Bhadrapur, Jan. 8 : The Nepali Congress constituency No.3 committee Jhapa has, in a memorandum to the District Administration Office, demanded resolution of the current problems faced by the district.
It has demanded initiation of immediate steps to meet the concern of farmers over the theft of cattle in Mechi Municipality and vdcs such as Chandragadhi, Duwagadhi, Jyamiregadhi, Dhaijan and Bahundangi, and a permanent solution to the terror created by elephants in the northern part of the constituency including Dhulabari and Kakarbhitta.
The memorandum also contains demands for the curbing of kerosene smuggling and relief to the local people from fear created by Maoists through letters sent to the locals. The team submitting the memorandum comprised chairman of the constituency committee Ram Kattel, party officials and representatives of sister organisations.
Hetauda, Jan 8: Minister for Commerce Ram Krishna Tamrakar declared open the 33th annual general meeting of the Makwanpur Chamber of Commerce and Industry here today.
Speaking on the occasion, Minister Tamrakar said as the development of the industrial and commerce sector is essential for the upliftment of the economic status of the rural people who are below the poverty line, HMG is committed to the modernisation of the country.
On the occasion, MP Krishna Prasad Dahal said the government should prioritize the policy based programmes which provide self employment by increasing production qualitatively in the country. The government should act for the protection of the rural farmers who have not been able to get reasonable price for their products such as foodgrains and fruits and vegetables.
Ddc vice chairman of Makwanpur Badri Prasad Lamsal and cdo durga Prasad Pokhrel called on the industrialists and businessmen to contribute to making the country self reliant.
At the function presided over by president of the Makwanpur Chambers of Commerce and Industry Kedar Shrestha, various other speakers including ex-officio vice president of the Federation of Nepalese Chambers of Commerce and Industries Rajendra Kumar Khetan, central member Hitler Bishet, Kishor Khanal, president of the Narayani Transport Entrepreneurs Association Madhav Adhikari, social worker Ajayaraj Shubhari, Ashok Shakya, vice president of the Makwanpur Chamber of Commerce and Industry Udaya Sharma and general secretary Madhav Risal also expressed their views.
Kathmandu, Jan. 8: Speakers of a one-day talk on “Strategies to Control Corruption” today said that the ‘alarming’ situation of corruption hindered development activities in the country. They accused the anti-corruption bodies of being inactive in curbing the social evil.
Political will, sense of moral values and stringent legal provisions would be necessary in minimising, if not totally eliminating, corruption, they said at the programmme organised by Policy Analysis Council (PAC). They also showed the necessity of making everyone concerned honest and accountable to their responsibilities.
The programme, chaired by PAC President Janardan Dev Panta, was organised with an aim to assist the government campaign against corruption by recommending some strategies.
“We can unitedly fight the evils of corruption by making anti-corruption bodies, including Commission for Investigation of Abuse of Authority, more effective and result-oriented,” former prime minister and Nepali Congress leader Sher Bahadur Deuba said.
Referring to poverty as one of the most dominant factors in rising corruption in an underdeveloped country like Nepal, Deuba said that the government should carry out some economic activities in order to uplift people’s living standard.
Rajparishad Standing Committee Member Gajananda Agrawal said that all the concerned individuals should be honest and accountable to their jobs if corruption was to be minimised. He also pointed out some legal shortcomings and accused the government of being inactive in this regard.
Parliamentarian Ramesh Lekhak said that the government was aware of the growing corruption cases and had taken some concrete initiatives in checking it.
Nepal Press Council President Harihar Birahi said that stringent legal provisions alone would not help control corruption. He also emphasised the role of media in raising voices against corruption. Federation of Nepal Journalists Association Suresh Acharya accused the government of giving a deaf ear to the voices of media.
Bharatpur, Jan. 8 : Nepali Congress president and former prime minister Girija Prasad Koirala has said corruption is an invisible enemy of democracy and therefore democracy cannot flourish unless corruption is wiped out.
Inaugurating the fourth general meeting and national convention of Democratic Thought Society at Narayangadh of Chitwan today, president expressed the confidence that the conference would provide suggestions to the government in the interest of the nation and people.
Minister of State for Land Reforms and Management Dr. Gangadhar Lamsal said the society should be aware of the conspiracy being hatched against democracy.
Mps eknath Bhat, Narayan Prasad Sharma, Jagannath Poudel and other speakers also expressed their views at the function chaired by central president of the society Basanta Kumar Gautam.
Altogether 150 members of the Society from 24 districts are taking part in the convention.
Also today, Mr. Koirala inspected the office building of the party under construction in Chitwan.
