Income generating scheme for HIV infected people

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KATHMANDU, March 14: The Himalayan Social Welfare Organisation (HSWO) formally announced its income-generating programmes for HIV-infected people, in co-ordination with Public Services International, a non-profitable international non-government organisation.

According to the HSWO officials, the HIV/AIDS infected would be involved in the packaging of new condoms (Number 1) that is to be launched by April 2003, specially targeting HIV prevention among youths.

"Recently around twenty HIV-infected are selected for this newly launched programme, who were compelled to live stigmatised life," said Anupama Shrestha, chairperson of the HSWO.

HSWO’s main targets are those working in transport line (mainly bus and truck drivers and conductors) in the Ring Road side. "We make them aware about the deadly infection of HIV virus, give them classes about the disease and the importance of condom and counsel those who are infected," said Shrestha, shedding light on the organisation.

"The main aim of the programme is to communicate a message that HIV-infected are also productive for their family," said Steven Honeyman, Country Representative of PSI. "This kind of programme will successfully reach the grassroots level."

At the programme, chairperson Shrestha handed over a souvenir to Honeyman.

Call to reform discriminatory laws against women

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KATHMANDU, March 14: The Constitution of Nepal contains 156 discriminatory laws against women, claims the paper presented at a programme. The paper was presented at an interaction programme on ‘Discriminatory Law against Women and the Role of Media’ today.

Speaking on the occasion, Ramesh Nath Pandey, Minister for Information and Communications said the condition of Nepali women is much better as compared to the women of neighbouring countries despite few discriminatory laws prevailing in the country.

He said, it is necessary to reform the wrong traditions existing in the Nepali society.

"Laws should be amended in such a way that the society can benefit from it", he said.

Tara Nath Dahal, president of FNJ said, "If we show a step-motherly attitude towards women, it would have a negative impact in the overall development of the nation for women occupy half of the society".

Speaking at the programme, he said media should play a vital role in empowering women and raise women-related issues to amend the existing discriminatory laws.

Harihar Birahi, president of the Press Council, remarked that political freedom alone would not uplift women and everyone should feel responsible towards the society to solve the existing problems"

He said media should expose the existing problems prevalent in the society and gain the support of policy-makers.

Gunraj Luitel, senior journalist of Kantipur daily, stressed on making these issues the agenda of newspapers.

"Though it is not possible in journalism to act like an activist, activism is very important to solve the problem", he said.

Apart from the discriminatory laws, advocate Sapana Malla condemned materialising of women in advertisements and portraying them in negative characters in films and tele-serials. She said such trends have generated wrong picture of women in the society.

"However, it should be clear that the movement of gender equity is not the movement against men", she said.

Bijay Raj Bhattarai, secretary at the Ministry for Women, Children and Social Welfare said that women participation in all the sectors are very less and it is almost nil at the policy level.

He said media should represent women’s problems at all levels.

Shambhu Shrestha, president of Press Chautari Nepal, Indu Kant Ghimire, co-ordinator of Mainstreaming Gender Equity Programme, and Kashi Nath Dahal, secretary of Judiciary Council also expressed their views at the programme.

The programme was organised by the Federation of the Nepalese Journalist (FNJ), Ministry for Women, Children and Social Welfare, Mainstreaming Gender Equity Programme, and United Nation Development Programme.

Human rights action plan in about a month

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KATHMANDU, March 14: The National Human Rights Action Plan (NHRAP) would be made public in about a month, the concerned officials said here today. It was initially expected to be ready by December 2002, "but unforseen circumstances caused delay in its timely completion."

The approval of the plan by the government would bring about timely and desired changes in all the govering rules and regulations.

"The changes will be for the good and in compliance with human rights," Tirtha Man Shakya, a former chief secretary and consultant of the National Human Rights Action Plan Project (NHRAPP) told reporters.

While the origin of the plan lies in UN World Conference on Human Rights which was held in Geneva in 1993, the government had decided to work on such a plan in March 2000. This was followed by consultative seminars before the NHRAPP began working in April 2002.

The highlights of the action plan include the commitment of the government to human rights and development programmes.

However, the major thrust of the action plan would be on incorporating elements of human rights in development plans. The government has, meanwhile, expressed commitment to inculcate the spirit in the Tenth Plan document.

The action plan would also stress on increasing the level of awareness and understanding of rights among the general public. In fact, this would be done by incorporating the spirit of human rights in all the spheres of national socio-economic life. Resources for the same would come from domestic and international donors.

