Poudel calls upon Maoists to eschew politics of violence

Musikot (Rukum), Sept. 5 (RSS): Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Local Development Ram Chandra Paudel who is also looking after the portfolios of the Prime Minister, has said that if the persons who follows the wrong path corrects his mistakes and works in the interest of the people, democracy and the nation, they would be given a chance for improvement as democracy is a liberal system.

At a mass meeting organised by Nepali Congress Rukum District Working Committee here today, chief guest Paudel said that those believing in bullets and swords will destroy themselves and called upon them to eschew the politics of violence and murder, follow the path of peace and move forward in a democratic manner.

Stating that violence and murder were not in the interest of democracy, the nation and people including those involved in it, he said that all were free to win the hearts of the people to form government in a democratic system.

He said, "This is the age of democracy. Democracy may be suppressed for a while but not forever. A person may be deceived but not all the people. The days of dictatorship are over."

Deputy Prime Minister Paudel made it clear that HMG was about to introduce integrated development programmes in the five districts of Rukum, Rolpa, Salyan, Jajarkot, and Kalikot and it had been the aim of the government to ensure development, economic equality and social justice to the people.

Calling upon all the political parties, the people’s representatives, civil servants, intellectuals and the public at large to join hands to implement the development endeavours to eliminate the evils of poverty and unemployment, the Deputy Prime Minister said, "Then only can the pace of development gain momentum and tremendous changes take place."

Under the programme, development of transport in districts would be given top priority followed by agriculture, education and health sectors, he said, adding that after the announcement of the programmes to be introduced, attention had been focused in the five districts.

He pointed out the need for all the political parties not to be entangled in short-term benefit and work for the interest of the nation, people and democracy.

Stating that it would be very unfortunate for the country if murder and violence led to a situation of civil war in the country, Mr Paudel urged all concerned to be alert in this regard.

MP Keshar Man Rokka emphasised the need to formulate programmes for the persons displaced as a result of violence, complete the Salyan-Musikot road within the current fiscal year and make the telephone services more reliable.

Member of the National Planning Commission (NPC) Dr. Jagadish Chandra Pokharel said that HMG aimed to eliminate geographical remoteness and social inequality in the five districts through integrated development programmes.

Speaking from the chair, president of the NC Rukum district committee and former MP Gopalji Jung Shaha demanded the re-establishment of the removed police-posts and further cooperation to the persons hit hard by the terrorists.

Meanwhile in Musikot, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Local Development Poudel, has said that since, development, peace and security are independent, the government is launching an integrated development programme in the five districts most affected by Maoists activity, along with concrete development work and sustained relief.

Speaking at an all party meeting held here by the District Development Committee Rukum, he expressed the view that as this programme embodies social justice and humanity, foreign aid can be attracted towards it if it is handled in a proper way.

The Deputy Prime Minister stressed the need for involvement of the DDC and VDC and contribution from the MP’s contituency fund. He disclosed that efforts are under way to release a budget from the Prime Minister’s Cooperation Fund and to start a food for work programme.

He called on one and all to participate in the programme in view of the enthusiasm shown towards development work carried out under it and said the people can derive much benefit if limited budgets can be invested in a concrete programme on a priority basis.

Development not only relates to the budget, what the government Wants and is committed to is expediting development work on a war footing, he added.

The people are fed up with arbitrary violence, he said and underlined the need for bringing about progress and prosperity in the country through the strength of its people and by rekindling hope and confidence among them.

He also made it clear that the present government does not intend to centralize the budget and powers of the local bodies but is trying to benefit the people with solid development work.

MP Keshar Man Roka observed that a programme that bears fruit should be continued and as for others which turn out unfruitful their budgets should be kept in the integrated fund.

Another MP Tirtha Gautam said that as the budget apportioned for the district is minimal, it should be raised and a special programme package introduced where the Maoists movement is at its peak .

Member of the National Planning Commission Dr. Jagadish Chandra Regmee said that the government intends to accelerate the pace of development in five districts which are sensitive from the point of view of peace and security through the integrated programme.

Rukum DDC president Khem Man Khadka from the chair presented the annual report of development work in the district.

Upadhyaya tells teachers to dissociate from politics

BY A STAFF REPORTER

Kathmandu, Sept 5: It is high time Nepal mooted programmes to impart technical and vocational education to high school graduates in order to address the problem of educated unemployment, Minister for Education, Aamod Upadhyaya said.

"Diversification of education is required to deal with the growing problem of unemployment," Upadhaya said.

He said that the country had come a long way in the education sector, from two per cent literacy rate right after the first democratic movement to fifty-seven per cent literacy rate in the recent year.

