Development programmes in six VDCs in the east

Bhadrapur, July 7 (RSS): The District Development Committee (DDC), Jhapa has selected six VDCs in the district for the Village Development Programme (VDP) to be implemented under the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP).

The VDCs selected for the programme this year include Gauradaha VDC, Topgachhi VDC, Jyamir Gadhi VDC, Chakchaki VDC, Goldhap VDC and Gherabari VDC. The Village Development Programme will be jointly run by the UNDP, the DDC and the local VDCs on the principles of organisation, skill development and savings.

The programme aims to bring about improvement in the living standards of the local people by making them self-reliant through the development of local capital and skill.

The programme is being launched for the first time in Jhapa district.

Meanwhile in Inaruwa, member of parliament Bijaya Kumar Gachchhedar has said that since the "B. P. with the Poor" programme is not an exclusive pocket programme of a particular political party, it is the responsibility of all the political parties to make the programme a success and help reduce the widespread poverty in the country.

Mr Gachchhedar was speaking at the concluding function of a regional introductory seminar on the "B. P. with the Poor" programme in Sunsari on Thursday.

Stating all the political parties had committed one mistake or the other in the ten years since the restoration of democracy in the country, MP Gachchhedar said now was the time for all of them to do introspection and join hands for national development.

He said the Maoist problem was the most serious problem the country was facing at present and urged the government to resolve it through talks whatever its outcome.

Former MP Harinath Bastola pointed out the need for coordination between all the political parties for alleviating poverty from the country.

Chief district officer Baman Prasad Neupane stressed timely evaluation of the programme and objective assessment of its outcome for its success.

Nepali Congress district president Ram Bahadur Basnet, Saroj Kumar Mishra of the Nepal Sadbhavana Party (NSP), Sitaram Mehta, Jibnath Bastola, Mohammad Islam Rayeen and others also expressed their views at the programme presided over by Birendra Karki, convenor of the District Programme Coordination and Follow-up Committee.

The "B. P. with the Poor" programme is being implemented in five VDCs of the Sunsari district. The VDCs include Baraha Chhetra, Purba Kushaha, Chandbela, Jalpa Pur and Narsingha.

Workshop on e-commerce held in capital

BY A STAFF REPORTER

Kathmandu, July 7: Nepal Association of Tour Operators (NATO) organised a workshop on the Network Economy Management of Information Transformation here on July 6 to facilitate tourism entrepreneurs about the changing pattern of business after the encroachment of Information Technology a NATO press release stated today.

Addressing the workshop the main speaker Dr Ali Farhoomand, who is Associate Professor of Information Systems, Director of Centre for Asian Business Cases and Co-Director of MBA Programme at School of Business, the University of Hong Kong, said Information Technology (IT) seems to be restructuring the economy into a more flexible, network of organisations with many smaller, leaner, firms narrowly focussed on their narrowly focused on their area of competence and engaged in partnerships or strategic alliances with other geographically dispersed firms.

He further said IT is increasing becoming the primary drive of coordination of various business activities within and outside the boundaries of the firm, according to press release. Citing the examples of different successful companies, Dr. Ali said strategic Information System (IS) can be used to introduce new products and services that could change a firm's relationship with its suppliers, customers, distributor or competitors. "New consumers are never satisfied consumers.

We can used IS to eliminate time and space constraints on service."

During the workshop Dr Ali, the author of Global E-Commerce: Text and Cases spoke in detail on building of a new business ecosystem, IT as a strategic business factor, managing and sustaining e-Relationship, business transformation via e-business and internetworked enterprise. In the beginning of the workshop Hon. Secretary of Nepal Association of Tour Operators Basant R Mishra highlighted the importance of the meeting saying that it would prove beneficial to the tourism industry in long run.

He also said that the main objective of the workshop was to create awareness of information technology and its impact in the business among tourism entrepreneurs. The workshop was attended by 25 senior managers of travel trade industry including Deputy Managing Director of Royal Nepal Airlines R. R. Shrestha, Director of RNAC Mohan Khanal, General Manager of Yak and Yeti Hotel Richard Launay, vice president of Nepal Travel Agency Mukunda Sharma, Resident Manager of Hotel Everest Raju Bikram Shah. The workshop was supported by RNAC, Hotel Soaltee Crowne Plaza, Buddha Air, Yeti Travels, Shangri-La Village Resort and Machan Wildlife Camp, it is stated.

Jhapa starts paddy cultivation

Bhadrapur, July 7 (RSS): Farmers in Jhapa district are at present busy planting paddy despite the early start of the monsoon rains this year.

The delay in paddy plantation was because the paddy seedlings were not ready by the time the first monsoon rains arrived here, according to the farmers here.

The farmers who were a bit skeptical the monsoon would be brief earlier have expressed a sigh of relief with frequent rains recently.

But the rains have hampered the harvesting of the summer paddy which was sown in March and April, it is learnt from the District Agricultural Development Office.

Paddy is cultivated on 92,000 hectares of land in Jhapa district. Out of this, 35 thousand hectares is irrigated while the rest is rain-fed.