FAO official calls on DPM

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KATHMANDU, Feb. 25: Resident Representatives of the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) Kajuyuki Surumi today paid a courtesy call on Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Agriculture and Cooperatives Badri Prasad Mandal at the latter's office.

Talks were held on miscellaneous topics of mutual interest on the occasion, it is learnt from the Mnistry of Agriculture and Cooperatives.

Additional portfolio

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KATHMANDU, Feb. 25: Minister for Land Reforms and Management, and Forest and Soil Conservation Badri Narayan Basnet will, on the recommendation of the Deputy Prime Minister, look after the affairs of the Ministry of Labour and Transport Management, and Population and Environment also in the absence of Minister Kamal Chaulagai who today left for Japan to take part in the meeting of the board of trustees of the Institute of Global Environmental Strategies. This is published in a notice published today by the Press Secretariat of His Majesty the King.

Religious Gurus perform Puja for peace in Pokhara

By Our Correspondent

POKHARA, Feb. 25: The three-day world peace puja kicked off in the premises of the International Mountain Museum (IMM) here today.According to Dr. Harka Gurung, chairman of the main World Peace Puja Organising Committee more than 1,000 Buddhist lamas, from across the counttry are taking part in the religious ceremony, which is first of its kind held in Pokhara.A large number of devotetes, including travel trade entrepreneurs from Pokhara and other parts of the country, have gathered in Pokhara for prayer. The 31st religious guru Thulshik Rimpoche, together with other Buddhist lamas, is performing the puja.Extending best wishes on behalf of His Majesty's Government, Minister for Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation Kuber Prasad Sharma said that the Buddhist lamas have devoted their lives for the sake of peace.

Minister Sharma also said that the country is heading towards peace as lthe Maoists have stopped violence and come forward for talks to settle the problem.On the occasion, guru Rimpoche said that he was happy to see the huge gathering of devotees wishing for peae.Local people say that the ceasefire and the holding world peace puja have generated hope among them that the peace will be restored. The puja will conclude Friday.

Number of birds up after users preserve forest

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CHAUTARA, Feb. 25: The number of birds and wild animals have increased significantly after the hand over of the community forest to the users group in the hilly Region of Nepal.The local people are very much happy after they were able to see beautiful birds in their yards in the recent days.
"Now beautiful peacock can be seen in our forest", said Yagya Prasad Chaulagain of Siddhi Ganesh Community Forest Group Sano Sirubari.Peacock and lophophorus were seen in the vicinity of Chautara, the district headquarters of Sindhupalchok district . This bird really impressed me very much when I saw these birds in my own garden, said Pushpa Charan Shrestha, a teacher of Chautara.

We used to see pheasant- Kalij and Titra in some parts of the district but now we can see these birds in flock.The number of birds and wild animals including deer, leopard and Rabbit has increased significantly in Kubinde Community Forest Area, according to the local village development committee secretary Krishna Prasad Sharma.The ceasefire has also helped to increase the number of the birds and wild animals, he said.However, he could not provide the authentic figure of the birds and wild animals in the community forests of the district.The birds have started to fly in the households near the forest areas, Ganesh Sapkota of Pipaldanda village said.The number of vultures is also increasing near the Indrawati river areas as these birds can get fish in the river.Chautara is situated at an altitude of 1460-metre from the sea level.There are peacock in Pipaldanda, Sano Sirubari and Badegaun Village Development Committees as they come to these areas when the weather is very hot, officials at the district forest office said.

The song of Nyauli bird, a kind of singing bird, can be heard continuously near the community forest areas.This is possible due to the hand over of the community forest to the local users group said an official of the district forest office.Those who used to cut the trees in forest were handed over the management of the forest, they said.Sindhupalchok district is famous for community managed forest.

Maximum use of organic manure stressed

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BHAKTAPUR, Feb. 25: A municipality level workshop related to agricultural development was organised at Bhaktapur by local farmers' municipality committee.Speaking on the occasion Manan Chaudhary of district agriculture office emphasised on the maximum use of organic fertiliser in increasing agricultural products.The chairman of the committee Prithvi Kumar Prajapati mentioned about the importance of IPM programme in promoting agricultural production.

Environmental officers snag in trekking business

By Ballav Dahal

POKHARA, Feb. 25: Trekking agents and guides and representatives of the Annapurna Conservation Area Project (ACAP) have demanded that the provision of the environmental officer be scrapped. They have called the environmental officers as 'unnecessary burden' and a major hindrance for the growth of the trekking business.

"The provision of environmental officer has been the major hindrance for trekking business as agents as well as trekkers are compelled to face undue problems," said Suman Pandey, President of Trekking Agents Association of Nepal (TAAN). Pandey complained that most of the environmental officers do not accompany with trekkers in the mountain regions. "Since they demand a lot of money before the treks start, there is a mistrust between agencies and such officers."

