Dishanirdesh to go on air today

KATHMANDU, Oct 21 (PR)- Dishanirdesh, a television programme based on the country’s contemporary issues, is going on air on the state-run Nepal Television from Monday, states a press release issued here today.

"The programme will be on air at 8:30 p. m. after the eight o’clock News bulletin," states the release. "The 12-episode programme will be composed of debate, problems, views and arguments."

Bijaya Kumar Pandey will be the presenter of the programme, Bhusan Dahal will direct and Bhaskar Raj Rajkarnikar will manage it, the release concludes.

Nineteen goats die of PPR

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KATHMANDU, Oct 21 - At least 19 goats, being sold in the festival season, have died in the Kathmandu depot of Nepal Food Corporation in last one week, an official said today.

"Dying one or two of goats in the depot is usual. The vendors often feed them much more than they can digest before selling off is the real cause. Plus, improper transportation, change of climate also affect their health adversely," said Lokendra Shahi, the Zonal Manager of NFC Kathmandu depot.

According to him, this number of death is less accountable than the previous year when 46 were dead. "In 1999, a total 136 of goats had died in a single day," he added.

He categorically rules out possibility of any disease behind the death of animals as each of the lot of cattles the NFC collects need to be certified from a district veterinary doctor as being healthy.

The present lot was certifiecd by Dr Narayan Prasad Sharma, assistant livestock officer at the Distict Livestock Office, Banke.

NFC has imported 1,663 goats this year mainly from Lahan and Nepalgunj. The government sells around 400 goats everyday ahead of the Dashain festival.

Meanwhile, Livestock Department, District Administration Office Kathmandu and Kathmandu Metropolitan City and Consumers’ Forum Nepal have jointly issued a release stating that Peste Petis Ruminants (PPR) is a desease that attacks cattle but is free from infecting human beings.

It adds that vaccination against PPR is going to be launched soon at Animal Quarantine Checkposts for the animals being imported to the Kathmandu Valley.

Endorsement of property rights bill hailed

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KATHMANDU, Oct 21 – Women rights activists today hailed the recent bill on women’s property rights endorsed by the 20th session of the parliament

The bill has not only focused for the women’s property but also includes reproductive rights, abortion rights, child paedophilia, property rights for widows, among others, said Sapana Malla, women rights activist and advocate.

Malla was addressing a symposium organised in the capital by Action Aid - Nepal.

But, Malla put question on the implementation of the bill. "Various experts have raised concerns about the implementation of the problems faced by the Nepalese women but never have the measures made so far to resolve the problem been put into practice."

She added, "The problems have been so deep-rooted that the general people have still not accepted the women’s rights bill passed by the parliament.

Addressing the function, representative from Action Aid-Nepal, Shisam Mishra, said, "Age-old customs are still into practice and the 11th amendment of the Civil Code by the parliament pictures the talk of the women who claim to have equal sibling rights."

Addressing the function, member or All Nepal Women's Association Sashi Shrestha said, "Nepalese women are deprived of every kind of rights. The laws that have been amended are yet to be implemented and the Bill recently passed is uncultured in comparison to the UN Convention on Women Rights."

The provision as made in the bill to provide women property before marriage and return it after marriage is not based on the principles of equality, she said.

Iron industries closed down due to price hike

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MORANG, Oct 21 - Most of the iron industries in the country have been closed down due to the unavailability of domestic market and increase on the cost of production. Out of the total 28 iron industries, 17 of them have already been shut down and the remaining others are also on the verge of virtual collapse.

Iron industrialists said that about 3 billion rupees investment on the industry is sinking and more than 5,000 workers are about to be laid off because of market and price rise on its production.

In addition to the increased price on raw material, Nepal Iron Association (NIA) said that exorbitant tax on iron scrape products, price hike on electricity and cheap import of Indian iron were some of the major causes that resulted in the closure of the iron industry. The NIA said that about a dozen iron industries still operating in Biratnagar, Birgunj, Bhairahawa and Nepalgunj could be shut down any time because their cost of production is too expensive to survive.

Manager of Kamala Rolling Mill, Jagadish Prasad Agrawal, blamed the government’s inconsistent policies and political instability for the down trend of the iron industry.
"There are no more big projects running in the country which consume a large quantity of iron. Even the small scale projects being built in various parts of the country also import iron from India. And, how can we run our industry?" Agrawal said.

