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The CPN (Maoist Center) has said that its attention has been drawn towards the order of the Supreme Court to its administration to take petitions against Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal. The Maoist Center expressed its objection after a division bench of Justices Ishwor Khatiwada and Hari Phuyal ordered the Supreme Administration to register writs against Dahal, also the Chairman of the CPN (Maoist Center). Earlier, when advocate duo Gyanendra Raj Aran and Kalyan Budhathoki had filed writs against Dahal, the Supreme Court registrar had ruled that the petition cannot be registered. Then rebels had kidnapped and murdered advocate Aran’s father Tilakraj. Similarly, advocate Budhathoki’s father was displaced. During a program held on January 15, 2020, Dahal had said that out of 17, 000 people killed in the Maoist insurgency, 5,000 were killed by the Maoist and he would take the responsibility for it. Issuing a statement on Sunday, Maoist Center General Secretary Dev Gurung said that the CPN (Maoist Center) would strongly condemn the activities carried out against Nepal's Constitution, people's war, 62/63 people's movement and progressive achievements. He said that the writ petitions were filed in contrary to the principle of judicial review and freedom of thought and expression guaranteed by the Constitution of Nepal. Saying that the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) and the Commission of Investigation on Enforced Disappeared Persons (CIEDP) were formed under the Comprehensive Peace Agreement to look into the incidents that occurred during a decade-long Maoist insurgency, Gurung said, “As Commissions have been working for a long time to complete the judicial proceedings, we would like to remind that no action can be taken or take decision in this regard which would adversely affect the issues within the jurisdiction.” Gurung appealed to the political parties in favor of the peace agreement, general people in favor of peace and international communities to unite saying that activities against the transitional justice law would create serious challenges to the established peace process in the country. The petitioners demanded that court take necessary legal action against Prime Minister Dahal for killing 5, 000 people he owned up.                  

The CPN (Maoist Center) has decided to give a vote of confidence to Sudurpaschim Chief Minister Kamal Bahadur Shah following the directive of party Chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal. A Parliamentary Party meeting of the CPN (Maoist Center) held on Sunday morning decided to give a vote of confidence to Chief Minister Shah. Talking to journalists after the meeting, CPN-UML Province Assembly member Om Bikram Bhat said that the meeting has decided to give a vote of trust to Chief Minister Shah. A Parliamentary Party meeting of the CPN-UML is underway to take a decision on whether to give a vote of confidence to Chief Minister Shah or not. The Nagarik Unmukti Party has not made any decision to give a vote of trust to Chief Minister Shah. Earlier on Saturday, Unmukti Party Chairperson Ranjita Shrestha had said that a trust vote cannot be given without a written agreement. Shah is taking a vote of confidence today. A Parliamentary meeting has been called at 1 pm today to seek a vote of confidence.  

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.