Sister City ties with Eugene (USA) stressed

By a Staff Reporter

Kathmandu, Feb 17: An interaction programme was organised here today on the importance of sister city movement by Kathmandu-Euge (USA) Sister City Committee (KESCC) .

Speaking on the occasion, mayor of Kathmandu Metropolitan City Keshav Sthapit said that sister city relations with foreign cities is one of the important part of KMC's functions.

Linda Jay Jacksion, Alaska State Coordinator of Sister City International, USA said that various cities across the world come to know about each other's culture and life style through sister city activities which aim to enhance cultural, educational and municipal ties among the cities.

Jackson informed the gathering that in the sister-city movement, USA alone is connected to Japan with 352 cities, to Germany with 157 cities and to Russia with 117 cities. People to people relations between the cities will further enhance Nepal-USA friendly ties, Jackson added.

KESCC president Sunil Shakya who is also president of Nepal-USA Chamber of Commerce and Industry said that sister city ties between Kathmandu and Eugene was established in 1975 during Eugene mayor Anderson's visit to Kathmandu.

Eugene is the only US city that maintains sister city relationship with Kathmandu, he said.

KESCC general secretary and senior journalist Dr. Rabin Man Shakya said that at a time when three colleges are launching MA courses in journalism and mass communication, credentials of US professors and teachers of mass communication will be more helpful to our journalism colleges which are hard hit by manpower shortage.

Member secretary of University Grants Commission (UGC) Prof. Hom Nath Bhattarai and Prof. Niramal Man Tuladhar stressed the need for enhancing educational ties between the two cities.

Paris meet to declare Nepal rinderpest free country

By A Staff Reporter

Kathmandu, Feb. 17: The general convention of the world animal health organisation to be held in Paris in May this year is to formally approve Nepal as a rinderpest free country.

The experts from Nepal and the European Community discussed about the elimination of rinderpest from Nepal in 1995 and signed an agreement followed by the launch of animal service enhancement project.

Nepal completed all the works according to the standards set by the Office International Epizootics (OIE) regarding the elimination of rinderpest and applied for declaring the nation as a rinderpest free state.

The elimination of rinderpest will save thousands of cattle in the country, said the experts in a press conference in the capital the other day.

State Minister for Agriculture and Cooperatives Laxman Singh Mehata said Nepal was already a rinderpest free country although it was yet to be approved as one.

The rinderpest had been a great threat to the Nepalest farmers in the past as it often killed all their cattle and ruined their fortune.

'Parties, general public opposed to terrorism'

Pokhara, Feb. 17 (RSS): Minister for Women, Children and Social Welfare Rajendra Kharel has said that as Maoist terrorist activity is like a sword hanging over all the political parties, the state of emergency will be endorsed by a two-thirds majority in the House of Representatives.

Speaking at a programme organised by the Kaski district committee of the Nepali Congress to meet Nepali Congress activists, he said that neither the political parties nor the public at large are in favour of terrorist activity.

The Maoist terrorists were assaulting innocent Nepalese, army personnel and the police, he said and asserted that ultimately the security forces will bring the terrorist activities under control.

NC Kaski district committee vice-president Yagya Bahadur Thapa shed light on the activities of the party in the district.

Also today, Minister Kharel laid the foundation stone for the Briddhashram' or old people's home, to be built at Slilingechaur of Lekhanath Municipality ward No. 7.

The facililty is being built at a cost of Rs 300,000 at the initiative of the local mother's group.

Group chairman Namrata Ranabhat chaired the programme.

Minister Kharel also inspected the local Kalika Higher Secondary School.

BPKIHS gives away MBBS to 27 students

Itahari, Feb. 17 (RSS): Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba has said that the B.P. Koirala Institute of Health Sciences (BPKIHS) has been developing human resources in the health sector and doing a remarkable job in the production of village-oriented doctors.

Prime Minister Deuba was speaking from the chair in his capacity as chancellor at the second convocation of the BPKIHS.

Giving away degrees to 27 MBBS students and 11 B.Sc. nursing students produced by the BPKIHS under the syllabi which is oriented towards the villages, he called upon them to be responsible and dedicated to the service of the people.

Referring to the setting up of numerous educational institutions in medicine since the restoration of democracy, Prime Minister Deuba said that the cooperation extended by the government of India in the establishment of important institutions such as the BPKIHS is an example for us.

Chief guest at the convocation and founder cum vice-chancellor of Lucknow University of India Dr. Mahendra Singh Sodha referred to the development of science and the challenges faced by medical science and said that medical science should not lag behind in adopting timely and appropriate technology.

