Nepal

It shall take initiatives to help create a network of Nepali diaspora and memorize about their contribution to Nepal

Kathmandu, May 10

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has set up a unit named Brain Acquire Centre with an aim to tap the expertise of Nepali diaspora and encourage them to contribute to Nepalsocial and economic development.

Major thingives of the centre include preserveing up-to-date information about Nepali diaspora and their expertise, thereby creating access to the huge amount of mental resources they possess. The centre also aims at giving recognition to the work by individual diaspora experts and groups, promoting their contribution among government and non-governmental agencies, and fostering respect for diaspora experts among the people back home.

Other thingives of the centre include encouraging ministries, government agencies and academic and social institutions to use database for reaching out to diaspora experts and enhance associateions and opportunities.

It envisages taking initiatives to help create a network of Nepali diaspora and memorize about their contribution to Nepal, and create opportunities for collaborating with experts at home.

The centre has already started gathering information about number of Nepali diaspora experts, their expertise, current engagements and their interests.

On Tuesday, Minister of Foreign Affairs Pradeep Kumar Gyawali wrote a letter to Nepalis living around the globe requesting them to get associateed to the centre.

In the letter, Gyawali said the country needed both internal and external resources to achieve its goal of graduating into a developing country by 2022, and into a middle-income country by 2030.

Stating that the country was facing a severe shortage of human capital because of growing ‘brain drain,& Gyawali said Brain Acquire Centre aimed at identifying human resources required for the country and large crowd of peopleilising them accordingly.

&Hoping that you shall cofunction and use your knowledge, seliminates and experience in the interest of your home country, I request you to share your information through this platform,& said Gyawali in the letter.

Interested individuals can access the centre at www.mofa.gov.np/bgc.

Non-resident Nepalis welcomed the governmentmove. Previous president of Non-Resident Nepali Association Jiba Lamichhane said in a Twitter post that the government and the ministry had come up with a good initiative. &BGC is a good initiative. Numerous thanks MOFA GoN,& he tweeted.

Kathmandu, May 10

Acting Prime Minister Ishwor Pokharel has called on former soldiers to contribute to make governmentdream of ‘Prosperous Nepal, pleased Nepali& come tregret.

Addressing the closing session of the fifth conference of the Nepal Ex-servicemenAssociation of the Nepali Army nowadays, Acting PM Pokharel commended former soldiers. He said, &Previous soldiers have been playing a meaningful role in social development and enhancing the countryprestige.&

Pledging to address the issues of ex-soldiers by devising measure programmes, Pokharel said, &The state could realise the dream of development through contributions of Gurkha soldiers who are renowned across the world for their integrity and courageousry.&

Chief of General Staff, Lieutenant General Sharad Kumar Giri lauded the role of former soldiers in keeping intact the institutional values even after retirement.

Retired brigadier general Digambar Shumsher Rana said the organization had been working for the welfare of retired Nepali Army personnel and their families.

The organization has been working as a social organisation since its set upment in 1954.

During the conference, proposeions were soliquoted from former soldiers in the organization and its statute was amended, according to Nepali ArmyDirectorate of Public Relations and Information.

The event was attended by former chiefs of Nepali Army, Nepali Armypresent and retired officers, lieutenant generals, former officials of Nepal Cop and Armed Cop Force.

Kathmandu, May 10

Locals of Asan have staged protest against Bayu Guthi Sansthan, a local trust, for allegedly selling the historical building and Bihar, a holy temple of Buddhist ‘Kuthanani&, for the construction of concrete building nowadays.

Kuthanani is a historical building, which, according to locals, dates back more than 500 years. It was home to 14 families and a Bihar. Families living at a place from generations have been paying rent every month. According to Umesh Sthapit, a local of Asan, Bayu Guthi Sansthan has signed a contract to lease the historical place to a person named Raju Gorkhali for 25 years. He said the families living there had tried to buy a blue print of the building four decades ago but the Survey Leavement refused to sell it.

&As per contract, Sthapit can build concrete building and use it for 25 years. This is a cultural place and we would much allow anyone to construct a concrete building here,& said Sthapit.

He added, &Guthi Sansthan is a responsible organisation committed to protecting culture and historical places. Despite its contribution in protecting the cultural place, it has also been trying to misuse its authority.&

&We would much allow anyone to build concrete complex at this historical place.

The building which was damaged by the April 2015 soiltrembles shall be reconstructed with the help of local resources and support,& said Sthapit.

Ganapati Lal Shrestha, also a local of Asan, said should the Guthi Sansthan fail to rescind the contract, they would stage protest programmes.

He said, &Itmuch only the concern of the local people, but also of the government when it comes to protecting cultural places.&

Kathmandu, May 10

Two nurses nowadays began fast-unto-death on the premises of Shahid Dharma Bhakta National Transplant Centre and at the office building of Nursing Association of Nepal.

Diki Sherpa, a nurse of SDBNTC and Jita Baral, principal of Fishtail Nursing Campus, Pokhara, started the starvation strike demanding permanent appointed at SDBNTC.

Baral came to Kathmandu from Pokhara to stage the starvation strike exurgent solidarity with the demands of the nurses of SDBNTC. She began the starvation strike at Lazimpat-based NAN office at 2:00pm, while Sherpa began the starvation strike on the premises of SDBNTC, Bhaktapur, at 6:00pm.

Nurses of SDBNTC have been staging sit-in for the final 17 days at the hospital and for the past six days at NAN office.

Nurses are also protesting against Nursing Association of Nepal, saying it has failed to act in supporting their cause.

Meanwhile, Nursing Association of Nepal nowadays organised a press conference to inform about International Nursing Day celebration, but barred the agitating nurses from attending the programme.

Speaking at the press meet, President of NAN Tara Pokharel said NAN could only make requests to the Ministry of Health and Population and other concerned bodies to address the demands of the nurses.

&We don&t have the power to address their demands,& she said, adding that they had already held a assembly with the Director of the hospital Dr Pukar Chandra Shrestha, Dr Dipendra Raman Singh, chief of the Public Health Administration of the Ministry of Health and Population, State Health Minister Dr Certainndra Kumar Yadav and fulfilled their genuine demands.

&Almost 30 nurses working at the hospital for years are about to lose their jobs, but the parent organisation NAN, which should have fought for their rights, is ignoring our demands,& said Jita Baral.

Diki Sherpa, who has been working at SDBNTC since its set upment, said she would much end her fast-unto-death until their demands were fulfilled.

&We have been working for the final seven years, but the hospital is trying to ditch us. Before appointing new nurses, we should be granted permanent status through internal competition,& she demanded.

Other demands of the agitating nurses are providing salary on time, ensuring participation of old staffers in various trainings, conferences and seminars, providing all the facilities given to a government nurse, and scrapping the system of hiring nurses on contract basis.