Headline News The Rising Nepal (Daily)

His Majesty felicitated on the occasion of Auspicious Birthday

RSS

Kathmandu, 6 July: Heads of States and Governments of various countries have extended greetings and felicitations to His Majesty the King on the happy occasion of the 56th birthday of His Majesty.

President of India K. R. Narayanan has greeted His Majesty the King and stated that the traditional frindship and cooperation between the two countries and peoples have grown closer and stronger over the years.

Recalling Their Majesties recent visit to India, President Narayanan has extended his best wishes for the heatlh and personal well-being of His Majesty and the Royal Family and also for the progress and prosperity of the friendly people of Nepal.

Likewise, President of the People’s Republic of China Jiang Zemin has extended warm congratulations and best wishes to His Majesty the King on the occasion of His Majesty’s 56th Auspicious Birthday.

Nepal is an amicable and friendly neighbour of China, and the friendship between our two peoples can be traced back in ancient times. For the past nearly half a century since the establishment of diplomatic relations between our two countries, we have always been trusting each other, supporting each other and treating each other equally, President Jiang Zemin said in the message.

The Chinese President said that he was looking forward to meeting His Majesty the King in Beijing during His Majesty’s upcoming state visit to China.

President Jiang Zemin has expressed the belief that His Majesty’s visit will imprint a new page in the history of bilateral relations in the new century.

Similarly, His Majesty King Jigme Singye Wangchuk of Bhutan has extended warm felicitations to His Majesty the King on the occasion of His Majesty’s 56th Auspicious Birthday.

In the message, the Bhutanese King has expressed the confidence that the close ties of friendship, understanding and cooperation subsisting between the two Kingdoms would be further strengthened in the years ahead.

Likewise, Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom has greeted His Majesty the King on the occasion of His Majesty’s birthday.

"It gives me great pleasure on the occasion of your birthday to extend to Your Majesty and the people of Nepal my warmest greetings and every good wish for a peaceful and prosperous future," Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II said in a message of congratulations to His Majesty the King.

His Majesty Emperor Akihito of Japan has also extended hearty congratulations and best wishes to His Majesty the King on the occasion of His Majesty’s Auspicious Birthday.

Similarly, Prince Norodom Sihanouk of Cambodia, His Majesty King Carl Gustaf of Sweden and Tuanku Syed Sirajuddin Putra Jamalullail, Yang di-Pertuan Agong X11 of Malaysia have also extended their sincere congratulations to His Majesty the King.

US President George W. Bush, in his message of congratulations and best wishes, has stated that the enduring friendship between Nepal

and the United States grow out of a shared commitment to democracy and freedom and may the people of Nepal enjoy blessings of peace and renewed prosperity.

President of the Russian Federation Vladimir Putin has, in his message of congratulations and best wishes, expressed the confidence that the friendly relations existing between the two countries filled with the spirit of mutual understanding will further strengthen for the benefit of the Russian and Nepalese people, in the interest of peace and stability in Asia.

UN Secretary General Kofi Annan has, in his mesage of congratulations and best wishes, said that we have the scientific and technological power to achieve the goals set by the UN and he looks forward to the contributions that the government and people of Nepal would make to this vital endeavour.

President of Bangladesh Barrister Muhammad Jamiruddin Sircar, in his message of best wishes and felicitations to His Majesty the King, has expressed the belief that the warm and friendly relations that exist between Nepal and Bangladesh would further strengthen and deepen in the days ahead to the mutual benefit of the people of the two countries.

President of Pakistan General Pervez Musharraf, in his message of felicitations and best wishes to His Majesty the King, has expressed the confidence that the close and cordial relations so happily existing between the two countries would be augmented in the years ahead.

President of Sri Lanka Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunga, in her message to His Majesty the King, has wished for good health and happiness to His Majesty and happiness and personal well-being for the peace and prosperity to the people.

She expressed the confidence that the long standing friendly relations between the two countries would continue to be further strengthened in the coming years for mutual benefit.

