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The National Assembly sent the Citizenship Bill, endorsed by the House of Representatives without any revision, to the parliamentary committee on Sunday. The upper house sent the bill, returned by President Bidya Devi Bhandari with a 15-point message to the Parliament for reconsideration, to the Legislative Management Committee for deliberations. The National Assembly unanimously endorsed the proposal tabled by Home Minister Bal Krishna Khand to send the bill to the Legislative Management Committee. During the meeting, National Assembly Secretary Rajendra Phuyal informed about the message received from the House of Representatives regarding the Nepal Citizenship Bill (First Amendment) 2079, which was returned by the President for a review. The bill endorsed by both the lower house and upper house was sent to the President for authentication. President Bhandari on August 14 sent the bill back to the Parliament with a 15-point message saying that the bill needs amendment. The next meeting will be held at 3 pm on Thursday.  

The CPN-UML has given full shape to the Central Election Mobilization Committee. A meeting of the Election Mobilization Committee held on Sunday formed the Central Election Mobilization Committee under party Chairman KP Sharma Oli. The Election Mobilization Committee also formed a 34-member Central Secretariat. Deputy General Secretary Bishnu Rimal has been appointed as the secretary of the Mobilization Committee. Leader Rimal said that the Election Mobilization Committee will be formed in all the provinces, districts and rural municipalities.  

Tension ran high in Tribhuvan University in Kirtipur on Sunday. A large number of security personnel have been deployed in the area when two student groups clashed after the University organized a press conference. In the meantime, a group of students hurled stones at the press conference venue. Yogendra Rawal, Secretary of Nepal Student Union, student wing of ruling Nepali Congress, at the Tribhuvan University, said that NSU cadres Bhuwan Joshi and Ishwor Bhandari were critically injured in the incident. NSU students staged the demonstration demanding action against the professors who asked questions similar to the previous years while the All Nepal National Free Students Union (ANNFSU), the student wing of main opposition CPN-UML, warned of opening the padlock. University Vice-Chancellor Prof. Dr. Dharmakant Baskota said that there is panic among the teachers and there is no working environment.

The two border points—Tatopani and Rashuwagadhi—towards China have been closed for the past two weeks. Director General of the Customs Department Kamal Prasad Bhattarai said that China closed the two border points without informing the Nepal government officially. Though China has not given a specific reason to close the border points, the northern neighbor might have closed the border due to a surge in Covid-19 cases, he said. Bhattarai, however, said that the Ministry of Industry, Commerce and Supplies was informed verbally about the border closure. According to statistics, around 25 percent of the commerce passes through these border posts. The border closure will add more pressure on traders at a time when the biggest festivals are round the corner, Director General Bhattarai said. The government is in a dilemma on how to approach China to reopen the border for two-way trade as the northern neighbor had closed the border points one-sidedly. “We have talked with the concerned ministry to open the border. The officials have told us that they will take the initiatives to resolve the problem,” he said, adding, “We cannot do anything.” Nine border points of 10 districts have been opened for trade between Nepal and China. Tatopani and Rasuwagadhi, however, were the only border points which were in full operation. The container trucks with goods worth billions of rupees have remained stranded at the border points. China closed the Tatopani border point on August 10 and the Rasuwagadhi border point on August 14. The Tatopani-Khasa border point, which remained close for four year following the devastating earthquake of 2015, reopened on May 29, 2019.