'UML ready for clash of doctrines'

BY OUR CORRESPONDENT

Manthali (Ramechhap), Oct. 6: The main opposition CPN (UML) Ramechhap district committee will be starting three-month long ‘ideological consolidation campaign’ in the district to check the terrorist activities launched by the CPN (Maoist).

District level leaders of UML revealed it at a press conference organised yesterday by the party after concluding a two-day gathering of the district level activists.

The UML leaders also said that they would strongly oppose the activities of the Maoist activists such as creating terror in the villages, raising donations forcibly, violence and forcing the elected local body representatives to resign.

"UML is ready to take any measure against the illegal and inhumane activities of the Maoists. We will reveal all such activities of the Maoists to the people in the villages," they said.

As part of protest programme against the activities of the Maoists, UML district committee organised an extensive meeting of the executives of the district committee and village committees. Lawmakers Surendra Pandey, Pashupati Chaulagain and Kamal Sunuwar said that the UML is starting the campaign against terrorist activities of the Maoists.

Dev Shankar Poudel, district secretary of UML, informed about the various protest programmes to be conducted in different parts of the district against the illegal activities of the Maoists.

Poudel further said that the local body representatives, who were forced to tender their resignations under the pressure of the Maoists, would be restored

A large number of local body representatives have tendered their resignations due to the pressure of the Maoists until now.

"If the Maoists want to hold political discussions with us, we are ready. But UML is against their terrorist activities," said Kailash Dhungel, Chairman of Ramechhap District Development Committee (DDC).

Cash crop farming
Jhapa district suitable for betel nut farming

BY OUR CORRESPONDENT

Birtamod (Jhapa), Oct. 6: There has been a growing interest among the farmers of northern part of the district in the betel nut farming.

Major areas favorable for betel nut farming of the district are Shanishchare, Budhabare, Khudunabari, Duwagadhi, Bahundangi, Dhaijan and Garamuni.

The products of Jhapa are supplied to Kathmandu, Pokhara and other areas of the country. It is also exported to the Indian State of West Bengal. Jhapa and other many plain districts of Terai are considered to be appropriate for betel nut farming.

Betel nut is planted up to 1,000 meters from sea level.

But concerned farmers complain that they have been unable to produce quality products due to lack of technical and physical facilities.

"As we are unable to compete with the Indian products, the latter have taken the Nepalese market as we do not have technical and physical facilities," says Krishna Prasad Dhakal, a betel nut farmer and general secretary of Nepal Betel Nut Producers’ Association.

Dambar Bahadur Basnet, founder advisor to the association, says that the association has requested the government to provide necessary incentives to the farmers involved in the betel nut farming.

Despite the increasing production of betel nut in Jhapa, its import from India and the third countries has yet to decrease.

Tikendra Shivakoti, chairman of Nepal Betel Nut Production and Development Organisation, says that some plants of betel nut were seen around the Durga Mandir in Shanishchare of the district in 1997 as the pilgrims visiting the temple had planted them.

He also informed that Bramhalal Koirala and Dhanapati Pokhrel, local residents of Shanishchare, planted some saplings of betel nut brought from India in 2000.

According to district agricultural development office, betel nut has been planted in a total of 4,260 hectares of land. Annually, about 1,300 tons of betel nut are produced in the district alone.

NRB issues directives to commercial banks

BY A STAFF REPORTER

Kathmandu, Oct 6: With the objectives of regulating and consolidating the banking operations in the country, Nepal Rastra Bank (NRB) has issued an eight point directives to different commercial banks.

According to a press release, substantial changes regarding capital fund, classification of borrowings, provision for borrowings, limit of borrowings, account policy and format of financial descriptions has been made so as to improve the banking system at par with the international standard.

The NRB directives have also made a provision for minimization of risks, corporate governance and securities and investment.

The capital fund will be comprised of core capital and complimentary capital. Paid up capital, share premium, non-redeemable preference share, general reserve fund and reserve fund comes under the heading of core capital.

The directives also include the provision of Adjustment fund for foreign currency exchange, property reevaluation fund, and hybrid fund.

For the Risk Weighted Assets the ratio of core capital for the fiscal year 2058-59 will be 4.5 per cent. Similarly the ratio will be five per cent, six per cent for the year 2059-60, and 2060-61. The ratio of capital fund will be nine per cent, 10 per cent, and 12 per cent for the year 2058-60 respectively.

On the basis of time the borrowings have also been classified into four different categories. Outdated borrowings and non- outdated borrowings are also the basis for classification.

One per cent reserve shall be allocated for good borrowings, 25 per cent for ordinary borrowings, fifty per cent for doubtful debts and one hundred per cent for bad loans. Besides, NRB has also issued directives for the classification of borrowings on time- bound basis.

Any borrowings if that is outdated by three years from 2058-59, two years from 2060-61 and one year from 2061-61 BS will be classified as bad loans.

As per its fund a commercial bank can sanction loans without exceeding the limit of the core capital that is 25 per cent and 50 per cent. However the limit has to be gradually maintained to 40 per cent and 25 per cent according to the nature of the fund.

According to the press release the directives (1-7) have already come into force from July 15, whereas directive number eight came into practice from September.

The press release states that all directives will be applicable to all commercial banks.

It is expected that the new directives would help maintain transparency, fiscal discipline and control irregularities in banking sector.

Smoking induces heart attack risks: DOCs

Kathmandu, Oct. 6 (RSS): Those smoking ten cigarettes a day have double the risk and those smoking a packet of cigarette daily four times the risk of being affected by heart attack.

