‘Maoists should respond to govt call for talks'

Biratnagar, Nov. 27 (RSS): Minister for Finance and Defense Mahesh Acharya has urged one and all to unitedly resist the terror and violence unleashed against the people and democracy in the country.

Minister Acharya, who was talking to local journalists at his residence after he was elected NC General Committee member from Morang constituency-5 today, said Maoism, which has seen a failure all over the world will share the same fate in Nepal also.

The government has always kept the doors open for a dialogue with the Maoists, he said.

No one has the right to raise arms to finish off democracy and human rights, he said, adding difference of opinion and other aberrations within the Maoist group might have come in the way of a dialogue with the government. It is not fair on the part of the Maoists to avoid a dialogue under this or that pretext, he further said.

Stating that Nepali Congress is undergoing a difficult situation, he said the party is facing attack from all sides and is also entangled in in-party squabble. This being the situation, he added, the party needs a strong leadership to retain its unity.

All party workers have expressed their desire to have Girija Prasad Koirala as the party leader once again, Mr Acharya said.

He also expressed the belief that the difference of opinion surfacing in the party will be ironed out well before the forthcoming 10th general convention.

Girija Prasad Koirala should take the party leadership to settle the in-party differences and foil the conspiracy against democracy, Finance Minister Acharya said.

Stating that army has been mobilized in many districts for the security of life and property, he said since the army is a part of the government it is working in many districts as per the decision of the government.

‘Best Practice’ Award to Women’s Empowerment Scheme

BY A STAFF REPORTER

Kathmandu, Nov. 27: Nepal’s Women’s Empowerment Programme received the Dubai International Award for Best Practices to Improve the Living Environment (DIABP) along with nine other exemplary initiatives which brought about significant changes to cities and communities in Angola, Brazil, Canada, China, Ecuador, India, Spain, Sudan and Turkey.

Each winner received a golden Barjeel (traditional Arabian wind tower) trophy, US$ 30,000 and a certificate, a United Nations Information Centre (UNIC) press release said.

This year’s winners were selected by a five-member international jury from 740 submissions received from more than 115 countries in a three-phase process that included validations by the award’s 25 worldwide partners. The winners were selected taking to consideration the three basic criteria: impact, partnership and sustainability. Sixteen best practices had bagged this award in the previous two editions, UNIC said.

The award sponsored by the Municipality of Dubai in collaboration with the United Nations Centre for Human Settlements (Habitat), is awarded every two years to projects that have made a positive contribution to improving the quality of life in cities and communities around the world.

The two-hour ceremony, held at a hotel in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, was attended by ministers, members of diplomatic corps and top local and visiting officials. A short film on the evolution of the award was also screened.

In his welcome speech, Qassim Sultan, Director General of Dubai Municipality and Chairman of the 11-member DIABP Board of Trustees, said the objective of making a submission to the award was not only to win it but also to enable others to make use of and learn from the best practices.

"A number of countries and organisations concerned with improving the living standards of their people have already done so by transferring their best practices and expertise to others. This is what we really are aiming for," he said.

In a message read on his behalf, Kofi Annan, Secretary-General of the United Nations, stated that the common features of the best practices - partnership, participation, decentralisation empowerment and judicious use of information - embodied the new paradigms of governance required to tackle global economic, social and environmental problems.

Annan called upon the winners to continue their efforts and to join hands with the international community to help the many others struggling to make their cities and communities safer, healthier, more equitable and sustainable.

In a message read on her behalf, Annan Kajumulo Tibaijuka, Executive Director of the UNCHS (Habitat), said that best practices had become an important means of building awareness of critical social, economic and environmental issues associated with urbanisation and globalisation. She said that best practices had also become a highly effective tool for the sharing of knowledge and networking.

Tibaijuka added that the governments of China, India and Spain, the Economic Bank of Brazil, the International Council for Local Environmental Initiatives (ICLEI), the Huairou Commission, UNESCO, UNEP and other UN agencies had all initiated similar award systems and forms of recognition.

These efforts, she said, were all concrete expressions of implementing the Habitat Agenda — the global action plan adopted at the Habitat II Conference in 1996.

‘Avoid Nepal being dumping site’

BY A STAFF REPORTER

Kathmandu, Nov. 27: With the encouraging participation and investment of the foreign countries, Nepal, a country still lagging behind in the path of electronic technology, hopes not to be the dumping site for their useful trash.

The 3rd International Electric-Electronic Exhibition and Symposium all set to kick off from November 29 in Kathmandu is to be participated by more than 15 countries, including the most hi-tech countries like Japan, Belgium, Malaysia, Thailand and the USA.

