‘Security package will improve law, order’

Pokhara, May 19 (RSS): Minister of State for Health Tirtha Ram Dangol has said that if people with democratic idea resort to undemocratic activities, then consolidation of democracy is affected.

Addressing a party activists gathering organised by the Kaski district committee of the Nepali Congress here today, Minister of State Dangol, said that it is ridiculous to remove the party president elected democratically in accordance with the constitution by undemocratic means.

Minister of State Dangol said that as the integrated internal security and development package introduced after much discussions and dialogue will bring qualitative improvement in the law and order situation of the country and eliminate impediments to the development process, this should be supported by all sectors.

On the occasion, MP and Nepali Congress Kaski district committee president Shukra Raj Sharma said that attention should be paid in time to the fact that if the leaders were unable to give out the message of party unity, the activists would be confused.

Also today, Minister of State Dangol inspected the Kaligandaki ‘A’ substation built at Lekhanath.

Team meets ML leaders, talks Maoists issue

BY A STAFF REPORTER

Kathmandu, May 19: A delegation including coordinator of the ‘Save Democratic Rights Movement’ Padma Ratna Tuladhar, former Speaker of the House of Representatives Daman Nath Dhungana, Shyam Shrestha and Sushil Chandra Amatya met with President of the CPN-ML Sahana Pradhan and General Secretary of the party Bamdev Gautam today morning.

According to the ML, at the meeting discussions were held on the problem related to the Maoists insurgency, mobilization of the army and others related to the present situation of the country.

The ML General Secretary Gautam welcomed their initiative for an all party talks to find a solution to the problems faced by the country, but said that the mobilization of the army would not solve the Maoist problem.

Clarifying his party’s position, Gautam said that there was no alternative than to have a national consensus through an all party meeting if the present problem was to be solved.

A press statement of the ML said that the two-hour long discussion also concluded with both sides agreeing that only a meeting involving all the political parties of the country could find solutions to the country’s current problems.

Media Point Journalism Award to K.C.

Kathmandu, May 19 (RSS): The Media Point Journalism Award-2000 has been awarded to RSS Sindhupalchowk representative Ram K.C.

The award instituted by Media Point, a professional journalism institute is awarded every year to one journalist outside the capital. It carries a purse of Rs 5,500/.

K.C. was given the award for his feature article on an orphan. The feature article was carried by the National News Agency (RSS).

The Media Point has been providing a 10-month training on journalism since its inception on Jestha 6, 2053 B.S. and 175 persons have so far been trained in the institute.

On the recommendation of the Department of Information, the institute has also been providing free training for one person from poor economic background.

Member of Nepal Press Council Somnath Ghimire presented the award to journalist Ram K.C. at a function organised to mark the fifth anniversary of the institute here today.

He also presented prizes to the best trainees of the sixth batch of training run by the institute and a prize to Sanjib Singh for maximum utilisation of the institute’s library.

Speaking on the occasion, Ghimire said given growing disenchantment among the people and eroding human values young journalists have the responsibility of guiding the society along the right.

Central president of Nepal Press Union Kulchandra Wagle said the Nepali press sector should strongly refute news disseminated by some foreign media against the interest of our country.

Chairman of Nepal Press Institute Gokul Pokhrel, president of Press Chautari Shambhu Shrestha and executive director of Media Point Sriramsingh Basnet shed light on professional journalism and emphasised the need for a concrete government policy to produce skilled journalists for the country.

Children meet
Children preparing to be change makers for S. Asia

BY A STAFF REPORTER

Kathmandu, May 19: Seventeen children and young people from the South Asian countries are preparing themselves to engage in dialogue with leaders of corporate and business houses from the region as well as government ministers and delegations, starting today in Kathmandu. The focus of the meeting is to make a case for more in children in the region.

Jointly initiated by the UNICEF Regional Office for South Asia and Save the Children Alliance South Asia, the five-day event ‘Change Makers for South Asia’ initiative aims to prepare the children for the workshop with key decision makers, encourage them to see micro-macro economic linkages, taxation, budgets and their impacts on public expenditure, especially for children and enable them to advocate their issues with corporate leaders and national planners.

"This is, to our knowledge, the first time that children from the region have been engaged at a regional level consultation with ministers and corporate leaders," said Ranjan Poudyal, Regional Co-ordinator of the Save the Children Fund, Office for South Asia and Central Asia Region.

Nigel Fisher, Regional Director, UNICEF-South Asia said, "the entire consultation with corporate leaders and the meeting with the government delegations from South Asia will be to highlight the important theme of ‘investing in children’". "We want the business leaders and the national leaders to be convinced that investing in children is the right thing," said Fisher while addressing the children this morning.

After two and half days of preparation, the children, the 17 "Change Makers" will meet the corporate leaders of the region on May 21 and 22. On May 23 the children will sit in discussion with the ministers and high level government officials from seven SAARC countries.

Save the Children UK said the workshop was one outcome of cumulative processes that had been taking place in various countries for the past 3-4 months.

