Exodus  affects development

-By a Post Reporter

MORANG, Jan 27 - A large number of youths from eight hilly VDCs of Morang district have left for foreign countries in search of employment creating frustration among local development activities.

The pace of youths leaving Ramite, Barangi, Tandi, Jante, Yangshila, Bhogteni, Letang and Madhumalla VDCs for foreign employment has increased since last year, according to chairmen of the VDCs concerned.

One youth, Umesh Shrestha of Tandi VDC, says he wants to go to a foreign country to find work because of severe unemployment at home. He explained that more than 30 youths from his village already left for the same reason.

According to Administrative Officer of Morang District Administration Office Shambhu Marasini, the office gave passports to two thousand 134 people within the first six months of the current fiscal year and to three thousand 895 people during the last fiscal year. The office gave 478 passports in the month of Poush (December-January) only this year. The number of males and females seeking passports is roughly equal.

The exodus of youths has adversely affected construction and development works in the village, Tandi VDC chairman Bhakta Bahadur Rai said.

Job opportunities should be created for these youths in our own country, Jante VDC chairman Upendra Ghimire said.

Fishermen give up boatman’s profession

-By a Post Reporter

TEHRATHUM, Jan 27 -  Fishermen living on the banks of the Tamor, one of the main tributaries of the Saptakoshi river, have given up the age-old occupation of ferrying people across the river in favour of jobs in agriculture and livestock development.

These fishermen who traditionally earn their living by ferrying people across the river on boats at Simraha Ghat, Lumu Ghat, Hinwa Ghat, Naya Ghat, Bhainse Ghat and Chharuwa Ghat used to consider these ghats, located on the banks of the river Tamor in Tehrathum, Panchthar and Dhankuta districts, as their ancestral property.

However, suspension bridges were constructed in many ghats to enable speedier transportation. As a result, there are very few people who choose to cross the river by boat and the handful of foodgrain given as payment does not provide enough for the fishermen to support their families. Subsequently, a few years ago they began resorting to agriculture and raising cows, goats and other animals on the slopes above the river.

There are about 15 thousand fishermen living on the banks of the river in Tehrathum, Panchthar and Dhankuta districts.

Kalu Majhi of Simraha Ghat says, “In the past when there were no suspension bridges we had to transport a large number of men, cattle, buffaloes and loads across the river and there was plenty of income. However, there are bridges everywhere and very few people come to cross the river by boat. Therefore, we have started other occupations.”

A fisherman of Anpgachhi who used to work at Naya Ghat says he used to earn a good income as a boatman. With the downturn in business though, he was forced to mortgage his land. While agriculture was the obvious alternative, he has been unable to regain his property for lack of money and instead works as a porter and wage-earner.

This is an increasingly common story of many fishermen. One man explained that if they grow foodgrain in the fallow land, people come and claim half of the product claiming that the land belonged to them.

The fishermen’s children are not educated. Not a single one has passed the SLC examinations and only two of them have found employement in low-post government jobs.

Although these displaced people have been making hard efforts to lead a life of dignity, neither the government nor non-government agencies have shown interest in their plight.

Muslims preferring contraceptives

-By a Post Reporter

MORANG, Jan 27 - Members of the Muslim community in Morang district have been increasingly drawn towards temporary family planning contraceptives over the last two or three years, chief of FPAN Morang branch Chandra Dhungana told The Kathmandu Post.

Public Health Office Chief Ramesh Adhikari says the number of Muslims who adopt temporary or permanent family planning methods has been increasing.

Ahmad Hussen of Amaibariyati - 3 has 18 children. With so many children his financial situation has steadily worsened and others are taking notice. Though family planning is still off-limits according to their religion, many resort to contraceptive use secretly by changing their names.

Ajahar Miya and Samsur Khan of Amaibariyati VDC have recently received vasectomies, a permanent family planning method strictly prohibited by Muslims.

 Another Muslim Nakim Khan says Muslims should readily adopt family planning devices after the birth of a few children for the welfare of the children instead of taking part in the competition of begetting the largest number of children in line with Muslim custom.

Martyrs’Peace Rally on Jan 30

-By a Post Reporter

KATHMANDU, Jan 27 - Parivartan, an organisation which calls itself patriotic, said today that it would hold a peace march on January 30 in the memory of the martyrs who sacrificed their lives for the good of the country.

One hundred and fifty-seven members from the organisation, which was founded in 1996, will attend the peace march that will begin from the organisation’s headquarters at Putalisadak and pass through Bhadrakali, Shahid gate, New Road, Indra Chowk, Ratna Park and ends at Putali Sadak, organisers said.

Parivartan made the announcement at a press conference here today.

Explaining about the organisation, president of the group Mukunda Niraula said, “Our views are not politically based. We do not  belong to any political party and the views we have are for the integration of our nation’s cultural identity. We want the nation to wake up and realise why the martyrs died for.”

 Asked whether Parivartan had any sympathies for the Maoists as has been alleged, he said, “We believe in causes that are just and good. If the aim and the final goal is a noble one, we will not deny being linked to any group. But the aim must be universally just.”

Parivartan has also organised a football match which is taking place on Monday Jan 31 at Sano Gaucharan at 2pm.

Authors can now graduate to ISBN

-By a Post Reporter

KATHMANDU, January 27 In the context of authors getting international fame by obtaining the International Standard Book Number (ISBN) for their books, Nepali authors greeted with enthusiasm the introduction of new system which offers them the opportunity to spread their works beyond the country’s borders. It has been known that books without the ISBN face scepticism from foreign book stalls. Now, however, Nepali writers must cheer up as they go international with today’s introduction of ISBN in the country.

International Agency for ISBN, based in Germany, has finally given permission to the Central Library of Tribhuwan University to represent it in Nepal.

In this connection, TU Central Library and National Booksellers and Publishers’ Association of Nepal (NBPAN) jointly organized a programme to mark the beginning of new system in Nepal  here today.

Announcing the official opening of ISBN in Nepal, Girija Prasad Koirala, the Former Prime Minister and President of Nepali Congress, expressed his heartfelt satisfaction with the new opportunity for Nepali authors. Hoping the system would internationalize Nepali authors, Koirala said, “As the ISBN system is introduced with the dawn of new millenium, it will surely promote the literary sector of the country in the years to come.”

Highlighting the importance of ISBN, Madhav Lal Maharjan, the General Secretary at NBPAN, said,”Even if late, like neighbouring countries of India and Bangladesh, we also have achieved it.” Quoting the success stories of several Asian writers who have gained notoriety in the Western world today, Maharjan admitted that Nepal until now remained cut off from the rest of the world in the field of promotion and distribution of books due to the absence of ISBN system.

 “The result is that, neither the authors nor the publishers  benefitted economically from the publication industry,” he said.  Maharjan further explains that ISBN is a unique system that controls the total book production of the world. The number consists of ten digits in total including country code, publisher’s prefix, title number and check digit.

At the same function, messages  by Hartmut Walraven, Director of International ISBN Agency, Berlin and H.K.Kuloy, Director at Print Foundation, Norway, were read out, wherein both expressed their happiness over the introduction of the system in Nepal. They hoped it would prove to be a landmark in the literary sector of Nepal.

Speaking from the chair, Naveen Prakash Jung Shah, the Vice Chancellor at Tribhuwan University, appealed for co-operation from all concerned sectors to promote the new system.

Interested authors have to pay Rs. 25 for getting the ISBN, which otherwise, is not a compulsion.