Nepal to nominate intangible cultures in UNESCO

BISHNU PRASAD ARYAL KATHMANDU: The government is preparing to nominate indigenous intangible cultures to the list of UNESCO World Heritage Site. To date, Nepal has 10 heritage sites, including two natural locations, enlisted in the World Heritage Site. “We will nominate at least two intangible cultures of Nepal in UNESCO within the current fiscal year,” said the government officials, adding that they are listing and selecting intangible cultures practised across the country at present. There are 125 different groups and ethnic communities...

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Govt urges I/NGOs to work under laws

Bishnu Prasad Aryal Kathmandu, August 17 The Ministry of Federal Affairs and Local Development has urged all the international and national non-government organisations working in the local bodies to abide by existing laws of the country. More than 230 INGOs and 1,000 national level NGOs have been working in the local bodies, according to the MoFALD. Among them, 20 to 25 per cent of the I/NGOs are yet to coordinate with the local bodies as per the laws in course of carrying out development activities. There are 75 districts, 3,915 village development...

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Donors likely to downsize assistance to local bodies

Bishnu Prasad Aryal Kathmandu, July 17 The fate of a country-wide development programme appears to hang in a balance as donors sound out plans to review their commitment, unhappy about irregularities and mismanagement of the funds in the absence of elected local bodies. Donors supporting the Local Governance and Community Development Programme (LGCDP) have indicated that they would slash their fund citing lack of accountability and fiduciary...

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Ex-minister 'doled out money' to cadres

Narayan Kaji Shrestha gave away development funds BISHNU PRASAD ARYAL KATHMANDU: The Ministry of Federal Affairs and Local Development has been found to have violated the rules, with the direct involvement of the former local development minister Narayan Kaji Shrestha, by distributing development funds among those close to his party.According to the MoFALD, Rs 500 million of people’s participatory programme of the current fiscal year was distributed for 723 projects under the direct supervision of local development minister in the current...

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Govt shifting development grant focus to Tarai

 • Plans to slash funds given to hill and mountain regions • Experts call it an irrational move BISHNU PRASAD ARYAL Fast facts • Tarai belt constitutes a little more than half of the total population of the country (50.2 per cent) • Hill and mountain belts constitute about 42.8 per cent and seven per cent of the total population‚ respectively • The Ministry of Federal Affairs and Local Development gets Rs 45 billion every year • As per the rule‚ each of the 3‚913 village development committees get Rs 1.5 million to Rs 3 million as...

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Culture of vanity mars bid to preserve culture

18-month-old body formed to protect cultural heritage of the country goes defunct BISHNU PRASAD ARYAL KATHMANDU: An 18-month-old body formed with a view to working to preserve intangible cultural heritage has gone defunct, without delivering on its pledge, in what could reflect the culture of non-performance that has seeped into majority of government organisations.“The body is defunct, and its targeted objectives are in a state of limbo,” said officials at the Ministry of Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation, the line ministry that is responsible...

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PADT demands review of 99-year land lease

BISHNU PRASAD ARYAL KATHMANDU: The Pashupati Area Development Trust (PADT) has demanded review of the lease contract of its 1,162 ropanis (61.15 hectares) of land with the Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal. The PADT and CAAN signed the contract on January 7, 1983 for 99 years, according to the PADT documents. The CAAN agreed to pay 23 pathis (one pathi=3.2 kg) of paddy per ropani of land to the PADT each year. Interestingly, both the PADT and the...

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Rituals doing little to protect the environment

BISHNU PRASAD ARYAL KATHMANDU: Eighteen organisations, including government agencies, organised a Bagmati cleanup programme at Shankhamul today. Also today, organisers planted 500 saplings at Nagdaha of Lalitpur as part of programmes to mark the World Environment Day, which falls on June 5. Dr Sumitra Amatya, executive director of the Solid Waste Management Technical Support Centre (SWMTSC), says she got tired attending these programmes. “I’ve taken ill as I had to attend Bagmati cleanup and tree plantation programmes,” she says. However,...

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Pashupati heritage pressed to donate land to NGOs

Culture Minister recommends PADT to distribute its land to NGOs PADT officials object the proposal and decide to get approval from its committee Bishnu Prasad Aryal Kathmandu, May 29 Minister for Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation Ram Kumar Shrestha has recommended the Pashupati Area Development Trust to provide the land of heritage site to the NGOs. According to the PADT sources, Minister Shrestha recommended the PADT in written to provide...

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Mob dictates democracy in local bodies for a decade

Bishnu Prasad Aryal Kathmandu, December 31 Rabble culture has continued to dictate local bodies for more than a decade owing to the vacuum of elected representatives. However, neither the government nor the political parties dared to adopt the democratic discipline to hold local body elections despite their hollow buzzes to ensure good governance in the local bodies. Everyone, who believes in democracy and election system to choose their leaders for the development and transformation of society, is compelled to think that there is no...

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