HM’s Buddha Jayanti massage

Kathmandu, May 7 (RSS): His Majesty King Birendra Bir Bikram Shah Dev has said that the Nepalese people inspired by Lord Buddha’s teachings of truth, peace and non-violence of have always remained supporters of peace.

His Majesty the King made this remark in a message given on the occasion of the 2545th Buddha Jayanti here today.

Expressing happiness over Buddha Jayanti being celebrated as the Lumbini day by organising various programmes, His Majesty wished the Buddha Jayanti will inspire all to carry out works for the welfare of the society taking into consideration the fact that development of human society is not possible without peace.

MPs to leave for Germany on May 11

BY A STAFF REPORTER

Kathmandu, May 7: A 12- member delelgation of parliamentarians and jurists is scheduled to leave for Federal Republic of Germany on a Familiarisation cum Exposure visit on May 11, 2001. During their 15- day sojourn, Parliamentarians will interact with Members of Parliament, and officials of the organisations affiliated with Free Democratic Party of Germany.

The focal themes of the visit are Federalism and Decentralisation in Germany, Role and Functioning of Political Parties and Democracy within Political Parties. The team will visit cologne, Dusseldorf, Berlin and Postsdam of Germany. Parliamentarians from national parties of Nepal- Nepali Congress, Unified Marxist-Leninist (UML), Rastriya Prajatantra Party (RPP), and Nepal Sadbhavana Party (NSP)- including two office bearers of Nepal Law Society are members of the delegation.

The visit is expected to contribute to make the Neapalese lawmakers familiar with the German Federal system and role of political parties in strengthening democratic traditions and norms while it will also help in building linkages between the civil society and political institutions of the two nations. The Nepalese legislators will also apprise the German counterparts about the functioning of the multiparty democracy in Nepal.

The visit is organised by Friedrich Naumann Foundation (FNF) and locally supported by Nepal Law Society. The Foundation is assisting the Nepalese organisations in executing activities in the area of human rights, constitutional democracy, industrial peace and labour relations while Nepal Law Society as a prominent local civil society organisation working in the feld of constitutional democracy, rule of law, self-governance and human rights for the last two decades. The delegation is also scheduled to visit Switzerland en route to Nepal.

Govt to review communications policy: Ojha

BY A STAFF REPORTER

Kathmandu, May 7: Gorkhapatra, the country’s oldest newspaper has entered into 101 years of its publication. A special function was organised today at the Gorkhapatra Corporation to mark the completion of the centennary of the newspaper and the 39th anniversary of the Corporation.

All the speakers at the function lauded Gorkhapatra’s role in informing the public in its 100 years of publication and also its services to the country’s education, literature, art and other sectors.

They were unanimous that Gorkhapatra, which pioneered journalism in the country and witnessed the ups and downs and the changes and upheavals of the past 100 years, is a living history of the country that needs to be preserved and promoted.

Speaking at the ceremony as Chief Guest, Minister of State for Information and Communication Pushkar Nath Ojha congratulated Gorkhapatra for its glorious past and said that the Government still wanted Gorkhapatra to play an effective and important role in the media sector.

Saying that the government is willing to evaluate the 10-year-old National Communication Policy and review and amend it to make it more timely and according to the changing needs of the communication sector.

He said the government was ready to encourage and support the Gorkhapatra Corporation without discouraging the private sector.

He accepted that Gorkhapatra Corporation, being a government-owned publishing house, has its constraints and limitations, but to improve the situation of Corporation and its publications all those working in the Corporation must make some sacrifices. He pledged if the employees ready themselves for a change for the better, the government was willing to lend its helping hands.

Secretary at the Ministry of Information and Communication, Sriram Poudel said in the present competitive environment the print media also has to compete with the electronic media.

He said there have been a lot of positive improvements in the media sector because of the open communication policy.

"In this context, Gorkhapatra has a dual responsibility of remaining within a perimeter of being a government-owned media and also looking forward to remain competitive."

