Crown Prince inspects

Kathmandu , Sept. 4 (RSS): His Royal Highness Crown Prince Dipendra Bir Bikram Shah Dev keenly inspected the training session of the Nepalese players taking part in the 27th olympic games to be held from September 15 in Sydney, Australia, at the Birendra International Sports Complex today.

His Royal Highness the Crown Prince is the patron of the National Sports Council.

Miss Bhagawati Khatri is taking part in the Sydney Olympics from Nepal in the women's shooting competition.

Besides shooting, Nepal is also taking part in the athletics and swimming events in the Sydney Olympics.

Govt adopts policy for voluntary retirement

Kathmandu , Sept. 4 (RSS): A provision has been made for the civil servants seeking voluntary retirement to apply for the same within one month as per the relevant government policy enunciated in the budget statement of 2057/058.

According to a notice issued by the Ministry of General Administration in the Nepal Gazette today, any civil servants completing 20 years of service and 50 years of age are eligible for voluntary retirement.

The total pensionable service period of civil servants seeking voluntary retirement will be calculated by adding a maximum of seven years to their existing service periods. It will be made sure that the age of the civil servant in question does not exceed 60 years after the addition of the service period.

Such a civil servant will be provided with a maximum of seven years’ pension amount in a lump sum. The employee who receives such a pension amount will be eligible to receive regular pension only after s/he completes the period of which s/he has already received the pension in a lump sum.

In the event of any civil servant’s situation attracting clause 20(a) (2) of the Civil Service Act 2049, such a civil servant will be promoted to one step higher post and allowed to take voluntary retirement. In such a case the civil servant concerned should submit an application proving that s/he has completed 15 years in a single post.

Those willing to take voluntary retirement should file applications to the unit concerned within one month after the publication of the relevant notice in Nepal Gazette by clearly stating why they are seeking voluntary retirement. After receiving such applications the chief of the unit concerned will examine them and forward them to the Ministry of General Administration. The posts which falls vacant after the voluntary retirements will be automatically scraped.

The employees who found to be in excess while introducing new administrative organisational structure and posts, and those who have not been able to work due to illness will be given priority for voluntary retirement. But when it comes to gazetted employees, only those who are not able to work due to ill health and are in excess for the lack of appropriate posts in course of posts adjustment will be allowed to take voluntary retirement.

According to a press release of the Ministry of General Administration, the right to decide whether or not one should be allowed to take voluntary retirement solely rests with His Majesty’s Government.

Awareness needed to end anomalies: Sushil

Nepalgunj, Sept. 4 (RSS): NC General Secretary Sushil Koirala has said that the NC workers awareness was necessary in order to end the few anomalies, aberrations and individualistic attitude seen in democracy these days.

Addressing a gathering of NC workers organised by NC Banke district committee here today, the NC General Secretary said that the forthcoming NC General convention would take important decisions to remove the shortcomings and weaknesses of the party.

Mr. Koirala said that the NC workers should designate genuine representatives without looking at anyone in order to enable the NC General Convention to provide the correct path.

Stating that a terrorist group had been created in the name of Maoists to end democracy, Mr. Koirala said "if they think of ending democracy by killing a Nepali Congress worker it is just their day dream as if they kill one Nepali Congress worker hundred of others will be born."

Stressing the need for the NC workers to unite and create popular mandate against terrorism, Mr. Koirala said no problem has been solved till today by raising arms.

The NC General Secretary said that the Nepali Congress workers should involve themselves in the campaign launched by the Nepali Congress to maintain peace and stability, check corruption, maintain good governance and develop the country.

Minister for Health Dr. Rambaran Yadav said His Majesty’s Government is committed to develop the health sector.

Dr. Yadav said that the cooperation of the party workers is necessary in this task.

MPs Kashi Poudel, Sushila Swanr and Ramjanam Chaudhary were also present on the occasion.

On the occasion NC Banke district president Krishna Man Shrestha and NC workers had provided information relating to the problems of the district.

Panel formed To review public expenditure

Kathmandu, Sept. 4 (RSS): His Majesty’s Government has constituted a five-member public expenditure review commission under chairmanship of member of the House of Representatives Binaya Dhoj Chand.

According to the Ministry of Finance, the Commission has been formed to submit to the government a report along with professional and expert inputs on its expenditure management endeavour as enunciated in the budget statement of 2057 B.S.

The expenditure management endeavour is aimed at enhancing the efficacy of public resource management, increasing resource allocations to priority sectors like agriculture, irrigation, infrastructure development, education and health, improving the implementation procedures to gain maximum output of the investment in such sectors, enhancing the efficacy of resource allocation by controlling unproductive expenditures, maintaining fiscal discipline, speeding up the privatisation process and reducing fiscal deficit.

