Focus on dental health care services

RSS

KATHMANDU, Feb 16: Minister for Health Sarat Singh Bhandari has said that the government wants to provide health services to the people in an integrated manner by joining hands with the community and the private sector.

Inaugurating the fourth annual conference of Nepal Dental Association here today, Minister Bhandari disclosed that the government was going to introduce a special programme in the health sector besides restructuring the Health Ministry set-up.

He said that several dental colleges have been established in the private sector and these institutions have started to produce skilled manpower in the sector following the adoption of liberalization policy after the restoration of democracy in the country. He also disclosed that a dental council would be constituted soon to address problems in the dental health sector.

On the occasion, the Health Minister gave away certificates to the participants of the Promotional Trade Exhibition organised in connection with the conference.

Director General of the Department of Health Services Dr. B. D. Chataut said that the Ministry was going to establish a separate dental unit, a dental council and a national oral health policy to resolve problems in the context of the dental diseases emerging as a major problem in the country.

Association President Dr. Pravin Mishra pointed out the need for the government to launch a mass awareness campaign, set up a separate government dental hospital and make provision for dentists at the district and village level.

According to him, out of the 80 per cent patients suffering from oral diseases in Nepal, 20-25 per cent of them require immediate treatment.

Similarly, he said as 10-15 percent of the patients admitted to hospitals are dental patients, it would be more effective in preventing dental diseases if fluoride could be added in the iodized salt itself.

On the occasion, Dr Neil Pande shed light on the necessity and importance of dental health care services. Besides Nepal, dentists from India and Malaysia are also taking part in the two-day-meet.

Goddess Saraswati and the blessed power of knowledge

Perina Pathak

KATHMANDU, Feb 16: If power comes from knowledge and knowledge comes from education, then so
be it.

With the break of dawn comes Goddess Saraswati, goddess of learning and wisdom.

‘Saraswati puja’, also known as Basanta Panchami or Shree Panchami, is a day for those seeking the power and depth of Knowledge.

The world we live in has entered the 21st century, and with every step we take, there is competition. To partake in any competition you must have knowledge and education. This may be the main reason why Hindus worship goddess Saraswati, the goddess of knowledge and wisdom.

Young school children, academicians and those who thirst for intellectual quest, celebrate the festival of Saraswati puja as a day to get blessed through knowledge with full enthusiasm.

"One who desires knowledge and enlightenment pays special homage to goddess Saraswati, who represents the apex of wisdom on this special day of Saraswati puja," says Ram Chandra Gautam, Professor of Theology at Mahendra Sanskrit University.

There is no exact date when the festival began, but it is believed that as Saraswati is the consort of god Brahma, the creator god, then the festival could have possibly been celebrated from the very beginning of time.

On Sunday, academicians will pay homage to their academic tools at the shrine of goddess Saraswati. Chants and mantras like, ‘Saraswati maya dristwa bina pustaka dharini’ are cited.

Taking thirteen names of goddess Saraswati like, Bharati, Sarada Devi, Hansawahini, Buddhidraticha....... students pray for their intellectual development and to get rid from ignorance.

On Shree Panchami, elders tell their children to be wise, truthful and to study hard because on this day the goddess of wisdom will come to them on her divine vehicle the ‘Duck’ and grant them wisdom and knowledge.

Dressed in a white saree, with a Vina (musical instrument) on her one hand and the Veda in the other hand, goddess Saraswati, through her feature indicates purity and intelligence.

"Shree Panchami is considered the birthday of goddess Saraswati, so academicians pay her homage on this day and wish for her blessing," says Gautam. "After paying homage, the students swallow seven seeds of achheta (rice) worshipped to the goddess, and includes the blessings of goddess Saraswati," Gautam further said.

Saraswati puja is also considered as an auspicious occasion and on this day special ceremonies like marriage and bratabanda are also organised.

