Kathmandu, August 23, 2006

Minister of State for Information and Communication, Dilendra Prasad Badu, today announced that the cabinet has decided to move the Civil Service (Second Amendment) Bill-2006 in the House of Representatives with a view to effecting changes in the Civil Service Act (CSA) - 1992.

Once the Bill is passed, civil servants of the rank of Section Officers will be free to join the trade union of their choice.

Badu announced this at a press conference organised to publicise the decisions the cabinet had taken yesterday.

Another change will entitle all civil servants to automatic promotion after 16 and 20 years in the event they have not been promoted from the post they have occupied over the years.

However, those who have faced disciplinary action would not be entitled to this.

The government is also doing away with the tradition of shunting civil servants to the reserve pool without concrete reasons for a long period.

Those shunted will be suitably compensated.

Moreover as much as 45 of the civil service posts will now go to women and ethnic communities and backward classes and the disabled as a matter of rule when it comes to promotions.

Sulochana adds one gold to Nepal’s kitty

Karateka Sulochana Sijakhwa won the women’s kata gold at the 10th South Asian Games here at the Sugathadasa Indoor Stadium today.

The women’s team of Subhadra Shrestha, Raji Nagarkoti, Sangita Dangol and Remika Rai bagged a silver medal in team kata, while the men’s team of Nir Bahadur Moktan, Kedar Simkhada, Ganesh Bahadur Thing and Purnaman Balami got the bronze.

Sulochana performed sotokan karate kata in the first round to outscore Afghanistan ‘s Zohra Akhtari 3-0, while she demonstrated Matsu Mora Kachai in the second round to beat Bangladeshi Jaw V Prue by the same margin and entered the final against Sri Lankan RPS Lakmali.

With her brilliant performance of Anan in the final, Sulochana won the gold medal with a 4-1 win over Lakmali. Bangladesh’s Prue and India’s S Ratan Gharu finished joint third.

A resident of Yanche-6, Bhaktapur, Sulochana has been playing karate for a decade now but came into kata section some four years ago.

“It is a perfect gift for my father and family on Father’s Day. I dedicate this medal to my father,” said Sulochana, who was selected in the national camp for the first time.

“I was confident of winning the gold and I am very happy over my feat ,” she added.

In women’s team kata, Nepal was impressive in the first round when they outscored Pakistani karatekas. They scored a 2-1 win over India in the second round.

In the final against Sri Lanka, the Nepali team’s performance in kata was weaker than Bomkai (fight demonstration) which cost them the gold medal.

India and Bangladesh came joint third in the event.