However, he said, the government has never raised any question about the autonomy of the Corporation nor has it infringed upon the autonomy of the Corporation. So, he urged the journalists of the Corporation to make use of that autonomy. He also asked the journalists to get over with their defeatist mentality.

Chairman of the Corporation’s board of directors, Dr. Parashar Koirala said until there is understanding, liking and trust among the management, journalists and the employees of the Corporation nothing is going to change. He said to make the works of the Corporation’s board of directors more transparent, all the decisions made by the board would be made open. "They will be pasted on the notice boards," he said.

General Manager of the Corporation Benu Prasad Prasai said it would be wrong to take Gorkhapatra only as a publishing house. It is also a service-oriented institution. "But the government’s policy of not making it compulsory for the government advertisements to be published in the Gorkhapatra has a negative effect on Gorkhapatra’s revenue."

So, he asked the government to make it compulsory to have the government’s advertisement and notices to be published in Gorkhapatra at least once would be a big relief to Gorkhapatra.

He also said the existing physical infrastructure of the Corporation is inadequate and the most telling sign of it not being able to compete in the market is its failure to bring its publications in colours.

"A colour printing press is what Gorkhapatra needs urgently if it is to compete in the present advertisement market," said General Manager Prasai.

Basant Prakash Upadhyaya, General Secretary of the Corporation’s employees’ union said the lack of coloured printing press has become a great hindrance to the Corporation’s competitive edge. He said the Corporation’s management and the employees should sit down for a brainstorming session to see what should be done to regain the Corporation’s reputation and to regain reputation and fame its in the market again.

Similarly, President of the Gorkhapatra branch of the Nepal Journalists’ Federation, said the present situation of the Corporation should be of concern to all. He also said going into colour has become very important. He also said to make the publications of the Corporation sustainable and competitive, the management of the Corporation should have a clear vision and new programmes, which it does not have right now.

Editor-in-Chief of the Gorkhapatra daily, Sriacharya said Gorkhapatra may have a glorious history, but that would not be enough to meet the challenges of the future.

Although Gorkhapatra may have some limitations because of it being a government-owned newspaper, but the freedom it has is no less than many of the private-owned newspaper. He even said that many of the constraints are self-imposed rather than government-imposed restrictions.

He said if Gorkhapatra is to be made competitive and more readable the government should have a clear policy towards Corporations, allow the editors and journalists to have a certain degree of freedom and make the management of the corporation more efficient.

Acting Editor-in-Chief of The Rising Nepal, the Corporation’s English daily, Lok Deep Thapa said Gorkhapatra and its sister publications are willing to bear the burden of being a government-owned newspaper. In relation to that, the government should also have a systematic channel of dissemination information.

He said the Gorkhapatra Corporation may have a glorious past, but we seem to be lagging in the modernisation process. Along with modern infrastructure and equipment, we also need to have modern management, he said. He also said Gorkhapatra has a big advantage in its history and that should be capitalised on to gear up for its future.

On the occasion, the Minister of State for Information and Communications also released two books – compilation of 101 stories selected from the stories published in Gorkhapatra in the last 100 years and the other compilation of 201 poems selected from those published in the last 100 years – published by the Corporation.

Kamal Mani Dixit and Daibagya Raj Neupane talked about the books released.

On the occasion, gold medals and certificates were given to those who have completed 25 and 20 years of years. Similarly, the Minister also gave away the Gorkhapatra Journalist Award to Sunil K.C. of The Rising Nepal. The Award was established by the Gorkhapatra branch of the Nepal Journalists’ Federation.

The Minister of State also gave away the Gorkhapatra Journalism award to Maheshor Karki for securing the highest mark in journalism in Diploma in Journalism.

On the occasion, trophies and certificates were also given to the five of the biggest advertising agencies who gave the highest amount of advertisement to Gorkhapatra. There were Trikon Advertising Services, Boost Up Market and Advertisement Pvt. Ltd., Okhash Pvt. Ltd., Media Team Pvt. Ltd. and Multi-national Advertisements.

