Accord on national park management plans signed

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KATHMANDU, Jan 2:The Ministry of Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation (MOCTCA) on behalf of Tourism for Rural Poverty Alleviation Programme and Department of National Parks and Wildlife Conservation(DNPWC) signed a five-year letter of agreement (LoA) to prepare the Sagarmatha National Park Management and Tourism Plans, according to a press statement of Department of National Parks and Wildlife Conservation .

The agreement was signed by Kashi Nath Sharma, joint secretary of MOCTCA and Dr. Swoyambhu Man Amatya, director general of DNPWC on December 31.

The programme is aimed at supporting the park and local authority to build up their institutional and management capacity in conservation and sustainable rural tourism, improvement of park and tourism infrastructure.

The programme which will be implemented by the DNPWC at the central level and Sagarmatha National Park (SNP) also includes social mobilization on conservation and tourism to the local people in order to generate income for their sustainable livelihood.

The programme is expected to benefit over 6000 locals residing in Churikharkha, Namche and Khumjung VDCs . The budget worth about US $ 1.2 million has been set aside for the purpose . The financial support for the programme is provided by the British Government’s Department for International Development, UNDP and SNV supported programmes— Tourism for Rural Poverty Alleviation Programme.

Need of AMK's co-ordination with govt health sectors stressed

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KATHMANDU, Jan 2:Aamaa Milan Kendra, a national level volunteer-based organization, organised the reproductive health central co-ordination meeting under the chairmanship of president Roshan Karki at its central office Bakhundole, Lalitpur today, states Aamaa Milan Kendra (AMK) committee press release issued here today.

According to the release, the meeting was addressed by the director general of Department of Health Services, Dr. Laxmi Raj Pathak. In his speech, he highlighted the effective co-ordination of AMK with the government health sectors for the successive and result-oriented activities. Dr. Pathak also committed to provide the supportive measures for further activities of AMK and believed to run them by following the strategies and frameworks of the government. He pointed out that the remarkable achievements of ‘Community Based Reproductive Health Services through AMK’ project implemented since February 1999 to by the end of December 2002 in four districts Lalitpur, Morang, Rupandehi and Syangja with the financial support of EC/UNFPA and technical support through Royal Tropical Institute (KIT), the release states.

President of Aamaa Milan Kendra Roshan Karki, states the release, explained in detail about the CBRH and Jeevan Surakshya Programme of Maternal and Neonatal Health Project, which is launching in 14 VDCs of Baglung district. She also emphasised and impressed the best co-ordination among the several authorities and stakeholders of government, non-government and private sector to run the activities effectively, says the release.

During her presentation on CBRH programme, project co-ordinator Vaijayanti Karki explained about the outputs of project activities. She highly prioritized the male involvement in Safe Motherhood Programme and about the issue of well-established emergency health care revolving fund at ward level.

The release states that the CBRH programme has succeeded in enhancing awareness on RH among the women and especially for adolescent girls and improved availability of SDK and family planning commodity.

Mato Bolchha launched

KATHMANDU, Jan 2 (PR) - ‘Mato Bolchha’, an audio album by musician, singer and lyricist, Kavitaram Shrestha, was launched here today. According to senior audio engineer Pradip Kumar Upadhyaya, the album is excellent in terms of its lyrics, music and special audio-effects.

Speaking on the occasion, Shrestha said that he has used special audio-support to bring out the message contained in the lyrics. "I have taken the assistance of background music to strengthen the musical effect," said Shrestha.

The album contains mostly the songs written by Shrestha during his stay in the United States. "Shrestha wrote these stories during a prolonged period of home sickness. They poignantly express the feelings of Nepalese living in the US," said Radheshyam Lekali.

India grants aid for road renovation

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KATHMANDU, Jan 2:Under its Aid to Nepal programme, the government of India undertook an important road renovation project in Pokhara, states an Indian Embassy press release received here today. According to the release, financial assistance of Rs 1,550,000 was made available by India for renovation of the road from Budha Chowk to Ramghat in Pokhara.

Local people contributed Rs 1,639,000 and were also fully involved in all stages of this project, states the release. The project was executed in close co-ordination with the Locality Development Committee, Ram Bazar and Budha Chowk Environment Committee who played an important role in ensuring timely completion. Department of Road of HMG and Pokhara Sub-Metropolis Office were responsible for technical supervision, the release says.

