WFP to expand food aid to schools in five more dists

BY A STAFF REPORTER

Kathmandu, Aug. 23: The UN-World Food Programme (WFP) is to expand its food assistance to primary schools in five more districts from the current academic year.

The districts selected for the expansion of the programme are Rasuwa and Nuwakot from Bagmati zone, Makawanpur from Narayani, Ramechhap from Janakpur and Udauyapur from Sagarmatha zone.

These districts are an addition to 16 others – mostly in Far and Mid Western hills - where WFP is implementing school-feeding programme since 1996 in collaboration with the Primary School Nutritious Food Project (PSNFP) of the Ministry of Education and Sports. The programme aims at providing opportunities for primary education to the children of poor, socially deprived and food deficit families in the rural areas of the country.

The WFP is to provide US$ 5.8 million worth of food for this academic year for the expanded programme in the new districts. Under the programme, students of public primary and lower secondary schools will receive a daily ration of mid-day meal made of fortified blended food. In addition, the programme has also made provisions for a monthly take-home ration of oil to mothers sending their daughters to schools. De-worming for all primary and lower secondary school children receiving mid-day food at schools is another component of the programme.

The WFP food assistance to primary schools, with the annual budget of US$ 4.3 million, now covers 250,000 children under the programme. Of the total annual budget, the WFP assistance amounts to approximately US$ 3.5 million.

"The WFP scheme has assisted the government to fulfil the aspirations of the citizens," Education Secretary Lava K. Devkota told the inaugural ceremony of a two-day workshop on Programme Implementation Modality of Global Food for Education Initiative here this morning.

Devkota said WFP should come up with innovative models to make the programme more successful, adding the workshop would be instrumental in identifying the shortcomings and refocusing the assistance scheme.

He assured the lessons learnt and weaknesses observed during the implementation of school feeding programme in other districts would be rectified for better and improved implementation of the programme in new districts.

National Planning Commission Member Dr. Jagadish Chandra Pokhrel urged WFP to ensure quality education to the children together with the provisions for nutritious mid-day food.

WFP Representative for Nepal Douglas C. Coutts stressed that the WFP food assistance to primary schools could be considered successful only if the need for good quality, practical and accessible education could be guaranteed to all children of food insecure and disadvantaged living in the rural areas.

The Deputy Country Director of WFP John Prout highlighted on the objectives of the workshop and Haribole Khanal, Programme Director of PSNFP welcomed the participants.

The workshop organised jointly by the PSNFP and WFP is to thoroughly analyse strengths and weaknesses observed during the implementation of the current school feeding programme and recommend implement measures for improved performances in newly introduced districts.

Giri goes long way to promote Nepal

BY A STAFF REPORTER

Kathmandu, Aug. 23: This is how the mind and instinct of a person keep on changing in the entire gamut of life leading towards a certain path where the person had never thought of treading. And it is good for that person and the nation if the new path turns towards a better life.

To become a computer engineer was the dream of Raja Ram Giri, now a travel and tourism personality promoting Nepalese tourism in the United Kingdom, until 1996, when he went to England for further studies. But lo! Fate had another mission for him and he joined the Portsmouth University for Travel and Tourism Management.

Giri, 27, is now one of the promising Nepalese youths promoting Nepalese tourism in Britain, from where the largest number of tourists visit Nepal after India and Japan.

Also the managing editor of "Kingdom in the Himalayas, Nepal", a bi-annual travel and tourism magazine about Nepal, Giri says that it was the curiosity of the teachers and others about Nepal and the encouragement of His late Majesty King Birendra Bir Bikram Shah that inspired him to play a part in promoting Nepal in England.

Giri is involved in making 'Nepal' a familiar name for the Europeans since the very beginning of his student life in Britain.

"When one of my computer teachers said that he did not know about Nepal, I felt hurt and I thought of quitting my studies in diploma in computer and started doing something so that I could help to promote the image of my country in England," Giri, now doing Masters in travel and tourism management, recalls how the turning point came to his life.

Giri is one of the founding members of Friends of Britain and Nepal, Nepal Tourism Organisation (FBNNTO) and has been working as its general secretary since its inception in 1999.