This was informed at a talk programme organised by FNCCI and participated in by health experts on recent advances in cardiology and prevention of heart disease.

On the occasion, FNCCI president Rabi Bhakta Shrestha said the programme was organised to increase awareness on heart diseases.

At the programme, chief cardiologist of B&B Hospital Dr. Deepak Koshal, chief cardiothorasic surgeon Dr. Sujay Shad and executive chief of cardiac fitness center Lalitpur Prof. Dr. T. M. Amatya dwelt on heart diseases.

The causes for the heart diseases are high blood pressure, lack of equity in body weight and height, alcoholism, diabetes, high cholesterol and it was also said that men and women aged over 40 should undergo heart and blood tests regularly to avoid heart attack.

Although males have more risk of heart attack than women, they have the same threat as that of males after the menstruation is over.

Heart attack is caused if 60 to 70 per cent of arteries of the heart are blocked and people should bring about changes in eating habits and lifestyle so as not to allow cholesterol to block the heart.

Out of the world’s total deaths, 50 per cent is due to heart diseases and 25 per cent from heart attack alone.

The T.U Teaching Hospital has also seen increasing heart patients even higher than that of lung patients which was higher previously.

Simple living and high thinking can save US from this disease, they say. There is a increasing threat of heart diseases due to tensions in modern ages and this is why the villages have less patients of heart than the cities.

People should walk for 20 to 30 minutes regularly, should have aerobic exercises and safe diet for heart and a tension free environment to protect from heart diseases and heart attack.

They suggest that it is not advisable for the heart patients to walk after having meals.

Walking a little with a peaceful mind is useful also for those who practice yoga and meditation.

The experts also informed that at the present day world success has been achieved in replacing artificial heart, heart transplantation and in Nepal too, open heart surgery, bypass surgery and angioplasty have been undertaken as part of treatment of heart diseases.

'Govt committed to rural development'

Kathmandu, Oct. 6 (RSS): Minister for Forests and Soil Conservation Gopalman Shrestha has said that His Majesty's Government has been serious opting for bringing about development in the remotest hilly areas of the country.

inaugurating the 17th general meeting of the Village Service Family (VSF) Syangja, Minister Shrestha said since the all-round development of the country can not be attained without the development of the backward and remote areas, HMG has emphasised on carrying out development works in such areas.

Noting that several development works have been completed following the restoration of democracy, he expressed the belief that the people of rural areas of Syangja district can have electricity and other benefits like employment opportunities after the completion of the 144-megawatt Kaligandaki Hydro Power Project which is now under construction and will be completed next year.

MP Shankar Prasad Pandey said the VSF has been involved in social services particularly in the fields of drinking water, health and education and underlined the need of fostering awareness to discourage the trend of social anomalies such as violence and terror.

Central regional administrator Ananta Raj Pandey opined that the intellectuals, political parties and youths should move ahead unitedly to accelerate the pace of development of the country.

Ex-secretary of HMG Khem Raj Regmi, ex-chairman VSF Atmaram Pandey and Guardians' Association Nepal Suprabhat Bhandari also expressed their views at the programme presided over by chairman of VSF Chandra Kanta Baniya.

Armed struggle irrelevant now,  says Nepal

Kathmandu, Oct. 6 (RSS): General secretary of the CPN-UML and leader of the opposition party at the House of Representatives Madhav Kumar Nepal says that as political movement can be launched in a peaceful manner in the country at the present moment, there is no such an urgent situation for waging an armed struggle.

Inaugurating a two-day national gathering and symposium held under the aegis of the Nepal intellectual council, general secretary Nepal said it is a dissension of the reality on the part of Maoists to fail to understand the present situation of the country.

Extremism in the leftist movement is not a solution to the present crisis but it may finish off the achievements made so far, he said and underlined the need for the intellectuals to take initiative to bring the Maoists in the right track.

The country is grappling with a grave problem at present, he said, adding that the leftist factions should move ahead by forging an alliance for safeguarding the specialities of our country and the CPN-UML is ready for the task.

Chairman of the council Prof. Dr. Mangal Siddhi Manandhar presided over the symposium in which member of the CPN-UML standing committee member Jhalanath Khanal presented a working paper on "leftist unity in Nepal: Needs and prospects" and MP Dr. Dilli Raj Khanal on "Globalisation: World Trade Organisation and Nepal."

TU should explore options for sustainability: Dr. Mahat

Pokhara, Oct. 6 (RSS): Finance Minister Dr Ram Sharan Mahat has underlined the need commitment of all parties including government to develop education for the task of nation building.

Dr Mahat, who was inaugurating a two-day a national seminar of the Nepal Public Campus Association here today, noted that the government has already brought up the education bill with the objective of advancing educational activities in a proper way.

Stating that Rs 14 billion out of the total budget has been allocated for education and two PC of it will be spent on higher education, the Finance Minister made it clear that since the government, despite its willingness, cannot help Tribhuwan University, it should find its own alternative ways for its sustainability. He also spoke of the need to convert the campuses affiliated with it into community types.

Upper House MP Dr Ramman Shrestha said higher education was started in Nepal by establishing affiliation with the Calcutta University.

Member secretary of the University Grant Commission Prof Dr Homnath Bhattarai, TU rector Prof Dr Premraj Pant and various other speakers also spoke at the function chaired by association president Chiranjivi Lal Shrestha.