Ukrainian envoy calls on PM

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KATHMANDU, March 4: Ambassador of Ukraine Dr. Oleh Semenets paid a courtesy call on Prime Minister Lokendra Bahadur Chand at the latter's office at Singha Durbar here today. Matters of bilateral relations and cooperation were discussed during the meeting.Similarly, Ambassador of Ukraine Dr. Semenets also paid a courtesy call on Minister for Industry, Commerce and Supplies Mahest Lal Pradhan at the latter's office here today. Talks were held on matters of mutual interest including the industrial and commercial sectors of the two countries on the occasion.

PM urges youths to act for nation-building

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KATHMANDU, March 4: Prime Minister and Minister for Defence Lokendra Bahadur Chand has called on the youths to move ahead for building the bright future of the country as it is they who can face any situation arising in the country. Prime Minister Chand was addressing a programme organised at the Royal Nepal Army headquarters Parade ground for the convocation Parade of students of various branches under the junior division 29th group on the occasion of the 38th anniversary of the national cadet corps.Prime Minister Chand also gave away the insignia, trophy and certificates to the best students in entertainment, sports and dances including Parade, Judo, Tae Kwan Do, P.T. Gymnastics, Pyramid, Wusu and boxing. NSD Chief Advisor Brigadier General Mohan Chemjong presented an annual report and said that training has been made available in all the five development regions. The Dal was established in 2022 B.S. and trains 500 students annually.Meanwhile in Biratnagar, Minister for Health and Science and Technology Dr. Upendra Devkota has emphasised preparing skilled doctors needed for the nation in the 21st century as science is developing at a great pace. Minister Devkota was inspecting Koshi Zonal Hospital, today. Dr Devkota said preparations are on for transforming Koshi Zonal Hospital into a Regional Hospital.The hospitals are in no condition to run for long without foreign aid, he said.He said plans are to provide maternity and surgical services also by 2017 in each hospital in the district and to augment the 15 bed hospitals into 25-bed facilities in the next ten years.

A reward and punishment scheme will also be implemented, he said. Koshi Zonal Hospital which is the oldest after Bir Hospital was established as Prithvi Bir Hospital in 1947 B.S and has 250 beds at present although only 100 beds are permitted, said Medical Superintendent Dr. Rameswor Lal Karawan.

Minister Devkota inspected the 25 bed orthopaedics and skin wing under construction at the hospital.
Dr Karawan apprised the minister of the problems faced by the hospital.

Lawyers' national convention from tomorrow

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KATHMANDU, March 4. All-Nepal Legal Practitioners' Association will hold its ninth national conference here from March 6 to 8.

About two thousand legal practitioners of 80 bar units across the country will take part in the conference being hosted by Nepal Bar Association, it was informed at a press conference here today.
The conference being held with the motto "Sovereignty vested in the people: our faith, our commitment" will hold discussions on the present situation of the country, sovereignty of the people, the issues of human rights and the agenda of the talks between the government and the Maoists, it was informed on the occasion. Chief Justice Kedar Nath Upadhyaya is scheduled to inaugurate the conference.

Tenth plan favours the disabled: Chaulagain

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LALITPUR, March 4: Minister for Labour and Transport Management Kamal Prasad Chaulagain has said disabled should be embraced into the mainstream of economic development by providing equal opportunities.

Speaking at a two-day workshop on 'equal opportunities for the disabled in various tasks' organised by International Labour Organisation (ILO), Minister Chaulagain said the government has introduced various programmes in the tenth five-year plan in favour of disabled who have been deprived of equal opportunities and training.

Director of ILO, Kathmandu office Lyla T. Reddy said the national development will be forwarded only if disabled in the country are involved in the development works.

Secretary at the Ministry of Women, Children and Social Welfare Vijaya Raj Bhattarai informed that the government is preparing to launch various programmes involving the disables in the social, economic and administrative fields.

The World Health Organisation (WHO) has estimated that 10 per cent of the total population in the world are disabled.

According to available statistics, 85 blinds and 150 physically impaired persons so far have been involved in the teaching profession following the restoration of democracy.

Likewise, a total of about 500 disabled have been employed in different organisations, hotels, industries and factories.