BPKIHS vice-chancellor Dr. Shekhar Koirala also expressed his views on the occasion.

BPKIHS Pro-Chancellor and Minister for Health Sharat Singh Bhandari, senior officials of the BPKIHS senate, the Minister of State and MPs were also present at the function.

Prime Minister Deuba returned to the capital later today.

'Efficient judiciary to strengthen democratic system'

Lalitpur, Feb. 17 (RSS): Chief Justice Keshav Prasad Upadhyaya laid the foundation stone of the Lalitpur branch office of Nepal Bar Association to be constructed in the compound of the District Court at Lalitpur Submetropolitan City ward No. 5 Lagankhel.

The three-storey building to be built at a cost of Rs 4 million will have an office, a meeting hall and a library.

Addressing the function, Chief Justice Upadhyaya said that the democratic system would draw strength from the efficiency and effectiveness of the judiciary.

He said the judiciary comprises judges dispensing justice, employees working in this field, and legal practitioners.

Attorney General Badri Bahadur Karki said that the target of the courts and the legal practitioners is to provide prompt and efficient justice.

President of Nepal Bar Association Sindhu Nath Pyakurel, Lalitpur Mayor Buddhi Raj Bajracharya and a host of other speakers also expressed their views at the function chaired by coordinator of the construction committee and advocate Pitambar Silwal.

International airport needed in Lumbini

Butwal, Feb. 17 (RSS): Home Minister and Minister for Local Development Khum Bahadur Khadka inaugurated the Siddhartha Bus Park here today.

The bus park, constructed at a cost of Rs 34.491 million, has the capacity of accommodating 80 buses, 35 cars and 60 rickshaws.

The bus park covers an area of about five bighas and six katthas.

On the occasion, Minister Khadka said that since a state of emergency was declared in keeping with the Constitution, the government is confident of receiving support from all political parties for ratification of the emergency.

Stating that since the Maoists are now engaged in the despicable act of individual annihilation by restricting the people's rights, cooperation should be forthcoming from all quarters for support to the government, the Home Minister noted. The three-month period of the emergency has been positive and fruitful, he added.

The government is trying to remove the shortcomings of the local autonomy act, he further said.

Minister of State for Finance Bharat Kumar Shaha spoke of the need of an international airport in Lumbini, a university in Lumbini and a Lumbini Ring Road and said the government is considering widening the Siddhartha Highway.

Minister of State for Local Development Duryodhan Singh stressed the need to carry out effective programmes and other development works.

Various other speakers including Rupandehi DDC chairman Chhatrapati Shaha, Rupandehi Chamber of Industry Paramananda Kharel and Chairman of the Western Nepal Bus Entrepreneurs Committee Krishna Neupane also spoke at the function.

Minister Khadka also initiated the village-town microbus services today.

Taplejung youths unable to sit for PSC exams

By Our Correspondent

Taplejung, Feb. 17: Many jobless youths from Taplejung district have been unable to submit their application forms to the local Public Service Commission (PSC) office in the absence of provisional certificates of the S. L. C. examinations.

After a long interval, the PSC had advertised for the posts of non-gazzeted second class officers. According to a new PSC provision, an applicant must submit provisional certificates of his academic qualifications with the job application.

An applicant can present his application within a month after the PSC announces the vacancies. However, the applicants are unable to bring such certificates within a month from the Examination Controller’s Office at Thimi, Bhaktapur.

"Although the Examination Controller’s Office said that it had sent certificates of those who appeared in the SLC examinations held before 2052 B. S., problems had cropped up said headmasters of the local high schools.

"Our school has not yet received the provisional certificates of the SLC examinations held in the year 2041 although we have received certificates of up to 2052 B. S.," Harka Bahadur Yakso, Head Master of Saraswoti Secondary School, Hangpang said.

The concerned regional office of the Education Directorate has been providing provisional certificates of the SLC examinations held after 2053 B. S.

Due to the delay of the Examination Controller's Office and the regional office in delivering the provisional certificates, chances are that-we might miss the deadline to submit our application, said Til Prasad Kandel of Change, Tilbari.

"Due to rumours that the government was downsizing the civil service and the PSC would not announce any vacancies soon, we were not in a hurry to get the certificates. But now we are unable to bring such certificates within a month. Neither can we submit the application forms in the absence of such certificates," Kandel said.

According to District Education Officer Chaitanya Prasad Niroula, the new provision of the PSC that an applicant should necessarily submit the provisional certificates while filling up the PSC forms was the main cause of the problem.

"The concerned authorities should realise the difficulties faced by the job seekers and try to find remedies," Niroula suggested.