Submit your Article

The Bala Chaturdashi festival is being observed throughout the country today by commemorating the departed souls.

Devotees have gathered in the Shiva temples including the Pashupatinath Temple since last night to observe the festival.

In the night, they light lamps in commemoration of the departed family members and spend the night observing a vigil. In the wee hours the next day, the devotees sow the Satbeej (seven kinds of grains) along the premises of the shrines this morning. 

The festival formally began on the night of the 13th day of the waning moon in the month of Mangsir and is concluded today by spreading the Satbeej along the premises of shrines of Hindu god Shiva.

A large number of devotees have thronged the Pashupatinath Temple to observe the Bala Chaturdashi festival. Those unable to visit reached the temples of Shiva nearby their residences and localities and observed the festival.

Four houses were destroyed in a fire at Temba Bazaar in Mikkakhola Rural Municipality-4, Taplejung on Tuesday.

Vice Chairman of the rural municipality, Dandu Lama Sherpa, informed that the houses belonging to Indra Kumar Sanwa, Raj Kumar Sanwa, Anil Sanwa, and Bishnu Sanwa were gutted in the fire.

Everything in the houses turned into ashes. However, the human loss was prevented in the fire.

Detailed information on the incident is awaited, according to the District Police Office, Taplejung.

The Weather Forecasting Division has predicted fair weather across the country today.

There is no impact of any noticeable weather system in Nepal at present.

However, it will be partly cloudy in the hilly regions of Koshi, Bagmati, Gandaki and Karnali Provinces in the afternoon.

Few places in the mountainous belt of Koshi Province may have light rains and snowfall.

The weather remains 20-to-22-degree Centigrade maximum in the Kathmandu Valley. The minimum temperature recorded at 5:30 am was 9.4 degrees Centigrade today.

Irrespective of numerous projects and plans forwarded and put in place by government and NGO initiatives on health, sanitation and public awareness in Madhes Province, an appalling fact has been revealed that a local level alone has over 4,000 households without toilet facilities.

Lahan Municipality of Siraha district was found to have no toilets for 4,200 households. It was disclosed after a recent survey conducted by the municipality itself. 

Of 24,700 houses in the municipality, 17 percent were deprived of access to toilets, posing a serious threat to health and sanitation.

Municipality Mayor Mahesh Prasad Chaudhary shared this information by organizing a press conference on Tuesday.

Contradictorily, Lahan Municipality was declared an open defecation free zone in 2017. "It is worrying that such a huge number of households are running without basic needs. Time has come to change the situation by reaching every household," he said.

Dalit, landless, poor and disaster-prone settlements are continuing open defecation. The local level made the preliminary analyses that lack of fecal sludge management center clean water was perpetuating the problem. Even the toilets built earlier were left useless, unrepaired.

Proper places for setting up toilets would be identified for the landless people. Even the settlement of the landless squatters could be changed along with the sanitation facility, he added.

The municipality has further planned to mobilize people's representatives, social activists, community associations, schools and youth groups for three months to visit the houses and remind the people of the need for toilets.

"Toilet is not only for defecation but an indication of health and dignity," Mayor Chaudhary said, adding that the sanitation drive is successful only when it has people's participation.

Meanwhile, World Toilet Day is observed every year on November 19.

Across the globe, 3.4 billion people are still living without safely managed sanitation.

An industrial fair is being organized in Butwal in a bid to promote use of domestic products. The fair will be organized together with an agricultural and tourism festival from December 18.

The organizer of the event, Rupandehi Chamber of Commerce, shared this information amidst a press meet on Tuesday. The fair and festival would take place at the Modern Exhibition Place.

Chairman of the Chamber, Krishna Prasad Parajuli, informed that the fair has aimed at promoting the use of domestic industrial products. It is expected to protect and develop industries as a backbone of the national economy, he added.

He further said, "In addition to the exhibition of locally produced goods, the fair and festival feature new technology, art, culture, marketing of agriculture, tourism promotion, encouragement to youth entrepreneurs, self-entrepreneurship, and interaction."  

There would be some 500 stalls in total, categorizing industrial technology, agriculture, handicraft, garment, bakery, leather shoes, food grains and information technology. It is the 16th fair in the series.

The second day of the Nepal Premier League (NPL) featured two matches at the Tribhuvan University International Cricket Ground, with the Chitwan Rhinos and Biratnagar Kings emerging victorious.