"The education sector is mired by problems, which need to be addressed in a phasewise manner through collective efforts of the private sector and the government," he told a workshop on ‘Need To Bring About Complete Improvement In The Education System.’

The workshop was organised by the Ascol Alumni Association Nepal (AAAN).

"The teachers need to dissociate themselves completely from politics in order to impart quality education," Upadhyaya said.

He said the bill prepared by the government, which will be passed from the next session of the parliament forbids teachers to be affiliated with any political party when they are in service.

"The bill is expected to revamp the education sector entrusting the local communities to ensure quality education," he said.

He said that the government was working towards formulating an umbrella Act to co-ordinate the different Universities in the country.

Former Minister of Education Devi Prasad Ojha said the first step to take up the challenges of the new millennium should be started by forging co-operation among social workers, political leaders and the local people to give fresh impetus to literacy campaigns.

"It would be an uphill task to take up the challenges of the new millennium with over fifty per cent illiteracy rate in the country," Ojha said.

He said 33 per cent of the children enrolled in primary schools were not attending schools.

Apart from making primary education free, steps should be initiated to make it compulsory. As the children are supporting their parents in many cases, programmes to support the families of the children must be launched so that their children can go to school, he said.

Ojha said the people who are holding prestigious positions in the society were responsible for the rampant commercialisation of education.

The government must concentrate on improving the quality of education in public schools in order to avoid commercialisation of education.

Dr. Mohan Man Sainju emphasised the need to define the role of the state in the sector of education.

He said the government should stop intervening into the education sector making it free from politics.

Sainju said there had been a recognisable involvement of the private sector in the education sector after the restoration of democracy, which is a positive sign.

Associate Professor of the Tribhuvan University, Dr. Tirtha Khaniya said the technical inputs relating to the revamping of the education sector should reach up to the decision making level to translate the inputs into meaningful practice.

He said that an Act to set up an Independent Body was required to co-ordinate the School education up to the S.L.C level and the ten plus two level.

Khaniya said that after the establishing of private Universities, managing the Universities has become a problem. An accreditation board needs to be established to co-ordinate and improve the quality of higher education, he said.

Chairman of the Tribhuvan University Service Commission, Sudarsan Risal had chaired the workshop.

Mori visit made a difference

Kathmandu, Sept. 5 (RSS): The official visit of Japanese Prime Minister Yoshiro Mori to Nepal, though brief, was very fruitful in consolidating and renewing the friendly relations between Nepal and Japan and further expanding economic cooperation in the new millennium.

The first official visit here by a Japanese Prime Minister has added a new dimension to Nepal-Japan relations which were first established with the visit of here of the Japanese Buddhist monk Ekai Kawaguchi in1899.

The brief visit of Japanese Prime Minister Mori is very important not only because Japan is the number one donor country for Nepal’s development, but it is also symbolic to the friendship and cordiality of the Japanese people towards Nepal.

Japan is known in every nook and corner of Nepal. The visit by Mori clearly indicates that Japanese support will be continued and expanded in new areas.

Prime Minister Mori, during his visit here, said " Japan wishes to continue to extend active support to Nepal including through economic cooperation and join with it as a partner for development. I am very pleased if my visit this time could become an opportunity for further enhancement of friendly bilateral ties towards the 21st century."

The visit was not only very fruitful for renewing the friendship and cordiality of the two countries but also helped to make Nepal more familiar in Japan and other parts of the world.

Inclusion of Nepal in Mori’s South Asian tour within a very short period of his assumption of premiership also shows the importance of Nepal in Japan, which is a great asset for a developing country like Nepal.

The cordiality shown by the Japanese Prime Minister should be taken very sincerely and with commitment to utilise the assistance provided by Japanese tax payers. In spite of the reduction in its oda budget, Japan has not reduced development assistance to Nepal.

Nepal was the 16th largest recipient of Japan’s bilateral aid as of 1998 out of about 160 countries of the world. Japan has been providing assistance in Nepal’s development thr ough loans, grant and technical assistance for the last four decades. Around 750 Japanese volunteers have served in Nepal in various sectors since 1970.

Japanese assistance covers every sector, and especially the fields of agricultural development, economic infrastructure, human resources development, the social sector and strengthening of grassroots organisations.

Assistance to Nepal including loans, grants and technical cooperation has amounted to around 1,407 million U.S. Dollars.

Japan is the only country to provide cooperation to the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) which groups Nepal, India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Bhutan and the Maldives.

Japan, which started to provide cooperation to South Asian nations since the Colombo plan was set up for accelerating the economic development of the region, is committed to enhanced cooperation with SAARC countries. The visit of Prime Minister Mori is also a very clear indication of how Japan has given importance to this region.