Mr. Koirala also released “Tarun Awaj” (voice of youth) published by Tarun Dal, Chitwan unit.
Kathmandu, Jan. 8: Prince Nirajan Bir Bikram Shah gave away this year’s Birthday Cup to the winner Manang Marshyangdi Club (MMC) and runners’ up Mahendra Police Club (MPC) amidst a special function at the National Dasharath Stadium, Saturday.
Prince Nirajan Bir Bikram Shah Dev also gave away certificates to the FIFA recognised umpires and linesmen.
Prince Nirajan was warmly welcomed by Minister for Supplies Prakash Man Singh, President of All Nepal Football Association Ganesh Thapa, Vice-Presidents Mahesh Bista and Tashi Ghale and other ANFA officials. Member-secretary of the NSC was also present on the occasion.
President Thapa had shed light on the ANFA’s past and future activities on the occasion.
Nepalgunj, Jan 7: Minister for Agriculture Chakra Prasad Bastola has asked agriculture scientists to shun a tendency to win administrative posts but to dedicate themselves to agricultural research work in such a manner as to promote the interest of farmers, national identity and the country’s economy.
Minister Bastola was addressing a regional agricultural research programme and budget formulation seminar at regional agricultural research centre at khajura, banke today.
On the occasion, he said that agriculture scientists should carry out their research bearing in mind the fact that any research conducted without bearing in mind the people’s concern and needs bears no meaning.
Since the long-term agricultural perspective plan does not cover every aspect of agricultural development, all the ministries should work in a coordinated manner in order to resolve the problems encountered in the implementation of the agriculture policy.
Director of Nepal Agricultural Research Council Shambhu Bahadur Pandey highlighted the objectives of the seminar.
Directors of the Western, and Mid-Western and Far-Western Regional Agricultural Research Centres Raghunath Prasad Sapkota and Raghabendra Mishra spoke about the agricultural research programme carried out in their respective regions.
The seminar is being attended by the agriculture scientists of Mid-Western, Far-Western and Western Regions, technicians, managers, planners, policy makers, economists and Nepalese and foreign consultants.
Kathmandu, Jan. 7:Almost ninety nine per cent (98.9 %) success was recorded in the immunisation of children with polio drops on November 21, 1999 and December 19, 1999 under the fourth national immunisation day which targetted the immunisation of 3,798,798 children, the Children’s Health Division of the Department of Health Services, Ministry of Health has disclosed.
The report for Mugu District has so far not been available, it is learnt.
According to director of the Division Dr Hukumdev Shaha, 97.6 per cent of children in the eastern development region, 99.9 per cent in the Central Region, 97.9 per cent in the Western, 101.8 per cent in the Mid -Western and 96.9 per cent in the Far Western Region were given the polio drops on this year’s immunisation day.
Among the children immunised this year, there were 825,368 under the age of one year and 3,073,431 between the ages of one and 5 years.
Dr. Shaha said the evidence for the immunisation this time was clear as all the children were registered and the parents were given registration cards.
He said preparations for the special polio immunisation campaign to be launched on January 23, February 27 and March 26 in Kathmandu valley as well as in 33 districts bordering India are almost complete.
Under this programme, children immunised under the fourth national immunisation day and those born later will also have to be immunised compulsorily.
The division has called on all parents to immunise their children under five on those days so as to eliminate polio from the country. The immunisation will not have any adverse effect and the capacity to fight polio will increase if more polio vaccine is fed, it is stated.
Kathmandu, Jan. 7: Gorkhapatra Corporation Employees Union-2052 was elected the official trade union for the corporation today. The GCEU-2052 collected 337 votes against the rivals GCEU-47 that collected 287 votes.
Upon the declaration of the election results, the GCEU-2052 President Madhav Singh Silwal in a written statement has thanked the employees and others for voting the union to success. The statement has also pledged to fulfil all the commitments expressed during the election for betterment of corporation employees.
Kathmandu, Jan. 7: For 33-year old Babu Chhiri Sherpa snow and mountains are passions. He already has two world-records to his credit, but seems his hunger for world-records is far from satisfied. “Provided help and encouragement from the government, I am willing to attempt for other records,” he said. However, he did not elaborate the kind of assistance he expected from the government, nor he elaborated on kinds of world-records he is planning for future.
Today, Nepal Mountaineering Association felicitated him for his achievements in mountaineering. In his career spanning six years, that started in 1993, Babu has two world-records to his credit, both created at the Mt. Sagarmatha.