The Commission members include member of National Planning Commission Dr Shankar Sharma, Secretary at the Ministry of General Administration Mukunda Prasad Arjyal and joint comptroller general at the office of the comptroller general Rameshwor Khanal. Joint secretary at the budget and programme division under the Finance Ministry Yuvaraj Bhusal is member-secretary of the Commission.

The tenure of the Commission will be six months after it starts work. The commission is free to receive the services of Nepalese and foreign consultants while executing its work.

Nepal firm to abolish child labour by 2005

BY A STAFF REPORTER

Kathmandu, Sept. 4: With a view to formulate strategies for eliminating child labour in plantations from South Asian countries, a three-day sub-regional meet kick off here today. The meet would primarily focus on the role of trade unions to end child exploitation in the plantation sector such as tea, coffee, rubber and spices.

State Minister for Labour and Transport Management Surendra Hamal said that government is concerned over the child labour issue and has adopted proactive policy and measures in tackling the problem. "We have assisted child labour-prone families by providing skill training and easy access to micro-credit and market outlet mechanism that help create self-employment opportunities for them," State Minister Hamal said.

Hamal said that they are in the process of implementing ILO/IPEC Action Programme directed towards elimination of the worst forms of child labour.

He further said that Nepal is committed to abolish the worst form of child labour by year 2005 and all forms of labour by 2010 in the line with SAARC declaration and ILO Conventions No. 29, 105, 138 and 182.

"The challenge needs to be tackled through multi-pronged approach in an integrated manner securing support from all concerned governmental, non-governmental organisations and international agencies," he added.

A.S. Oberai, ILO South Asia Multidisciplinary Advisory Team, said that trade unions could play an effective role in creating understanding of the severe negative consequences of child labour among the community of workers on plantations and bring about a change in the community’s attitude against the employment of children.

They can also develop better understanding with management in order to draw upon their support towards finding alternatives for the children, he said.

However, neither the trade unions nor the plantation management have come out against child labour in any forceful and coherent manner, Oberai said.

Laxman Basnet, President of Nepal Trade Union Federation and also Deputy member ILO/Nepal governing body, pointed out the need to bring about a social change to eradicate the child labour across the region. "Our conscience should not allow a child to work," Basnet added.

S. Tabusa of Bureau of Workers Activities, ILO, Geneva said that ILO has been always promoting relations between ILO and trade unions to combat child exploitation across the globe.

Ms Leyla Tegmo-Reddy, senior ILO/Nepal advisor said that Nepal has been selected as one of three countries in which International Programme on the Elimination of Child Lobour would work closely with partners on time bound programme to end worst forms of child labour here.

She said that they have a comprehensive project in the pipe-line to support the recently freed Kamaiyas,(bonded labourers) of the five districts in the western part of the country.

In Nepal, about 500,000 children aged 5 to 9 and 1.7 million children aged 10 to 14 are classified as economically active, according to a study. This means that the labour force participation rate is 21% for children aged 5 to 9 and 60% for children aged 10 to 14. Participation rates are higher for girls than the boys and much higher in rural areas than in urban ones.

The meet organised by ILO and attended by South Asian countries is expected to identify key child labour issues in the plantation sector in the region and take measures to attain the goal

Ties with Scandinavian nations important: Bastola

BY A STAFF REPORTER

Kathmandu, Sept. 4: Foreign Minister Chakra Prasad Bastola, who left today to team up with the Nepalese delegation led by Prime Minister Koirala to the United Nations Millennium Summit, said that he would also visit Norway and Sweden to enhance the bilateral relations with those countries.

During the official visit to North Europe, Bastola would hold talks with the Norwegian and Swedish authorities on the issue of Bhutanese refugees in Nepal, he said.

"Since Norway and Finland are close friends of both Nepal and Bhutan, they can make a great contribution to the peaceful solution of the ten-year old Bhutanese refugee problem in Nepal," Bastola said at the Tribhuvan International Airport before his departure.

He said that he would also hold talks on the prospects of the North European investment in Nepal’s hydropower. "They (Norway and Sweden) have shown their interest to invest in Nepal’s hydropower."

At the UN Assembly, the members of Non-Aligned Movement would continue to take their unilateral stance, Bastola said. "However, the Heads of State and Government of the SAARC member countries will not have their separate meeting this time."

Bastola also informed that he would visit Bangladesh in November as a preparation for Prime Minister Girija Prasad Koirala’s visit to the South Asian partner. "They are expecting a high level visit from Nepal."

Besides, Mongolian President and Greek Prime Minister would visit Nepal within this year, he said. "We are working out the preparations for these visits at the official level."

Meanwhile RSS adds, Minister for Foreign Affairs Chakra Prasad Bastola left this morning for official visit to Norway and Sweden.