Chairman of the State Peace and Development Council of the Union of Myanmar General Than Shwe has wished for good health and happiness to His Majesty and progress and prosperity to the people of Nepal.

Likewise, president of the Presidium, Supreme People’s Assembly of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea Kim Yong Nam, President of the State of Israel Moshe Katsav, President of the Federal Republic of Germany Johannes Rau, President of the Republic of France Jacques Chirac, Governor General of Australia Peter Hollingworth and President of the Swiss Confederation Kasper Villiger have also greeted His Majesty the King on the occasion.

Other heads of states extending hearty felicitations to His Majesty the King on the occasion of His Majesty’s 56th Auspicious Birthday are President of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam Tran Duc Luong, President of the Republic of Singapore S. R. Nathan and President of the Islamic Republic of Iran Seyed Mohammad Khatami.

Similarly, President of the Hellenic Republic of Greece Constantinos Stephanopoulos, President of the Portugese Republic Jorge Sampaio, President of the Council of State and of the Government of the Republic of Cuba Fidel Castro Ruz, President of the Republic of Estonia Arnold Ruutel, President of the People’s Democratic Republic of Algeria Abdelaziz Bouteflika and President of the Republic of Croatia Stjepan Mesic have also felicitated His Majesty the King on the occasion of His Majesty’s 56th Auspicious Birthday.

HM’s role exemplary: Leaders

Kathmandu, July 6 (RSS): On the occasion of the 56th Auspicious Birthday of His Majesty the King, Nepal Independent Journalists’ Society organised a colloquium on "the importance of the institution of the Crown in the present context of Nepal" here today.

At the programme, the speakers expressed the view that the role played by the institution of the Crown as a constitutional monarch after the reinstatement of democracy in the country has further enhanced the popularity of the institution.

Spokesman of the Nepali Congress Homnath Dahal noted that His Majesty the King’s role as a constitutional monarch has been an exemplary one.

Expressing the hope that the problems facing the country would be resolved through the forthcoming elections, he said all sides should cooperate to make the elections free, fair and peaceful.

Vice president of the Rastriya Prajatantra Party Dr. Prakash Chandra Lohani remarked that the institution of the Crown has always worked to maintain national dignity in high esteem.

The monarchy has played a significant role in the modernisation of the country, he added.

Dr. Lohani said that although the Nepalese people attained democracy through the popular movement of 1990, the country was having to grapple with the present difficult situation because a parellel social revolution to match the democratic transition could not take place as a result of the inefficiency and failure on the part of the political parties and their leaders.

CPN-UML central member Raghuji Pant said that the enemies of the state would be defeated automatically if the responsible parties governed the country in accordance with the people’s aspirations.

It is natural that criticisms of every kind might take place when responsible people or institutions take up any work, he said.

But the controversies would die down automatically if those in responsible positions discharged their duties according to the letter and the spirit of the constitution, he added.

General secretary of Nepal Sadbhavana Party Hridayesh Tripathi opined the country is pushed towards uncertainty and efforts are sometimes made to even drag the institution of the Crown into controversy because of the dual character of the political parties.

General secretary of Nepal Praja Parishad Mina Acharya said that the people should be given an option in the forthcoming elections to choose the kind of reforms they want in the present constitution.

President of Nepal Chamber of Commerce Rajesh Kaji Shrestha expressed the view that the institution of the Crown could play an important role in providing the right direction to the country’s economy which is in a bad shape at present.

Journalist Tirtha Koirala said that the institution of the Crown has always played the role of the guardian of the people.

From the chair, society president Jib Ram Bhandari said the glory of the institution of Crown has been further enhanced by the positive attitude shown by the national political parties towards the institution of the Crown.

Still the first and the foremost

By Lok Deep Thapa

Kathmandu, 7 July: This is indeed a big day for The Rising Nepal.

For those who are reading this newspaper, I am talking about the change in the exterior appearance of this pioneer English Daily, which has served as a window for Nepal for many people inside and outside the country for almost four decades.

