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Government Spokesperson and Minister for Communications and Information Technology Gyanendra Bahadur Karki has said the commitments made by the Nepali Congress-led government would be fulfilled. He said so while addressing a program organized by the left-democratic alliance at Koshi Rural Municipality-5 in Sunsari today.  The NC leader went on to say that the NC candidates were determined to live up to the promises they made before the people. Free medical care to children below three years of age and to people above 73 for all sorts of health issues, and old-age allowance above 65 are among those promises made by the NC to the people and they would be strongly implemented if it got a victory in the elections. He urged all voters to vote the alliance candidates during the voting for twin elections taking place on coming November 20 simultaneously. A joint office of the alliance was inaugurated on the occasion.

Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba has expressed his grief over the death of people in the Palpa bus accident. "I am saddened by the accident," said the PM in a tweet today. He also offered his condolences to the deceased and the bereaved families while directing the authorities to manage treatment for the injured people. Five people were killed and as many as 30 others injured when a bus heading to Manakamana in Gorkha district from Palpa met with an accident at Hungi of Rambha Rural Municipality in Palpa today morning.

Election materials have been transported to the eight remote mountainous districts of Gandaki, Karnali and Sudurpaschim Provinces in view of the upcoming elections to the House of Representatives and Province Assembly. The election is taking place in a single phase throughout the country on November 20. The Election Commission has been transporting ballot boxes, ballot papers, the swastika seals, stationery and other logistic materials to the different districts for the elections. It is said the Commission is supplying 57 various articles to the districts regularly. In this connection, the election materials have been supplied to Manang and Mustang of Gandaki province, to Humla, Jumla, Mugu, Kalikot and Dolpa of Karnali province and to Bajura of Sudurpaschim province, Commission's spokesperson Shaligram Sharma Poudel said. Apart from these districts, the Election Commission has already transported some election materials to 51 districts.

A tremor was felt in the hilly districts of Sudur Paschim Province on Sunday. The earthquake measuring 4.6 on the Richter scale occurred at 9:26 am today. The tremor was felt in Baitadi, Bajhang and Doti among other districts. According to Rajesh Sharma, Technical Assistant of Seismology Center Surkhet, the epicenter of the earthquake was at Lekhgaon in Bajhang. No damage has been reported yet.

Two persons were found dead in East Nawalparasi on Thursday. Sanjay Kumalm (25) of Bulingtar Rural Municipality-6 was found dead near his house. According to Jayram Onta, Inspector at the the Area Police Office, Dedhgaun, said that they are looking into the case. Meanwhile, a nonagenarian was found drowned in the Narayani river at Gaindakot Municipality-1. The deceased has been identified as Tanknath Kandel (93) of Gaundakot-1, Inspector at the Area Police Office Gaindakot Prasthant Shrestha said.

The demand for earthen pots has been growing with the approaching Chhath festival. Along with the domestic clay pots, various articles required for the festival manufactured in India are also making in-roads in the Nepali market. The earthen pots manufactured in India are doing brisk business in the bordering towns while the domestically produced ones are selling in greater numbers in the inner markets. The sale of clay pots has seen a rise in Janakpurdham, Mahendranagar Sakhuwa, Dhalkebar, Bateshwor, Dharapani, Birendrabazar, Sabaila, the main square at Sahidnagar and Hatiya, among the main markets of Dhanusha. With the increasing demand for clay pots in the market, the potters have become busy like the bees. The demand for earthen pots is high during the cultural festivals as Chhath due to the tradition of mostly using the clay pots for various cultural rituals. It is considered auspicious to conduct the rituals using the fresh clay pots. "The sale of clay articles like lamp, dhakana, chaumukhe deep, pala, images of elephants has increased at various places and the bordering towns for the imminent Chhath festival," said Bishnu Lal Pandit, a pottery trader of Haraiya, Kshireshwornath Municipality-4. As he said, making clay pots was their main means of subsistence in the past. But these days their traditional profession has been displaced with the increasing use of plastic and metal pots. Kamal Pandit, a potter at Sakhuwa, Kshireshwornath Municipality-6, complained that their traditional profession is under threat in recent years due to the growing use of plastic and metal pots. The festival period is the only time for local potters to earn whatever income for the whole year. A set of earthen pots for the Chhath festival costs between Rs 200 to Rs 300, said Kanhaiya Pandit from Janakpurdham. A majority of the local communities whose traditional profession is pottery making are abandoning this profession as it is not profitable. So, the traditional pottery making business is under threat.

Gorkha Municipality-5 Ward Chair Khil Bahadur Rana has passed away. He collapsed all of a sudden on Thursday evening and was rushed to the Gorkha Hospital where he was pronounced dead on the arrival, according to CPN-UML Gorkha district committee secretary Kajiram Roka. He was the UML Gorkha district committee member and the central secretariat member of the Youth Association Nepal.

The Chhath festival fervor has gripped the Mithila region including Mahottari with the festival formally commencing from today. People's mobility has increased in and around the region ahead of the four-day grand festival where the 'Sun God' is worshiped with devotion. The devotees begin the festival from today onward by observing the 'Nahay Khay' rituals. They observed the 'Araba Arabain' in the morning today ahead of the festival which requires giving up impure food such as boiled rice, millet, lentil and meat on the third day of Kartik Shukla, the waxing moon in the month of Kartik as per the lunar calendar. There is a tradition that the fasting starts on the third day after consuming a regular meal. But this year, the day falls today due to the merging of 'tithis' as per the astrological calculations. Songs are being chanted signifying the Sun God and Chhathi Devi (Goddess) in the Mithila region. Devotees commented that they are free to celebrate the Chhath festival this time with the declines in the cases of coronavirus. The celebrations were muted in the last two years due to the fear of the COVID-19 pandemic, devotees recalled, adding now they are excited to mark the grand festival without hesitation. With the advent of the Chhath, the Mithila-based ponds and river premises having religious importance are ornately decorated. Though there is a traditional belief that devotees, irrespective of gender, can observe fasting in the Chhath, mostly women are seen observing the fast and worshiping the Sun God. Today marks the beginning of the Chhath celebrations with the devotees taking holy dip and only eating pure food items with a resolution for rigorous fasting. The festival is dedicated to the Sun God, with offerings made to the rising and setting Sun. It is observed for four days, from Kartik Shukala Chaturthi to Kartik Shukla Saptami as per the lunar calendar. It usually falls between October and November in the Gregorian calendar. The Sun, considered as the God of energy and of the life-force, is worshiped during the Chhath festival wishing for the well-being, prosperity and progress. The rituals associated with the Chhath festival include taking holy bath, fasting and worshiping the Sun for a long time and offering 'prasad' and 'argha' (curd) to the rising and setting Sun. Chhath is a festival of bathing and worshiping that follows a period of abstinence and segregation of the worshiper from the main household for four days. During this period, the worshiper observes purity and sleeps on the floor on a single blanket. The devotees offer their prayers to the setting sun, and then the rising sun in celebrating its glory as the cycle of birth starts with death. It is seen as the most glorious form of Sun worship.