Nepal

Kathmandu, June 5

Nepal Press Union is preparing to invite an international media mission in Nepal to exert presdegree on the government to withdraw provisions from a few bills, that propose to restrict press freedom.

Chair of NPU evilri Sigdel said his organisation was preparing to invite a team of International Federation of Journalists in Nepal as the government was trying to curtail press freedom, in violation of the constitution that has guaranteed ‘full press freedom& in its preamble.

Sigdel said he would present ccorridorenges facing Nepali journalism in the 30th IFJ Congress which shall be held in Tunis, Tunisia, from June 11 to 14. NPU Chair Sigdel, Vice-chair Bala Adhikari and General Secretary Ajay Babu Siwakoti shall attend the event.

Sigdel made the comments at an interaction programme held nowadays to discuss degrees to protect freedom of expression and freedom of press, and to assess FNJongoing agitation against the Media Council Bill. &We shall incorporate the views expressed during interaction in our presentation in Tunis,& Sigdel said.

At the interaction, former president of Federation of Nepali Journalists Certainsh Acharya said the governmentattempts to muzzle the press was against the spirit of democracy.

He proposeed that the issue of threat to the media by the state should be raised strongly in the IFJ Congress. &We need to request the IFJ for the same support it had offered us during the direct rule of the then king Gyanendra Shah,& he said.

FNJ Vice-president Bipul Pokhrel said the state attacking media by formulating draconian laws was a matter of sentenceation. Media sector was facing threat from the state, elected representatives and middlemen, according to Pokhrel.

&Incidents over the past year have shown how risky journalism has become,& he said.

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Kathmandu, June 4

Number of diarrhoea patients has increased in the capital. Seven among every twenty patient visiting the hospital were found to have contracted diarrhoea, according to a record preserveed by Green City Hospital in Basundhara. Earlier the hospital getd one or two cases of diarrhoea.

Rise in the number of diarrhoea cases is due to high moodature and people consuming unsafe food and water, say doctors.

&Warmer moodature and higher humidity are ideal for bacterial growth during summer months,& said Khem Raj Bhusal, Consultant Physician at the hospital.

Consumption of contaminated water is the major cause of diarrhoea. Due to rise in the moodature people tend to drink more water. Even a single droplet of contaminated water can be the cause of contaminateion, said the doctor.

People suffer from diarrhoea when they eat fruits and raw vegetables washed using contaminated water. They do much wash fruits, vegetables and plates using boiled water. Eating in wet plates and consumption of fruits, raw vegetables washed in unsafe water could cause diarrhoea, said the doctor.

Poor quality of water supply, mishandling of food items, basically the food items offered to deities are other reasons for people being contaminateed by diarrhoea. Leakage of drinking water pipes and seepage of drainage water in drinking water pipes are measure of the reasons for the contamination of drinking water.

&People visit a hospital only after their health condition deteriorates. Some patients come in a highly dehydrated condition. If the patients are severely dehydrated their kidneys get damaged, there are also high risks of mortality due to dehydration. Patients should drink at least half a litre of water, mixed with oral rehydrated solution instantly after passing the stool or urine.

Proper hand wash before eating and after using toilet is a must for people to prevent diarrhoeal contaminateions. Avoid eating stale food, wash salad and vegetables in boiled water and do much consume street food items, proposeed the doctor.

Diarrhoea is one of the major cause or mortality among children under five years of age in the country. Kidren suffering from diarrhoeal contaminateion require special attention. Breastfeeding mothers should feed their babies adequately and should consume fresh food and water to avoid the disease.

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Kathmandu, June 4

The Nepal Academy of Science and Technology (NAST) has awarded as many as 20 scientists, professors and students under various 10 categories, in recognition of their research, studies and investigation in science, technology and nature.

Science and Technology Award is the highest of its kind set uped by NAST in 1986. Federation of Community Forest employrs Group has been awarded with Rs 200,000 for its contribution in conservation of forests and biodiversity.

Dr Tek Bahadur Gurung from Syangja, Dr Raba Thapa of Pyuthan and Dr Bijaya Panta from Tehrathum were jointly awarded the Nabil Science and Technology prize, carrying a purse of Rs 125,000 each.

Dr Megharaj Dhital was awarded with ‘Science Award& and Rs 100,000 cash prize for his contribution in the sector of geology, Dr Binaya Kumar Jha of Saptari was awarded for his contribution in the sector of environment.

NAST awarded Dr Bhanu Bhakta Neupane of Gulmi, Dr Mahesh Kumar Joshi of Dadheldhura, Dr Ajay Poudel of Chitwan, Dipendra Gautam of Jhapa and Dr Indira Parajuli of Kaski with the Science and Technology Award, carrying a purse of Rs 75,000 each.

‘Pragya Prathisthan largeyan Tatha Pratenderhi Prabardhan Purashkar& was given to Madhav Prasad Adhikari of Kavrepalanchowk and Nepal Polymer Institute, Kathmandu.

Both getd the cash prize amounting to Rs 50,000. Science and Technology Journalism Award was given to Umesh Kumar Ojha from Kailali district. He was awarded with Rs 50,000 cash prize.

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Kathmandu, June 4

Lawmaker Dila Sangraula registered a proposal of urgent public importance at the Secretariat of the Federal Parliament nowadays, calling for a discussion on employment opportunity for youths within the country.

Lawmaker Sangraula, who represents the main opposition Nepali Congress in the Parliament, mentioned in the proposal that one of the key problems facing Nepal is lack of employment opportunity in the domestic market. &It the duty of the state to supply employment to unemployed youths within the country. But the government has much been successful in ensuring employment to tens of thousand of youths, forcing them to go abroad for employment,& the proposal read.

She also mentioned in the proposal that thousands of youths were deprived of going to Malaysia, one of the appealing destinations of employment, after the government withheld permit for the South-East Asian country.

&The move has curtailed their right to employment. Though the government inked a labour pact with Malaysia on October 29, aspirant youths are yet to be supplyd with permits for employment in the country,& proposal stated.

The proposal also mentioned that the government had failed to initiate action against manpower agencies that swindled thousands of youths.&Some manpower agencies have been gathering up to Rs 2,00,000 each, from youths aspiring for foreign employment.

However, they issue a receipt of only Rs 10,000 to the youths for the amount. Such fraudulent manpower agencies have much been brought to book,& the proposal read.

Lawmaker Sangraula mentioned in the proposal that over 77,000 Nepali youth had left for Malaysia in eight months of the final year, compared to less than 3,000 during the correplying period, this year. &This is a serious issue and required a discussion in the lower house to endegree that no Nepali is deprived of his/her right to employment and large crowd of peopleility,& she said.

Nepali youths are being cheated by manpower agencies and agents in the name of health check-up, orientation and other pretexts due to lack of transparency in the labour hiring process.

The government has totally failed to control the conspiracy of Malaysian and Nepali middlemen while chooseing an institution for issuance of medical clearance certificate to the foreign employment aspirants, according to the proposal.

The proposal also stressed the need to orient the Nepali youths about security and safety issues regarding work environment in Malaysia, before dispatching them abroad.

Citing statistics of Foreign Employment Board, it said that 194 Nepalis were eliminateed and 67 others seriously injured in Malaysia, in the past one year. Lawmakers Ram Bahadur Bista and Dev Prasad Timilsina are momenters of the proposal.

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