His Majesty constitutes new council of ministers

Kathmandu, Mar. 21 (RSS): His Majesty the King has, in accordance with the Constitution of the Kingdom of Nepal-1990 and on the recommendation of Prime Minister Girija Prasad Koirala, constituted a twenty-five member council of Ministers under the chairmanship of premier Koirala and also allocated the portfolios.

According to a press communique issued this evening by the Principal Press Secretariat of His Maejsty the King, the allocation of portfolios of the new Council of Ministers is as follows:

His Majesty the King has expressed the hope that the Council of Ministers will receive necessary cooperation from all in executing its works for the wellbeing and progress of Nepal and the Nepalese people, the communique says.

‘New govt should ensure order’

Kathmandu, Mar. 21 (RSS):Industrialists and businessmen have expressed the view that the new government should move ahead by giving priority to programmes supporting economic activities in order to uplift the national economy as well as to the law and order, corruption control and good governance.

They were talking to rss about the sectors to be given high priority by the government.

President of Nepal Chamber of Commerce Mahesh Agrawal said the government should introduce programs enhancing the competitiveness in the industrial and commerce sectors which would have a positive impact in the employment sector.

Stating that the provision of levying new tax on goods exported to India has created problems in export trade, Mr Agrawal suggested that the government should dissolve the tax and also take steps on behalf of Nepal towards resuming Indian Air Services to Nepal.

President of Nepal Readymade Garment Association Brij Gopal Inani spoke of the need for the government to give top priority to the law and order situation, and maintain political stability and good governance in the country.

Ex-president of Federation of Nepalese Chamber of Commerce and Industry (fncci) Mahesh Lal Pradhan said economic development of the country is not possible without maintaining a corruption-free society and that the new government should implement economic policy not only in words but also in deeds.

Ramkaji Tamang, a resident of Dhading district and presently a street vendor at Ratna Park was of the view that the first step of the government should be control hike in prices and bring forth relief programs in order to make living accessible for many other steets vendors like himself.

Likewise, Ramesh Tamang, vegetable vendor at Kalimati expressed the view that coming and going of governments is not a matter of concern for small businessmen and the general public as it would not make any difference.

The present government can win the hearts of the people if it can wipe out dispondency among the people, he added.

1,000 suffer from snake bite

Kathmandu, Mar. 21 (RSS):About one thousand people in Nepal suffer from severe snake bites annually, and of them, some 100  die.

According to the health service department, epidemiology and disease control division, people in the Terai fall prey of snake bites due to the warm climate, torrential seasonal rain, dense forest, deforestation, maximum utilisation of arable land, high density of rodents, amphibians and poisonous reptiles.

Some 50 species of harmless and 17 poisonous reptiles including cobra, pit viper and karet are found in the Terai, the hilly areas and high mountainous altitudes across the country.

According to division director Dr. Mahendra Bahadur Bista, though the number of deaths from snake bite is dropping compared to the past with arrangements for free treatment and antidotes down to the primary health centres in districts prone to snake-bite, people still die due to the low income level, non-availability of antidotes, lack of health education and knowledge of first aid and non-availability of quick transport to hospitals.

The division is to distribute anti-snake bite injections free of cost in the summer in areas which are at danger, it is learnt.

Training in snake bite management will be conducted in Janakpur, Makwanpur and Nepalgunj districts from March 22 to April 11 for some 100 health assistants and senior health assistants from zonal hospitals, district health offices, primary health centres and sub-health posts in 24 districts of the terai belt.

UML stages sit-in

Kathmandu, Mar. 21 (RSS):cpn-uml staged a sit in in front of the Ministry of Education protesting against anarchy in educational sector, discrimination in the appointment of teachers, uncertainty surrounding high education schools and privatization.

Convenor of the demonstration organizing committee K. P. Oli and party central members Bharat Mohan Adhikari and Ishwor Pokherel and several party workers participated in the sit in staged from 9.00 a.m. to 11.00 a.m.

Likewise, the United Leftist Action Committee formed by the nine leftist factions picketed the land revenue office at Charkhal for two hours today.

Cpn-Unity centre spokesman Nara Bahadur Karmacharya, cpn-united president Bishnu Bahadur Manandhar, Samyukta Janamorcha president Amik Sherchan, cpn-marxist politburo member Lok Narayan Subedi and Shakti Lamsal of national popular movement coordination committee participated in the picketing.

Committee to monitor electronic media

Kathmandu, Mar. 21 (RSS):His Majesty’s Government has formed an eight-member transmission monitoring committee under the convenorship of Shailendra Raj Sharma to regularly monitor, evaluate and coordinate the electronic media (Radio and T.V.) programmes and rectify various aberrations and shortcomings in the transmission.

