Kala-azar detected in Dulari VDC 

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MORANG, April 10 - Incidents of Kala-azar have again been found at Thadiya Tole of Dulari VDC in Morang district.

A total of 23 people had lost their lives when the same disease had spread in Dulari VDC last year.

According to VDC Vice-Chairman Nand Kumar Chaudhari, the disease was found again at ward No. 9 of the VDC a week ago. Four patients suffering from the disease have been admitted to B.P.Koirala Health Science Academy, Dharan for treatment.

Although the treatment for kala-azar is available free of cost, the VDC office has deposited in the B.P.Koirala Health Science Academy Rs 500 for each patient and the treatment is in progress.

Last year, more than 150 people of the ward had contacted the disease and the VDC had provided treatment to 70 people by giving financial assistance of Rs 500 to each. Of them, 23 had died of kala-azar last year.

According to Morang District Public Health Office, kala-azar has been fully brought under control in Dulari VDC. Employees of the office claim that not a single kala-azar patient is found there.

The vice-chairman of Dulari VDC said none of the employees from District Public Health Office had ever visited his VDC to find out whether the disease had affected the people or not.

Fire destroys houses and property in Jhapa

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BIRTAMOD, April 10 - Thousands of rupees worth of property has been destroyed following the incidents of fire that occurred in different parts of Jhapa district as a result of strong winds this week.

According to Fire Brigade in-charge in Bhadrapur, Chandra Bahadur Poudel, fire destroyed 150,000 tea plants worth about Rs 400,000 in a tea nursery located at Maheshpur VDC-7 on Sunday.

The tea plants belonged to Nand Kishor Goyal of Bhadrapur municipality. The fire is believed to have been caused due to short-circuit in electricity.

Similarly, fire caught the houses of Dik Bahadur Tamang and Ganesh Rai of Balubadi VDC-9 on Saturday night and destroyed property including house, cash and other goods valued at about Rs 300,000.

It is reported that the fire brigade could not reach the site on time because of the lack of good transportation system in the VDC, which is about 20 kilometres south of the district headquarters.

Likewise, the house of Devi Prasad Sitaula of Tagandubba VDC -7 caught fire on Sunday evening and gutted property worth about Rs 150,000 including, his house, Rs 25,000 in cash and other belongings.

In the same way, in an incident of fire in the house of Dil Maya Limbu in Maheshpur VDC-8 recently caused minor damage.

According the fire brigade in Mechinagar municipality, a community forest in Surunga VDC-8 caught fire and 25 trees were destroyed on Saturday.

The forest was saved from being destroyed by the major forest fire after the fire brigade arrived and extinguished the fire in time.

An employee of the fire brigade, Indra Poudel, said hay collected from 13 ropanis of paddy field by different farmers was also destroyed when fire gutted the hay stacks at five different places.

Only three fire brigades in Jhapa district including one each in Mechinagar, Damak and Bhadrapur municipalities, are providing their services to the three municipalities and 47 VDCs in Jhapa district which covers an area of 156,500 hectares of land. There is no road link in some of the VDCs.

He had refused to retire from service ... 

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RUKUMKOT, Rukum, April 10 - Head Constable Hari Bahadur Bhudhathoki, a permanent resident of Shova VDC-3 that lies close to the Rukumkot area police striking post, was allowed to celebrate Chaite Dashain with his family members on April 1.

Instead of spending cosy night with his family, he preferred to celebrate the festival among his comrades in the post. Unfortunately, he and other 30 policemen were massacred by underground Maoist militia before they could wake up the next morning.

40-year-old Head Constable Bhudhathoki, who had already completed the pension period last year, refused to retire from his service in spite of his family pressures.

"I am proud of my son because he sacrificed his life to the national cause," 63-year-old father Chhabilal said.

Despite his boldness, he could not hold back his flooded tears, "I am destined to mourn my son what actually should have been otherwise." He was the only hope for their family but was put out all of a sudden by the violent hurricane. "We the dependents are completely ruined," aged father sobbed.

The father of three children, Hari had been staying at the Rukumkot area police post for the last three years though his posting was at Sumshergunj in Banke. His widow recalled his saying that he was planning to retire within a few months to come.

"My husband would help locals release from their detention on his own responsibility," the widow said, "Is it the prize my husband was given for his generosity to the locals?"

Another police Head Constable Rana Bahadur Sunar, 32, father of four children, from the same VDC, was also the ill-fated victim of the Maoist cruelty at the same place.

His elder brother, Tularam, also has a similar story to tell. "I have to do something for the well-being of the nation," Tularam remembered what his beloved brother would say.

