Nepal

Kathmandu, September 18

The Office of the Prime Minister and Council of Ministers has directed secretaries of all ministries to ensure participation of civil servants in the special event scheduled for Friday to mark the Constitution Day.

The programme will be hosted by Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli-led Constitution Day Celebration Main Organising Committee in Nepali Army Pavilion, with President Bidhya Devi Bhandari as the chief guest.

The 37-member committee comprises chief justice, speaker, deputy prime ministers, ministers, former prime ministers, former speakers and incumbent state ministers. Other members of the committee include vice-chairpersons of the National Planning Commission and Nepal Academy, Supreme Court justices, lawmakers, chief secretary, chief of army staff, general secretary of the Parliament, chiefs of political parties and constitutional bodies, vice-chancellors of universities and government secretaries.

According to a notice issued by the OPMCM, secretaries of the concerned ministries and their subordinates will gather in Singha Durbar and other government offices in Kathmandu, and proceed to the Nepali Army Pavilion at 7:45am on Friday.

&Only the employees of ministries will gather in Singha Durbar.

Other civil servants inside the valley will be required to move to Nepali Army Pavilion in Kathmandu,& the notice read. All district coordination committees and local levels have also been directed to celebrate theupcoming Constitution Day with grandeur. Earlier, the main organising committee had urged all governmental and non-government organisations, civil servants and generalpublic to mark the day with much fanfare.

Aerial display of a banner reading ‘Constitution Day-2076&, balloons, and flowers will be showered from helicopters as parts of the celebration in the Nepali Army Pavilion. Nepal Army, Nepal Police, Armed Police Force and Nepal Scouts are set to perform march past, read the schedule made public by the MoFAGA.

The current constitution of Nepal is the first statute drafted by the elected peoplerepresentatives.

Nepal switched to federal democratic system with the promulgation of the existing constitution in 2015. Republicanism, federalism, secularism, proportional inclusion and social justice remainas its salient features.

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Kathmandu, September 18

There has been no increase in the use of modern methods of contraception over the past 10 years across the country.

According to Nepal Demographic and Health Survey-2016, there was an increase in use of traditional methods of contraception from four per cent in 2006 to 10 per cent in 2016. However, no significant increase in the use of modern contraception methods was witnessed during the period.

Stagnant modern contraception use rate could be due to various factors, such as migration leading to spousal separation, and legalisation of abortion, according to the report.

The 2016 survey revealed that 42.8 per cent of women of reproductive age between 15-49 use modern contraception methods of family planning. The number of women using modern contraception methods of family planning was 43.2 per cent in 2011.

Traditional methods such as rhythm method, withdrawal and other methods have been used by women and men. Modern contraception methods include male and female sterilisation, injectables, intrauterine devices (IUDs), contraceptive pills, implants, condoms, lactational amenorrhea and emergency contraception.

In recent times, some 53 per cent of married women use methods of family planning. Female sterilisation is the most commonly used method (15 per cent), followed by injectables (9 per cent), male sterilization (6 per cent), and the pill (5 per cent), the 2016 report revealed.

According to the report, 24 per cent of married women of reproductive age had an unmet need for family planning that is, they wanted to limit births, but were not using any methods of contraception.

Although 86 per cent of currentlymarried women and 82 per cent of currentlymarried men have heard about IUDs, only one per cent of currentlymarried women used them.

&There are challenges such as high adolescent fertility, high unmet need for family planning, and unintended pregnancies in the country. There are disparities in access and utilisation of family planning services. There is also a delay in procurement of family planning commodities. Family planning commodities and equipment are inadequate and also there is a gap between knowledge and service utilisation,& said Bhim Singh Tinkari, director of Family Health Division.

Facts from the reports were revealed during the sixth National Family Planning Programme held in the capital today, with an aim to raise awareness about family planning.

&Objective of National Family Planning Programme is to improve health status of people through accountable and equitable health service delivery system, through informed choice to access and use voluntary family planning services, through increased and equitable access to quality family planning information and services,& said Tinkari, adding, &Family planning not only improves womenchances of surviving pregnancy and childbirth, but also contributes to gender equality, better child health, and improved education outcomes, including poverty reduction.&

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Kathmandu, September 18

Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli today laid the foundation stone for the construction of Parliament building on premises of Singha Durbar during a function.

Estimated cost of the state-of-the-art building stands at Rs 5.26 billion. The main and annex buildings, which are spread over 173 ropani land, will be built in Putali Bagincha provided by Nepali Army.

The building will be disabled friendly, and will house the House of Representatives, National Assembly, VVIP lounges, Parliamentary committees, office of parliamentary parties, Parliament Secretariat, canteens and parking lots.

The government has set a target of three years to complete the construction of the building. Department of Urban Development and Building Construction, which is tasked with the construction work, said the earthquake-resistant building would be constructed in a manner to reflect typical Nepali architecture and would not exceed five storeys.

The Parliament building premises will also have a garden, water fountain, open space and disaster response facilities.

Prime Minister Oli had announced the construction of the Parliament building, on the first day of his appointment to the post for the second time, to maintain the dignity of the legislature and save millions of rupees the government has been spending on rent.

The government has been paying around Rs 150 million in rent for the International Convention Centre, annually. New Baneshwor-based ICC is being used asthe Parliament building after the 2008 Constituent Assembly elections. Until then, the Rana era Gallery Baithak building in Singha Durbar was used asthe Parliament building. It will be converted into a museum.

• ‘Govt will act like tigress for democracy&

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