Condom Day observed in Valley

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KATHMANDU, Oct 11 - Increased condom use can help regulate population growth as well as prevent the transmission and spread of HIV/AIDS and Sexually Transmitted Diseases (STD), said Dev Ratna Dhakhwa, Secretary General of the Nepal Red Cross Society.

"Two major threats the world is facing today, are rapid population growth and the spread of HIV/AIDS and STD," Dhakhwa said. "This can be overcome by the increased use of condoms."

The first Saturday after the Hindu festival Dashain has been celebrated as ‘Condom Day’ since 1995 -the date particularly important as a large group of mobile population congregates at home for the holidays. The slogan marking this year’s condom day is ‘Let’s use condoms, it’s our responsibility’."The objective of the Condom Day is to focus on creating awareness about the importance of using condoms at the community level," Dhakhwa said.

Dr. B.D. Chataut, Director General of Health Service Department, informed that the Contraceptive Prevalence Rate has increased from a mere 8 percent to 39 percent in the last fifteen years. The use of condoms during this period has increased from 1.8 per cent to 3.2 per cent.

"In the present context, condoms are the only tools for the control of HIV/AIDS," Chataut said. "This day is observed to sensitise the whole population in this regard," he added.

On the occasion, ten thousand condoms were distributed at three different locations in the Kathmandu Valley - Ratna Park, New Baneshwor and the Russian Cultural Centre.

The Nepal Red Cross Society has implemented the HIV/ AIDS prevention programme in the 24 districts and is extending the programme to five more districts this year. The focus of the programme lies on youth of 12 to 25 years since they are regarded as the group ‘most vulnerable’ age to HIV/AIDS and STD.In the mean time,RSS adds, in Bhaktapur the Condom Day was celebrated by Nepal Red Cross Society by organising various programmes.

District chairman of the society Balmukund Suwal flew nine condoms in the sky and inaugurated the Condom Day which is being celebrated throughout the country with the slogan of 'lets’ understand the importance of condom and use it.On the occasion, a host of speakers including Bhaktapur District Health Committee coordinator Krishna Hari Karmacharya and Minister of the Red Cross branch Nhuchhe Kumar Twayana shed light on the importance of the Condom Day to control HIV/ AIDS and other venereal diseases. A street drama, kulat was also performed on the occasion.

The main theme of the play was to give a message of the importance of condom.

A talk programme on the slogan of condom 'lets' understand the importance of condom and lets use it, will be held under the joint auspices of various health related offices of the district.

'Efforts on to improve living conditions of Nepali people'

RSS

KATHMANDU, Oct 11 - Nepal has stressed that pragmatic balance should be struck between improving the financial situation of the United Nations and the scale of assessments for the apportionment of the expenses of the UN.

Kashi Nath Adhikari, MP, made this point in a statement on Agenda/Item 124 (Scale of Assessments for the Apportionment of the Expenses of the United Nations) which he delivered to the fifth committee of the UN in New York on October 8, 2003.

Each country should contribute based on its capacity to pay, he said, adding that sometimes UN member states are in arrears due to hardships suffered by them as a consequence of genuine socio-economic, political and natural phenomenon.

"At other times member states might not be able to pay their outstanding contributions due to the higher level of scale of assessment not commensurate with their capacity to pay", he added.

He suggested the committee on contributions to consider devising tangible and objective parameters that could be applied in a systematic manner to find a realistic solution to address such situations in a fair manner.

Likewise, Yankila Sherpa, MP and member of the Nepali delegation, making a statement on Item 105, 106 and 107 at the third committee of the 58th session of the UN General Assembly in New York on Oct. 8, said Nepal has been making consistent efforts to improve the living conditions of her people through making use of its national resources and with the assistance of the international community.

The agenda Item No. 105 pertains to implementation of the outcome of the world summit for social development and of the 24th special session of the General Assembly, the Item 106 pertains to social development, including questions relating to the world social situation and to youth, ageing, disabled persons and the family and Item 107 is related to follow-up to the International Year of Older Persons: Second World Assembly on Ageing.