The committee will supervise the technical aspect and subject matters of the programmes being transmitted by Radio and Television with special emphasis on production of quality entertainment programmes best suited to the Nepalese context and ensuring free flow of the right information as guided by the constitution of the kingdom of Nepal-1990.

According to the Ministry of Information and Communications, the committee members include Ved Bahadur Kunwar, Manohari Thapa, Khagendra Khatri, Durga Fuyal, Krishna Bhandari and Tribhuvan Chandra Wagle. Anup Nepal is member-secretary. The committee started working from today.

Suggestions received from various individuals and relevant materials published in newspapers will serve as the basis for examining the electronic media programmes.

The committee will also review all the transmitted programmes at least twice a week and carry out various activities to prevent any aberrations in the Nepalese nationalism, constitutional limitations and cultural dignity.

Should the committee find weaknesses in the programmes transmitted by the private sector fm radios and televisions, it will direct the transmission institution to rectify the weaknesses, and take necessary action if the institutions did not correct the weaknesses within the stipulated time.

The committee will, likewise, listen daily to the programmes transmitted by Radio Nepal, Nepal Television and the private sector FM Radio and Television to monitor and evaluate the programmes to make sure that they are in consistent with the Transmission Directory-2055, the Constitution of the Kingdom of Nepal-1990, National Broadcasting Act-2049 and National Broadcasting Regulations-2052.

It will also check whether or not the private sector FM Radio and Televisions are complying with the conditions agreed upon while issuing the license, whether or not they have maintained the standard as mentioned in the conditions. The impact of the programmes of such Radio and Televisions on the language and culture will also be monitored.

The first meeting of the committee held under the chairmanship of committee convenor Sharma today made a division of work among the committee members and took several decisions.

Also today a delegation of the committee led by convenor Sharma met secretary at the Ministry of Information and Communications Sriram Poudel and apprised the latter of the activities planned by the committee.

On the occasion, secretary Poudel instructed the committee to strictly check whether or not the license holder transmission institutions have abided by the set conditions.

The committee has requested the audience to send their suggestions and inputs to the committee at the Ministry of Information and Communications.

Street vendors affecting pedestrians  

Kathmandu, Mar. 21 (RSS):It has been felt that as the random use of roads, streets, lanes and Chowks of kathmandu as open shops has affected every segment of society in one way or other, Kathmandu Metropolitan City (kmc), Valley Traffic Police Office and other groups of people should take initiative to deal with this problem.

Especially minors and women with babies at places such as Ratna Park, Bhotahiti, Sundhara, Jamal, the Old Bus Park, Kalimati, Kalanki Chowk, Maharajgunj Chowk, Chabahil Chowk, Gaushala and Koteshwar have been obstructing the movement of not only people but also vehicles with constant fear of the municipal police.

These vendors, most of whom are victims of natural calamity in their native villages, come to Kathmandu to seek a better life for themselves and their offspring and sometimes they also tell their tale of sorrow in detail.

Krishna Thapa who is the mother of two, hails from Lamjung district and has been selling goods on the footpath for the last two years, says that the profit from selling goods worth Rs 500 a day is just sufficient to make ends meet for her family of four and the wage her husband earns by working as a house painter meets the cost of education of the children and other incidental expenses.

Shanti and Shata Budhathoki of Dolakha Jhingu say that when flood and landslide damaged all they had in their village and they had no other option for making a livelihood, they came to Kathmandu and have been selling watches and eye glasses despite harassment by the police administration.

Similarly, Man Kumari Ghimire who has been selling newspapers and magazines at Ratnapark for the last 17 years says that though her stall has not caused any difficulty to the pedestrians in any way, it is the municipal police she fears most. She says that she could sent her two children to college only because of her daily sale of Rs 700 to 1,000.

Most of the vendors say that as the municipal police started to seize goods from March 5 and keep them at the kmc store, it is impossible for them to conduct their trade.

They say that the recepits given to them do not mention the full amount of the fine paid and as there have been irregularities, the sum should to be deposited in the kmc fund.

Kmc deputy superintendent Bishnu Singh Basnet says that as the person paying a fine has also to sign the receipt, there is no question of police resorting to unfair practices.

On the issue of harassment by police in plain clothes, he says that the vendors are virtually playing hide and seek with the police. Police in civilian clothes who catch them first do not themselves impose fines. Article 165 C and D of section 10 of the Local Self-governance Act 2055 have made provisions for fines from Rs 101 to Rs 1,001, he adds.

