Env. Journalism Award to Poudel

Kathmandu, June 4: Nepal Forum of Environmental Journalists (NEFEJ) has decided to confer the 'Environmental Journalism Award 2015' to Manoj Poudel, Kapilvastu based reporter of Kantipur daily.

The prize, with a purse of Rs. 25,000 and a certificate, is given every year on the occasion of 'World Environment Day', June 5. The award was established about three decades ago.

"NEFEJ awards a journalist who did the best story on environment and sustainable development in any of the mass media channel, newspaper, radio, television and online," read a press statement issued by the Forum.

The NEFEJ had called journalists to apply for the award with their news and articles published or broadcast in 2015.

A jury that included senior journalist and former president of the NEFEJ Rajendra Dahal, working committee member Ramesh Bhusal and environment expert Dr. Tirtha Bahadur Shrestha, evaluated the submitted news and articles.

"The submitted items were evaluated by the jury on the basis of relevance, intensity, diversity of topics, statistics, continuity, language, public concern and originality," said NEFEJ.

A post-graduate in Public Administration, Poudel, is the 29^th recipient of the award. 

NRA approves Rs. 12.29 bn reconstruction projects

Kathmandu, June 4: The National Reconstruction Authority (NRA) Saturday approved project proposals of 28 non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and international NGOs pledging to reconstruct 6,759 private houses and 133 school buildings.

It also approved the reconstruction of 2 health posts in Sindhupalchowk and Nuwakot, drinking water projects in various districts and Hanuman Dhoka Gaddhi Baithak.

Approximately Rs. 12.28 billion has been pledged for the reconstruction of those private houses, school buildings and other structures.

The organizations will start the reconstruction works after forging a tripartite agreement with the line ministries and NRA.

An expert member at the NRA will coordinate for the tripartite agreement as per the NGO Mobilization Work Procedure, 2016, informed the NRA in a press statement.

Nepal Red Cross has pledged the highest money – Rs. 7.37 billion - for the reconstruction of 6,000 private houses in the 16 districts that were severely hit by the devastating earthquakes in April and May last year.

Rs. 7.79 has been pledged for the private house reconstruction works.

Habitat for Humanity and Group of Helping Hands have proposed developing integrated model village development in Salme VDC of Nuwakot and Panchkhal VDC of Kavre, and Thumi-2, Gorkha respectively.

Likewise, 50 houses will be built by Health Services and Rescue Association Nepal, 50 by GAN Nepal and 250 by Medair in various VDCs of Gorkha, Kavre and Ramechhap.

About 18 I/NGOs have proposed to build or reconstruct the school buildings in the quake-affected areas.

 The World Vision International Nepal has proposed to reconstruct the highest number of schools.

According to the NRA, World Vision asked permission to reconstruction of about 32 schools in Lamjung, Sindhuli, Kathmandu and Lalitpur districts.

Similarly, Plan International Nepal proposed to build 22 schools and Action Aid pledged to build 18 school buildings in various districts. Likewise, Praramva asked permission for the reconstruction of 5 school buildings.

41 teams for geological study

Kathmandu, June 2: The National Reconstruction Authority (NRA) Thursday mobilized 11 technical teams for the geological study of the quake-affected settlement that are at high risk after the devastating earthquake last year rocked the mid-hill region of central and eastern region of the country.

Dr. Chandra Bahadur Shrestha, executive member of the NRA, informed that the reconstruction body was planning to send about 41 teams for the geological study of the various locations in the districts severely-hit by the quake.

“We formed 11 teams by including the experts from various government agencies and experts will be outsourced for the rest of the teams. Other teams will be mobilized soon,” he said.

The teams are being led by the senior geologist from the Department of Mines and Geology (DMG).

Although the government was planning to conclude the geological study of the settlements at risk by the end of April, it could manage to mobilize the teams more than 13 months after the first major jolt hit the country.

The NRA maintained that the delay was due to lack of experts and the reconstruction body’s engagement in relief distribution and repeated data collection works.

However, lawmakers from the quake hit areas blamed the government for its inefficiency to conduct study in time.

The government has mobilized the teams after conducting pilot geological study at Singati of Dolakha district.

A four-member team, comprised of two geologists from the DMG and one representative each from the Department of Water Induced Disaster Prevention (DWIDP) and Department of Soil Conservation and Watershed Management (DSCWM), conducted the study at Singati in April.

According to NRA, the pilot study was conducted to develop a modality for the geological study of all settlements that are at risk could be developed.

The study teams will decide whether the settlements are safe, needed pre-cautionary measures or demanded urgent relocation. They will create site-maps of the quake-ravaged areas, informed Dr. Shrestha.

