Sacrifices made by martyrs appreciated

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KATHMANDU, Jan. 29: On the sixth day of Martyrs Week today, heartfelt tributes were paid to martyrs Dasarath Chand and Ganga Lal at Shobha Bhagwati, the place where they attained their martyrdom.

At the programme organised by the Martyrs Week Main Function Committee, Hasana Devi Shrestha, the widow of martyr Ganga Lal, immediate relatives of martyr Dasarath Chand, office-bearers of Kathmandu Municipal Corporation and the general public paid floral tributes to the martyrs.

Addressing the gathering, chairperson of the committee Ram Hari Sharma said the sacrifices made by the martyrs in the struggle against the autocratic Rana regime should not go in vain and youths should move ahead to resolve the problems facing the country today.

Born in 1960 B.S. in Ramechhap, Dasharath Chand was shot dead on Magh 15, 1997 B.S. for engaging in an armed struggle against the Rana Government.

Also born in Ramechhap in 1960 B.S. Ganga Lal Shrestha, a student of Tri-Chandra College, was executed the same day for making a speech against the Rana regime at a meeting organised by Sukraraj Shastri and for indulging in activities run by the Praja Parishad.

TU, KU results

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KATHMANDU, Jan. 29: Tribhuvan University (TU) has published the results of the Masters Level second year Population Studies, Sanskrit and Maithali examinations (except thesis) held under the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences this year.

Likewise, the results of the Masters Level (2057 batch) Structural Engineering second year, second part regular examinations administered by the TU Institute of Engineering have also been published.
Similarly, Kathmandu University School of Arts has published the results of first semester examinations of B.A. (Development Studies) first, second and third years held separately in the month of December, 2002.

Poor governance restricting Nepal's development: WB

By A Staff Reporter

KATHMANDU, Jan. 29: The World Bank officially unveiled the Nepal Country Assistance Strategy (CAS) Progress Report today. The Country Assistance Strategy has identified poor governance as the fundamental constraint restricting Nepal's development.

It has also proposed a two-pronged approach for the Bank, specially : bringing resources to the grassroots levels through mobilization of social capital and improving the effectiveness of the government's development programme. To effect this approach, the World Bank strategy has proposed that the Bank would support the policy of His Majesty's Government for greater decentralization by providing funding for projects designed to bring more resources to grassroots levels.

Besides the Bank would encourage reforms at the central level of government by linking the overall lending level to progress in improving the government effectiveness and strengthen donor coordination so that the Bank's strategic focus would be shared more widely.

The fundemental challenge relating to the governance remains the major challenge and the two-pronged approach will continue to guide the Bank Group's strategy into the Fiscal Year 2004.
The bank's strategy will be adapted to the issues like an even greater focus on outputs. Apart from this more emphasis will be on being a "facilitator of change" as opposed to focusing on specific project interventions.

Addressing the workshop organised by the World Bank, Nepal Country Office, Minister for Finance Dr. Badri Prasad Shrestha said that economic reforms are essential to reduce poverty by accelerating economic growth. Minister Shrestha also reiterated the government's commitment for economic reforms and said that common efforts are always essential gear up the reforms process.

Minister Shrestha also emphasised the need to accelerate the reform process to go into high case scenario from the base case by improving efficiency. The World Bank has upgraded Nepal from Low Case Scenario (US $ 0-50 million a year) to Base Case (US $ 100 million or more a year depending on continued progress on reforms).

Vice Chairman of the National Planning Commission Dr. Shanker Sharma while presenting his views on Poverty Reduction Strategy and Adjustment Operation said that there has been strategic prioritization of various programmes on the basis of economic need. Describing the features of the Tenth Five Year Plan he said that the priotized programmes and activities had been linked with the budget and strong monitoring mechanism had been developed for effective utilization of resources.
WB's Country Director for Nepal Kenichi Ohashi pointed out the need to improve governance and decentralization so that needy people would get benefit. The proposed programme of financial assistance under the Progress Report could be anchored with a Structural Adjustment Credit (SAC) if the conditions are appropriate, he said while unveiling the CAS Progress Report.