The officers, who used to ask for Rs. 6,000-8,000 from agents and tourists in the past, demand Rs. 50,000-80,000 as 'service" fee at present. He said that many trekkers feel that they are cheated when they do not get any service from the officers. "Instead, they bargain for additional monetary benefits and sometimes ask for facility of foreign tours. So, trekkers have a negative feeling towards our national culture," he said while presenting a paper at a one-day workshop on "Necessity and Justification of Environmental Officers for Trekking" organised by TAAN on the auspicious occasion of the 53rd birth anniversary of Her Majesty Queen Komal Rajya Laxmi Devi Shah.

Agents complain that the environmental officers lack knowledge about the culture of the people in the mountain areas, nature and biodiversity. The officers are supposed to work for facilitating the treks. Laws have clearly defined their responsibilities-coordination, communication and reporting. They say the provision has made trekking packages much more expensive as well. Nirmal Kumar Gauchan, outgoing Chairman of the Mustang District Development Committee (DDC), heavily came down on the environmental and liaison officers and pointed out the need to empower local people to look after the environment in the mountain regions.

Gauchan said that only agencies and government officials have taken advantage of the trekking business. "The government must spend considerable amount of income generated from trekking and mountaineering for the social and economic development of the mountain people," he demanded.
Gehendra Gurung, chief of the Annapurna Conservation Area Project (ACAP), that said out of 54 liaison officers deputed, only10 reached Lobang Thang area in Mustang last year. "Twenty-one returned from Kagbeni and others did not turn up."

According to Gurung, the ACAP is planning to train local guides so as to enable them to check environmental degradation in the trekking areas. Ang Tshering Sherpa, President of the Nepal Mountaineering Association (NMA), said that as Nepal has to compete with neighbouring countries in terms of attracting tourists, the government has to introduce better policies. "Since the environmental officers are causing problems, the government must take immediate measure to remove them," Sherpa said.

Dr. Harka Gurung, the first Tourism Minister of Nepal, said that more facilities and services need to be given to trekkes. "Nepal was able to take advantage of trekking and mountaineering not because of our efforts but because of the tussle between India and China in the early 1960s."
"As the situation has changed now, we must make extra efforts for the growth of trekking business," he said.

Bharat Poudel, representative of the Home Ministry, said that the ministry has prepared lists of liaison and environmental officers who violated rules to take action against them. Many trekkers and agents have time and again complained against such officers. Minister for Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation Kuber Prasad Sharma said that the government would take the issue of the environmental and liaison officers seriously and step up due measures.

Govt for social security of senior citizens

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KATHMANDU, Feb. 25: Minister for Women, Children and Social Welfare Gore Bahadur Khapangi has said that the present government had formulated short-term and long-term policy to provide services, facilities and opportunities to senior citizens and guarantee them social security. Addressing a coordination meeting of institutions working for the welfare of senior citizens and elderly persons organised by the Ministry of Women, Children and Social Welfare here today, he said that the knowledge, skill and experience of senior citizens should be utilised for the development of the country.

Stating that modern lifestyle is having a negative impact on the way we look at senior citizens he said our traditional norms and values should not be given up, adding that social education was necessary in this regard.Secretary at the Ministry of Women, Children and Social Welfare Bijaya Raj Bhattarai presided over the programme.

'Big parties not cooperating in peace talks'

By Our Correspondent

POKHARA, Feb. 25: Minister for Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation Kubar Prasad Sharma has said that the process of holding dialogfue with the Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist), is going on smoothly.

"The Maoists are going for ballet, givingl up bullet," said Minister Sharma while talking to journalists. "Maoist leaders meeting with leaders of other political parties. This shows that they are serious to settle the problem throuigh talks."He said the Maoistsl have taken an historic decision by announcing ceasefire.

He, however, blamed bigtger political parties for not being serious for the talks. He appealed to the parties to come forward to settle the problem of insurgency in the country.

Devkota opens mobile health camp in Achham

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KATHMANDU, Feb. 25: Health Minister Dr. Upendra Devkota inaugurated a mobile health service camp organised by the Health Ministry at Achham district hospital, Mangalsen on Monday.

Speaking on the occasion, Mnister Dr. Devkota said the mobile health camp is part of the objective of providing the services of specialist doctors especially to the poor and helpless in the remote parts of the country.He said that the government would continue running such mobile health camps until it is able to bring specialists services to district hospitals across the country.The camp provides specialist services in dental health, maternity, gyanecology, orthopaedics, paediatrics, dermatology and others.The service resumed following a six year gap and started from Pyuthan and Dailekh districts.The camp in Achham targets to provide services to some 10,000 local people.