The road was formally inaugurated by Jawed Usmani, Minister (Economic Co-operation) of the Indian Embassy today in a special ceremony organised by the local people. Senior officials of HMG in Pokhara were also present on this occasion.

The release also states the minister also inaugurated two Drinking Water Projects costing Rs 305,000, which will benefit over 4000 persons in VDC Balewa Narayansthan (Baglung) and the other in Ward No. 10. Ramghat, Pokhara.

Hearing impaired women’s body formed

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KATHMANDU, Jan 2:A new National Deaf Women’s Development Committee was formed by dissolving the earlier committee here today.

The meeting organised by the Nepal National Federation of the Deaf and Hard of Hearing (NFDH) was participated by the representatives of more than 10 districts. The meeting aimed at developing awareness level amongst the deaf women by informing them about the existing laws related to women and their rights.

The chief guest of the programme, social worker and professor Ganesh Raj Singh said that the committee should first have qualitative scheme based on proper planning, priority, proportion, punctuality, promptness and patience to achieve the target.

He also opined that the laws relating to handicapped people and their rights, which are drafted in the paper, should be put into use.

On the occasion, advocate Punya Shila Ghimire gave the detailed information regarding women’s rights to all the participants. She shed light on their rights to abortion, their rights after the divorce, and other important rights including the Constitution of Nepal.

Accupressure treatment camp to be organised

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KATHMANDU, Jan 2:A special team of Indian doctors will be coming to Nepal this week to operate a free accupressure treatment and training camp. Starting January 7, renowned accupressure specialist Dinbandhu Archarya and Dr Ravishchandra Jaiswal along with their team will organise the free camp at Ranisati Sadan in Birgunj.

The experts at the camp, states the press release issued here, are capable to treat numerous diseases like the headache, sinusitis, polio, diabetes and asthma. The team has also called for children below 16 years who have defects in their limbs, to come for the camp, in order to cure such defects without any kind of operation. The free health camp is being organised with the initiative of Lions and Leo Club of Birgunj and Marwari Sewa Trust also of Birgunj.

New website on fine art

KATHMANDU, Jan 2 (PR) - It won’t be difficult for lovers of fine art to know more about the subject from now on. www.fineartnepal.com (FAN) is a new website established by young artists to popularise this art world-wide.

This website, which is already available on the net will be formally inaugurated on January 4. It is believed that the website would be useful in providing information regarding fine arts and its practitioners.

Winter Day Camp for children

KATHMANDU, Jan 2 (PR) - With the objective of bringing out the talent and creativity of children and making an efficient environment for the interaction of children from different sections of society, the Nepal Children’s Organisation (NCO) is organising a Winter Day Camp, starting from today.

150 children, in the age group nine to twelve years are participating in the camp, out of which 30 are from the NCO children’s home and 120 are from the community.

For the duration of the camp, the children will be involved in programmes, such as computer, arts, sports, dance/music, movie show, child rights education, apart from studies (English, Nepali, Science and Mathematics) and general health check-up. The NCO Winter Camp, which is an annual affair, during the winter vacations, is conducted within the Bal Mandir premises.

Anthology of essays released

KATHMANDU, Jan 2 (PR) - An anthology of critical essays on ‘Marubhumiko Kanda’, written by poetess Keshari Bajjracharya, was launched today at a programme organised by Hamro Nepal. The anthology of essays, named ‘Marubumiko Kanda Bimba-Pratibimba Samalochana Sangraha’, contains 35 essays by leading literary critics of Nepal. According to the critics speaking on the occasion, Bajracharya’s perception of the plight of women in Nepal is very incisive and her poems strongly portray that. "Bajracharya’s sensitivity is singular," said senior poet Madhav Ghimire, and added, "we expect more poems form her. May she find the way to live comfortably with the enormous sensitivity she has."

Nepali song voted 7th in BBC survey

KATHMANDU, Jan 2(RSS)- Lyricist Rajendra Rijal was first surprised and then overwhelmed with happiness when he came to know that the song he had scribbled was voted seventh among the world’s most popular songs in a survey conducted by the BBC. His song ‘Rhitu Haruma Timi Hariyali Basanta Hou, Nadi Haruma Timi...’ was liked by most music lovers in the world because of its good blend of vocal, music and wording, said Rijal while talking to RSS. "It is not a small thing to see that a song from a small country has been liked internationally, it is a matter of national glory", he said. His song was placed seventh among seven thousand songs from 155 countries of the world, on the occasion of the 70th anniversary of British Broadcasting Corporation. More than 150,000 listeners had participated in the survey responded through telephone, fax, e- mail and letters from November 1, 2002.