The day is also known as Basanta Panchami because it is believed that from this day Basanta ritu (season) begins. "Though the month of Chaitra and Baishak (April and May) is considered as Basanta ritu, the season begins 50 days ahead. As Basanta ritu is the apex of all five seasons, all of them have contributed 10-12 days for the ritu as their respect for the season," says cultural expert Hari Ram Joshi.

On Sunday, people, especially academicians from different parts of the valley, visit the Saraswati temples to pay homage to the goddess of Knowledge. A special mela (procession) will be held at the shrine of Manjushree at Swoyambhu, Saraswati Kunda at Lele and Lhasa Pako Saraswati at Bhaktapur.

Call to preserve agro-bio-diversity

Post Report

KATHMANDU, Feb 16: Experts today said that genetic resources in the form of farmers’ varieties have been gradually disappearing in the country due to the excessive use of improved modern varieties of crops.

"About 30 percent of local varieties of crops are at risk in Bara, Jumla and Kaski," said Bhola Man Singh Basnet at a press conference referring to the findings of a global project working to preserve the local crops on farms through participation of farmers.

National Research Council, Local Initiatives for Bio-diversity, Research and Development (LI-BIRD), a local NGO and International Plant Genetic Resources Institute (IPGRI), a Rome-based autonomous scientific organisation have been carrying out "Strengthening the Scientific Basis of In-Situ Conservation of Agriculture Bio-diversity On-farms", a global project, in Jumla, Kaski and Bara for the last five years.

"The local varieties are adapted in marginal and niche-environment specific environments," said the report. The report also said that the agro-bio-diversity has still been maintained by farming communities.

"Market link is most important in preserving the agro-bio-diversity in the country," said Dr. Anil Subedi, the Executive Director of the LI-BIRD.

Speaking at the press meet, Dr. Madhusudan Upadhyay, the national co-ordinator of the project, said that Nepal should now reconsider its plans. "Now the next Five Year’s Plan should put the conservation of the local crops in priority list," Upadhyay told the press meet.

Other speaking at the press conference said that Nepal should spread the projects like this one in other parts of country. "Nepal should now spread the findings of the projects in other countries as well," said Dr. Geoffrey C. Hawtin, the Director General of the IPRG.

Dr. Hawtin is currently on a four-day-visit of Nepal at the invitation of the Executive Director of the NARC, R.P. Sapkota. The Director General during his visit called on the Minister for Agriculture and Co-operatives Mahesh Acharya and other high-ranking officials at the Ministry.

Besides, Dr. Hawtin also visited the Begnas In-Situ site in Kaski and observe the local initiatives to preserve the traditional landraces on farms by the local farmers there.

Nepal is rich in its agro-bio-diversity. According to agronomist Upadhyay, there is five hundred of edible agro-bio-diversity in Nepal. Nepal is doing well to preserve the rich agro-bio-diversity. There is no policy to preserve the agro-genetic resources in the country. And even the country is lacking a gene bank, which is of utter importance, as all the agro-genetic resources could not be preserved on farms.

Saraswati Puja to be less festive

Post Report

BIRGUNJ, Feb 16: Slated to be celebrated tomorrow nationwide, Saraswati Puja, the day for worshipping the Goddess of knowledge, is going to be less festive this time as the administration here has banned collecting fund from the people.

The ‘great day’ for students used to be celebrated by the students and youths here by installing a mud statue of Goddess Saraswati in a grand manner. For this, they would collect money by stopping the plying vehicles.

"This time we are not going to have the statue of Goddess Saraswati since we have no money to order one," said Gautam Shah, a student.

Meanwhile, the businessmen selling the mud statue have said that their business has slashed this time. " I had prepared 50 statues for the festival by hiring four architects from India, but few have been sold out," said Suleman Miya at Birgunj-13.

Last year there were 30 statues of Saraswati erected in Birgunj-9 alone, said a local adding that there is going to be heavy decline this year.

Farmers grow cardamom but middlemen bag profit

By Dharma Prasad Poudel

TAPLEJUNG, Feb 16: Cardamom farming has become popular among farmers in this district situated in the eastern region of the country. Out of 50 VDCs in the district, cardamom farming is flourishing well in 49 VDCs. Cardamom farming is carried out on 33,071 hectares of fertile land in this rich farming district where approximately 90% of its inhabitants cultivate this rich aromatic spice.

