Communications sector gains major strides : Gupta

Banke, July 15 (RSS): Minister for Information and Communications Jaya Prakash Prasad Gupta initiated the linking up of Nepal Television Kohalpur regional transmission to the National Transmission by switching the feeder on at the control room at the regional programme production and transmission centre, Kohalpur today.

The Kohalpur Transmission Centre, which had initiated its transmission from Saun 1 2053, had been televising programmes produced by itself and the central transmission as well.

Also today, Minister Gupta also inaugurated the Nepal Television regional programme production and transmission centre.

At the inaugural function, he said the communications sector has made the biggest achievement after the restoration of democracy in the country. However, he added, we are not going to rest on our laurels; we want to see our country and the people benefit from the advancement in communications technology the world has seen today.

At a time when the country’s difficult geographical terrain has been a big obstacle to adequate access to information and communication, he said the linking up of regional transmission to the national transmission has proved to be a new milestone in the country’s information and communications sector.

Reiterating that NTV will be linked up to the satellite well before the end of fiscal year 2000/2001 and Radio Nepal will start broadcasting through a second channel from Surkhet, the Minister for Information and Communications said the government is committed to providing at least two telephone lines to every VDC by 2060 B.S.

During the 10 years after democracy Radio Nepal has started broadcasting programmes in 17 different languages and efforts are afoot to continue this process including more languages of the nation in radio programme, he said.

Despite all these efforts, it is regrettable that terrorist activities are being perpetrated in some parts of the country in the name of advocating linguistic and ethnic rights. Those who want to establish their weak political thinking and irrelevant philosophy are using linguistic and cultural suppression as a weapon to serve their vested interest, he observed.

Stating that the government wants to initiate dialogue with those who have deviated from the national mainstream and he urged them to join the national mainstream through dialogue.

Minister Gupta said the recent incident that occurred in Kalikot makes it clear that the people are totally fed up with those involved in terrorist activity. He also stressed the need to expose the sinister design of the terrorists.

MPs Gyanu K.C., Kashi Poudel and Rhidayaram Thani highlighted the importance of the linking up of the NTV regional transmission to the national transmission.

Secretary at the Ministry of Information and Communication Sriram Poudel, NTV Chairman Suresh Kumar Pudasaini, NTV Acting General Manager Durganath Sharma and Banke DDC chairman Omprakash Jung Rana also spoke at the function.

Also, Minister for Information and Communications Jayaprakash Prasad Gupta inaugurated the Radio Nepal resource centre here today.

The centre has been established with the objective of highlighting news oriented programmes and local activities aired through Radio Nepal’s Surkhet Regional Transmission Centre and collect news and other materials necessary for radio programmes.

Speaking on the occasion, Minister Gupta pointed out the need to develop the centre into a news collection centre and help strengthen and consolidate the Surkhet Regional Transmission centre.

Office-chief Poshan K.C. also expressed his view on the occasion.

Book on social reform pioneer Yogamaya released

BY A STAFF REPORTER

Kathmandu, July 15:Nepal Research Centre today released a book on Yogamaya, coinciding with the 59th death anniversary of the social reform pioneer from the eastern hilly district of Bhojpur.

The book was formally released amidst a function by Ram Maya Nepali. Nepali contributed to the democratic movement against the Rana regime between 1997-2007 B. S. as she secretly served as a messenger between the leaders in the prison and the outside world.

Born in 1917 B. S. (some say she was born in 1919 B. S. while others say it was sometime in 1924/25B. S.) to a Brahmin family at Sana Majuwa village of Bhojpur’s Dingla, Yogmaya - accompanied by 67 followers - ended her life in 1998 B. S. jumping in the Arun River as a protest to the existing unfair socio-political system.

Yogamaya was married to Manorath Koirala at the age of five but she became a widow two years later. Back at her parents’ house, she remarried with one Kandel and gave birth to a daughter. But her husband died. Bereaved Yogamaya reached Assam, India where she lived with one Dotel. He too died and she returned to Bhojpur to live as a yogi. In 1973 B. S., she started social reform campaign.

