Kathmandu, March 8, 2008

Possibility of reaching an electoral alliance among the major parties, especially the Leftist forces, appears thin after the CPN-UML’s recent standing committee meeting left the issue to its district committees to decide.

The UML has, however, proposed to make an electoral adjustment in the case involving the top guns of the Nepali Congress, UML and the Maoist leaders. But the parties have not reached any general understanding even for leaving the seats for the top guns.

The CPN-Maoist has been calling for an electoral alliance among the three major parties to ensure their sizable presence in the constituent assembly. In an interaction with mediapersons held here on Thursday, Maoist chairman Prachanda called for such alliance so that “all ideologies may have representation in the CA”.

Though tomorrow is the final date for the withdrawal of candidature in the first-past-the-post system of election, none of the parties have reached any understanding regarding the electoral adjustment so far. “We have not been able to make any progress about the electoral alliance at the central level,” senior Maoist leader Mohan Baidya aka Kiran whom the party assigned to hold talks with the parties on electoral adjustment said.

He said they had held three rounds of talks with the UML and Unity Centre (Masal) but it yielded no concrete results. He, however, hoped for such an alliance with the Left parties at local level. When asked why the much-talked electoral alliance did not materialise, Baidya blamed some “unseen elements” for dividing the Leftist forces. He added that certain parties were exaggerating their strength.

60 babies, 6 mums die here daily

Kathmandu, March 8, 2008

Sixty newborns and six mothers die every day in the country for want of maternal and neonatal health services, states a survey report.

Every year, around 2,500 mothers and 22,000 newborns die in the country for want of maternal and neonatal health services, the National Demographic Health Survey (DHS) states. In memory of the mothers, who lost their lives delivering babies, the national Safe Motherhood Day was celebrated today and to prevent such deaths in future

According to the DHS, 281 out of 100,000 mothers die every year. Thirty-three out of 1,000 newborns also meet the same fate each year.

As per the Millennium Development Goal, the county has to decrease the maternal mortality rate to 134 and neonatal (within a month of delivery) death rate to 15 by 2015. Stakeholders said awareness should be raised on safe motherhood and the maternal health services launched at the grassroots level.

Dr Bishnu Prasad Pandit, acting secretary, Ministry of Health and Population (MoHP), called on people from all walks of live to help bring down maternal and neonatal morality.