DAMAULI: Tanahun District Public Health Office on Saturday honoured three women health volunteers at a programme organised DPHO on the occasion of World Population Day. Saraswati Neupane, Nanu Maya Giri, and Hari Devi Panta of Byas Municipality were feted for their contribution in district public health management and reproduction health in the district. Dr Anjila Ghimire of Damauli Hospital, along with District Public Health Officer Durgadatta Chapagain, honoured women health volunteers. The award carries a purse of Rs 3000 each. The three women health volunteers were selected from among 52 women health volunteers in the district for their excellent performance.

Minors found dead

RAUTAHAT: Two Indian minors were found dead on Saturday afternoon in the Bagmati River in Brahmapuri VDC, bordering India, in Rautahat. The minors have been identified as Nandakishwor Yadav, 14, and Lalan Yadav, 12, of Susulpur, India, said District Police Office, Rautahat. According to SP Sanubabu Thapaliya of DPO, police had retrieved the bodies from the river. He said that the family of deceased had been informed. The bodies have been kept at district hospital for post-mortem.

350 kg yarsa traded

LAMJUNG: Around 350 kilogram yarsagumba has been traded so far this fiscal in Manag. One kilogram of yarsagumba, also known as Himalayan Viagra, was sold for four million rupees this year. According to Annapurna Project, last year a total of 180 kg of yarsagumba was exported legally from the district, generating the total revenue equalling Rs 486 million. However, locals said that yarsa worth around one billion rupees was exported from the district last year. A piece of dry yarsa is sold at Rs 700 to Rs 1,300 whereas the yarsa pickers sell it for 2.5 million rupees to 2.9 million rupees to contractors. The contractors sell it for four million rupees per kg in the market. The locals said that the illegal trading of the rare spices had soared with the government's decision to impose dual tax system. Yarsa holds a wide demand in the international market as it is regarded as a medicinal herb. Lack of fixed market pricing is said be another reason behind the rise in its illegal trading. Contractors reach to the Himalayan region so as to purchase the yarsa collected by the locals. During the harvesting season, villages usually turn empty in this remote region, as locals embark on a journey to high Himalayas to pick yarsa.