Among other things, it was largely because of Giri's efforts through FBNNTO and Nepal Tourism Information Center (NTIC) that Nepal saw 17 per cent growth of English tourists last year when the overall tourist arrival rate was facing a downfall, he claims.

"I not only bring out this magazine to inform the English people about Nepal, but also request the visitors to write their experiences while there, contribute photos for exhibitions and distribute this magazine in the universities, libraries, diplomatic offices, travel and tour operators and RNAC and other flights as well," Giri said while disclosing the marketing schemes of the magazine he publishes. All five thousand copies are distributed on complementary basis.

As to how he manages the financial aspects of running the office and the publication, he says he has been able to meet the expenses through advertisements and donations from the members.

Along with Raja Ram Giri as the general secretary, the FBNNTO has Dhruba K.C., Chris MacLaurin, Narayan Giri, Malcolm Harris (journalist cum photographer) as its board members. The Organisation now has 150 members, both English and Nepalese in Britain. It has been contributing much in achieving its goal of providing maximum information about Nepal in Britain, especially the prospective visitors.

Giri also says that his team is planning to extend their reach to entire Europe in the long run.

Giri, however, is not happy when it comes to co-operation from the Nepalese government authorities for the promotion of Nepalese tourism abroad.

"The government authorities here are so passive that they neither take any initiative nor do they provide any feed back to us who are running these kinds of programmes on voluntary basis. The government should either give us guidelines or they should take charge of our responsibilities. We cannot always go on after such things forgetting our academic career," he says.

"Why should we bother when FBNNTO and NTIC are doing the promotional works, that is what they say to us instead of helping us," he quoted Nepalese officials as saying.

Apart from bringing out the English language magazine on Nepalese travel and tourism Giri also runs a half-an-hour "Namaste Nepal" radio programme every week on the BBC's short wave.

"That is a total English radio programme which broadcasts travel and tourism related news and views about Nepal," Giri says.

As to what should be done for the development of tourism industry in the country, Giri opines that only the long-term viable strategic plans and respective role of the people will help develop not only tourism industry but also other sectors.

It is our short sightedness while making plans and policies, lack of preparedness and our weakness while tackling the challenges that have hindered development despite being rich in natural beauty and other resources," Giri says.

SAARC nations unite to ask for greater share of global trade

New Delhi, Aug. 23 (AFP): Seven South Asian countries, including India and Pakistan, called Thursday for developing nations to be given greater market access in the next World Trade Organisation (WTO) talks in November.

Commerce ministers of the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) said earlier rounds of talks had "further accentuated the inequalities between the developed and developing countries."

"This growing development deficit should receive primacy in all future work programmes in the WTO since a key to sustained global economic growth lies in unlocking the growth potential of developing countries," they said.

The ministers held a one-day meeting in New Delhi to draft a common position ahead of the WTO talks in Qatar.

The joint declaration urged the developed nations to eliminate trade subsidies, non-tariff barriers and other protectionist measures to create a better global trade regime.

Many poor countries feel they are not treated fairly by richer trade partners when it comes to agriculture and are seeking an end to subsidies for some farm exports. The European Union opposes such a move.

"In agriculture, SAARC ministers have emphasised the need for substantial reduction in tariffs and tariff escalations, substantial reduction in domestic support and elimination of all forms of export subsidies given by developed countries," the joint statement said.

They also stressed the need for greater global copyright protection of traditional resources such as medicinal plants, food items and apparel indigenous to the region.

Many developing nations fear a new round of negotiations on subjects including investment rules and competition would be to their disadvantage, and see the EU demand for trading standards that respect the environment and food safety as disguised attempts to protect domestic markets.

"What positions we take and how effectively we would unite and put up a joint effective voice in the WTO to protect our interests and predict our concerns is going to decide the future of the about 1.4 billion SAARC population," Indian Commerce Minister Murasoli Maran said in a separate statement.

"This junction is therefore critical and we cannot afford to allow any new issues which are going to harm our national interests in the WTO agenda," he added.

India has relentlessly lobbied on behalf of developing nations, arguing that developed countries have yet to fulfill their market-opening obligations under the Uruguay round.

