Nepal - Cuba Friendship committee

Kathmandu (RSS):

An 11-member working committee of the 20-year old Nepal-Cuba Friendship and Cultural Association has been re-constituted with a view to promoting friendship and cultural ties between Nepal and Cuba and make the association more efficient.

The working committee is re-organised under the chairmanship of Ramkrishna Karmacharya.

Its finance, women development, communication, co-ordination and organisation sub-committees have been formed under the convernorship of Karna Shakya, Chandra Kala Anchal Rana, Phanindra Raj Pant, Niraj Ranjit respectively. 

Denunciation

Kalaiya (RSS):

Nepal Press Union, Rautahat Branch has denounced the gun attack by some unidentified assailants on Vice Chairman of the branch Shambhu Prasad Patel.

In a press release, the union says the assailants shot and seriously injured patel at his home at 8 p.m on Sunday.

Wishing him a speedy recovery, it also demanded stern action against the attackers.

Women trafficking

Pokhara (RSS):

Belaiya Police Post, Sunauli has arrested Prem Kumar Lama of Balkumari Village Ward No. 9, Nuwakot district, on the charge of indulging in girls trafficking.

The arrest was made while he was taking two girls from the same locality toward India with the intention of selling them to brothels, according to police.

Lama along with five others had taken the two girls, Sirsiya Tamang (21) and Mahindi Tamang (18) to Sunauli under the pretext of giving them jobs at a carpet factory in Kathmandu. The truth came to light when interrogated the two girls.

Police are on the lookout for five other implicated in the crime.

31 Newar girls wed to Bel in Baglung

Baglung, Jan. 27 (RSS):

A group Bel-bibah for the girls from Newar community has been performed here under the auspices of Nepal Bhasha Mankakhala.

Thirty-one girls of five to 13 years from Kathmandu, Myagdi and Baglung district participated in the traditional ceremony under which Newar girl is wedded to Bel, fruit. As there is believed in the community that as Bel is the incarnation of Lord Vishnu a Newar girl, once wedded to Bel, will never be widowed.

The performance of the rites, if held individually, cost Rs 20,000 to 25,000 while the ceremony held in a group cuts down the cost to Rs 670 per head. Thus, the collective ceremony is a cost saving device, besides being a means of checking ostentation and lavish spending on social occasions.

At the function was presided over chairman of Nepal Bhasha Mankakhala Parashuram Shrestha, Newar Priest Harsharaj Rajopadhyaya shed light on the significance of the programme.

Co-ordination for AIDS Prevention emphasised

Bhadrapur, Jan. 27 (RSS):

Nepal Red Cross Society, Jhapa Branch held a Jhapa district level co-ordination meeting on "AIDS prevention, Drinking Water and Sanitation" here Wednesday.

At the meeting, District Red Cross Branch president Bhakta Khawas disclosed that necessary training on AIDS prevention had been given to one teacher each from all secondary schools of Jhapa in view of formidable situation of AIDS in the district.

There was also a plan to give such training at garment factories, police and other camps, he added.

District Education Officer Laxman  Khanal suggested that there should be blood screening at border check points to prevent AIDS and sex education should be launched as a campaign at schools.

District Red Cross Branch Treasurer and Nepal Union Jhapa Unit president Lokraj Dhakal said the District Red Cross Branch had been running drinking water and sanitation and AIDS prevention programme at 112 schools.  

Nepal - India relations highlighted

Rajbiraj, Jan. 27 (RSS):

Chairman of Nepal Sadbhavana Party Gajendra Narayan Singh has expressed the confidence that as Nepal has political, social, economic and cultural relations with India the close ties of friendship subsisting between the two countries will continue for ever.

Chairman Singh made the remark at a symposium organised by Nepal-Bharat Maitri Sangh, Saptari, here Wednesday to mark the Republic Day of India.

"Nepal always wants to strengthen her natural bonds with India," he said, expressing the belief that democracy would continue to exist in Nepal as long as India remained a republic.

"Nepali National Congress was established in India on this day to end the Rana Regime in Nepal," he recalled, describing as impracticable some people's view that Nepal's border with indian should be sealed and passport system introduced for movement across the border.