Freed Kamaiya families face grim situation

By Dipendra Baduwal

BARDIA, Jan 2:The government announced that the freed Kamaiyas from the Bangai camp in Bardia district are going through harsh times, as the weather is getting colder day by day and they do not have any work to sustain themselves. They look famished due to shortage of food.

During the August-September months last year too they were faced with shortage of food and the means to keep them alive. Now they are in search of a way-out of this drudgery.

It is learnt that many have even sent their young children to towns and cities to work in restaurants and small tea-shops as dish-washers, but they lament that without any proper arrangement of wage earning means their condition will not get any better. The only easily accessible means of earning for them has been to pull rickshaws in Nepalgunj.

Since they do not have any rice-grains, they are now surviving on the fruits of wood apple (Bel). They boil this fruit before consumption. Those who have some vegetables in their homestead have somehow managed to survive on it. Since there is not enough food the children often pester their elders, as a result of which many of the male Kamaiyas have catapulted across the border to India in search of work that would provide them some form of relief.

Due to the male members leaving for India, the plight of the females have aggravated even more since they cannot venture out on their own to work as labourers, laments Puniya Tharuni.

For those whose very existence became threatened have again sent their children back to the previous landlords to work as bonded labourers. One of the Kamaiyas also informed that in exchange for a quintal of rice-grains she is forced to send her daughter to work for a landlord.

Some elder female members however had been lucky enough to accrue some money by washing dishes for other well-off families, but said that even this job was difficult to find these days.

These Kamaiyas in their sad countenance express doubt that the government that could not provide them with the promised land could not also guarantee them of food.

One of the Kamaiyas at this camp said that in the previous year they had been the most deprived of all the Kamaiya camps around, and this year as well the chances are very bleak.

It is learnt that these 115 households have encroached on the forest area, and they have distributed three kathas of land per household on their own.

Similar is the story of the freed Kamaiyas at the Machagad camp. Here, the Kamaiyas have been barely existing on the gourds that are grown on their farms, and sometimes if lucky they happen to find fishes in the water-filled ditches.

A Kamaiya at this camp, Majiram Tharu says that until now no government or non-government organisations have taken any notice of this grim situation and have not come forward to help them out. He adds that in spite of going to the headquarters and informing them about this pathetic situation, nobody has shown any interest in them so far.

However, Bardia-based secretary, Bhagiram Chaudhary refutes by saying that they were not informed about this situation, and in two-days time they would inquire into the entire matter, after which they would be distributing food stuffs. According to him, during the previous famine they had provided assistance.

Two rebels killed

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KATHMANDU, Jan 2:The Defence Ministry today said that two Maoist rebels were killed in army action while rescuing a teacher of a local school at Rawatkot village in Dailekh district from Maoist captivity on Wednesday. However, the security forces were successful in rescuing the teacher from the captivity.

The Ministry said that the security forces rescued a man whose hand was chopped off by the rebels in the Badalpur area of Bardiya and admitted him to hospital for treatment on Tuesday.

Meanwhile, our reporter in Salyan said that security has been beefed up in Khalanga, the district headquarters, in anticipation of Maoist attacks. Locals from the adjoining villages of the district headquarters said the rebels have spread a rumour that they would attack Khalanga in the near future.

The security forces have also intensified counter insurgency operations in the adjoining Village Development Committees in response to the heightened Maoist activities.

Free eye camp organised

RSS

BHADRAPUR, Jan 2:Elder Citizen Felicitation Academy, Jhapa in assistance with Mechi Eye Hospital, Birtamod ran different eye camps at Damak, Lakhanpur, Madhumalla and Urlabari of Jhapa and Morang districts on the occasion of 32nd birthday of HRH Paras Bir Bikram Shah Dev and birth anniversary of late His Majesty King Birendra.

A total of 746 patients had their eyes checked up and operation of 102 cataract patients was conducted on the occasion.

New species of bird located

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KATHMANDU, Jan 2:A new bird species in Nepal, the Moustached Warbler (Acrocephalus melanopogon), has been recorded at the Sukla Phanta Wildlife Reserve.

A communiqué from the Bird Conservation Nepal (BCN), states that the bird was recorded on an ornithological survey by a BCN team led by Dr Hem Sagar Baral, along with Tika Giri, Badri Choudhary and Som GC. The bird was sighted for the first time in Nepal, on December 22, along the edge of Rani Tal marshes of Sukla Phanta Wildlife Reserve.

