Govt allocating budget for gender equity

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KATHMANDU, Apr. 8: Minister for Women, Children and Social Welfare Gore Bahadur Khapangi has said that the government is preparing to allocate budget for gender equality, women empowerment and mainstreaming in the coming fiscal year's budget.

Inaugurating a workshop on gender budget organised by the Ministry of Women, Children and Social Welfare and UNIFEM here today he said the allocation of budget was necessary to end the gender inequality.

The Ministry has taken initiative to empower women and for that there is the need of budget and the programmes will be launched effectively, he said.

Assistant Minister for Women , Children and Social Welfare Anuradha Koirala said gender budget is necessary to end the discrimination against women and create an environment of equal opportunity to women.

Vice chairman of the National Planning Commission Dr. Shankar Prasad Sharma said internal preparation for the implementation of the gender budget is under way and that will helped end discrimination against women.

Member of the National Planning Commission Dr. Yhubraj Khatiwada said women budget is necessary from financial, social and political point of view.

Secretary at the Ministry of Women, Children and Social Welfare Bijaya Raj Bhattarai and chief of UNIFEM Nepal Sangita Thapa said gender budget should get priority.

Focus peace talks in favour of people: Koirala

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PANCHTHAR, Apr. 8: President of the Nepali Congress Girija Prasad Koirala has called upon the government and the Maoists to strengthen democracy and focus the peace talks in favour of the people.

Speaking at a meeting here today, he asked the party cadres displaced from their villages and districts to go back to their respective native places.

NC central member and head of its Organisation Department Krishna Prasad Sitaula and former minister of state Dipak Prakash Baskota also expressed their views at the programme chaired by NC Panchthar district committee president Purna Kumar Sharma.

'Sauraha Year 2060' to be marked in Chitwan

By A Staff Reporter

KATHMANDU, Apr. 8: The local government and non-government organisations have decided to mark 2060 BS as the 'Sauraha Year 2060' in Chitwan, the third most popular tourist destination of the country.

The yearlong programme was announced by the organisers here today with the aim to end the slump in the tourism industry by organising various programmes throughout the year.

At a press meet, Gopal Raj Karmacharya, Chairman of Ratna Nagar Chamber of Commerce and Industry and programme coordinator said that the programme will commence on the first day of the New Year 2060 with the holding of a Heritage Evening, a cultural programme, at Royal Chitwan National Park, on the occasion of the World Heritage Day, Karmacharya said.

The local people and tourist entrepreneurs are involved in the preparation of the festival by forming different committees and sub-committees comprising local stakeholders.

To attract domestic and foreign tourists, the organisers have prepared a special package programme with special facilities for different target groups to attract them.

Nearly 125,000 tourists visited Chitwan district replete with different attractive and important sites for the visitors in 1999. But their number decreased heavily in the next two years. So the organisers have the target of inviting more than 200,000 domestic and foreign tourists.

Hikmat Singh Aiyer, manager, Tourism Products and Resources Development at Nepal Tourism Board (NTB) said that new developments and diversification of package programmes should be extended throughout the country for tourism development.

Sauraha Year 2060 could promote the tourism business combining with other new, potential destinations nearby, he said.

The programme will be jointly organised by Ratnanagar Chamber of Commerce and Industry, District Development Committee of Chitwan, Ratnanagar Municipality, Bharatpur Municipality, Narayangarh Chamber of Commerce and Industry and Hotel Association Nepal Chitwan Chapter with the support of NTB.

Maoists for permanent peace: leader

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PANCHTHAR, Apr 8: Nepal Communist Party (Maoist) 3 No. District in-charge and regional bureau member Rajendra said that their party is of the view to give a forward moving and progressive outlet to the country and restore permanent peace after abandoning the weaknesses and prejudices during the by-gone days.

Addressing to a large mass gathering organised by the party district committee at local Yangnam on the occasion of 14th people's movement day, leader Rajendra said that their party intends to extend foreign relations based on the policy of Panchshil (five principles).

Mentioning about the present deteriorating situation of the country, he said it is the need of the day for all sides to come into round table talks without any further dilly-dally for establishing peace and order in the country.

Central chairman of Kirant National Front Bhakta Raj Kandawale said the rampant racial exploitation and discrimination should be removed from the society. The 3 no district secretary Prabhav had presided.