Yes, The Rising Nepal, which started publication back in 1966 under the able leadership of pioneer English journalist and a master of the language the late Barun Shumsher Rana, is at last being published in full colour. This has been done keeping in mind the demand of most readers and also the persuasion of advertisers who want multi-colour facilities to present their products in a more attractive manner. And whether editors like it or not, advertisers hold sway over such matters in this time of cut-throat competition.

When I joined this publication two decades back, though I was quite aware of the challenges in the field, I had never thought I would be overseeing such a change in this publication, which had many more other illustrious editors at the helm before me.

But when the more than one hundred year old Gorkhapatra, the Nepali daily that launched this Corporation, deemed it fit to change its colours in the face of fierce challenge from much younger – a almost grandchildren like papers, its sister daily which is the oldest broadsheet English daily in Nepal had no choice but to follow suit.

Still, to put it on record, colour or no colour, The Rising Nepal, or what we editors here call TRN for short, has never lost the special niche that it has created for itself in the English journalism market in the country. The constant number of readership and the recorded revenue that it has earned, can vouch for this. But apparently, that is not enough now. The packaging is as important as the content or at least that is what we are made to believe.

However, we must also be frank and bold enough to admit that life is not as easy as it was when the newspaper enjoyed monopoly in the market, and the editors of this newspaper could lord it over its admirers, be it the sources, readers or advertisers.

Here, in a few words, I would like to go back and say something about some of the chief editors that headed this daily, like Manaranjan Josse and Shyam Bahadur K.C. who guided this publication in good times and also challenging periods. Senior editors like Mr. P Kharel and Mr. Gopal Sharma, who recruited some of the best hands the newspaper has today, also contributed significantly in making the newspaper more professional in its outlook and also journalistically-friendly in many ways.

At the same time, though this can hardly be called a good timing, I cannot help but blame some of the administrators who have been at the helm of this publishing house, specially in the last six years or so. They knowingly and unknowingly have meted out crippling blows to this publishing house, either through sheer greedy decisions or complete lack of knowledge regarding commercial and professional publication policies. Unfortunately, even as I am writing this piece about TRN’s leap into a new future, the legacy of the incompetent administrators has not been completely wiped out.

Sometimes I wonder how the publications have withstood such fierce competition when the marketing has been slack, the distribution has been inefficient and the administration has been corrupt. When added to this are the political appointments and personal affiliations that make even routine work difficult, the situation becomes unfathomable for any sane minded professional.

But to come back to the technological leap forward for TRN from today, coinciding with the auspicious birthday of His Majesty King Gyanendra Bir Bikram Shah Dev, all the editors are extremely happy to see this historical change in the daily and they are eager to contribute from their own areas to make this venture successful in every way.

As the editor of this pioneer broadsheet English daily, I will promise that we in the Editorial Section, will do whatever we can to make the newspaper not only colourful, but also more read-worthy, in other ways too.

It would be completely thoughtless, if while talking about the change in TRN, the huge contribution of the Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Gorkhapatra Corporation, Mr. Hari Prasad Nepal who is also a Joint Secretary in the Ministry for Information and Communications and the tireless work of General Manager of the Corporation Mr. Kishore Nepal are not mentioned. They deserve much credit for the change taking place in the Corporation and its publications in recent times.

Lastly, I would like to say that the new look will not change the traditional, yet professional, outlook of this daily. In fact, we promise that we will strive even harder to be more balanced and objective in our work and continue to lead the way in this sector. There is no reason why we can’t fulfil such objectives while informing the people and helping the nation move forward if, as always, we continue to receive the warm and good wishes of our readers, advertisers and all well-wishers. With our patrons’ continued support there is no reason why we cannot continue to be the first and the foremost for a long time to come.

HM’s China visit to promote trade

RSS

Kathmandu, 6 July: The leaders of various political parties and experts on foreign affairs have expressed the confidence that the state visit of His Majesty the King to the friendly nation of the People’s Republic of China from July 9 will take the friendship between the two nations to a new height.

