SAARC conventions ratified

SAARC conventions ratified [ 2006-9-6 ]
RSSKATHMANDU. Sept. 5: The House of Representatives unanimously ratified the SAARC Convention on Preventing and Combatting Trafficking in Women and Children for Prostitution-2002 at its meeting today.Minister of State for Women, Children and Social Welfare Urmila Aryal had presented a proposal at the meeting of the House of Representatives today seeking the House ratify the Convention.Taking part in the deliberations on the Convention, MPs Kunta Sharma, Kamala Panta Acharya, Sabitri Bogati Pathak and Bhadra Bahadur Thapa said that it has become urgent to ratify the Convention in the context of women in their thousands being trafficked from Nepal for prostitution in India and other countries, the persons involved in such crimes not being penalized and arrangements for the rehabilitation of women victims of trafficking and flesh trade not being made.Answering queries raised in course of the discussions, Minister of State Aryal said that the open border between Nepal and India should be well-regulated and trafficking in women and children for prostitution should be considered as a serious crime after the implementation of the Convention following its ratification.She said the draft of the Laws related to this topic has been prepared and that programme for raising public awareness against the trafficking of women and children for prostitution has been implemented in an organized manner in 15 different Districts.Minister of State Aryal added that the programme was being expanded to eight more Districts. Meanwhile, the SAARC Convention on Regional Arrangements for the Promotion of Child Welfare in South Asia-2002 has been unanimously ratified by the meeting of the House of representatives today.Minister for Women, Children and Social Welfare Urmila Aryal had presented a proposal at the meeting of the House seeking ratification of the Convention.Taking part in the general discussions on the Convention, MP Kunta Sharma said that the children in South Asia are deprived of their rights and that they were being exploited in the name of adoption and a large number of children died in the subcontinent due to malnutrition and other diseases.In response to queries raised in course of the discussions, Minister of State Aryal said that the Convention had to be ratified in order to address various problems relating to the children in South Asia.She said that a ten-year Action Plan has also been prepared for the welfare of the children.Today's meeting of the House of Representatives unanimously approved the proposal seeking that the House consider the Private Sector Investment in Infrastructure Construction and Operation of Technology Bill-2006.Minister for Physical Planning and Works Gopal Man Shrestha presented the proposal to this effect at the meeting.Taking part in the discussions on the proposal, MP Bhadra Bahadur Thapa said that the Government should pay attention to the construction of physical infrastructures by keeping in mind the welfare of the consumers.The meeting also unanimously endorsed the proposal seeking that the House consider the Public Purchase Bill-2006.Home Minister Krishna Prasad Sitaula had tabled the Bill in the House on behalf the Finance Minister.Similarly, the House of Representatives at its meeting today unanimously approved the proposal tabled by Home Minister Sitaula that the House consider the Prison (Second Amendment Bill-2006.Taking part in the discussions on the proposal, MP Yadav Bahadur Rayamajhi demanded that there should be provisions for giving wages to the inmates working at public places after completing a certain term in prison. He also suggested for making the Bill more practical.Likewise, the House unanimously approved the proposal presented by Minister of State for Environment, Science and Technology Man Bahadur Bishwakarma seeking that the House consider the Electronic Transaction Bill-2006.The House of Representatives also unanimously approved the proposal tabled by Minister of State for General Administration Dharmanath Prasad Shaha that the House consider the Civil Service (Second Amendment) Bill-2006. Taking part in the discussions on the proposal, MPs Nara Bahadur Hamal, Umakanta Chaudhari, Ram Kumar Chaudhari, Yadav Bahadur Rayamajhi, Dilli Raj Sharma and Govinda Bikram Shaha said that although the provision of 45 per cent reservation allocated to the women, ethnic communities and the Dalits was welcome, the Bill should also include the deprived communities from the remote areas.They said that performance evaluation should not be carried out by a single person and that extensive discussions was needed regarding the topic of automatic promotion as this provision would create many adverse effects.Answering the queries raised in course of the discussions on behalf the Minister of State Shaha, Minister of State for Environment, Science and Technology Bishwakarma said that the suggestions of the MPs would be incorporated in the Bill.The House of Representatives next meets at 11 a.m. on September 10