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The International Day of the World's Indigenous Peoples is being observed today by organizing several programs.

The day is being marked across the country today by organizing diverse activities with this year's slogan 'Indigenous Youth as Agents of Change for Self Determination'.

According to the National Federation of Indigenous Nationalities (NEFIN), special emphasis has been laid on youth's activism and empowerment this year.

On the occasion, the Indigenous Commission organized a program at Baneswor today.

Likewise, NEFIN has also hosted a program in the Nepal Academy this afternoon.

In order to raise awareness of the needs of the indigenous population, every August 9 commemorates the International Day of the World’s Indigenous Peoples, chosen in recognition of the first meeting of the UN Working Group on Indigenous Populations held in Geneva in 1982.

On December 23, 1994, the United Nations General Assembly decided, in its resolution 49/214, that the International Day of the World’s Indigenous People shall be observed on August 9 every year.

The UN had observed the period (1994-2004) as an indigenous decade with the slogan 'the decade for action and dignity'.

Also on the occasion, Federation of Nepalese Indigenous Journalists (FONIJ) hosted a program in Kathmandu today.

A search operation has been reportedly intensified for those people who went missing in a landslide at Gaurikunda of Rudraprayag in Uttarakhand State of India four days ago.

The landslide swept away three hotels owned by Nepalis in the area.

The Indian Police earlier retrieved three bodies from the landslide debris.

The deceased have been identified as Tek Bahadur Kami, Prakash Kami and Devi Kami of Manma, Kalikot district.

According to the Embassy of Nepal in New Delhi, India, 11 Nepalis are still missing in the disaster and two others are suspected missing.

Nepal Police Senior Superintendent of Police Uma Prasad Chaturvedi from the embassy said that the Indian security has mobilized trained dogs to search for the missing persons.

The embassy is closely coordinating with the Indian authorities to support the rescue efforts.

However, the ongoing heavy rainfall and rising water levels in the Mandakini River are making rescue operations challenging.

SSP Chaturvedi said that Minister for Foreign Affairs NP Saud has already talked to Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami and other officials there, requesting to expedite the rescue efforts.

A noticeable number of Nepali people have been residing in the area as horse ride operators, hoteliers and workers for a long time.

All those missing are from Jumla, the embassy said

Manungkot, an emerging tourism hub in Byas Municipality-5 of Tanahun, now has witnessed a declining number of visitors.

The area had come to a wider publicity amidst the coronavirus pandemic.

There used to be a large inflow of tourists to the area from different districts of the country.

With the passage of time, the attractive tourist destination has lost its popular image.

Especially during the winter months, tourists turn up Manungkot to see foggy ambience and sunshine.

Byas-5 Ward Chair Bishnu Kumar Shrestha said there was a crowd of tourists in Manungkot in the winter season.

"Manungkot is special in the winter times. Tourists from different areas throng the place to enjoy panoramic foggy surrounding and sunshine", he said.

There is a nominal number of tourists ascending to Manungkot in other seasons, he said, adding hundreds of tourists arrive here on the daily basis to enjoy in the cold season.

The trend of establishing new hotels has increased with the rise in the mobility of tourists in Manungkot.

He said, "The municipality has also been effortful to promote tourism in Manungkot. The Ultra Marathon tournament has been taking place from Manungkot to Pulimarang every year".

One can enjoy the scenic beauty of the Himalayas, including Dhaulagiri, Machhapuchhre, Annapurna, Manaslu, Lamjung Himal from Manungkot.

Even local people reach Manungkot in the morning in the winter times to get warm as sunshine is early in the altitudinal area.

With the place drawing increasing attraction of tourists, the folks who descended to the city had also started doing business in Manungkot again.

The local people had left their village due to the water crisis.

Manungkot now has become an alternative to the processed jar water and tanker transported water in the city area.

Basanti Thapa, who left Manungkot in 2052 BS due to the water crisis, now runs a hotel in the same place

She said her family returned to Manungkot with the increase in the inflow of tourists here.

The road to Manungkot has been blacktopped.

It was done with the financial investment of the Ministry of Urban Development.

The 4300-meter road from Alaiinche to Manungkot has been blacktopped.

The government has formed a specialized medical committee to render medical care to VIPs and VVIPs within the country.

The Ministry of Health and Population today formed the body under the coordination of National Academy of Science (NAMS) Vice Chancellor Prof Dr Bhupendra Kumar Basnet.

Prof Dr Bhagawan Koirala, Dr Sanduk Ruit, Dr Bhola Rijal, Prof Dr Shailee Pradahan, Prof Dr Rabiman Shrestha, Prof Dr Kiran Prasad Shrestha, Prof Dr Ratnamani Gajurel, Prof Dr Subash Acharya, Prof Dr Shashi Sharma, Prof Dr Ramesh Chokhani, Associate Prof Dr Dhruba Gaire, Dr Pukar Chandra Shrestha, Dr Mahesh Adhikari and Dr Anant Adhikari are the members of the committee.  

