Focus on conservation of herbal plants

Post Report

KATHMANDU, March 21 : The first Nepal-India Science and Technology Day kicked off here today with an exhibition on medicinal, aromatic plants, and herbal products – also the first of its type. The event is expected to discuss ways in which Nepal can have economic gain in terms of its herbal resources.

Organised jointly by the Ministry of Science and Technology in both Nepal and India to mark the first anniversary of co-operation between the two countries in the area of science and technology, the three-day programme will be participated by scientists of both the countries.

The event has been organised with an objective to promote co-operation between scientists and technologists of Nepal and India working in the area of herbal and medicinal plants.

"Presently much of the herbal resources is collected from the wild and exported out of the country in the form of crude plant materials," said Mahesh Man Shrestha, secretary of MOST. "Therefore these valuable resources are still under-utilised and under-value in Nepal."

Shrestha further added that it was important for scientists and technologists to work together in this field so that the rural people will receive the maximum benefits and at the same time our herbal plants will be conserved.

"Science and technology inputs are required to protect the valuable gene pool, enhance production and productivity through their cultivation, and add value in the local areas so that local people are benefited optimally," said Upendra Devkota, Minister for Science and Technology.

Minister Devkota also said that under the programme of co-operation between the two countries, an Institute of Technology was being established in the far-western region of the country, focusing primarily on information, rural and bio-technology.

Similarly, speaking on the occasion, Prof. Dr. Kedar Lal Shrestha, chief scientific advisor, MOST also stressed the importance in utilising our herbal and medicinal plants. He expressed his hope that the event and exhibition will prove to be a useful platform in dividing ways in which to enhance herbal production.

The Himalayan region is very rich in medicinal plant bio-diversity. Out of more than 250,000 estimated species on the earth, about 75,000 higher plants are used for traditional medicine. In Nepal, about 80 percent of rural people depend on herbal medicines and about 80 percent of herbal products are exported to India for manufacturing Ayurvedic as well as allopathic medicines.

Rescued trafficked women face tough challenges

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Kathmandu, March 21: Trafficked women face excessive challenges even after they are rescued and returned to Nepal. It is an uphill task to rehabilitate them in our society after rescuing them from brothels, according to Indira Rana, member of the Nepal Human Rights Commission.

"Our deeply conservative society does not accept them and therefore their rehabilitation is a tough task. Unless there is a holistic change in the socio-economic and educational front, they will continue to remain victims of ill fate" said Rana today at the inaugural session of a two-day seminar organised by the Human Rights Organisation of Nepal (HURON).

The seminar aims to clarify the fundamental concepts related to human trafficking and to disseminate human rights standards and strategies to treat trafficked women.

Birendra Keshari Pokhrel, advisor of HURON, said during an address at the seminar that unless there is proportionate representation of women in the political arena, the voices of women are going to remain inaudible. "There should be 50 percent representation of women in politics," he said.

Pokhrel also disclosed so far around two hundred thousand women have been trafficked from Nepal. "Out of that number, around 60 percent are in the sex industry," he added.

Due to strongly rooted social taboos that regard women unclean once they are trafficked and sold to brothels, many of the rescued women end up doing sex business in Nepal as well.

"Nobody provides them employment after they return to Nepal. Their families do not accept them. Therefore, they have no other choice but to continue with flesh trade in the market. That makes the rescue efforts largely meaningless," said Pokhrel.

Racial Discrimination Eradication Day observed

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Kathmandu, March 21 : Minister for Physical Planning and Works Narayan Singh Pun today said the problems of Dalits should be taken as a national problem and should be treated as a major agenda by the government.

He was speaking at a programme organised to mark the 38th International Day for Eradication of Racial Discrimination organised by Main Preparation Committee of various Dalit organisations.

Speaking on the occasion, Pun remarked that the country is in need of society based on equality and the right leadership.

Speaking at the programme, he also questioned political parties and Maoists, if poverty and racial discrimination were less important for the long -lasting peace in the country, who are emphasising only on the round-table talks, interim-government and constitution assembly.

The programme started with the rally from Bhadrakali, which went around Tundikhel. The participants of the rally carried various placards that read slogans about social and racial discriminations like "We want social justice, equality, and dignity".

Assistant Minister for Land Reforms and Management Prakash Chitrakar Pariyar was also present at the programme.

The whole programme aimed at a social change through unity. This day is celebrated as protest against racial discrimination.

The day is marked as an international day for eradication of racial discrimination after five years of the death of 69 blacks, who were killed in the peace rally by the white people in Sharpville of South Africa in 1960.

Awareness programmes vital for TB control

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KATHMANDU, March 21 : Media personnel today highlighted the need of awareness programmes for the control of tuberculosis (TB) in urban and remote rural areas.

The programme entitled, "Role of Journalists in Controlling Tuberculosis" was organised on the occasion of the forthcoming World TB Day – 2003, which falls on March 24. Various media personnel talked about the awareness programme.

