Ministers declare assets

Six more ministers — Foreign Minister Chakra Prasad Bastola, Information and Communication Minister Japa Prakash Prasad Gupta, Tourism and Civil Aviaton Minister Tarani Dutta Chataut, State Minister for Education and Sports Dilendra Prasad Badu, State Minister for Local Development Suresh Malla and State Minister for Industry, Commerce and Supplies Narendra Bikram Nembang — made public their property on Tuesday in response to the Prime Minister’s instructions made on Saturday.

Meanwhile, in none of the assets declared are accompanied by the source, as said by the Prime Minister had earlier said that all assets and properties should be accompanied by their source, and any asset found disproportionate with the income would be confiscated.

New policy for Radio Nepal, Nepal Television

The government has adopted a new policy for Radio Nepal and Nepal Television with the objective of bringing timely changes in their news style and enhancing them to enter into professional competition.

The policy further requires the state owned electronic media to accord top priority to multi party democracy, constitutional monarchy and other directive principles of the constitution while broadcasting or transmitting news and news oriented programmes to help peoples’ constitutionally guaranteed right to information.

The policy further requires priority to be given to the nation, nationalism, national culture and social norms and values while broadcasting or airing news. It has also required the electronic media to give importance to the news according to the rpiority areas of the government like law and order, corruption contrl and good governance and the news which generates disenchantment among the people with the violence and terror being perpetreted by the Maoists.

Panel on Rautahat incident

The government has constituted a three-member probe committee under the chairmanship of the judge of Appellate Court Janakpur Govind prasad Parajuli to investigate the incident of loot and fire that took place at the residence of Minister of State for Forest and Soil Conservation Mohammed Aftaf Alam in Rautahat districtsome two months back. Advocate Sher Bahadur K. C. (Kathmandu), and Agni Kharel (Kathmandu) are the members of the committee. The committee is required to submit its report and recommendations within three days.

Second Nepali Women Atop Everest

By Our Correspondent

Although hundreds of Sherpa men have climbed Sagarmatha (Mt. Everest) since Tenzing Norgay and Edmund Hillary set foot atop the highest peak of the world, their better halves have only wondered what it would be like to be there.

Last week, Lakpa Sherpa became the second Nepalese women, after Pasang Lhamu Sherpa six years ago, to scale Mt. Sagarmatha. Pasang Lhamu has died while descending after the successful climb.

Lakpa, 27, team leader of the Nepalese Women Millennium Everest Expedition Spring 2000, successfully ascended the Everest at 6:30 A.M. on Thursday (May 18).

The five-member expedition team comprised Lakpa Sherpa, Mingma Yangji Sherpa, Dawa Yangji Sherpa, Dolma Sherpa and Kasang Dikki Sherpa who had left Kathmandu for the Everest Base Camp on 8 April.

Three team members—Mingma, Dawa and Dolma—had gone up to the camp one along with Lakpa but they returned to the base camp for acclimatization.

Born in the Base Camp of Mt. Makalu in Sankhuwasabha district, Lakpa is the first lady to attempt on mountain peaks from her district. She had taken mountaineering training organized by Nepal Mountaineering Association (NMA) in Manang and she had climbed Mera Peak and Nawal Peak earlier.

Lakpa, who comes from a family of seven sisters and three brothers, got inspiration to involve in
mountaineering field from her brother Tshering Sherpa.

In 1992, she joined the adventure industry. Three male climbers—Ang Phurba Sherpa, Ang Pasang Sherpa and Ang Mingma Sherpa had also climbed Mt. Sagarmatha along with Lakpa.

However, one of the team members Kasang Diki Sherpa had abandoned the climb saying she had bad dreams.

Since Junko Tabei of Japan became the first woman to set foot on Mt. Everest in 1975, more than 50 women from different parts of the world have reached the top of Everest so far.

Last week also witnessed almost 20 mountaineers affiliated with five different expedition teams scaling the 8,848-meter high Mt. Everest, the highest peak of the world.

