Dolakha farmers attracted to vegetable farming

By Our Correspondent

Charikot, May 12: With the launching of a packet vegetable farming programme in Dolakha district more farmers are attracted to the vegetable farming.

The district, which used to import a large quantity of vegetables from Kathmandu, is now not only self-reliant in vegetables but also become exporters.

A total of 12,131 metric tons of different vegetables were produced in the district during the fiscal year 2057/58 B.S., according to the district agriculture development office.

Bharat Bahadur Acharya of the district agriculture office said there are many areas where vegetables can be grown. The suitable areas for vegetable farming are Bhimeshwar Municipality, Melung, Jiri, Suri, Boch, Lakuri Danda and Sushma Kshemawati areas. "Farmers in these areas have adopted commercial farming of vegetables," he said.

The programme has also been launched in other areas - Ghyang Sukathokar, Malu, Namdu and Gairimudi villages of the district.

Under the packet programme, farmers receive 50 per cent concession in seeds and irrigation pipes purchases. The district agriculture office organises workshops and interactions for the farmers about vegetable farming.

Sher Bahadur Tamang, a farmer from Bhimeshwar Municipality, who is involved in the vegetable farming, said that the local youths do not have to go to the foreign countries in search of jobs anymore. "They can earn enough here."

Tamang said many farmers in the district are attracted towards vegetable farming after they have understood how beneficial the sector is.

Farmers can easily earn more than Rs. 150,000 a year from vegetable farming.

Tika Ram Mulicha, chief of the Agriculture Development Office, said the farmers are producing both the seasonal and off-season vegetables. Vegetable farmers say the variable climates have helped the vegetable farming.

Touristic value of Janakpurdham highlighted

Janakpurdham, May 12 (RSS): Minister of State for Land Reforms and Management Ramjanam Chaudhari has said that Janakpurdham should be developed as a religious and tourist place to make it known in the world.

He was speaking at a programme held at the meeting hall of Janakpur Municipality.

He said that a committee will be constituted to investigate into the encroachment and misuse of land of the Guthi Sansthan in Dhanusha and Mahottari districts.

MP Ananda Prasad Dhungana said that the concerned management could not manage properly the land of the Guthi in Dhanusha district.

Former minister Bholanath Jha and a host of other speakers expressed their views at the programme chaired by mayor Bajarang Prasad Shah.

Also in Janakpurdham, Minister of State Ram Janam Chaudhari today visited the historic Ram Temple, Janaki Temple, Dhanusha Temple, Hanumannagar Trust and Nath Madhadev Gutihi at Janakpurdham and acquired information on their condition, assets and encroachment on their land.

MPs Ananda Prasad Dhungana and Smiriti Narayan Chaudhari, secretary at the Ministry of Land Reforms and Management Ananta Raj Pandey, central chairman of the Guthi Sansthan Chaitya Raj Jwala Chaudhari and administrator of the Guthi Semanta Raj Chapagai accompanied Minister of State Chaudhari on the visit.

On the occasion, Mahantha Ram Tapeshwar of Janaki Temple demanded that the assets deposited in the revolving fund should be handled through the Guthi Sansthan.

'Nepal can benefit from proposal made by Haryana'

Kathmandu, May 12 (RSS): Nepal can benefit a lot from the promotion of economic and business relations and technology exchanges with Haryana State of India as well as from the progress made by that state in information technology, agriculture, industry and technical education.

This view was expressed at a programme organised in honour of visiting Chief Minister of Haryana State Om Prakash Chautala here on Friday. The programme was organised by the Federation of Nepalese Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FNCCI).

On the occasion, Chief Minister Chautala expressed the view that as Nepal and India are bonded by their history, there is a lot of possibility for the two countries to also work together in expanding their economic and business relations.

He said Nepal could benefit from the progress made by Haryana especially in agriculture and related industries.

Stating that Haryana could extend special cooperation to Nepal in technical manpower training, he said he was willing to give the same kind of facilities to Nepalese students as to Indian students at the agricultural and engineering universities in Haryana.

Electricity is an important source of power for a developing country and Haryana has achieved several successes in harnessing water resources, he said, pointing out that cooperation might also be provided in this sector as there is a great scope for electricity development in Nepal.

Acting president of FNCCI Binod Bahadur Shrestha remarked that Nepal has been very much encouraged by the success of Haryana in attracting huge amounts of foreign and domestic investments in agriculture, industry and tourism.