Addressing the one-day seminar, Ramesh Nath Pandey, Minister for Information and Communications said that the role of media for awareness programmes and for the prevention of the disease is very effective. "Our media highly focus on political issues only, so there is a need among the media people to devote in these kinds of creative issues also," said Pandey.

The programme organised with the theme "DOTS cured me, it will cure you too," was jointly organised by the Nepal Journalists Association, Nepal TB Prevention Organisation and the German-Nepal TB Prevention Project.

Director of the National Tuberculosis Centre (NTC), Dr. Dirgha Singh Bam said, "The most important message that the media has to communicate is about free service and medicines, which the government is providing to all patients."

"In recent years along with the growth of HIV/AIDS infection, TB patients are also increasing," said Debendra Bahadur Pradhan, president of Nepal Tuberculosis Association, adding, "For the prevention and control of both TB and HIV/AIDS, awareness is necessary and for this media can play a vital role."

Storage technology of oranges

KATHMANDU, March 21 (PR)- The research findings of a study conducted on the storage technology of Lumle oranges were presented today.

Khadat Bhakta Poudel, senior scientist, working at the Agricultural Research Centre in Lumle gave a speech on ‘Storage Technology of Mandarin and Sweet Oranges’ among agriculturists and farmers at a stakeholders’ meeting held at the Horticultural Centre.

Poudel, for the past year, has been studying various techniques by which mandarin and sweet oranges can be stored by preserving its quality and taste.

According to Poudel, the combination of boric acid treatment to oranges while in storage help better preservations. Oranges treated with boric acid could be stored for more than 90 days with only around 10 percent of loss.

The various reasons for oranges to rot were found to be due to moisture, blue mould, green mould and damages. Similarly, ordinarily without any treatment after 90 days, the number of oranges lost in the cold storage was found to be 25 percent.

In Nepal, according to statistical information on Nepalese Agriculture, 2001/2002, the yearly production of oranges exceeds 11,0000 of which more than 80,000 are mandarin oranges and 30,000 sweet oranges. However, various reasons have barred the full utilisation of Nepali oranges from capturing the local market. One of the reasons for this being the high cost of Nepali-grown oranges.

NFC to supply food for starvation hit Baglung VDCs

By Binod Tripathee

BAGLUNG, March 21 : The Nepal Food Corporation (NFC) is all set to distribute food grains to 10 remote VDCs of Baglung district bordering Rukum, Rolpa and Pyuthan districts. Around 33,000 people in these VDCs were reeling under starvation due to the food depots running empty for the past year.

"We are prepared to supply food grains to the affected areas within 15 days," said Bijaya Khanal, the NFC manager for Dhaulagiri and Gandaki zones.

Kantipur daily, the sister publication of The Kathmandu Post, had carried the news on food crisis in these areas a few days ago.

"Until the media floated the news, we were unaware of the grave situation there," said Gyan Bahadur Khatri, the NFC manager of Bhairahawa depot.

Food depots in the affected VDCs have been lying empty since the Maoist attack last year. Food problem in this area culminated to the present situation as the zonal office of NFC at the district headquarters was shifted to Pokhara for security reasons last year.

The affected areas are at the distance of a 15-day walk. They were deprived of food even if they travelled to the district headquarters as one person was allowed just 35 kgs of grains after the army mobilisation. Thus, the people have been living on potatoes, wild roots and bulbs.

Meanwhile, as maintained by a NFC source, it is to provide food grains to all the rural depots of Gandaki and Dhaulagiri zones in the western region within two weeks.

No sight of agricultural roads construction resumption

By Khagendra Bhandari

KAVRE, March 21 : The construction of three agricultural roads, which was aimed at poverty alleviation, in other two districts including Kavre have a bleak prospect of resumption. The Asian Development Bank (ADB), the sole donor of the road projects banned works on 65-kilometres, Khopasi-Taldhunga agriculture road in the district and similar ones in Tanahun and Baglung since last year citing irregularities in the construction works.

The road construction came to a halt even before the completion of the first phase of construction works and the ADB has already invested millions of rupees on them. It had also released money for repairs on the completed portion of the roads. Even the repairs could not start due to security reasons, according to sources.

The construction works of the roads rests with the Rural Infrastructure Development Programme (RIDP).

Of the total amount allocated, 180 million rupees was spent just on 22 kilometres of Khopasi-Taldhunga agriculture road. Less than 170 million rupees remain now, according to Bishnu Sharma, the newly appointed engineer for the road project. Even the completed portion of the road is in a critical state and should be repaired prior to further construction, informed Sharma.

"From the inspection on the constructed portion of the road, I came to know that former engineers and contractors were engaged in massive corruption," said Sharma.

However, a team of ADB representative visiting the district six months ago had directed the resumption of the construction works in a new mode and new engineers were appointed to that effect.

"However, the construction works on the road cannot be started until the ADB selects a consultant from among the pre-qualified ones," said Sharma.

Meanwhile, Bhupendra Bahadur Basnet, the chief of RIDP speaking at a meeting held by the DDC on Wednesday said that RIDP is taking every measure to persuade ADB for the resumption of the road construction works. "Last year itself ADB had informed that the works on the remaining portion of the road would be resumed this April. So, we can be hopeful," said Basnet.