Similarly, awards were also given to the retailers selling the highest number Gorkhapatra in the five development regions. Likewise, Madhavi Maharjan of Dillibazar was declared the winner among the subscriber of Gorkhapatra. The winner gets a one-year subscription of Gorkhapatra free. The winner was chosen by a drawing lot.

PM’s resignation solves no problems: Rijal

Kathmandu, May 7 (RSS): National Assembly vice-chairman Chiranjivi Prasad Rijal has said that even if Prime Minister Girija Prasad resigns in the present circumstances, the problems of the country would not be resolved.

Speaking at a face to face programme hosted by the Reporters Club Nepal here today, vice-chairman Rijal said that he was not in favour of the Prime Minister resigning, adding that all the problems of the country would be resolved only if there was unity between Girija Prasad Koirala and Krishna Prasad Bhattarai.

Stating that the Prime Minister with majority backing should not resign just because the opposition asks him to do it, he said that only the parliamentary party of the Nepali Congress could remove him.

Former National Assembly chairman Beni Bahadur Karki said the Nepali Congress committed a mistake last year when it sought the resignation of Krishna Prasad Bhattarai and it was going to make another grave mistake by seeking the resignation of Girija Prasad Koirala.

The most serious crisis at present is the infighting in the party, Mr Karki said adding that there should be unity in the party for the protection of democracy.

He also said that by stalling parliament, the CPN-UML has lost the confidence of the people.

Former general secretary of the Nepali Congress Shribhadra Sharma said that if Prime Minister Girija Prasad Koirala resigns, the party will face a grave crisis.

Expressing the view that unless the Supreme Court and the Commission for Investigation of Abuse of Authority convict the Prime Minister, allegations against him could not be made, Mr Sharma said that the second generation leaders should have patience and the party with a five year mandate should prove its capability.

Club president Rishi Dhamala presided.

30 NC dist party chiefs insist PM should not quit

Kathmandu, May 7 (RSS): Thirty different Nepali Congress district committee presidents have published a joint statement here today stating that Prime Minister Girija Prasad Koirala should not avoid his responsibility towards the country, the people and the democracy by resigning.

It is a pre-meditated conspiracy against the country, the people and democracy to seek the resignation of the Prime Minister at present when the country was facing various kinds of problems, the statement adds. The statement reads, "the terrorists elements called Maoists have been, for the past some time, killing innocent Nepali Congress cadres and police, committing crimes such as robbery and arson and seriously disrupting educational, tourist and industrial establishments, thereby making the misadventure of taking the country towards civil war. They are hatching a conspiracy to weaken the country, people and democracy. Some of the NC leaders have been giving statement seeking the resignation of the Prime Minister after the Commission for the Investigation of Abuse of Authority (CIAA) asked him to furnish information on certain matters at a time when the present government had become sensitive and started taking decisions to combat treacherous activities. This is deplorable."

The statement states that seeking resignation not only weakens and pollutes the interest of the party, but will also have a bearing on democracy and strengthen those who are all out to create terror in the county and we protest this kind of statement detrimental to the interest of the party and democracy.

Heartily appealing to the Prime Minister to be conscious of his responsibility towards the country, people and democracy and not be under pressure in any way, the statement adds that if the NC party president delays in nipping in the bud this kind of undisciplined and undignified activity, then the ideals, norms and values of a historic party such as the Nepali Congress would be hurt and this is what matters so much.

In this kind of special situation, the Prime Minister has been strongly called upon to take immediate effective measures to prevent assault on the party and protect the rights of the people to live peacefully, the published statement adds.