Prior to his departure Bastola said Sweden is a mountainous country like Nepal and since it has shown interest to extend assistance in the development of the hydroelectricity sector in Nepal, bilateral relations will be strengthened for exchange of cooperation between the two countries.

‘Help govt to fight encephalitis’

Kathmandu, Sept. 4 (RSS): Health Minister Dr Rambaran Yadav left here today for Nepalgunj to make a study of the epidemic of Japanese encephalitis in Banke, Bardia and Kailali districts and direct the officials concerned to take immediate and effective measures to control the spread of the disease.

Likewise, Nepali Congress general secretary and MP Sushil Koirala also left for Nepalgunj.

Health Minister Dr Yadav is accompanied by MPs Ramjanam Chaudhary, Sushila Swanr, Kashi Poudel and Sunil Kumar Bhandari, NC central member Chandra Singh Bhattarai and Director of Department of Health Services, epidemiology division Dr Mahendra Bahadur Bista.

After the inspection, Health Minister Yadav handed over Rs. 150,000 provided by the Health Ministry epidemiology and disease control division to Bheri Zonal Hospital chief Dr Arun Koirala and Rs. 25,000 provided to Bardiya district hospital to chief of the Bardiya Hospital Dr Bajra Kishore Thakur.

Medicines worth about Rs. 400,000 was also handed over to the two hospitals for distribution to encephalitis patients admitted to the hospitals, according to Dr Mahendra Bista of the epidemiology division.

At separate meetings held at the Bheri Zonal Hospital and Bardiya District Hospital, Health Minister Dr Yadav called for active cooperation of doctors in combating epidemics and pledged government assistance in providing treatment to encephalitis patients.

Thanks to the anti-encephalitis immunization provided free of cost by the government to the people of Bardiya, Kailali and Banke last year, encephalitis cases in those areas are on the decrease this year, he said, adding such immunization will be provided to the people of few more encephalitis prone districts including Banke, Kailali, Morang, Jhapa, Dang and Kanchanpur next year.

He also disclosed that the Chinese Government has provided anti-encephalitis vaccines worth about Rs. 200 million for this purpose.

At the meetings, NC general secretary Sushil Koirala called for a collective effort for improving the health sector and stressed the need for coordination among the government, doctors and other health workers.

Demanding that the Bheri Zonal Hospital which has been providing health services to the people of 24 districts of the region be upgraded to a regional hospital, Mr. Koirala stressed the need for the government to provide all necessary equipment for the doctors to provide quality treatment to the patients.

Chief of Bheri Hospital Dr Arun Koirala and chief of Bardiya Hospital Bajra Kishore Thakur spoke about the services their hospitals have been providing and apprised the inspection team of their respective problems.

At the end of the meetings, epidemiology division chief Dr Mahendra Bista told RSS that out the 1000 encephalitis patients visiting various district hospitals 100 have already died.

Govt ready to tackle environmental issues: Joshi

Kathmandu , Sept. 4 (RSS): Minister of State for Population and Environment Shivaraj Joshi has said His Majesty’s Government is making efforts to set up a seperate independent body to formulate environmental policy and laws and to follow-up environmental works.

Addressing the ministerial level conference of Asia-Pacific Conference on development and environment being held in Kitakyusu in Japan today, Mr Joshi said the main policy of His Majesty’s Government is poverty alleviation.

The rural areas are being affected by soil erosion, deforestation and weak sanitation condition while the urban areas are being affected by air, water and sound polution, Mr Joshi said, adding that we are aware of out environmental problems and taking steps to check them.

The Minister of State said that Nepal has been integreting the environmental aspects in its policy, plans, programmes and projects.

Mr Joshi said that the environmental policy has been involving the government units, educational institutions, non-governmental organisations, local bodies, industries, business and civic society in sustainable development works in the country.

Mr Joshi appealed for expansion of regional cooperation for maximun utilization of water resources for development of agriculture and industries and to reduce the green house gas pollution, maintain natural beauty, diverse culture and religious traditions, develop eco-friendly inafrastructures for development of tourism, reduce environmental effects, and to set up a regional information system for sharing knowledge and technology for increasing production.

Minister of State Joshi, addressing the Eco-Asia-2000 meeting which concluded in Kitakyusu City of Japan Sunday, said that as that the developed and developing countries have both shown interest in reducing the green house gas effect which has been causing climatic changes, the benefits to be derived from the efforts being made to check green house gas effect should shared equally between the developed and developing countries as maximum green house gas was being created by the developed countries.

Stating that the countries of Asia-Aacific region should give give attention to the effects caused by use of fossil fuel by the countries of the Asia and pacific region, Mr Joshi said maximum benefits should be derived from effective implementation of the Conventions relating to Climatic Changes.