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Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal and main opposition CPN-UML Chairman KP Sharma Oli held a meeting on Monday.

During the meeting that took place at the Prime Minister's official residence in Baluwatar this morning, the two leaders discussed contemporary political affairs, with a particular emphasis on ending the ongoing House obstructions, according to the Prime Minister's Secretariat.

On Sunday too, senior leaders of three major political parties held a meeting at Baluwatar to discuss contemporary political issues.

Janamat Party’s two ministers without portfolio resigned on Monday.

A minister and another state minister of Madhes Province tendered their resignation today.

Basanta Kumar Kusawaha and state minister Sanjay Kumar Yadav, who were made ministers without portfolio by snatching the ministries, resigned at the direction of the party.

On May 23, Chief Minister Saroj Kumar Yadav replaced Kusawaha, who was taking the responsibility of the Ministry of Land Management, Agriculture and Cooperatives, by Govinda Neupane of CPN (Unified Socialist). Since then, both of them became ministers without portfolio.

The Janamat Party is preparing to send Chief Whip Chandan Singh and Manju Khang, who will represent Dalit, for the state minister in the upcoming Cabinet expansion.

Janamat Party had two ministers and one state minister in Madhes Province.

Meanwhile, preparations are underway to expand the Cabinet at 5 pm today.

The price of gold has dropped by Rs 300 per tola in the domestic market on Monday.

According to the Federation of Nepal Gold and Silver Dealers’ Association, the yellow bullion is being traded at Rs 112, 600 per tola today. It was traded at Rs 112, 900 per tola on Sunday.

Meanwhile, tejabi gold is being traded at Rs 112, 050 per tola. It was traded at Rs 112, 350.

Similarly, the price of silver has dropped by Rs 5 and is being traded at Rs 1,450 per tola today.

Two persons died when a motorbike (Na 57 Pa 231) they were riding on hit a parked truck at Manahari Rural Municipality-9, Jyamire, Makwanpur on Monday.

The deceased have been identified as bike rider Shambhu Giri (22) and pillion rider Sushil Giri (21) of Manahari-9, DSP Tek Bahadur Karki, DSP at the District Police Office, Makwanpur said.

The bike (Na 57 Pa 231) hit the stationary truck (Na 5 Kha 7472) this morning.

Both of them died while undergoing the course of treatment at the Chitwan Medical College Bharatpur Hospital, DSP Karki said.

Police said that they have impounded the truck and arrested its driver for investigation.

Khairahani Municipality of Chitwan has kicked off a 'larva search and destroy' campaign to protect the people from mosquito-borne dengue disease.

The municipality has started the door-to-door visit campaign since Sunday to search and destroy mosquito larva in potential areas.

Mayor Shahsi Kumar Khaniya, Deputy Mayor Kabita Uprety, other elected people's representatives, employees, health workers and locals had participated in the campaign.

On the occasion, Mayor Khaniya pledged to continue the campaign and asked the residents to remain cautious of dengue outbreak.

He said that the public awareness creating campaign would be continued to eliminate the Aedes mosquitoes' eggs.

Municipality's health section chief Nirmal Ghimire said that the public sensitization campaign has been intensified by reaching out to the community to eliminate dengue risks.

"There are several areas within the municipality which are favorable for mosquitoes to produce larva, " he said, adding, 'Rapid urbanization is contributing to spreading the mosquito-borne infection'.

Meanwhile, Ratnanagar Municipality has urged the municipal residents to adopt safety measures to protect oneself from mosquito bites.

The municipality has urged all ward residents to participate in the campaign to search and destroy mosquito larva.

Public Health Officer of the municipality Madhav Prasad Poudel said that the 'search and destroy' campaign has been put in place to eliminate the larva of mosquitoes that can transfer dengue.

Number of patients with dengue infection has reached 13 in Chitwan.

According to the Health office Chitwan, 13 people were tested positive to the dengue while carrying out blood tests among 121.

Lawmaker and CPN-UML Secretary Yogesh Bhattarai has called for giving full shape to the parliamentary committees.

The UML will not participate in the upcoming meetings of the committees if the parliamentary committees are not given full shape, said Bhattarai, speaking in a meeting of the Public Accounts Committee of the House of Representatives today.

Stating that the parliament and the parliamentary committees have not been able to run as per the parliamentary process, he claimed that the committees have not got full shape due to the dispute among the ruling coalition partners.

"The opposition does not want to shoulder the burden of the problem caused due to the ruling coalition. Probably we will not attend any of the meeting of the committees hereafter if the committees are not given full shape as per the parliamentary process. We want to inform the committee presidents beforehand," lawmaker Bhattarai said.

He argued that the parliament and the Constitution have not become the symbol of national unity as the parliament has not been run in an effective manner.

"The main opposition UML has not sought any share in the quotas. However, there is a practice that the presidency of the PAC is given to the main opposition party. If the ruling coalition does not even want to give this to us, we do not need it. Nevertheless, the parliamentary process should be followed in moving ahead the formation of the committees," the main opposition party secretary reiterated.

He further added it is not good that the committee president has not been elected even three months into the committee starting its work.

Rastriya Prajatantra Party (RPP) Chair Rajendra Lingden and lawmaker from the Rastriya Swatantra Party Manish Jha also echoed Bhattarai saying the parliamentary committees be given full shape at the earliest.

Arjun Narsingh KC of the Nepali Congress who was presiding over the meeting in the capacity as the senior-most (by age) lawmaker of the PAC, said the committee's serious attention was drawn to this topic.

The PAC meeting today passed the Public Account Committee Operation Procedures, 2080. The meeting also discussed the draft of this Operation Procedures.

A sub-committee has been constituted for preparing the draft of the Procedures. Rajan KC is its coordinator.

The Public Accounts Committee of the House of Representatives has drawn the attention of the government to form a high-level probe committee to investigate the 100 kg gold smuggling case.

A meeting of the Accounts Committee held on Sunday demanded formation of a high-level probe committee to carry out a fair investigation into the 100 kg gold smuggling scam.

Nepali Congress lawmaker Arjun Narsingh KC, who chaired the committee as a senior citizen, drew the attention of the government to form a high-level probe committee to launch an independent investigation into the gold smuggling case.

In the meeting, CPN-UML lawmaker Yogesh Bhattarai said that a high-level probe committee should be formed to investigate the latest  gold smuggling case.

Bhattarai, also the secretary of the UML, said that the Home Minister and the Finance Minister should also be investigated.

The UML has been saying that the gold could not be passed from the Tribhuvan International Airport without the involvement of ruling coalition leaders.

So far, police have arrested 18 persons in connection with the gold smuggling case.

On July 19, the Revenue Investigation Department had confiscated around 100 kg of gold concealed inside brake shoes ‘imported’ from Hong Kong in the name of Ready Traders from Sinamangal.

The Nepal Stock Exchange (NEPSE) plunged by 26. 14 points to close at 2,100.34 points on Sunday.

Similarly, the sensitive index dropped by 4. 17 points to close at 399. 66 points.

A total of 6,860,042-unit shares of 266 companies were traded for Rs 2. 50 billion.

Meanwhile, People's Power Limited was the top gainer today with its price surging by 3. 56 percent.

Likewise, Manakamana Smart Laghubitta Bittiya Sanstha Limited was the top loser as its price fell by 6. 78 percent.

At the end of the day, the total market capitalization stood at Rs 3. 08 trillion.