He disclosed that the number of joint Indian investment industries in Nepal has gone up from 110 in April 1996 to 228 in April 2001.

FNCCI third vice-president Chandi Raj Dhakal stressed promotion of bilateral economic relations with India and said that the Nepalese private sector was willing to work with Indian industrialists and businessmen.

Lumbini Master Plan to gain momentum

Bhairahawa, May 12 (RSS): The implementation of the Lumbini Master Plan prepared by Japanese architect Professor Kenjo Tange in 1978 will gain momentum after 23 years after its formulation.

Minister for Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation Bal Bahadur KC has said that the Mayadevi temple, the construction of which will be completed on Buddha Jayanti, will help maintain the image of Nepal high in the international arena.

He also informed that the estimated cost of Rs 65.955 million for the construction of the temple had already been sanctioned.

The foundation stone for the construction of the temple was laid by then prime minister Girija Prasad Koirala in 1998.

A meeting of the executive committee of the Lumbini Development Trust (LDT) held here on Sunday and presided over by Minister for Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation and LDT chairman Bal Bahadur KC has taken the decision to immediately start the implementation of the remaining portion of the Master Plan.

Talking to journalists after the meeting, Minister KC said that the meeting reviewed the works carried out in Lumbini so far and decision had been taken to take initiatives for the complete implementation of the Master Plan.

Stating that Nepal Telecommunications Corporation was distributing 500 telephone connections in the area, Minister KC said that steps were being taken for the establishment of a Lumbini International University.

LDT vice-president Omkar Prasad Gauchan and its member cum secretary Janak Lal Shrestha also attended the meeting.

Mahat seeks flexible budget for development at ADB meet

Kathmandu, May 12 (RSS): Finance Minister Dr Ram Sharan Mahat has said that His Majesty's Government has been putting its efforts to strenghthen democratic instittions and to empower these institutions to address social, economic and political issues as well as fulfilling the rising expectations of the people.

Dr. Mahat said this while addressing the 35th annual meeting of the Asian Development Bank in Shanghai, China.

He noted that Nepal has achieved tangible progress in socio-economic deevelopment after the reinstallation of democracy in 1991.

However, in recent year, violence, destruction, and terror unleashed by terrorists have seriously affected the country's development process, he said. He added that not only human lives, but infrastructure have become the target of terrorist attacks.

The extent of destruction of physical infrastructure by the terrorists has been estimated at US $ 250 million, and immediate rehabilitation costs to restore the damaged public facilities and services are estimated to be more than US $ 100 million, he said.

At this critical juncture, we need all out support from the bank and the international community to bring the situation under countrol in order that normal development activities and programmes in Nepal could continue in full swing, he said.

Economic problems are compounded and are getting more complex in Nepal, revenue targets have become unattainable, economic output, export, import, tourism, investments and overall economic outlook have received setbacks, tourism has declined by almost 50 per cent, industrial output has sharply declined, increasing security cost has pushed up the government's regular expenditures far beyond previous estimates, he observed.

However, due to prudent macro-economic policy stance, budgetary deficit is under control, price situation has remained stable and the foreign exchange reserve has been kept at a satisfactory level, he also observed. He added that domestic borrowing has been controlled.

HMG is fully committed to the implementation of various poverty reduction measures, including channelling more domestic and external resources to the needy and poor down to the grass roots. And it is in the process of finalising the Tenth Plan/Poverty Reduction Strategy Paper (PRSP) with the sole objective of reducing poverty, he said.

Likewise, HMG has initiated a number of reform measures mainly concentrated on the areas of civil service, good governance, financial sector reform, private sector development and decentralisation, he said.

We are in need of extra resources and flexible economic assistance from the bank and donors to fund our economic reform programme and finance social sector, agriculture, infrastructure and other development activities, and to support our budget so that the priority programme in sectors like education, health and rural development is not affected, he said.

On top of this, our debt servicing liability is growing fast with about one third of revenue need for debt servicing, he said. He urged the international community to consider liberal debt relief measures or at least a debt service moratorium for some time as this will give Nepal immediate breathing space to carry out the minimum level of development activities.

He also said Nepal strongly supports the South Asian Subregional Economic Cooperation (SASEC) programme being implemented under the framework of the South Asian Growth Quardrangle.