Speaking at a face to face programme organised on His Majesty’s forthcoming visit here today, they said that His Majesty’s state visit would prove to be fruitful in promoting bilateral trade and investment and the ties between Nepal and China.

At the face to face programme, CPN-UML general secretary Madhav Kumar Nepal said that His Majesty’s visit to China is timely and important in making the relations cordial with the neighbouring country. He expressed confidence that His Majesty’s visit would be successful.

Stating that there was no problem between Nepal and China nor has there been any ups and downs in the bilateral relations even under difficult conditions, he said that Nepal always considered China as a reliable friend and His Majesty’s visit would add a new dimension to Nepal-China relations.

Former prime minister Kirtinidhi Bista said that the entire nation is confident that His Majesty the King’s state visit would be successful and beneficial for the expansion of the ties between Nepal and China and that China wanted to see Nepal a free, self-respecting and developed country.

Former minister Dr. Ramsharan Mahat said that China held special respect for the monarchy of Nepal since ancient times and the China has been awaiting His Majesty the King’s visit with keen interest.

He said further that His Majesty’s visit is of special importance in taking the Nepal-China relations to a new height.

Spokesman of the Nepali Congress Homnath Dahal said that China had seriously objected the terrorist activities being carried out in Nepal in the name of Mao, the leader of its country, and His Majesty the King’s forthcoming visit would further enhance the goodwill and intimacy of China towards Nepal.

General secretary of the Rastriya Prajatantra Party Pashupati Shumsher Rana said that the diplomatic relations with China established in 2012 has developed into friendly relations and it is still moving forward firmly. Both the nations have provided continuity to the relations by respecting the co-existence of one another in their common interest.

President of the Federation of Nepalese Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FNCCI) Rabi Bhakta Shrestha, who is a member of the entourage, said that during the course of His Majesty’s visit, industrialists of both the countries will hold discussions on increasing trade and investment and finding solutions to the problem, if any.

PM hails Tarun Dal’s decision

RSS

Kathmandu, 6 July: President of the Nepali Congress and Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba has welcomed the decision taken by the Nepal Tarun Dal (NTD) central committee to join the mainstream of the Nepali Congress at a time when there is a need to provide a new momentum to the campaign of political, economic and social transformation in the Nepalese society by mobilising the youth force in the great task of nation building.

In a statement issued here today, Prime Minister Deuba said that the courageous decision taken by NTD yesterday had ended the confusion prevailing among the youths of the Nepali Congress for sometime.

Welcoming the youths of the NTD village to central level, Deuba said that decision taken by NTD had provided a positive message to the youths of the Nepali Congress.

Deuba pointed out the need to create an environment for respecting and utilising the inner strength of the youths for security and prosperity of the Nepalese people.

The main intention of the NC general convention held in Kathmandu was to mobilise the inner strength of the entire NC rank and file in the positive direction, he said, adding that the decision taken by NTD has further elaborated this intention.

Felicitating all his NTD colleagues, Deuba said that he would like to extend special thanks to ntd president Balkrishna Khand and all the NTD central members for joining the mainstream of the NC.

Deuba expressed confidence that the youths will play an effective role in meeting the challenges being faced by the country.

HM’s China visit to promote trade

RSS

He said further that His Majesty’s visit is of special importance in taking the Nepal-China relations to a new height.

Reception hosted in Beijing

RSS

Kathmandu, 6 July: On the occasion of the 56th Auspicious Birthday of His Majesty the King, Royal Nepalese Ambassador to the People’s Republic of China Rajeshwar Acharya hosted a reception in Beijing on Friday.

Assistant Foreign Minister of China Zhang Yesui, Vice Secretary-General of the International Department of the Communist Party of China He Jun and Major General Ji Ming Qui of People’s Liberation Army were among the high dignitaries attending the reception.

On the occasion Yesui, on behalf of the Chinese government and on his own, congratulated the ambassador on the happy occasion and requested him to convey the felicitations and best wishes to His Majesty the King.

