Kathmandu, September 1, 2005

Sudarshan Gautam became the first disabled person to conquer Yala peak thereby recreating history for the disabled individuals the world over. If all goes well, his achievement will more than likely, be recorded in the Guiness book. He hopes that his accomplishment will be a ray of light for all the physically challenged individuals throughout the world. Twenty-five-year-old Gautam scaled the 5732 m peak at 3 a.m on Aug 24 with an expedition team led by the fastest climber, Pemba Dorje Sherpa. Gautam had lost his hands to an 11,000 voltage current. His dream is to scale the highest peak in the world in April or May next year if he manages to raise sponsorship for it. “For me, Yala peak is just a ladder to Everest,” he said. On reaching the summit, he hoisted Nepal’s and United Nations’ flags. “I felt that I was representing all of the world’s disabled population while climbing,” he said at a press meet here today. “My success is not just mine but it is of the entire 2.4 million physically challenged individuals,” he said. In his own words, he is now happy and satisfied to be a disabled. “If both my hands were intact, I would have probably been more of a selfish person living for myself and not for the country,” he added. Ang Tsering Sherpa, president of the Nepal Mountaineering Association, said Gautam’s successful ascent of Yala peak “will help boost the morale of those with physical disabilities.”

Producers’ price index up

There was also a slight hike in the production cost that also pushed the price of goods up, he said. “Import price of some materials has gone up which has fuelled the price of iron rods as well,” he said. There has been a continuous fluctuation in the prices of some manufacturing goods. The price hike in some goods in Nepal is also attributed to massive infrastructure work going on in neighbouring countries like India and China, say experts.he manufacturing producers’ price index for the fiscal year 2004- 05 has gone up by 21 per cent for some products, as per the latest survey conducted by the Central Bureau of Statistics (CBS). The manufacturing producers’ price index is not realistic when it comes to the retail prices of goods. The increment in the manufacturing producers’ price index of some goods in fiscal year 2004-05 was attributed to international price fluctuations, slight increment in production cost, transportation cost and hike in petroleum products. Pradeep K Shrestha, managing director of Panchakanya Group of Industries that produces iron rods commented that the hike in the price index of some products is due to international price hike by 25 per cent in 2004- 05.