In the first week of May 1999, Babu set a world record by spending the longest time of 21 hours atop Mt. Sagarmatha, one hour beyond his initial target. He summitted the world’s tallest peak on May 6 and descended the next morning day despite medical claims that it would be impossible for a human to spend more than an hour at a height of 8,848 metres without supplementary oxygen. In his nine climbs to the mountain, five times from Nepalese side and four times from the Chinese side, Babu has never used supplementary oxygen.
His another world-record happened earlier in the decade. In 1995 spring, he ascended the mountain twice within two weeks from the Chinese side of Everest’s North Ridge.
Babu Chhiri is only a climb short from the records set by Ang Rita Sherpa and Apa Sherpa with their 10 times successful assaults to the Roof of the World. He also became the only mountaineer in the world to assault Mt. Sagarmatha from Nepalese side twice within a single month in last May.
In return from his record setting bid last May, Babu had denied his interest in becoming the summiteer to scale Mt. Everest for the most time. Though, he had hinted to this newspaper that he wanted to attempt to break the record set by another Nepalese mountaineer Kaji Sherpa. Kaji Sherpa scaled the world’s highest peak in 20 hours and 24 minutes in late 1998 becoming the mountaineer to reach the top in shortest time.
Felicitating Babu Chhiri Sherpa, Tourism and Civil Aviation Minister Bijay Kumar Gachchhadar with “full conviction, commitment and determination” pledged that the main agenda for his tenure is to develop tourism in the country. He also said that the skills and bravery displayed by Nepalese in the mountains had acquainted Nepal to the world community.
Kathmandu, Jan. 7:Prime Minister Krishna Prasad Bhattarai inspected the Ministry of Housing and Physical Planning today.
Issuing directives after the inspection, Prime Minister Bhattarai said development of attractive plans does not bear any meaning unless they are implemented honestly and dutifully by the ministry.
Describing as encouraging the arrangements being made to start construction work under the Melamchi project very soon, he said it would be a great achievement if the project is completed a little before the stipulated time.
He also gave assurance that if we are able to expedite the project implementation, it would not be difficult to mobilize the remaining U.S. $ 170 million.
It is a matter of happiness that the Ministry of Housing and Physical Planning has set aside necessary amount in the present budget to develop two major cities in the hill area Palpa and Dhankuta, two major cities in the Terai Birgunj and Nepalgunj, and the capital city Kathmandu into model cities.
He also instructed the ministry to expedite the work on building a satellite city at Harisiddhi which is aimed at controlling population pressure in Kathmandu city.
Minister for Housing and Physical Planning Bal Bahadur K.C. thanked the Prime Minister for visiting the ministry and encouraging the ministry staff and highlighted various problems of the ministry.
Earlier, secretary at the ministry Khagendra Basnet had briefed about the ministry’s activities.
On the occasion, chief of the Melamchi Drinking Project Dinesh Chandra Pyakurel and the chief of the Harisiddhi Satellite City Building Project provided detailed information about the projects.
Chief advisor to the Prime Minister Dr Narayan Khadka and press advisor to the Prime Minister Kishor Nepal were also present on the occasion.
Meanwhile, Prime Minister Bhattarai directed members of the landless settlers problems resolution commission to prepare an interim report within three months.
Directing Minister of State for Land Reforms and Management and chairman of the commission Dr Gangadhar Lamsal and the commission members today, Mr Bhattarai noted that distribution of land alone will not help resolve the problems of landless settlers.
The Prime Minister spoke of the need of deep study, analysis and thinking to find a long-lasting solution of the problem.
Prime Minister Bhattarai has directed that necessary measures should be taken immediately to prevent the embezzlements that take place on the pretext of providing people foreign employment.
The Prime Minister gave the directive after acquiring information on programs under implementation by the ministry of labour, as part of a process of acquiring information about the state of implemenation of development programs and other activities under the various ministries.
The Prime Minister stressed the need for progressively tackling the weaknesses and failings seen in foreign employment and reforming the laws and regulations pertaining to labour administration as required.
He also urged that additional efforts should be made for promoting foreign employment, working out an action plan with the cooperation of all towards implementation of a national labour policy and paying special attention to the eradication of child labour.
Pointing out that the main objective of the present majority government of the Nepali Congress is to expedite the country’s socio-economic development, bring about qualitative improvements in the services and facilities being enjoyed by the general public and make these affordable and just, he said the government is determined to bring corruption under control.
Earlier, the Prime Minister was briefed by Minister Bal Bahadur K.C., Minister of State Ram Bahadur Gurung and secretary Damaru Ballav Bhattarai on the efforts made in the implementation of the ministry’s work and programs, the main work carried out by the ministry, the problems encountered and efforts to tackle them.
On the occasion, the chief advisor to the Prime Minister, Dr Narayan Khadka, was also present.