Programmes in favour of poor women in Lalitpur

Lalitpur, Feb. 11 (RSS): Lalitpur sub-metropolis has initiated the process of making the backward women of the sub-metropolis with low income self-reliant instead of safeguarding the cultural heritage and expanding the roads, drainage and electrification of the sub-metropolis.

According to Mayor of Lalitpur Sub-Metropolis Buddhiraj Bajracharya, a poverty alleviation programme has been launched for the backward women having low income with the cooperation of the UNDP urban management programme.

Likewise, the sub-metropolis has initiated the process of providing vocational training and loans at low interest rates to the unemployed women through the community development section in order to make them self-reliant.

Bajracharya said that the poverty alleviation programme is being launched with the objective of making the backward and unemployed women of the sub-metropolis self-reliant as development of the sub-metropolis is not possible without making the women who comprises more than half of the population more efficient and capable.

Bajracharya said that the sub-metropolis has allocated one million rupees and UNDP has provided Rs. 700,000 for the poverty alleviation programme.

A sum of Rs. 10 million is needed to provide loans to 5,000 backward and unemployed women of the sub-metropolis, Mayor Bajracharya said, adding that a request has been made to His Majesty's Government for a grant assistance of Rs. 5 million for this purpose.

The poverty alleviation programme is being initiated in Lalitpur sub-metropolis with Rs. 1.7 million, Bajracharya said, adding that a new economic revolution has launched the sub-metropolis with the objective of making the women self-reliant.

The sub-metropolis has also shouldered the responsibility of selling the quality goods produced by the trained women by opening a show room in the bazaar area of the sub-metropolis.

A task force comprising of the representatives of the Lalitpur Chamber of Industry and Commerce, SCOPE, Lumante, Urban Development Programme of the German government and Yala Urban Health Programme headed by Mayor Bajracharya has been constituted to make necessary arrangements for marketing the products of the women.

Likewise, fund management committee comprising of representatives of the sub-metropolis and SCOPE has been constituted to form groups of trained women and provide necessary loans.

According to chief of the sub-metropolis community development section Laxmi Devi Rajbhandari, 5,000 women have been provided training on 15 vocational topics since the establishment of the community development section in 2050 B.S.

Stating that the women have been provided training on tailoring, beauty parlour, making dolls, candles, bags, soaps, incense sticks, etc, she said that only 20 percent of the trained women have been involved in business and other places while the remaining women had been facing financial constraints.

Mayor Bajracharya said that this new concept had been moved ahead by the sub-metropolis after the success achieved from the exhibition cum sale of the goods produced by the trained women held two months ago.

Pesticide mgmt training launched

Ramechhap, Feb. 11 (RSS): Ramechhap district Agriculture Development Office has started a 16-week Integrated Pesticide Management (I.P.M.) training for cultivation of junar (citrus fruit) at Bhangeri of Ramechhap district.

The I.P.M. training programme is being organised with the objective of proving to the local farmers that a good harvest of junar can be obtained by using domestic herbs for insecticides and compost and excreta of cows and buffaloes for manure instead of using insecticides and chemical fertilisers which have been decreasing the fertility of the soil and affecting the environment.

At present 25 farmers are being involved in the I.P.M. training programme.

Under the training programme, a junar farm of a local farmer is divided into two parts.

Chemical fertilisers and insecticides will be used in one part of the farm while domestic herbs and compost fertiliser will be used on the other part of the farm.

A comparative study of junar production from the two parts of the farm will be made and the farmers will be apprised of its productiveness.

All expenses of the I.P.M. training will be met by the district agriculture development office.

The I.P.M. training programme will be extended to other junar growing areas of the district if the experiment proves successful.

Earlier the district agriculture development office had implemented the I.P.M. programme for cultivation of paddy.

According to agricultural technicians, I.P.M. programme had been very successful for paddy cultivation.

A good harvest of quality paddy had been received with low investment, according to the farmers involved with the I.P.M. programme.

Rights activists call to restore law, order

Pokhara, Feb. 11 (RSS): A gathering of the representatives from the six human rights organisations organised to hold discussions on the impact of the state of emergency on the society and the nation has wholeheartedly urged His Majesty's Government and CPN-Maoist to opt for maintaining law and order in the country and to safeguard human rights.

The human rights activists reached the conclusion that the prevailing situation in the country is not at all good for the nation and its people.

They called for creating a conducive atmosphere for a dialogue in order to seek an amicable solution to the Maoist problem.

The people's faith in the government and the Maoists has diminished because of the operation being launched by the former for maintaining law and order and the destructive activities resorted to by the latter, the participants pointed out and strongly felt that both of the parties should seriously think of overcoming the confrontation which will not benefit any party.

The armed Maoist cadres as well as the innocent people have been victimised during the operation launched by the security forces under the state of emergency while the Maoists have given continuity to murder, violence and destruction of public property in revenge, the participants said, adding both are responsible for the mounting fear of terror and insecurity which are ominous symptoms for mankind as a whole.

Chairman of Human Right Protection Forum Nava Datta Upadhyaya, chairman of National Heritage People's Right Protection Civic Committee Teknath Baral, vice-chairman of Human Rights Protection Society Hari Prasad Subedi, regional chairman of Informal Sector Service Jung Nepali, head of Child Workers in Nepal Prem Songmen and Nepal Human Right Organisation central member Bhupanidhi Pant had taken part in the discussions.

Seminar on eco-tourism kicks off

Lalitpur, Feb. 11 (RSS): A five days long seminar on Eco-tourism began in Lalitpur today under the aegis of the Asian Productivity Organisation (APO) and the National Productivity and Economic Development Centre (NPEDC).

Tourism entrepreneurs and experts from 18 countries of the Asia-Pacific region are taking part in the seminar.

Inaugurating the seminar, Assistant Minister for Industry, Commerce and Suplies Prakash Bahadur Gurung said it is important that the tourism industry, which has an important place in the national economy, should be more concerned about protecting the environment and the development needs of the local community while carrying out tourism activities.

Secretary at the Ministry of Industry, Commerce and Supplies Bhanu Prasad Acharya remarked that the tourism industry was contributing in a big way towards national poverty alleviation objectives.

The development of eco-tourism is not possible in the absence of local participation, he added.

From the chair, president of the Federation of Nepalese Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FNCCI) Rabi Bhakta Shrestha underscored the need for tourism entrepreneurs to become active and resurrect the tourism industry which is currently reeling under recession due to various factors by enlisting local effort.

Programme officer of the APO Song Hyun Choi wished every success for the seminar, expressing the hope that it will promote information exchange on eco-tourism activities over the last one year period.

NPEDC general manager Ramesh Singh Pradhan and chairman Bharat Lal Nyachhyo shed light on various aspects of eco-tourism.