On 16 May at 10.45 A. M. three members and two Sherpas of the Sagarmatha Millennium Expedition of the United Kingdom climbed Mt. Sagarmatha via South Col. The successful climbers were Andrew Salter, Polly Murray, John Barry and Jangbu Sherpa and Pemba Gyalzen Sherpa from Solukhumbu district.

Likewise, Jordi Bayona Silva and Joan Bellmonte Blanch of Expedico 2000 All Everest Expedition of Spain and two Sherpas Tamding Sherpa and Nima Nuru Sherpa have scaled Mt. Everest.

Similarly, two members of the 2000 Korean Seven Summits Expedition of the Republic of Korea climbed Mt. Everest via South Ridge. The climbers were Heon Ju Park and Sang Hyun Mo. The seven-member expedition team was led by Song Jong Ho, a businessman of the Republic of
Korea.

The bad weather had prevented the expedition teams from ascending for several days. Almost all the expedition teams had waited several days at the base camp for the weather to clear up before they made their attempts last week.

A total of 874 climbers, including male sumitteers, have summitted Mt. Everest so far

More than 180 climbers have also lost their lives while attempting on the world’s highest peak until now.

When Children Become Soldiers

By Our Correspondent

Civilians, especially children, have been becoming the tragic victims of the wars and armed conflicts in modern times. Be it in Kosovo, Rwanda, Namibia, Afghanistan, Sudan, Ethiopia and many other places.

It is now getting worse with children themselves taking up arms and are pushed and pulled into the armed conflict.

It was revealed at a conference on child soldiers in Kathmandu last week that there are more than 300,000 children in over 30 countries around the world who are actively participating in armed conflicts. But so little has been done about it.

Asia’s first-ever conference on the use of child soldiers ended in Kathmandu Thursday (May 18) with an urgent appeal to armed groups and government forces in the Asia-Pacific regions to stop using children as weapons of war.

The 4-day conference, participated by government representatives and NGOs from nearly 20 countries of the region, has asked states within and beyond the region to deny arms, military equipment, training or personnel to states and armed groups that allow children under the age of 18 to take part in hostilities.

According to a press release, the Kathmandu Declaration adopted after the conference has urged those groups to end the recruitment of children and release into safety children who are already being used as soldiers.

It also called upon states to ratify the new Optional Protocol to the Convention on the Rights of the Child prohibiting the involvement of children under 18 in armed conflict and to implement it in national laws.

It has also asked the countries to ratify ILO Convention 182 which defines the use of child soldiers as amongst the worst form of child labour.

The conference was organised by the Coalition to Stop the Use of Child Soldiers and hosted by the Nepalese government with support from UNICEF.

Child soldiers now is being seen as a horrifying yet ignored till now aspect of the exploitation of children.

Speaking at the end of the conference, Jo Becker, chair of the steering committee of the Coalition, pointed out that although tens of thousands of children, some as young as 10, are being used as cannon-fodder by armies, militias and armed group.

One horrifying fact revealed at the conference is that modern lightweight weapons enable children as young as 10 to be efficient killers in combat. They can carry bombs and infiltrate enemy lines. They can undertake high risk jobs like demining, the report said.

A report released by the the group said that Asia ranks closed behind Africa in the use of child soldiers by government forces and rebel groups alike.

In Asia, the use of children in armed conflicts is particularly widespread in Myanmar, Sri Lanka, Camboldia and Afghanistan saida survey by the organizers.

The use of children in armed conflicts is particularly widespread in Myanmar, Sri Lanka, Camboldia and Afghanistan saida survey by the organizers.

In many countries, children, are attracted by the prestige and power of the military, but many others have been forced to join, said Rory Mungoven, coordinator of the conference.

In Nepal also, the Maoists are being suspected of using children in their armed rebellion.

Meanwhile, a staff at the Save the Children UK in Nepal in a report has said that children under 18 were being recruited in the British Gurkha army.

Citing several examples, he has said that boys have often got recruited at an age lower than the criteria agreed between the British and Nepal governments.

IA Flights From June 1

By Our Correspondent

Indian Airlines is scheduled to resume its flights to and from Kathmandu from June 1.