Thanking him and through him to the Chinese government for extending the felicitations, Ambassador Acharya also held discussion on the friendly and good neighbourly relations subsisting between Nepal and China.

Yesui also committed for continuous support from the Chinese government to combat terrorism in Nepal.

Also present on the occasion were high ranking officials from various ministries and organisations, ambassadors and diplomats based in Beijing, former Chinese ambassadors to Nepal, academicians and media persons.

A photo exhibition on Nepali culture and places of historical importance and video presentations on tourism promotion activities in Nepal were also held on the occasion.

With each stone crushed shatters the dream of a child

By A Staff Reporter

Kathmandu, 6 July: Yasoda Khadka is seven. Except for her worn out clothes, unkempt hair often cropped behind her head by a ribbon and the face powdered by dust of the stones, she is a cherubic child. She works in a stone quarry in Pathikharka, carrying boulders from the riverside to the crushing-site where her grandmother pummels them into gravel.

Another girl Sapani Tamang is nine, but she looks much younger than her age. The second daughter of Kanchha and Manju Tamang, she has to work to support the parents take care of their three more children. She has never been to school. She thinks school is a place where teachers beat children. Her day begins with the crushing job and ends with it at the riverside of Mahadev Besi, Dhading. She ‘can’ crush three tins of pebbles a day, which is equal to two cubic feet, and receives about Rs. 10. Her earning belongs to her parents, who also work there.

The story of another child Santu Maya Bomjan, also nine, is even more pathetic. Originally from Chabahil, Kathmandu, this girl works in Saladup Babar. She was in class 1 but had to quit her studies to support her family. She works for 9 to 10 hours a day and earns Rs. 20. She faces frequent health problems. She has received a permanent injury to her hand but she won’t leave the job because she has a part in her family’s survival.

These are some of the case studies illustrated in a report by CONCERN-Nepal on child labour in stone quarries throughout the Kingdom. The more than 30,000 child labours engaged in stone quarries, according to the document, are often overlooked since this is one of the most disorganised sector employing children.

Given the nature of their jobs and the hazards they face, child labour in mines, which include stone quarries, is included in the list of one of the seven worst forms of child labour and exploitation, identified by the ILO Convention. The CONCERN-Nepal findings show the state of child labour in stone quarries may even be worse, because the median age of the children working in stone quarries is 12 years compared to 13 in other forms of child labour.

The study was carried out over a period of two years in 14 districts of all the development regions except for the far-west. These are the 14 districts where the largest number quarries in the country are established.

The study has found that 45 per cent of the children are between 11-13 years of age, and six per cent of them are of 5 – 7 age group. Surprisingly, the number of girl child working in the quarries is 51 per cent, exceeds the figure of boys. Another interesting feature is that local-children far outnumber the number of migrant workers in the quarries because of the former’s poverty (43 per cent) and illiteracy of the parents (17 per cent).

The survey has found that 49 per cent of the parents, who along with their children work in the quarries, have some land but inadequate to make a living.

Seventy-seven per cent of the children working in the quarries are illiterate, and 88 per cent of them were primary school dropouts. Those who left school before they finished class 2 accounted to 57 per cent.

The study report also said that 67 per cent children work for 9 to 10 hours as against a maximum of 6 hours work with one-hour break, as stipulated by the law for children above 14..

The wages the children get is also highly exploitative with 95 per cent of the children being paid on the quantity of gravel they produce by crushing the boulders, and 54 per cent of them produce three cubic feet of gravel. They are paid Rs. 7 to 8 per cubic feet. The wage was still low at about Rs. 4 when the survey was done. It might be mentioned here that one cubic feet of gravel cost about Rs. 35 in Kathmandu. For 91 per cent of the children, their wages are managed by their parents, and most of the time the children have no saving at all when they grow up.

