Effective implementation of policies stressed

By A Staff Reporter

KATHMANDU, Dec. 22: Minister for Physical Planning and Works Narayan Singh Pun handed over today Rs. 100,000 to a blind couple, who were ostracized by the society for entering into intercaste marriage.

"My guardians expelled us from the home after they came to know that my wife, Rupa, came from a scheduled caste, said Gyanendra Nepal of Chandeshwari, Kavre adjoining Kathmandu. Gyanendra, a Brahmin married Rupa from Jita of Lamjung two years ago.

According to Nepal, he had asked the Blind Welfare Association to find him a bride who would love him. The association had proposed Rupa. "Although they told me she was of the Biswokarma caste, I accepted it heartily," said Nepal. But my uncle, Hari Prasad Nepal, former president of Chandeshwari Village Development Committee and a CPN-UML member told me to take her back or leave the house, Gyanendra told journalists. So I brought her to Kathmandu under the protection of Feminist Dalit Organisation (FEDO).

"We have neither any job nor a home to stay. God has not heard our prayers," they said.
This is not a penultimate incident in Nepalese society. There are many couples who must face ordeals due to prevailing racial discrimination in the society. Saying that all human beings are equal, Minister Pun said that discrimination is a bi-product of our society, so we must solve the problem ourselves.

At the programme, Minister Pun declared himself the guardian of the couple and gave assurances that he would bring sound programmes for the welfare of the dalits.Dalit women are doubly discriminated in our society, said Durga Sob Bishwakarma, president of FEDO. "Firstly, they are victims of patriarchal values, and secondly of racial segregation," she said.She, therefore, called for gender mainstreaming. Extreme poverty and deprivation often leads to sexual and other exploitations of these woman. A dalit woman's life is painful and miserable," she said.

Ten per cent of the Nepalese population and 20 per cent of the women face extreme difficulties.
Assistant Minister Prakash Chitrakar Pariyar for Land Reforms, stressing on the effective implementation of policies and laws, said that discrimination not only exists in between dalits and non-dalits but also among the dalits themselves. "So, unless we change our mentality, we can not rid the society of discrimination," added Minister Pariyar.

At the programme on 'Racial and gender discrimination resistance for development: intercaste marriage for social change', Dr. Durga Pokhrel, president of National Women's Commission, Rishibabu Pariyar, National Assembly member, Padam Bishwokarma, president of National Dalits Commission expressed solidarity with the women and dalits for their rights.

Butwal-Sunauli project to affect local people

RSS

BUTWAL, Dec. 22: The Butwal-Sunauli 132 kv Transmission Line Project, which is going to be constructed by Nepal Electricity Authority (NEA), is said to affect thousands of local people of the region directly or indirectly.

According to NEA, people of 8 VDCs and 2 municipalities in the area, who are mainly dependent on agriculture and animal farm products support only for 6 months, will be affected by the project which is likely to affect the production of more than 105 tons crop products annually.

The project will use about 45 hectares of arable land for the construction of extensions, sub-extensions, power towers and other infra-structures, which is said even to disturb the social infrastructures and deteriorate the environment in surrounding area, local resident Basanta Paudel said.

The transmission line will be extended up to India-Nepal border at Sanauli starting from Jogikuti of Butwal Municipality and the line will use land at different places for the construction of different support towers and other physical construction necessary for the transmission.

The extension is also said to destroy different useful species of trees and wild life inhabiting in the Shankarnagar Community Forest through which the transmission will be extended, the local people said.

The need for some of the local people to be displaced from the affected spots was pointed out at a programme organised by the authority at Kotihawa yesterday with an objective of discussing about the possible impacts of the project to the local people.

The authority has come up with the decision to construct the transmission lines through villages instead of extending along the Tinau river, which is more appropriate not to have any impacts, without receiving any consultations from the local people, the local people complained.

The project starts following the government decision to sell power produced by Kaligandaki 'A' Hydro-Project to India.

The project estimated to be completed at a total cost of Rs 223.2 million is said to have paid no any attention for the preservation and promotion of local environment and heritage, the local people complained.

Various persons including Navin Raj Singh of Ministry of Water Resources, Naresh Sharma of Ministry of Forest and Environment, Rajan B. C. of Environment Society Studies Centre, Bishnu Bahadur of NEA and others expressed their views on the occasion.