Yogamaya advocated that widows had to be allowed to remarry and caste/class-based discrimination should come to an end.

Yogamaya met the then Rana ruler Juddha Sumsher Jung Bahadur Rana in 1989 B. S. and demanded for what she called Dharma Rajya (principled state). Her demand went unfulfilled despite his promise.

In 1995 B. S., Yogamaya and her followers were stopped from ending their lives in a huge pyre as a protest to the existing social injustice. The rulers instead jailed them. Yogamaya gave continuity to her movement after she was released a few months later. Finally, Finally she jumped to the Arun River with her followers, indicting the prevailing social anomalies.

Politicians, academicians and Yogamaya’a followers told the ceremony that her revolt against the unfair social system deserved a high esteem. "The book will unfold the hidden history and inform the public about a social reform pioneer," they said.

The book includes 38 articles that unfold various facets of Yogamaya’s personality and her contribution to the social reform movement. The contributors, among others, include Janak Lal Sharma, Gyan Mani Nepal, Pundit Chhabilal Pokhrel, Parijat, Daibagya Raj Neupane, Ghataraj Bhattarai Dr. Mathura Prasad Shrestha, Swami Prapannacharya and a foreign scholar Barbara Nimni Ajij.

Commercialisation of education opposed

Chitwan, July 15 (RSS): CPN-UML General Secretary Madhav Kumar Nepal declared open the eighth national council meeting of Nepal National Teachers’ Organization central committee here recently.

On the occasion, general secretary Nepal pointed out the need for amendment in the national education policy for educational development.

He expressed the view that the present education system suffered from commercialisation.

Stressing all are entitled to education and they should get education, he said but the present education system did not provide adequate opportunities and room to the economically disadvantaged classes.

MP Dhanendra Basnet, campus chief Bal Krishna Poudel, Bishnu Prasad Dhital, General Secretary Ramakant Sapkota, Sushil Chandra Amatya, District Education Officer Mohamood Alam Khan and organization’s district president Tek Bahadur Thapa also expressed their view at the programme presided over by the central president of the organization Madhav Prasad Adhikari.

Altogether 130 persons including the presidents of Nepal National Teachers’ Organisations from all the districts, the former president, central office-bearers and councilors attended the meeting.

Meanwhile, CPN-UML general secretary and the leader of the main opposition Madhav Kumar Nepal has expressed the view that elements actively working to undermine the hard-won democracy through the 1990 popular movement should be stopped from raising their "ugly" heads.

Addressing a press meet organised by the party’s publicity department here recently, the leader of the main opposition pointed out that each and every political worker should improve their moral standing and right their flaws for the establishment of democracy envisioned by the people.

On the occasion, Mr. Nepal fielded various questions from journalists. The programme was presided over by CPN-UML publicity department district convenor Jagat Raj Poudel.

Encroachment hits Mahendranagar

Mahendranagar, July 15 (RSS): The people of this far-western business hub have demanded that the municipality do something to check the encroachment of the pavement by various hardware stores selling construction materials.

Recently, complaints have been coming about the inconvenience to pedestrians caused by the piles of construction materials kept on the pavement.

Contributing to the congestion on the pavement in Mahendranagar are the street vendors and the so-called "footpath shops".

One can also see people cooking food on the pavement, lines of drums kept for sales, bicycle repair shops and quilt and mattresses kept for sale on the main road as well as the alleys and by-lanes.

Encroachment of the footpath by those selling quilts and mattresses and piling of sand, bricks, cement sacks and other construction materials by local hardware stores in the lane No.-5 of Mahendranagar Municipality has made the area congested and increased the risk of accident there, deputy manager of the Rastriya Banijya Bank Rana Bahadur K.C. said.

It is felt that the haphazardly constructed shanties all the way from local Chamman Chauraha to Khatri Chauraha has led to the further congestion of the road and spoilt the cityscape.