The long hours at the quarry takes its toll on the children’s mental and physical development. The survey found that 17 per cent of the children suffer from cough, 34 per cent with regular and frequent fever and 26 per cent with muscle pain. But no quarry has treatment facility of any kind and most of the time it is the parents or the children themselves, who have to take care of their illnesses and injuries. The risk factor at the workplace is so great that 94 per cent of the children have experienced injuries, which could be serious and crippling as well.

The most common injury is hitting hammer while crushing the stones. Fifty-two per cent of the children have suffered from this. Sustaining injures from stones and falling down losing balance while carrying stones are other major accidents for children in this business. The survey found that four per cent of the children were swept away by river while working on the river or its banks.

Although, almost 80 per cent of the children say they do not suffer from mental or physical abuse, But there are who say they are harassed by quarry-owners, adult workers, middlemen and even the local boys. Three per cent of the girls said they have been sexually abused.

Working in such a condition as they are, 95 per cent of the children are not aware about child right. And those who do can make no sense of it.

Focus on preventing diseases: Basnet

RSS

Kathmandu, 6 July: Minister of State for Health Mohan Bahadur Basnet inaugurated a free health camp organised by the Health Sub-committee under the birthday celebration civic main committee at Chamber Building, Kantipath on the occasion of the 56th Auspicious Birthday of His Majesty the King.

On the occasion, Minister of State Basnet said we should focus on preventing diseases rather than curing them because of lack of resources.

More than 90 per cent of diseases are caused due to one’s own negligence, he said, adding that several other diseases can be invited while undergoing treatment of one and stressed on the need to increase awareness on physical exercises.

President of the Nepal Chamber of Commerce (NCC) and chairman of the function Rajesh Kaji Shrestha while wishing for long reign and good health of His Majesty, said the Chamber will also conduct such camps in the future.

Health sub-committee convenor and NCC secretary Man Bahadur Shrestha said the camp was organised with the realisation that such programmes are very constructive and beneficial to the society.

Senior doctor Dr. B. K. Malla said we can get rid of most of the diseases if we keep our houses clean.

General secretary of the birthday function main committee and NCC second vice president Surendra Bir Malakar expressed happiness on being able to participate in such social works.

Providing services in the camp to 250 patients were Dr. Manen Prasad Gorkhali, Dr. Ranjit Baral, Dr. B. K. Malla, Dr. Naresh K. C., Dr. Kasturi Malla, Dr. Udayaraj Upadhyay, Dr. Kulesh Thapa, Dr. Ajaya Shaha, Dr. Y. B. Bhandari, Dr. L. B. Thapa, Dr. Dinesh Thapa, Dr. K. M. Malla, Dr. S. Adhikari and Dr. P. R. Sharma.

Money market likely to shrink further

By Rajkumar K.C.

Kathmandu, 6 July:With the downsize of the development of budget by over 30 per cent in the coming fiscal year (2059-2060 BS), the country’s money market and capital market is likely to become more dull due to the sharp increase in the non-performing assets in the banking sector.

Economists fear that if the Nepal Rastra Bank- the central bank, fails to take stringent monetary policy, the country’s economy will be more severe that will drag the banking sector down to the bottom.

Besides the present economic growth rate that is less than one per cent now will go below 0.5 per cent. The economy that is already in ‘stagnation’ will further drop off, they say.

The escalation of regular budget in the coming fiscal year, due to the security problem, will cut the development activities adversely affecting the demand for credit and investment portfolio.

Lack of development budget means the lack of development activities that has direct link with the monetary and banking sector. This will affect the funding capacity of the banking institutions. The size of the non-performing assets will further inflate, says Dr. Dilli Raj Khanal, a former member of the National Planning Commission.

The money market cannot remain in isolation. Therefore, the monetary policy should be flexible so that money market can absorb the shock of economic ups and downs, Dr. Khanal says.

The Nepal Rastra Bank (NRB) is adopting the liberal monetary policy in order to activate money market and capital market. However, it is going to introduce some reforms in its monetary policy with beginning of the new fiscal year, says Dr. Yuba Raj Khatiwada, executive director at the NRB.

