Noted educator Charles A. Law passes away

BY A STAFF REPORTER

Kathmandu, Sept, 10: Father Charles A. Law SJ, 70, a long-time educator at both St. Xavier's School and St. Xavier's College, passed away yesterday evening while undergoing treatment at B&B Hospital.

Also a poet, author and a social worker, Law had worked in Nepal for 43 years. Born on September 22, 1931 in the American City of Chicago, Law was admitted to the Hospital Sunday afternoon after he complained of weakness and breathing difficulty. He succumbed to what is believed to have been a massive heart attack at around 9 P. M. that evening.

Law had attended Loyola Academy and Loyola University before entering the Society of Jesus (Jesuit Fathers) at the age of 20. He had celebrated his Golden Jubilee as a Jesuit only last month.

Upon completing his initial training as a Jesuit, Father Law came to Nepal in 1958. For three years he worked at the newly established St. Xavier's School in Godavari and helped give a real shape to the School before going to Kurseong, India to study Theology. After his ordination to the Catholic priesthood in 1964 Father Law returned to Kathmandu as a teacher at the school which became his mainstay till he died.

Fr. Law was instrumental in the founding of the St. Xavier's School. He served as acting principal of the I. Sc. Programme when the St. Xavier's College began as an extension of the School in Jawalakhel. Fr. Law had also worked tirelessly to set up the first-degree programme in the College.

Fr. Law was also a very good social worker. The establishment of a training programme for social workers was the fulfillment of a long cherished dream of Law. From his college days in America, he had been involved in social activities. Even while employed chiefly as a teacher and administrator at St. Xavier's, his avocation was to set up adult literacy and skill-training programmes, especially for Nepalese women.

Along with his interests in science and social work, he had a lifelong love of literature. He was an accomplished poet. His literary works reflect his deep commitment to justice and his concern for the poor and disadvantaged. The literary journal "Spiny Babbler" and the Society of Nepalese Writers in English single him out as one of the nation's brilliant modern poets.

After a funeral service conducted by Monsignor Anthony Sharma, his body was taken to Teku for cremation today.

'NBL can be strong yet'

BY A STAFF REPORTER

Kathmandu, Sept 10, Despite having adequate liquidity and plenty of non performing assets, Nepal Bank Limited the oldest bank in the country has been facing multitude of problems owing to various problems like weak management, government intervention, divided board members and hyper-active unions. The NBL's overall position is not that poor as it has been brought into the media. Still there are plenty of rooms for improvement, but immediate measures are quite essential, said participants at an interaction programme organised by the Society of Economic Journalists Nepal (SEJON).

The programme was organised with a view to collect and disseminate right information about the financial health of the NBL.

Deputy Governor the Nepal Rastra Bank (NRB) Rambabu Pant while speaking at the function said that loan recovery were the main problems in spoiling financial health of the bank, but it is not as alarming as it has been brought out by the media. It's position is still strong with perfect balance of CB ratio and deposit. It has a strong cash deposit, he said however, there is a dire need of corrective measures to control it from further deterioration.

Pant further noted that poor corporate governance in the NBL is the main cause of its ill health.

However, Pant said that the role media is vital to disseminate information. Media people should also be aware about the far reaching impact of dissemination of information, he said.

Number of things are responsible to spoil the financial position of the bank, said Rajendra Khetan, a board member of the Nepal Bank Limited. Khetan who is also second vice president of the Federation of Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FNCCI) noted that the position of the NBL is strong. Certainly the NBL has various problems, but it has strong financial position and goodwill, he said. With more than one million customers, six thousand employees it still has 34 per cent share in the total banking transactions. The NBL and RBB cannot be compared with other commercial banks as banks they have socio- economic role to play, Khetan said. The recovery of loan is the main problem, if the bank recovers all the bad loans it certainly makes a good change in the 63 years old history of NBL, said Khetan. With the establishment of credit rating agencies it would greatly help to control bad loans he added.

Another NBL board member Laxmi Bahadur Shrestha while speaking about the bank stressed to introduce a massive reform process to improve its position. He also said that lack of communication between Nepal Bank Limited and Nepal Rastra Bank – the central bank of the nation is responsible to heighten the degree of confusion about the bank. Of course the volume of bad loans is alarmingly higher than the recovery, but rumors about the bank is not true, he added.

