Terai Madhesh

From Shirish B Pradhan Kathmandu, Nov 8 (PTI) With China showing keen interest in developing Buddha''s birthplace in Nepal, Congress leader Karan Singh today said New Delhi should remain cautious about it as Lumbini, also a UNESCO World Heritage Site, is situated close to the Indian border. India should also extend help for the development of Lumbini, Singh, an eminent scholar who is on a visit here, said. "Both India and Nepal can benefit from tourism if we could market the entire Buddhist circuit, including Lumbini, together with India''s Bodh Gaya and Sarnath," he said. Asked about China''s growing involvement in the development of Lumbini, he said India should remain cautious and play an active role in this regard as the Buddhist pilgrimage site "lies near our border". Maoist chief Prachanda, who is also the co-chairman of Asia Pacific Exchange and Cooperation (APEC) Foundation, is currently in New York to seek the United ...

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...

नेपाल के राजनीतिक दलों ने एक समझौते के तहत फैसला लिया है कि आने वाले दिनों में एक तिहाई माओवादी छापामारों को नेपाली सुरक्षाबलों में भर्ती किया जाएगा. इसके अलावा दूसरे माओवादी छापामारों को मुआवजा दिया जायेगा. यह सारा काम अगले कुछ माह में पूरे किये जाने पर सहमति हो गई है. पिछले कई सालों से नेपाल के राजनीतिक दलों के बीच माओवादी छापामार को लेकर लंबी बहस चलती रही है. नेपाल में लगभग 19 हजार माओवादी छापामार हैं, जो 2006 के शांति समझौते के बाद से शिविरों में रह रहे हैं. नेपाली छापामारों को लेकर नेपाल में गतिरोध की स्थिति बनी रही है. पिछले कुछ सालों में छापामारों के मुद्दे पर कई असफल बैटकें हुई हैं लेकिन अंततः मंगलवार को मधेशी मोर्चा और तीनों प्रमुख दलों ने शांति समझौते पर हस्ताक्षर कर इसका हल निकालने का दावा किया है. प्रधानमंत्री निवास बालुवाटार में पूरे दिन कम्युनिस्ट पार्टी ऑफ़ नेपाल (माओवादी), नेपाली कांग्रेस औऱ कम्युनिस्ट पार्टी ऑफ़ नेपाल (एकीकृत मार्क्सवादी-लेनिनवादी) और मधेशी मोर्चा की प्रधानमंत्री बाबूराम भट्टराई के साथ बैठक चलती रही. पहले राजनीतिक दलों ने अलग-...

About a week before Nepal Prime Minister Baburam Bhattarai embarked on a goodwill trip to India, he had announced a high-powered committee for the development of Lumbini, under the leadership of Prachanda, the chief of the Maoist party. This triggered speculation that in case Bhattarai felt unwelcome in India, he would turn to the north and involve China in a big way in the Lumbini project, apparently for the all-round development of the birth place of Lord Buddha. There is a background to this speculation. The United Nations Industrial Development Organisation’s China chapter and the Beijing-backed Asia Pacific Exchange and Cooperation Foundation (APECF) had signed a deal in mid-July to turn Lumbini into a “special development zone”. Prachanda is one of the vice-chairpersons of the APECF. However, despite the fact that the Jhalanath Khanal-led government survived on the support of the Unified Communist Party of Nepal-Maoists (UCPN-M), the then prime minister had polite...

HIMALAYAN NEWS SERVICE SIRAHA: An unknown disease has claimed more than 20 lives in over four months this year in Panabari of Chandra Ayodhyapur-6 in the district. According to Ramgensingh Danuwar, a local, five villagers died in five days from October 25 to 30 due to the mysterious disease. The dead are Achchelal Sada, Rambilas Sada, Suratiya Sada, Tripul Sada and Jogiya Kamati. “All of them had similar symptoms — headache, vomiting and giddiness,” said Ramgensingh, adding that they died within 12 hours after the symptoms appeared. “The deaths has unleashed terror among villagers,” said another local Bhulla Sada. According to Bhulla, more than 15 people have died of the disease in the village in 20 days in June/July. A team of health workers from the district and Eastern Regional Office had come to investigate. “But, they did not tell us the reason behind the deaths, and we did not bother to inform the authorities about the latest deaths,” said Sada. Locals said ...

KATHMANDU, Nov 8: The government is soon conducting feasibility study for developing special economic zones (SEZs) in Dhanusha, Siraha and Jhapa districts. “We will soon initiate the process for selecting consultants. The budget for 2011/12 fiscal year has allocated Rs 6 million to conduct feasibility study,” said Yam Kumari Khatiwada, national director of SEZ Project and spokesperson of the Ministry of Industry (MoI). The government has already initiated the process of developing SEZs in Panchkhal of Kavre, Ratomate of Nuwakot, Dhangadhi, Kapilvastu, Jumla, Biratnagar, Simara of Bara and Bhairawa of Rupandehi to boost exports by providing special facilities to manufacturers interested to shift their production facilities to SEZs. [[.. Read more at " Govt to study feasibility of SEZ in three more districts " :: myrepublica.com ..]] Of the eight SEZs in pipeline, the ones in Simara and Bhairawa are currently under construction. The government has allocated Rs 150 mi...