She said with more than 85 per cent of Nepal’s population living in rural areas, its development plans focus on overall improvement of well-being of people living in rural and remote areas."Growing population, economic recession, prevalence of poverty, lack of adequate infrastructure development and primitive stage of industrial development are daunting challenges for development efforts", she added.

She stated that destruction of public and private properties by the so-called Maoist insurgent group in recent years has adversely affected the development process in Nepal adding more difficulties to the day-to-day life of the Nepalese people.

"Particularly, women, children, elder persons have suffered the brunt of the difficulties", she noted.

With regard to social development, including questions relating to the world social situation and to youth, ageing, disabled persons and the family, she said Nepal emphasises the full implementation of the world programme of action concerning disabled persons.

She appreciated the report of the secretary-general on the preparations for the tenth anniversary of the International Year of the Family in 2004 saying it would create awareness about the family issues.

NRNs meet UML general secretary

RSS

KATHMANDU, Oct 11 - Representatives of the Non-Resident Nepalese (NRNs) held talks with general secretary of the CPN-UML Madhav Kumar Nepal at the Party Central Office, Balkhu, today.

During the meeting, discussions were held on the problems faced by the NRNs and the Nepalese who have taken foreign citizenship, the possibilities of utilising the skills, crafts, capital and technology earned by them for Nepal’s national development, arrangements to be made for bringing the capital earned abroad into Nepal in the foreign currency itself and creation of congenial environment for the NRNs to invest in Nepal and related topics, according to the CPN-UML.On the occasion, general secretary Nepal assured the NRN representatives that the CPN-UML would make sure all kinds of assistance on behalf of the party to promote the NRNS to invest in Nepal.

Upendra Mahato, Bhim Udas, Dr. Gopal Poudel, Chiranjibi Dhakal, Dr. Raghab Dhital, Dev Man Hirachan, Nima Lama, Yuba Raj Pathak, Shyam Dhoj Karki, Sagar Nepal, Suresh Bohara, Naresh Koirala, Ram Thapa and Aditya Man Jha were present during the meeting representing the NRNs.

Also present on the occasion were president Binod Bahadur Shrestha and Dr. Dev Dongol of the Federation of Nepalese Chambers of Commerce and Industry(FNCCI).

Stress on the need to control sight deficiency

RSS

LALITPUR, Oct 11 - A two-day national workshop on "Strategic Programme Management of Vision 2020: The Right to Sight" began here today.

Inaugurating the workshop, which was jointly organised by the Ministry of Health, Eye Apex Body and World Health Organisation, secretary at the Ministry of Health Bijaya Raj Bhattarai pointed out the need to fulfill the plan of right to sight by 2020 with the coordination of all organisations.

Dr. Claus Wagner, representative of the World Health Organisation, said there is the need of joint efforts of all the health-related organisations to resolve the serious social problem.

He also stressed the need to mobilise the resources to control the sight deficiency, as it is the serious social and health problem. The function was held under the chairmanship of senior eye specialist Dr Ram Prasad Pokharel.

Dr K.P. Adhikari, Dr. B.K. Malla, Dr. D.N. Shah and others also shed light on eye-related problems of the country.

A total of 45 million people are blind and 13.5 million are eye disabled in the world.

There are 84 blind people in every 1,000 population in Nepal. There are 320,000 blind people in Nepal at present and every year 19,500 persons become blind due to eye disease.

Farmers of buffer-zone face wild animal hazards

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KATHMANDU, Oct 11 - Farmers along the buffer zones of the Royal Bardiya Wildlife Reserve (RBWR) and the Royal Chitwan National Park (RCNP) have expressed their concern over wild animals from the sanctuaries destroying ready-to-harvest paddy crops.

The wild animals, mostly elephants and blue bulls not only feed on the ripe paddy but also destroy standing crops by trampling on them. More than 100 bighas of ready-to-harvest crops have been destroyed causing great loss to farmers, according to concerned sources.

"A heard of wild elephants destroyed my ready-to-harvest paddy planted on one bigha of land in a single night," said Raj Bahadur Shahi, a farmer of the RBWR area.