About the arresting of some people while letting others go free, police officer Basnet says that 118 municipal police personnel including two women of the kmc Security Department were sent to various places turn by turn for inspection and if evidence of impropriety is found it will be easy to take departmental action.

As the kmc Security Department has only one vehicle and is short of mobile phone sand women police personnel, it is not easy to discharge one’s duty, Mr Basnet said adding the cooperation of the public at large is required to deal with the problem of footpath traders and make that trade better organised.

According to a kmc officer, if the footpath traders organise themselves and approach the kmc to seek redress, it will extend all possible cooperation and they would be allowed to sell their goods at specified places on holidays.

Workshop on child rights

BY A STAFF REPORTER

Kathmandu, Mar. 21:In view of the submitting of its second report on the implementation of the convention on the rights of the child by Nepal, a workshop was organised jointly here this morning by the UNICEF, Save the Children and HMG.

The purpose of the workshop was to firstly examine the role of the CRC reporting cycle, reflect on the progress of child rights in Nepal since the last country report in 1995 and initiate improved co-ordination within the reporting team, both for the preparation of the country report and more crucial its implementation.

Some of the constraints as indicated by the 1995 country report were: no competent agencies to help children who are victims of discriminating social traditions, cigarettes and liquor freely being sold to children, guardians not being punishable by law for any failure to act according to existing provisions to protect the child’s best interests and welfare and while child participation is advocated, there being no directives on how the child can express his/her views freely.

Speaking on the occasion M.P. Kamala Pant said that after the completion of the report, we should push for thorough implementation of its suggestions and directives.

Secretary at the Ministry of Women and Social Welfare Urmila Shrestha acknowledged that INGO’s and international organisations have contributed immensely in the field of child welfare in Nepal.

Ganesh Prasad Bhattarai, joint secretary at the Ministry of Women and Social Welfare and Prof Vitit Muntarbhorn, of the Chulalongkorn Univeristy, Bangkok also spoke on the occasion.

Rural roads maintenance plan okayed

Kathmandu, Mar. 21 (RSS):His Majesty’s Government has approved the national rural roads maintenance plan and has decided to implement it through the ddcs.

As per the national plan, the ddcs will take the responsibility of maintaining rural roads in their respective areas on cost sharing basis (between the government and the ddc), according to the Ministry of Local Development.

The government will now hand over the rural roads constructed by various government sectors to the ddcs.

The plan provides for a rural roads maintenance fund at the central level and various financial sources for the maintenance of the rural roads network.

The central fund includes 10 per cent of the budget allocated by the government every year for rural roads maintenance, the amount set aside for rural roads as per the roads board act and regulations and amounts received from various foreign donors.

The local infrastructure development and agricultural roads department will provide necessary technical and managerial know-how to the local authorities for implementation of the national plan.

At present there is about 14,000 km-rural roads network in the country.

The ddcs will be required to set up a rural roads maintenance fund at the district level. The government will provide a matching fund after the ddcs deposit their share of contribution.

Discrimination needs ending, says Rayamajhi

Kathmandu, Mar. 21 (RSS):Raj Parishad Standing Committee Chairman Dr. Keshar Jung Rayamajhi has stressed the need for greater awareness among the people to stop caste discrimination in society.

Inaugurating a seminar on the problems of the downtrodden and human rights organized by downtrodden’s human rights and caste discrimination concern centre here today, Dr. Rayamajhi spoke about the importance of education and greater awareness among the people to do away with caste discrimination.

National Assembly member Lal Bahadur Bishwokarma called for unity among the downtrodden.

President of the centre Man Bahadur Bishwokarma presented a working paper on the conditions of the downtrodden.

Lawyer Bishwokant Mainali commented on the paper.

Ex-MPs Jagat Bahadur Bogati and Dal Singh Kami also spoke about the problems of the downtrodden.

House panel meet held

Kathmandu, Mar. 21 (RSS):The sub-committee constituted to prepare the fourth draft report of the National Assembly government assurances committee held its meeting under the convenorship of Bhim Bahadur Shrestha.

The meeting has recommended to the committee field visits to sites as mentioned in the fourth draft report, according to the committee.

The sites recommended for visits are the disputed Pashupatinagar border area of Ilam district, Koshi Tappu Wildlife Reserve, Janakpur Cigarette Factory, Bedkota Jhilmila, Ghodaghodi lake, Mahakali Pancheswar Project, Kaligandaki ‘A’ Project, Royal Bardiya National Park and Royal Shuklaphant Sanctuary.

Mrs Sharada Pokharel and Sitanandan Raya were also present at the sub-committee meeting.