United We Stand

HIS Majesty King Gyanendra Bir Bikram Shah Dev has said that the institution of monarchy would, as in the past, always remain steadfast in its commitment to the unity and welfare of the Nepalese people and continue to remain unwavering in safeguarding the constitution and upholding nationalism in the country. In a message to the nation on the auspicious occasion of the national festival of the country, Bada Dashain-2058, His Majesty the King called upon all Nepalese people, including political parties, civil servants and intellectuals to be sensitive to the problems of the nation and the people and sincerely work for their solution. Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba also greeted the nation and the people by saying that Goddess Durga Bhagawati would inspire all to maintain unity and peace in the country. It is beyond any doubt that the institution of monarchy has always been committed and serious about the concerns of the people and the nation. As the nation is in crisis because of insurgency, poverty and other problems at present, it is natural for the Monarch to express concern over the plights and problems of the nation and the people. Monarchy in Nepal has been a symbol of unity and has played a significant role in the unification, democratisation and modernisation of the Kingdom. It is because of this reason why monarchy has always been revered by the people in Nepal. Unity in diversity is the strength of Nepal and the Nepalese people and the role of monarchy has always been instrumental in preserving and upholding this unity. This spirit of unity protects and promotes nationalism and accelerates the pace of development for the uplift of the people’s social and economic status. The message of Vijaya Dashami is the victory of virtue over vice and also unity, harmony, tolerance and understanding to overcome evil in the best interest of humanity. It is thus, necessary to put the spirit of Dashain into action by upholding unity and harmony, in which the nation’s future lies. Now peace has been badly disturbed because of the six-year old Maoist insurgency. Unless we demonstrate solidarity against evils and collectively fight our common enemies—poverty, backwardness and disease, we may not be able to translate the spirit of Dashain festival into reality. We must understand that united we stand and divided we fall. Thus, all political parties, leaders and people irrespective of ideologies need to engage in the nation building process keeping in mind the true spirit of Dashain.

Popularise Dairy Farming

THE Dairy Festival-2058, organised by the Dairy Association to create public awareness on the use of dairy products as well as to promote the consumption of pasteurised milk and milk products, was held in Butwal recently. The need for such a fest to familiarise both the dairy farmers and entrepreneurs with the latest techniques and knowledge concerning dairy farming as well as dairy products had been long felt by the concerned authorities. As such, the concerned authorities and personnel should be duly commended in that they have not only realised the need for creating such awareness, but also held the fest in a most appropriate venue and area. If Butwal is fast becoming a town noted for its dairy products, then Rupendehi, the district where Butwal is situated, is one of the few big milk producers of the nation. As per the latest statistics, Rupendehi district produces about 150,000 litres of milk per day. While over half of the daily milk production is processed and sold outside the district, the remainder is consumed locally. More importantly, Rupendehi district’s daily milk production is an eloquent proof that more farmers are taking to dairy farming in a big way. This augurs well for not only the farmers themselves but also to the nation. The farmers, by taking to dairy farming, are assured of a steady income—which, in turn, will help them raise their socio-economic status. As for the nation, the revenues generated through the sales and exports of dairy products will be helpful in accelerating people-oriented development works. Therefore, for long-term benefits to the nation and the people it has become imperative to expand dairy farming throughout the country.

However, dairy farming, despite being very common among the people who are mostly farmers, has yet to take off in a big way in the country. For this, the lack of high milk yielding breeds of cows and buffaloes, coupled with the unavailability of high-quality feeds as well as milk processing facilities to process excess milk outputs of the dairy farmers could be some of the bottlenecks. Yet another could be the absence of reliable dairy extension services to the diary farmers. Hence, if dairy farming is to be extensively popularised in the country, then the concerned authorities need to come up with necessary initiatives to address the above-mentioned issues and also provide other inputs such as soft loans to all would-be dairy farmers and entrepreneurs.