Scholar passes away

LALITPUR: Dharma Ratna Shakya, a Theravada Buddhist scholar and the pioneer of the Buddhist Pariyati Shikshya passed away on Tuesday. Shakya was 77. He has made an important contribution for the construction of the Sugatpur Bihar in Trisuli, Nuwakot. He is survived by a son and a daughter. — HNS

Contract signed

KATHMANDU: Rural Access Programme (RAP), funded by the DFID, signed a contract worth Rs 37 million for the construction of 13 km section out of 92 km of Hile Bhojpur Feeder Road (HBFR), said a statement issued here on Wednesday. — HNS

Tamangs’ demand

KATHMANDU: The main organising committee formed for the celebration of Fag Lhochhar - 2007 has urged the government and the Maoists to promulgate the interim constitution only after creating an environment to address the issues of indigenous people. The committee is scheduled to submit a memorandum to the PM Girija Prasad Koirala on January 17 to create pressure on the government to include the issues of indigenous nationalities in the interim statute. — HNS