Nihal Rodrigo, SAARC secretary general, said the meeting in New Delhi had provided the opportunity to "to review the collective understandings of the member nations on matters relating to global trade."

He added this would help to "have an agreed basis on which to project, promote and protect our common interests at Doha, whatever the odds."

The United States and the European Union have been keen on a new round of trade talks, but countries such as India, Pakistan and Malaysia have had reservations over whether they would stand to gain.

Refugee-verification
Bhutan sticks to its guns

BY NAVIN SINGH KHADKA

Kathmandu, Aug. 23: True to its words. That was how Bhutan portrayed itself in its recent talks with Nepal in the Bhutanese capital Thimpu, at least on one aspect. By agreeing to some points and by differing on others, it did keep its words it had given in the 10th round of bilateral talks last year here. The then promise: Verification of the refugees of one of the seven camps hosting the Bhutanese refugees for the last one decade.

That was the Kathmandu declaration after the 10th round of bilateral talks here last year. And now, ditto is the Thimpu declaration following the 11th ministerial level meet between the two Himalayan Kingdoms that ended yesterday. Nothing more, nothing less. Except for the agreement to comparatively speed up refugee-verification at the Khudunabari Camp. And for the disagreement on Nepal's proposal to verify the refugees in all seven camps in a time-bound manner.

"We have agreed to have more members in the Joint Verification Team (JVT), simplified process of verification, and strengthened JVT to speed up the verification process," Finance Minister Dr. Ram Sharan Mahat said of the agreement reached with Bhutan at the 11th round of bilateral talks he attended in Thimpu from Monday through Wednesday this week. "Now that we have agreed to speed up the ongoing verification, we hope the refugees of Khudunabari would be verified by October," he told reporters after his arrival at the Tribhuvan International Airport this morning.

That done, the Dragon Kingdom seems determined to use the Khudunabari Camp as a test case -- as it had agreed in the 10th round of talks. Moreover, this time the two nations have more visibly agreed to categorise the verified refugees of the camp once they harmonise their stands on the categorization at the secretary-level meet -- scheduled to be held soon after the verification of the 1200 families of the Khudunabari camp.

Nepal and Bhutan have deep running differences on the refugees' four categories -- Bonafide Bhutanese, Bhutanese who have emigrated, Bhutanese who have committed crimes, and non-Bhutanese -- they agreed to categorize in 1993 during their first joint ministerial level meet on the refugee crisis.

While Bhutan insists it would take back only the first category refugees (Bonafide Bhutanese), Nepal maintains that all except the non-Bhutanese refugees should be allowed to go back home. Sticking to their demands, the two have in the past "tried" to meet half way but to no avail. Hence, the one more attempt.

"After the harmonisation, the final phase would be the repatriation of the refugees of Khudunabari," Dr Mahat said. "After all that, we will proceed for the verification of the refugees in other camps,"

Which means, the entire focus is on Khudunabari Camp, for now. That is where the verification has already started. That is where the categorisation will take place while the two nations would harmonise their positions on the categories simultaneously. And that is from where the first batch of the refugees would go back home, if at all.

In other words, the Khudunabari camp would indeed be a test case indicating the future course of the protracted refugee crisis. By okaying to speed up the pace of the ongoing verification, the Druk Yul has earned for itself a pat on its back. But, its pulse is yet to be felt.

And the opportune time for that would be when Nepal and Bhutan, at the upcoming Foreign Secretary level talks, would be sitting across the table for harmonisation -- the most crucial phase in the entire refugee episode. "Since we already have the difference on our positions on the categories, that will be when we will be narrowing down our disagreements," Dr. Mahat told the press.

Almost the same was Bhutanese Foreign Minister Jigme Y Thinley's line when he spoke to this daily yesterday. "Everyone knows that we have the differences on our positions on the categories. But that is something that can be negotiated with the Nepalese side." He would not elaborate further.

It is this negotiation at the Secretary Level talks -- once the Khudunabari Camp's refugees are verified -- that would unveil what Bhutan really has up its sleeves. Especially in case of the second category refugees -- those who have emigrated. Citing its legal provisions, Bhutan has been denying to take back this category that makes the majority of the 100,000 refugees languishing in the UNHCR-maintained camps in Jhapa and Morang Districts. To back-up its stand, refugees say, this is what Bhutan has: the voluntary migration forms the Nepali-speaking refugees from southern Bhutan were made to sign under gunpoint before they were evicted from their homelands under the Dragon Kingdom's ethnic cleansing design.