The NC district committee presidents publishing the statement are Suryaman Gurung of Taplejung, Sudhir Kumar Shivakoti of Jhapa, Himalaya Karmacharya of Ilam, Ashok Koirala of Morang, Ram Bahadur Basnet of Sunsari, Nandamani Rai of Bhojpur, Taraman Gurung of Sankhusabha, Ganesh Bimali of Terhathum, Bidur Basnet of Udayapur, Rajendra Amatya of Parsa, Chinkajee Shrestha of Gorakha, Jagadeeshwar Narsingh KC of Nuwakot, Raghunath Poudel of Tanahu, Rajen Prasad Pant of Palpa, Krishna Chandra Nepali of Navalparasi, Kamalesh Kumar Sharma of Kapilvastu, Hari Prasad Shrestha of Baglung, Mukti Prasad Sharma of Pyuthan, Madhav Prasad Acharya of Rolpa, Dilli Raj Regmi of Salyan, Ganesh Bahadur Khadka of Dailekh, Jhalak Nath Wagle of Jajarkot, Tapta Bahadur Bishta of Surkhet, Krishna Man Shrestha of Banke, Prem Bahadur Hamal of Jumla, Hasta Bahadur Malla of Mugu, Yagya Raj Pathak of Doti, Satya Raj Bhandari of Bajhang, Shiva Raj Bhatta of Baitadi and Mahadev Badu of Darchula.

-Worst forms of child labour exist-

BY A STAFF REPORTER

Kathmandu, May 7: At a time when Nepal has been selected as one of the three countries in the world for the launch of the ILO-IPEC’s Time Bound Programme that has targeted child porters, child domestics, rag-pickers, bonded labourers and victims of various forms of children trafficking—as its five key focus areas; labour experts, and leaders of employers’ association from the private sector stressed the need for bringing child labour in other areas, and informal sector also into the target area of the programme.

They were discussing at the consultative meeting with the Employers’ Organisations on the Time Bound Programme against the Worst Forms of Child Labour organised under the aegis of the International Programme on the Elimination of Child Labour (IPEC), International Labour Organisation (ILO).

Still more cancerous forms of child labour exist in the informal sector that demand more meticulous and serious attention, as the informal sector lies beyond the framework of the national and international laws, they said.

Business leaders and representatives from various associations and bodies of the Federations of Nepalese Chambers of Commerce and Industries echoed their voice that the worst forms of child labour are also persisting in the sectors other than the five areas targeted by the ILO-IPEC’s programme. Many children are working in carpets, garments, construction, agriculture, and many other industries under risks to their health, safety and morals.

In Nepal, nearly one in every three children—2.6 of the country’s 7.9 million children between the ages five and fourteen—is a child labourer, according to the ILO sources.

Nepal has already ratified the ILO Minimum Age Convention (No. 138) in 1997 and the Parliament is reportedly now in the process of ratifying the ILO Worst Forms of Child Labour Convention (No 182). More than 100 action and mini-programmes have been implemented in Nepal since 1995 when IPEC started its operations following the ILO’s singing of memorandum of understanding with the HMG of Nepal.

The Time-Bound Programme (TBP) combines sectoral, thematic, and geographically based approaches to eliminate the worst forms of child labour as a matter of urgency in Nepal. The other two countries selected for the implementation of the TBP are El Salvador and Tanzania.

The participants of the gathering stressed the need for commitment and joint efforts on part of all the stakeholders including the government, employers’ organisations and donor agencies towards poverty reduction, expansion of economic activities, human resource development (HRD) programmes, employment generation and creating awareness to combat child labour problem.

Assuring the continued support of the ILO Regional Office (Bangkok), ILO Regional Director for Asia and the Pacific, Yasuyuki Nodera remarked that, apart from child labour, the ILO and Nepal’s private sector employers have worked together "on enterprise development and management training, HRD, occupational safety and health, industrial relations and gender issues."

"Our effective cooperation will play a key role in helping us achieve our real objective—decent work for the men and women of our region," he added.

Globally, some 250 million children work for a living, 60 per cent in Asia, according to an ILO estimate.