Thapa new chief of law reforms panel

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KATHMANDU, March 4: HMG has appointed legal expert Niranjan Thapa chairman of the Law Reforms Commission. Likewise, Binod Kumar Devkota has been appointed a member of the same commission, the Ministry of Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs stated here today. He was in the special class of the judicial service and was working as member cum secretary of the Law Reforms Commission.

Their term will be for five years, the ministry has stated.

3-4 newborns die every hour

By A Staff Reporter

KATHMANDU, Mar. 4: Out of every 1,000 children born, 39 die within the first month of their birth in Nepal, resulting in the child mortality rate of 30,000 before they are one month old.

The Demographic Health Survey 2001 has shown that 800,000 children are born per year. This means 30,000 children die before they are one month old, which is to say three or four newborns die every hour in Nepal.Neonatal mortality accounts for more than 60 per cent of all deaths in infancy. Most of the newborns die in the homes where they are born due to lack of awareness on the part of families, communities and health workers, the survey stated. Neonatal mortality could be greatly reduced through simple proven interventions such as increased birth intervals, clean delivery practices, prompt response to birth asphyxia, immunising pregnant women against tetanus and having a birth attendant skilled in midwifery and essential newborn care skills.

The country is committed to reducing child mortality to 54 by the year 2015 from 64 in 2001. But this cannot be achieved unless neonatal mortality, which contributes heavily to infant mortality, is reduced drastically. The Ministry of Health has a target to reduce neonatal mortality to 34 per 1,000 live births by the end of the current Tenth five-year Plan from 38.6 in 2001.

In a bid to create awareness about safe motherhood and newborn issues, the SMN will be marking International Women's Day on March 8 this year with the theme "Care, Share and prepare for pregnancy and child birth and "Newborn Care".

The SMN believes that when newborns survive, mothers are more likely to space their pregnancies, contributing to improving their own health as well as that of their children. This in turn leads to reduced fertility rates and contributes to the demographic transition from high to low fertility and mortality.
Until 2000 there was no specific policy for the newborns and the country had no targets to reduce neonatal mortality. Safe motherhood programmes did help improve maternal health and neonatal health and survival. Thus the Saving Newborn Lives Initiative was born.

Addressing an interaction programme organised by the SMN for the media today, Chitra Lekha Yadhav, Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives said that such an awareness-raising programme would be effective if it began from the home. Yadav said that the programme must be implemented in each and every district.

The SMN was established in 1996 by a network of more than 145 organisational and individual members, whose main objective is to create awareness among the women and people about safe motherhood practices.

The awareness-raising programme will be launched in four districts - Kapilbastu, Baglung, Nuwakot and Dadeldhura - in the near future. "We will raise awareness among women and the general public regarding the importance of safe motherhood," Dr. Ava Darshan Shrestha of the SMN said.

Dr. Laxmi Raj Pathak, Director General of the Health Services, said that health services, big hospitals and nursing homes alone would not help reduce infant and maternal mortality. "We must be able to provide proper education, ensure community care services at the community level and improve the economic condition of the people," he said.

The SMN will organize a rally on March 8 and display various Safe Motherhood and Newborn Messages on banners and placards.

Defamation filed suit

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KATHMANDU, March 4: A law suit has been filed at Kathmandu District Court against the weekly "Naya Current" published from Kathmandu on the charge of defaming Minister for Physical Planning and Works Narayan Singh Pun.

The law suit has claimed Rs 1 billion as compensation from the respondents for defamation.
The weekly had published a new item against Minister Pun in its Falgun issue.

No one should hinder peace talks: Deuba

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MAHENDRANAGAR, March 4: Former prime minister and president of the Nepali Congress (Democratic) Sher Bahadur Deuba has said that it has become necessary to restore peace in the country.

Speaking at a mass meeting organised by the NC (D) here today, Deuba said that the Maoists had unilaterally disrupted the dialogue during his tenure as Prime Minister, adding that no one should create hurdles in the peace talks this time round.

Deuba said that his party, which pursues the ideals of the late B. P. Koirala, adheres to the ideology of the Nepali Congress. President of Kanchanpur District Committee of the NC (D) Bahadur Singh Thapa presided over the mass meeting.

PADT hit by resource crunch

By A Staff Reporter

KATHMANDU, Mar. 4: The crunch of resources has become a major hindrance for the Pashupati Area Development Trust (PADT) to carry out the development projects as included in its 10-year Master Plan. An estimated Rs. 2 billion will be spent for its completion.

