Nepal-India Trade Accord

NEPAL and India concluded bilateral trade talks the other day in Kathmandu signing a 25-point umbrella agreement to facilitate increased trade between the two neighbouring countries. The secretary level talks headed by Commerce Secretaries from both the countries focused their attention to resolve some of the issues relating to practical problems that have cropped up in the bilateral trade between Nepal and India. As closest neighbours, Nepal and India have been enjoying best of relations throughout the history and so is the trade. Officials from both the countries meet on regular basis and discuss issues relating to bilateral trade and solve them amicably for the best interest of both. Nepal-India Trade Treaty-1996 governs the bilateral trade between the two countries, which is automatically renewed in every five years. The recently concluded talks were the regular ones to resolve the problems that come up during the implementation phase of the treaty. In the talks, Nepal raised issues like extension of railroad to Birgunj, recognition of NS mark in India, improvement of physical infrastructure at land border customs points and cooperation between the two countries to establish export processing zones in Nepal. The talks concluded with the 25-point agreement on some pertinent issues regarding bilateral trade like expressing resolve to make their best efforts for the finalisation of a railway agreement for operating the Birgunj Inland Clearance Depot, regulation of vehicular traffic, enhancing the process of agreement between Nepalese and Indian Bureaus of Standard and Metrology, waiving the premium in the leased properties at Kolkota port and setting up lab testing facilities at Raxaul and Gorakhpur for export of food items from Nepal. Above all both sides agreed to hold further discussion to resolve other issues and problem in the operational phase of Trade Treaty. As the talks aimed at resolving obstacles in enhancing bilateral trade between the two countries, regular meeting and interaction would definitely create an atmosphere of confidence for increasing volume of trade between Nepal and India. Nepal has a huge trade deficit with India and efforts must be made to reduce this deficit. As a big country with the economy several times bigger than Nepal’s, India also needs to understand problem of Nepal and demonstrate a good neighbourly spirit in reducing Nepal’s trade deficit and facilitate Nepal’s export trade to India.

Epidemic Outbreaks

TWENTY-TWO patients of encephalitis, according to a news item carried by this daily recently, succumbed to the disease at the Bheri Zonal Hospital and the Nepalgunj Medical College. Of the 116 encephalitis patients who visited the Bheri Zonal Hospital, 37 were from Banke district, 34 from Bardiya district, 40 from Dang district and one each from Kailali, Arghakhachi and Salyan districts. Similarly, 35 encephalitis patients had been admitted to the Seti Zonal Hospital for treatment. Going by the news reports of encephalitis outbreaks in Bheri and Seti zones, it so seems that some districts of the two zones are currently in a midst of an encephalitis epidemic. And, along with it, both the medical authorities and local bodies there are having to scramble to mobilise whatever resources at their disposal to contain the further march of this disease. While their joint initiative to drum up the required resources should be commended by all, it also goes without saying that the concerned medical authorities, more often than not, are seen to be reacting only when an epidemic breaks out in one or the other area. This is a telling indication that either the concerned health authorities have yet to come up with preventive programmes or they lack the required manpower to man the medical units needed to detect those diseases that have the potentials to break out as epidemics.

Conceded, due to government’s resource-crunch, the health authorities, on their part, are having to stretch their health delivery services and centres thinly across the length and breadth of the nation. Furthermore, they have to not only keep the existing health centres and hospitals functioning but also cater to the people’s increasing demands for easy and affordable health services. Yet, through judicious use of available resources, manpower and expertise, they can come up with health units and schemes to detect, if not speedily contain, epidemic outbreaks like encephalitis. Especially when by now the health authorities should be having data concerning the occurrences and outbreaks of epidemics like encephalitis in the country. Since the cooperation of the local people is most essential, their health awareness should be raised through mass campaigns, possibly through the aegis of health-oriented NGOs or CBOs (community-based organisations) working in the areas. While they are at it, they should also stock the health centres and hospitals up with adequate medical kits, vaccines and medicines to treat the epidemic victims.