A report has said that though there are increasing numbers of women joining the media sector after 1990, majority of the media workplaces are gender insensitive.
A study conducted by the Sancharika Samuha on Status of Women Journalists revealed that women representation has overwhelmingly increased with the liberalization of media post 1990 and development of FM stations.
The study revealed that 37.1 percent women work in electronic media, out of which 65 percent work in FM stations.
A total of 224 women journalists from both print and electronic media covering 48 districts across the five development regions were questioned to get information about their professional, social and quantitative situation.
Of total respondents, 62.9 percent of them said their promotion, responsibility in work depended on their calibre while 23.7 percent said they are discriminated and not given important work.
While 8.9 percent of women journalists are designated as editors and assistant editors, 37.9 percent of them are reporters and 21 percent are producers or programme producers.
“54.9 percent of the respondents said their workplace did not have provision of separate toilet for women while 28.6 percent of them said they had separate facility of toilets and the rest did not answer the question,” the report said.
Speaking at a report release programme in the capital on Sunday, one of the researchers, Bandana Rana said that women face discrimination and harassment in workplace, adding, “They are sexually harassed in the workplace and also paid less salary than men, especially outside Kathmandu.”
Newspaper reports quoted another researcher, Hari Kala Adhikari, who is working in the government media as saying that women are discriminated in the government media.
Speaking at the same programme, editor of Samaya magazine said, “There should be an institutional mechanism so as to monitor such discrimination.”
The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) has urged the Maoists to stop violence and respect international humanitarian laws.
A press statement issued by the NHRC branch Biratnagar expressed serious concern over the media reports that Maoists enforced an indefinite bandh (shutdown strike) in Khandbari of Sankhuwasabha district since three weeks, media reports said.
“We demand an end to such an irresponsible act that directly affects people’s lives. We demand withdrawing of the bandh and urge concerned parties not to repeat such acts,” the statement adds
The NHRC also demanded immediate and unconditional release of three individuals abducted by Maoists from Murkuchi area of Udaypur district on last Thursday.
The NHRC also expressed concern over the Maoist atrocities against Sagarmani Khanal, a teacher of Niguradin village development committee ward number 4 of Taplejung district, who was forced to flee his house in February after he refused to give donation to rebels.
The NHRC also expressed concern over media reports that unidentified people have disconnected water supply lines in Myanglung bazaar of Terathum district, according to reports.
Meanwhile, a report from Bardiya said Maoists looted medicine worth about 1.1 million rupees from Bholagaudhi along the Nepalgunj-Gulariya road section in Bardiya on Saturday.
The consignment, meant for Bardiya District Health Office, which was being transported from the Regional Medical Store of Nepalgunj in a reserved bus (Na 2 Kha 5306), was seized by rebels.
According to eyewitnesses, the rebels took the medicines toward Jamuni village via Mainapokhari.
However, the Kantipur daily reported that the security forces took back all the medicines looted by the Maoists on Sunday.
The paper quoted sources as saying that both the sides exchanged firing during the incident.
The Supreme Court deferred the hearing of the case on the controversy over Rastriya Prajatantra Party (RPP).
A division bench of Justices postponed the hearing on Sunday as per the written request of a lawyer representing the RPP faction led by Home Minister Kamal Thapa.
This is the third time the case has been deferred.
RPP faction led by Pashupati Shumser JB Rana moved to the Apex Court against the decision of the RPP faction led by Home Minister Kamal Thapa to oust the party president Rana from the party’s top post holding a special general convention.
A group of suspected armed Maoists looted around Rs 1.8 million from Karnali Development Bank in Nepalgunj Monday afternoon.
A reporter in Nepalgunj told Nepalnews that five armed rebels, who came in bicycles, took the guards of the bank under control at around 12 p.m. and looted Rs 800,000 from the front counter and another Rs one million from the vault and inner rooms.
The looters pointed guns at the officials and guards and took out the money within 15 minutes.
Security forces have been deployed to search for the looters but they have not been tracked so far.
The Bank is yet to comment on the incident and the exact amount of money is also yet to be verified.
Details are awaited.
A meeting of engineering students studying at various colleges under the Purvanchal University (PU) has reconstituted the Engineering Students’ Association of Purvanchal University (EnSAP).
Chuda Raj Dhakal of the ACME Engineering College has been elected to the post of president of new ad hoc committee of EnSAP while Ramkrishna Rajbhandari of Khwopa Engineering College and Kamal Bhattarai of Biratnagar-based Eastern Engineering College have been elected as vice presidents of the committee.
Similarly, Binay Poudel of Kantipur City College has been elected as Secretary of the EnSAP while Rajendra Babu Chand of CIT and Ranjan Raj Sharma of Himalayan White House College have been elected to the posts of Joint Secretary and Treasurer respectively.
