Terai Madhesh

A five-year program to reduce the impacts of a changing climate and threats to biodiversity and local people in Nepal, called Hariyo Ban, was launched this week in Kathmandu. The program, funded by USAID, is being led by World Wildlife Fund (WWF) in partnership with a consortium of leading conservation organizations in Nepal – CARE, the Federation of Community Forestry Users in Nepal (FECOFUN) and the National Trust for Nature Conservation (NTNC). Climate change poses a major threat to the people and biodiversity of Nepal. More than 10 million people are vulnerable to the impacts of climate change in Nepal. Glacier retreat in the Himalayas has increased the risk of glacier lake outburst floods, which could have devastating consequences for downstream communities, infrastructure, property and wild animals. Increasingly intense and frequent forest fires, floods and landslides also threaten biodiversity and livelihoods in the region. Hariyo Ban, which means “green forests” ...

KATHMANDU — The United States announced on Tuesday the launch of a $30 million programme to combat the severe threat climate change is posing to the people and the diverse wildlife of Nepal. The five-year Hariyo Ban programme, funded by the US Agency for International Development (USAID), will aim to reduce carbon dioxide emissions by one million tonnes, improve the management of 50,000 hectares of forest and pay local communities to protect endangered animals. "This ambitious project recognises that forests are the true wealth of Nepal as forests not only support the livelihoods of millions of people and provide a safe haven for endangered species but also are vital to combat the impacts of climate change," said Hariyo Ban chief Judy Oglethorpe. Nepal is facing increasingly frequent forest fires, floods and landslides while the retreat of ice in the Himalayas has increased the risk of glacier lake floods which threaten downstream communities and wildlife. M...

HIMALAYAN NEWS SERVICE KATHMANDU: Aiming to promote Danusha district and the entire Tarai region of Nepal, the Nepal Development Society (NDS) has produced two documentaries that tell about the cultural, religious and other aspects of that place. The documentaries entitled Aitihasik, Dharmik Tatha Paryatakiya Chhetra Danusha and Uttarayani Mela Dekhi Bandipur Mela Samma, were launched amidst a programme organised at Shital Niwas on November 4. According to the documentary makers, the documentaries aim to enhance economical situation of Nepal by promoting the assets of the Tarai region which can be an attraction for national and international tourists. One of the documentaries, Aitihasik... has captured the scenic beauty of Jankpurdham, Uttardham, Nepal’s first and only railway station, and of water bodies. Also genuine as well as funny comments of the audience have been included in the documentary which make it interesting. Chief guest President Dr Ram Baran Yadav exp...

KATHMANDU, Nov 4: Janatantrik Tarai Mukti Morcha, an armed outfit operating in the Tarai, held peace talks with the government on Friday. Minister for Finance and Peace and Reconstruction, Barsha Man Pun said that during the talks agreement has been forged to give political recognition to the activities of the Morcha from the government side and from the Morcha side not to carry out any armed activities in the future. The two sides also agreed to hold next round of dialogue on November 21. On the same day, the Morcha will provide the details of its weapons to the government. [[.. Read more at " JTMM holds peace talks " :: myrepublica.com

Siliguri, Nov. 3: The state committee of the Akhil Bharatiya Adivasi Vikas Parishad today turned away five regional leaders who had been showcaused, refusing to accept any “informal” explanation on why they had decided to join the Gorkhaland Territorial Administration. The Parishad state president Birsa Tirkey said no meeting could take place until the proceedings against the five leaders were completed after they replied to the showcause notices in writing. They could even be expelled, Tirkey said, as their announcement on Sunday that they wanted the Dooars and the Terai to be part of the new set-up for the hills has not gone down well with a section of Adivasis in the region. Tirkey said based on the replies the executive committee of the Parishad, a tribal outfit with considerable influence in north Bengal, would decide on the action to be taken against the five. “Last year, we expelled the then regional secretary of the Dooars-Terai unit, Rajesh Lakra, on similar grounds,” ...

Hindi as the National Language of India: After independence the first constitution of India recognized Hindi (written in Devnagari Script) as the official Language of the country. But this language has been serving the country for at least for the last one thousand and five hundreds years and today is a lingua franca all over India. It is the first language of more than half of the country. During Mughal period it spread to Hyderabad in south, which was identified by the name of ‘Dakkhini Hindi’, and in north-eastern region from Bengal to the former Greater Assam as ‘Brajbuli’. At present it is used by people all over India from the extreme north in Kashmir to the extreme south in Kanyakumari and also in the north-eastern states to the northern states like Punjab. The vast region states of northern and mid-region states, where Hindi is used as the first language, have a leading role to promote this language and have played leading role in making it rich in literature and linguistically...