Managing director of Pashupati Iron Industry, Pradeep Kumar Morarka, said there is still a room for the revival of the industry if the government made a policy that makes all projects mandatory to use iron products only from within the country.

The iron industrialists said they could not compete with the Indian products that are illegally exported to Nepal and are cheaper as compared to a similar product in Nepal.

According to the statistics made available by the association, of the total 1,000 metric tons of iron required for Nepal every month, about 70 per cent of its share is imported from India while the rest is supplied by various Nepali iron industries.

Closure of the industry has not only affected the industry alone, it has hampered on the loan recovery of some commercial banks that disbursed loans in this sector.
A source close to a Biratnagar based branch office of the Rastriya Banijya Bank said it lost 70 million rupees loans investment to various iron industries that have been shut down citing the unavailability of market and increased price on the raw materials.

Court issues warrant against Maoist leader

JAJARKOT, Oct 21(PR) - Although the government is gradually withdrawing charges against rebel Maoists and releasing them from various government prisons, the Dolpa district court has issued a warrant order against an influential Maoist leader and his wife in Jajarkot. The court has charged them of indulging in a number of robbery and arson in Dolpa district.

The court has asked the Jajarkot district police office to arrest Kali Bahadur Malla, who is the chief of Maoist formed district level government in Jajarkot, and his wife Man Kumari Malla.

Issuing the public notice, the court warned the Malla couple that their property would be suspended if they are not present before the court within 70 days. If the couple remains absconded for six years, their property would be automatically seized and they would have no right to claim for the seized property.

A source close to the Jajarkot district police office said that the public warrant notice was issued by the court simply to meet its formality.

Women from badini tribe abandoning prostitution

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RAJAPUR (Bardia), Oct 21 - Couple of women from Badini tribe from this district have abandoned their age-old occupation of prostitution and have begun integrating into the society by getting married to men of different castes.

The Badini women who are notorious for prostitution in the mid and far western region of the country have been in this occupation as a means to sustain their livelihood since the time immortal.

However, in recent years few of the women have turn off their profession and begun involving into different career and with the change in their attitude they have started to encourage their children to attent school in order to teach moral ethics, which was earlier considered purposeless.

A hostel has been established with the efforts of UNICEF where the children stay in healthy and clean stmosphere as a means of uplifting their moral values and discourage the unethical acts that their seniors adopted.

The girls shelterring at the hostel promise not to take into flesh trade as professin for which their mothers and sisters have been looked downly.

"Our mother and sisters had to take in the profession because they were compelled to do so by the influential people of the community.

But we will not adopt this profession", said Uma Nepali, a class eight student.

However, there are still some 15-16 Badini womens practicing their occupation which they say are doing it to feed the mouth of their family. "We are forced to do so because there is no alternative to feed the family", said one of the girl requesting anominity.

Whilst according to Raj Kumar Baisya, president of Industrial Commerce Association, there has been a remarkable decrease in the prostitution as women from the tribe have switched on to different professions.

" The social reforms in the society has played a vital role in the change of their behaviour", said Baisya.

Presently there are various NGOs working integrating the women into different work by teaching them skill oriented programmes.

The tribe that had migrated four decades ago from the hills of Salyan district into Rajapur of Bardia district to practice their occupation.

However, within past few years the growing number of women from the tribe have left their occupation in hope of living a decent and respectful life in the society.

Besides sticking to their age- old occupation the tribe is also involved in fishing, playing drums during ceremonies, singing and dancing as a means of subsistence to survive.

Locals kill suspected Maoist

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GHORAHI (Dang), Oct 21 - A crowd of Motini Khola village of Rajpur Village Development Committee-4 beat up a suspected Maoist cadre to death on Saturday.

Police Inspector Padam Adhikari at Lamahi police post said that the person to be killed by the villagers has been identified as Dilman Pun, a resident of Uwa VDC-4 in Rolpa, who used to run a shop at Lamahi.

Locals said deceased Pun was attacked after he was found to have established illicit relations with a local woman and threatened a local man to life. Police have arrested Shivaraj Giri in connection with the murder.

The remote area of the district including Bela VDC has remained tense over a week after the Maoists killed Radhesyam Yadav, the brother of ward member of the VDC-4 at Bhisahawa village.

Police said that the bereaved Yadav family have not been able to perform Yadav’s last rites due to the impending retaliation from the Maoists. About a dozen youths from Bhaisaha village have taken refuge to Lamahi police station seeking police security since Yadav was killed on Wednesday.