Kathmandu, Jan. 31: A 16-year old boy suffering from paralysis was charred to death when his house at Lajimpat caught fire this morning. Ramesh Maharjan, son of Pancha Narayan, was in his bed when the fire began from the first floor of the house.

According to the police control room, the fire spread uncontrollably all over the house after a kerosene-stove burst.

The fire destroyed household goods worth one million rupees, said Bachaspati Regmi, police inspector at Durbarmarg Police Post.

Fire Brigades of all the three districts of the Valley with a great difficulty brought the fire under control in two hours as the street to the house was too narrow for any vehicles.

Hetauda, Jan. 31 : Deputy leader of cpn-uml parliamentary party and ex-minister khadga Prasad oli unveiled a statue of the then cpn-uml general secretary late madan kumar bhandari installed at nawalpur in ward no-11 of hetauda municipality to mark the martyrs day here today.

The full size statue of late bhandari was installed at a cost of rs. 750,000/- including assistances from the Martyrs Memorial Committee, Hetauda Municipality, Makwanpur ddc and donations.

Speaking on the occasion Mr. Oli pointed out the need for a spirit of dedication and struggle for the people among the political parties in order to free the country from poverty, social anomalies and corruption.

Central president of all Nepal women’s’ association and ex-minister mrs. Vidya devi bhandari said the national political parties are giving less attention towards making the people self-reliant.

Mps birodh khatiwada, Krishna Prasad dahal, kashinath adhikari and kedar neupane, makwanpur ddc chairman rameswor rana and other speakers also expressed their views at the programme chaired by hetauda mayor dormani poudel.

Mr. Oli also inaugurated the garden constructed within the martyrs memorial.

Kathmandu, Jan. 31 : Chief of the army staff of bangladesh lt. General muhammad mustafizur rahman returned home today after attending the concluding ceremony of the multi-platoon training event (mpte) organised jointly by u.S. Army pacific command and the royal Nepalese army at the peacekeeping force training centre, panchkhal.

Chief of the army staff general prajwal shumsher j. B. Rana saw him off at tribhuvan international airport.

The ambassador of bangladesh and senior royal Nepalese army officers were also present on the occasion.

Likewise, commanding lt. General of u.S. Army pacific command edwin paul smith returned home after attending the concluding ceremony of mpte.

Maj. General sushil raj karki saw him off at tribhuvan international airport.

Tansen, Jan. 31 : Vice-chairman of National Planning Commission (Npc) Prithvi Raj Ligal inaugurated the participatory long-term strategic planning workshop organised by palpa ddc here today.

In his inaugural address, npc vice-chairman ligal said since poverty alleviation is the overriding goal of His Majesty’s Government, the local bodies also should try their best to help the government achieve this goal.

Stressing the need to select only those projects which benefit the people so as to gear up the development process, he said the failure to implement projects on time has hampered completion of many projects.

Mp som Prasad pandey alerted the government against the formulation of rules and regulations which contravene with the local self-governance act.

Yadav Bahadur rayamajhi, also an mp, stressed the need for elected local representatives to see to it that plans and projects are selected on the basis of priority at the local level so that the projects do not remain incomplete.

Palpa ddc chairman jhapendra g.C. complained that the projects selected at local level are often changed by the center.

Mayor of tansen municipality ashok shahi highlighted the importance of the local self-governance act. Various political party representatives and others also expressed their views.

Kathmandu, Jan. 31 : Nepal medical trust for the poor and disabled has been set up with the objective of helping the poor and disabled persons who have been deprived of medical facilities after reaching the health center because of the lack of financial resources.

Former prime minister and Nepali Congress leader sher Bahadur deuba is the chief patron of the Nepal medical trust for the poor and disabled.

At an interaction programme organised here today to discuss matters relating to the formation of an ad hoc committee and gearing ahead the trust, it was informed that a central ad hoc committee with Mr Krishna narsingh thapa as patron, Dr. Ramesh Acharya, Suman Dahal, Tika Ojha, Rajen Thapa, Om Sitaula, Bijaya Kumar Khetan, Tek Bahadur thapa, Mrs Indu Thapa, Hari Prasad Pudasaini, Shivaram Pradhan and Ram Shrestha as members had been formed for running the trust.

