Himalayan News Service

Kathmandu, February 14:

Minister for Education and Sports, Radha Krishna Mainali, said he would try to make the Nepal Scouts more effective and people-oriented.

“I will try my utmost to make Nepal Scouts people-based,” he said after taking the oath as Chief Scout from the Nepal Scouts chief commissioner Sri Ram Lamichhane. The education minister is an ex-offio member of the Scouts, according to Nepal Scout Statute.

Mainali said that role of Nepal Scouts should be broadened so that they could play an important role in the country. “The idea is to empower them so that they can do extensive work in sectors of health, sanitation and in society at large,” he added. Mainali was speaking at the convocation ceremony of the Scouts.

Scout chief commissioner Lamichhane said Nepal Scouts has established its offices in 53 districts. “We have plans to spread out in 70 districts by the end of this year,” he said. According to him, there are 32 thousand scouts in the country.

Lamichhane said the scouts have nine mantras. “A scout pushes people for social welfare, makes them faithful to the country, laws and elders, makes economic progress congenial, is friendly, disciplined, and pure at heart and is an embodiment of other virtues,” he said. Commissioners also briefed the minister about the plans of Nepal Scouts for this year.