Members of the ad hoc committee include Kumod Basti, Sunder B. Khadka, Amrit Nepal, Kiran Kathet, Ajanga Bhandari, Ramesh Ghimire and Sita Pun.
The committee has decided to raise educational problems related to engineering students as well as other issues of public concern, said a statement issued by EnSAP.
The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) has urged the Maoists to call off the blockade of the capital, regional, zonal and district headquarters from Tuesday and indefinite general strikes from April 3.
A press release issued by the NHRC on Monday said the commission is very serious that such acts violate the basic human rights of the people.
The NHRC also appealed to the Maoists to abide by commitment expressed by the Maoist leadership to human rights and humanitarian laws and immediately call back all programmes of strikes that will violates people’s rights.
The seven agitating political parties and other rights organizations have also asked the Maoists to call off their protest programmes.
Within months of the patch-up between two seniormost leaders of the CPN (Maoist), two central committee members of the underground outfit have publicly criticized party supremo Prachanda, and no. 2 in the party, Dr. Baburam Bhattarai, alleging that they acts showcase what they called “non-proletarian tendencies.”
In a joint statement issued on Monday, central committee members of the CPN (Maoist) Rabindra Shrestha and Comrade Anukul have leveled personal and ideological allegations against party chairman Prachanda alias Pushpa Kamal Dahal and Dr. Bhattarai.
In their statement issued on behalf of the little known “New Cultural Revolutionary Group,” Shrestha and Anukul (believed to be central committee member Mani Thapa) narrated how ideological, political, organizational, military and cultural deflections had taken place among two top leaders of the party.
Referring to the public war of words between Prachanda and Bhattarai, the two central committee members said both of them had nearly pushed the party on the verge of vertical split. They also criticized party supreme, Prachanda’s statement in an exclusive interview with Kantipur daily. In his interview, Prachanda had said that his party would accept the outcome of the constituent assembly elections even if the majority of the people delivered their verdict in favour of monarchy or active monarchy.
They have also alleged both Prachanda and Bhattarai of living in the safety of “foreign land” for eight out of ten years of the Maoist ‘people’s war.”
The unusual public criticism of the two top leaders from within the Maoist party has come just within weeks of the completion of ten years of the Maoist “people’s war.”
Shrestha and Thapa have also alleged Prachanda and Dr. Bhattarai of not sending their children in the frontline of the rebellion. They have also called upon what they called “new generation” within the party to carry out “revolution within revolution” in a new way.
There has been no official reaction to the latest statement by the two dissident leaders from the CPN (Maoist) leadership as yet.
The royal government has announced two separate policies regarding “surrender and rehabilitation (of Maoist cadres)” and “regarding internally displaced persons (IDPs)”.
Speaking at a press conference at the Home Ministry on Monday, Home Minister Kamal Thapa said that the newly formulated policies aimed at mainstreaming the Maoists and restoring peace in the country through peaceful means.
As per newly formed policy regarding surrender and rehabilitation, the government has announced prizes (money) and other facilities to the Maoists who want to surrender.
The government has also increased the amount of moneht to the Maoists surrendering with weapons.
The policy said Maoists surrendering with 81 mm mortar will the most, Rs. 500,000 and the Maoists surrendering with Number 36 plastic hand grenade will receive Rs 500.
As per the newly formed policy, the government will provide economic, physical and legal security to the Maoists, who surrender leaving the Maoist activities.
The government will provide extra economic assistance to the Maoists who surrender in a group. As per the policy, the government will provide additional 10 percent economic assistance to a group of up to ten Maoists, while up to 50 percent additional economic assistance will be given to the group of more than ten people.
The government is establishing a fund of 10 million rupees at the Home Ministry to provide economic assistance to the Maoists, who want to surrender.
As per the newly formed policy, Maoists will be categorized into four categories on the basis of their affiliation in the party and they will be entitled to facilities as per their category. The first category comprises general supporters of Maoists, who were involved in the Maoist activities or used by the Maoists through various means, the second category includes Maoist activities for more than two years or Maoist cadres active in local level, the third category includes Maoist cadres involved in army activities and district level leaders and the fourth category includes Maoist top leaders including Maoist commanders higher than district level.
“The other Maoists leaving the Maoist activities will be entitled to various facilities and will be prioritized to be sent for foreign employment,” the policy stated.
The government is establishing a rehabilitation centre in Kathmandu to keep the surrendering Maoists. At present the government is operating a rehabilitation centre in Dhakaltar.
Home Minister Thapa informed that the government is operating a rehabilitation centre in Kathmandu to provide education and other trainings to the Maoists, who surrender as per their qualification.
As per the policy, the government will form a central coordination committee headed by the Home Minister to coordinate the activities of surrender and rehabilitation.
