Kathmandu- Singer Yam Baral singing one of the patriotic songs of the late Gopal Yonzon during a national song concert on Friday organised in the memory of the late Yonzon.

Pushpanjali launched

By a Post Reporter

KATHMANDU, April 22 - "Pushpanjali", an epic tribute to Senior Communist leader and founder General Secretary of Communist Party of Nepal Pushpalal Shrestha, written by Rishiram Neupane, was launched here today.The launching of the epic also marks the 50th anniversary of the Communist Revolution.

The book, published by Pushpalal Memorial Foundation, narrates the life of the leader in a poetic language. The book was launched by poet Kewalpure Kisan.

Litterateur Shyam Prasad said that the success of a communist revolution has always been based on literature. "With the publication of this book, Neupane has contributed to our communist revolution," said he. "Lenin had attributed Maxim Gorky’s books for accelerating the Russian Revolution by ten years and this book could also play a major role in our Communist revolution," said he.

Modanath Prashrit, litterateur and leader of CPN-UML said the epic is a step away from traditional literature. "He was the first person to use modern and progressive philosophy to bring about a change in our society," he said.

Progressive writers like Bhavani Ghimire, Khagendra Sangraula said that communist revolution has to go together with cultural and literary revolution but the later two have been left behind. According to them, the book is a milestone in literary revolution.

Communist academic Dr Govinda Bhatta said Pushpalal had been instrumental in breaking the oppressive culture and leading the country. He said the book is in par with other famous epics.

Writer Neupane, in a poetic language, said the revolutionary words of Pushpalal had inspired poetry in him giving birth to the book.

Some of the other books written by the writer are Basanta Ra Birahi, Priyatam and Mukti Ko Mutu.

Municipal Federation assembly ends

By a Post Reporter

BRAIRAHAWA, April 22 - The fourth general assembly of Nepal Municipal Federation ended here on Thursday by issuing a declaration.

The general assembly has approved various resolutions. Accordingly, the Federation is to demand with the government to construct international airport in Lumbini, include construction of Mechi bridge and Bhadrapur-Rangeli Hulaki Road in the Ninth Plan through National Planning Commission, to start construction of the Hulaki road from Bhadarapur side, and to permit VDC at the village level and municipality at the municipality level to select school management committee.

The General Assembly also directed all the municipalities and metropolitan cities to decentralise the rights and responsibilities up to the ward level to enhance practicability of the implementation aspect of the Local Self-Government Act.

The election for the executive committee of the federation was held on Thursday. Dor Mani Poudel (Hetauda) was elected chairman, Ashok Benju (Dhulikhel) vice-chairman and Dhrub Wagle (Vyas) Treasurer. Executive members of the new committee are Rabin Koirala (Mechinagar), Ratna Prasad Sinjal (Tikapur), Bhoj Prasad Shrestha (Butwal), Manoj Kumar Menyangbo (Dharan), Sagar Pratap Rana (Siddharthanagar), Padma Rajbhandari (Baglung), Krishna Thapa (Pokhara), Bhoj Raj Aryal (Waling), Bharatendu Kumar Mallik (Bhadrapur), Madan Kumar Shrestha (Madhyapur Thimi) and Amar Dangi (Tribhuvannagar).

Mayor of Kathmandu Metropolitan City Keshab Sthapit (CPN-ML) who had filed nomination paper for the post of vice-chairman had boycotted the election charging that the election procedure was illegal.

The problem had arisen when Bidur Mainali, Deputy Mayor of Kathmandu filed his papers for the post of general secretary. The election commission said two people from the same municipality could not file nomination and cancelled the nominations of both Sthapit and Mainali.

At a press conference,after the election, chairman of the federation Poudel expressed his sadness over his failure to incorporate all sides in the federation despite his day-long efforts. He also said the federation would not be affected much by the election boycott by some representatives of the people.

Replying to journalists Poudel said the government should increase its contribution to the municipalities at the rate of 20 percent every year.

Medical colleges slammed

By a Post Reporter

KATHMANDU, April 22 - A twelve member group of experts from the USA said today, medical collges worldwide were not doing enough towards emergency medical treatment and medicine.

The US based Global Emergency Medicine Support (GEMS) said this in the presence of 60 young doctors from various hospitals at a two-day training programme on Emergency Medicine.

"Doctors have forgotten the training they received in emergency medical treatment due to the lack of its use," said members from GEMS. They pointed out the necessity of training in this area.

The programme, organised jointly by Helping Hands Nepal, GEMS, Kathmandu Medical College and National Hospital Chhetrapati aimed to give training on emergency medicine to young doctors, to provide approaches to resuscitation and to share ideas of emergency medicine between the Nepalese and American context.

