All party meet in Makawanpur to destroy hemp

Hetauda, Aug. 8 (RSS):  An all party meeting convened by the Makawanpur district administration has decided to destroy all the hemp seeds being kept by the farmers of the northern VDCs of Makawanpur district.

At the meeting, the political parties also decided extend cooperation in taking stern legal action against the persons involved in illegally growing and selling hemp.

The meeting decided to send teams of the district administration and the police to the jungles and destroy all the hemp plants growing wildly there.

The meeting was chaired by chief district officer Sitaram Khanal.

Workshop reviews method of water project implementation

BY A STAFF REPORTER

Kathmandu, Aug. 8: Some definite methods and ways for preparing and implementing hydro-power projects have to be developed and followed to strengthen public involvement in Nepal. This was the common view shared by experts in a workshop organised on Tuesday to review and discuss the manual on public involvement in hydro-power development projects in the country.

Public participation actually reduces costs and makes environment management smooth at project sites, said Dr. John Bizer, an environment specialist.

Highlighting workshop objectives Dr. Don Messerschmidt, a sociologist, said the participants’ valuable interactions will help improve the manual, which is expected to provide some important tips to enrich public involvement in hydro-power projects in Nepal.

Prolonged political debate may endanger projects, but it does not mean a compromise with environment. The concerned experts have to be careful to tackle these issues at implementation level, the participants at the workshop suggested.

The interaction was attended by water resource experts, engineers and journalists.

‘Set up separate schools for workers’ children’

Kathmandu, Aug. 8 (RSS):  Lalbabu Pandit of the CPN-UML, taking part in discussions on the appropriations head for the Ministry of Labour and Transport under the appropriations bill at the meeting of the House of Representatives today, said that though the budget allocations under the Ministry were comparatively low, the allocations will have direct impact on a large number of people and therefore the government should be serious about it.

He further said that as the Labour Act had not been invoked in the interest of labourers, HMG should enforced the act in its full form and strive to make for skilled labourers.

Savitri Bogati of the Nepali Congress said that as today is the age of labour markets, the need was respect for labour and suggested setting up a separate school for the children of labourers.

Netra Lal Shrestha of the RPP said that the Ministry of Labour and Transport was being run in a disorderly manner, technical training centres should be opened in all 75 districts to resolve the unemployment problem and the government should be sensitive over the plight of child labourers.

Dilaram Acharya of the Rastriya Janamorcha said that the government was lacking vision regarding what to do in the field of labour and how to ensure the safety of labourers, adding that labourers coming from India were taking away the employment of Nepalese because of the open border.

Tirtha Gautam of the CPN-UML said that the Ministry of Labour and Transport was in chaos, the labourer act could not yet be enforced, the government was unable to understand the plight of the labourers who had to bear the oppression of management and labourers were a suffering class as a result of the privatisation of industries and factories.

Ramkumar Chaudhari of the Nepali Congress said that as this was the age of labour, labour provisions should be made properly and inspection of the factories to prevent child labour and introduction of special programmes for them were welcome measures. He suggested provision of training for the labourers.

Brajesh Kumar Gupta of the RPP pointed out that 50/60 per cent of the population was dependent on labour and suggested opening up of training centres in each and every district. Granting of permission by the Ministry of Labour should be made strict to ensure that the unemployed are not deceived, he added.

Ganga Prasad Nepal of the CPN-UML said that the budgetary provisions of the Ministry of Labour and Agriculture were dependent on foreign grants, the government was not serious about labour or labourers, industries and factories were gradually closing down, and there was no programme to protect and promote the rights and interests of industrial labour.

Manpower companies:

Ramnath Adhikari of the Nepali Congress said that the government should close down the mushroom growth of manpower companies and take over responsibility of foreign employment to cope with the increasing unemployment problem and the government should be serious on protection of the interest of the labourers working in industries.

Hridayaram Thani of the same party said that foreign employment should be made more well-planned and effective and skill should be imparted to the workers going abroad for work.

Poverty:

Tukraj Sigdel of the CPN-UML said that the government could not introduce a clear policy on ending unemployment essential for poverty alleviation and there was no clear policy concerning employment abroad.

Khemraj Bhatta Mayalu of the Nepali Congress said that the government has brought in specific policy to make the labour and transport sector efficient and suggested that special emphasis should be laid on surface transport and skilled manpower.

Kamal Prakash Sunuwar of the CPN-UML said that a long-term reliable labour policy could not be introduced to utilise both physical and mental labour, special programmes should be launched to generate employment opportunities within the country and open border checked.

Lekhanath Neupane of the Nepali Congress said that many new programmes have been brought in to eliminate child labour, and numerous positive programmes have been brought in the transport sector also.

Dilli Raj Sharma of the same party said that foreign employment should be made more well-planned and effective, the foreign employment companies should be wound up and the law concerning transport should be reformed to make it more practical.

Make ropeway, trolley bus service effective:

Omprasad Ojha of the CPN-UML stressed the need to utilise the national labour force effectively for the development of the country, the mushroom growth of the foreign employment companies should be regulated, and ropeway and trolley bus services should be made more effective.

End child labour:

Narendra Bahadur Bam of the Nepali Congress said that special emphasis should be laid on practical and scientific labour policy and elimination of child labour.

Shankar Nath Sharma Adhikari of the CPN-UML said that labour force could not be utilised within the country in a planned manner nor foreign employment made practical and the government could not lay special emphasis on the condition of drivers, vehicles and the roads.

Equal wage:

Dharmanath Prasad Shah of the CPN-UML said that there was no uniformity in wage of men and women labourers, and the foreign employment companies had not been controlled and made well-planned.

Krishna Lal Maharjan of the same party said that labour administration was impractical and helpless and even though the Labour Act and Trade Union Act had been formulated, injustice was meted out to the labourers.

Kunta Sharma, also of the CPN-UML said that the labour and transport sector were both in disorder and suggested the introduction of work permits and controlling of the border.

Ramchandra Yadav of the same party said that labour could not be made planned, cheating had taken place on the pretext of foreign employment, transport management was not efficient, and the government should consider the agriculture workers also as labourers.

Sohan Prasad Chaudhari of the same party said that the Department of Labour could not look into the low wages being given to the labourers ploughing fields and shepherds looking after livestock, and women were given less wage than men.

Assistance for Dhangadhi schools

Dhangadhi, Aug. 8 (RSS):  Chief Whip of Nepali Congress Parliamentary Party Tek Bahadur Chokhal has provided about 67 per cent of fund he received under the constituency development programme in 2057/58 to Kailali contituency No. 4.

He released a total of Rs. 673,250 to six schools in Dhangadhi Municipality, three in Sahajpur, four in Nigali, seven in Urmaka, three in Malakheti, two in Beladevipur, six in Godawari, three in Sripur and two in Geta VDC. A majority of the receipents have used the financial assistance for repairing the school buildings.

Mr Chokhal also made available a financial assistance of Rs. 326,070 for the installation of hand pump, renovation of temple and public shelter, procurement of pump sets and pipes for irrigation, construction of toilets, maintenance of culverts, controlling river and sewing machine for women’s group, it is learnt.