"India has to play important role in the development and prosperity of Nepal and vice versa," he said.

On the occasion, lecturer Hari Kant Lal Das described India's contribution to ending British emperialism in Asia as exemplary and said India always opposed violence, which had its influence in Nepal also.

Senior Advocate Himmat Singh said Nepalese people took active role in Indian freedom movement because of Indian people's support for democratic movement in Nepal.

At the programme presided over by chairman of the Sangh Dr Pitamber Jha, social worker Jaskaran Sharada, senior Advocate Kunj Bihari Prasad Singh, Vijayendra Jha and Yashodananda Mishra and others also expressed their views.

In Taulihawa meanwhile, MP Brijesh Kumar Gupta, while speaking at function held by Nepal-Bharat Maitri Sangh (Taulihawa) to mark the Republic Day of India, said that as some elements were trying to strain Indo-Nepalese relations the governments of both Nepal and india should be alert against such elements and do the needful to strengthen their relations.

MP Dan Bahadur Chaudhary said the two friendly countries should go on strengthening the bilateral relations on the basis of mutual agreement and understanding.

Legislator from Siddharthanagar District of India, Rabindra Pratap Chaudhary said both the governments should continue talks through diplomatic channels to further strengthen their bilateral relations.

Chairman of the Sangh Narasingh Chaudhary presided over the function.

Meanwhile in Malangwa, inaugurating the sixth district council of Sarlahi District Development Committee here Wednesday, MP Nagendra Raya said that as the government had earmarked necessary fund for construction of embankment on Lakhandehi River which was causing trouble to the people of the district the works in that connection would be initiated soon

Embankments were also to be built to take such rivers as Kalinjor, Phuljor, Harion, Banke and Bagmati which caused considerable damage, he said.

MP Mahendra Raya said the so-called maoist were spreading violence and vandalising people' property against the very tenets of Maoism.

MP Ramchandra Raya stressed the need for the District Development Committee to focus on development of villages.

DDC Chairman Nanda Lal Raya presented a budget of Rs 92.31 million for the coming fiscal year.

Senior Chairman Shiva Prasad Dhungana presided over the district assembly.

93% for making primary education compulsory: poll

BY A STAFF REPORTER

Kathmandu, Jan 27:
A majority of people is clearly favour of making primary education compulsory, in addition to its being already free. A snap poll taken by the Media Services International ((MSI) between October 28 and November 3 in Chitwan recorded 93 per cent of the respondents voting for compulsory primary education in Nepal.

While only 6 per cent of those interviewed was not sure if the idea was a good one, 1 per cent did not express any opinion whatsoever.

The snap poll covered a total of 199 households in Bhandara (50), Meghauli (50), Gardi (23), Baghauda (15), Ayodhyapuri (12), all VDCs, and in Bharatpur sub Municipality (49). Male-female ratio of the respondents was 120-79.

Fielding the quesiton, "Do you know primary education is free in Nepal?", 92 per cent said they did, whereas 6 per cent did not answer the query and 2 per cent said they did not know, according to MSI press release.

Asked about how much were they spending monthly on their children's primary education excluding the tuition fee which is free, in the case of son 54 per cent said between Rs. 200 and 1000, 32.7 per cent said less than Rs. 200 and 5.5 per cent said above Rs. 1000. Seven per cent did not provide any informaiton, said press release.

Similarly, in the case of daughters 58.8 per cent said the monthly expenses for the same was between Rs. 200 and 1000, 26.6 per cent said less than Rs. 200 and 10.1 per cent said above 1000. Those in the "don't know" bracket accounted for 7% of the respondents.

Expenses apart, happily 96 per cent of the respondents said that they were willing and could afford to send their daughters to the secondary level after completing the primary level education, stated it. Only 3 per cent of the interviewees said they could not afford secondary level educaiton for their daughters. An equal percentage said they did not know.

Other findings of the poll include housewives know less about free primary education, girls outnumber boys in primary schools, higher the level, greater the rate of girl drop-outs and male-female ratio in university enrollment is approximately 7-3.

The poll survey was undertaken with the cooperation of the Westminster Foundation for Democracy, London.