"Immediately, we need at least Rs. 500 million for completing reconstruction and rehabilitation works and maintenance and preservation of the ancient artifacts," Basant Kumar Choudhary, member-secretary of the Governing Council of the PADT, told The Rising Nepal.

The implementation of the Master Plan started four years ago. The Master Plan includes a lot of development activities, reconstruction and rehabilitation works in the Pashupati area. Safety and security of devotees and environment protection related activities also are part of it.

According to Choudhary, the PADT has been carrying out reconstruction works in the core areas. "The PADT is continuing the reconstruction works in the core areas even by cutting down budgets for land pooling."

Under its reconstruction project, it demolished 80 private houses in the core areas. The PADT is working for increasing facilities and services of devotees. "Extension of the temple premises has become the biggest challenge for us now," said Choudhary, who is actively involved in generating funds for the Trust. At his initiative, the business community contributed Rs. 7.5 million for the PADT just before the Shivaratri festival.

The PADT has been collecting funds through selling tickets to foreign visitors since last year, when it collected around Rs. 9.7 million. It expects to generate about Rs. 30 million in the current fiscal year. It also has received Rs. 160.5 million for the last two years.

The resource constraint would not have affected the development activities of the PADT if it had been able to manage the millions of rupees that thousands of devotees offer to the temple as donation. The PADT Act 2054 B. S. has provisions for distributing the total income of the temple between the Trust, and the Bhattas and Bhandaris. Under the Act, the PADT can use 40 per cent of the total income and the remaining part goes to Bhattas and Bhandaris. Five years ago, the PADT changed the provisions, giving 75 per cent of the income to the priests. But they did not accept it and went to the court.
"There would be no financial problem for the development of the temple as well as the surrounding areas if the PADT is given authority to utilise the income of the temple," he said.

About 150 million is believed to be collected as income of the temple annually. But there is no system to keep accounts in a transparent way.

Lack of political commitment and the feeling that the priests should not be hampered are responsible for it. "The government, the Metropolitan City and political parties must come forward to end this practice and establish a new system," he said.

The government has a responsibility to work for the welfare of the priests but they should not be allowed to abuse the country's fund. "When we are planning to increase visitors by 10 times, we have to develop a system to properly utilise the income of the temple," he added.

More than 250,000 devotees from Nepal and India visited the Pashupatinath temple during this year's Shivaratri festival. "The temple saw a cent percent growth in the number of saints and Indian visitors during the festival this year as compared to the figures of last year," he said.

He said the Pashupatinath temple has to be developed and promoted as a major place for the world's Hindus to visit.

The PADT is working in partnership with many organisations for the development of the area. He said the Indian Ambassador has given word to extend support for the reconstruction of the core area. The Government of India has already showed positive response for the establishment of a library and a research centre at Devapattan. Similarly, Marabadi Sewa Samiti is positive for the maintenance of a shelter house at Banakali. The Dabur Nepal will be helping for the construction of the South Gate of the temple. The Dabur Nepal and Lever Nepal will join hands with the PADT to preserve the environment of the area.

Awareness vital to biodiversity conservation

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RATNANAGAR, March 4: Minister for Forest and Soil Conservation Badri Narayan Basnet has stressed awareness among citizens as preservation of bio-diversity is not possible through the attempt of one person or institution.

Inaugurating the 19th conference of wardens organised at Sauraha of Chitwan today by the Department of National Parks and Wildlife Conservation, he said the concept of buffer zones was brought forth for the participation of local communities as per the objectives of sustainable conservation.

The minister said the poachers have not understood the far-reaching impact of the destruction of wild life.

Ministry Secretary Chandi Prasad Shrestha called for preservation of forests, agriculture and wetlands outside the conserved areas.

Director General of the Department Dr. Swoyambhu Man Amatya said the Royal Nepal Army, partner organisations, conservationists and the general public have extended great cooperation in the preservation of bio-diversity.

At the function presided over by Raj Parishad member Birendra Bahadur Shaha, various other speakers including head of the monitoring and evaluation division Madhusudan Bista, planning division chief Mohan Wagle, national parks buffer zone management committee chairman Keshav Devkota, Deputy Director of the Department Narayan Prasad Poudel and conservation officer Puran Bhakta Shrestha also expressed their views. The three-day conference is participated in by 100 individuals from various national parks and wild life reserves.