Gurungs to protest against goverment

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KATHMANDU, Dec 17 - The Gurung community has decided to protest against the government’s indifference towards their demand for a public holiday on the day of Losar, the festival of the Gurungs.

Talking to the press, coordinator of the organising committee, Shri Prasad Tamu,yesterday said that they decided to do so because the government had turned a deaf ear to the memorandum they handed over to the prime minister last week. "We are furious at the government’s obstinate policy of declaring public holidays only on Hindu festivals and neglecting other nationalities," he said.

The committee has decided to close Itahari bazar, Butwal bazar, and Mugling bazar on Dec 20, 22 and 23 respectively. And on 25 Dec a protest rally will be held in the capital. On 26 Dec, the demonstrators will stage a sit-in at Singha Durbar.

Tamu warned the government that if it is not serious about the Gurung community’s demand, they will react in the same way as they have done abroad.

The Gurungs celebrate 30 December as their New Year festival.

The statistics of the national census show that Gurungs make up 2.43 per cent of the total population.

Chitawan Bandh called off

CHITAWAN, Dec 17 (PR)- Two day long Chitawan Bandh (shut down strike) was called off after the government gave in to the demands of 6 left parties and Rastriya Prajatantra party to hand over the body of Gauri Sapkota who was killed in the shoot out and release all who were arrested by the police.

The protesters called for the bandh demanding the handover of the body of the woman killed at he shootout at the women gathering at Harikirtan Chowk and release of all seven women arrested by the police. The protester demanded for the medical expences to those injured in the incident and the compensation by the government to the family of the deceased.

The action committee formed a 11 member pressure group headed by Jagannath Thapaliya, the vice chairman of Chitawan District Developement Committee as the coordinater.

‘Disability is not disqualification’

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KATHMANDU, Dec 17 - Physical disability cannot always be taken as reason for disqualification. But it is the social injustice of the abled towards the disabled that deprives them of opportunities. May it be the blind, the deaf and dumb or a physically disfigured person, certainly they are not disqualified for all jobs.

"Though I am equally qualified, if not better than the abled, I have always been denied a job just because my legs are amputated", says Ram Prasad Dhungana, a resident of ward No 16 Kathmandu Metropolitan City.

However, it is not the case of one Ram Prasad. Hundreds of Ram Prasads are denied access to official jobs on various pretexts. The abled are uncooperative towards the disabled and underestimate them.

As Dhungana became disabled at the age of 16 when his both legs were amputated after he met with an accident, he can better differentiate the behave of the abled towards the disabled than the inborn disabled.

An SLC holder, Dhungana continued his study after he lost his legs more out of inferiority complex than his will to study further. Now he is an MA in English and is the President of National Rehabilitation Centre of the Disabled (NRCD) and represents various organizations of the disabled.

"I applied for a job of a section officer at the Public Service Commission and passed the written exams and they disqualified me in interview saying that I could have difficulty in mobility. I thought, that could be right for a civil servant can be posted anywhere. Later, I passed the written exams of a news monitor at Radio Nepal but they disqualified me in the interview", he regrets.

Long goes the list. And like him many disabled are denied a job.

Not only that the disabled are also denied life insurance. When Dhungana went to the Rastriya Beema Sansthan (National Insurance Corporation), a state entity, to insure his life, the officials there, with a long debate accepted his proposal but with additional one percent charge. However, they warned him of not bringing such people to the Corporation in future.

There is no reservation for the disabled in the government services, whereas even the outcast in India enjoys reservation in civil service. Why can’t the government learn from India?

Forget about other things. The government even does not have the data of the disabled on the one hand and it has not provided the promised Rs 100 monthly allowance to the disabled. What a shame!

Government should provide crutches, calipers, artificial legs and wheel chairs to the disabled depending on their settlements. Moreover, the disabled above 16 do not get any orthopedic services and those below 16 do not get post-treatment care.

Moreover, the government and other organizations working for the disabled need to provide them various training and make arrangement for the proper utilization of their skill. And it should also pay attention while constructing roads and public buildings so that the disabled could have access to them and move from one place to another.

Interaction on women journalists organised

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KATHMANDU Dec, 17 - Women Journalists’ Association of Nepal (WOJAN) held an interaction programme on "Men’s involvement in the development of women journalism", here today.

WOJAN also declared an award, worth Rs 5005, for ‘best woman journalist of the year’ working outside Kathmandu Valley starting next year.

Addressing the gathering, Minister of State for Women, Children and Social Welfare, Kamala Pant said, "Women are honest in their work, but less number of women are in journalism compared to other professions. Therefore, more women take up journalism,"

FES, a German NGO representative P. Kharel said, "Women’s qualification and their ability needs to be enhanced to make them take-up the challenges of journalism", for which they should be provided training scholarships to abroad.

In the programme, journalist Tanka Pant presented a report on the role of male journalists in developing women journalists.

Commenting on the report, editor of Naya Morcha, Radha Budhathoki, expressed her opinion that, "Since there is no such thing as "male" journalism, why is there any need for "women" journalism?"