Nepal has decided to take membership of International Atomic
Energy Agency (IAEA), local Nepal Samacharpatra daily
reported on Thursday.
"A recent meeting of the Council of Ministers decided in this
regard," the daily reported quoting government sources.
"The cabinet (Council of Ministers) has asked the Ministry of
Science and Technology (MoST) to work on the issue following the
decision," said Purusottam Ghimire, deputy secretary at the
MoST.
He said that Nepal decided to take the membership as the IAEA
that works on preventing proliferation of atomic weapons, started
to invest in the area of technology and human resources
development.
Various intellectuals and institutions have been pressuring the
government to take the IAEA membership reasoning that
non-membership hindered to take IAEA's cooperation for secured use
of needed radiation in the treatment of cancer and other
diseases.
The radiation is used while carrying out X-ray and cancer
treatment. The specialists say the radiation may harm people's
health in case they are not used safely.
"So, the IAEA can train people for secured use of radiation and
doing the same in various countries," health specialists here say.
As many as 142 countries have taken the membership of IAEA so
far.
(Xinhua News Agency November 30, 2006)