Separate assistance committees will be formed comprising independent persons for publicity and create conducive environment for surrender and to suggest the central coordination committee.
Central progrmme management committee headed by Home Secretary will be formed to provide facilities and create appropriate policies including quota for foreign employment and to operate rehabilitation centre, the policy states.
Home Minister Thapa informed that the government announced this policy keeping in view the increasing number of Maoists, who want to surrender and spend a peaceful life. He however did not elaborate.
He also informed that the government will take back the charges against Maoists, who had surrendered as per the exiting law of the country and they will not be punished for their past activities.
The policy also said that the government will review the status of former Maoist cadres, who are in Dhakaltar rehabilitation centre. The government will provide Rs 15,000 to those who return back to home and others will be shifted to rehabilitation centre in Kathmandu.
The policy IDPs has the provision of rehabilitation of the people who were compelled to be IDPs due to flaring conflict of the country, other natural calamities and other human caused calamities.
As per the newly formed policy, the government will maintain a record of people displaced by the conflict and will conduct various programmes for their rehabilitation.
The government will conduct various programmes to incorporate displaced people into the development activities of the country and to rehabilitate them in previous place.
The policy has assured to create conducive environment for respecting human rights and other rights of the IDPs.
A central directive committee headed by Home Minister to coordinate in the central level, a programme coordination committee headed by Chief Secretary of the His Majesty’s Government and a district coordination committee headed by Chief District Officer will coordinate to implement the policy.
It was stated that these policies were formed as per the national and international humanitarian laws and the constitution of the Kingdom of Nepal 1990.
Home Minister Thapa said that these policies were formed to fulfill the objectives of the government to maintain peace and stability in the country.
On the blockade announced by the Maoists from Tuesday, Home Minister Thapa said that the government has made necessary preparation for security and smooth supply of goods. He further said that the blockade will not affect normal life as people are not in favour of such programmes.
There are reports of minor skirmishes between the security forces and Maoist rebels in the eastern district of Dhankuta.
According to the Directorate of Public Relations of the Royal Nepalese Army, clashes took place between the security forces that were in patrol and the Maoist rebels at Hattisar and Tukre jungle areas of the district Monday morning.
There were no reports of casualties on either side.
Officials at the DPR said a search is underway in the area.
Leaders of major trade unions in the country have strongly opposed the newly promulgated ordinance to amend Labour laws saying that it has curtailed a number of rights of the workers guaranteed by country’s laws and the constitution.
In a joint press statement, three major trade unions in the country – the General Federation of Nepal Trade Unions (GEFONT), Nepal Trade Union Congress (NTUC) and Democratic Confederation of National Trade Unions (DECONT) – said the royal government has imposed “most unfair, unfavourable and anti-worker” ordinance to amend existing Labour Act-1992. They claimed that the new ordinance had been promulgated by defying previous understanding reached between the trade union bodies and the Central Labour Advisory Committee (CLAC).
Talking to Nepalnews, president of Nepali Congress-affiliated NTUC, Laxman Basnet, said that they would defy the ordinance as it had been promulgated without consulting CLAC– a high level tripartite committee that has representation from trade unions, employers and the government. As per existing law, CLAC has been empowered to finalise regulations before they are enforced.
President of DECONT, Khila Nath Dahal, demand that the government withdraw the ordinance immediately. “We have appealed the workers to defy the ordinance and also requested the employers not to implement it,” he said.
Dahal further said the trade union bodies would announce strong protest programmes if the government did not listen to their appeals. The major trade unions have already informed the Labour Ministry that they will not take part in the Technical Committee that was set up to draft a new labour regulation.
According to the trade unions, the new labour law empowers the employers to “hire and fire” employees as per their wishes and majority of the workers in a firm are defined as members of management committee.
The minimum work days for a worker to become permanent have been increased from existing 240 days to 300 days. Similarly, the employers are empowered to transfer their employees to any other industry and in any sector, even if the worker doesn’t have required skills.
Trade union leaders have also opposed the provision of 15 percent foreign employment in the industries having direct foreign investments. They said this would displace the Nepali workers.
The new act also restricts strikes in the industries that are involved in the export of Nepali products. In other industries, strikes are banned unless the issue raised by trade unions is looked after by a tribunal. The review period for increase of wages has been extended from two years to three years.
The trade union leaders have also opposed the provision of ‘no work no pay’, which bars workers from being paid if they were unable to work due to strike or any other technical difficulties causing halt in the operation of the industry.
The government has stressed that the ordinance would support the industrial sector that is being hit hard by the decade-old armed conflict.
Addressing a press meet at his ministry on Monday, Minister of State for Labour and Transport, Rabindra Khanal, said the provision of “hire and fire” is not a blanket provision and would be enforced in the areas designated as “Special Economic Zones” only.
“We have adopted the policy of ‘labor flexibility’ only,” he added.