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Fagu Poornima or Holi, the festival of colors, is being observed with much fanfare in the districts of the Tarai region today. The festival, also called the spring festival, marks the arrival of spring and the harvest season. Holika Dahan, the death of Holika, the symbol of the triumph of good over evil, is marked by lighting a bonfire and performing a special Puja to burn evil spirits. People in the Tarai districts are enjoying the festival of colors in groups by smearing one another with different colours including Abir or red vermilion powder. This festival is also regarded as a bridge to promote social harmony. Among various cultural festivals celebrated in Nepal, the Fagu Poornima carries its own specialty and significance. People from old to young age enjoy the festival with enthusiasm. Meanwhile, the sale and prices of fruits and other daily essentials have increased in the Tarai districts during this festival. Likewise, the Superintendent of Police (SP) of Morang said police personnel have been deployed to avert any unwanted activities in the Holi festival.

Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal has said the government is serious towards the issues in banking and financial sector, pledging to address them. During a meeting about the identification of and solution to issues in banks and financial sector organised today at the Office of the Prime Minister and Council of Ministers, the head of the government said interest rate of banks and finances, issues of microfinances, concerns of business community and financial anomalies are the serious concerns of the government.

"Business community is complaining over the banks' interest rates. Problems in microfinances are making news headlines almost each day. Some forces are intending to take advantages of this development. I have taken all these phenomena seriously." Stating the nation's economy is facing various difficulties, the prime minister said the very first Cabinet meeting of the incumbent government had decided to seek solutions to economic issues through collaboration between the public and private sector. "Today's meeting focused on resolving problems facing banks and financial institutions (BFIs). The government is at work to resolve economic problems. I am aware and cautious about people's complaints about BFIs," he said. He also sought suggestion from the private sector on dealing with the current problems in country's economy. "The government is serious about the matter. A high-level commission can be formed if need be," he said. Similarly, Governor of the Nepal Rastra Bank Maha Prasad Adhikari claimed that economic indicators were moving in a positive direction. Participating representatives from the private sector and BFIs provided various suggestions to the government in resolving problems facing the BFIs. Others present in the meeting were chief secretary, finance secretary, office bearers of the Federation of the Nepalese Chambers of Commerce and Industry, and representatives of various business organisations, the Nepal Bankers' Association and BFIs.  

As many as 70 persons underwent cataract surgery in a free eye checkup camp run in Phaktanglung Rural Municipality in Taplejung district. The free eye checkup camp was organized jointly by Tilganga Institute of Ophthalmology, Kathmandu and Phaktanglung Rural Municipality, Taplejung. The surgeries were conducted on Saturday and Sunday with a team of surgeons Prof Dr Sanduk Ruit and other doctors. The cataract surgeries were carried out among the 2,430 locals who visited the eye checkup camp to examine their eyes in Phaktanglung, where Dr Ruit was born. Chairman of Phaktanglung Rural Municipality Mukti Labung said that the patients having difficulties to visit other places were treated in the eye checkup camp and were provided with free meal and transportation service for visiting the camp from their remote village. Likewise, four patients with serious issues have been referred to Tilganga Institute of Ophthalmology in Kathmandu for further treatment.

Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal has pledged to promote the Singha Durbar Vaidyakhana Vikas Samiti as a project of national pride. Inaugurating then 7th International Ayurveda Congress here today, the Prime Minister assured that the 300-year-old institute would be made vibrant and upgraded as the national pride project. The Prime Minister said that the ayurvedic medicine in Nepal would be further promoted and policy-level decisions be taken to systematize the imports and exports of most essential medicinal herbs. "Policy decisions will be taken bearing in mind the need to operate the National Ayurveda Research and Training Centre in full fledge and intensify research on indigenous herbs," the Prime Minister said. He went on to say that the government was working on a policy of establishing a center for manufacturing ayurvedic medicines and collecting and processing herbs at each province, while promising some policy decisions to remove hurdles in the imports and exports of most essential medicinal herbs so as to facilitate the manufacturing of ayurvedic medicines. The Prime Minister took time to promise that an atmosphere would be enabled for exporting medicinal herbs, assuring government grants for herbs farming. Describing Nepal as a suitable zone for ayurvedic herbs, he stressed the need for dealing with issues in the sector caused by climate change. As he said, further exploration and research are needed on medicinal plants such as Yarshagumba, gooseberry, Rudraksha and basil plants available in Nepal. Hospitals, wellness clinics, and yoga and meditation centers will be established to promote health tourism, he said, adding that for this, a policy decision has been already taken. A 100-bed Ayurveda hospital will be established in all seven provinces, he said. There will be a cooperation with the Ministry of Ayush of India for Nepal to continue the research on Ayurveda that the Government of India has put in high priority, said the PM. The conference was organized in collaboration with Ayurveda related national and international organizations including the Nepal Maharishi Vedic Foundation (NMVF), and the International Maharishi Foundation, said Dr Kopila Adhikari, General Secretary of the Ayurveda Doctors Association of Nepal. Slogan for the conference is 'Ayurveda for all health'. More than 500 Ayurveda experts, researchers, industrialists and doctors from over 50 countries have participated in the conference that aimed to help with the publicity of Ayurveda and promote health tourism, she said. Besides, students, professors, producers and businesspersons have also taken part. The NMVF President Dipak Prakash Banskota expressed the hope that the seminar would help provide information about Nepal's traditional ayurvedic system and ayurvedic medicines to the world and its contribution to global health. On the occasion, Ambassador of India to Nepal Naveen Srivastava said the Indian government led by Narendra Modi has prioritized and promoted Ayurveda by establishing the Ministry of Ayush. Some efforts have been taken for cooperation between the two countries in Ayurveda and naturopathy and medicinal herbs, and this would yield results in the days to come, he said. The conference will run until Sunday.  