Earlier, the government has managed a dedicated chamber for the treatment of VIPS and VVIPs at the Bir Hospital to provide the services for them within the country.

The move aims to ensure VIP and VVIP medical care services within the country and prevent a significant capital outflow from the country each year in the treatment of VIPs and VVIPs.

The committee shall prepare the procedures for the treatment system in accordance with the specialization medical methods and process, including health treatment of VVIPs and VIPs at Bir Hospital, preparing the task list of treatment management and formation of list of specialist doctors. It will submit the procedures to the Ministry of Health and Population.

In the meeting of the Committee today, Minister for Health and Population Mohan Bahadur Basnet said VIPs and VVIPs undergoing health treatment in Nepal will create a situation where the general public will start believing in the country's health sector.

"There is provision of all the required equipment for treatment with the help of Nepali means and resources.

Forty-one Ex-Indian Gurkha Army of Chitwan district have been honored with 'Senior Warrior Award'.

At a program jointly organized by Consulate General of India in Birgunj, and Ex-Servicemen Welfare Club on Saturday, 41 Ex-Indian Gurkha Army above 80 years were honored.

On the occasion, former General Dr Prem Singh Bansyat said both Nepal and India should respect the contribution of the Ex-Indian Gurkha Army.

The Ex-Indian Gurkha Army had played the role of bridge to maintain the friendly relations between the two countries.

Similarly, Consul General of Consulate General of India in Birgunj, Nitesh Kumar said that the Indian government would honor the Ex-Indian Gurkha Army continuously.

He said the Consulate General of India in Birgunj, organized such a program for the first time and it would be continued.

The honored Ex-Indian Gurkha Army expressed happiness for honoring them appreciating their contribution.

The Janamat Party will continue its support to the federal and provincial governments.

Party Chair Dr CK Raut has decided in the party's central committee meeting to give continuity to the incumbent government, said the party's central spokesperson, Dr Sharad Singh Yadav.

The meeting has also decided to take ahead 'Mission-84' with the goal of expanding the party organization by five times its present size.

Janamat Party has called a meeting of its Party Coordination Committee comprising the local people's representatives today.

The Ward Chairs, the Municipality Mayors and Deputy Mayors and the Rural Municipality Chairs and Deputy Chairs will attend the meeting.

The Kathmandu metropolis has decided to launch a Covid-19 vaccination drive once again targeting nine wards from August 6. The vaccination will continue till August 9.

According to Health Department Chief of Kathmandu Metropolitan City Office Ram Prasad Paudel, the campaign aims to vaccinate people above 12 years of age.

The local government decided to conduct the vaccination campaign against the infectious disease as it found that some citizens here have not received even a single dose of COVID-19 vaccine.

It will be organized in wards 6, 11, 14, 17 and 31 on August 6-7 and in wards 12, 15, 19 and 32 on August 8-9.

In Kathmandu, 90 percent citizens have received the first dose of the vaccine while 88 percent have got the second dose, 43 percent are inoculated with the third dose and only six percent have taken the fourth dose, the KMC Office Vaccination Section Chief Dr Abhiyan Gautam said.

All educational institutions operational in Dharan Sub-Metropolis of Sunsari have been closed for an effective campaign against dengue outbreak.

The executive committee meeting held on Tuesday took the decision to engage collective efforts for prevention and control of the contagion.

Dharan Sub-Metropolis Mayor Harka Raj Sampang said that the decision was made to run a dengue control campaign by pausing teaching and learning activities in the schools.

The Sub-Metropolis has called for the teachers and students of the schools to get engaged in the dengue control campaign during holidays.

The meeting also urged the social organizations, development organizations and local communities besides teachers and students to engage in the campaign in their wards.

Chief Administrative Officer of Dharan Sub-Metropolis Matrika Bhattarai said schools were shut down to effectively run a campaign of search and destroy mosquito larva of mosquito (Aedes aegupti) against dengue.

Likewise, Dharan-15 Chairperson Naresh Kumar Iwaram said the decision to widely mobilize the general public was made with an understanding that dengue outbreak would not be contained until and unless larva and eggs of dengue-transmitting mosquitoes are destroyed.

Dengue virus has taken lives of eight people, including a girl child in Dharan since June first week onward.

Lately, it has been difficult for dengue-infected patients to get beds in the health facilities, including private clinics and BP Koirala Institute for Health Sciences with the rise in cases.

Chief of Sub-Metropolis Health Section Umesh Mehata said that 2,495 out of 4,218 examined had tested positive for dengue.

The number is on the rise, he said.