom within the ninth five-year plan period, according to Dr. Bom, director of the National and the SAARC Tuberculosis Centre.

According to the W.H.O. estimates one third of the total world population suffers from tuberculosis and 5,000 die of the disease every day.

It is estimated that there are currently some 80,000 tuberculosis patients in Nepal and the disease is said  to claim the lives of about 8-11 thousand people especially of the productive age group every year.

Meanwhile in Biratnagar, the community based rehabilitation centre, Biratnagar, conducted a day-long health check-up camp for the benefit of the disabled and the physically handicapped persons of the locality.

On the occasion, 34 such persons were provided free medical check-up services.

Physically impaired and handicapped persons from Jhapa and Morang districts of Nepal and Farbisgunj of India are said to have visited the health camp. At the programme medicines, wheelchairs, artificial legs and crutches were distributed free of cost.

Bhaktapur, Mar 18: Shambhu Timilsina, 40, a resident of Naldum VDC-2 in Kabhrepalanchowk district  who is said to have been abducted from the Nagarkot tower in Bhaktapur has been found, according to the   district police office Bhaktapur.

Police immediately initiated investigation after the son of Timilsina informed the police that his father had been beaten and kidnapped in a vehicle by a man on Fagun 25, Deputy Superintendent of Police of the office Narayan Kumar Acharya said.

Meanwhile, the district police office Bhaktapur has handed over Timilsina to his wife in the presence of VDC chairman.

Police has arrested Hareram Shrestha, a resident of Kuleswor, Kathmandu, on the charge of abduction.

According to reports, Shrestha had on 25th of Fagun taken Timilsina to  Tripureswor and put  him in a garage. Timilsina ran away from the garage the next day and hit in a relative’s house.

Timilsina and the accused Hareram Shrestha had a deal between them, but Timilsina had failed to give Shrestha Rs 35,000  despite his repeated demand this culminated in his abduction, the police inspector Krishna Prasad Regmi said.

The district police office Bhaktapur has been investigating into the incident,  according to the central police newsroom.

Dhangadhi, Mar 18:The participants of a door to door interaction programme between the administration and the general public organised on Friday at Hasuliya vdc of Kailali district which has borders with India demanded that the acts of threatening, arresting, harassing and raiding the houses of the innocent Nepalese people by Indian border police by illegally entering Nepalese territory   be stopped immediately.

At the interaction organised by the Kailali district administration office with an objective of making effective the services of the district offices and expediting development works, the participants demanded that   special measures  be taken to stop the encroachment of the forests, embankment be constructed  in the rivers Mohana and Kateni to check floods causing damage every year,  and Gurgi dam be built for irrigation purpose.

They also demanded that good quality and effective services be provided by the service centres run by the government offices, communication facilities and health centres be set up, and a bridge be built on the Kateni river at Ratanpur vdc which  turns into an  island during the rainy season.

At the programme participated in by one thousand people including the people’s representatives and general public of  Hasuliya, Ratanpur, Pawera, Udasipur and Basauti vdcs, the speakers called for resolving the landless squatters problem  impartially,  steps be taken for  the emancipation of  the Kamaiyas, and the Hulaki road from Hasuliya to Pawera be constructed.

On the occasion,  district office chiefs and the representatives answered queries raised  regarding  agriculture, administration, forest, irrigation,  land survey, law and order, livestock services, public health, and land revenue offices.

Speaking on the occasion, cdo Tana Gautam   said enthusiasm is needed to expedite the development works as well as end anomalies adding  that the administration is ever ready to solve the problems of the people.

He said the administration is determined to provide the people a sense of security from the terrorist activities.

Superintendent of police Sharada Bhakta Ranjit called on the guardians to take care of their children as they are recruited by the terrorists by threatening them.

Local development officer Khadak Bahadur Rana called for identifying urgent projects  in view of the limited resources of the country and forging people’s participation to complete them.

Kathmandu, Mar. 18: The Election commission is to start collecting and updating voters’ lists from April 13 or Baishakh 1, 2057 bs.

According to the Voters List Act-2052 bs, the Commission is required to undertake this task every year. This could not be carried out this year due to the general elections.

According to the scheduled programme for the purpose, voters’ names will be collected and updated in the month of Baishakh, voters’ lists will be published in vdc and ward offices in Jestha, the month of Asadh has been fixed for laying claims and counter-claims and final lists will be published in the following month after looking into such claims, if need be.

Collection and updating of voters’ lists will be done at doorsteps in constituencies where identity cards have already been distributed, constituencies which are to receive such cards this year and other constituencies where identity cards will be distributed in the next phase.