Educationists for putting end to strike

RSS

LALITPUR, Dec. 22: The educationists concerned with the private and boarding schools of the valley closed for the last two weeks have laid emphasis on holding dialogue with the supporters of the strike to resolve the issue and open the schools.

Stating the recent decision of the Private and Boarding Schools Organisation (PABSON) on fees was welcome, they have called upon the supporters of the strike to agree with the decision.

Stating that various problems including that in the educational sector arose because of the political distortions and aberrations during the last twelve years, they have stated that the demands in educational sector with political motive by the supporters of strike was irrelevant.

Member-cum-secretary of the Higher Secondary Educational Council Kamal Krishna Lal Karna said that the Ministry of Education was active in simplifying the educational activities.

District Education Officer of Lalitpur Baliram Prasad Singh, president of guardians association of Nepal Suprabhat Bhandari, former Tribhuvan University vice-chancellor Kamal Krishna Joshi and a host of other speakers said that the educational institutions should open as early as possible.

The interaction programme on "indefinite educational strike and its way out" was organised by Educational Coordination Centre Lalitpur.

About 60 educationists participated in the programme chaired by chairman of the coordination centre Hom Bahadur Kuwar.

DPM for unity in Madhise community

RSS

KATHMANDU, Dec. 22: Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Local Development Badri Prasad Mandal has said that it is because of the wrong policy pursued by the political parties during the last twelve years that the progress of the Madhishe communnity did not take place.

At a felicitation programme organised by Teli Welfare Society here today, he said that the Madhishes of the Terai belt are always in favour of constitutional monarchy and multi-party democracy, and the persons speaking for their rights and interests should be elected to parliament.

Deputy Prime Minister Mandal emphasised the need for the community to unite so that their voice could be heard effectively.

Mandal, who is also acting president of Nepal Sadbhavana Party (NSP), said that the leaders of the Madhishe community should work in the interest of the Terai, whichever party they belong to.

Academician Dr. Ram Dayal Rakesh, Prof. Dr. Rammohan Mahat and a host of other speakers also expressed their views on the occasion.

At the programme, a letter of felicitation to Assistant Minister for Local Development Dr. Asarfi Shah was handed over to his brother Rajendra Prasad Shah.

Prior to this, the Teli Welfare Society presented a memorandum to Deputy Prime Minister Mandal.
Tej Narayan Shah of the Teli community handed over a cheque of Rs 25,000 meant for the society.

'New talents emerging in Nepali music'

By A Staff Reporter

KATHMANDU, Dec 22: Minister for Information and Communications Ramesh Nath Pandey released today Aalok Anand's new album. The album, which comes in both CD and cassette, contains eight Nepali modern songs.

Nepali songs have their originality, Minister Pandey said, adding that there are new talents emerging in the Nepalese musical scene, who have worked to preserve the originality of Nepalese music and songs.

Narayan Singh Pun, Minister for Physical Planning and Works, said the main characteristic of Nepalese music and songs is that they are based on our lifestyle.

Chitralekha Yadav, deputy Speaker of the dissolved House of Representatives, said that while lyrics are related to the brain, music is linked to the heart. Yadav said good songs give us relief from mental and physical tiredness.

The album contains songs that have lyrics by Anand Adhikary and music by Alok Shree. Several singers, Ram Krishna Dhakal, Yam Baral, Anand Karki, Ishwor Amatya, Sapana Shree, Sharmila Bardeba and Swaroopraj Acharya have lent their voices to the songs.

The music is coordinated by Amul Karkidhali, Phanindra Rai, Maharaja Thapa and Pramod Upadhaya. The album is presented by Music Nepal.

At the programme, Music Nepal, organiser of the programme, said that the first Nepali male and female singers should be commemorated by issuing postage stamps in their honour.

NGO groups express concerns over rights abuse

By A Staff Reporter

KATHMANDU, Dec 23: The NGO Federation and the Association of International NGOs (AIN) have expressed concerns over the human right abuses and violations in Nepal both by the government as well as the Maoists.

Referring to the latest Amnesty International report, the two organisations have demanded an end to abuses and violations and called upon all parties to uphold international humanitarian law and the various human rights conventions to which Nepal is a signatory, said a press statement jointly issued by them Sunday.

Both organisations reiterate the commitment of their members to working towards peace and reconciliation, and towards rebuilding a just and fair society, it stated. The NGO Federation represents over 2, 200 local and national NGOs in Nepal while the AIN represents 44 of the largest International NGOs working in Nepal, according to the statement.