Cricket Association of Nepal (CAN) formed committees for successful hosting of the Asian Cricket Council (ACC) Twenty20 Cup and reshuffled regional committee. A board meeting of the newly appointed executive committee appointed Sailesh Chaudhary as the president of Region No 1 (Biratnagar) while CAN vice-president TB Shah replace Pawan Agrawal in Region No 2 (Birgunj). Vice-president Sri Niwas Rana replaced Upendra Bhattarai as the chief of Region No 3 (Kathmandu). Likewise, Anup Thapa, Binod Mainali, Chatur Bahadur Chand, Uttam Karmacharya and Raju Babu Shrestha have been appointed as the presidents of Region No 4 (Bhairahawa), Region No 5 (Nepalgunj), Region No 6 (Baitadi), Region No 7 (Janakpur) and Region No 8 (Pokhara) respectively. Mainali, Chand and Karmacharya retained their positions. CAN President Tanka Aangbuhang said the regional committees have been reshuffled as some of the regional chiefs had resigned after the formation of new CAN executive committee. Meanwhil...

THT ONLINE NEPALGUNJ: An underground armed outfit has detonated a powerful bomb at 2:00 pm in the vicinity of the District Land Reform Office in Nepalgunj in Banke district on Wednesday. An explosive was set off near the room of the office in-charge Om Bahadur Khadka today, said Inspector Mukunda Rijal, of Ward Police Office, Nepalgunj. The explosion has caused minor damage including on the office door. Police has said that it was a time bomb. Acting on a tip off, the police had already informed the office staff and service-seekers about the bomb timed to be detonated; the explosion did not cause any human casualties. Pamphlets have also been scattered around the premises. The explosion occurred during the visit by Indian envoy to Nepal Jayanta Prasad to Nepalgunj. Bhagat Singh, central chairman of Terai Madhes Mukti Party said on telephone that the motive for the explosion was the exploitation of poor people by the land reform office.  [[.. Read more at "MM...

RUPANDEHI, NOV 03 - Archaeological objects dating back to Gautam Buddha’s time have been found at Devdaha in Lumbini. The palace of Lord Buddha’s maternal uncle is located in Devdaha. Local people found the remains of a hukka (smoking pot made of clay), bricks, diyo (a small earthen lamp) and a pond under a peepal tree at Bhaluhi’s Buddhapath and informed the local administration and the Lumbini Development Trust (LDT) of the finding. According to elderly people in the area, Lord Buddha used to take bath in the area and it has a small temple too. Following an inspection, archaeological officer of the LDT Himale Upreti said the relics may be traced back to Buddha’s times. He said an excavation needs to be carried out in the area to verify the objects. “Objects dating back to centuries were found here earlier too. However, people were not aware of them and the place remained unnoticed,” Upreti said, adding that there might be various other archaeologically important site...

लन्डन, कार्तिक १६ - वर्षेनी विश्वभरका करिव ६० लाख पर्यटकले अवलोकन गर्ने सेन्ट्रल लन्डनस्थित ब्रिटिश संग्रहालयमा शान्तिका अग्रदूत गौतम वुद्ध भारतमा जन्मिएको भ्रामक र गलत सन्देश छ । ‘द डिपार्टमेन्ट अफ एसिया’ कक्ष अन्तर्गत ‘द लाइफ अफ द वुद्ध’ शीर्षकमा टांगिएको दस्तावेजमा वुद्धिज्मलाई भारतको धर्म अन्तर्गत राख्दै ‘वुद्धको जीवनी शुरुवात गर्दा उहाँ छैंटौं शताव्दीको मध्यतिर उत्तर पूर्वी भारतमा एक शाही परिवारमा जन्मिनुभएको हो’ उल्लेख छ । वुद्धको जन्म महारानी मायाबाट लुम्विनीको मृगस्थलमा अद्भूत तरिकाबाट भएको त्यहाँ उल्लेख छ । ‘उहाँ दरवार रहँदा विवाहित हुनुहुन्थ्यो र उहाँबाट एक छोरा भएको थियो । उहाँले आफ्नै आँखाबाट विरामी, भोका र मृत्यु देखेपछि मानव जीवनमा यी घट्नाहरु किन घटिरहेको छ भन्ने जिज्ञासा लिएर भौतिक जीवन त्यागी वोधगयाको वृक्षमुनी बसि ध्यान गर्नुभएको थियो’– संग्रहालयको अभिलेखमा छ । त्यहाँ वुद्धले ध्यानबाट वोधीसत्व प्राप्त गरेपछि मानव जीवनमा आइलाग्ने समस्या र चाहनाबीचको अन्तरसम्वन्धबारे सारनाथमा बसि सन्देश दिलाएको उल्लेख छ । वुद्धको मृत्यु ४८० बीसीमा भएको र उनको समाधिपछि वुद्धका उपदे...