Incidents of road accident on rise

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KATHMANDU, March 14: The road accidents in the Kathmandu Valley is in the increasing trend, a study by the traffic police revealed here today.

"In the year 2001 there were 255 road accidents in the valley while in the year 2002 the number reached 2,187 and the latest figure of accidents for this month is 209, in which seven have been found dead," said Sudeep Acharya, Deputy Superintendent of Police . Speaking at a seminar on ‘Awareness of Various Technical and Non-technical Accidents’organised by the Society for Humanity, Incitation and Education-Nepal,

Acharya said, the frequent causes of accidents these days are the pitiable state of the road, growing number of vehicles and unawareness of traffic rules among the people.

He also pointed out that the places prone to accidents are Sukedhara, Koteshwor, Gwarko crossing, Babar Mahal, Tinkune, Maitidevi, Thimi, Kalanki and Old Bus Park and added that the increasing number of vehicles has created traffic congestion and ultimately increase in the number of accidents.

At the programme, they gave a brief introduction of these technical and non-technical accidents and the current situation of these accidents. They focused on precautions that have to be taken to avoid these accidents and the first aid tips after the accidents.

They also gave away certificates to blood donors who had taken part in their blood donation programme held on the 24th of February on the occasion of Education Day.

Joint sacred thread ceremony

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KATHMANDU, March 14: With a view to preserving Hindu culture and to lighten the economic burden of parents, the Rastriya Janajagaran Samaj Sudhar Nepal, an NGO, organised a joint bratabandha ( sacred thread ceremony) amidst a function at Albert English School here today.

Twelve children aged between 5 to 13 years from the Newaa community underwent the joint bratabandha ceremony following the Newari rituals.After the recitement of the mantras by the priest Moti Bajracharya, the hairs of the children were shaved off.

Teachers take to streets

KATHMANDU, March 14 (PR)- Hundreds of temporary teachers Friday took out a lantern rally at the capital demanding the dismissal of the long-pending results of teachers’ selection test and to make them permanent.

The protest march, which mustered around 1,500 temporary teachers from over 40 districts across the country, started from the Open Air Theatre in Tundikhel and culminated in a gathering at the Ministry of Education and Sports at Kesharmahal.

Teachers claimed that they were left as temporary staff for several years and their plea for permanence has been given a deaf ear by the successive governments. Similarly, their assertion is that the government had failed to announce the results of over seven-year-old teachers’ selection test. They demanded that the government stop the publication of much delayed results.

Generating awareness through radio

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KATHMANDU, March 14: Radio Listeners’ Club has been successful in generating awareness among villagers at the grass-roots level. This was revealed at an interaction programme organised by Martin Chowtari here yesterday.

Keshav Adhikari of Radio Listeners’ Club, Dhading remarked that these clubs are acting as a bridge of communication between the villagers and the radio programme.

He further said that the incidents and problems are exposed effectively through these clubs. "The group discussion has helped quite a lot to solve the local problems", he added.

Gopal Guragai of the Communication Corner, who also hosted a radio programme Haaka Haaki in the Radio Nepal, said that the present condition shows the declining interest in radio. This, they pointed out, is mainly due to the sprouting of several FM stations and television channels.

He also said that group listening of radio is also decreasing. However, all the radio listeners' clubs are working actively though few of them are passive, he added.

Kedar Khadka of Pro Public said that these clubs should not limit themselves to single programmes and said that the team is working towards changing the name of Radio Listeners’ Club to Asal Sushasan Club.

He observed that with the increase in these kinds of clubs, quality has also increased, thereby definitely helping the programme.

"These clubs have helped to generate awareness among the masses, who are illiterate and deprived of other modern facilities", said Prekshya Ojha of INSEC.

Skin diseases on alarming rise in mid, far-west regions

By Rudra Khadka

NEPALGUNJ, March 14: The mid- and far-western regions have the highest number of skin disease patients. The disease may take a grave turn if not addressed in time, warned the concerned sources.

Of the total 8,000 patients examined at a health camp organised by the government in Dailekh district last month, 2,000 patients were found suffering from skin diseases.

Another free health camp held in Fattepur VDC of Banke district by NGOs this Wednesday also witnessed a majority of people suffering from skin diseases. Of 1,200 patients examined so far, 300 were victims of various skin diseases.