Plans to promote livestock urged

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LALITPUR, Apr 8: Agro-experts have pointed out the need of bringing out effective programmes for promoting livestock production in the country after improving the shortcomings during the past years of the Third Livestock Development Project run under the loan assistance of Asian Development Bank.
Participant experts of a workshop and graduation ceremony organised by the Third Livestock Development Project (TLDP) at Staff College, Lalitpur today emphasised on the adoption of Systems Learning Approach (SLA) for improving the livelihoods of rural people through the development of livestock.

The workshop aims at improving the productivity of livestock, developing alternative market outlets for livestock and livestock products, developing the institutional capacity of the department of livestock services to facilitate self sustainable growth in the livestock sector, establishing livestock farmer groups and developing their capacities to become self-reliant.Presenting the work report on 'systematic appraisal of the planning and operation to improve rural livelihood', Roger Roberts of University of Western Sydney, Australia expressed belief that the project will play an important role in developing livestock in Nepal.Secretary at the Ministry of Agriculture and Co-operatives Ram Chandra Prasad Agrahari stressed on the participatory programmes to be launched.The project aimed at improving nutrition, income and employment opportunity of rural farmers has been running in 19 districts including 12 from Western Region, three from Mid-Western and four from Far-Western Region.Twelve students of university of western Australia, Hawkesbury so far have received Master's degree on the systems learning approach under the project, which is being run as the regular programme of His Majesty's Government.Director-General of Department of Livestock Dr. Madan Singh Karki presided the workshop and graduation ceremony programme.Representatives from various NGOs, INGOs and CBOs participated in the programme.

Programme organised to curb girl trafficking

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KATHMANDU, Apr. 8: The day against girl trafficking was obsereved here today with the theme "Girls are out dignity, don't sell them".

The NGO Maiti Nepal took out a rally and organised an awareness campaign here today with the objective of spreading the message of prevention of girl trafficking, motivating various institutions and organisations as well as citizens to take steps against this alarming problem and establishing this day as an important day.

Participants of the rally holding placards with slogans such as "Our voice is for a society free of girl trafficking," and "ostracise brokers involved in selling girls" set off from Bhritkuti Mandap and went via Bhadrakali, New Road, Indra Chowk, Ason and the Clock Tower, and dispersed on reaching the Open Air Theater.

Similar rallies were taken out at 14 different districts where Maiti Nepal has branches, it was stated on the occasion.

Maiti Nepal has been raising the awareness of the masses against girl trafficking, providing advocacy services, rescuing sold girls and rehabilitating them as well as reuniting them with their families, it is learnt.

Govt notifies on SARS symptoms

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KATHMANDU, Apr. 8: A person with a history of high fever and coughing or breathing difficulty and has been in close contact with someone who is a suspected or probable case of SARS, or has travelled to an affected area or resided in an affected area during the 10 days prior to onset of symptoms is considered a suspect SARS case.

Based on currently available evidence, close contact with an infected person is needed for the infective agent to spread from one person to another, according to information on SARS or Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome issued by the Department of Health Services of His Majesty's Government.

Contact with aerosolised (exhaled) droplets and bodily secretions from an infected person appears to be important. To date, the majority of cases have occurred in hospital workers who have cared for SARS patients and close family members of these patients.

People who have these symptoms and have been in close contact with a person who has been diagnosed with SARS, or have a recent history of travel to areas where cases of SARS have been speading, should immediately seek medical attention at hospital, it is stated.

Persons who develop these sympotoms are advised not to undertake further travel until fully recovered, and it is recommended they postpone non-essential travel to SARS affected countries.
Patients should be placed in an isolation unit in the hospital, and symptoms should be treated by health professionals.

SARS appears to be less infectious than influenza. The incubation period is short, estimated to range from 2-7 days, with a maximum of 10 days. However, the speed of international travel creates a risk that cases can rapidly spread around the world.

Arriving passenger who had visited SARS affected countries have been requested to fill in the SARS surveillance form at the international airport and given health advice.

All the central and teaching hospitals in Kathmandu Valley and major hospitals outsides of the valley have been requested to make all necessary arrangements as per who guidelines in case any suspected case is detected.

Teku Infectious Disease Hospital has been identified as a referral hospital for SARS in Nepal and necessary arrangements have been made in this respect, it is further stated.