Constitution offers plenty of scope for Dalits: Rayamajhi

BY A STAFF REPORTER

Kathmandu, July 8: Chairman of the Raj Parishad (State Council) Standing Committee Dr. Keshar Jung Rayamajhi today said that the Constitution of the country offers plenty of scope for formulation and implementation of special programmes and projects for uplift of the Dalit communities. He also said that the country has full faith on the United Nations’ Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

Dr. Rayamajhi today inaugurated a two-day workshop entitled "Development of Strategies for Uplifting Dalits in Nepal". Centre for Economics and Technical Studies (CETS) with assistance from Friedrich Ebert Stiftung (FES) is organising the workshop.

Durga Sob of Dalit NGO Federation alleged that the government and other state mechanism are providing only lip services for development of Dalits. "There is discrimination against Dalits everywhere, including in the military," she said. She appealed for support from non-Dalit communities to eliminate discrimination practised against the Dalits. She also demanded provision of reservation for Dalit for employment and increase in budgetary allocation for development of Dalits.

In annual budget of the coming Fiscal Year Rs. 12.5 million has been allocated for development of Dalits.

Prof. Man Bahadur Vishwokarma of Nepal Dalit Sangh said that 75 per cent of the Dalits are under the poverty line and 85 per cent of them are illiterate out of the 8 million Dalits in the country.

"Dalits have less access to education and other services, very few of them have land ownership and other economic opportunities," he said. He also cautioned that without uplift of the Dalit communities who make almost 20 percent of the total population, the government targets of human development cannot be achieved.

Dr. Alfred Diebold, the Resident Representative of FES opined that uplift of the Dalits communities would help strengthen democracy.

Ganesh Bahadur Pariyar of the committee for uplift of Dalit communities at Local Development Ministry accused that "Hindu religious gurus and political power players" refrain their responsibilities to uplift Dalit communities. "They are afraid that if Dalits are educated about their rights they would start demanding social justice and other opportunities," he alleged. He also said that donor agencies should be aware that Dalits have little access to the aid they are pouring into the country.

Clear policy for film industry sought

Kathmandu, July 8 (RSS): Senior director Prakash Thapa inaugurated a workshop seminar on "Nepalese films in the 21st century: challenges and solutions" jointly organized by the Nepal Motion Pictures Association and Nepali Film Producers Association on the occasion of the third Nepal motion picture award and Nepal Film Festival here today.

At the programme, the speakers described as major challenges the non-development of national films as industry, lack of responsible role of professional organizations for its promotion, lack of honesty, non-availability of markets at home and abroad, lack of suitable technology and other necessary infrastructures and open entry of Indian films to Nepal.

The participants spoke of the need to work out a clear-cut policy for resolving such challenges, discourage the assault of Hindi feature films, free Nepali films from tax burden and provide grants or stand guarantee for setting up studios, labs, etc and for the purchase of technical equipment.

On the occasion, secretary at the Ministry of Information and Communications Sriram Paudel spoke of the need to make films for the sake of the society and the nation at large.

Raman Ghimire, Navin Subba and Pradip Bhattarai had presented working papers on Nepali films and their development.

Chairman of the Film Development Board Yadav Kharel, senior film actor Nir Shaha, senior director Laxminath Sharma and joint secretary at the ministry Hemraj Paudel commented on the papers.

Senior director Thapa and producer Udhav Paudel also shed light on the challenges of the film industry and their challenges.

Conflict violates law: Experts

BY A STAFF REPORTER

Kathmandu, July 8: The civil society must build pressure to make both the government and the Maoists accountable to international law, which bars extrajudicial killings in any form of domestic conflict, senior advocate Yubaraj Sangroula said.

"The government and the Maoists both have violated the international law jeopardising the lives of innocent civilians, "Sangroula told an interaction programme organised by the Nepal Citizen Forum here today.

The interaction programme "Maoist Insurrection: Its Effect And Ways To Solve It" was organised to analyse the four year old Maoist insurgency from the perspective of international law and to trace the means of resolving the problem.

Presenting a paper entitled Insurgency and Application of International Law; the Context of Maoist Peoples’ War Sangroula said the extrajudicial killings are incentives to ‘legitimacy’ of the Maoists’.

He said both parties’ claim of ‘causalities during encounter’ is not founded on legal basis.

Sangroula said that encounter cannot be justified without the recognition of state of insurgency.

In his paper Sangroula has stated that the government must wipe out the confusion whether the Maoist action is a state of ‘Guerrilla Warfare’ or ‘Terrorist Activity’.

"When any armed conflict has a clear political objective it is recognised by international law as a guerrilla warfare but when armed conflict aims to achieve momentary material gain it is an act of terrorism," he said.

Presenting a paper entitled "Peoples’ War In The Nepalese Hills'', political scientist Ananda Aditya said the high number of casualties since the Maoist insurgency started in February 13, 1996 reveals that the insurgency was slowly gaining ground.

"The Maoist insurgency appears to have transcended the colours of a traditional terroristic phenomenon," he said.

Aditya said that a national negotiation must not only analyze the various issues that constitute the content of negotiation but must also be initiated by a mediator with credibility, confidence, and the competence demanded by the task.

He said the 15 districts in the mid-western and far-western Nepal were deprived of physical infrastructure and were characterised by problems of livelihood. Deprivation, alienation, geography, culture and manpower are the factors that have triggered the peoples’ war, he said.