Japanese leaders consider that the stability and social security of the region will be very fruitful for moving forward the pace of economic development of the region, where half the world’s poor live.

In spite of the tensions between India and Pakistan and economic sanctions by Japan against these countries, Mori paid them a visit and urged the two big countries of South Asia to work for world peace. This was a very positive point for Nepal which adheres to the policy of non alignment and is fully commmitted to the charter of the United Nations.

Japan has agreed to provide 50 scholarship to Nepalese students in the field of information technology, and also announced a Mori fellowship and exchange of academicians, students and people of all walks of life. This is another important feature of the visit.

During the recent visit of Prime Minister Girija Prasad Koirala to India, Nepal and India agreed to establish an information technology institute and the cooperation of Japan in this field seems to be very meaningful. Nepal needs to work out a long term policy for developing information technology at a time when Japan has shown interest in helping.

On the eve of the Japanese Prime Minister’s visit to the region, the government of Japan provided a grant assistance of about 160 million US dollars to Bangladesh, 500 million to india, 93 million to Pakistan and 60 million to Nepal. India and Pakistan have been receiving only emergency aid from Japan following the nuclear tests carried out by those two countries two years ago.

Prime Minister Mori showed deep love for Nepal during his short visit. He danced and shook hands with people at Patan Durbar Square, talked to small children, waved to students and other people where ever he went in the course of his visit. The most important point is the Japanese Prime Minister stayed around 15 minutes longer than scheduled. Members of his entouraged boarded the chartered RNAC flight and waited while Mori continued talking to the Nepalese Prime Minister at the VVIP bay of Tribhuvan International Airport.

Japanese Ambassador Mitsuaki Kojima says "the visit will lay a yet stronger foundation for friendship and cooperation betwen Japan and Nepal into the 21st century".

The punctuality of RNAC is also commendable for making the visit a success. Otherwise, the programmes of the visit could not have been held as scheduled, says an official of the Japanese Embassy.

It is said that the Japanese people do not know why Japan provides assistance to Nepal, a small, underdeveloped and distant counntry. But we will be able to understand the reality after the visit of premier Mori. Cultural secretary at the embassy of Japan Takashi ato says Prime Minister Mori’s visit was very succesful in Nepal and the South Asia region.

Govt studying HCF case

BY A STAFF REPORTER

Kathmandu, Sep.5: The government is awaiting the report of an official study to decide whether the Himal Cement Factory (HCF) should be translocated or it should be run with an equipment that can minimise its dust emission, a senior government official said here today.

Department of Mines is conducting a study on HCF and it will make recommendations to the government whether the company should be translocated or not, said Kalyan Bahadur Pradhan, Joint Secretary at the Ministry of Industries and Commerce.

Prevailing circumstances at Chobhar — to the southwest of here where HCC is located — indicate that the cement company may not be able to use the limestone from the nearby mines in the future, officials said at an interaction program here today.

Of the three sections of limestone mines at Chobhaar, HCF has already exhausted one and presently is using the second one — which is expected to last for another five years. The officialdom is not considering to tap the third limestone mine since it will adversely affect the nearby located Adinath Temple and its surrounding human settlements.

Locals at Chobhar have been mounting pressure to translocate the company elsewhere. Members of a local action committee — formed to protect the environment of Chobhar — said that the company has virtually threatened their life.

"For the last two and a half decades we have been suffering from the smoke, dust, noise and tremors due to the company," said Pankaj Lal Maharjan, a member of the Action Committee. "Almost all of us are suffering from skin, eyes and respiratory diseases."

The locals also claimed that not even 10 per cent of them are employed in the company while they have been bearing the brunt of the polluting cement company — whose dust particles has even adversely affected health of the people in the Capital Valley.

Wind coming in through the Chobhar Gorge brings in the dusty particles emitted by the cement company. "More than 80 per cent of the dusty particles emitted by the cement factory enter Kathmandu Valley," said Hem Bahadur Khadka, a Lecturer at Tri Chandra Campus.

"The pollution due to the cement factory gets trapped in the valley due to its topography," he said. "The air pollution thus caused is around 20 times higher than the limit prescribed by the World Health Organisation."

Apart from the health of the people, local vegetation and fauna at Chobhar have also been adversely affected by the emission of the HCF. "The entire area’s vegetation most of the time remain coated with the dust from the cement factory," the locals said.

They questioned the rationale behind operating the company at a time when it is making a whooping loss. Officials at the Ministry of Industries and Commerce said HCF has so far incurred the loss of 100 million Rupees. "When it is already making a loss why is the company allowed to risk our lives?" locals asked.

Officials also said that the HCF has been demanding 30 million Rupees to revamp itself. "But the officialdom is still undecided whether it should inject the money or privatise the company."

