Balayar for alternative energy development

Lalitpur, March 5 (RSS): Minister of State for Science and Technology Bhakta Bahadur Balayar has stressed the need of alternate energy technology development to bring about improvement in the economic and social life of the people by reducing forest destruction and environmental pollution.

He was giving away certificates here today to the participants of a two-day workshop on small wind technology organised by the Alternate Energy Promotion Centre (AEPC) and Winrock International.

Minister of State Balayar said there is a great possibility of harnessing wind energy in Nepal, and we can alleviate poverty only if biotechnology and information technology are developed.

Executive director of the Alternate Energy Promotion Centre Dr. Madan Bahadur Basnet said the centre has taken initiative to develop alternate energy like wind energy so as to lessen the negative impact of climate change and global warming.

Director of the Winrock International Bikas Pandeya said alternate energy should be developed to lessen the dependency on traditional energy and added that we should collect data on wind energy.

Altogether 17 persons had taken part in the workshop.

20% certificates of Siraha teachers fake

Siraha, March 5 (RSS): Preliminary investigation into the academic certificates of the teachers working in primary, lower secondary and secondary schools of Siraha district reveals that about 20 per cent of such certificates were suspected to be fake.

According to Siraha District Education Office (SDO), 70 per cent of the academic certificates submitted to the probe committee are of Indian origin.

Salaries of teacher Jaya Kumar Mandal (Sanhaitha Primary School, Jogiya), teacher Raj Kishore Yadav (primary school, Muksar-7) and teacher Arun Kumar Mahato (Janata Primary School, Motipur) have been frozen for failing to submit their academic certificates within the time stipulated by the probe committee and they will be subjected to departmental action, Bhawani Kattel of SDEO said.

However, 50 per cent of certificates submitted to the probe committee is believed to be fake instead of 20 per cent that came to light, an employee of SDO says quoting the probe committee.

In the past, examinations controller office used to issue blank marksheet papers to the concerned schools for those students passing the S.L.C. Examination and such marksheet papers are suspected of being issued to students failing in the S.L.C. Examinations, officiating chief of SDO Bindeshwar Das told.

Some of the certificates are computerized whereas some of them are hand-written. A number of certificates in which uniformity lacked in ink and signatures are considered suspicious.

The teachers who are found holding fake certificates will be subjected to action, chairman of the probe committee and CDO Bhola Prasad Shiwakoti said.

The certificates of 788 teachers working at primary schools, 78 at lower secondary schools and 30 at the secondary schools were found genuine and returned to the teachers concerned, according to the probe committee.

First Woman cosmonaut greeted

By A Staff Reporter

Kathmandu, Mar. 5: General secretary of Nepal-Russia Cultural Association (NRCA) Dr Rabin Shakya in a congratulatory message to Valentina Tereshkova, chairperson of Roszarubezh Centre under the Russian Government and world’s first woman cosmonaut, has greeted her on the auspicious occasion of the jubilee birthday.

We in Nepal have affectionate memory of the two visits by the first woman cosmonaut of the world. Those visits, we believe, will be written in the golden letters of Nepal-Russia ties, the NRCA congratulatory note says.

Madame Tereshkova was born on March 6, 1937 at Maslennikovo village of Yaroslav region in Russia in the peasant family.

In 1963, June 16-19, Madame Tereshkova became the first woman in space aboard Vostok-6 completing 2 days, 22 hours and 50 minutes.

NEWSROOM CHATTER

Time To Decide

AFTER it received the mandate from more than two thirds of the MPs of the House of Representatives to continue the state of emergency, the government has rightly started to focus on such priorities like bringing about social reforms and taking economic packages to the rural poor. However, with the constant threat of terrorist activities disrupting normal life and development works, the government has no alternative but to provide a credible "security shield" to maintain law and order in the country.

On this front, it is encouraging to note the wave of support coming from friendly countries, who have already committed themselves to cooperate in the different development projects in this impoverished nation.

But like mentioned by an official of a friendly country which has provided much aid to Nepal in different sectors, Nepalese leaders and policy makers themselves should also be clear in their vision of what they want from these friends who are volunteering to help at this difficult period.

With the number of days left in this second innings of the state of emergency steadily diminishing, the decision makers here have to not only make up their mind quickly, but act fast on their decisions as well. (LDT)

Rude Shock

THERE is hardly any household in the world that will not celebrate when a stork comes a calling. It’s not that the household’s bliss brims over only when the new member is born Rather, the joy becomes palpable much earlier, especially if the stork is calling for the very first time. And, along with it, the curiosity among the womenfolks to know about the gender of the would-be new member. As for the reason, the least said the better.

The other day, while the wife of a friend’s youngest brother was in labour in the maternity ward of one of the swank hospitals, his womenfolks asked the attending gynaecologist about the new baby’s gender. With the help of an ultra-sound reading, he predicted it will be a girl. This was hastily relayed to the would-be father via phone. However, when he went to the hospital, he was in for a rude shock! He suddenly found that he had become the father of a son!

