'Don't kill the Karnali with your aid' by Jivan Bahadur Shahi (#260) is perhaps the most encouraging piece I have read in Nepali Times recently. Finally somebody has voiced my exact opinion. Nepal needs infrastructure not charity. I hope Mr Shahi's words will be heard by the powers that be in Kathmandu, most of them busy doing studies and collecting statistics and seldom considering how they can empower the people. The people of Karnali and many other remote parts of Nepal deserve a chance to sustain their own lifestyle.

Shalini Tater,
email

. Jivan Bahadur Shahi has brought out the bitter and true feelings of rural Nepal in 'Don't kill the Karnali with your aid'. I agree with his analysis that Kathmandu's disinterest is responsible for the Karnali's backwardness. Flying in food, piecemeal projects and ad-hoc responses are not going to meet the real basic needs of the Karnalibasi. But as Mr Shahi argues, besides the government, the INGOs are also responsible for this dependence. Let the civil servants in the Karnali be from the Karnali, allow them to prepare their own programs, let the people of the Karnali take care of themselves. However, I do have my reservations about Mr Shahi's misgivings about importing iodised salt, which is protecting thousands of people from micronutrient deficiency. An iodisation plant in Gamgadi or Simikot is not a feasible solution for now. The benefits of community forestry far outweigh the effect it is having on traditional trade patterns.

Thebehang Thakur Subba,
Taplejung