Pradhan said if HCF operates an equipment — Wet Scrubber — it can well minimise the emission from the factory. "Studies have shown that if the production plant is used without the wet scrubber, it emits 2.8 tonnes of dusty particles in a day while if the plant is run with the equipment the emission comes down to 61 kilogram in a day."

Inefficient manpower is said to be hindering the operation of the wet scrubber — installed by German assistance.

Parliamentary Environment Protection Committee has already submitted a report on the HCF to the government. "We have time and again raised the issue in the Parliament. But, the unanswered question is why is this issue not being addressed," said MP Til Kumar Miyangbo, a member of the Parliamentary Committee.

Other MPs including Dambar Bastakoti, Bidhya Bhandari also expressed their concern on the impending issue of the HCF.

Today’s interaction program on HCF’s impact on the environment was organised by The Explore Nepal Group.

Doors open for dialogue: Sushil

Nepalgunj, Sept. 5 (RSS): General Secretary of the Nepali Congress Sushil Koirala has said that since democracy signifies a tradition of values and norms one should not follow a path that hurts democracy.

He called on the party to give special attention towards mustering public opinion against terrorist activities with a view to put an end to such activity perpatrated in collusion with the extreme leftists and extreme rightist.

Speaking at a meet the press held here today by the Nepal Press Union, Banke unit he said "just as it is ardous to restore democracy in the country, it is equally difficult to protect and proserve it. That’s why we all have to be disciplined".

General Secretary Koirala referred to the atrocities meted out to NC party workers by the terrorists and said since freedom to protest through peaceful demostrations can be exercised in a democracy, it is not right to resort to violence over the problems faced by the nation and its people.

Responding to a query, Mr. Koirala who is also a member of the high level Maoists problem resolution committee made it clear that though the Maoists group announced publicly not to hold talk, the committee has still kept its doors open for a dailogue.

The responsibility for running the party and the government has been assigned to the party workers on the basis of ability and competence rather than giving emphasis to the generational aspect, he replied to another query and added, if any issue arising within the party fails to be resolved, a solution should be sought through the statutory process.

Asking the government to give priority to the construction of a bridge over the Rapti river in Banke, General Secretary Koirala, who Represents Constituency No 2 of this district at the House of Representatives, said a lot of progress has been made in development work in the district though this is no reason for complacency.

Nepal Press Union Banke district chairman Rajendra Singh Rathour presided over the programme.

Keep Constitution in mind while formulating laws, MPs urged

BY A STAFF REPORTER

Kathmandu, Sept. 5: State Management Committee of the House of Representatives today organised an interaction programme on ‘The Problems Relating to Corruption and Good Governance and the Strategies to Solve Them’ here today.

Auditor General, Commissioner of the Commission for the Investigation of Abuse of Authority (CIAA), various legal experts, senior journalists and other distinguished scholars in the related field are taking part in the two-day interaction that aims at collecting suggestions from them for the amendment to three Bills waiting to find passage in Parliament, the organisers said.

The three Bills include Commission for Investigation of Abuse of Authority (Second Amendment) Bill, Corruption Control Bill and the Bill relating to the formation, rights and working strategies of Special Court.

Speakers at the interaction chaired by the Committee Chairman Hom Raj Dahal recommended for the amendment to various clauses of the Bills that contradict with the Constitution and advised the concerned lawmakers to keep the Constitution in mind while formulating any laws.

They shared the view that corruption prevailed in the country like a chronic disease or an epidemic. "It is due to weak implementation of the laws," they said. "Half of the social, economic and political problems could be solved by checking the financial irregularities and abuse of authority that have posed a serious threat to the whole system."

For this, they suggested, CIAA should be developed as an independent body to see the corruption cases. "There should be a reciprocal relationship between the government and the CIAA, the only state authority to look into corruption," they said. "The government should empower CIAA with adequate human and physical resources while at the same time CIAA should assist the government in its campaign to curb the social malice."

Special Police should be mobilised under CIAA in order to effectively crack down the corruption of all types, including monetary and political, they said.

Auditor General Bishnu Bahadur K. C. said that the proposed amendment deprived him of the special authority provided by the Constitutional provision while CIAA Commissioner Krishna Ballav Kafley said that the amendment proposal had various lapses by which corruption could easily be evaded.

Among those expressing their views on the topic were Deputy CIAA Commissioner Madhav Datta Bhatta, senior journalist Dhruba Hari Adhikari, former finance minister Dr. Devendra Raj Pandey, economist Dr Mohan Man Sainju, senior advocates Shambhu Thapa, Radheshyam Adhikari and Krishna P. Bhandari.