Herein, the million rupee query is: What would have happened if the doctor had predicted the baby will be a boy—but later, the mother is found cradling a girl? As for the ensuring tiff, this scribe leaves it to the readers to imagine! (GR)

Whither Litter

Since January this year a sea change has come to Kathmandu in particular. The cleanliness that is in the air needs special mention. The rains a few days back gave that glossy look to the roads which was unimaginable in the past. Though the foothpaths look the same they seem to be adamant to mend their ways courtesy the authorities concerned. But there’s one thing that is now no longer an eyesore namely Tundikhel, Kathmandu’s pride. The southern half which was littered and the basic tenets of health and hygiene blatantly flouted has now a cleaner look. Isn’t that wonderful? Why not! Keeping it clean adds to beautifying the landscape of the only metropolis in the country. One only hopes this remains ever-lasting, as, after all, nothing has permanency. (PNK)

Sign of Relief

THE news that the government has initiated the process to constitute a judicial commission to investigate into the wealth and properties of people who have been in the public post after the restoration of multiparty democracy must have come as a sigh of relief. Especially those who have been complaining and demanding that the ill-gotten properties be confiscated might have felt the relief. Though belated, the present government has shown the courage to do so for which it deserves the credit.

In the past too there had been rumours about this type of commission but it never materialised due to reasons unknown. Not that the past years were free from corruption but the speed and scale with which it spread after the advent of multiparty democracy seems to have surpassed all the records. But one glaring difference is that in the old system even if people amassed wealth they were shy to expose it because the society despised the corrupt. However, the situation is completely different now, some people say, corruption has been institutionalised. More the money more the name seems to have become the name of the game now. The commission it is hoped would be able to discourage people to some extent not to go only after money. (JKM)

Act In time

THE schools across the nation were forced to close down due to the call made by some extremist elements without citing the cause. This is not the first time that the schools had to be closed down due to fear not only among the parents but the school goers too.

The children who have been dubbed as the nation builders of the future were forced to stay home, which hampered their daily academic pursuits. The future repercussions are surely going to be heavy from the nation’s point of view.

With this regular uncertainty, some parents have been sending their wards overseas for education. This leads to flow of nation’s wealth outside while the local manpower lack opportunities in the educational sector.

If the extremist elements had love for the nation and cared for the children’s plight they would never have played this way. So, the need of the hour is unity among the people. It’s time for government to step in. (ASR)

Pitcher Pain

WHAT does a copper pitcher mean to you? Well, you could not have a better answer to the question than it is useful to store water. This is quite true when the water supply is very irregular and you need to fill all your pots to be on the safe side. It is natural for you to be utterly disdained when you find that one fine morning the water pitcher is gone. For this writer the pitcher was more than just a pitcher. It was something that was like an old friend, which greeted the family members everyday. Everybody at home seemed to be quite sad to find that the pitcher that was with the family for the last three decades was stolen. Despite the reminder to keep the pitcher inside the house, people at home were kind of over confident and left it outside as filling water would be easy. For so many years nobody had bothered to lift the pitcher away. But one should always remember that days are never the same. So folks if you do not wish to regret later rush your traditional pitchers indoors. (AM)

Under Siege

THE removal of encroachers in the holy Pashupatinath area is significant from many aspects. First of all, it tells everyone that religious places are under siege of people who take encroachment of public places as their birthright. Democracy has been too liberal for such people and it required the state of emergency to dislodge them. The modus operandi of the encroachers is multi-faceted. They occupy the land for lodging, begging and conducting trade and business. In return, they turn the place littered and foul.

Second, the example of Pashupati applies to all kinds of public lands and monuments. The ancient temples, chaityas, palaces and sattals have been littered to the critical level by the people who establish makeshift shops selling all kinds of wares. The cost in terms of renovation and repair is going to be huge. Therefore, similar move like one taken at Pashupati should be initiated at other places as well. Or people will keep using public places as milching cow. (BT)

Double Standard!

NEPALESE industrialists and traders have welcomed the recently renewed Nepal India Trade Treaty saying that the treaty has prompted Nepal to gear up its industrial growth. They have also commented that the treaty is in favour of Nepal. Of course the renewal of the treaty (Let’s forget whatever the impact will it have in future) has mopped off the dust of uncertainty, but the so-called industrialists and traders here have changed their tone without any shame.

It is surprising that the same people, who used to cry for the renewal of the treaty without any value addition, now seem to have felt comfortable. It is the reality that the Nepalese industries will have to come across with difficult times in the days ahead. But it is surprising that why our industrialists are hailing the treaty so comfortably. Isn’t this double standard? (RKC)

Good Initiative

IN a historic move, the government has taken the initiative to form a high level judicial commission to probe into corruption, which is said to have flourished well, especially after the restoration of the multiparty democracy in the country in 1990. The objective of the proposed commission is to minutely investigate the properties of those who have or had assumed public offices. The commission, after its formation, is supposed to submit its report to the government within six months. If the commission is able to carry out its responsibilities well, names of many corrupt individuals will be revealed. The formation of such a commission is also expected to be helpful in checking corrupt practices taking place in the country. Since the ruling and the main opposition parties seem to have reached an understanding to deal with corruption in a tough handed manner, the commission is expected to get necessary support and cooperation from all. (BMD)

Hard To Choose

ABSTAIN from sex for gathering strength! the idea appears not only interesting but innovative too. This is what the world heavyweight champion Lennox Lewis announced in order to be mightier to face Mike Tyson, another boxing legend. Lewis is going to join a seven-week training for preparations.

Nonetheless, medical science does not say that sex will diminish the valour of the man. Rather, it says, regular sex will spare heart attack and help gain good health.

But Lewis has another version: self-imposed celibacy gives you a little more quickness, better reflexes and more of an edge.

Here we have Lewis verses medical science. So which one do you want to follow? But there is no need to worry. Whichever option you make, you don’t have to lose. If you want to gain big success, maintain celibacy like that of the boxer. You know the benefit of the other. (RRS)