Nepal's literacy rate rising

By a Post Reporter

KATHMANDU, July 16 - The literacy rate in the country has now reached as high as 50 percent up from not even two percent in 1950, Minister for Education and Sports Amod Prasad Upadhyay claimed today.

"Our fault in coordination and management of the education sector has lagged Nepal behind rest of the world," Minister Upadhyay said. "If one Nepali literate takes the responsibility of making other one literate, we can overcome the existing 50 percent illiteracy rate in no time."

Minister Upadhyay was speaking at a function to commemorate the 41st anniversary of Tribhuvan University organized by Research Centre for Educational Innovation and Development (CERID).

During the function Sumon K. Tuladhar, coordinator of CERID, highlighting on Mini Grant Award Programme (MGAP) said MGAP provides an amount of Rs 10,000 to the organizations working at grass-root level with an aspiration of maximum utilization of local resources - both human and material.

This programme has awarded 18 such organizations this year around the country. On the occasion, a group of school children performed a street drama 'Khate Balak' (Street child).

Value of Bipasyana stressed

BIRATNAGAR, July 16 (RSS) - Addressing a talk programme on the Bipasyana meditation organised by the Hindu Religion Federation , Biratnagar, here on Saturday, senior Bipasyana teacher of Nepal Bipasyana Centre Bednath Acharya shed light on the Bipasyana meditation and its advantages in life.

Guru Acharya said that the Bipasyana meditation technique which owes its enunciation from Lord Buddha some 2,500 years ago has been popularized in Nepal by Satya Narayan Goenka more than 20 years ago.

President of the federation Biratnagar chapter Markendaya Acharya from the chair said that knowledge of Bipasyana made one happy and reduced tensions.

Meanwhile, ten-day Bipasyana meditation camps have been organised at the Rangeli Secondary School, the district prison and the Arniko Higher Secondary School in Morang district.

Youth donate blood

BIRATNAGAR, July 16 (RSS) - Nepal Bhasa and Sanskritik Sangh held an open blood donation programme in association with the local Jhi Pucha Youth Committee here on Saturday.

At the programme, 37 persons donated blood. Medical Superintendent of the Koshi Zonal Hospital Dr Gyanendra Giri was the chief guest at the programme.

The programme was presided over by president of the Jhi Pucha Lokendra Kumar Malla.

Malaria hits 61

By a Post Reporter

CHITWAN, July 16 - Sixty-one people have been affected from malaria in the last one year, said a District Public Health (DPH) officer here today.

"In a span of one year, sixty-one people were seen affected from  the most dangerous Plasmodium Falsiparum, a carrier of malaria when a blood-test was carried among 3133 people," said Durga Neupane, officer at DPH.

"In an effort to control malaria, Malaria Week has been observed in Chitwan District as well, and all the malaria infected people has been treated free of charge," said Neupane.

TTH celebrates anniversary

By a Post Reporter

KATHMANDU, July 16 -  Tribhuvan University Institute of Medicine (IOM) celebrated its 29th anniversary and Tribhuvan Teaching Hospital(TTH), its 18th anniversary today.

Established in 1972, the IOM is the country's first institution that imparts medical education to hundreds of students each year. IOM currently has four private medical colleges affiliated to it.

At the anniversary programme, students representing various medical colleges expressed concern over the growing trend of  commercialisation of medicine and nursing study. Students having keen interest and talent, must be provided easy access to such learning institutions, they demanded.

Likewise, Suresh Karmacharya, Chairman of Free Students' Union at Ayurved Campus lamented for the neglect of AC,one of the branch colleges of IOM.

Rameshnath Adhikari, the campus chief of IOM stressed on the acute need of academic character amongst the students and pointed the lack of infrastructure, expertise and budget for maintenance as chief weaknesses of IOM and TTH.

At the programme, shields, letters of commendation, certificates and cash prizes were awarded to senior teachers and deserving employees.

Small investment can aid rural energy

By Chiranjibi Paudyal

KATHMANDU, July 16 (RSS) -  Rural energy which can be generated with a small investment and locally available resources and technical expertise, seems to be very effective to achieve the goal of poverty alleviation  and  conservation of natural environment   through  the promotion of community  managed  rural  energy systems.

Started in 1996 by Rural Energy Development Programme  of UNDP  and His Majesty's Government, the Rural Energy Development Programme (REDP) has been implemented in ten districts including Baitadi, Dadeldhura, Achham, Baglung, Myagdi, Parbat, Tanahun, Kavrepalanchowk, Sindhupalanchok and Dolakha with the objective of alleviating   poverty, the major goal of the current ninth five year plan. Keeping in view the effectiveness of this programme, it has been expanded to another five districts from this year.

The ninth five year plan has the target of reducing the number of  people living under the  poverty line to around 32 percent  from the present 42 percent. According to an estimate based on one dollar per person per day income, the number of poor in Nepal is around 50 percent.

As per the sustainable development paradigm, the programme follows the  social mobilisation approach with  the complete participation of the local people from the selection of the projects to its implementation process which not only help produce   energy but also enhance the capacity of the local level institutions and  the people in the process of  national development.

The success of the  energy development programme in the rural areas intends  not only to produce energy but also acts  for the promotion of  efficient end-use technologies including  non-farm activities, improved quality of  life especially  that  of women and children, restoration of  the natural environment  and enhancement of the capacity of the rural people which certainly paves way for the development of energy and helps reduce poverty from the country.

The number of poor  in Nepal is very high in the hilly region where  they have   no access to public services provided by the government because they are not organised.  The programme  helps the poor to be organised which may be very fruitful even to have access to the government services  essential for  reducing   poverty. the  rural energy development  is initiated  with the active participation of the local people which is popularly known as community mobilisation and  is based on organisational development, capital formation, skill development, technology promotion, environment management and women's empowerment.

