ADB for partnership programme

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KATHMANDU, Feb 15 - Experts have attributed lack of political commitment, lack of decentralization and women’s empowerment and rampant corruption in the administration to the failure of poverty reduction programs in the country.

Bishwo Keshar Maskey, Assistant Resident Representative of Asian Development Bank (ADB) to Bangladesh,  said that Bangladesh has brought down poverty from 70 per cent to 40 per cent within 28 years.

He was speaking at a seminar on ‘Partnership for Poverty Alleviation: Lessons from Bangladesh’ here today.

It has been more than 40 years that Nepal initiated periodic development plans, but even according to the government statistics, 42 per cent of the population is below the poverty line. However, the non-governmental organizations put the number over 70 per cent.

Population control, expansion in education and women’s participation in economic activities have enabled Bangladesh to reduce poverty considerably, despite it suffers from various natural calamities every year, Maskey said.

Participants of the seminar said that production of chemical fertilizers at a low cost, adoption of modern agriculture system and government’s subsidy on agricultural inputs helped its people to produce one million tons more crops than their necessity this year alone while it used to import cereals from Nepal a few years back.

Richard Vokes, Resident Representative of ADB to Nepal, said that the Bank would initiate partnership program after studying the strategies of the Tenth Plan and the poverty alleviation programs.

‘Lack of capital and power, political instability and unequal distribution of investment has weakened the struggle against poverty’, Vokes said.

SCCI team meets FNCCI chief

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KATHMANDU, Feb 15 - A delegation of Siddharthanagar Chamber of Commerce and Industry (SCCI) led by its president Dhurba Kumar Shrestha, which is currently in tour of various district to observe industrial and business activities today met with Predeep Kumar Shrestha, President of Federation of Nepalese Chamber of Commerce and Industry (FNCCI).

Welcoming the delegation, Pradeep said that such kinds of exchange of visits would be helpful in understanding mutual problems and boosting cooperation to expand trade related activities and institutional development.

Speaking on the occasion, Rabi Bhakta Shrestha, First Vice-President of FNCCI expressed concern over the deteriorating law and order condition of the country, which is greatly affecting investment environment and he urged the government to take necessary steps curb the situation.

Diwakar Golchha, Third Vice-President of the FNCCI said that FNCCI is trying hard to solve various problems being faced by the business communities.

Speaking on the occasion, President Shrestha of SCCI said that the government and FNCCI should be active in solving problems of the industries located in the districts. He also said the on going Nepal Bhandh and Chakka Jam alone with recent attacks and looting of the industries have compounded the weakening investment confidence of the businessmen. He also hoped that the proposed second international and the dry port, which is under construction airport in the Bhairahawa would bring a land mark change in the economic activities of the region.

Japan distributes tools

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KHOPASI, Kavre, Feb 15 - Equipment worth 46 thousand and 3 hundred US dollars were distributed to different groups of farmers involved in sericulture for the modernization of the farming here today.

On the occasion, representatives from Japanese Embassy in Nepal, M Tsuzuku, a sericulture expert at Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) and Noriko Satako, coordinator of Sericulture Development Mini Project were also present.

The equipments were given to Nepal through the Japanese Embassy to help Nepal develop sericulture as a cash crop.

Director of Sericulture Development Program, Ganesh Kumar KC, said that if the equipment are utilized well, it will benefit the farmers.

M28 Skytruck makes demonstration flights

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KATHMANDU, Feb 15 - Polskie Zaklady Lotnicze (PZL), Mielec, a Polish aircraft manufacturing company, made demonstration flights of its plane M28 Skytruck on February 14 and 15, 2001 here at the initiative of the Orbit International Pvt Ltd, the sole authorised representative of PZL, Mielec for Nepal and Bhutan.

The commuter-category passenger and cargo transport, short take off and landing (STOL)-class airplane is equipped with two PT6A-65B Pratt & Whitney Canada turbo-prop engines of 1100SHP each, five blade propellers from hartzell and bendix/King avonics.

The plane weighs 7,500 kg for take off and can carry 2,200 kg of cargo or 19 passengers or 17 paratroopers. M28 Skytruck can take off and land on any airstrip, which requires a take off distance of 325 meters and 560 meters for landing. The aircraft is capable of VFR/IFR flying day or night with maximum speed of 355 km per hour and displays full maneuverability with only one engine operating.

According to the company, the M28 Skytruck is mainly exported to South America, where it is used by the police and the army and it has completed demonstration show in India also. The plane will be available in Nepal for demonstration tests for the Royal Nepal Army, Nepal Police, Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal, Royal Nepal Airlines Corporation and the private airlines operators.

PZL, Mielec and Orbit International claims that the M28 skytruck is the most suitable aircraft for Nepal’s rugged, mountainous and high altitude terrain. PZL, Mielec Poland is a company with over 60 years’ of tradition in manufacturing light aircrafts.

MD Chhetri disappeared with Rs 20m

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POKHARA, Feb 15 - Raj Kumar Chhetri, Managing Director of the Rara Saving and Credit Cooperatives, has disappeared after being invovled in the financial corruption worth over Rs 20 million.

The incident came to light after Chhetri alone with cashier Prem Battarai and marketing officer Bharat Karki did not turn up in the office this morning and after inquiry it became clear that both the people have gone away along with the cash.

According to the local people, the cooperative has been operating against the spirit of the cooperatives by accomodating more than 3,000 general members and since last October the company had stopped granting loans and was indulging only in deposit mobilization. Due to these facts, it is quite difficult to pin point how much money they had actually taken away, they said.

Soon after knowing about the incident, the other employees of the cooperatives put up a notice of the incident at the central office and went to district police office to report about the incident.