The team also said they noted at least three birds in that area and suspected that the species could be in large numbers, stated the press release.

The moustached warbler belongs to the family Sylviidas and subfamily Acrocephalinae. It has a distinct, broad white supercilium, a darker stripe through its eye, dark ear-coverts, whitish throat, light rufous unstreaked rump, streaked head and back. According to the team, its call appears to be thicker than any other Acrocephalus occurring in Sukla Phanta, said the release.

This species mostly inhabits open edges of marshy grassland. Within the Indian subcontinent, the newly recorded bird is found in India and Pakistan as winter visitor.

Ornithologists working with BCN suspect this species to be, either a passage migrant or winter visitor to Nepal in small numbers, the release further stated. With the sighting of this bird, the total number of birds found in Nepal has reached 859.

Praganna Irrigation Project making progress

GHORAHI, Dang, Jan 2 (PR) - A monitoring team of the Ministry of Water Resources today inspected the Praganna Irrigation Project, being undertaken on a priority basis in the Deukhuri Valley of this district.

The team leader, Mohan Chandra Baral, under-secretary of the Ministry, said that construction was moving ahead satisfactorily.

The Rs 420 million project, funded by the Kuwaiti Fund, is expected to benefit about 40,000 people of Sonpur, Chaulahi, Sishaniya and Lalmatiya areas once the project is completed by the end of October this year.

Chairman of the Praganna Irrigation Main Co-ordination Committee, Shiva Kumar Sharma, said that construction work is progressing at a fast pace. Water from the Rapti River will be diverted to the project to irrigate thousands of hectares of land in the Deukhuri Valley.

Police arrest seven dacoits

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BUTWAL, Jan 2:The police were successful in nabbing a big band of dacoits who were involved in a looting spree in the northern localities of Rupendehi for quite some time, on Thursday along with cash and other valuables.

These bandits who were fleeing after plundering four houses in Motipur VDC-9 adjacent to Butwal Municipality at around 10:30 p.m. on Wednesday night, were busted at Buddhanagar of Butwal after the main route was blocked. Acting on a tip-off, the police had blocked down all the main routes. The police were able to round-up seven dacoits by 3 a.m., Thursday morning, while four are still at large. Cash amounting to Rs. 28,000, half a kilogram of silver ornaments, a fake pistol used in scaring the locals, and spears were recovered from the arrested looters, while the actual loot was expected to amount to Rs. 500,000. The search is on for the escaped culprits.

These bandits had looted the houses of Man Bahadur Rana, Chal Bahadur Gurung, Dambar Singh Gurung and Bidyadhar of Motipur VDC-9 on Wednesday.

Seven days of wait for citizenship costs an elderly man his life

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MANTHALI, Dec 2:After a whole week in the district headquarters, in an attempt to acquire a citizenship card, 60-year-old, Ratna Bahadur Khadka died on Thursday morning, leaving his dream of becoming a 100 percent Nepali unfulfilled.

For much of the time last year, Khadka had been engaged in the process of obtaining his citizenship certificate. The seven-day stay at the headquarters aggravated Khadka’s stomach ailment. He had to be hospitalised at the Primary Health Centre, in Manthali, where he died on Thursday.

Khadka who had been living away from home for many years, had been spotted by his uncle and sent home. His uncle wanted him to obtain a citizenship card to make him eligible to the property left behind by his forefathers, but unfortunately his uncle’s dream of making his nephew the rightful owner of the property was shattered due to his death.

The assistant secretary of CPN-UML of Ramechhap, expressing grief over Khadka’s death, alleged that such incidents occur due to delays by the Village Development Committee (VDC) secretary in providing the necessary recommendation.

Manhari Baral, the VDC secretary, however, refutes the allegation saying that he had provided all the necessary papers to Khadka in proper time. Baral who has been posted here just for the past one-and-half month said to The Kathmandu Post correspondent, "The recommendation had already been provided by the former secretary of this VDC during October, I provided him with additional proof for the citizenship card on Wednesday."

It is learnt that Khadka had come for the citizenship card in October but at that time the Administration had asked for police verification.

Training on food nutrition organised

BIRATNAGAR, Jan 2(RSS)- Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Agriculture Badri Prasad Mandal has said the agriculture technicians of the rural level should work by internalising the needs of the farmers.