"High infection rate of skin diseases speaks of an urgent need of a separate hospital to cure skin diseases in these regions," said Dr. J.Raj Shakya, a doctor at the Bheri Zonal Hospital (BZH). "If rampant rise of the disease is any indication it will create a problematic situation in the near future, if not curbed in time."

Situation in the region could be graver as most of the people hesitate to get their diseases examined, according to Shakya. "Around 100 to 150 skin disease patients develop leprosy each year in mid- and far-western Nepal," added Shakya.

The hospital is unable to check the flow of patients suffering from skin diseases. Of the total patients treated last year, those with skin diseases constituted 18 per cent, said a source at BZH.

"Since 90 per cent of the AIDS patients are found suffering from skin diseases, a campaign should be launched for awareness against skin diseases," said Shakya.

Among skin diseases, a disease depicted in majority of the patients is characterised by pimples like those produced by burns and itches.

The disease is found affecting the rich and the poor, and the civilised and the illiterate alike. One catches skin diseases due to lack of personal hygiene and from wearing dirty clothes, according to health experts who also revealed that the number of sexually transmitted diseases along with AIDS are also on an alarming rise in these regions.

Maoists take control of private land

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BAGLUNG, March 14: Some locals, who were preparing to return home following the cease-fire, are still scared of going back home after the Maoists captured their land.

Latest report suggested that Nanda Ram Kandel of Tara Village Development Committee has not been able to return home, as the rebels captured his 18 ropanis of land.

The rebels are learnt to have captured his land about two weeks ago. Kandel and his family members have been taking refuge in the district headquarters since last year due to Maoist threats. His neighbours said that the rebels have planted potatoes on his land.

"They have captured my land even after the cease-fire announcement," said Kandel, "Despite the cease-fire I cannot go back home." Officials said that 105 people have been displaced from 15 VDCs of the district.

Commitment for an AIDS-controlled district reflected only on paper

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HETAUDA, March 14: Three years ago, the District Development Committee (DDC) of Makwanpur had expressed their commitment to make this district free of HIV/AIDS within five-year period and popularise this district as an AIDS controlled district.

However, it has not been able to convert this commitment to reality so far. In the process of formulation strategies at the district level in 2000 with the motive of wrestling the spread of HIV/AIDS, a joint commitment was expressed to free Makwanpur from the grip of this dreadful disease in order to restore a healthy, creative, developed and alert society.

Instead of achieving the status of an AIDS-controlled district, the cases of HIV/AIDS have been rising daily due to the inefficiency of implementation the HIV/AIDS programmes. After the formulation of the AIDS control strategies the HIV/AIDS programmes had been conducted with assistance from the UNDP through the involvement of DDC there. An employee of the District AIDS Co-ordination branch says that due to financial constraint the programmes have come to a standstill.

After the UNDP stopped providing financial assistance since two years, the DDC has not been able to work according to objectives to meet the set goal, reiterated the Local Development Officer (LDO), Rameshkanta Paudel. During strategies and plans formulation for the control of HIV/AIDS, they had come in contact with 60 AIDS inflicted people, though only six of them have succumbed to death. But now, this figure has increased to around 100, and around 30 have already died due to this malady.

Muharram celebrated with gaiety

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JANAKPUR, March 14: The followers of religion have just concluded the ceremony of Muharram on the tenth day of Rajabi on Friday evening.

On this occasion, the Muslim people of this region took part in the procession that went around the various parts of the city such as Rajaul, Pidari, Kapileshwor and so forth along with the Tajiya, which is considered the symbol of Hussain.

Jubilant youths took to a peace procession displaying their traditional weapons such as spears, faidsa, and swinging sticks in a skilful and articulate manner, and repeating the slogan " Ya Hussain, Ya Hussain" as they moved along. This procession finally ends in a gathering at the Barhaniya ground in the evening, which is referred to as Rain.

It is learnt that the Muslims celebrate Muharram to commemorate the martyrdom of Hajrat Hussain Raji Allaha Anho. On this day the Jankar sect of Muslims observe Roja (fast), and give alms to fakir (sages), while the youths engage themselves in the processions. It is not right to indulge in so much merry-making on this remorseful festival, says Mohammad Asagar.

SLC students in a fix over exam centres

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Fungling, Taplejung, March 14: The School Leaving Certificate (SLC) Board examination is often referred to as the Iron Gate, which often moulds the future of the students, who are the makers of the nation. But this time the prospective students appearing for the SLC exams are more troubled by the exam centres rather than the exam itself.