Yet, Finance Minister Mahat is hopeful: In principle, they (the Bhutanese side) have agreed that those found to have left Bhutan under compelling circumstances would be allowed to go back. This is what they had said during the eighth round of talks, he told newsmen today.

Yes, that exactly was what he had told the press after the eighth round of talks last year here when he was leading the Nepalese side as a Foreign Minister.

Now, whether the Dragon Kingdom's deeds would speak louder than its words is something the harmonisation session between Nepal and Bhutan would put on show.

Industrialists need not panic: Rawal

BY A STAFF REPORTER

Kathmandu, Aug 23 :Governor of Nepal Rastra Bank Dr. Tilak Rawal has said that the recent announcement of the government regarding the land reform will not pose any adverse impact in the country’s banking sector. Though the announcement has created some confusion and apprehension among the industrialists, the banking sector is ‘not in standstill’. The existing liquidity position is ‘strong enough’ said Dr. Rawal and assured ‘NRB will not allow any intervention on the limitation on deposit and lending’ and will take adequate and timely measures to heighten the confidence of industrial and trading sector.

While interacting with the country’s industrialists at the Federation of Nepalese Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FNCCI) Governor Rawal stated that possible solutions should be hammered out without tampering the basic tenets of the government’s land reform programme. He also appealed to the traders and industrialists not to be panicked with the widespread rumors about deposit ceiling.

It is to be noted that depositors across the Kingdom have started withdrawing their deposit from banks since past few days. It is learnt that, a total amount of six hundred million rupees have already been withdrawn.

Referring to the present situation Dr. Rawal stated that country’s economy is affected by non-economic variables. Hence everybody should make concerted efforts to curb such variables, he added.

Deputy Governor of NRB Ram Babu Pant said that the NRB is fully alert to keep pace with changing atmosphere while formulating policies that are related with monetary financial sector.

While referring to a query about capital account convertibility another deputy Governor B. Bhattarai, was of the view that it can’t be practiced without developing proper mechanism and strength.

Economist and executive director at NRB Dr. Yuba Raj Khatiwada pointed out the essence of transparency in industrial sector to gear up the process of banking reform.

Joint Secretary at the Ministry Finance Narayan Silwal stressed the role of private sector for accelerating country’s economy.

President of the FNCCI Ravi Bhakta Shrestha while addressing the programme said that the government should win the confidence of private sector for national development.

Second vice president of the FNCCI Rajendra Khetan also spoke about the role of NRB to strengthen country’s economy. Industrialist Kishor Khanal spoke about the constraints being faced by the industrialists in the country.

Ease terms of WTO accession, says Acharya

Kathmandu, Aug. 23 (RSS): Minister of Agriculture and Cooperatives and leader of the Nepalese delegation to the SAARC commerce ministers’ meeting in New Delhi Mahesh Acharya addressed the meeting this morning.

Emphasising the need for easing the process of accession to WTO by LDCs, the Minister stressed that a fast-track approach with simple procedures should be adopted, and the terms should be consistent with the stage of development of LDCs, according to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

He expressed the view that the commitments laid out by WTO should not be higher than those undertaken by other LDC members.

The Minister laid emphasis also on the need for full implementation of the existing provisions of the Uruguay Round of agreements to integrate countries like Nepal in the world trading system, ensuring that the share of trade benefits are equitably distributed.

The meeting of SAARC commerce ministers organised by the government of India and attended by ministers from India, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka adopted a joint statement today.

The meeting was organised to coordinate positions on issues before the fourth WTO ministerial conference to be held in Doha, Qatar in November this year.

Minister Acharya had arrived in New Delhi yesterday evening to attend the commerce ministers' meeting.

Acharya paid a courtesy call on Atal Bihari Vajpayee, Prime Minister of India at the latter's office at the Parliament Secretariat today.

Prior to the SAARC commerce ministers' meeting, the SAARC commerce secretaries met on 22 August in New Delhi.