Although Deputy Prime Minister, Ram Chandra Poudel, who inspected the gory battle site the following day, invited them to come to Kathmandu to receive compensation, the bereaved families demanded that they be provided the relief at the district headquarters.

"The government should arrange the relief to us at the district headquarters. We cannot travel a long distance to Kathmandu," Tularam said.

Minister Chaudhary, IT & illiteracy

Surendra Prasad Chaudhary, a Cyber-savvy Minister for Science and Technology, says he is giving something new which can revolutionize the nation. He is an MA in English but has made his portfolio compatible pushing forward various activities to promote information technology (IT) unflaggingly right from his entry into the Ministry, establishing himself as a champion of the knowledge-based industry.

Formulation and implementation of IT Policy 2000 is one of the most important achievements Minister Chaudhary has made and draft of Information Act is in the final stage. He spoke to Ram Sharan Sedhai of The Kathmandu Post on contemporary issues. Excerpts:

TKP: What is the government doing to promote IT?

Chaudhary: The government is going to pen a National Institute of Information Technology and the process will begin within six months, with assistance from the Indian Government.

TKP: What sort of institute would it be?

Chaudhary: It will be an exclusive IT institute of international standard. And this is expected to stem the outflow of students and to produce highly skilled manpower.

TKP: The talks of establishing an IT Park in Banepa has been going for more than two years. And won’t the institute have the same fate?

Chaudhary: No, it won’t be like that. Owing to some legal hurdles to acquire land the establishment of IT Park was delayed but we have expedited the acquisition and now it won’t take much time.

TKP: What about the much-touted Cyber Act?

Chaudhary: We have solicited suggestions and recommendations from the concerned like the Computer Association of Nepal (CAN), but due to the House disruption, we could not table it during the Winter Session of the parliament.

TKP: Since most of IT-enabled services depend upon telecom and the Nepal Telecommunications Corporation (NTC) is unable even to meet the demand for telephone lines, won’t it be difficult for the ministry to pursue its programs?

Chaudhary: The existing service of the NTC is commendable and we have also asked the Corporation to introduce the latest technologies to facilitate the government’s plan of IT development. Moreover, we are planning to have our own satellite at the proposed IT Park in Banepa.

TKP: How can IT help the rural poor who have a problem of sustenance let alone the access to the global information?

Chaudhary: We can improve their health and save lives through telemedicine and help them even with farming and getting better prices for their produces. You can take example of poor farmers of Bangladesh. And we will use satellite to make the global information accessible to them. Likewise, e-commerce can also bring drastic changes to their lives.

TKP: But all the information is in English and how can those illiterate understand them?

Chaudhary: Multi-lingual transcription will be developed and the literacy rate will be increased to fight the challenge of illiteracy. I firmly believe that IT is meant for the masses and not only for the elite as it is perceived.

TKP: What is the government doing to minimize the digital gap between the private and government educational institutes and promote computer education expressly for the state-run schools, colleges and universities?

Chaudhary: We are going to provide computer training to 1,500 teachers this year and provide computers to schools having trained teachers. The training will be given to more teachers in the coming years. Similarly, the government is developing courses of study to suit the purpose of expediting computer education.

TKP: What else is the government doing to promote the knowledge-based industry?

Chaudhary: the Ministry has asked the government to appropriate Rs 800 million for IT in the coming fiscal year and we have provided Rs 4.5 million to Tribhuvan and Kathmandu universities each and Rs 1 million to Purbanchal and Pokhara universities each to produce international standard manpower.

TKP: What about attracting foreign investment in the IT industry?

Chaudhary: We have initiated dialogues with the non-resident Nepalis (NRNs) asking them to invest in the IT sector in Nepal. Besides, we are doing homework to organize an IT summit in Seattle, USA, with a view to wooing foreign investors. Above all, the ministry is designing websites for all the ministries, as part of introducing IT for good governance and transparency.

TKP: What is the Ministry thinking about regulating the certification of the mushrooming computer education institutes?

Chaudhary: The ministry is working on it and we will strictly monitor the certification very soon.

TKP: The IT Policy targets to export software worth Rs 10 billion within the next five years. Is it possible?

Chaudhary: Yes. It is possible. If India can do it why can’t we? The cost of software production is far cheaper in our country than in India. So I am confident of achieving the goal.

TKP: You say that you are giving something new to the nation which can revolutionize the country. What in fact are you giving?

Chaudhary: The thing that I am giving to the nation is the ‘environment’ to harness the potential of IT. During my tenure, I will try my best to create such an environment that the local, non-resident Nepalis (NRNs) and the foreigners would pour their money in the knowledge-based industry. This will give jobs to thousands of Nepalis and earn foreign currency. Hence, it will change the shape of the nation.