"Many die in the country due to the lack of emergency medicine know how," said Dr Gupta Bahadur Shrestha of Helping Hands. "This training will not only help the present doctors, but also doctors in the future too,"he added.

Maoists beat up teachers

MUSIKOT (Rukum), April 22 - The primary school of Saunepani , Kholagaon which had been shut down after Maoists beat up two teachers of the school in the school compound on Sunday has yet to be opened.

The school is located at a distance of 6 hours’ walk from the district headquarters. Four stick-wielding Maoist workers suddenly entered the school and beat up the two teachers Man Singh Dangi and Hark Bahadur Oli black and blue.

According to teacher Man Singh Dangi, a village woman came forward to stop the Maoist workers from beating the teachers, but they threatened to beat her also.

After beating the two teachers, the Maoist workers also smeared black soot all over their faces.

About one hundred students were studying in their classes from one to five in the primary school. There were only two teachers.

Teacher Man Singh Dangi, who came to the district headquarters after the incident said, " I have not been able to understand why the Maoists had beaten me." He said he would never go back to the school at any cost. He told The Kathmandu Post that both of them had received 700 rupees each for treatment.

TUTH churns out psychiatrists

By a Post Reporter

KATHMANDU, April 22 - The Tribhuvan University Teaching Hospital(TUTH) has started producing specialists in mental health care from this year, said medical staff at the hospital today.

According to Dr Mahendra Kumar Nepal, head of the Mental Health Department at the hospital, Dr Saroj Prasad Ojha is the first to receive the degree of Doctor of Medicine in Pshychiatry from the hospital.

Born in 1962 in Baglung, Ojha completed his MBBS in 1992.

The three-year graduate course in Mental Health was started in 1995. From now, the hospital will bring out two specialists in the field every year.

At present, there are 19 home-trained specialists and five trained abroad specialists in the country.

"Many in the country suffer from mental health problems but unless the superstitions over it are not checked, it will be hard to see any progress in mental health," said Ojha.

Inhuman punishment this!

By a Post Reporter

DHANGADHI, April 22 - One more incident of inhuman punishment meted out to innocent child (student) by teacher has come to light. Headmaster of local Nilam Vidya Niketan School Hem Prakash Shrestha beat mercilessly a 12-year-old student of another school Mahesh Raj Joshi and dipped his head into the gutter. The student of Marigold Secondary School has sustained injuries all over his body including in the head, forehead, neck, limbs and on the back and his body was black and blue.

The boy is undergoing treatment in Seti Zonal Hospital. He told The Kathmandu Post, " I was cycling around the meadow when Headmaster Shrestha suddenly started beating me with a stick charging me that I had written dirty words in his school. " He said the teacher asked him to show the house of his friends and dragged him from over a gutter beating him all the time up to a wooden bridge.

Guardians and local people intervened and saved the boy from the headmaster who was still beating him. They have reported the matter to the police.

Headmaster Shrestha who is now in custody of the District Police Office in Dhangadhi said there was an incident of theft in his school a few days ago. According to him,he found the boy writing dirty words on the board of his school and said he had beaten him only a couple of times.

Doctors say the condition of the student is not serious. However, as the student vomited on Friday, he has been taken to Kathmandu for treatment, his guardians said. According to police, necessary action is being taken against the headmaster.

Maoists call for strike

By a Post Reporter

NEPALGUNJ, April 22 - Two weeks after holding a nationwide armed shutdown, the underground Maoists have called for a total strike in the districts of Banke and Bardiya in a press release issued here today.

The release from NCP Maoist Banke-Bardiya District Association stated that the strike will be called for May 20 to highlight the deaths of those from the district who have died in the ‘Peoples’ War’till date and to demand the release of prisoners.

It has called for the release of Tilak Rampariyar, Balram Kafle, Rishi Raj Ghimire, Ishwor Bahadur Rana Bhata, Jit Bahadur Pun Magar, Shiva Chaudhary, Ratni Chaudhary, Binti Ram Chaudhary, Bhajey Lal Chaudhary and Chandra Bahadur Tharu, prisoners who the party believes have been held on false charges.

Likewise, the release lists the names of those killed as Juna Chaudhary, Bishnu Pokharel, Dhakaram Patak, Dhaniram Tharu, Sriram Tharu, Bhuwaneshwor Pandit, Sharda Chaudhary, Asha Chaudhary, Guru Prasad Tharu, Mothilal Tharu, Tek Nath Yogi and Sakhu Ram Tharu.

Mobilisation of Maoist forces will occur on May 14 and the party will start taking action from May 15 to May 19.