Mother appeals return of terrorist abducted son

By A Staff Reporter

Kathmandu, May 15: The 73-year-old mother of Narayan Prasad Subedi has made an appeal for the release of her son who was kidnapped by the Maoists on Sunday. Subedi, a headmaster, was kidnapped by the terrorists from his house in Gajul of Rolpa.

The mother, a widow, said the condition and the whereabouts of her son is yet unknown. She said her son, who was the General Secretary of district level Nepal Red Cross Society and former district president of Nepal Teachers’ Association, was both a social worker and a teacher and was dedicated only to his profession. He has never done any harm to anybody, she said. Subedi was the first person in Rolpa to become a headmaster.

In the appeal she said the wife and children and the whole family are anxious and worried about his safety.

Two terrorists died in Jankot area of Rolpa in an encounter during the search and patrol of the security forces. The Defence Ministry said today the security forces confiscated guns, equipment for laying ambushes and foodgrains from the terrorists.

Four suspects were arrested in Dhola area of Dhading with two guns, explosives, socket bombs and equipment to set electric ambushes. In Pyangkot and Chaurikhark of Sankhuwasabha security forces in their search operation found 9 guns, explosives, foodgrains, hides of wild animals and ammunitions of various weapons, the Ministry said.

Locals in Makawanpur have handed over 45 guns collected from among themselves to the security forces.

A security personnel injured in the fight with the terrorists in Chainpur on May 7 died last night while undergoing treatment at the Birendra Military Hospital, Chhauni.

SAARC meet on agriculture organised

Kathmandu, May 15 (RSS): A meeting of SAARC Agriculture Ministers was held at the SAARC Secretariat today to arrive at a common SAARC position before the forthcoming World Food Summit: five years later to be held in Rome from 10-13 June 2002.

The meeting was chaired by Mahesh Acharya, Minister for Agriculture and Cooperatives.

It was attended by ministers and senior officials from SAARC countries Secretary General of SAARC Q.A.M.A. Rahim earlier opened the meeting.

The SAARC Agriculture Ministers also met in Islamabad in 1996 and formulated a common SAARC position before the World Food Summit in Rome (1996), according to a press release issued by the SAARC Secretariat.

After elaborate discussion on food and agricultural scenario of the region in the context of expediting actions to realise the targets set earlier by the World Food Summit in Rome in 1996, the ministers adopted a resolution highlighting the concerns of the SAARC members states.

They have recommended to the Secretary General to communicate this common position to the Director General of FAO in Rome to be circulated as an official document of the forthcoming conference.

The resolution calls for among other things, increased cooperation at the regional and international level and to form a global coalition of partnership so that the targets previously set, including halving of the number of hungry people by 2015 will be realised in time.

The resolution also emphasised that hunger cannot be eliminated unless poverty is addressed in comprehensive manner. The resolution recommitted the SAARC nations to join hands to alleviate poverty from the region by recalling the declaration of the eleventh SAARC summit in Kathmandu.

Labour info system in offing

By A Staff Reporter

Kathmandu, May 15: A new initiative, the Labour Market Information System (LMIS) is to be started shortly in the country.

The two-year LMIS project is being jointly financed by UNDP, ILO and Employment Promotion Commission.

The purpose of this project is to develop a Labour Market Information System and employment services in Nepal, with the support of technical advisory services of the ILO. This is being established to provide up-to-date information on the job market. This will be initiated by the Employment Promotion Commission (EPC), in close cooperation with the Ministry
of Labour and Transport Management (MOLTM), the Central Bureau of Statistics (CBS) and the Federation of Nepalese Chambers of Commerce and Industries (FNCCI).

The Labour Market Information System project will contribute to the functioning of the Nepalese Labour Market Information about the demand side of the labour market will be improved by creating linkages between the private sector and the labour administration/employment services network.

The supply side will be addressed by improved dissemination of information to jobseekers and the wider public. This will be done by following two major approaches: provision of client-oriented services and initiation of policy oriented labour market monitoring and analysis.

The LMIS will be initiated in order to provide job seekers, employers and other interested parties with up-to-date labour market information. Activities will be initiated at the local level, as well as nationwide. Individual job seekers can be informed about practical employment opportunities through local agencies.

Through nationwide tools, such as regular surveys of newspaper vacancies and surveys by various institutions, the public can obtain useful aggregate information, such as most wanted professions, corresponding wage levels, identification of expanding and declining sectors and areas.

Labour Market Information will be disseminated through LMI Reviews, LMI Bulletins, and regular broadcasting of Radio Nepal. An evaluation and analysis-oriented LMIS will be created in order to enable the national authorities to monitor the overall labour market development in the country and to evaluate and plan their labour market policies.

Local governance to be strengthened

Kathmandu, May 15 (RSS): Donor agencies investing in various sectors at local level for the consolidation of local bodies are willing to make their investment through the local self-governance consolidation programme, the National Planning Commission (NPC) has stated.

The local self-governance consolidation programme has been presented in line with the spirit of the Local Self- Governance Act, Minister for Local Development Khum Bahadur Khdka told the National News Agency (RSS) here today.

Minister Khadka said that the programme to be conducted for l0 to l5 years will be introduced in all the districts from the forthcoming fiscal year and then in every municipality and the VDCs.

According to Minister Khadka, the money given through various mediums for raising the efficiency of local bodies and poverty alleviation would hereafter be channelised through the Local Self-Governance Programme (LSGP).

NPC vice-chairman Dr. Narayan Khadka said that the programme has been presented to provide continuity to the Local Governance Programme and
the participatory District Development Programme.

NPC member Dr. Jagadish Pokharel said that the government was creating a congenial atmosphere for the introduction of decentralisation in the local bodies.

The Local Self-Governance Programme and participative district development programme under UNDP are being conducted in 60 districts across the kingdom.

Ranabhat stresses cordial ties with India

Kathmandu, May 15 (RSS): Speaker Taranath Ranabhat has said the relations with India should be made more harmonious, deep and in consonance with the 21st century by maintaining national unity and by identifying Nepal’s interests.

Ranabhat while making public a book ‘Nepal–India relations’ written by teacher Keshav Prasad Bhattarai said the mistakes in Nepal-India relations should be corrected by studying history and historical documents.

He said the treaties from 1950 onwards can be corrected if we forged national unity and the losses incurred can be made up for which the leadership should also show courage.

Former foreign minister Shailendra Kumar Upadhyay said while maintaining foreign relations, Nepal should first of all identify national interests, should keep a single outlook and should study and protect historical documents.

Foreign relations expert Hiranyalal Shrestha said timely changes should be made to the 1950 treaty, the borders of the two countries should be properly managed and efforts should be made to save land from inundation before summer.

Cooperation of India should be taken for controlling terrorism and efforts should be made for true and hearty relations with neighbours and sycophancy and blind support.

At the programme presided over by president of the organising body Otharo Dabali Gaunle Baldev Adhikari, various other speakers including Panchanarayan Maharjan of the Asian Study Centre, Narayan Prasad Regmi, Prof. Khagendra Bhattarai and teacher Ramakant Sapkota said a liberal attitude of India is necessary for the prosperity of Nepal.

The book includes treaties and agreements and correspondence between Nepal and India.