Govt, Maoist move hailed

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KATHMANDU, Aug 4 - Different organisations related to the nationalities today welcomed the government’s move to resolve the six-year-old insurrection by the underground Maoist rebels.

Issuing a joint press statement, organisations related to the nationalities said that it is indeed a laudable move by the Government and the Maoists to create a conducive environment for the dialogue.

However, the release also said that government should not only be focused on the dialogue as there are many other problems in the country that needs immediate solution.

"Even though the Constitution says that Nepal is a multi-ethnic country, ethnic groups are not treated accordingly," reads the release.

They have also demanded the government and lawmakers to mull over the bill on the language forwarded by Nepal Tamang Ghedung and Newa Rastriya Andolan.

Conservation of wetland areas stressed

KATHMANDU, Aug 4(RSS)- The Ministry of Forests and Soil-Conservation, the Department of National Parks and Wildlife Conservation and the World Conservation Union-IUCN jointly organized a workshop on "Draft National Policy on Collaborative Management of Wetlands in Nepal" here on Friday.

Generally, swamp land, marsh, riverine flood-plain, lake, pond, water storage areas and agriculture land constitute the wetland.

The wetlands are taken to be fertile land in terms of agriculture production and rich in bio-diversity. There are altogether 242 wetland areas in Nepal including 163 in the Terai region and 79 in the hilly and mountain region.

Of the 242 wetland areas in Nepal, the Koshi Tappu area has been listed under the Ramsar convention. The Ramsar convention is the foremost international code on environment laws and a concrete international law with regard to wetlands conservation and management.

Nepal became a signatory to the Ramsar convention on April 17, 1998. At present 124 countries are signatory to the Ramsar convention which was signed and adopted at a place called Ramsar in Iran in 1971.

As per a decision of His Majesty’s Government, Ministry of Forest and Soil-Conservation, a seven-member task force had been constituted under the chairmanship of the Director General of the Department of National Parks and Wildlife Conservation for the implementation of the Ramsar convention in Nepal and accordingly, the taskforce has prepared a Draft National Policy on the community-based collaborative management of wetlands in Nepal.

The Draft National Policy on wetlands has emphasized the need to include the wetlands of international importance in Nepal such as the Bishajari lake, Ghodaghodi lake and Jagdishpur lake areas in the Ramsar convention and developing them into protected areas.

The Draft National Policy also stresses the conservation and prudent management of other wetland areas in the country.

Similarly, the Draft National Policy has emphasized community participation in the conservation, management and the prudent utilization of wetlands in keeping with guidelines given by the conference of nations party to the Ramsar convention held in 1996 which calls for the direct and active participation of local and indigenous people in the management and conservation of wetland areas and catchment areas by the use of appropriate infrastructure.

Religious ceremony for World Peace

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KATHMANDU, August 4 - Drupchen (Maha Sadhana) Puja ceremony was concluded this morning with the empowerment (abhishek) offered by the Rimpoches to the monks, nuns and the devotees in the Nagi monastery of Shivapuri today.

Mantras were recited and religious books were read out with the ritual musical instrument for nine days, the participants said.

Monk Krishna Man said that the Drupchen puja is an annual feature of the nunnery monastery and is performed for the well-being of all the sentient beings and Worldl Peace.

The followers of the Tibetan Buddhism believe that if the people join together praying and reciting the mantras and religious texts with hearty devotion, they could become the agent of the enlightened lineage.

Floods, lightning claim two lives in Jhapa

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BHADRAPUR,Aug 4 - Two people have lost their lives due to floods following the torrential rain in the district over the last few days.

According to Police Inspector in Kankarbhita Ilaka Police Office Ram Hari K.C., Mahabir Uraun, 55, of Kankarbhitta in Mechinagar municipality-10 who had gone to tend cows was swept away by the flooded Mechi river when he tried to cross the river on Wednesday.

Similarly, a resident of Ghailadubba VDC-7, Hari Bol Rajbamsi, 29, was swept away by local Beran khola when he tried to cross the rivulet on Wednesday.

Rajbamsi, 89, had gone in search of firewood and he was on his way back home. He tried to cross the rivulet from near Rajgadh bazaar but he was swept away by the flooded rivulet.

His family sources said his body was found about a kilometre downstream.

In the same way, a resident of Gauradaha VDC-4, Muna Guragain,36, died on the spot when she was struck by lightning as she was transplanting paddy in the field on Saturday. Two other women sustained minor injuries as a result of the lightning, according to Gauradaha police post.

Information on breast feeding imparted

KATHMANDU, Aug. 4 (RSS) - Some 25,000 students of standard 9 and 10 In Padma Kanya Secondary School, Dillibazar were given extensive information on breast feeding in course of the celebration of the "breast feeding week" organised by the department of nutrition under Health Ministry.

The breast feeding week was celebrated by organising various programmes from Aug. 1 to 7.

Shedding light on the importance of breast feeding on the occasion, chief of health service department, nutrition unit Sharada Pandey said breast feeding is the inherent right of the baby and that the baby should be fed with only mother’s milk for six months from birth.

Chief of Kathmandu district public health office said mother’s milk increases the immunitye of the baby.

Apart from breast feeding the girl students were also briefed on micro nutrients, vitamin A, iron and iodine.

Breast feeding week is being celebrated in Nepal since 1992.

Relief assistance provided to flood affected families in Mahottari

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MAHOTTARI, Aug 4 - The District Natural Calamity Relief Fund has started distributing immediate relief assistance to the families affected by the recent week-long flood situation in the district since Friday.