At least 14 children died and 19 others injured in leopard attacks in a span of five years in Tanahun district, said the district forest office. The deceased (10 boys and four girls) were in the age group of 1.5-11 years old, said assistant forest officer Raj Kumar Shrestha. In the current fiscal year, 2022/23, two children died and three others were injured in four leopard attacks, he said. Similarly, 77 domestic animals (69 goats, six pigs, one cow, and a calf) were killed in the 42 cases of the animal attack. Four barking deer and one python have been rescued, and three leopards and an Asian palm civet were found dead, said Komal Prasad Kafle, chief of the Division Forest Office. Human encroachment on the habitats of wild animals has threatened them. However, the forest office has taken some initiatives to minimize human losses from wild animal attacks. Human losses from wild animal attacks have decreased to some extent after ponds have been built for wild animals at each local level, he said.  

Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal pointed out the need of encouraging youth to seek entrepreneurship and to become self-employed. In a message of best wishes on the occasion of 8th anniversary of National Youth Council here today, PM Dahal said that economic prosperity could be attained if youth are made self-sufficient, arguing that youth were catalysts for change. Council was formed on this day in 2072 BS for promoting leadership among the youth and to advance the agenda of the youth in the country. The Council has spread its tentacles all over the country and is functioning at all local levels. Stating that it was imperative for the Council to move ahead formulating youth-oriented policies and programs ensuring its implementation to mobilize youth force positively, Dahal commended the Council for positively leading in the areas of youth awareness, empowerment and leadership development among others in spite of resources and budget constraints in a short span of time. Lauding the Council's positive initiatives for greater development of the youth, the Head of the Government expressed his confidence that the Council would move ahead effectively shouldering the responsibility of nation-building and ensuring welfare of youths associated with parent government organizations. Meanwhile, Council's Chairperson Surendra Basnet in a separate congratulatory message, spoke of the need to make youth, the backbone in the nation-building, self-employed and self-reliant. Basnet underscored the need to link education with labor, labor with skills, skills with production, employment and entrepreneurship. Furthermore, he opined that it was important to form a socialist system of the state by making youth force an integral part of development and prosperity.  

The Rastriya Prajatantra Party (RPP) has withdrawn its support extended to the Karnali Province government headed by Chief Minister Raj Kumar Sharma. RPP Province Assembly member Santoshi Shahi handed a letter to the Province Chief Tilak Pariyar today and informed that the party has withdrawn its support extended to the government. She said the party pulled out of the Karnali Province government as per the directive of the RPP central level. The RPP had also withdrawn its support to the federal government a few days ago. "The party central level has made a decision that it will not be appropriate for the RPP to be in power in the changed political context. In line with this decision, the RPP will withdraw its support extended to the provincial governments across the country," Shahi said. The RPP has only one seat in the 40-member Karnali Province Assembly.

Some parts of Province 1, Bagmati Province and Gandaki Province are likely to receive light rainfall with thunderstorms and lightning today. There is a possibility of snowfall in some high hilly and mountainous parts as well, said the Meteorological Forecasting Division, adding that the westerly wind and local wind have their little impacts. Most of the hilly parts of the provinces will be partly to general cloudy tonight while the weather in the remaining parts will be clear, according to the Division.