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Nearly 800 households in the district have been forced to live in darkness owing to electricity disruption for two days.

The Dillichaur Hydropower Project failed to generate power owing to the cut off in water supply. The canal supplying water to the hydropower was damaged by a landslide.

The canal collapsed, disrupting water supply. It was damaged in a 25-meter stretch. "Although locals had noticed cracks on the canal wall, it lacked timely repair, resulting in power disruption since Sunday," said Chairman of Vidyut Cooperatives, Krishna Bahadur Budha, expressing regret.

Budha informed that it costs Rs 600, 000 as per technicians to reconstruct the channel.

Nearly 800 households from ward 4, 5 and 6 of Patarasi Rural Municipality have been deprived of electricity after the damage in water supply. It also caused difficulty in the daily works of government offices, banks and financial institutions.

Meanwhile, Rs 300, 000 has been allocated from the rural municipality for the reconstruction of the hydropower canal.

Rural municipality Chair Purna Singh Bohara informed that they were at work to resume power supply at the earliest.

Madhes Province Chief Minister Saroj Kumar Yadav has said both immediate and long-term plans are imperative to solve drinking water problems in Madhes.

During a consultative seminar organized by the Drinking Water and Drainage Department under the federal government on quality water supply in Madhes on Monday, CM Yadav informed that as the ground water table was sinking in the southern belt of Madhes for some years, it resulted in a drinking water crisis. So, the federal government must launch programs with both sorts of plan, he underlined.

He thanked the federal government for deciding to supply some water from Sunkoshi Marine Diversion after processing for drinking water in six districts of Madhes Province. "This plan is laudable. Madhes Province is committed to work in collaboration. As it takes time for completion of the project, we need immediate plans," he said and urged the federal government to pay heed to this urgency.

"I want to urge the federal government to launch immediate plans and programs so that the drinking water problem would be addressed on time," he said.

In the program held under the chairmanship of federal Minister for Drinking Water, Rajendra Kumar Rai, Chair of Women, Children and Social Committee of the House of Representatives, Kiran Sah; former Minister for Drinking Water, Mahendra Raya; and Minister for Energy, Drinking Water and Irrigation in province, Singhashan Saha, among others spoke on present situation of water supply and further strategy. 

Director at Drinking Water and Drainage Department, Kamal Raj Shrestha, had presented a working paper in the seminar.

Police have arrested Managing Director of Birgunj National Medical College and Teaching Hospital Shahanawaz Hussain Ansari and Lab head Sanjay Shah.

Police took both of them under control after finding expired medicines and chemicals in the lab and pharmacy of the medical college.

Both of them have been kept at the District Police Office, Parsa, DSP Keshar Neupane, spokesperson at the District Police Office, Parsa said.

A market monitoring committee of the Birgunj Metropolitan City carried out a raid at the lab and pharmacy of the medical college.

During the monitoring, expired chemicals and medicines were found in the pharmacy, Kanhaiya Thakur, a member of the monitoring committee, said.

SP Kumod Dhungel of the District Police Office, Parsa also participated in the monitoring team.

The CPN (Maoist Center) has quit the Koshi Province government.

Three ministers of the party tendered their resignation on Monday.

Ramesh Upreti, Rajendra Karki and Narayan Burja Magar submitted their resignation to Chief Minister Kedar Karki.

The Maoist Center had decided to quit the provincial government only on Monday.

Speaker Devraj Ghimire held a meeting with senior leaders of the four major political parties representing the Parliament on Monday.

The meeting, however, ended inconclusively after the main opposition Nepali Congress said that it would not backtrack from its stance of forming a parliamentary probe committee to investigate fraud charges against Deputy Prime Minister and Home Minister Rabi Lamichhane.

The Congress has also been preparing to bar the home minister from taking the rostrum.

Home Minister Lamichhane is scheduled to present an amended bill on political parties on Tuesday.

That is why, Speaker Ghimire held a meeting with the four parties representing in the Parliament so that there would be no disruption in the meeting.

Congress Chief Whip Ramesh Lekhak clarified that they demanded the formation of a parliamentary probe committee as the savings of millions of Nepali nationals have been embezzled and there is an involvement of sitting ministers.

“We have allowed the House to function. We have not presented ourselves in an irresponsible way. But still the government has not become serious. Now, the government itself will be responsible if the proceedings of the federal Parliament are obstructed,” he said.

Meanwhile, CPN-UML Chief Whip Ramesh Bartaula said that the parliamentary probe committee will not be formed.

He said that it will set a wrong precedent  if the parliamentary committee is formed even in a minor issue.