"Wild animals harm the farms almost every month throughout the year. The authorities are not in the least concerned about compensating the victims," said Om Prakash Jaisi, Chairman of the Buffer-zone Community Forest Consumers’ Organisation of Bardiya district.The RBWR officials defended allegations by farmers with the claim that the affected sites have been fenced off with electric wires to restrict the animals’ entry.However, the electric fence is not effective in containing the animal hazard as it covers only limited areas. The villagers have to keep whole-night vigils to protect their farms, according to farmers.

The farmers stated that their efforts to contain the animal hazard to their farms were futile, as they would return shortly after being chased away. "Electric fence works but that needs to be extended in all affected parts," said Gopal Magar, another farmer of RBWR buffer-zone area.

Meanwhile, reports from Narayangadh state that foraging wild animals, equally torment farmers in the buffer-zone area of the RCNP.

A herd of three female wild elephants have been continually destroying ripe paddy farms on 500 bighas of land in Padampur area for the past two weeks. The elephants have destroyed the produce of almost half of the farms, according to villagers.

"We maintain vigil the whole night around a bonfire. However, the wild elephants return immediately after being chased away," said Deepak Devkota, a farmer.

Armed looters cause havoc in border areas

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DHANGADHI, Oct 11 - The absence of security around the Nepalese settlements near the border areas, has increased the incidences of looting carried out by the Indian bandits coming from across the border.

According to the locals at the border area, the perpetuation from the Indian dacoits gained intensity after the police post there was dismantled by the Maoists last year and it has not yet been re-installed. According to the security body, it would be quite difficult to reinstate the police force there.

The region stretching over Rajghat area touching the Indian border, to ward No -12 in Dhangadhi municipality is the most loot-prone area, contend the locals there.

It is learnt that the bandits from other side of the border, had plundered five houses at a retired army settlement in Fulbari a week ago, looting valuables worth lakhs of rupees in the process. Two days after, the same group of looters was successful in ransacking two shops in the Fulbari market area.

The well-armed bandits from across the border had even dared to loot furniture from a primary school in this retired army settlement a year ago conceded Ram Singh Bista, a local there.

Nepalese farmers who toil hard to sustain themselves, are being occasionally striped of their only possession of carts and bulls by the Indian bandits who are taking advantage of the security free borders around this region. All this has added to the plight of Nepalese nationals living in this area.

However, the incidences of looting are minimal at Hasuliya, and Bhajannima at the border region, which is attributed to the presence of security forces. The locals say that the Maoists too are not interested in dealing with these bandits who come to loot even in broad daylight. This negligence on part of the Maoists has been attributed to their interests of keeping the border area free of security for their own selfish reasons. The absence of security forces along the border makes it easier for the rebels to move freely across the border.

Meanwhile, our report from Bara states that a group of armed bandits who came in groups of 10 to 12 yesterday night has looted the house of Subhash Prasad Shah Kalwar situated in Jeetpur Bhawanipur-3.

Four members of the Kalwar family sustained minor injuries in the process.

These dacoits are learnt to have looted cash worth Rs. 6000, a 14-inch colour television set, a telephone set, watches, and ornaments and other valuables from Kalwar’s house.According to District Administration Office of Bara, the assailants fled by the time the police reached the site of the incident at around three in the night. The search for bandits is still underway.

Similarly, in another incident of looting reported from Bhairahawa, it is learnt that an unidentified group of assailants stopped the bus bound for Thada of Arghakhanchi from Butwal on Friday night and looted the passengers on board.

According to the information provided by the Regional Police Office of Bhairahawa, an armed unidentified group of about five to six persons had looted the passenger bus bearing the number, Lu 2 Kha 7880 at around eight in the night at a place called Patharkot in Arghakhanchi. The assailants were able to loot cash amounting to Rs. 27,000 from all the passengers. From a businessman alone whose name has not been disclosed, they were able to extract Rs. 19,000. It is learnt that the police are on the look out for these looters.