With popularity on the rise with this cash crop in the district, fertile land wherever available, is used for the purpose of cardamom cultivation which is fast gaining vital priority for it’s income generating importance among farmers in this district, since the past few years.

"However, farmers are not that much benefited from the farming as most of their income is spent on transporting this product to the marketplace", said Prakash Pandey, chief at the District Agriculture Branch Office. Mostly benefited are the middlemen who act as a bridge between the market and farmers, according to Pandey.

Birtamod of Jhapa is the main market for the farmers to supply cardamom, from where the product is supplied to India and other major cities within the country, assumingly at a higher price.

"The government should fix the rate of cardamom and devise a marketing mechanism where farmers are directly benefited from their products", said Bijay Raj Thebe, chairman of District Development Committee (DDC) in this district.

Last year the cardamom harvest in this district was 11,018 metric tons and the sale price was 18 thousand rupees per maund (40 kgs), for which the same rate exists even currently, as stated by the District Agriculture Branch Office.

"Cardamom has been an easily accepted cash crop and even the merchants are ever ready to exchange rice for cardamom," said Bhim Mishra, a local merchant who also admits that the farmers, the real producers of the crop, are deprived from the actual outcome.

"The farmers are also deprived in other ways due to the lack of technical know how in cultivating the crop," says Birkha Bahadur Gurung, a farmer, adding that improper management of manure in farming has resulted in poor harvesting.

According to the District Agriculture Branch Office, farmers have been provided with technical and other agricultural aids besides availing loans with cooperation of the Agricultural Development Bank.

Traffic office lacks resources

By Rabindra Uprety

MAHOTTARI, Feb 16: The district traffic office here is getting tough time to contain traffic management and rescue operations due to the lack of enough manpower and resources.

The office lacks proper communication facilities and other necessary facilities. Mahottari where over 2,000 vehicles ply daily on its 246 kilometers of road has no telephone lines and no vehicles of its own.

"We do not get the information about an accident promptly since we have no means of communication," says Pradip Kumar Shrestha, Chief inspector. "We could have saved a few lives if we had a proper communication system and our own vehicles."

Recently, a school bus returning from an educational tour met with an accident 20 kilometers from the district traffic office,
but the rescue team reached the site only after two hours. Locals say many such incidents have taken place.

The traffic police office runs under the management of the District Police Office . "But the District Police Office provides us salaries and the rent money," says a traffic police. "Even the furniture here are donated by the locals."

Plea for voters’ awareness

RSS

JANAKPURDHAM, Feb 16: A two-day interaction programme on promoting voter awareness during the election process for people from the political parties and the social sector organised jointly by the district election office and N.D.I. Nepal concluded here today.

Altogether 42 persons representing various institutions and organisations including Nepali Congress Dhanusha district president Ramkrishna Yadav, Shital Jha of the CPN-UML, district secretary of the Rastriya Prajatantra Party Udayakant Thakur, Nepal Sadbhavana Party district  president Bijaya Lal Das and Nepal Trade Union Dhanusha district president Lal Kishor Saha took part in the interaction.

On the occasion, the participants stressed the need for making the election code of conduct more effective in order to make the elections free, fair and peaceful.

The participants were also of the view that the candidature of candidates flouting the election code of conduct should be revoked, that women should be allowed to cast their ballots first and preventing any government and non-governmental institutions from undertaking any programmes such as inauguration and foundation-laying during the entire election period.

Similarly, the meet also emphasised on raising public awareness on election and its importance and preventing any kind of malpractice and rigging during elections.

The participants also pointed out that service-holders living in places away from their home should be allowed to send their vote by post.

Hari Bahadur B.C. of the Election Commission, Election Commission Officer Yam Lal Adhikari and chief of the district election office Binod Kumar Pokharel shed light on the objectives of the seminar.