Despite low interest rate, the investment and flow of credit is not at satisfactory level. It is due to the non-economic factor, Dr. Khatiwada admits. "We are at perpetual recession."

In theory the money market and capital market immediately reacts to the macro economic phenomenon. "Our money market will start reacting following the growth in the economy," asserts Dr. Khatiwada.

Presently the situation of money market and capital market is dull and almost passive, due to the size of non-performing assets.

That fact can also be substantiated by the recent report published the NRB that the domestic credit of the banking system registered a slower growth of 4.9 per cent in the last ten months as compared to a higher growth of 14 per cent last year. Banking sector’s credit to the private sector has grown only by 5 per cent (Rs 6.28 billion) this year in comparisons to the increase of 14.5 per cent during the last year.

However, Dr. Dilli Raj Khanal accuses bureaucrats and politicians of worsening situation. "It is due to unholy nexus of bureaucrats and politicians," he says adding the NRB should introduce more flexible policy to adjust with the situation.

According to the NRB the liquidity position in the banking system has remained lower compared to the last year. The weighted average inter-bank rate has gone up to 4.75 per cent from 4.36 per cent in the last fiscal year. Moreover, the weighted average treasury bills rate increased from 4.67 per cent to 4.86 during the same period.

Prof. Guna Nidhi Sharma, a monetary economist says that over-lapping in financing and duplication in refinancing are the root cause of weak money market and capital market. Weak money market could trigger capital flight and repel foreign investment.

Dr. Sharma says downsize of the development budget could have multiplier effects in the entire economy.

However, the government and the NRB should create confidence among the people, investors and banks for economic growth. Dying confidence among people pose adverse impact in the economy.

The role of NRB is vital ginger up money market and capital market by introducing pragmatic monetary policy. But it is becoming weak, says Dr. Raghav Dhoj Pant, former acting vice chairman of the NPC.

The decline of development budget will affect the money market, he admits.

Economists say that the NRB has a central bank of the country should take timely measures to prevent the money market and capital market from further shrinking. If not the money market will be more inactive. With dull money market, country’s economy cannot move ahead, say experts.

Radio Nepal presents musical show

RSS

Kathmandu, 6 July: On the occasion of the 56th Auspicious Birthday of His Majesty King Gyanendra Bir Bikram Shah Dev, Radio Nepal organised a special musical programme here today.

Inaugurating the programme, Radio Transmission Service Development Committee chairman and secretary at the Ministry of Information and Communications Mukunda Sharma Poudel noted that Radio Nepal has made important contributions to the development of the languages and cultures of various indigenous groups and different communities of the country.

Radio Nepal has been transmitting excellent informative, entertainment and educational programmes, he said, pointing out the need for making timely improvements in the programmes.

Executive director of Radio Nepal Shailendra Raj Sharma disclosed that coinciding with His Majesty the, King’s Auspicious Birthday Radio Nepal has started test transmissions in Birgunj, Kalaiya, Chitwan, Nawalparasi and Mustang, areas which have less accessibility to Radio Nepal’s transmissions.

He further said that Radio Nepal was consolidating its transmission capacity in Mahendranagar, Dhangadhi, Bhairahawa and Butwal also from the coming month.

Noted singers and musicians had presented a variety musical show on the occasion.

The programme was broadcast live by Radio Nepal and Nepal Television.

On the occasion, Secretary at the Ministry of Information and Communications Mukunda Sharma Poudel handed over a cassettee of songs produced by Radio Nepal to boost the morale of the police force to Additional Inspector General of Police Govinda Prasad Thapa.

With each stone crushed shatters the dream of a child

By A Staff Reporter

The survey has found that 49 per cent of the parents, who along with their children work in the quarries, have some land but inadequate to make a living.

The study report also said that 67 per cent children work for 9 to 10 hours as against a maximum of 6 hours work with one-hour break, as stipulated by the law for children above 14..

Working in such a condition as they are, 95 per cent of the children are not aware about child right. And those who do can make no sense of it.