It is the cumulative effect of activities in the past that help spoil the financial health of the bank said economist Prof. Bishowmbhar Pyakurel who was also the board member of the bank. Citing several reasons for the bank's downfall, Prof. Pyakurel said lack of human resource development, weak management and the government intervention were responsible factors in damaging the bank's health.

Prof. Pyakurel stressed that the government and the parliament should bring necessary laws to regulate banking and financial institutions.

President of the SEJON highlighted the objective of the programme.

Tenth Plan to activate monitoring system

BY A STAFF REPORTER

Kathmandu, Sept 10 With the objective of gathering views from the experts of different sectors in connection of preparing a blueprint for the Tenth Five Year Plan (2059/60-2063/64) the National Planning Commission today organised a workshop/ discussion programme at Singhadurbar today.

At the workshop politicians, planners and academics extensively exchanged views about the upcoming Tenth Five Year Plan in line with the outcome of the running Ninth Five Year Plan (2054-59). Experts from various faculties of economics, management, education and social science emphasised the need to focus on a certain area such as poverty alleviation, education, agriculture or industrial development. They also questioned as to how the level poverty has been reduced to 38 from 42 as the magnitude of poverty has become more intense and pervasive in real sector. Rich are getting richer and poor are getting poorer day by day, they said adding vital figures should not be distorted or manipulated.

Addressing the workshop Vice-chairman of the NPC Prithivi Raj Ligal asserted that the upcoming Tenth Five Year Plan will be much focused on poverty alleviation with more concrete programmes and agendas so that it would help achieve goals to a great extent.

Ligal further noted that the upcoming Tenth Plan would be much more broad based, goal oriented and the process of evaluation would be carried out to monitor the outcome. The government will accord priority to the programmes of national importance, Ligal said adding that the Tenth Plan will be much focused on the areas like good governance and decentralisation.

Member of the NPC Dr. Shankar Sharma while presenting the concept paper said that the Tenth Five Year Plan will be poverty focused. In the Tenth Five Year Plan, it has been targeted to achieve 6.5 per cent of GDP growth and level of poverty to 30 from 38 in the Ninth Five Year Plan. With an annual monitoring and evaluation system, it will help achieve the targeted goal within a specified time, Dr. Sharma said adding that poverty alleviation, broad-based economic growth, social sector development governance (with polycentric modality) will be the prime target of the Tenth Plan.

Regarding issues and challenges being faced in the Ninth five year Plan he said the achievements were mixed, some targets were too ambitious, priorities were weak, objectives and strategies were weakly linked and monitoring system were inadequate and weak, he pointed out.

Concept Paper

Similarly the Tenth Plan, according to Dr. Sharma the target will be moderately ambitious, private sector will get more priority. Besides the objective target will be linked to strategies and output and target will be monitored annually. Regarding resources, Dr. Sharma said approximately 23.8 per cent will be contributed from the national savings, 4.7 per cent from Net CAD and 28 per cent from investment.

Dr. Sharma affirmed that the concept paper will be modified on the basis of recommendations and deliberations from experts.

Commenting the concept paper, MP Dr. Dilli Raj Khanal said that there should a specific programme for poverty alleviation. MP Khanal also questioned as to how the level of poverty is reduced to 38 from 42 despite the intense poverty in the rural area.

He also said that the concept paper is not clear and specific.

Dr. Badri Prasad Shrestha, former vice chairman of the NPC questioned about the 'point of departure' and said there should a specific programme to attend a certain target in a planning. He also pointed out the need for the programming rather than planning. At a time when planning process has not been effective, the role of NPC should be redefined and reoriented.

While commenting the paper Dr Mohan Man Sainju, former vice chairman of the NPC said goals, strategies, and policies should be specific and clearly separated from each-other. Dr. Sainju underlined the need to review the entire target of the concept paper He also stressed the need to take the Human development index into consideration.

MP Balaram Ghartimagar stressed the need to focus on decentralisation.

Dr. Krishan Kumar Bhattachan, a sociologist said the planning has not been successful in poverty alleviation. It has rather served the interest of certain people in the society.

Binod Karmarcharya noted that the concept paper has failed to address the issue of trade treaty with India, WTO, SAPTA to SAFTA and other issues of bilateral treaties.

