LALITPUR: Prime Minister Madhav Kumar Nepal today underlined the need to empower Nepalese women by bringing drastic changes in education, health and employment sectors.

Speaking at a Beijing +15 national consultative meeting organised in the capital by Beyond Beijing Committee (BBC) today, PM Nepal said that until the government empowered women, their responsibility towards social change would weaken.

He said that Nepal has set an example to the world by increasing the women representation in the Constituent Assembly to one-third.

"Though we have accomplished a lot on women empowerment after the restoration of democracy and the dawn of the republic, much remains to be done to bring Nepali women on par with their male counterparts," he remarked.

He said that the government had already addressed women's issues at the policy level, yet qualitative results are lacking in as far as their daily lives are concerned. “This is because the country is undergoing a transition,” he said.

PM Nepal, however, said that women themselves were relentlessly working towards inclusion of 12 issues centred on their rights as reflected in the Beijing Conference in the upcoming constitution.

"The PM's office has already directed the authorities concerned to act promptly towards ending violence against women - rape, domestic, human trafficking and many more," he said, adding, "Special programmes are in the pipeline for the rehabilitation of victimised women and children."

Anjana Shakya, president of BBC said that the main objective of the programme was to empower women and ensure their gender equality by enabling them to take part in the discussions on the achievements and challenges facing Beijing Platform For Action.

Committed to curb crime in academia

KATHMANDU: Prime Minister Madhav Kumar Nepal today said he was committed to control criminal activities in educational institutions.

PM revealed that he had directed officials concerned to take steps to control such activities. Industrialists Padma Jyoti, Rajendra Khetan and journalist Bhairab Risal, among others, submitted a memorandum to the PM to draw his attention to political intervention and the worsening academic environment in institutions.

The PM expressed his seriousness on the matters. The delegation also underscored the need to improve the policy of political parties towards educational institutions to free schools and colleges of politics.