Public humiliation for cold-hearted couple

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BIRATNAGAR, Oct 11 - Residents of Rangeli bazaar in Morang district punished a couple for abusing and expelling aged mother of the house on charges of casting spells on their child. Her son, Bhunu Sahani and daughter-in-law, Purna Devi Sahani, had beaten up Bauka Devi Sahani of Rangeli VDC-4 for one week accusing her of being a witch. The couple charged that the lady had cast a spell on its child, which was losing appetite and weight for the past several days.

The matter became worse when the couple turned out the old lady from her home today. The locals accosted the couple and made them do sit-ups while holding their ears, as punishment for the ill treatment to the old lady, in the presence of police personnel. Later the couple was made to sign a document ~ ~ stating that ill treatment of the ageing mother would stop. The victim was welcomed to her house at the end of the episode.

Silk thread fails to find market

RSS

ITAHARI, Oct 11 - The high quality silk thread produced by Silk Farming Development Office Itahari has not been sold in the market due to its high price.

The office has not been able to sell 976 kilograms of silk thread produced last year and 215 kilograms this year. The office has the biggest machine to prepare silk thread in the country. The office has been preparing silk thread collected from the farmers for the last six months. According to the office chief Dirgha Narayan Chaudhary, the office so far has produced 1.85 million rupees silk thread.

The office has been collecting raw materials from the farmers , he said.

Raw materials for the production of silk thread is being brought from Ilam, Jhapa, Morang, Sunsari, Saptari, Dhankuta, Panchthar, Tehrathum, Bhojpur, Sankhuwasabha, Syangja, Tanahun, Chitwan and Kaski districts, technician of the office Ganga Prasad Yadav said. The mill was established with the cooperation of South Korean government.

Education drive for Dalit children effective

RSS

DAMAULI, Oct 11 - The Admission and Encouragement programme initiated jointly by District Education Office Tanahun and UNICEF for the children of the Dalits and oppressed class has been very effective. The porogramme was implemented in the schools of one municipality and 28 village development committees of the district last year. Students of those village development committees were encouraged to get admission and the programme is effective, according to the officer of the District Education Office Ambika Prasad Acharya. The programme was initiated to encourage the students between the age group of 6 to 14 and those who have left the schools due to various difficulties of the families.

The programme was implemented in Byas municipality, Jamune, Bandipur, Bhanu, Bhimad, Banumati, Majhkot and other VDCs.

Maoists’ continue violent acts

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KATHMANDU, Oct 11 - Besides major death incidents today, other Maoist activities such as destruction, looting and kidnappings have been reported from several parts of the country.

Reports from Pokhara say that a group of armed Maoists ransacked an empty tourist check post at Ghalekharka area of Annapurna Conservation Area Project (ACAP) in Shardi VDC of Kaski district this morning. They burnt document ~ ~ of the post and distributed what was in the post, among locals leaving the building undamaged, according to police.

Reports from Pyuthan say that the District Committee of the outlawed Maoist Party has declared blockade in Khalanga, the district headquarters, and some other VDCs, including Bagdula and Bijuli through a press release today. The release said that the blockade was targeted at the security personnel and requested the concerned bodies not to ferry commodities and clothes to the restricted areas.

Similarly, reports from Mahottari indicate that a large group of armed Maoists looted the house of Mahendra Yadav, the ex-State Minister for Home after abducting him yesterday night. The Maoists terrorised the villagers detonating a powerful bomb and looted cash and valuables worth over Rs. 200,000 from Yadav’s house. They also beat up the family members, according to the victims.In yet another report from Dailekh, Maoists abducted a woman who had killed the five-month pregnant mistress of her husband, in Pankha VDC-1 of Kalikot district, recently. Padma Kala Malla, 42, the wife of Min Bahadur Malla killed Punna Malla who was in the forest cutting grass, according to a local merchant who came to Dailekh.

Meanwhile, police arrested four looters as they were fleeing after looting a house in Parsyang area of Pokhara valley yesterday night. The looters, dressed as Maoists, were fleeing with cash and valuables worth over a hundred thousand rupees from the house of Mohan Bahadur Rokka. They were arrested as they were preparing to flee in a vehicle, according to police.