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Normal life has been adversely affected due to cold in Mahottari. 

The dense fog and mist that set from the morning continue till midday these days subsequently leading to cold wind. 

"A dense fog has formed from morning to till midday since last Wednesday. Due to the cold wind, we have not been able to go to our duty either," shared Ashraful Ryan, 30, of Matihani-8.

"It has made life more difficult," he lamented. 

While the southern part of the district saw a sharp increase in cold since last Wednesday due to foggy conditions, the northern parts have witnessed similar weather conditions since last Friday. 

These places had experienced bright sunshine till last Thursday, said Laxmi Prasad Kushbaha of Gaushala-10. 

The septuagenarian man recalled, "The weather was so good till Thursday but suddenly a thick fog set in on Friday. Since then the cold has risen sharply."

The elderly worried, "This increasing cold has given us a fear that we won't be able to survive much longer." 

He explained that although fog sets in the morning and gradually gets cleared after daytime, the cold wind blows throughout the day due to lack of sunlight. 

The impoverished settlements have been severely affected by the increasing cold. 

Marginalized and backward communities such as Mushahar, Dom, Halkhor and Mestar among others fend off cold by collecting discarded clothes, papers and plastics and burn 'Ghur' (bonfire) to heat up themselves. 

"There is no firewood to burn a bonfire. None (concerned authority) comes to see us. What shall we do," bemoaned Hemani Sada Mushahar of Bhangaha-4, adding that they have to rely on 'Ghur' to warm them up during the winter. 

Furthermore, there are difficulties in operating vehicles on the road and running air services due to inclement weather due to dense fog. 

Most of the morning flights have been affected due to poor visibility, according to the Janakpur Airport. 

Drivers operating public vehicles also admit that driving in dense fog poses huge risks of road accidents which is why they are forced to stop the vehicles at places. 

The cold wind that blows due to persistent thick fog from morning to midday has made the mornings and evenings here much colder, affecting the daily lives.

The 10th edition of the inDrive ICT Award 2025 concluded on Sunday, honoring contributions to Nepal’s information and communication technology sector.

Jointly organized by Living with ICT and ICT Foundation Nepal  at The Plaza, Pulchowk, Lalitpur, the event presented awards across 17 categories, honoring startups, innovators, entrepreneurs, institutions, and individuals. 

The program brought together more than 1,500 ICT professionals, entrepreneurs, policymakers, and dignitaries. The event was broadcast live on Himalaya Television.

Minister for Communications and Information Technology Jagdish Kharel inaugurated the program, while the closing ceremony was graced by Minister for Industry, Commerce and Supplies Anil Kumar Sinha. 

Senior government officials including Chief Secretary Samunraj Aryal and NPC Vice-Chair Dr. Prakash Kumar Shrestha attended the event as special guests.

Dinesh Silwal won the Nepali Diaspora ICT Award, Bibhushan Bista the Entrepreneur ICT Award, and Munni Rajbhandari the Woman Icon ICT Award. Institutional winners included the Social Security Fund(Digital Governance), NMB Bank (Digital Services – Enterprise), and Kopila Valley School (Digital Education – Private).

In startup and innovation categories, Arkbo Technologies won the inDrive Startup ICT Award, QuickCCA the Product ICT Award, and MindBridge the Rising Star Innovation Award. PriyoShop (Bangladesh) received the South Asia Startup ICT Award. Startups from all seven provinces were also recognized.

Speaking at the event, organizers and government officials emphasized ICT’s role in national development, digital governance, and economic growth. More than 750 nominations were evaluated over four months by expert juries.

inDrive served as the title sponsor, with NepalPay QR and TingTing as associate partners. 

Winners received trophies, certificates, cloud credits, software licenses, and international exposure opportunities.

The  road from Tatopani in Myagdi to Ghansa in Mustang has been upgraded under the Beni–Jomsom–Korala road project. 

The Beni–Jomsom–Korala road in the Kaligandaki river corridor is a national pride project. This highway connects China and India.

The plan to widen the road from Nagdhunga of Bhurung-Tatopani, Annapurna Rural Municipality-2 in Myagdi to Kaikhukhola section in Thasang Rural Municipality-4, Mustang, to 11 metres and to pave and asphalt it as a two-lane road was initiated in the fiscal year 2073/74.

Sharma–Gajurmukhi JV has completed the paving and concreting work on the Tatopani–Ghansa road section, which is 16.5 kilometres long. The road upgrading works have been contracted for Rs 630 million with a 'variation order', except for the 3.3 kilometres road damaged by landslides.

Project Manager of JV, Narendra Neupane, said that 2.5 kilometres of concrete and 10.7 kilometres of blacktop using DBSD technology have been completed.

It was completed five years later than the target.

Neupane said, "The delay in project construction was due to adverse geography, the coronavirus pandemic, floods and landslides, and a shortage of construction materials. The upgraded road is in the process of being formally handed over to the Road Project Office." 

The project has started work through a new contract in the landslide-affected areas of Guinthe, Khambhitta, Duwarikhola, Latokhola, Rupse, Ghoptebhir, and Thadokhola section.

In areas like Kabhrebhir cliff, Badarjung and Ghoptebhir cliff, the road has been widened through 'rock anchoring' due to steep rock face and narrow road.

The road has been asphalted in Nagdhunga, Jalthale, Guinthe, Sukebagar, Dana, Titar, Kabhre and Ghansa areas. The two-hour travel duration has been reduced to 30 minutes after the road was asphalted, said Ramesh Purja, the ward chairman of Annapurna Rural Municipality–3.

With the upgrading of this section of the road, travel has become easier for tourists, pilgrims, locals visiting Mustang, as well as cargo vehicles importing and exporting goods through the Korala checkpoint.

The number of people obtaining non-resident citizenship has increased in Chitwan compared to those who have given up their Nepali citizenship.

Since last July, 40 individuals have renounced their citizenship, while 49 have acquired non-resident Nepali citizenship.

Assistant Chief District Officer Chiranjivi Sharma pointed out that among those renouncing their citizenship are 13 women and 27 men. He noted that individuals usually renounce their Nepali citizenship upon arriving in Nepal to obtain non-resident citizenship.

Since July, 20 women and 29 men in the district have successfully secured non-resident citizenship. He explained that to acquire citizenship, one must fill out the form provided by the office, submit a photocopy of their passport, a photocopy of their foreign citizenship, a renunciation certificate of citizenship, and have it verified by a relative or acquaintance.

He mentioned that Nepalis living abroad often seek non-residential citizenship to facilitate investments in Nepal. Additionally, he stated that in the district, the citizenship of two individuals has been revoked.

Citizenship has been revoked for those holding dual citizenship or who have engaged in anti-state activities. Since July, 3,759 individuals have received citizenship based on descent from this office, and 11 individuals have obtained citizenship through marriage.