The first match of the day saw the Chitwan Rhinos clinch a four-wicket win against the Karnali Yaks. After winning the toss, Chitwan’s decision to field first initially appeared costly as Karnali’s opener, Priyank Panchal, launched a devastating assault on the bowling attack. Panchal’s innings of 90 from just 48 balls, which included seven boundaries and six sixes, formed the backbone of the Karnali’ total. Despite his dominance, the Chitwan bowlers did well to restrict the flow of runs in the death overs, limiting Karnali to 166 for 3. Spinner Ravi Bopara was notably economical, conceding only 18 runs from his three overs and taking the crucial wicket of Panchal.

In reply, the Chitwan’ chase was marked by periods of pressure and timely acceleration. They suffered early setbacks with the dismissals of Dawid Malan and Dev Khanal, leaving them at a precarious 29 for 2. A 38-run partnership between Deepak Bohara (42) and Ravi Bopara steadied the innings before another flurry of wickets swung the momentum back towards Karnali. With the game in the balance, Bopara shifted gears to complete a vital half-century. However, the match-winning impetus came from Saif Zaib, who blasted 38 runs from a mere 16 deliveries, including four sixes, to dismantle Karnali’s bowling attack in the final overs. The Chitwan eventually reached their target of 167 with five balls to spare. For his pivotal 52-run knock and key wicket, Bopara was awarded the Player of the Match.

The evening game was a display of pure batting firepower as the Biratnagar Kings secured a comprehensive 53-run victory over the Pokhara Avengers. Put into bat first, Biratnagar amassed a formidable total of 220 for 6, highest in the second season. The innings was set up by a spectacular 132-run stand between Lokesh Bam and Martin Guptill. Guptill was the initial aggressor, racing to 61 off 35 balls, while Bam anchored the innings with a composed 72 from 48 deliveries. The onslaught was continued by Shubham Ranjane, who smashed 38 from 16 balls to propel the Biratnagar past the 220-mark, leaving the Pokhara’s bowlers with an economy rate soaring above 10 for the night.

Facing a daunting required rate of 11.05, the Pokhara Avengers began their chase with explosive intent. Adam Rossington (39 from 21 balls) and Kushal Bhurtel (59 from 31 balls) took the powerplay score to 77 for 1, keeping their team in contention. However, the dismissal of Bhurtel triggered a dramatic and catastrophic collapse. The middle order, including Jimmy Neesham and Trit Raj Das, fell cheaply to the spin of Sandeep Lamichhane, who finished with exceptional figures of 2 for 18 from his four overs. From a promising 88 for 1, the Pokhara lost their last nine wickets for 79 runs, eventually being bowled out for 167 in the 19th over. The Biratnagar bowling was a collective effort, with Marchant de Lange, Pratis GC, and Shubham Ranjane all claiming two wickets each.

The Nepal Premier League continues on Wednesday with a single day-night fixture at the same venue. The Kathmandu Gorkhas will take on the Sudurpaschim Royals, with the match scheduled to begin at 4:00 pm.

This match will mark the season opener for the Sudurpaschim Royals, who will be looking to start their campaign on a positive note. The Kathmandu Gorkhas, in contrast, will be playing their second game, buoyed by a victory over the Janakpur Bolts in the tournament opener on Monday. 

The Bagmati Province government has announced plans to provide interest-free loans to citizens in rural areas to encourage livestock rearing.

Addressing the 10th District Assembly of the District Coordination Committee, Rasuwa, on Monday, Bagmati Province Minister for Economic Affairs and Planning Prabhat Tamang said the loans will be available for purchasing two buffaloes per household to support local livelihoods.

He added that the government is also prepared to help communities establish dairy enterprises and manage fodder and fertilizer supplies.

During the program, participants expressed concern over the lack of progress review for the Galchhi–Trishuli–Mailung–Syafrubesi–Rasuwa road improvement project.

Chief District Officer Rajesh Panthi said that natural disasters are common in the district, emphasizing the need for cooperation and vigilance from all sides to manage such risks.

The program was presided over by District Coordination Committee Chief Ashok Kumar Ghimire.

Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Bishwo Adhikari has been recommended for promotion to the rank of Deputy Inspector General (DIG).

The Promotion Recommendation Committee endorsed Adhikari for the upgrade. He had been excluded in the previous round of promotions, during which five SSPs were elevated to DIG despite Adhikari being at the top of the merit list.

Adhikari was the chief of Kathmandu District Police Range during the GenZ protests on Sept 8 and 9.

He was later transferred, and SSP Ramesh Thapa was appointed in his place. Meanwhile, Technical SSP Ram Kumar Chaudhary has also been recommended for promotion to technical DIG.

The committee put forward his name on Monday.

Chaudhary is currently working in the Physical Infrastructure Division of the Administration Department at the Nepal Police Headquarters in Naxal. He serves under the engineering subgroup within the technical category.