The study of Singati concluded that there was no immediate need for the relocation of settlements but retaining walls should be constructed to save some structures and areas. 

An earlier observation, in the aftermath of the major tremors, by a team of geologists, chief district officers and lawmakers of respective districts found at least 193 settlements needed immediate relocation.

Gorkha, Nuwakot, Rasuwa, Dolakha, Dhading and Singhupalchowk had many settlements vulnerable to post-quake hazards.

The new study will be based on the findings of the earlier study and make further investigations, informed the NRA. 

About one and a half months ago the NRA formulated two committees - Expert Committee and Steering Committee - to study and suggest the reconstruct body on the relocation of the quake-ravaged settlements that are at the risk of landslides and other disasters.

The Authority formulated an Expert Committee led by its Directive Committee member Dr. Taranidhi Bhattarai to facilitate and provide expert opinion on the study for relocation of the settlements that are at risk.

The reconstruction body had directed the DMG to submit the proposal along with required structure of the team, human resources, budget details and study process and methods to the NRA to complete the field observation and study before the monsoon.

Prez received LoC from ambassadors

Kathmandu, June 2: President Bidya Devi Bhandari Thursday received letters of credence from the ambassadors of various countries to Nepal.

Residential ambassador of the United Arab Emirates to Nepal Saaed Hamdan Mohammed Al Naqbi submitted his letter of credence to the President.

Likewise, Hamza Yahia Cherif, Demetrois A. Theophylactou, Milan Hovorka and Samargiul Adamkulova ambassadors of Algeria, Cyprus, Czech Republic and Kyrgiz Republic to Nepal respectively submitted their letters of credence to President Bhandari amidst a ceremony at the Office of the President, Shital Niwas.

They all reside in New Delhi and are concurrently accredited d to Nepal.

Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Foreign Affairs Kamal Thapa, foreign affairs expert at the Office of the President Dr. Madan Kumar Bhattarai, Chief of Army Staff Rajendra Chhetri, Foreign Secretary Shankar Das Bairagi, secretary of the President’s Office Bhupendra Prasad Poudel and other senior officials from the MoFA were present on the occasion.

Govt failed to send secretaris to quake-hit areas

Kathmandu, June 1: More than seven months elapsed since the Legislature-Parliament’s Development Committee directed the government and Ministry of Federal Affairs and Local Development to make necessary arrangement to send VDC secretaries to the quake hit areas to facilitate the collection of data about the quake-damaged structures, distribution of grant money, and to facilitate in the reconstruction and rehabilitation works.

But, as the government turned deaf ear to the parliamentary committee's directives, at least 420 VDCs across the country are still running without secretaries, which has severely affected the development and reconstruction works in the areas devastated by the earthquake in April and May last year.

Seven months back, Development Committee chairman Rabindra Adhikari had asked the government to fill up the vacant posts at the local bodies as soon as possible as the absence of officers badly hit the development and construction works.

He had directed the government to hire the officers in contract if the present workforce failed to meet the demand.

“But, not a single secretary was sent to the quake hit villages that were running without the government officers. It has affected the grant agreement and reconstruction work at the local level,” informed Purna Chandra Bhattarai, joint secretary at the MoFALD.

He said that one secretary had to handle up to five VDCs.

Senior officers of various ministries present at the Development Committee meeting Wednesday blamed the Ministry of General Administration (MoGA) for its indifference towards appointing VDC secretaries even a year after the quake rocked the country.

Lawmakers also lambasted the government for its inefficiency in sending officers to the local units. “Still one secretary is looking after four VDCs. How can we hope that a single individual in remote area can facilitate in multiple activities in multiple places at a time,” said Lawmaker Parshuram Tamang. 

The MoGA even issued circular to the Regional Administrative Offices on 10^th May and all ministries, commissions, secretariats, offices and central agencies not to transfer any government officers, citing the Fiscal Year was to going to end soon and election of the civil servants’ trade union around the corner.

National Reconstruction Authority (NRA) spokesperson Ram Prasad Thapaliya said that the government could have assigned the Technical Officer at the VDCs to perform the jobs of secretaries till the vacant posts were fulfilled. “It would have facilitated the people and reconstruction process immensely,” he stated.

According to the MoFALD, Rasuwa has only five VDC secretaries while a small number of secretaries are working in other remote districts.

The Development Committee meeting on Wednesday expressed its concerns towards the vacant posts at the local level.

It directed the government to fulfill the posts at the earliest or make arrangements so that the technical officers could perform the reconstruction works in effective manner.

