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Chandani Sharma (21) of Baglung had heard that paragliding is operated in the skies of Pokhara, but she hadn’t imagined she would one day soar like birds. A student of BEd at the Prithvi Narayan Campus, Sharma was aware that Blind Rocks was taking visually impaired individuals for paragliding, but she didn’t believe she would get the opportunity herself.

“When Shristi informed me on Sunday that I would get a chance to paraglide, I was very curious. People used to say the sky is blue, but I have never experienced it,” Sharma said. “Soaring like birds and feeling the cold breeze was a memorable experience for me.”

Sharma said that events like this are important to send a message to society which still believes that people with disabilities can do nothing. “Although I could see nothing, my pilot Ram Gautam described to me how Pokhara looks from the sky,” she added.

Blind Rocks organized the inclusive paragliding program to spread the message that physical disabilities and visual impairment do not stop anyone from reaching new heights in life. Shristi KC, the founder of Blind Rocks, also thoroughly enjoyed her flight. “Entering into the clouds was the highlight of the experience. I always dreamed of flying above the clouds. It was a fun-filled experience,” KC added.

KC shared how her pilot briefed her about everything during the flight. “He informed me when we entered the cloud and described the green fields, Harpan Khola entering Fewa Lake, and the overall scenery of Pokhara,” she added. She also explained how her first paragliding experience brought positivity into her life and felt that other visually impaired individuals should also have the opportunity. As a result, she arranged for 10 visually impaired individuals, including two foreigners, to experience paragliding through her organization.

Thomas Sidleyn of Australia and Christopher John of the US expressed their happiness in listening to their pilots’ descriptions of the bird’s eye view of Pokhara city. For Thomas, a member of Blind Rocks, who is visiting Nepal for the second time, this was his first paragliding flight. “It’s not necessary to see to enjoy the beauty. We can also listen to others’ experiences and sense our surroundings,” he added. The program was organized in coordination with the Pokhara Metropolitan City, and the Nepal Air Sports Association offered free flights to visually impaired individuals.

A man shot his wife dead at Byas Municipality in Tanahun on Tuesday.

Shree Prasad Ale (56) of Byas-5, Manung shot dead his spouse Geeta Ale (47) at 11 pm yesterday.

He used a home-made gun to kill his spouse.

Geeta, who sustained severe bullet injuries in the incident, died while undergoing treatment at the Damauli Hospital, said Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) at the District Police Office Mohan Bahadur Khand.

Police arrested Shree Prasad immediately after the incident last night.

As per the preliminary investigation, the incident occurred due to dispute over family affairs, police said.

Investigation into the incident is underway.

All educational institutions operational in Dharan Sub-Metropolis of Sunsari have been closed for an effective campaign against dengue outbreak.

The executive committee meeting held on Tuesday took the decision to engage collective efforts for prevention and control of the contagion.

Dharan Sub-Metropolis Mayor Harka Raj Sampang said that the decision was made to run a dengue control campaign by pausing teaching and learning activities in the schools.

The Sub-Metropolis has called for the teachers and students of the schools to get engaged in the dengue control campaign during holidays.

The meeting also urged the social organizations, development organizations and local communities besides teachers and students to engage in the campaign in their wards.

Chief Administrative Officer of Dharan Sub-Metropolis Matrika Bhattarai said schools were shut down to effectively run a campaign of search and destroy mosquito larva of mosquito (Aedes aegupti) against dengue.

Likewise, Dharan-15 Chairperson Naresh Kumar Iwaram said the decision to widely mobilize the general public was made with an understanding that dengue outbreak would not be contained until and unless larva and eggs of dengue-transmitting mosquitoes are destroyed.

Dengue virus has taken lives of eight people, including a girl child in Dharan since June first week onward.

Lately, it has been difficult for dengue-infected patients to get beds in the health facilities, including private clinics and BP Koirala Institute for Health Sciences with the rise in cases.

Chief of Sub-Metropolis Health Section Umesh Mehata said that 2,495 out of 4,218 examined had tested positive for dengue.

The number is on the rise, he said.

Professor Dr Govinda KC has issued yet another ultimatum to the government as part of his struggle for reforms in the medical education sector. 

Dr KC put forth his demands by organizing a press conference in the Capital on Monday, threatening to launch a hunger strike from August 14 if the government fails to meet his demands.

He demanded the withdrawal of CTEVT’s ‘illegal move’ regarding seat allocation and student admission in nursing, pharmacy and health assistant studies, dismissal of officials behind the move, formation of a recommendation committee for the appointment of the vice-chair of the Medical Education Commission within a week and completion of the selection process before the expiry of the current Vice-chair Dr Shree Krishna Giri’s term (in August). 

Dr KC also demanded that the CTEVT’s decision to hike tuition fees for health assistant, pharmacy and nursing studies be revoked along with the vested interests’ bid to interfere in the CTEVT’s seat allocation and selection process. On its part, CTEVT has put its fee hike move on hold in the wake of protests.

He took the occasion to reiterate his demands, including the establishment and operation of government medical colleges or institutes in all provinces, enactment of a law outlining criteria for appointment of Integrated Health (Science) Education and Academy officials, arrangements for the transformation of medical education into a not-for-profit sector, legal arrangements to prevent conflicts of interest in medical education institutes, appointment of permanent medical staff in government hospitals on the basis of number of available beds and a strict implementation of legal provisions on free medication and treatment from government health institutions.

He has also asked the government to implement agreements reached with him on Sept 24, 2022. 

“While our repeated protests led to various reforms, the government has yet to implement many important agreements. At this point, efforts are on to reverse the reform process in the interest of medical mafia,” Dr KC said.

He maintained that organized efforts were underway to destroy the Medical Education Commission, the regulatory body of medical education, by removing provisions of the Medical Education Act.

Attempts to reverse the achievements of the decade-long struggle for reforms in medical education are reproachable, Dr KC said: Our repeated calls to the government to do a course correction have gone unheard. Instead of starting the process for new appointments at the Medical Education Commission, the government is trying to throw a spanner in the commission’s works by making it leaderless. 

The Minister for Education is protecting party workers instead of stopping them from interfering in seat allocation and admission process in CTEVT affiliates,  Dr KC said, adding: This has given rise to suspicion that the minister may have been working in the interest of the medical mafia.