ILO Regional Director Nodera also hailed the programmes being organised jointly by the ILO and the FNCCI. He was referring to the programmes organised by the FNCCI’s Employers’ Association in collaboration with ILO-IPEC in Pokhara Sub-metropolis to combat child labour. Time-bound programmes, according to the FNCCI sources, are slated to be launched at Hetauda of Makwanpur district from the coming June.

Director for Operations at IPEC-ILO Geneva NG Gek-Boo, and Senior Programme Officer at IPEC-ILO Geneva Geir Myrstad stressed that government and all the stakeholders should work together and play a proactive role to eliminate the incidences of child labour.

Under the implementation of the TBP in Nepal, "a first of its kind, there is a need for….the employers of Nepal, to work even more intensively at the national and local levels in order to develop and implement action plans and programmes to fight against the worst forms of child labour," said Director at ILO Kathmandu Ms. Leyla Tegmo-Reddy .

FNCCI chairman Pradeep Kumar Shrestha, who was also on the chair of the consultative meet, said, "...we need to look at the real causes of child labour and also need to clearly define what constitute child labour."

"In all the societies the skills of craftsmanship was transferred from fathers and mothers to their sons and daughters by using the children as helpers and exposing them to the art of the profession at an early age, …we certainly cannot and should not condemn such practices," Shrestha observed.

"What becomes a concern to all of us, is when the children are exploited and barred from developing into balanced individuals," he added.

"The sure way to tackle child labour is to ensure rapid and sustainable economic development befefitting the people, especially the deprived section of it (the society)," Shrestha said. "We, from the employers side, fully endorse the TBP initiative of the ILO."

Presenting his paper on the "Role of the employers’ organisations in the formulation of the TBP against the worst forms of child labour" in the business session, vice chairman of the FNCCI Employers’ Council Bijay Bahadur Shrestha suggested the Employers’ Council’s role, among others, in strong advocacy for policy reforms in sound labour practices, in formulating codes of conduct for employers over minimum employment age and in issuing "child friendly logo" in consumer products.

Earlier, National Project Coordinator at IPEC, ILO Kathmandu Bimal Rawal shed light on the objectives of the consultative meeting, while National Programme Manager at IPEC, ILO Kathmandu Yadav Amatya highlighted the IPEC action against child labour and development of TBP with particular reference to ILO Convention No. 182 with the audio-visual aids including a documentary on different forms of child labour in Nepal.

The ILO-IPEC National Consultation Meet on the TBP against Child Labour is slated to begin tomorrow (Tuesday).

Dr Mahat leaves for Honolulu

Kathmandu, May 7 (RSS): Finance Minister Dr. Ramsharan Mahat left here today for Honolulu to take part in the 34th annual meeting of the Asian Development Bank to be held from May 9 to 11 .

Dr. Mahat is the Governor of the Asian Development Bank Board of Governors.

Dr. Mahat will address the 34th annual meeting of the Asian Development Bank to be convened in Honolulu.

Nepal had become a member of the Asian Development Bank which has 59 member countries in 1966.

Finance Minister Dr. Mahat will lead the Nepalese delegation to the 3rd United Nations Conference of the least developed countries to be held in Brussels, the Capital of Belgium from May 14 to 20.

The UN conference will discuss matters relating to the policies to be adopted for sustainable development of the least developed countries, and international development cooperation and loan investment for the trade sector.

Dr. Mahat will also take part in the special programme of digital economy to be organised jointly by UNCTAD and European Union in Brussels from May 18 to 20 as chief guest.

Discussions on how much benefit the developed countries can make through use of information and other technologies will be held at the special programme.

Finance secretary Dr. Bimal Prasad Koirala also left here today for Honolulu to take part in the annual meeting of the Asian Development Bank as alternate governor.

Other members of the Nepalese delegation are NPC member Dr. Shanker Sharma, Royal Nepalese ambassador for Belgium, the permanent Royal Nepalese representative to the United Nations in New York, the joint secretary at the Ministry of Industry, Commerce and Supplies and under secretaries of the Ministries of Finance and Foreign Affairs.