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Vulnerable settlements will be shifted to safer locations and efforts will be made to mitigate the climate change which has been taking a toll on the agriculture sector. Plastic bags against the standard and the materials which have been negatively affecting the environment will be banned. The points of joint manifesto prepared by the CPN-UML and the CPN (Maoist Center) in 2017: --Collective efforts will be made to minimize the impacts of climate change. --Institutionalized and other processes essential against climate change will be started all the earliest. --The program will be started as a campaign by mobilizing the youths, students and women. The points of the election manifesto prepared by the Nepali Congress in 2017 --Major political parties raised the issues of climate change in their party’s election manifesto five years ago. People also gave nearly two-thirds of their votes to the CPN-UML and the CPN (Maoist Center) in 2017. The Nepali Congress faced a humiliating defeat. But, the Congress came to power after three years. The major parties led the government for five years. Neither they raised the issues of climate change as per the manifesto nor they organized any programs when they were in the government. Experts have said that the political parties have not taken the issues of climate change seriously. Dr Bimal Regmi said that it is unfortunate that the issues of climate change have not become the agenda of the political parties. The main agenda of the political parties during the election time is just the development of infrastructure. “The political parties give priority only to the development of infrastructure which can be seen by the people,” he said, adding, “The problems of marginalized communities and people have never become the agenda of the political parties. The parties have not been able to make practical commitments.” Now, the country is gearing up for the elections to the House of Representatives and Province Assembly again. But, the political parties have not made their commitments public yet. Experts have underlined that the political parties should include the issues of climate change in their election manifesto and should come up with various programs to minimize the effects of climate change. Climate change expert Madhukar Upadhyay said that the issues of climate change get priority only during the time of COP. “Political parties talk about the issues of climate change only during the time of COP,” he said. He expressed his grievances that the issues of the environment are discussed only on Environment day. “We only talk about the ways to mitigate the climate but never take initiatives to implement them,” Upadhyay said. Interestingly, the issue has not even been raised in the Parliament, he said. “No one is interested and no one cares about the issue,” he said. Recently, the floods in Far-Western region have caused a huge loss. Last year, the floods destroyed the ready-to-harvest paddy crops in the Far-Western region but the government has not been able to give compensation to the people yet. This clearly shows how serious the political leaders are in Nepal, experts said. Upadhyay said there is no one who has been taking the issue of climate change seriously in the country. Some NGOs and INGOs have been doing little from their sides. But, the questions still persist, who will look after the small problems at the local level. Another climate change expert Manjit Dhakal said that it can be taken in a positive way that the political parties have included the issues of climate change in their election manifesto. “But, it has been limited only in the manifesto,” he said, adding, “The issue of climate change has a direct and indirect impact.” The impact of climate change can be seen on the three main sources of the economy, energy, agriculture and tourism. Though the COP has brought the issues of climate change to the international platform, the COP is not everything, Dhakal said. “There are many problems in the country. The problem of farmers always becomes the headlines,” he said, adding, “Unseasonal rain inundated human settlements. But, the government has not been able to raise awareness among the farmers on time.” The agenda and manifesto of the political parties are considered as the important basis to run the country. People trust the agenda and manifesto made public by the political parties. It is obvious for the people to believe that the parties will implement all the commitments made while canvassing the votes after being elected. But, there are many instances that the commitments expressed by the political parties in the manifesto have been limited only to paper.

Tihar, the second largest festival of the Nepali Hindus begins from today. Also known as Yampanchak, the festival is observed for five days. The first day of the Yamapanchak is observed as Kaag Tihar by feeding crows, regarded as messengers in the Nepali society. The second day is Laxmi Puja (worshipping of cows in the morning and Laxmi, the Goddess of wealth in the Hindu mythology in the evening) and Kukur Tihar (worship of the dogs). Likewise, the three day is observed as Goru Pooja (worship of the oxen). Similarly, fourth day is Gobardhan Pooja and Mha Pooja (worship of own soul) in the Newar community while the fifth and final day is Bhai Tika. Bhai Tika, a festival to celebrate the bond between brothers and sisters, falls on November 13 this year. Sisters put Tika wishing for longevity and prosperity of their brothers, while brothers in turn give gifts and pledge to take care of their sisters. The auspicious time for the Bhai Tika this Tihar is at 11: 37 am, according to the Nepal Panchanga Nirnayak Samiti. Tihar is also a festival of lights and flowers, where people decorate homes with colourful lights or oil-fed lamps and eat various delicacies including sweets and sel roti as a part of this festival. Playing of Deusi Bhailo and worshipping different animals and birds are also significant aspects of this festival. The government has announced a four-day public holiday starting from Laxmi Pooja to Bhai Tika for the festival.

Indian police have arrested an operative of the ISIS from Vanarasi, Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s parliamentary constituency, on Wednesday. Following the arrest, an alert has been issued in Sunauli, Nepal-India border, a source said. Police have been questioning suspicious people and security personnel have also been deployed on the routes from Bhagwanpur, Shyamkot, Danda Head, Khanua, Hardidali, Sundi, Mudila, Chandithan and Sampatiha villages. People have been given permission to enter India only after questioning.

A photo exhibition showing China's achievements in poverty alleviation, infrastructure, science and technology, health care and green development over the past decade was held Thursday in Lalitpur, Nepal. Nepal and the world could learn from China's achievements in poverty alleviation, infrastructure and technology development, said Nepal's Minister of Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation Jeevan Ram Shrestha. "High priority given to ecological preservation and green technology is also exemplary," Shrestha said, adding that China has made unusual achievements as a populous country. China has achieved its target of building a moderately prosperous society, said Chandra Prakash Mainali, general secretary of the Communist Party of Nepal (Marxist-Leninist), adding that China will realize the Second Centenary Goal of transforming China into a great modern socialist country in all respects under the leadership of the Communist Party of China (CPC). China has achieved great changes in the past decade under the strong leadership of the CPC, said Wang Xin, political counselor at the Chinese Embassy in Nepal. China-Nepal relations have developed rapidly in the past 10 years, Wang said, adding that China is ready to work together with Nepal to build a closer China-Nepal community with a shared future and write a new chapter of China-Nepal friendship, Xinhua reported. The exhibition, hosted by Friends of the Silk Road Club-Nepal, also showed China's efforts in better delivery of basic public services and public infrastructure as well as progress achieved under the Belt and Road Initiative.