The trust which has been formed with the objective of providing medical facilities to the poor and disabled persons who have been deprived of such facilities after reaching the health center because of financial problems will be expanded throughout the kingdom and run by collecting its own funds and not depend only on others financial assistance.

The trust has the objective of collecting financial assistance from the members of the ad hoc committee and other well wishers and creating a revolving fund of rs 100 million.

On the occasion chief patron of the trust and former prime minister deuba said that a country which cannot provide proper medical services to its sick people cannot move ahead.

Stating that the country faced the major challenge of providing medical services to the poor and disabled people, Mr deuba said that it has become a matter of concern as to how can physically and mentally handicapped citizens move the country ahead.

Noting that four million children are suffering from malnutrition in the world, Mr deuba said that the country’s economic condition depends on the health condition of it citizens.

It is an exemplary work to set up an institution without any selfish interest, Mr deuba said, adding that he would extend all possible time and assistance to the Nepal medical trust for the poor and disabled.

Media advisor at the ministry of information and communications purusottam dahal said that the persons wishing to give instructions to citizens can learn a lesson from the trust that something has to be carried out and shown to the people.

Mr dahal expressed the view that the state should stop providing medical treatment facilities to influential as well as persons capable of carrying out their own medical treatment.

Speaking from the chair president of the disabled women service center suman dahal said cooperation from all the citizens is necessary to provide medical services to the poor and disabled people in the country.

On the occasion general secretary of the Nepal medical association Dr. Ramesh acharya, pabson national president rajesh khadka, social worker tika Prasad ojha, rajendra Bahadur Shrestha, pankaj pradhan and others also pledged to work for the trust.

Kathmandu, Jan. 31 : Representing His Majesty the king, His Royal Highness Crown Prince Dipendra Bir Bikram Shah Dev will attend the wedding ceremony of His Majesty king letsle iii of the kingdom of lesotho to be held in maseru, the capital of lesotho in the third week of february, 2000.

This is stated in a notice issued today by the principal press secretariat of His Majesty the king.

Kathmandu, Jan. 31: Her Majesty Queen Aishwarya Rajya Laxmi Devi Shah gave away the awards of 5 fellowships and college medals to distinguished surgeons from India and Nepal at a function held here by the Fellow of Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh, England this afternoon.

The recepients of the award are Dr Kiran Shrestha, Dr Kamal Aryal, Dr Shailaj Ranjitkar, Dr Dhan Bikram Karki and Dr Pradip Ghimire. Those that received the college medal are well known surgeons Dr D.N. Gangol and Dr. H.B. Shrestha, Dr Ketan Desai and Dr D. Raja from India received ad hominem fellowships on the occasion.

Her Majesty the Queen is an honorary Fellow of Royal College of Surgeons, Edinburgh, England.

Speaking on the occasion Dr D.N. Gangol, Chairman of Diploma Ceremony Committee said that “after the initiation of the FRCS programme in Nepal in 1988, 7 Nepalese doctors have already received the title.” But, “from the last few years, MBBS degrees holders have been barred form enrolling in the FRCS programme of the Royal College, while a separate MRCS Edinburgh course will be conducted,” he said.

Lalitpur, Jan. 31:A five-day international conference kicked off here today with a view to formulate development strategies that would help alleviate poverty in the South Asian mountain regions through the sustainable use and management of natural resources.

The development challenges in the hills and mountains are enormous, Foreign Minister Dr. Ram Sharan Mahat said addressing the inaugural session of the conference on Growth, Poverty Alleviation and Sustainable Management in the Mountain Areas of South Asia here this morning.

“How to bring about a change in the lives of already hard-pressed mountain people is the most difficult development and environmental question before us today.”

Despite efforts from the governments and non-governmental sector, the magnitude of poverty remains very high in South Asian mountains. It is because the efforts to eradicate poverty have mostly been characterised by limited and ad hoc initiatives, Mahat said.

Mahat said that there was “too much experimentation without commitment in the name of poverty” and stressed on the need to address the issues of management, governance transparency, accountability and participation.

Mahat said that Nepalese government had developed a two-pronged strategy: the first sought to integrate the poor into the mainstream of the economy through higher productivity and expanded employment opportunities and the second envisaged a set of integrated programmes combined with social mobilisation of ultra poor households.