This event mainly aims to provide forum for the experts, political leaders and policy makers to avoid Nepal for being the thrash-bin.

The weeklong exhibition targets to bring in more than 15,000 technocrats, engineers, consultants, businesspersons and other related experts among 100,000 local attendees.

"The exhibition will be a home of all the products ranging from a very low price to higher one. There will be goods made in China to Germany. Moreover, this is done especially to let the people observe for themselves and provide platform for comparison and their effectiveness. Again, it can help the Nepalese policy makers go for the control measures and save the country from being the trash-bin," said Aroj Das Nepali, president of Nepal Electrical Association - the organiser of this event.

"Besides, this exhibition is going to be different because it is also aimed for the expansion and exchange of ideas and technology for the development of hydro-electricity", said Nepali in the press meet organised in the capital today. "It is also hoped that the exhibition would provide a platform for awareness building mechanism and about the potentiality of electric-economic sector in the country".

The Electro Tech-2000 is defined to be focussed for being purely industrial, business oriented and consumer exhibition. "But it is also aimed to encourage investors and innovators in the sector of hydro electricity, power generation, transmission/distribution and the wide ranges of electric/electronic goods, tools and equipment related to it", added Nepali.

Carrying the theme of ‘Prosperity through Electricity’, this exhibition also tends to provide symposium for the discussion on prospects and problems of the private sectors involved in hydropower. The exhibition also tends to evaluate the substantial achievements and problems related to Nepalese Electrical manufacturers.

"One of the remarkable things about this event is that, more than 50 per cent of the participating groups belong to the homeland and it is very encouraging," said Bhasker Raj Karnikar, manager of the Electro Tech-2000.

This event will also comprise of the photo-exhibition of the development and its process in the field of the hydro-electricity during the regime of His Majesty King Birendra.

Nepal which has potential in the field of Power Generation with right technology and investment can turn into one of the most potential places in the world, thus aims the ELECTRO 2000.

Princess Anne visits Refugee Camps in Jhapa

Bhadrapur, Nov. 27 (RSS): Her Royal Highness Princess Anne of the United Kingdom inspected the Bhutanese Refugee Camps at Beldangi in Jhapa district this morning.

On arrival here, the Princess was accorded warm welcome by chief district officer Shushil Jung Bahadur Rana and others as well as by the refugees and the refugee school children.

On the occasion, Princess Anne keenly acquired information about the condition of the refugees.

Thanking Save-the-Children institution for the physical facilities it provided to the refugees, the Princess hoped that the refugees would be able to return to their homeland soon.

Princess Anne is the chairperson of Save the Children, UK.

Earlier, Her Royal Highness Princess Anne of the United Kingdom left Pokhara for Biratnagar this morning after participating in various activities in Baglung, Parbat and Kaski districts of the Western Development Region.

Princess Anne was seen off at the Pokhara Airport by MP Mahadev Gurung, DDC chairman Punya Prasad Poudel and CDO Durganath Sharma.

Princess Anne had arrived here on Saturday.

Also accompanied with the Princess is the British ambassador to Nepal.

Sugarcane farmers want just price

Janakpurdham, Nov. 27 (RSS): Sugarcane farmers here are worried about the low price of their sugarcane.

Sugar mills owners had bought sugarcane from the farmers at Rs 125 per quintal last year and this year too, they are bargaining for the same price.

At a press conference held here by the Federation of Sugarcane Farmers Sunday, they warned that the purchasing price of sugarcane at the factory gate should be fixed at Rs 168 or they would launch a struggle to press for the demand.

According to secretary of the Federation of Sugarcane Farmers Nawaraj Basnet, the farmers have grown 15 million quintal sugarcane on about 60 hectares of land in 17 districts, which is enough to make the country self-reliant in sugar production. Nevertheless, the low price of sugarcane was sure to hit the farmers.

The talks between the Nepal Sugarcane Producers Association and the representatives of the sugar mills, the main purchasers of the sugarcane, held recently in Kathmandu failed to produce any results and subsequently, the farmers of the sugarcane-growing areas along the Mahendra Highway are threatening to stage a dawn-to-dusk Chakka jam (transport strike) on the highway on November 30.

Some time back, the sugar mills used to purchase sugarcane from farmers at Rs 125 per quintal (the farmers’ production cost is estimated at Rs 22 per kilogram). The farmers say they are ready to sell the cane at the last year’s price tag provided the sugar mills market sugar at Rs 22 per kg.

Farmers also warn that cane production could dwindle in the future if the real price of sugarcane is not fixed.

President of the Federation of Sugarcane Farmers Kapil Muni Mainali has called on the government to fix the minimum price of sugarcane.