Nepal at IT frontier

Looking back at the achievements made by humans, one should really be surprised and appreciate it. From 18th century of great mechanical system accompanied by industrial revolution to 19th century of steam engine era and now 20th century afterward has been the era of information technology a new frontier. The pace of development of information technology, IT, in various countries of the world has been so rapid that in coming centuries the information rich countries would be better placed than the information poor counties in the world map.

IT is the new frontline and measures different things, to different people. The global market for Infotech-enabling services is estimated to be $585 billion by 2004. The recent wave of boom in the IT business, world-wide, threw very little impact on Nepal. It has become a threat to developing countries where there is no advanced and appropriate technology according to the needs, traditions, environment and resource of the country.

Computers were first introduced in Nepal in early 70’s, but its application and commercialisation started only in the 80’s while the promotion of computer education in the national education system started only in 1990s. Until now, computer in Nepal is used only as a substitute for typewriter in many organisations.

Present scenario of Nepal in IT includes computer vendors representing almost all-global brands as well as locally assembled clone computers. More than half of the companies engaged in IT businesses, are chiefly providing training programs of one type or another. Tribhuvan University, Kathmandu University, Pokhara University and Purvanchal University are offering formal computer education of various levels such as B.E. Computer Engineering, Bachelors in Information Technology, Bachelor of Computer Application and other diplomas such as MCA and PGCA.

Computerisation in Government and Public Sector started with the establishment of National Computer Center back in 1974. One of the first computerisation in this sector was the SLC Board, office of Controller of Examinations. Presently all major government institutions have been fully computerised.

IT has become the highest contributors to the GDP for almost all developed countries. This industry is growing rapidly in the world and is estimated to grow still further but Nepal has not yet received much benefit from this industry. The contribution of IT to the Nepal’s GDP is almost nil. Nepal would not be able to get the minuscule of the huge benefits from the global boom, which IT has brought into, unless the government accords top priority to this sector.

Computer Association of Nepal, CAN, a non governmental institution of IT professionals, vendors and users was established in 90’s with an objective to develop IT in Nepal and has been actively working with the government to provide conducive atmosphere for the promotion of this sector. The Government in collaboration with the CAN have come out with policies regarding the welfare and the development of IT in Nepal. The Section 6.6 of the draft policy highlights certain point regarding the software development sector of the country that includes HMG in collaboration with private sector. It will establish a Venture Capital Fund for which, the HMG will contribute Rs 100 million, locally produced, computers and computer related parts would be given preference. It also states that software expenses can be written down as direct income tax expenses.

The present IT Human Resource development in Nepal is not adequate. Skilled manpower available today is not at all sufficient for widespread use of IT. Although lots of joint efforts have been put on by the CAN and government in the development of IT sector of Nepal, but it seems nothing has been done so far and this sector still faces major problems. As highlighted by the professionals, poor infrastructure, lack of skilled man power, brain drain due to better opportunities abroad, lack of advanced technology, lack of awareness amongst potential investors and economic backwardness are major constraints to this industry. Lastly, the people who have IT knowledge have no funds and people with funds are elsewhere.

With the increasing use of computer in almost all the sector ranging from manufacturing, financial, government organisation, airlines etc., it cannot be said that the scope of software industry in Nepal is nil but can be said that it is still in toddlers stage. Application users still do not believe in Nepalese software. Much is to be done in the development of this sector. The government is showing some interest for the upliftment of this sector and it is believed that intervention of government will increase the scope for this industry contributing increase in the country’s GDP.

Primarily, IT business in Nepal has been built around individuals and has failed to develop into formidable institutions. IT related business that has sprung up, are more trade related than production. In absence of the critical mass of real creative entrepreneurs who believe in products and not trade.

When Information is becoming basic raw material these days, country’s prosperity can’t be imagined without the in and around of technological know-how and its subsequent adoption. IT business in Nepal has remained to cater to the domestic market and it may take a long period of time for Nepal to get that competitive edge over the other dominant players in the region like India and China.

IT services are labour intensive jobs and it costs a lot of money even for semi-skilled workers in developed country. With the availability of communication infrastructure in countries like Nepal where labour is cheap, foreign companies are looking for opportunities to contract such job out. It is thus an opportunity for country like Nepal to be able to capitalise on the necessities of developed countries. Organised promotion of IT Industry in Nepal to the foreign market is lacking and a lot of effort is needed collectively from the Government, IT Industry and professionals towards this end to Place Nepal on the Global IT Map.

(This article is co-authored by Anurag Dhanuka, Mandakini Bhatta, Sakun Rana & Sujan Manandhar of School of Management, Kathmandu University)