中英对照：尼泊尔计划将科学预算增加到原来的12倍

　　Nepal's new government is planning a US$125 million science budget for 2008 — a staggering 12-fold increase from last year.

　　The money will go to the Ministry of Environment, Science and Technology (MEST), with the budget set to be approved next month.

　　在该国四月大选前不久，尼泊尔议会最大政党尼共（毛主义）发布了一项声明，宣布“没有科学一个国家不能得到发展。”尼共（毛主义）的领导人普拉昌达拥有农业科学的学位，曾经在一所预科学校教授科学。

　　Shortly before the country's April elections, the Maoist party — which has the largest share of seats in Nepal's assembly — released a manifesto declaring, "Without science a country cannot develop." Prachanda, the party's leader, has a degree in agricultural science and also taught science in a prep school.

　　新的预算将重点发展生物技术，主要是开发尼泊尔丰富的生物资源。该国将于2009年在加德满都开设一个生物技术实验室，而环境与科技部计划建立一个全国生物技术研发中心。

　　Biotechnology research will be a focus — primarily to exploit Nepal's rich biological resources. A biotech lab in Kathmandu is due to be completed in 2009, while MEST plans to construct a national biotechnology research and development centre.

　　尼泊尔还深受电力和汽油短缺之苦，因此该国政府将把预算的一大块投入开发清洁能源，包括利用麻风树开发生物燃料。

　　Nepal often experiences electricity and gasoline shortages, so the government will also devote a large part of the money to developing clean energy, including the use of a jatropha as a biofuel.

　　世界银行的科学支出数据表明，尼泊尔目前名列布隆迪之后，而后者是世界上人均国内生产总值最低的国家。

　　World Bank figures on science spending currently put Nepal behind Burundi, the country with the world's lowest per capita gross domestic product.

　　本文由科学与发展网络(SciDev.Net)独家提供。