Public prosecutors’ role highlighted

Kathmandu, May 19 (RSS): The fourth central conference of the gazetted first class public prosecutors of the Office of Attorney General and Appellate Court organised by the Office of Attorney General concluded here today by adopting a 16-point suggestion.

Among the suggestions presented by the conference are that a crime investigation and study centre should be opened and an atmosphere created under which political parties and the civic society may extend their help in investigation of the public lawsuits.

Similarly, the conference also demanded that legal arrangements should be made for accepting the services of only the public prosecutors who get through the bar council examinations and efforts made towards improving researches into crimes and controlling them.

Minister for Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs Mahantha Thakur, winding up the conference, said public prosecutors have a crucial role to play in the dispensation of justice, adding that collection of crime-related information and not to let criminals escape are the attributes of a good public prosecutor.

Attorney General Badri Bahadur Karki, from the chair, also spoke at the function.

A total of 54 persons took part in the conference.

Phewa fest begins

Pokhara, May 19 (RSS): The three-day Phewa Tourism Festival organised by the Pokhara Hotel Entrepreneurs Committee at the initiatives of Nepal Tourism Board kicked off here today.

Various events such as running competition, tug-of-war and display of colourful floats and various cultural tableaux were organised as part of the festival.

Rajiv Chhetri was placed first, Yam Bahadur Ale second and Ishwar Kumar Thakuri third in the 9-kilometre race held today.

Earlier, MP Sukra Raj Sharma had inaugurated the festival.

Chairman of the Pokhara Valley Town Development Committee Ashok Palikhe, president of Pokhara Chamber of Commerce and Industry Basanta Udas, Pokhara Sub-metropolitan City Ward No. 6 chairman Chuda Mani Pahari, Kali Bahadur Pariyar, Bishwa Palikhe, Canadian tourist Miss Annie Du Perron and others expressed their views at the programme.

The programme was presided over by committee president Bidya Bimal Baral.

Yarchagumba collection
Dolpo people wait for snow to melt

BY OUR CORRESPONDENT

Dunai (Dolpo), May 19: After the government lifted the ban on collecting Yarchagumba, many people in Dolpo are waiting impatiently for the snow to melt. The government had lifted the ban on the collection of Yarchagumba on February 12 but the people are still waiting for the second week of Jestha as the Maoists have told the people not to collect the medicinal herb till the second week of Jestha.

The government had lifted the ban after suggestions by experts, who said if Yarchagumba is not collected after it sprouts, it decays and goes to waste. They also suggested that a managed collection of it does not affect its propagation.

Snow has already melted in Bhokpa, Mukot, Ruppatan, Saiquari and Tho areas of Dolpo and the mountainside with sprouting Yarchagumba are enticing the people.

According to Khumb Bahadur Karki of Dolpa, they had to helplessly look at the sprouting fungus until the ban on its collection was lifted. "Now, with the ban lifted, it has given us an opportunity to earn some money," he said.

Yarchagumba sprouts out of the rocks after the snow melts and collecting this medicinal herb has become a seasonal occupation for the people of the district. It has also become an important source of income for the people of the district.

Local people say even when the ban was on, the illegal collection of Yarchagumba was going on. According to experts, last year alone Yarchagumba worth of Rs. 400 million were illegally collected and exported. Last year in Dolpo, Yarchagumba was sold for Rs. 40,000 to 50,000 a kilo.

Yarchagumba is found mainly above 14,000 ft and is taken as a potent medicine for many ailments. It is also taken by the Amchis (practitioners of Tibetan medicine) as a very potent medicine. Among other benefits, it is also said to be a highly effective aphrodisiac.

Chief of the district forest office Babukaji Dallakoti said the lifting on the ban will help in collecting revenue. Last year, the district had collected more than Rs. 240,000 in revenue from the herbs and other medicinal plants. Among them, revenue collected from Guchhi mushroom alone had amounted to more than Rs. 100,000. This year, he said, revenue from Yarchagumba will become the highest.

The lifting of ban has also increased commercial activities in Dolpo. Hotels of Dunai and other parts of the district are filled with traders, who deal with Yarchagumba.

Kumar K.C. of Tripura Variety Shop in Dunai said with the start of the season for the collection of Yarchagumba the transaction in his shop has risen steeply. He said he has sold goods worth more than Rs. 14,000 in a day, which is four times the normal transaction.

Collectors of Yarchagumba also said the lifting of the ban has other benefits. Aaite Rokaya of Majphal village said, "The legalization on the collection of Yarchagumba means we will pay tax to the government and it has freed us from the fear of being caught for illegally collecting the herb." Moreover he said this has freed the collectors from traders who used to swindle us because of the illegally collected Yarchagumba."

The ban on Yarchagumba had been a double loss for both the people of the district and also to the government. "The government was losing revenue, and we were losing opportunity for earning some money, but the collection and illegal trading of Yarchagumba was going on unabatedly," Rokaya said.