Productive Session

EVEN the most die-hard cynics would agree that the 21st session of parliament that was prorogued Wednesday was unlike most of the previous ones in terms of productivity. Quite a few crucial bills were passed. The much-anticipated bills relating to corruption and Commission for the Investigation of Abuse of Authority were passed by the parliament towards the end of the session after many deliberations. Those concerning women’s rights, trafficking in humans, political parties and others were also important bills to see their passage through a parliament where a notable across-the-party-lines consensus was evident. The solidarity among the political parties to face the current national crisis was most prominent when it came to turning the Terrorist and Destructive Activities Control ordinance into an Act. Apparently, the kind of challenges the nation is facing in the face of Maoist violence had bound the parties together in giving a go-ahead to this tool that is crucial in the fight against the terrorism let loose on the Nepalese by the Maoists.

Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba, in his closing address to the parliament Wednesday, had special words of appreciation for political parties and members of parliament who showed an ample measure of team spirit in standing against terrorism. He emphasised that the foremost priority of the government was to restore peace for which happily Nepal appear to be receiving more concrete support in recent times from India as Indian authorities have begun searching for the Maoists who have escaped to India after carrying out terrorist activities in Nepal. While the war against terrorism must be continued, other important national issues have to be taken care of. Together with some significant bills that the parliament passed, the government in recent months also initiated other noteworthy steps. Formation of corruption probe body, Women and Dalit commissions and Janajati Academy are some of the steps that seek to push forward things on these fronts. The challenge for the government now is to implement these measures, however difficult it may be given the current security situation. The people must see that the passage of the bills or the governance and social steps that the government has taken, are translated into action on the ground. This productive session’s achievements—about which there is a remarkable chorus of agreement among the political parties as was reflected in their leaders’ closing speeches Wednesday—must turn into real gains for the Nepalese.

Census 2001

ACCORDING to the National Population Census 2001 report that was made public the other day, Nepal’s population reached 23,151, 423 by June 21 last year. The census had been held during the second and third week of June. During the National Population Census 1991 the total population of Nepal was 18,462,081. Hence, the country’s population grew by four million and 689 thousand in a decade. However, the growth rate has reduced by 0.03 from 2.27 in 1991 to 2.24 in 2001. This indicates the effectiveness of the family planning project. Like in the previous census females have outnumbered the males by 27,581. In 1991 too the number of women was more i.e 20,253 more than men. The greater number of women population indicates that the Nepalese parents still give more emphasis on son than on daughters and give birth to daughters while trying to have a son. Another striking revelation of the census report is that the literacy rate of Nepal stands at 53.74 per cent. However, the women literacy rate is only 42.49 whereas over 60 per cent men can read and write. Likewise the report said that the country houses 0.45 per cent disabled.

But a very heartening aspect which, when viewed against the backdrop of a nation with scare natural resources and constant rise in the population, is the fact that the strategies and programmes that had been implemented over the decade were in the right direction. The results are there to vouchsafe this assertion. The increase in the literacy rate and access to radio and television indicates the improving living standards of the people. However, the growth of population at a rate of 2.24 cannot be affordable considering the existing conditions of the country. Hence, it is imperative that the government and the concerned agencies spare no efforts to mobilise the available resources and expertise to chalk up plans and programmes to bring population growth rate further down to a manageable level, possibly to the zero growth rate within a decade. As the migration rate from hill to terai and from villages to urban centres is on the rise emphasis should be given to provide equal opportunities to hills and villages so as to ensure a balanced development. Considering the present findings, special programmes should be launched to increase the literacy rate, to help the disabled and those who lack house to live in.