Assorted fishes are offered to buyers in sea-side fish markets like this one located at Sultan Fish Home in Kuwait.

Guthi Sansthan yet to recover Rs. 219 M from HMG

Nepalgunj, Mar.16(RSS):The guthi Sansthan as to recover total dues of rs. 219,898,951/43 so far from His Majesty's Government and different organisations and individuals.

Of the total, HMG owes the corporation Rs. 133,542,932/- and various organisations and individuals the rest, according to reports presented at a Mid Western and Far-Western regional seminar on the management of land.

Exact figures on the arrears were computed  last fiscal year.

The District Land Revenue Office has been carrying out the administrative task of the Guthi Sansthan in 67 districts across the country.The Districts not covered are Kathmandu, Lalitpur, Bhaktapur, Kabhre, Bara, Parsa, Dhanusa and Mahottari.

The reports reveal that a total of rs. 333,042,411/61 has been deposited a Revolving Fund through the sale of properties including Rs. 230,154,565/72 received as valuation for 32,174 ropani and 1,304 bigas of land.

The corporation which saw a deficit in income and expenditures from fiscal year 2051/52 to 2054/55 was able to realise a surplus of Rs. 3.8 million to date during the current fiscal year.

A detailed statement on 1,300 guthi or trusts  has been prepared including property aggregated since the inception of the corporation, incomes, expenditures and current positions and the task of incorporating land as per recent surveys

Deals for sustainable development signed

Nepalgunj, March 16 (RSS): The Sustainable Community Development Pogramme (SCDP) has signed separate agreements with the district development committees of Humla of the Mid-Western Region, Myagdi of the Central Region and Okhaldhunga of the Eastern Region for launching the programme in those districts.

The programme will be launched in the three districts from 2000 to 2002, according to national programme manager Hum Bahadur Gurung.

The programme launched by the National Planning Commission with the technical cooperation of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) has so far been conducted in Surkhet and Dang districts of the Mid-Western Region and Kailali in the Far-Western Region.

Under the second phase of the programme, the on-going schemes  will be consolidated to make them sustainable.

The three additional districts have been selected in view of the deterioration of the catchment area and considerations of human development and after realising the need to extend the Sustainable Community Development Programme to other development regions, it is learnt.

Also in the second phase, technical cooperation will be extended to build up community organisations in the additional districts and enhance efficiency for sustainable socio-economic development and environment management.

All activities will be carried out through the initiative and management of   local communities. 

The sustainable Community Development Programme will coordinate with governmental, non-governmental and community organisations and mobilise resources.

The concept and method of sustainable development have been presented in the ninth plan as examplary, it is learnt.

Earlier in Ilam, supply of electricity from the Puwakhola Hydel Project to the central grid began recently following completion of all necessary works of the project.

The project which began in the fiscal year 2051/52 b.s. is the first project to be completed under supervision of the Nepali technicians.

The total cost of the project implemented with 25 per cent investment of his Majesty's government and 75 per cent of Nepal Electricity Authority (NEA) is expected to reach one billion rupees.

Production of electricity has now begun from one of the two turbines of 3100 KW capacity installed in the power house of the project.

Electricity produced from the project will cost Rs. 2.80 per unit and the project will make a profit of Rs. 200 million annually thereby collecting the total cost of the project in five years, it is learnt.

Fifty per cent ( 3100 kw) of the total electricity produced by the project will be consumed in Ilam district while the remaining will be supplied to the national grid.

Meanwhile, Dhangadhi, the District Water Supply Office, Achham, has completed the construction of the Lunga Potable Water Project at Lunga VDC Ward No.l  under the Rural Potable Water and Sanitation Project.

The project was completed at a total cost of Rs 1,067,000 including Rs 144,000 provided by HMG, a credit assistance of Rs 755,000 by the Asian Development bank, and voluntary labour equivalent to rs 168,000 by the local users, it is learnt from the District Water Supply Office.

About three hundred persons have been benefited from the project under which eight public taps were fitted to supply water from two tanks.

Director of the Regional Water Supply Directorate Ananda Mohanlal Das, handed over the project to the local users and sanitation committee at a programme recently held at Lunga.

  The programme was chaired by Lunga VDC chairman Tek Bahadur Khadka.

NGOs geart up for Asian Development Bank protests

Bangkok, March 16 (AFP):Thai non-governmental organisations Thursday pledged to hold anti-globalization protests at next month's Asian Development Bank (ADB) meeting in northern Chiang Mai.

"NGOs are meeting now, and will have another meeting next Tuesday, to discuss our objectives and coordinate what issues to bring up during the ADB conference," said Chanida Chanyapate of Focus on the Global South, a Bangkok-based NGO.

About 20 NGOs and representatives of Thai universities have gathered this week in Chiang Mai, where the ADB meeting will be held from May 4-6. Though Chanida said "it is too early to tell what issues will capture the public," she confirmed that "there will be some sort of demonstrations" at the May meeting.