DPM Mandal was addressing the trainees of training on food nutrition organised at Biratnagar by the Regional Food Lab as well as the gathering of the agriculture and livestock technicians.

Regional agro-director Ghanashyam Singh shed light on the agricultural activities in the eastern region. Altogether 35 technicians of Sunsari and Morang district had participated in the training.

Stress on more security in Lumbini

RSS

BUTWAL, Jan 2:Need for more security measures to be adopted in Lumbini area, the birth place of Lord Buddha, has been realised.

The need becomes more apparent due to the escalating encroachment, fire, destruction, illegal felling of trees, poaching, and damage of pole lamps, theft of electric wires and the possibility of inundation in the Lumbini area.

According to Lumbini Development Trust council member Govinda Chitrakar, security does not mean only the physical security as such but it also includes the security and preservation of things of moral, cultural and archaeological significance.

Preservation of different posters, idols, thanka paintings, arts and archaeological remnants found as Buddhist heritage is the prime concern today, he said.

Attention needs to be paid for the preservation also because the area contains Ashoka pillar and marker stone to prove the birthplace of Lord Buddha, he said. Lumbini, which covers an area of 459.99 hectares encompasses plants of 114 species, birds and animals of different species and 40 houses of varying sizes.

Security situation in the area should be consolidated as this is one of the main tourist sites in the country where thousands of domestic and foreign tourists visit annually for its cultural, religious, archaeological, aesthetic and environmental importance, says local Buddhist intellectual Lok Darhsan.

‘Any tourist visiting the area should be able to realise that he/she is fully secure,’ he said.

Attention should be paid also to the increasing pollution in the area, which has a direct impact on bio-diversity and the number of tourists visiting, says chief of Lumbini Crane Reserve Centre Rajendra Suwal.

Management of fire apparatuses, construction of high walls around the area, management of security guards at bihars and stupas and necessary works for controlling the possibility of inundation due Khurdhalotan embankment are the major problems, which at least should be settled sooner, the local people opine.

‘Everyone should respect human rights’

RAJBIRAJ, Jan 2(RSS)- Speaking at a talk programme on ‘respect of human rights, call for peace’ organised by Amnesty International Nepal group 30, Rajbiraj here yesterday judge of Saptari District Court Dr Hari Bansha Tripathi said every one in the society is to respect and follow human rights remaining within the circumference of law.

Central president of Amnesty International Pradip Pokharel said both Maoists and governments are violating human rights equally.

Motorcycle rally held

BHADRAPUR, Jan 2(RSS)- A grand leading workers gathering and a motorcycle rally was organised here yesterday by the Nepali Congress (Democratic) district committee Jhapa on the occasion of the 26th national unity and national reconciliation day. The motorcycle rally went through Chandragadhi, Bhadrapur, Charali, Dhulabari and Kakarbhitta from the party office Birtamod and converged into a meeting at Birtamod. Speaking on the occasion central member and ex-minister Narendra Bikram Nembang, central observers Mani Lama and Mahesh Karmocha and NA member Shukra Raj Samyok called for national reconciliation. At the programme presided over by NC-D Jhapa district president Keshav Kumar Budhathoki, district direction committee convenor Gopal Kumar Basnet, ex-minister Prem Raj Angdambe, and ex-MP Shankar Prasad Upreti also expressed their views.

‘Public should oppose violence’

BAGLUNG, Jan 2(RSS)- The speakers of a human rights seminar organised yesterday by the Human Rights and Peace Society said that a revolution can not be successful through violence, and to dismantle development infrastructure is to push the country to disintegration. Society chairman Krishna Pahadi said the murder and violence should be opposed by the people themselves. Senior journalist Purushottam Dahal said the destruction could lead the country to slavery. CDO Prem Narayan Sharma, representatives of political parties, journalists, and FNJ Dhaulagiri president Narayan Dutta Kandel also expressed their views.

Cold affects life in Rautahat

GAUR, Jan 2(RSS)- The people of Rautahat district have been badly affected by the cold wave in the Terai region for the last few days. There is no crowd of the people in the market areas including the district headquarters, Gaur, Chandranigahapur and Bankul. The trade activities of the district are also decreasing due to the cold weather in the district, according to the Rautahat Chamber of Commerce. The farmers and the poor people of the district are badly affected by the cold weather and the vegetables planted in the winter season are also affected by the cold wave. The lives of the people living under the poverty line are badly affected.