A total of 33 quintals and 60 kilograms of rice and 16 quintals and 80 kilograms of flattened rice have been distributed to 336 flood affected families at the rate of 10 kilograms of rice and 5 kilograms of flattened rice to each family, according to Chief District Officer Laxmi Prasad Bhattarai.

Those who benefitted from the relief assistance include 300 families of Ankar VDC-3 affected by Madar river, 31 families from Shivanagar village of Sundarpur VDC and five families from Shripur VDC who were rendered homeless by the flooded Jangaha river, according to CDO Bhattarai.

Those who are yet to receive immediate flood relief assistance are the people of other wards in Ankar VDC and Nainahi VDC numbering about 900 families .It is estimated that about 90 quintals of rice and 45 quintals of flattened rice will be required to distribute among the remaining flood victims, according to District Natural Calamity Relief Committee.

Similarly, Health Minister Sharat Singh Bhandari gave away eight quintals of flattened rice and two quintals of sugar at the rate of 2 kilograms and 500 grams of flattened rice and 300 grams of sugar per family to 317 families as immediate relief assistance. Of them, 207 families were from Bakadi village and 110 families from Mahadevpatti VDC.

Likewise, former assistant minister Mahendra Kumar Raya has provided Rs 100,000 to protect Shivanagar village of Sundarpur VDC from Madaha river from his constituency development fund.

According to CDO Bhattarai, the distribution of relief assistance will continue on Sunday also in the flood-affeced area.

Peace march in Rolpa

ROPLA, Aug 4 (RSS) - A peace-rally was taken out in Rolpa under the aegis of the community service committee, Liwang to pressurize hmg and the Maoists who have agreed to sit for a talk that both sides become serious and honest towards the talks and that no one dare to upset the talks.

The rally was participated in by Rolpa DDC president, vice- president and Ilaka members, CDO, Local Development Officer, police, government employees, industrialists, hoteliers, representatives from various political parties, social workers, farmers and teachers. The peace march commenced from Tudikhel at the district headquarters and went through Liwang Bazaar, Pipal Chautari, Satatale and Bal Mandir.

During the rally, about 800 participants chanted slogans like "we hate violence", "we want peace", "stop killings", "may the peace talks be a success" and "no one dare to vitiate the peace talks."

Speaking at the mass meeting held at the end of the peace march, Sher Bahadur Pun of Jana Mukti party, Raj Kumar Kakshyapati of Rastriya Jana Morcha, Man Bahadur Batha of CPN-ML, Hari Oli of CPN-UML, Kamal Prasad Budha of NC, Rolpa DDC president Amrit Bahadur Ghartimagar and Dal Bir Pun Magar of RPP and chairman of the community service committee Hari Prasad Acharya wished that peace may prevail.

They also wished success for the talks to be held between the government and Maoists.

Commercialization of education to be checked

KATHMANDU, Aug - 4 (RSS) - Minister for Education and Sports Amod Prasad Upadhyaya has said His Majesty’s Government to control commercialization in education and a bill on education management has already been tabled in parliament.

Stating that His Majesty’s Government will seriously study the report of the high level education task force formed by the government, Upadhyaya noted that the school management committee will take care of the school’s property as per the provisions stated in the existing act and regulations.

There is a programme for making permanent provisional secondary schools by fiscal year 2059/60 BS, stadiums and covered halls will be constructed in various parts of the country, he said adding, the country is now in need of 18,000 teachers.

Those asking questions to the minister included CPN (UML)’s Phatik Bahadur Subba, Ganga Prasad Nepal, Sherdhan Rai and Yadav Bahadur Rayamajhi, NC’s Hridayaram Thani and RPP’s Netralal Shrestha.

Similarly, Minister for Population and Environment Prem Lal Singh, responding to questions raised on his ministry, noted that removing diesel tempos and vehicles more than 20 years old and putting green stickers on vehicles are in operation in order to control air, water, and noise pollution.

CPN-UML’S Til Kumar Meyangbo Limbu had asked questions to the minister.

All-party meet decides to stop marijuana cultivation

HETAUDA, Aug 4 (PR) - An all-party meeting held in the District Administration Office on Friday decided to stop the cultivation of marijuana which has been flourishing in Makwanpur district for years.

The all-party meeting presided over by Chief District Officer Sita Ram Khanal decided that massive publicity campaign would be launched to inform farmers that those involved in this illegal activity would be prosecuted.

The all-party meeting attended by representatives of all the political parties, police, representatives of local administration and local bodies has also decided to request the government to provide an alternative for the farmers who were compelled to grow marijuana so that they could introduce other crops in that land in place of Marijuana.

The high quality marijuana is grown in 12 VDCs lying in the western belt of this district including Sarikhet, Kankada, Raksirang, Bharta, Khairang, Kalikatar, Dandakharka, Agra and Gogane.

The VDCs are located in remote areas and no other crops can be grown there except marijuana.

"People of the area are growing marijuana not to become rich but they are compelled to grow marijuana to earn two square meals a day. No one will take the risk if facilities such as roads, irrigation and electricity were available in their villages," Chairman of Khairang VDC Raj Kumar Malla said.

Telling the villagers that marijuana cultivation is responsible for sending the poor to jail, bringing about aberrations in the village and helping only smugglers to earn money, Maoist insurgents have banned the marijuana cultivation this year. They have threatened the farmers that they will take action if farmers grew marijuana despite this ban.