41poorest countries' debts roar to $ 215 billion: report

BY A STAFF REPORTER

Kathmandu, Mar.  16: After the Cologne meeting of the world's seven most industrialised countries last June, Italy decided to abolish three thousand billion Lire of the poorest countries' debt by April, 2000. With this past December's legislative decrece outlining the criteria for fulfilling the G7 summit commitments, the Italian government became the first to draw up ad hoc legislation in this sense, it is learnt.

Other countries are following Italy's lead, with the combined debt abolition already established being equal to 23 thousand billion Lire, not including sums allocated by Germany and Japan. This is not much, however, when compared to the third world's total foreign debt of approximately 430 thousand billion Lire.

According to promoters of the debt abolition movement poor countries are inevitably caught up in the debt-interest dialectic and any meager earnings are diverted to cover the latter, thus not allowing the debtor  countries to make productive internal investments. The resulting need to make additional credit requests becomes a vicious circle  without escape.

The evidence of this is clear when the fact that the national debt of the forty-one countries considered "heavily in debt" has consistently increased: from 55 billion dollars in 1980 and 183 billion dollars in 1990 to the current 215 billion dollars it is learnt.

In terms of a global economy, this means creating a sort of worldwide proletariat. It is enough to consider that nearly all African countries have spent on average four time more to pay off interest over the last few years than what they have spent on education; clearly the mere idea of entering the world market with an illiterate population is utopian. Abolishing third world foreign debt thus also becomes the only way possible to open up these markets to productive and not just charitable investments from outside.

Numerous authorities have expressed themselves on the issue. "Redistribute world wealth. Make economic globalisation more humane and sustainable…" is one of the ways the Pope of the Roman Catholic Church, who has spoken out repeatedly on the abolition of third world debt, has identified to free these countries from their current fate.

Every year 40 million people die of hunger. It is a figure that goes without comment. Building a common action is the only possible way to come up with a solution.

Nepali stupa in Germany for EXPO-2000 Hannover

BY A STAFF REPORTER

Kathmandu, March 16: A unique Nepalese building in the form of a 23-metre high Stupa together with 11-metre high temple is being constructed in Germany by a team of 29 specialised Nepalese craftsmen and engineers. Referred by German press as the masterpiece of Nepalese traditional architectural grandeur, the Nepalese building is being erected for the EXPO 2000 Hannover as Nepal's national Pavilion. The Nepalese technical team has been erecting the Nepal's Himalayan Pavilion for the last one month and the construction is scheduled to be completed by the end of April. The stupa-temple building will be the only Nepalese architecture of this kind in the world, according to the Implementing Experts Group's press release.

Traditional Nepali style Stupa - Temple building is being built in the German city of Hannover for EXPO 2000 by Nepalese technical team of artisans and engineers with all the construction materials from Nepal including intricately hand carved wood, stone an metal.

Appointed by His Majesty's Government to plan, erected, operate and manage the country's participation at the EXPO 2000 Hannover, the Implementing Experts Group (comprised of professionals having experience and expertise of previous World Expositions) is undertaking entire erection with its own finances and with materials carved in Nepal. Earlier about 450 MT of construction materials including exquisitely carved wood, stone and metal were brought to Hanover by sea containers.

Nepal's Himalaya Pavilion in the form of Stupa and Temple will sit in the centre of 2500 sq. metres mandala shaped garden with 150 sq. m. L-shaped pond in front. 62 - metre long and 4 metre width traditional Sattal walkway will surround the pond. There will be a traditional platform in the east for presenting traditional Nepalese dance performances whereas platform in the north will serve as place for presenting live demonstration of pottery making, wood carving, metal casting, thanka painting and carpet weaving. Thached roof farmhouse of Kathmandu valley and Tharu mud house with colourful wall paintings will be erected in the west and south side of garden.

Nepal is presenting its rich skill in wood and stone carvings and metal engraving in the Pavilion. The Pavilion will also have regular live performances from Nepalese dancers and musicians and live demonstration by artisans who will show art of pottery making, wood and stone carving, metal casting, thanka painting and carpet weaving.

"Mankind Nature Technology" is the main theme and several sub-themes specified by Expo 2000 for each participating country to make their national presentation. Nepal is concentrating its presentation in the main theme and sub themes such as "Education & Culture", "Leisure & Mobility", "Environment & Development". 173 countries and 20 international organisations will have their pavilions at EXPO 2000 Hannover, which is expected to be attended by 40  to 50 million visitors from Germany and rest the world. Nepalese participation at the said Expo is expected to help promote besides national image and prestige, country's foreign trade, investment tourism and commercial utilisaiton of human and natural resources. Promotion of art and architecture, cultural will also get substantial boost at the EXPO 2000.