Taxing junk food

This is in reference to Bihari Krishna Shrestha’s article “Malnutrition in Nepal” (THT, August 27), in which the writer argued that the health services had deteriorated. I would like to point out that even during the period of Maoist insurgency, health sector in Nepal did not suffer much. The Demographic Health Survey 2006 points out considerable improvements in maternal and child health — the exception being the state of malnutrition. His concern that much more could have been done in the field of nutrition with multi-sectoral approach is genuine though.

Private companies promoting fast food instead of nutritious products are also responsible for the poor health of growing children. The government should levy additional health tax on food items with minimal nutritional value and use the collected revenue for nutrition promotion

activities.

Dr. Badri Raj Pande, President, Nepal Health Economics Association

Petty fights

Even after the success of Jana Andolan II and the toppling of the autocratic regime, the dream of building a new and prosperous Nepal still looks like a distant dream. While the country stands at the threshold of a revolutionary change, political leaders are still wrangling over petty issues. They should understand that it is not the time for them to squabble over small differences but to act responsibly and in unison to make the CA polls a success.

Akesh Jaiswal, Birgunj

Promising

This refers to the news report “Nepal clinch fourth U-19 title” (THT, August 30). It is great to know that Nepal clinched the fourth consecutive ACC Under-19 Elite Cup and also qualified for upcoming under-19 ICC World Cup scheduled for February 2008. This is a great opportunity for the Nepali players to make their presence felt at international level. Now the Cricket Association of Nepal (CAN) should provide the national team with good international coaches so that the players could hone their skills further and contribute to the growth of the next generation of good cricketers.

Manoj Thapa, via e-mail

Discouraged

Apropos of the news report “Nepal clinch fourth U-19 title” (THT, August 30), Nepal has bagged the ACC trophy four times in a row. At home or abroad, Nepal has

performed wonderfully in U-19 cricket tournaments. Sadly, Nepali players have not been able to achieve the same kind of success at bigger tournaments. This, I believe, is mostly due to the lack of support of the government and the CAN.

Dwaipayan Regmi, Biratnagar

Stop cruelty

This is in reference to the editorial “The best way” (THT, August 22). Over the past few years, the incidents of corporal punishment in schools across the country have increased alarmingly. Teachers are often found to resort to corporal punishment for minor offences. Punishing students physically is not the best way to correct their errant behaviour. Such practices not only create a rift in teacher-student relationship but also have long-term

psychological impact on students. Such teachers should be punished.

Navin Maharjan, via e-mail