Dr. Mohan Man Sainju called for the need to recognise the intrinsic capacity of the people in the mountain areas to harness the available development opportunities and improve their quality of life as well as to preserve the basic interests of the future generation.

What is now really called for sustainable and integrated development of the mountainous regions is indeed the regional co-operation of scientists and experts from all nations, German Ambassador Dr. K. Barth said.

Showing concern over the continued outflow of physical and human resources from mountains to plains, Director General of the International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD), Egbert Pelink said that the great challenge ahead was to identify opportunities how mountain areas could benefit from market-centred development and not lose out in the processes of commercialisation and globalisation.

The conference organised jointly by ICIMOD and the German Foundation for International Development (DSE) and participated in by over 80 experts and professionals from Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Nepal, Pakistan, China and Germany aims at identifying appropriate strategies and agendas for sustainable use and management of natural resources in the fragile eco-systems of the mountain areas.

Kathmandu, Jan. 31: His Majesty’s Government has been facing strong criticism from the people of the remote hilly and himalayan districts and their representatives because of its decision to remove some foodgrain depots from those areas.

They are demanding the retaining of existing depots until some alternative arrangement is made as their removal might cause starvation in a region that faces a foodgrain crisis every year.

On december 31, 1999, hmg had in connection with implementation of organisational reform at the Nepal food corporation (nfc), decided to remove 67 out of its 135 food depots and branch offices on the recommendation of the task force constituted for implementation of the reforms. Of them five are zonal offices, 26 branch offices and 36 sales depots.

There was a provision for organisational consolidation of the nfc in order to receive a second installment under the second agricultural loan programme agreement concluded between hmg and the asian development bank in 1998. Hmg had as per the same provision formed a ten member task force under the convenorship of a special secretary at the ministry of supplies on mangsir 20, 2055.

The task force has re-catagorised the remote districts on the basis of transportation facilities, foodgrain production and availability, per capita income, nfc transportation subsidies in the past and classification of various bodies.

Whereas the nfc had since its founding been distributing foodgrain to 38 districts it regarded as remote districts, the task force has only classified 12 districts as such. These are Humla, Mugu, Bajhang, Jumla, Dolpa, Manang, Bajura, Kalikot, Mustang, Darchula, Solukhumbu and Rukum.

Similarly, Achham, Rolpa, Jajarkot, Sankhuwasabha, Baglung, Okhaldhunga, Bhojpur, Khotang, Gorkha, Dhading and Panchthar districts have been classified as partially remote.

The task force has said there is no need to distribute subsidised foodgrain regularly to districts producing 80 per cent or more of the local need.

In view of this classification, the 18 districts of Dhading, Jajarkot, Ramechhap , Taplejung, Okhaldhunga, Sankhuwasabha, Myagdi, Ilam, Rukum, Panchthar, Gorkha, Parbat, Salyan, Khotang, Sindhuli, Bhojpur, Dhankuta and Terhathum have been accorded less priority as per the foodgrain production there.

Similarly, Rasuwa, Gulmi, Parbat, Taplejung, Dhading, Solukhumbu, Pyuthan, Dhankuta and Baglung have also been given less priority by the task force in view of the strong purchasing power of the local people whose annual per capita income is rs 7,000 or more.

The hmg had in the eighth plan supplied 65,189 metric tonnes of foodgrains in 38 districts and provided rs 733,600,000 as transportation grant and rs 207,000,000 interest grant. This means that more than rs 180,000,000 was spent annually on foodgrain transportation.

In fy 055/56 b.S., Rs 120,900,000 in transportation grant was allocated in the five districts of karnali zone alone.

The government has followed the policy of launching local foodgrain production programmes after reducing the foodgrant grants for the remote districts. Its argument is that distribution of foodgrain through such grant has increased the tendency of local people to remain always dependent rather than to work for themselves. Therefore they had to be inspired towards local production.

But the people’s representatives have been criticising the government’s logic and the task force report describing them as random and not based on an objective study of the districts.

Cpn-uml mp nar Bahadur budhathoki representing dolpa district says the government decision is inhumane and lacking in farsightedness.