Deputy mayor Ishwari Prasad Kharel says that the problem is further complicated by the intransigence shown by the footpath vendors and shopkeepers who refuse to vacate the space.

Their intention is to encroach on public land and capture the pavements for their business interests, he adds.

But social worker and freelance journalist Kishor Bista does not agree to the views of the deputy mayor. He says the street vendors and the footpath shopkeepers were capitalising on the internal wrangling between the mayor and the deputy mayor.

He said this is the main reason that many of the burning problems of the town have not been resolved.

Also adding to the inconvenience to the pedestrians are the fruit vendors and vegetable sellers who dot the streets on both sides.

According to Narayan Chand of the Mahakali news centre, street No. 5 is the worst street in terms of pavement encroachment in the entire town. There are frequent traffic bottlenecks on the street because of the congestion and the absence of a free traffic avenue.

It is said that the almost negligible city cleaning, haphazard construction of huts and sheds and lack of political commitment to town development has encouraged the wanton encroachment in Mahendranagar.

The other areas where road encroachment is most visible are the main road and the campus road. It is high time that the concerned authorities did something about the problem, according to the locals.

Tribunal rules against discriminatory practices

BY A STAFF REPORTER

Kathmandu, July 15:One-member Tribunal of Kashi Raj Dahal, spokesperson fo the Supreme Court of Nepal, has recently drawn the attention of the government to reconsider any decision on granting approval to recruit non-Nepalese employees in the light of provisions in the existing Nepalese laws. The one man tribunal was constituted to resolve the dispute relating to collective demands arisen between the employees and management of the Nepal Battery Company.

Giving verdict on the dispute the one-man tribunal stated that the non-Nepalese citizens were working as chief managers of the Nepal Battery Company as per the approval of His Majesty’s Government. The government should review the decision if such approval was prevously given to ascertain whether such decision is in consomance with the prevailing Nepalese Nepal law including the Industrial Enterprises Act, the companies Act, the Labour Act and so on.

Elaborating the provision of the labour law regarding the perks and benefits of employees, the Tribunal has laid down that the posts of workers and employees of enterprises have to be classified according to the nature of production process, service or function fo the enterprise. The Decision states "The propritor has to provide a letter of appointment while engaging any worker or employee in any post within the classificaiton"

The decision rules against discriminatory practices in increment of perks and benefits stating "To increase facilities of two categories employees serving in the company, but not even review the facilities of another category being in the same company is not just from equitable justice."

NDYO to organise youth training camps

Kathmandu, July 15 (RSS): The central working committee meeting of the National Democratic Youth Organization (NDYO), the sister organisation of the Rastriya Prajatantra Party (RPP), was held on Thursday.

The meeting took various decisions and also formulated various programmes of the organization until April next year.

In connection with the forthcoming visit of Prime Minister Girija Prasad Koirala to India, the meeting drew the attention of the Prime Minister to the need of holding talks with Indian authorities about the inconveniences caused to Nepal with the construction of the Laxmanpur barrage.

The meeting urged Prime Minister Koirala to hold "free and frank" talks with the Government of India on the immediate need to prepare the detailed project report (DPR) of the Mahakali Treaty, on the steps required to regulate the Nepal-India border and the Kalapani border problem and other matters of national interest.

The central committee meeting of the DNYO said that in view of the complexity and sensitive nature of the citizenship issue, the bill introduced to amend the Citizenship Act should be revised and reconsidered before its approval by parliament.

The meeting decided to organise regional youth training camps in Jhapa of the Eastern Region, Hetauda of the Central Region, Kapilbastu of the Western Region, Nepalgunj of the Mid-Western Region and Baitadi of the Far-West Region from November.

Similarly, the meeting decided to observe Baisakh 27, the establishment day of the DNYO, as youth day every year and convene a youth conference in Kathmandu in April next year.

The meeting also decided to present the "Best youth award of the year" every year, according to the RPP central office.

President of the organization Bhuwan Pathak chaired the meeting.