Grievance hearing mechanism needed

The Committee also directed the government to establish a grievance hearing mechanism to settle the complaints of the people from the quake hit areas.

 “There were complaints that some genuine quake-victim families failed to get registered as the victim while others whose houses were not damaged succeeded to get them listed as the victim. Therefore, the government should investigate the published lists and provide grants to those who were left out,” directed Adhikari.

Stressing on the need to provide shelter to the quake-affected people before monsoon, the committee directed the government, NRA and other concerned ministries to expedite the reconstruction works and grant distribution, send technical hands to the districts, and provide sufficient construction materials so that the quake-victims could construct their house at the earliest.

Switzerland welcomes new constitution

Kathmandu, May 31: Switzerland has welcomed the promulgation of the new constitution in Nepal as an important milestone on the way to concluding the peace process.

Issuing a joint press statement after the first Meeting of Nepal-Switzerland Bilateral Consultation Mechanism here on Monday, Switzerland expressed its hope that the new constitution would pave way to lead the country towards development and expressed readiness to work with the government in further strengthening the bilateral relations for the benefit of both the countries and people.

“The Swiss side reiterated its commitment that the Swiss development cooperation will continue and Nepal, and expressed the hope that Nepal will now enter into a phase of stable and inclusive democratic governance conducive to sustainable economic growth and development,” read the press statement.

The Nepalese delegation in the meeting was led by Bhrigu Dhungana, joint secretary of Europe America Division at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Swiss delegation was led by assistant state secretary ambassador Johannes Matyassy, Head of Asia-Pacific Division of the Federal Department of Foreign Affairs.

The discussions in the meeting were focused on Nepal’s on-going post-quake reconstruction strategies as well as long term development priorities and possible Swiss cooperation in Nepal in the reconstruction process.

The two sides also exchanged views on matters of common concern, including the latest developments in their respective countries, regional cooperation, cooperation within the United Nations Framework, and global issues like climate change, migration and human rights.

Nepal appreciated the prompt and generous Swiss support to Nepal in the aftermath of the devastating earthquake last year, and the significant pledge and commitment expressed by Switzerland in the ongoing reconstruction phase.

Nepal and Switzerland established the Bilateral Consultation Mechanism by signing a Memorandum of Understanding between the two sides on 4^th November 2015. The second meeting of the mechanism will be hold in Berne, Switzerland. 

Minister calls for coordination between govt and donors

Kathmandu, May 29: Minister for Agricultural Development Haribol Gajurel Sunday said that the foreign aid in agriculture sector had not been effective due to lack of coordination between the government and donors.

“Various donors are implementing their programmes in their own while the Ministry of Agricultural Development (MoAD) is working in a traditional way and sometimes does not have any idea about the activities happening on the ground,” said the Minister while inaugurating a two-day international conference on ‘Sustainable agricultural growth in Nepal: challenges, opportunities and options’ in the capital.

While saying the foreign assistance and technical support was needed for the country, he maintained that such assistance should be linked to the national development process.

“Our economic and social structure as well as priorities are different. Donors should understand our priorities and extend their support through government channel.”

However, Minister Gajurel admitted that there were also various lapses in the government’s side as it did not conduct any study to specify priorities of the society and did not create the database of need.

“Nepal has great potential in organic agriculture so we need high quality seeds, technology and skill. Therefore, I urge the international community to help Nepal with elements,” said Gajurel.

Shenggen Fan, director general of the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI), said that agriculture needed a new strategy which should make sure that the local technology, skill and tradition were taken into consideration.

He emphasized on the coordination between the government and donors. “There should be a database as to who is doing what where. The government’s duty is to find the gaps in development and channelize support to those areas.”

Appreciating Nepal’s relief and recovery efforts in the aftermath of the devastating earthquakes in the April and May last year, Fan urged to have better infrastructure, access to telecom and food reserve specially for the poor in order to increase resistance capacity.

Economist and Chairman of the Nepal Economic Association (NEA), Prof. Dr. Bishwambher Pyakuryal, said that the improved agricultural productivity lead to economic growth.

He appreciated the budget of the Fiscal Year 2016/17 for increasing the agricultural budget by 57 per cent than the current fiscal.

“It shows that the government is committed for modernization and commercialization of agriculture.”

P. K. Joshi, director of IFPRI for South Asia said that Nepal had potential to emerge as a leader in livestock specially in dairy sector.

General secretary of NEA Gopal Tiwari listed unavailability of technology, lack of strong institution, poor infrastructure, weak implementation of budget, lack of hybrid seeds and absence of contract farming as the reasons behind the underdevelopment of agriculture in the country.