After deliberations on different issues the concept paper will be modified, it is learnt.

Govt forms probe panel on Biruwaguthi incident
Administration alert: Khadka

BY A STAFF REPORTER

Kathamandu, Sept. 10: The government has formed a three member probe body headed by Joint-Secretary at the Home Ministry Tika Dutta Niraula to investigate and submit a report within a week on the incident that happened in Biruwaguthi and Bagbanna Village Development Committees (VDCs) of Parsa district on Saturday.

In the incident, two Maoists were killed and many others sustained injuries in a violent clashes that occurred between resistant committee of villagers and the Maoists Saturday.

Giving a speech of public importance at the House of Representatives today, Home Ministry Khum Bahadur Khadka said that the locals, who were victims of the atrocities of the Maoists’ forceful collection of donation, revolted against them and set fire to some houses of the local Maoists.

The angry villagers had also beaten the local Maoists as they were unleashing their violent activities such as extortion and forcing the local school to implement their janabadi education in the villages for some days.

The police had intervened by resorting to lobbing tear gas shells and one round was fired to disperse the mob.

Minister Khadka said that the additional security measures have been stepped up around the vicinity so that similar event would not happen again. He also said that to an all-party meet was held to solve the problem through dialogue.

The government believes in the rights of Nepalese people to live in the peaceful environment, he told the parliament.

In today’s meeting of the House of the Representatives, lawmakers from opposition as well as ruling party raised the issue of conflict in Parsa and demanded that the government take urgent steps to calm down the situation and provide security to the villagers.

MP Surendra Chaudhari said that the local people have revolted against the terror, loot and murder of the Maoists in the villages of Parsa.

Chaudhari also strongly criticised the proposed land reform saying it as anti-constitutional and full conspiracies.

He also claimed that the government had tried to subvert the integrity of the joint family and society by introducing the land reform package in the country.

MP Naba Raj Subedi of the National People’s Front Nepal said that in the name of resisting the Maoists, communal riot has spread in the Parsa district.

Blaming the government of being a complete failure in protecting the lives and property of the people, Subedi demanded for a formation of an investigation commission to bring out the truth about the incident.

BPKIHS completes nine years of its service

BY OUR CORRESPONDENT

Dharan, Sept. 10: The B. P. Koirala Institute of Health Sciences (BPKIHS) at Dharan entered into its ninth year of its establishment from yesterday (Sunday).

BPKIHS was established in 2050 B.S. with the joint investment of the His Majesty’s Government of Nepal and the Government of India to materialise the dream of the late leader of the Nepali Congress B. P. Koirala to provide healthcare facilities to the rural people.

Apart from producing manpower for the rural areas and providing health services to the eastern part of the country and the neighbouring areas, it has provided healthcare services to more than a million people in the last eight years.

According to the data of the medical record branch of the institute, it has provided healthcare services to 862,806 patients through the Out-Patient Department, 86,163 patients through Emergency Department, 16,385 patients through paying clinics and 26,985 patients through the old OPD being run at Dharan Bazaar.

Similarly, the institute has provided services to other 9,470 persons, including the employees of the institute and the students studying there and their dependents and 2,089 persons who have done social health insurance.

Established as a symbol of good friendship between Nepal and India, the 646-bed institute has been running M.B.B.S., B.D.S., B. Sc. (Nursing), I. Sc. (Nursing), M.S./M.I., operation theater course and B. M. I. T. classes.

On the 88th birth anniversary of late B. P. Koirala and the eighth anniversary of the institute, Vice Chancellor of the institute Dr. Shekhar Koirala hoisted the flag of the institute yesterday.

Started after offering floral bouquets at the portrait of late Koirala, the function was addressed by director of the All India Institute of Medical Sciences Dr. P. K. Dev.

Speaking on the occasion, Dr. Dev said that the BPKIHS is the symbol of friendship between Nepal and India.

Addressing the function, Vice Chancellor Dr. Koirala emphasised the need to evaluate the works started in the name of late Koirala.

He further said that the institute has followed the principle of ‘social justice’ as adopted by late Koirala 40 years ago.

On the occasion, Prof. Dr. B. K. Kapur, advisor and coordinator of the institute on behalf of the Government of India, also expressed his views.