The programme is very popular and effective in the rural areas and altogether  25 micro hydro projects  with  the generating capacity of more than 500  kilowatts have been in operation  until the end of  last march enabling around 20,000 people of the rural areas to have access to electricity which has a  target  of   generating  over 1,000 KW of  electricity by the end of 2000.

Similarly, 300 solar PVS have  enabled 1,500 people to have access to electricity  for lighting and 300 bio-gas plants and 2,658 cooking stoves  installed in the rural areas of nepal not only help to start  small income- generating  programmes but also save thousands of trees  used for  fuel every year.

In the words of  member of the national planning commission Dr. Shankar Sharma   "the holistic approach that  redp has undertaken in the promotion of   micro hydro is exemplary. this will enhance  the economic level  of the people  at the grassroots and enable them  to come  out  from   the subsistence  trap. if we look from  the longer  perspective, the electricicity  will also have  impact  on health and education in the rural areas which ultimately have  positive impact  on poverty   alleviation."

It is  said that  improved cooking  stoves are very fruitful to reduce fuelwood consumption  by around 30 percent and help to start other technology oriented enterprises including  agro- processing mill, rice hauller, cereal grinder, oil extractor, battery charging, poultry farming, water pump, sawmill, furniture and paper making and  milk chilling centres have also been operated.

If we look at the villages  where rural energy is generated or those  in the process of  generation, the most important contribution of this programme seems to be   the rising  awareness of the people. people are forming organisations, running literacy classes, initiating clean-up  campaigns, installing  drinking water taps and  constructing toilets which are very positive for the development of the country.

'Since we got electricity, we have a lot of opportunities and I think whole of our society   has changed', says Nar Bahadur Ale of  Pyughar Village Development   Committee in Tanahu district. same is the feeling of Krishna  Kumari Shahi of   Gumlekh VDC  of the same district. she says, 'electricity has brought lots of changes in our village. it has also helped  a lot to children  in their studies, with the generation of electricity, now we have agro processing mill, this has saved our time and labour. With the installation of  improved cooking  stove, a single bundle of  firewood is enough for seven days  which  used to be enough only for three days before we got the  electricity.' she is also very happy with  her husband's poultry farming.  "we make a profit of Rs7,000 every three months which is a big amount for us", she says.

As of December 1999, altogether 1,423 community organisations have been formed in ten REDP implemented  districts with altogether 28,484 members. a total of 14,589 members have been united in the 715 organisations formed by women alone. this is said to be a big achievement for the development of rural energy and generating awareness without which development of the  society is  impossible.

These organisations have enabled savings of  more than three million ruppes which can be   provided as loans to the members  for their  daily needs  or to start  economic activities.      

Rural energy is very fruitful for the preservation of environment. by the end of last year, 61 nurseries with a capacity of producing 100,000 saplings  annually have been   established in the  REDP -implemented  ten districts  and 330,071 saplings were planted, 4,012 toilets and 1,503 waste-disposal bins have  also been set up. The number of  drinking water  taps set up and renovated  have reached 200 and construction and repair  of trails  have crossed 100 kilometres under the programme of environment management.

Chairman of Parbat District Development Committee  Ganesh Prasad  Timilsina says, 'Creating  the feeling of ownership to the programme among the communities  is necessary and this programme intends to do so.' The programme which is very succesful   in  generating  energy in the rural areas and creating  awareness ultimately helps reduce poverty  and  needs to be expanded  to various parts of the country especially the mid- western development region,  which lags behind  in development.

National programme manager of REDP kiran man singh says the programme is very succesful to generate energy in the rural areas,  people's faces seem to be changed. There is full peoples' participation and there is a  demand of  this programme every where. if we work sincerely like this, we can bring  about changes within a  few years.

Singh says the REDP programme has been successful in achieving its objectives of alleviating   poverty and conservation  of natural environment  through  the   promotion of  community -managed rural energy systems. District development committees have demanded introduction of  redp programmes in other districts too.

The programme is  very sustainable  due to the strong participation of the people and the support of hmg and the undp. the US dollar 4.65 million programme  launched in 1996 has helped create 25 micro-hydro schemes, 31 bio-gas, and 40 solar power facilities,  introduced  improved  cooking  stoves and has organised community groups to manage  forest resources and tree plantation.

In the words of resident representative of undp Dr henning karcher, 'the unique feature of   this programme lies in the fact that it does  not choose  technology as a part of  entry, but social mobilisation of communities. being accustomed to joining hands, engaging  in savings and loan schemes and jointly building irrigation systems, roads and bridges, these socially mobilised  groups assume, as a matter of course, responsibilities for operational costs as well as for maintenance and repair of the system they have installed."

The programme is very successful  in  mobilising  people in the development   efforts  and is therefore necessary to be  included in the national level priority programmes. poverty alleviation is impossible without people's participation, the use of local resources and expertise  for which the government needs to promote REDP programme   in  order to achieve  the goal of poverty alleviation.

Uttam, Kiran's show opened

By a Post Reporter

KATHMANDU, July 16 - Ambassador of France to Nepal Michel Lummaux inauguraged painting exhibition of artists Uttam Nepali and Kiran Manandhar, The Confluence of Times 2000, today.

Prof Durga Bhandari, admitting that he knew nothing of art, said society without art and music would be dehydrated.

Art Critic Prof Abhi Subedi said that the confluence is of psychological and there is no much similarity between the two artists.

Uttam Nepali, 64, and Kiran Manandhar, 44, are two of the prominent Nepali contemporary artists. Though they belong to different ages in the development of Nepali art history, their contribution in up bringing Nepali art is considerable.