Nepal opens city council of Hetauda

Hetauda, Nov. 19 (RSS): General secretary of the CPN-UML and leader of the main opposition party Madhav Kumar Nepal has said that the municipalities should work with long term planning by mobilising local resources and people’s participation.

Inaugurating the fourth city council of Hetauda Municipality here today, Mr Nepal stressed the need to empower the municipality and make them creative and prosperous through amendment in the present law.

An all party governemnt including those which are not contesting elections should be formed during elections in order to strengthen the democratic system, he said adding that for this the constitution should be ammended.

MP Krishna Prasad Dahal, Birodh Khatiwada and Kedar Prasad Neupane also stressed the need to empower local governments.

Mayor Dormani Paudel presented a budget estimate of Rs. 47,462,157/ for fiscal year 2000/2001.

Various speakers including deputy mayor Hari Bahadur Mahat, DDC chairman of Makawanpur Rameshwor Rana, CDO Durga Prasad Pokharel, deputy mayor of Bharatpur Municipality Devi Gyawali, chairman of Makawanpur Chamber of Commerce Keshav Shrestha and Hira Lal Shrestha also expressed their views on the occasion.

Meanwhile, general secretary Nepal wrapped shawls around Dr. Gopal Raman Upreti, Dr. Ganesh Kumar Lama, Rajendra Khadgi, Bhola Joshi, Dol Kumari Paudel and chairman of Rup Chandra Memorial Trust Ram Narayan Bidari by way of honouring them for their remarkable contribution to the development of Makawanpur district.

PM stresses integrated efforts for child rights

Kathmandu, Nov. 20 (RSS): Prime Minister and Minister for Women, Children and Social Welfare Girija Prasad Koirala has said that His Majesty’s Government is committed to safeguarding the rights of children.

In a message on the occasion of the 10th anniversary of the signing of the UN convention on child rights, Prime Minister Koirala said the Children’s Act-2048 B.S. and the Child Regulations-2051 have already been introduced within the parameters of the Constitution of the Kingdom of Nepal-2047 in order to guarantee child rights, and His Majesty’s Government has also signed the UN convention on child rights.

He has expressed the view that integrated effort by all concerned organsiations, social workers and the general public for the mental, physical and intellectual development of children will secure the rights of children.

In the message Prime Minister Koirala also expressed best wishes for the bright future of all Nepali children.

Likewise, Minister of State for Women, Children and Social Welfare Mrs Kamala Devi Pant said efforts by the government alone are insufficient in the huge task of guaranteeing child rights, and appealed to every mother, father, parent and to civil society to involve themselves towards that end.

Pointing out the need to listen to the views of children, involve children in decision making that affects them and develop an attitude of looking for a place for children in our planning, Mrs Pant has emphasized the need to put into practice the optional protocol concerning child rights signed by the prime minister at the recently concluded U.N. Millennium Summit.

The U.N. convention on child rights was signed on behalf of Nepal on January 26, 1990 by Prime Minister of the then interim government Krishna Prasad Bhattarai and was later endorsed by the nation on November 14, 1990.

Nepal has, as per the convention, submitted the first five year report to the U.N. and the second national report is being prepared this year. This is the first convention to be ratified by practically all countries of the world, or 197 all together.

After its endorsement, Nepal’s major achievements have included the implementation of the Children’s Act -2048 B.S. and the Children’s Regulations- 2051 B.S., initiation of policy and programmes in the interest of children as per the suggestions of a task force on child development and child rights constituted in 2053 B.S. under the chairmanship of the Assistant Minister for Women and Social Welfare, establishment of a child reform centre, running by HMG of the four children’s welfare homes of the social welfare centre in Biratnagar, Birgunj, Butwal and Parsa as child welfare homes, forming of 75 district child welfare committees and making arrangements for district child welfare officers, and introduction of juvenile benches in the 75 district courts.

Other notable achievements are formulation of plans for children in the districts, launching of district children welfare committee consolidation projects in the l0 model districts of Kathmandu, Surkhet, Myagdi, Parsa, Lamjung, Udayapur, Palpa, Baglung, Tanahu and Sindhupalchowk, establishing of child welfare homes to avoid children’s sexual exploitation by the operaters of children’s homes in the private sector and signing by Nepal of two agreement documents in september.

The basic principles of the child rights conventions are according of high importance to the interests of children, provisions by the state for the care to children who do not get proper care from those responsible including parents, and protecting them from any kind of discrimination.

The rights convention also mentions the state’s responsibility towards the right to life and the longevity and development of children, the right to express their views on any procedure affecting children, freedom of expression without violating others’ freedom of expression, freedom to organise and meet other people and the right to take part in and open organisations.

Ensure basic rights to kids, govt and NGOs urged

BY A STAFF REPORTER

Kathmandu, Nov. 19:Child rights activists today called for integrated actions on part of the government, non-governmental organisations, civil society and the media to ensure basic rights to the children.