Sahana Pradhan of the Communist Party of Nepal (Marxist-Leninist) said the Peoples’ War being conducted by the Maoists had defamed the Maoist ideology.

"The failure of the successive governments to deliver the goods and services to the people and translate multiparty democracy into meaningful practice gave way to the peoples’ war," she said.

She said that the ruling party must exercise seriousness and must hold talks with the Maoists in real terms to put an end to killings and violence.

President of the Nepal Workers’ and Peasants Party Narayan Man Bijukchhe said the Peoples’ War was the outcome of oppression by the government in the hilly and remote districts of the Kingdom.

He maintained that the government had not still taken the Maoist issue seriously and had been fuelling violence.

Kuber Sharma of the Nepal Green party said the Maoist problem could not be resolved with the dual mentality of the politicians.

President of the Nepal Citizens Forum Dr. Nageswore Prasad Singh said that the Forum aimed to stir public debate on various national issues and problems and thereby identify the means of resolving them.

Sajha initiates dispatching of free text books

Nepalgunj, July 8 (RSS): Free textbooks for grades 1-5 needed for the new academic session this year are being despatched speedily to 15 districts under mid western region through the Sajha Publications regional office.

An arrangement has been made to despatch the textbooks to all 5 districts of Karnali zone including Banke and Bardiya through the regional office, to Salyan, Pyuthan, Rolpa, Rukum, Jajarkot and dang through the head office and to Dailekha and Surkhet through the branch office at Surkhet.

Payments can be received from the district education office at Dang for Banke, Bardiya, Dang, Pyuthan and Dailekh, while a coupon system has been introduced in Salyan, Jajarkot, Rukum and Rolpa.

Similarly, in Jumla, an agent will make the textbooks available against purchase orders from the district education office.

The books are being despatched on the basis of level of demand last year, Sajha mid-western regional director Purna Dongol said.

Since despatching the textbooks to the remote districts is a cumbersome task, an arrangement has been made this time to distribute them from the month of April.

The textbooks are despatched to all five districts in Karnali zone as air cargo.

Medicos should not work only for money: Dangol

Kathmandu, July 8 (RSS): On the occasion of the World Fraternity Day, Minister of State for Health Tirtharam Dangol gave away comendation letters to 50 persons donating blood at a function organised by United Ulba Free Clinic here today.

The clinic which had been providing free medical services twice a week and organising blood donation programme from time to time since February 6, 2000 will be providing free services, vaccination to children and temporary family services six days a week from tomorrow.

Speaking on the occasion, Minister of State for Health Dangol said the medical profession is not meant for earning money.

He called upon the health workers to create an atmosphere to take the primary health education and means of family planning to the impoverished sections of the society so that Nepalese need not go abroad for medical treatment.

MP Krishna Charan Shrestha said that though providing free services was a noble endeavour, the people were under the impression that such services were of sub standard, therefore the clinic should charge a minimum fee for its services.

Programme convenor Maheswar Juju elucidated the activities of institution.

Dr. Bishwa Raj Dali and a host of other speakers expressed their views at the programme chaired by clinic chairman Ravindra Shakya.

UML firm to maintain its image : Nepal

Pokhara, July 8 (RSS): General secretary of the CPN-UML Madhav Kumar Nepal has said that though party workers naturally feel honoured to be asked about their good party organisation, they should not remain satisfied at that alone.

He was inaugurating a 2-day workshop on zone level organisational problems and solutions organised by the CPN-UML Gandaki Zone organisational department here today.

Anyone who lost confidence cannot succeed in his mission, he said adding, his party was firm towards maintaining its glorious image and keeping abreast of the times with discipline and high morale.

He also referred to the assault on the CPN-UML from the extreme leftist as well as from rightists.

General secretary Nepal further said that if Kamaiya serfdom is rooted out once and for all, it would have a positive impact on the present political system.

Chief of the party’s organisational department Amrit Kumar Bohara disclosed that a party consolidation campaign would be launched at local level in the near future.

Member of central disciplinary inspection committee Khag Raj Adhikari noted that the CPN-UML is the only party that is capable of bringing about total change in the country.

CPN-UML Gandaki zone organisation department chief Prithvi Subba Gurung chaired the function at which party central member Kashinath Adhikari and central accounts committee member Somnath Adhikari Pyasi said that parties other than the CPN-UML are ships with compasses.

Meanwhile, CPN-UML general secretary and leader of the main opposition party Madhav Kumar Nepal said as development of the country is not possible without progressive change in the society everyone should be concerned towards this end.

Speaking at a press meet organised by Press Chautari, Pokhara here today, Mr Nepal said the CPN-UML boycotted the parliament because a MP was administered oath without producing identification from the Election Commission. It is not a matter of someone winning or losing the election but that the parliament regulations should be followed, he added.

Since the chairman of Human Rights Commission was appointed unanimously nobody need to take it otherwise, he said.

Mr Nepal accused India of adopting a suppressive tendency by building the Laxmanpur dam.

Mr Nepal said CPN-UML representatives in the local bodies found to be involved in corruption cannot be accepted by the party.

Regmi underwent a surgery of his large intestine at Bangkok’s Samitivej Hospital, Dr. Dilli Raman Regmi Trust said.

The doctors attending Regmi confirmed that he was free form cancer. They also recommended him a regular health check-up every six months.

The doctors warned him of his narrowing blood vessels and ailing kidney and prescribed him special medicines, the Trust said.