The chief district officer has been appointed as chief name registration officer and an arrangement has been made for appointing district election officers in districts having ec branch offices and assistant cdo or administrative officer in districts where ec offices have not been opened as name registration officers, according to an ec press release today.

Similarly, vdc secretaries and ward secretaries of municipality will be appointed as assistant name registration officer. A special arrangement for supervision of such work has also been made, besides providing trainings to supervisors and name registration officers.

The Election Commission will use a voter list manual prepared with the help of danida and involve 150 trainers to conduct the training.

Meanwhile, two-day trainers’ training programmes were organised in Biratnagar, Hetauda, Pokhara and Nepalgunj.

Some 5,000 will be involved for collecting and updating the voters’ lists, according to the commission.

Kathmandu, March 18: Nepali Congress Parliamentary Party has elected party chief Girija Prasad Koirala as its leader to head the next government, putting to rest the debates and cries over transfer of leadership to new generation.

However, former Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba, who contested against Koirala in the first-ever election to the Parliamentary leadership, made his presence felt as a front runner among the second generation leaders.

Koirala received 69 (61%) of the 113 Congress votes in the 205-member House of Representatives while Deuba polled 43 votes (39%) and one vote was invalidated, according to the party’s Election Committee.

“I thank Deuba for making this election complete by his candidacy,” Koirala told reporters briefly outlining the priorities of his government, which is expected to be sworn in by Monday. “The new government will give priority to controlling corruption, maintaining law and order and good governance with administrative reforms,” he said after the election results were declared.

The Congress Party went to the election today after 69 lawmakers registered a no-trust motion against Prime Minister Krishna Prasad Bhattarai early this week.

The Prime Minister resigned on Thursday, criticising the second move in a month to sack him at a time the government was picking up. In his televised address to the Lower House of Parliament that day, Bhattarai had strongly recommended transfer of leadership to the younger generation.

Speaking briefly to journalists after the election, Bhattarai said the voting to elect Parliamentary Party leader had given rise to a democratic exercise in the Congress party, which believed in consensus on crucial issues. “As the sole living founder leader of Nepali Congress, I shall continue to play my role as a leader,” he said. “I shall extend my cooperation to the party and the government as long as I remain in the party.”

“Like what I had said in the first public speech at the Open Air Theatre 10 years ago, nobody wins or loses in a democracy,” Koirala said of the victory as his opponent stood alongside amid cheers from Congress workers who had thronged the Parliamentary Party offices since early morning. At that time, Koirala’s statement that “even the Panties had won” had drawn severe spontaneous criticism from public.

Deuba, who announced his candidacy in response to the Prime Minister’s wishes in the departing speech that leadership should go to the new generation of Congress leaders, took the defeat against the party chief easily. “I have always considered him a leader and a teacher,” he said. “I shall extend my full cooperation to the Prime Minister and he should also seek it.”

Deuba remained the sole challenger to Koirala in today’s election as Deputy Prime Minister Ramchandra Poudel, who had taken a nomination form this morning, chose not to dive in later on.

“I am happy with whatever number of votes I have received in the election, particularly because I decided to contest only after eight p.m. yesterday evening,” said Deuba, who left the party’s central working meeting little before it ended yesterday afternoon.

Deuba did not speak his mind in that meeting, but filled in the middle of discussions and supported the Deputy Prime Minister who had spelled out the need for power transfer.

RSS adds:     In a press statement issued here today, Mr Deuba has expressed the belief that the internal democratic process involved in the election of parliamentary party leader this time will help further strengthen the democratic system.

Recalling the outstanding contribution made by founder leader of Nepali Congress Bishweshwor Prasad Koirala and respected leader Ganesh Man Singh in nurturing democratic norms and values within the party, he said as an added dimension to the two leaders’ contribution founder leader of party Krishna Prasad Bhattarai demonstrated his trust in younger generation within the party thereby giving the younger generation immense inspiration.

Mr Deuba also made it clear that respecting Mr Bhattarai’s trust in the younger generation and drawing inspiration from his trust I stood as a candidate for the parliamentary party leadership.

He has expressed his commitment to giving continuity to the leaders’ glorious tradition and working for the larger interest of the country and the people.

Expressing gratitude to the parliamentary party members who voted for him in the election of the parliamentary party leadership and all those who cooperated with him in the election, Mr Deuba said the support and cooperation of the colleagues that he enjoyed has further encouraged him to work for furthering democratic and moral values.

Koirala’s candidacy was proposed by Khum Bahadur Khadka and seconded by Tarini Datta Chataut while that of Deuba was proposed by Homnath Dahal and seconded by Krishna Kishore Ghimire.

Only these two candidates have registered their names for the election as of 11 am today. Time has been fixed till 12 noon today for withdrawal of nomination.