‘NC not interested in being in power’

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MORANG, March 21 : President of the Nepali Congress (NC) Girija Prasad Koirala said today that NC has no interest in being in power. "NC is not interested in being in the government. We are only interested in restoring peace and democracy in the country," said Koirala, speaking to reporters ahead of the interaction programme of four democratic parties that will take place in Biratnagar on Saturday.

The main leaders of NC, CPN-UML, Nepal Labour and Peasants’ Party and People’s Front will be addressing the interaction programme. After holding another interaction programme in Nepalgunj, the framework of a combined People’s Revolution is expected to be framed.

Urging the participant parties of the revolution to give up the desire for power, Koirala further said that NC is ready for any kind of sacrifice. "We will not tolerate any kind of reactionary steps," Koirala said, adding that the concept of wide democratic alliance which he had proposed a year ago has grown in relevance.

Speaking on the ongoing peace process between the government and the Maoist rebels, Koirala said that human rights activists should also be involved in the peace process. "The human rights activists should be given the sole responsibility of evaluating the adherence to the recently declared code of conduct." He reiterated his earlier stance that reinstatement of the parliament is the only way to bring constitution back to life.

Repair of telephone lines in far-western region underway

Post Report

DIPAYAL, March 21 : The repair and maintenance of telephone lines in the far-western mountainous region that had been disrupted due to the destructive act of the Maoists since a year is underway.

It is learnt that some of the disrupted lines in the villages outside the district headquarters have been repaired and are operational once more.

According to the information provided by the chief of the Nepal Telecommunication Office at Dipayal, Karna Singh Dhami, the repair and the maintenance of the lines in all the parts around this district that were disrupted, has already started. It is learnt that the disrupted telephone lines working on the VHF system in the Gopghat region of Doti have come under full operation since last Thursday after the completion of the necessary repair work.

The telephone lines in this region had been disrupted after the Maoists carried out destructive activities, destroying the solar panels, batteries, antennae and wires used for telephone operation during February last year. It is also learnt that necessary preparations are underway to carry out repair work on the VHF system in Tirbatar, Mauwa, and Kaffalekhi of Doti.

The inspection of the repeater tower and telephone lines has been completed, and the necessary equipment that are required for their repair have been ordered to be brought in, the technician at the telecommunication office of Dipayal said.

The Maoist revolutionary forces had carried out massive attacks on the repeater tower, and solar panels, batteries and antennae used for the telephone lines in various parts of the villages in this district soon after the imposition of emergency.

After the destruction by the Maoists, Accham, Bajhang, Bajura and Darchula had been completely cut off from communication with other parts of the country, while it was limited only to district headquarters of the far-western region.

It was only during last December and January that communication could be re-established in Sanphebagar and in the district headquarters of Darchula, Bajhang and Bajura through the installation of one or two VSAT systems. In Kadar of Doti communication has been made possible through this VSAT system also.

However, all the remote parts of these far-western districts except for the headquarters are still devoid of any form of telecommunication. Before the destruction, 25 VDCs in Doti, 23 in Accham, 14 in Bajhang, and 5 VDCs in Bajura had been connected through Marts and VHF systems of telecommunication service.

The Telecommunication Office informs of having provided telephone service to 20 VDCs in Dadeldhura, 24 in Baitadi, and 20 VDCs in Darchula.

Since only the antennae and wires were destroyed in Doti, Baitadi and Dadeldhura, it is possible to bring telephone lines in these VDCs into operation soon, while it is expected to take some more time in VDCs where the damage is major, said a technician of the Telecommunication Office. Since the equipment for the tower have to be imported, it will take some more time for the tower to be completely repaired and for re-establishment of communication, the technician Dhami informed.

For each tower to be restored to the previous state of functioning, an investment of around Rs. 15 million is expected, it is learnt. The Maoists had destroyed four repeater towers that were in Bajhang, Darchula, Accham and Bajura of the far-western region.

Harrows becoming popular in Terai

RSS

BIRGUNJ, March 21 : The use of oxen-pulled harrows in agriculture has become popular in the Terai districts of Nepal these days.

The use of the harrow has been effective in ploughing land for small farmers as it costs less and is easy to handle, an employee at the office of Agriculture Research Centre Rameshwor Shah says.

The harrow can plough a swathe about 100 cm at a time whereas the traditional wooden plough can plough only about 10-20 cm at a time, he said.

Moreover, the harrow ploughs the land evenly and properly so as the seeds and saplings can grow comfortably.

A growth by 12 percent has been recorded in the production of crops from the fields ploughed by harrow compared with land ploughed in traditional way, Shah said.

The land yields more and less amount of irrigation can suffice if it is ploughed with harrow, he said.

The other newly introduced ploughing methods popular in farming in Nepal are surface seeding and zero tillage.

Farmers have been using harrow to plough their land in more than 50 VDCs of Bara and Parsa districts.

A harrow costs from Rs 3,000 to 4,000 at local markets.