Though barely a week remains for the SLC exams to begin, the District Education Office (DEO) in this district has yet to fix the exam centres for those students appearing for the up coming board exam.

All the 1254 students of this district who are appearing for these exams are a fearful lot, as the DEO has not been able to arrange any exam centres so far. They are reminded of the previous year’s situation, when the examinees had to go to the district headquarters a day ahead to sit for their board exams. If this repeats this time too, the students will have no option but to rent rooms at the district headquarters during the examination period.

A student of Saraswati Secondary School in Ghampang, Khem Niraula, says that if the Education Office would inform them in time about the centres, even if they need to go to the district headquarters to sit for this exam, they can arrange for their lodging a few days before the exam. Last year quite a few of them could not make it on time for this exam, as they could not find a room on rent.

Since, there is peace in the village now, the exam centres should be arranged in the village itself, laments Rabiman Lamjel, headmaster of Saraswati Secondary School. This negligence from the DEO has specially hampered the students hailing from remote parts of this district, he added. In order to come to the district headquarters of Taplejung from remote villages such as, Papung, Lelep, Olangchung Gola, Surumkhim and some others, it takes around eight days, it is learnt.

According to Chan Bhandary, school inspector at the DEO, if the security personnel have no problem going to these villages for the peaceful conduct of the exams, it would be better to arrange centres at various villages. The security personnel have not given their decision in this regard as yet. However, they will soon come to some decision very soon and inform the students appearing for this up-coming SLC exam.

He further said that due to the vulnerable security situation that persisted in the rural parts, the exam centres that were earmarked there in the past, were shifted to the district headquarters from last year.

732 regular students and 522 exempted students from 32 secondary schools in this region, are appearing for the coming up SLC board exam. This number is less than the previous year, it is learnt.

Public campaign launched in Rapti

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DANG, March 14: CPN-UML has launched a month long public campaign in the Rapti zone for lasting peace and progressive movement, according to concerned sources. Speaking at a press conference today, Prakash Jwala, the CPN-UML Zone in-charge said that the party was committed to change the truce situation into lasting peace.

"Through the campaign, the party will complete the consensus building phase at the grass-root level," said Jwala adding that any negotiations between the government and the Maoists reached bypassing the political parties would not give an outlet to the crisis dogging the nation. Though the campaign aims to familiarise people on the decisions reached by the Seventh National Convention of the party, stress is laid in making truce a success, said Jwala.

Convention of differently abled persons

KAPILVASTU, March 14 (PR)- The fourth national convention of differently abled people kicked off with the slogan ‘Equal Opportunity, Participation and Development; the solution for the present crisis; the way to the freedom of differently abled persons’ according to sources. Inaugurated by the CPN-UML general secretary, Madhav Kumar Nepal, the two-day convention shall issue the Kapilvastu manifesto proclaiming to safeguard the rights of the disabled, according to the concerned sources.

Money distributed to dalit students

NAWALPARASI, March 14 (PR)- Purna Bahadur BK, the chairman of Dalit Mukti Samaj, an organisation of dalits or the suppressed people today distributed Rs. 250 each to 250 dalit students from 24 government schools amidst a programme. The amount was availed by the District Education Office (DEO) to encourage the students in their studies, according to sources. The programme was organised at the premises of Janata Secondary School.

Three released from detention

BAGLUNG, March 14 (PR) – Baglung District Administration Office today released an editor of a weekly and two teachers from 15 months of detention. They were detained on charges of being associated with the Maoist organisation. Those who were released from the detention have been identified as Badri Prasad Sharma, editor of Baglung Weekly, Man Bahadur Thapa, headmaster of Argal Lower Secondary School, and Bal Bahadur Thapa, a teacher of Karina Primary School. They were released in the presence of journalists and social workers.

Free eye camp organised

MANTHALI, March 14 (PR)- Hundreds of patients, especially from poor strata of the society are supposed to benefit from a three-day free eye health camp that started in Manthali, the headquarters of Ramechhap district today. It is organised by the Tamakoshi Service Committee, a local NGO, with association from the Tilganga Eye Hospital and Nepal-Australian Friendship Forum. Dr. Suman Shamsher Thapa, a senior doctor at the Tilganga Eye Hospital carried out cataract operations of 70 patients on the first day of the camp today. Of the total eye patients who benefited from the camp today, four were the members of a single family.