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Nepali Congress (NC) has organized a mass gathering in Pokhara today targeting the upcoming House of Representatives (HoR) elections. 

NC Kaski secretary and spokesperson Nabin Sigdel informed that party President Gagan Kumar Thapa and Vice President Bishwo Prakash Sharma are set to address the gathering to be held at Amarsingh Chowk in Pokhara. 

He stated that leaders and cadres along with candidates from all 18 constituencies within the province will participate in the gathering. 

Spokesman Sigdel noted that the general public will be imparted a direct message about the changed NC's clear ideas, policies, working style and upcoming plans through the mass gathering. 

With the election date approaching, parties have intensified their campaigns.

The Election Commission (EC) has announced that vehicular movement will be banned from 12:00 midnight on March 4 until the completion of  the House of Representatives (HoR) elections scheduled for March 5.

The rule will apply to both public and private vehicles. 

A high-level election security committee meeting made this decision. However, vehicles for specific and emergency purposes will be allowed to operate.

Ambulances, fire engines, mortuary vans, vehicles for blood transfusion services, vehicles of security agencies, and those used for electricity maintenance, water supply and drainage maintenance, telecommunications services, diplomatic missions, as well as vehicles granted passes to operate on election day, will be permitted to run.

According to EC Joint Secretary and Spokesperson Narayan Prasad Bhattarai, the rule will remain in force from midnight on March 4 until the evening of March 5.

Domestic and international flight schedules on March 5, however, will remain unchanged. 

Passengers on those flights will be allowed to use private vehicles or vehicles arranged by the respective airline companies while traveling between airports and their homes or hotels.

Through the Home Ministry, the EC has written to the District Administration Offices in all 77 districts to seal the international borders 72 hours prior to the Election Day.

As per the House of Representatives Election (Voting) Directive, 2082 BS, voters must carry a voter ID card, Nepali citizenship certificate, passport, land ownership certificate, or driving license while voting at the polling center.

According to the Procedure for Vehicle Permission, 2082 BS, issued by the EC, a pass distribution desk will be set up at the premises of the EC Secretariat for vehicle passes to be issued by the EC and the District Administration Office, Kathmandu.

Nepal and India have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on biodiversity conservation. 

The MoU to this effect was signed in the presence of Minister for Forests and Environment of Nepal, Madhav Prasad Chaualgain, and Minister for Environment, Forest and Climate Change of India, Bhupendra Yadav, in New Delhi on Wednesday. 

The MoU was signed by Nepal's Ambassador to India Dr Shankar Prasad Sharma, on behalf of Nepal, and by Tanmay Kumar, Secretary of the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, on behalf of India.

Dr Maheshwor Dhakal, spokesperson at the Ministry of Forests said that senior officials from the governments of Nepal and India were present on the occasion. 

Both Nepal and India are signatories to various international treaties on environmental conservation, including biodiversity, under the United Nations.

There are protected areas and biological corridors in the bordering areas of both nations, providing habitat to many wild animals, including elephants, rhinos, and tigers. These wild animals cross the borders freely without hindrances. 

The MoU, therefore, is expected to play a role in enabling both countries to coordinate and cooperate in the protected areas, biodiversity, and wildlife crime control, adopt a shared strategy related to biodiversity, and develop the capacities of personnel working in the field.

Additionally, Minister Chaulagain said that the MoU will support controlling and regulating poaching and illegal trade of wildlife in cross-border areas, conducting research, studies, and monitoring of wildlife, and raising awareness and building capacity at the local level.

The implementation of the MoU is expected to contribute to the conservation of biodiversity in both countries by conducting regular patrols and meetings in the border areas, exchanging experiences and knowledge, developing and expanding good practices, and sharing immediate information related to wildlife and illegal trade.

The MoU states that both countries can exchange wildlife crime-related information with the South Asia Wildlife Law Enforcement Network (SAWEN) to control and regulate international wildlife crimes.

The Ministry and its subordinate Department of Forests and Soil Conservation and the Department of National Parks and Wildlife Conservation at the central level, and the relevant provincial Ministry of Forests and Environment, protected areas, and divisional forest offices will coordinate and collaborate at the local level, to implement the said understanding on behalf of Nepal.

The MoU  stipulates that the agreement will be automatically renewed every five years unless a nation provides written information through diplomatic means, and it will be reviewed every three years.

The MoU states that any problems arising during the implementation will be resolved through mutual understanding.

In preparation for the upcoming House of Representatives (HoR) elections, polling stations situated in the border region have been under surveillance. 

To ensure a peaceful election process, security agencies from Koshi Province and Sunsari district initiated monitoring of these polling stations on Wednesday. 

With the election date (March 5) drawing near, representatives from the Nepal Police, Armed Police Force, and National Investigation Department have inspected the polling stations in the district,  Sunsari Chief District Officer Basudev Ghimire said. 

He noted that inspections were carried out at polling stations in Barju, Dewanganj, Harinagar, and the Koshi rural municipalities of Sunsari, which are adjacent to the Indian border. 

Chief District Officer Ghimire elaborated that the inspections were aimed at collecting data on the physical conditions of the polling centers, identify sensitive areas, develop crowd management strategies, and prepare for emergency scenarios. 

Security officials in Sunsari have pledged to remain on high alert throughout the election period to deter any unwanted incidents, it has been said.