Milk chilling centre set up in Dhanusha

Janakpurdham, Oct 10 (RSS): A milk chilling centre is to be set up in Dhanusha district in the near future under the local automomy programme of the Ministry of Local Development.

The chilling centre with a capacity of handling l3,967 metric tons of milk will be constructed at a cost of Rs l80 milllion, according to chairman of Janakpur Chamber of Commerce and Industry Ramesh Kumar Shaha.

Fifty per cent of the investment for the chilling centere will be mobilised from Janakpur Chamber of Commerce and Industry, 20 per cent from Dhanusa DDC, l0 per cent from cooperative bodies, l5 per cent from members of the general public and five per cent from NGOs, it is learnt from secretary of the Chamber Maheshwar Tiwari.

Milk for the centre will be collected from Bhatekoha and Aunrahi VDCs in Dhanusa district and from villages in the neighbouring districts of Mahottari, Saptari, Sarlahi, Sindhuli, Ramechhap and Dolakha.

Grameen Bank lends Rs. 1.8B to rural poor

Itahari, Oct. 10 (RSS): Eastern Regional Rural Development Bank set up with the objective of alleviating poverty and promoting employment by issuing loans without collateral to the landless and rural poor people has already issued loans totalling Rs 1,833,667,000.

Of the loans issued by the bank to various groups in Jhapa, Morang, Sunsari, Saptari, Siraha and Udayapur districts without collateral, Rs 1489919,000 has already been recovered from them.

The bank is reported to have formed 1,293 groups in the six districts of the eastern region and involved 270,810 people in work.

The bank also collected Rs 85,178,000 in savings from the groups and Rs 2,659,000 from individuals during the seven year period.

Besides the group and individual savings, the bank has deposited Rs 2,095,952 in an emergency revolving fund to meet the emergency requirements of the women members.

The women linked with the bank have been carrying out exemplary works like buying land, building houses and expanding business for improving their financial condition by working very hard to repay their loans.

Meanwhile, 105very poor families have been selected under the "Bishweshwar with the Poor" programme in Semjong VDC in Dhading district.

District chairman of the programme Rajendra Pratap Shah, the families were identified when a survey of 200 poor families unable to sustain themselves for over three months was conducted recently .

The selection was made by a panel including representatives of political parties and governmental units.

Gold, silver entrepreneurs body formed

Syangja, Oct. 10 (RSS): The gold and silver entrepreneurs of Syangja district have formed Nepal Subarnakala Sangh.

Rudra Bahadur Biswakarma, Udaya Bahadur Biswakarma, Bhesha Raj Biswakarma and Udaya Bahadur Biswakarma are the president, vice-president, secretary and treasurer of the association formed in a bid to protect and promote the rights and interest of the persons engaged in this trade.

Also in Syangja, the Ward No. 4 of Putalibazaar, Syangja district has been electrified.

With this, the farmers there will now be able to run cottage industries for income generation, according to Nepal Electricity Authority, Syangja unit.

Meanwhile, a drinking water project is being implemented at Shakhar, a remote village in Syangja district, with the assistance of Helvetas.

Estimated to cost Rs 1.46 million, the project upon completion will meet drinking water need to one thousand people of Ward No. 6 and 8 of the village development committee.

Meanwhile, a drinking water project has been completed at a cost of Rs 4 million at Ward No. 1 of the same village development committee.

NEA's arrears reach Rs. 161M in Morang

Biratnagar, Oct. 10 (RSS): The Nepal Electricity Authority, Morang Branch had yet to recover Rs. 161,372,559/- as of the end of fiscal year 2056/57.

The Branch Office's Statement of revenue reveals that arrears to be recovered from Biratnagar Municipality for electricity used by street lamps totalled Rs. 20,369,608/-, while arrears to be recovered during that period from Koshi Zonal Hospital amounted to Rs. 1,745,223/-.

Similarly, Morang District Jail owes the NEA Morang Branch Office Rs 1,542,839/- and the Civil Aviation Office, Biratnagar Rs. 816,222.

The statement referred to effort being made to recover arrears and said of bills totalling Rs. 456,106,278/- have been made out against the supply of 84,843,696 units of electricity last fiscal year.

The Branch Office saw revenue totalling Rs. 426,592,811/- for electricity supplied during last fiscal year and efforts are under way to recover dues totalling Rs. 29,513,457/- for that period.

The report states that the branch office has succeeded in raising the number of its clients to 24,978 individual clients, 1,000 industrial clients, 147 trading firm, 154 non-trading firms, 10 big business houses and three other entities.

Apart from existing individual clients, the Branch Office has been providing electricity for 103 street lamps, 158 irrigation projects, five drinking water projects and 71 religious sites in the district.