Similarly, CPN (Maoist Center) Chief Whip Hitraj Pandey said that as Home Minister Lamichhane is scheduled to present a bill in the Parliament tomorrow, he will answer the questions raised against him at that time.

Likewise, Rastriya Swatantra Party said that the Congress has leveled baseless allegations against party President Lamichhane.

Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal, Nepali Congress President Sher Bahadur Deuba and Rastriya Swatantra Party Rabi Lamichhane were present in the meeting. Bishnu Paudel attended the meeting from the CPN-UML.

Similarly, chief whips and whips of four major political parties were also present in the meeting.

Paul Staniland is a professor of political science at the University of Chicago. He is non-resident scholar, South Asia Program Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. Kamal Dev Bhattarai of ApEx talked with him about US South Asia policy, particularly focusing on Nepal. 

How do you see the broader US South Asia policy?

The US is aiming to align with India, reduce or manage Chinese influence in the smaller states of South Asia, and access the rapidly growing markets in the region. It keeps an eye on Pakistan, which is a source of concern regarding potential escalation from tensions with India and terrorism, but has clearly downgraded that relationship compared to the post-9/11 period.

It has been two years since the Joe Biden administration came up with the Indo-Pacific Strategy, how is it playing out in South Asia?

The Indo-Pacific Strategy seems to have been reasonably well-received in India as a signal of US commitment to competing in Asia. It's less popular and desirable in other states in the region, which are quite worried about getting sucked into US-China rivalry and have interests that often do not tightly align with that competition. 

What are the key US interests in South Asia?

As noted above, the US wants to keep China out, work with India, and have access to markets in the region.

How does the US see China’s growing interests in this region?

Chinese influence is certainly an area of concern as it is seen as rapidly expanding and increasingly able to deploy massive resources, though my sense is that there may be a growing recognition that it has been very difficult for China to convert its economic power into enduring political influence. The CPEC in Pakistan has not been especially successful, BRI is often contested in ‘host’ countries (like Nepal), and Sri Lanka’s economic crisis was not prevented or solved by Chinese involvement.

What are the latest trends in US-Nepal relations?

The US is definitely interested in Nepal as a case where it can provide economic and governance benefits in the context of growing Chinese influence. That said, I don’t think the US public or most of its policy community think about Nepal a lot as a major site of strategic competition—there has been an American presence since the 1950s, so it’s not wholly new. Nevertheless, there is a growing interest and some learning about how to best approach Nepal; for instance, it’s been noticeable that the US has tempered the use of Indo-Pacific Strategy framing around Nepal and is ideally hoping to provide opportunities that complement, rather than necessarily direct take on or denounce, Chinese efforts. 

What are key US interests in Nepal? 

The US wants a growing, democratic Nepal that is on reasonably cordial terms with the US and India.

The main opposition Nepali Congress has decided not to allow Deputy Prime Minister and Home Minister Rabi Lamichhane, who is suspected to be involved in the cooperatives scam, to address from rostrum.

An office bearers’ meeting of the party held in Budhanilkantha has decided to bar Home Minister Lamichhane from taking the rostrum as Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal has answered on behalf of the government.

Congress Parliamentary Party Chief Whip Ramesh Lekhak said that the meeting has concluded that there is no alternative to forming a parliamentary committee to investigate cooperative fraud charges against Home Minister Lamichhane.

He said that they demanded the formation of a probe committee as the Prime Minister’s answers on cooperative scam were not satisfactory.

The Congress , the largest party in the lower house, has called a meeting of the parliamentary working committee and Parliamentary Party on Tuesday morning to decide on a new strategy after understanding the views of the ruling parties in the meeting called by the Speaker this afternoon.

According to the Speaker’s press advisor Shekhar Adhikari, the Speaker has called Prime Minister and CPN (Maoist Center) Chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal, Congress President and main opposition party leader Sher Bahadur Deuba, CPN-UML Chairman KP Sharma Oli and Home Minister and Rastriya Swatantra Party President Lamichhane in Singha Durbar at 2 pm today hold a discussion on contemporary political issues.

The Congress has continuously been raising questions against Lamichhane after the formation of a new equation and being appointed as the Home Minister.

The price of gold has increased by Rs 600 per tola in the domestic market on Monday.

According to the Federation of Nepal Gold and Silver Dealers' Association, the yellow metal is being traded at Rs 136, 200 per tola today. It was traded at Rs 135, 600 per tola on Sunday.

Similarly, tejabi gold is being traded at Rs 135,550 per tola today against Rs 134,950 on Sunday.

Meanwhile, the price of silver has increased by Rs 15 and is being traded at Rs 1, 685 per tola.