The IA flights to Kathmandu had been suspended since last five months following the hijacking of its IC 814 flight on December 24, 1999.

The decision for the resumption of the flights was taken during the recent visit of Nepalese Foreign Minister Chakra Prasad Banstola to India.

Earlier, talks between the civil aviation authorities of Nepal and India had failed after the Indian side reportedly insisted on keeping its own security personnel at the Tribhuvan International Airport.

Lately, security at the TIA h as been upgraded with the introduction of sterile zone of departure and the installation of the second X-Ray machine. Now, a second check of the passengers and baggage can be done under the request of the concerned airline.

According to the officials of the Indian Airlines in Kathmandu, there will be only one flight from New Delhi to Kathmandu. But from June 2 there will be two Indian Airlines flights operating to Kathmandu.

Likewise, flights between Kathmandu-Calcutta and Kathmandu-Varanasi will also be resumed.

The Kathmandu office of the Indian Airlines has already started booking of air tickets for Kathmandu-New Delhi and Kathmandu-Calcutta flights from last Monday.

Nepalese tourism entrepreneurs who have been asking the Nepalese government to work for the resumption of the flights saying it has affected tourists coming from India and that the Nepalese tourism has lost about US$ 1.5 million in business.

However, according to unconfirmed reports, the India Airlines, too, had lost several billion rupees in their currency because of the postponement of the flights.

In the five months of the suspension of the flights, the Royal Nepal Airlines, despite severe shortage of planes, had added additional flights to India.

Act On Micro-Finance Needs Revision

By Krishna Shrestha

If the Financial Intermediary Act, 2055 is strictly implemented we, who are running micro credit programmes, will be in jail, says Pitambar Prasad Acharya, President of Micro Finance Association of Nepal (MIFAN) and Executive Director of Development Project Service Centre (DEPROSC).

The government had introduced the Financial Intermediary Act, 2055 on 31 March 1999 with an aim that the special Act and its regulations would facilitate to manage micro finance system and micro-finance agencies in Nepal.

Later, with permission from the Government, Nepal Rastra Bank, the central bank of Nepal, formulated Financial Intermediary Regulation 2056 under the provision of the Act. The Act and the regulations came into effect from November 17, 1999.

Prior to that the central bank used to give permission to interested NGOs to operate limited banking activities including saving collection and/or credit disbursement. By mid-April of this year a total of 25 institutions have been allowed to operate limited banking transactions.

Some institutions were delicensed because they were unable to provide necessary information asked by the central bank, says Ganesh Kumar Shrestha, Chief Manager, Development Finance Department of the Bank.

The prevailing Act and Regulation bar micro financing agencies conducting certain activities including purchasing of share or debenture of any organised institution, opening saving account or investing in debenture with more than 10 per cent of the net income of the last year, purchasing movable and non-movable property for business purpose, opening saving account in the bank or investing in debenture from the money received as loan or subsidy in the running year among others.

Besides, under the prevailing Act, the NGOs working in the field of micro-credit must take permission from the central bank to start the work. They also have to renew themselves every year.

Till date, DEPROSC has supported about 15,000 poor people through its micro credit schemes. Similarly, Centre for Self-help Development has supported about 32,000. RSDC is another NGO which has supported about 17,000 people and NIRDHAN about 28,000 rural poor people. In addition to this, there are a number of other organisations working in the field of micro credit.

But if the rules and regulation are strictly implemented, none of the NGOs will be eligible to continue with their works in the micro-credit, says President Acharya.

This is despite the Authorities' acceptance that the role of micro-financing can not be underestimated as it has been playing a crucial role in poverty alleviation programme.

It has become a part of poverty alleviation programme, says Dr. Shankar Sharma, a member of National Planning Commission looking after the economic issues.

But the prevailing act has created many hurdles. Both the Rastra Bank officials and those involved in micro-financing agree the prevailing act and regulations have created hurdles and have become a stumbling block for healthy development of micro-financing system.

The Act and Regulation were formulated with good intention but it has created confusion and a state of discouragement, said Shankar Man Shrestha, Chief Executive Officer of Rural Microfinance Development Centre Ltd. (RMDC).