"The state, child rights organisations as well as the public should put their heads together and develop a master plan to push ahead the campaign effectively to guarantee basic rights to the children," President of the Child NGO Federation-Nepal Upendra Keshari Neupane told an interaction programme here this afternoon.

The interaction ‘Child Rights and Media’ was organised jointly by the Central Child Welfare Council (CCWC) and the Federation to mark the 10 anniversary of Nepal’s signing the United Nations Child Rights Convention. The nation is to observe November 20 as International Child Rights Day.

"Physical and mental development is a basic right of all the children," Social Welfare Council’s Member Secretary Dr. Tika Pokhrel said. He stressed on a comprehensive strategy to ensure health and education facilities to all the children.

Child rights activist Sharad Sharma called for united efforts on part of all to discourage child labour and appealed to the government to ratify the International Labour Organisation’s Convention - 182 to protect the children form the worst forms of labour. Nepal is expected to ratify ILO’s new tool during the upcoming winter session of the Parliament.

CCWC Member Secretary Krishna Prasad Bhandari confirmed government’s commitment to address child labour. He said that the Council had taken Child Rights Day as an occasion to raise awareness.

Bhubaneshwori Satyal however said that the government and the NGOs should be more serious to address child labour and ensure fundamental rights to all the children.

Nepal at present has about 2.6 million child workers aged between 5-14 out of which 1.7 seven million work full time. Many of these children are forced to work in risky situations despite the efforts of about 300 NGOs to uphold their cause.

Tuborg Excellence Award to SLC toppers

BY A STAFF REPORTER

Kathmandu, Nov 19: Dr. Keshar Jung Rayamajhi, Chairman of the Raj Sabha Standing Committee, presented the Tuborg Excellence Award 2056 to 16 students who had excelled in the S.L.C. examinations held last year at a presentation ceremony today.

Students who are included in the list of top ten in the S.L.C examinations held annually by His Majesty’s Government, Ministry of Education, are eligible recipients of Tuborg Excellence Award.

This award was instituted by the Gorkha Brewery Pvt. Ltd. in 2049 BS with the specific aim to boost the morale of outstanding students and to provide incentives for their works ahead, said Mohan Gopal Khetan, the chairman of the Gorkha Brewery Pvt. Ltd, who was present during the Tuborg Excellence Award presentation ceremony.

Those who received the award today were Sumnima Singh (Siddhartha Vanasthali Institute), Manoj Bohara (New Horizon English Boarding School), Jiwan Paudel (Siddhartha Vanasthali Institute), Prakash Khanal (Siddhartha Vanasthali Institute), Praswish Maharjan (Bhanubhakta Memorial Ma.Vi), Midhan Shrestha (Siddhartha Vanasthali Institute), Nickle Sitoula (St.Joseph Awasiya Ma. Vi), Sital Tiwari (Siddhartha Vanasthali Institute), Sansrita Nepal (Galaxy Public Ma. Vi.), Anish Sanghai (Galaxy Public Ma.Vi.), Pragya Shrestha ( Galaxy Public Ma. Vi.), Raju Paudel (Anand Bhumi Ma. Vi.), Ajaya Gurung ( The Old Capital Ma. Vi.), Rupesh Sharma ( Galaxy Public Ma. Vi.), Poonam Amatya ( Siddhartha Vanasthali Institute) and Laxman Gurung (Siddhartha Vanasthali Institute).

Each recipient of the Tuborg Excellence Award was presented with a medal, certificate and cash prize according to their ranking in the top ten list of the S.L.C examinations.

Press asked to be sensitive towards security matters

Kathmandu, Nov. 19 (RSS): The Home Ministry has called for sensitivity in disseminating news concerning security matters and urged confirmation from the authorities responsible before dissemination.

The ministry has also given assurances that it will always be cooperative in the publication of factual news, according to a communique issued by the Ministry here today.

Stating that the serious attention of the ministry has been drawn towards the publication in a Kathmandu daily today of a news item titled "delay in constituting the armed police force on account of the silence of the Ministry of Defence and no positive response from the army," the communique says it is desirable to minutely examine every aspect before constituting the proposed armed police force for maintaining law and order in the country.

It is not unnatural to take some more time to finalise the process of constituting the armed police force, the communique adds and regrets the publication of baseless and fictitious allegations against the security forces at a time when the process of constituting the armed police force is moving ahead with the cooperation of all concerned.

The communique says the ministry is of the view that allegations against the security agencies should not be disseminated except when news is involved.

Matters pertaining to the security of the country are very sensitive and we believe that it is necessary for the press, the Fourth Estate, to be sensitive over this aspect, the communique states adding that it is never desirable to present fabricated news quote high ranking officials to make it sound authoritative, or to create misunderstanding among the security agencies and the public at large.