Swiss aid to flood victims

By A Staff Reporter

KATHMANDU, Sept 3: The Swiss Government is contributing 400,000 Swiss francs (Rs. 20 million) in emergency aid to meet the urgent needs of families affected by this year's floods and landslides.
The assistance will be provided to the Nepal Red Cross Society through the International Federation of the Red Cross, a press statement of Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC) said today.

The aid will be used to provide family kits, food, clean water and building materials to the victims and to maintain the response capacity of the NRCS for disasters.

Floods and landslides this year have affected 46 of the country's 75 districts. More than 470 people have died in the natural calamity since the monsoon rains began mid-July.

Nepalese civil servants and volunteers working in the United Nations interim administration of Kosovo have contributed Rs. 107,414 for the landslide and flood victims.

The Himalayan Rescue Association Nepal has also made available Rs. 50,000 for the families affected by the massive landslide in Khotang district, to the east of Kathmandu, in mid-July. At least 60 people have died in landslides in Khotang.

RSS adds, the Cottage and Small Industry Office Rautahat handed over clothes worth Rs. 500,000 to the Red Cross, Rautahat as a relief for the flood and landslide victims, at a function, recently.

From the chair, district judge Ekaraj Acharya said it is a duty of each Nepali to provide help in humanitarian terms to the flood victims as well the displaced families.

Chairman of the natural disaster relief committee and assistant CDO Mukunda Prasad Dhakal lauded the contribution made by the people of all walks of life to help the victims.

Also speaking on the occasion were industry officer Ram Narayan Jha, Red Cross president Mohammad Majarul Haq and branch manager of the Agriculture Development Bank Padma Raj Adhikari.

The contributions provided by the Cottage Industries Development Office handed over included 7,060 units of clothes for 100 victims of Basatpur, Bramhapuri and Rajdevi VDCs.

In Sindhuli, paddy crops in the periphery of Kamalakhoncha area have been damaged because of an outbreak of disease.

Khadga Bahadur Bhujel, a farmer of Hatpate VDC-5 is now extremely anxious at how he can support his family for a year after his paddy crop extending over one and a half bigahs caught the disease.
Besides Hatpate, the disease has surfaced in Ranibas, Sirthalite, Nipane, Tandi and Harsatti, according to the local farmers.

The outbreak of the disease occurred here after an acute drought followed by excessive rainfall a short time ago.

The area might face scarcity of foodgrain if the disease is not brought under control on time, Ram Avatar Adhikary, ex-chairman of Sirthalite VDC said.

Library handed over to school in Bhaktapur

By A Staff Reporter

KATHMANDU: Amid a function organised at Jeetpur village of Sudaal VDC. Bhaktapur recently, the Organisation for Children Development (ORCHID-Nepal) handed over a school library to local Shree Krishna Primary School.

The library- created with the financial assistance of ORCHID-Osaka of Japan -includes books, other reading materials as well as steel racks.Handing over the key of the library to the school headmaster Krishna Bhadur Karki, ORCHID-Nepal president highlighted the importance of a school library and the need for properly using and preserving it.

Speaking at the function. Karki thanked ORCHID-Nepal and the Japanese social organisation for the invaluable support and pledged proper utilisation of the ORCHID Library.ORCHID-Nepal- through its scholarship scheme has been supporting more than 260 students from a number of remote villages in Bhaktapur, Kabhrepalanchok, Lalitpur and Kathmandu to meet their-full range of educational needs that include shcool uniform, shoes, fees, books and stationery.

Govt mulling four year health programme

RSS

KATHMANDU, Sept. 3: A workshop on 'Nepal Health Sector Programme-Implementation Plan logframe preparation workshop' has been organised here Monday.

The workshop organised by the Ministry of Health aims at starting the process for developing a four year Nepal health sector programme implementation plan with key stakeholders and vision.

The programme plan expects to provide basic health services to 80 per cent population by 2006/07, for which about 15 per cent health expense from local resources and 25 pe rcent from district bodies will be maintained.

The participants of the workshop had stressed on formulating national health policy so as to provide equal access to quality health services to people of all classes.

Secretary at the Ministry of Health Mahendra Nath Aryal said help and counselling from all is necessary for the effective implementation of health policies.

Speaking at the programme chief of Health Ministry policy, plan and foreign help department Dr. Benu Bahadur Karki said the 10th plan has emphasised health services for all, quality management of human, economic and physical resources, decentralisation of health services, encouraging the private sector in health services and preparation of strategies in the regional levels with priority.

Representative from World Health Organisation Dr. Klaus Wagner said that decentralising the health sector is a challenging task.

Programme coordinator of the plan drafting team Krishna Prasad Bishta shed light on the objectives and achievements of the workshop.

Govt handing over primary schools to management bodies

RSS

KATHMANDU, Sept. 3: His Majesty's Government has started handing over primary schools to the school management committees as part of its effort to improve the standard of basic and primary education by increasing the authority of the local communities in running of such schools.

A decision was reached to hand over 100 primary schools initially and so far 41 schools have already been handed over.

The decision of the government taken considering the deteriorating state of education in state-owned public schools and public complaints over the exorbitant fees in private-run school is expected to improve the standard of education in public schools.

Such schools will receive a lump sum of government aid and the school management committees will be authorised to appoint teachers for their respective schools.

Speaking at a discussion programme on the handing over of the schools organised by the education journalists group here Monday, Minister of State for Education and Sports N. P. Saud said the primary schools are being handed over as per the government's policy to make a strong participation of the civil society in management of education institutions.

This is also expected to increase the responsibility of the civil society who would otherwise look up to the government only, he added.

Also expressing their views on the occasion were education expert Dr. Purna Kant Adhikari, Dr. Lekhnath Belbase and director of the Department of Education Kamal Prasad Lal Karna.

The 41 primary schools being handed over include 14 in Ilam, 21 in Kavrepalanchowk, five in Morang and one in Nuwakot districts.

HAN team returns

By A Staff Reporter

KATHMANDU, Sept. 3: A delegation of Hotel Association Nepal (HAN) returned Nepal Monday after completing their visit to Thailand, Singapore and Malaysia.

The team visited these countries to promote the Nepalese tourism market and enhance Nepal image, which has been marred by the terrorist activities.

"The HAN members have assured tourism entrepreneurs of these countries that tourists will not face any security problems while visiting Nepal," said a statement of HAN.

During the trip, the Nepalese side interacted with travel agents, tourism entrepreneurs and journalists of these three ASEAN countries.

The HAN signed a number of agreements with government and non-governmental organistions on organising an array of programmes for extending cooperation with each other and boosting the tourism industry.