The RMDC is an apex organisation of microfinance in Nepal. It operates as a wholesale lender to microfinance institutions such as rural development banks, rural cooperatives, non-governmental organisation-financial intermediaries which are providing microfinance services to the poor, marginalized and deprived lots with a focus on women living below the poverty line.

But now the Nepal Rastra Bank has accepted that there are some anomalies in prevailing act and the regulation. The Micro Finance Association of Nepal (MIFAN) has formally opposed to certain provisions of the act and the regulation.

According to Ganesh Bahadur Thapa, former Governor of Nepal Rastra Bank, the act was drafted with an eye on the Micro Credit Programme for Women (MCPW) launched with the support from Asian Development Bank. Thapa says the prevailing act has damaged the motto of micro-financing and it needs to be amended.

Dr. Tilak Rawal, Governor of Nepal Rastra Bank also agrees that the act was promulgated with special objective and now it needs to be amended. According to a reliable source in the Nepal Rastra Bank, the act was promulgated basically to satisfy the Asian Development Bank.

We have been trying to amend the act, says Ganesh Kumar Shrestha, Chief Manager of Development Finance Department in the Nepal Rastra Bank.

Agencies working in the field of micro-financing demand that act be amended as soon as possible to make it conducive to working agencies. They have demanded that the definition should be the first to be amended. "The present definition deals only with credit. While we talk about micro-financing, we should also consider the saving mobilisation aspect. Otherwise, the agencies will not run in sustainable way," they say.

The provision of personal guarantee of the founder member of NGO and the management committee should also be scrapped. At present, as per the provision of the act and regulation, founder member and the management committee member of any agencies should compensate from their property if the agencies fail to perform the works. However, they are not allowed to share benefit earned by the agency.

Agencies further say renewing every year from the central bank is also not practical as there are so many small organisations working in the remote parts of the country.

Provision of taking permission while taking grant and loan from internal as well as external sources also need rectified, say persons involved in micro-financing.

However, all agree that there should be some regulations to guide and manage the micro-financing agencies.

Former Governor of Nepal Rastra Bank and one of the experts in the field of micro-financing Ganesh Bahadur Thapa says there should be some regulatory measures but such measures should not create hurdles.

According to Chief Manager Ganesh Kumar Shrestha, Nepal is the first country in the Asia & Pacific region that has promulgated such kind of regulation to manage micro-financing agencies.

In the latest meeting of Asia & Pacific Rural and Agricultural Credit Association of 14 countries held in Cambodia March last year, participants expressed view the separate act was a must for micro-financing agencies, says Shrestha.

Meanwhile, micro-financing agencies say amending the regulation, which is relatively easy than amending the act, will also solve many problems presently faced by the agencies.

Film On B. P. Koirala

By Our Correspondent

A feature film entitled B.P. Koirala is being made on the life of B.P. Koirala. B.P. Koirala was one of the few towering personalities in shaping Nepal’s democratic history. The other aspect of late B.P. was that he was also a renowed literatteur.

The film will focus on his unwavering struggle for the cause of democracy in the country and also his literary career.

This is the first film based on Nepal's political leader, and probably the second one on a historically imporant figure. The first was Bhanubhakta, the first poet of Nepali language.

A film production committee has already been formed under the chairmanship of Nepali Congrees General Secretary Sushil Koirala.

The members of the committee include Mahesh Acharya, Jaya Prakash Prasad Gupta, Baladev Sharma Majagainya, Narahari Acharya, Mohan Koirala, Prakash Koirala, Purushottam Basnet, Yadav Kharel, Kamal Mani Dixit, Til Bikram Nembang, Shree Harsha Koirala, Dr. Shashanka Koirala, Dr. Dhruba Chandra Gautam, Dr. Durga Prasad Bhandari, Haribol Bhattarai, Ram Thapalia and co-producer of Caravan Diana Summers.

Famous film star Manisha Koirala has also been included in the committee as a special invited member.

The film, which is scheduled to be produced within three years from now, will be directed by senior director Yadav Kharel. Kharel had also made the film on Bhanubhakta Acharya.

