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The Transport Workers’ Association has withdrawn its protest programs following an agreement with the government on Tuesday. The meeting between the agitating transport workers and government representatives was held in Singha Durbar this morning. Nepal Transport Independent Workers’ Organization said that they decided to withdraw the protest programs after the government vowed to address their demands. The government called the transport workers for the meeting after they took to the streets putting forth 10-point demands. Issuing a statement on Monday, the three transport workers’ association—Nepal Transport Independent Workers’ Organization, All Nepal Transport Workers’ Union and Nepal Transport Workers’ Union—had announced that they would halt public transport services indefinitely in the Kathmandu Valley from today if the government did not heed to their demands. Earlier on Monday, transport workers and police personnel clashed in the Balaju area. The situation took an ugly turn after the transport workers set a police van on fire.              

Nepal received 345,600 doses of Pfizer-BioNTech’s bivalent Covid-19 vaccine on Monday. Dr Sarvesh Sharma, Director at the Department of Health Services of the Management Division, said that Nepal received 345, 600 doses of Covid-19 vaccine in the first phase from the COVAX facility today. “Nepal was supposed to receive 1.5 million doses of Pfizer-BioNTech’s bivalent Covid-19 vaccine. But, the COVAX Facility sent 345, 600 doses of Covid-19 vaccine in the first phase. Nepal will receive remaining doses of Covid-19 vaccine in a few days,” he said. Dr Sharma said that the vaccines will be stored in Teku Hospital. This vaccine is considered to be effective against sub-variants of Omicron.

A light earthquake hit Taplejung district on Monday. The National Earthquake Monitoring and Research Centre said that it recorded a tremor of local magnitude 4.8 at 4:30 am with its epicenter at Olangchungola in Faktanglung Rural Municipality-7 of the district. The tremor was felt in Taplejung and its adjoining districts. Faktanglung-7 ward chair Chheten Lama said that no damage has been reported so far in Olangchungola due to the earthquake. It may be noted that the 5.4 magnitude earthquake had struck the district with its epicenter at Olangchungola on February 9, 2021.

The government and the agitating doctors signed a six-point agreement on Sunday. Following the agreement, the Nepal Medical Association has withdrawn its protest programs. The doctors decided to withdraw the protest programs after the government pledged them to arrange treatment for the injured doctor Jenith Lal Singh during the talks held in Singha Durbar this morning. Similarly, it has been agreed to effectively implement the provisions related to safety of health workers and health institutions in accordance with Act 2066. The doctors had staged a demonstration after senior police Constable Sambhu Gurung baton-charged Dr Singh, a senior orthopaedic surgeon of the National Trauma Center, during President Bidya Devi Bhandari’s convey. Nepal Police has already suspended Constable Gurung accused of assaulting Dr Singh.