A SAC would be contingent on implementation of a selective yet significant set of coherent reforms - contained in the Immediate Action Plan (IAP) designed to further prioritize public expenditures, improve implementation of poverty programmes and improve accountability and transparency of the public sector, including specific measures to promote private sector development, he said. Chief Secretary of His Majesty's Government Dr. Bimal Prasad Koirala said that transformation from Low Case to Base Case should be taken as a challenge. We should be serious about capacity building, he added. Governor of Nepal Rastra Bank Dr. Tilak Rawal underlined the need for accelerating financial sector reforms.

Former acting vice chairman of the NPC Dr. Raghav Dhwoj Pant expressed skepticism over the Medium Term Expenditure Framework and the Tenth Plan. Former Finance Minister Dr. Ram Sharan Mahat said that economic reforms were essential to gear up econmic growth. Former Finance Minister Dr. Prakash Chandra Lohani expressed the views that rampant privatization of Public Enterprises should not be carried out in the 'name of economic liberalisation'.

American envoy releases CD on 'Symbol of Nepal'

By A Staff Reporter

KATHMANDU, Jan. 29: American envoy Michael E. Melinowski released a CD album 'Symbol of Nepal' amid a function here Tuesday. The album of classical music was composed and produced by Nepal's pioneer classical band Sursudha. Sursudha is Nepal's world famous classical musical band.
The American envoy watched an hour-long live concert staged by the band. The majority of audiences constituted from diplomats and the elites of Kathmandu. Infinity International, an event management and support group, supported the programme.

Bird Festival can promote Nepalese tourism

By A Staff Reporter

KATHMANDU, Jan. 29: The Third Koshi Tappu Bird Festival could be a new product to promote Nepal in the tourism market.

Eco-tourism has become a new catch word in the world tourism scenario, and the festival will help identify and promote Koshi Tappu as a new tourist destination, said Subash Niraula, Director of Tourism Product and Resource Development at NTB said at a press conference today.

This site has remained almost in oblivion in the tourist map. In 1994, only 32 foreign tourists had visited the area and last year the number was a paltry 600 despite the abundance of attractions it contains for nature tourists. Koshi Tappu is the country's only Ramsar site where more than 450 species of birds alone - many of them endangered and exquisite and also indigenous and migratory - can be found.

Rajendra Narsingh Suwal, an ornithologist, said that Koshi Tappu could be developed as one of the site for bird watchers and researchers in the whole world. One can see over 180 species of birds in a single day during their spring migration. "It could be a very good market for tourists and researchers from England, which has one of the world's largest number of bird lovers."

The festival includes ethnic dance competition, bird survey, environmental educational tour and public interactive programme. An ethnic dance competition will also be organised to introduce the living cultural heritage of the area.

HMG wants to hold talks with Maoists: Pandey

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KAVREPALANCHOK, Jan. 29: Minister for Information and Communications Ramesh Nath Pandey has said that His Majesty's Government wants to hold talks with the Maoists and maintain peace and order in the country.

Talking to media persons in Dhulikhel today, Minister Pandey, who is also the spokesman of His Majesty's Government, said that conducting the general election is the main responsibility of the government.

Nepali press gets mature: report

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KATHMANDU, Jan. 29: The Nepali press has become more mature and responsible following the Royal step of Oct. 4 as compared to the situation during the state of emergency. This information was given out at a programme organised here today by Media Services International (MSI) to launch an extensive report on the responsibilities met by the mainstream mass media following the general election and the Oct. 4 Royal step. MSI monitors the Nepali mass media.

The report states that the Nepali mass communications media has disseminated news and views on recent developments in the country in a fully responsible manner and fulfilled an important role in the exercise of democracy in the country. According to a press release circulated on the occasion, all the Nepali and English national dailies are balanced, free of bias and transparent while the weekly newspapers have given special priority to ideological principles and the mentality of the parties to which they are affiliated.

Similarly, the government-owned electronic media have publicised on a priority basis speeches, processions, rallies and press releases in support of the Royal proclamation and also given important place to press releases and statements of political parties and their leaders. At the programme, chief of the election mass media follow-up team and director of MSI Aditya Man Shrestha said that the dailies and the electronic media were disseminating balanced news in a very responsible manner.
Chief of the media monitoring unit Suman Basnet said MSI was studying the role of the media with regard to 11 different topics related to the Maoist conflict and six topics relating to His Majesty the King and various political parties.

Similarly, he said apart from conflicts relating to the state, media, language, religion and caste, MSI was making a study on the media's role regarding topics like women and children, the indgenous communities, the oppressed and downtrodden, the local bodies, art and culture and NGO activities.