Jottings: idle and otherwise

BY MRJ

As chief honcho of the world, it’s hardly surprising that so much attention is paid by the world media to the whims and fancies of American President, Bill Clinton, now destined to become a former president on January 20, 2001.

JOB DECISION: One such media report was an AP item that focused on the Big White Chief’s post-White House plans. According to that item, Big Bill hasn’t yet figured out exactly what he will do once he leaves the White House, come January 2001.

He however hinted at his future plans by referring to America’s sixth president, John Quincy Adams, who was quoted as saying there is nothing in life more pathetic than a former president.

Apparently, the soon-to-be former president smiled as he said that, noting, at the same time, that Adams was elected to the House of Representatives after his presidency and was engaged in public life until he died in office at age 81.

But although C. has made it clear that he intends to maintain an active, useful life after his presidency ends, he hasn’t figured out all the details. He admitted that although has thought about it a little bit he hadn’t made his final decision on what he might do to earn some ready cash once he exits office.

As he put it: I don’t want to make my final decision; I’ve got to keep my power dry. He has also stated that he doesn’t want to do or say anything on a subject now that might conflict with his presidential duties. Smart.

But, whatever it is, you can be sure that he’ll not ever be short of the green stuff: after all, there must be umpteen foundations, corporations and enterprises who would pay through their noses for the prestige of having a former president on their payroll.

On the other hand, if that’s considered too demeaning for an ex-chief, he can make lots of moolah by writing — and publishing — his memoirs. Apart from keeping him busy for sometime into the future, the effort is sure to be a money spinner.

No, take it from me plan, an ex-president of the US of A will certainly never be short of spending money. Apart from keeping himself in clover, such an academic endeavour by a former Yalie should also be very useful for history buffs and students of international relations.

This scribe doubts that even if Clinton does get down to memoir-writing his work will be of a quality comparable to fellow American Henry Kissinger’s epic three-part memoirs, the concluding volume of which he has enjoyed reading recently.

WORLD LANGUAGE: Often times, note has been taken in this space of the role of English as the language of communication the world over. This week, I refer to two English-language related items.

The first has reference to what Sally Wehmeier, editor of the Oxford Advance Learner’s Dictionary (OALD) has to say, including that English learners today need language that will help them when they surf the net, visit chat rooms and go e-shopping —on the eve of the release of OALD’s sixth edition.

She insists that every dictionary has to reflect the language that is currently being used. That is why, she explains, that Hindi words like chapatti are also included in OALD.

Today, English is developing as the world’s language of communication with an estimated one billion people learning it as a foreign language, while it has a special status in at least 75 countries with a total population of over two billion people.

Speakers of English as a second language will thus soon outnumber native speakers. Other revealing statistics: Eighty percent of the world’s electronically stored information is in English and three quarters of the world’s mail is written in English. Over two-thirds of the world’s scientists read in English.

With English appearing on the curriculum of virtually every school system around the world, foreign learners are now reaching unprecedented levels of language competence.

As detailed in another news story, a light hearted campaign is currently on to encourage Singaporeans to speak proper English and move away from a popular but corrupted form known as Singlish.

The campaign, says an AFP story, was initiated over concern among government officials that Singlish, using Chinese syntax and literal translations of Chinese phrases along with a smattering of Malay and other Asian words may emerge as a common language of Singapore.

The fear — which many claim is exaggerated — is that widespread use of Singlish will erode Singapore’s bid to become a world-class economy and make its citizens seem less intelligent.

Some examples of Singlish? You see me no up which translated into the Queen’s English means: you look down on me. Similarly, teeagers might say Woh, lau! Shiok, man when they mean Wow, I had a great time.

While sympathising with the official attempt to protect English against the onslaught of Singlish, this scribbler agrees with novelist Catherine Lim: Leave Singlish alone in the entertainment industry and literary arts. Like love and religion, language is inexhaustible. No less acute are the comments of Leong Liew Geok, an English language lecturer who says she demands mastery of the rules of English and its practical applications from her students but also supports linguistic flexibility.