Disagreeing with the government logic, he says money is needed to buy the foodgrain and if people cannot manage with their own production, who will remain idle without working ?

he says the local residents are ready to transport grain for rs 30/32 a kg from the tibetan border north of dolpa where trucks can reach from lhasa. It is better to remove the depots after making alternative arrangements. Otherwise it is natural for the local people to express resentment, he adds.

Ruling party mp palten gurung representing manang district says the depots in the remote districts which are yet to be connected with motorable roads should be retained.

He said he argued at the nc parliamentary party that he will rather resign if the humde depot used by the people of 8 VDCs in his district is not retained. Land in that district is cultivable only six months in the year and is covered with snow for the other six.

But cpn-uml mp chandra Bahadur shahi representing mugu district says it is not good to remove the depots, but it doesn’t make any difference the srikot depot which is in an inappropriate place is removed. It would have been better if it had been placed at the centre.

The government says only those depots which were improperly located and were rarely used are being removed. And one thing is clear, depots have been removed even from the districts and constituencies of government ministers.

Rpp mp representing jajarkot district govind bikram shaha says it is sad that depots have been removed at a time when demands for foodgrain in the remote districts have been increasing and informed that the parliamentary committee for foreign affairs and human rights has also directed hmg not to enforce the decision.

He says the representatives of concerned districts are hopeful that the depots will be retained in view of the growing pressure on the government.

The public accounts committee of the house of representatives has also directed the government to reconsider the decision to remove the depots.

Mp of the rastriya janmorcha navaraj subedi says the people are angry because a facility in use for years has been curtailed without any alternative, and they demand withdrawal of the decision.

He says in a country where foreign loans and assistance amount to rs 22-23 billions, it is not justifiable to curtail a facility under which people get one or two kilograms of foodgrain.

But hmg has says that arrangements have been made so that no situation of foodgrains shortage will arise despite removal of the depots.

Minister for supplies prakash man Singh has said that 25,000 metric tonnes of foodgrain have been allocated for a relief programme besides a reserve of 40,000 metric tonnes held at national foodgrain reserve depots in ten places in the kingdom in order to face any possible famine and added that the government is ready to launch special programmes if needed.

It is clear to all that the government has been making supply arrangements in the remote areas by providing two or three times the price of the foodgrains as transportation grant. But we can’t negate the possibility of a famine situation in the remote areas occuring time and again. Therefore the government should make the supply system transparent and strong so as to reach the general public of the remote areas.

Kathmandu, Jan. 30:The 47th world leprosy day is being observed by organising a variety of programmes throughout the country today.

The programmes include public awareness programmes, distribution of pamphlets, slides show, talk programmes on health and sanitation, publication of articles on leprosy and its treatment, and the like.

Despite the invention of complete cure for leprosy, it is because of outmoded mentality and superstitions that the disease still remains as a public health and social problem in the country.

With the objective of controlling this disease, the government has been providing multi drug therapy service in all 75 districts since 1982.

Some 66,000 leprosy patients in the country have been completely cured so far, while about 19,000 patients are undergoing treatment.

In a message on the occasion, prime Minister Krishna Prasad Bhattarai has said His Majesty’s Government has launched various programmes with the purpose of eliminating leprosy and appealed to the countrymen to extend their help from their respective places for achieving this goal.

Stating that leprosy patients still exist in our society despite having medicines due to lack of public awareness, the prime Minister noted that it is the duty of us all to identify such patients who are concealing their disease out of superstitions and help them to have treatment.

In a similar message, health Minister dr ram baran yadav noted that in the past 16 years or so, we have achieved unprecedented success in curbing the threat of leprosy.

Prior to the introduction of multi-drug therapy, there were 70 leprosy patients in every 10,000 people in Nepal, but now the number has reduced to a mere eight, he said adding, a total of 66,000 people have been saved so far from being disfigured by the once dreaded disease.

Noting that only one dose of medicine can destroy 99.99 per cent of germs causing leprosy, dr yadav appealed to the people not to hide their disease and have regular medicine at near-by health posts to get cured of it since this is no longer a serious disease.

Health secretary srikanta regmi stated that 98 countries of the world have already been declared leprosy-free countries, but this is still a serious health threat in 12 countries.