HoR elections: Nine political parties, 1 213 candidates open bank accounts
Only 1,213 candidates, out of 3406, for the House of Representatives (HoR) elections, have so far opened the bank accounts to make monetary transactions for election purposes.
According to the Election Commission, only nine political parties, out of 68 contesting the elections, have now bank accounts for the election-related expenditures.
Such political parties are the Nepali Congress, Rastriya Janamorcha, CPN (United), Nepali Communist Party (NCP), Nepal Party for Nepal, Janata Samajbadi Party (JSP), Samyukta Nagarik Party, Miteri Party and Nepal Janata Samrakshan Party.
EC Assistant Spokesperson Kul Bahadur GC said the Election Commission has implemented a provision mandating political parties and candidates to open bank accounts for making the collection of economic assistance for the election transparent by adhering to the set expenditures ceiling.
As per the House of Election Members Election Publicity Bank Account (Operation and Management) Procedure, 2082 BS, electoral candidates and parties contesting towards the both proportional representation and the First-Past-The-Post system are mandated to follow the banking system for the economic transactions meant for the election publicity campaign.
Holi festival commences in Mithilanchal from today
Holi, the festival of colours, formally commenced in Mithilanchal region from today with the participants of the 15-day Madhyamiki Parikrama pilgrimage playing Holi at local Kanchanban, Bhangaha Municipality-7 in Mahottari.
Baba Naval Kishore Das, participant of the fifteen-day Madhyamiki circuit pilgrimage, said that the Holi festival began today after performing the religious rituals in which Mithilavihari (God Ramchandra) plays Holi with Kishori Ji (Goddess Sita) in the presence of the holy people, sadhus and devotees at Kanchanban this morning, marking the beginning of the Holi festival across the entire Mithila region from today.
On the seventh day of the fifteen-day medium-level pilgrimage, at the residence in Kanchanavan, Lord Ramchandra and Mother Sita's palanquin and idol were ceremonially celebrated with colours and powdered colours as part of Holi.
Thousands of sadhus, ascetics, and families participating in the pilgrimage, along with all the devotees, smeared colours and colour powder at each other, marking the beginning of the Holi festival, explained Baba Naval Kishore Das.
With this, the festival of Holi has formally started in the villages and households in Mithilanchal, the Holi revelers throwing coloured powder at each other in celebration.
Similarly, with the arrival of Holi, like every year, the tradition of singing Holi songs, dancing, sharing humour and satire, and performing satirical poetry and jokes has also commenced this year too, in the villages of Mithilanchal, said Pandit Dhirendra Jha of Jaleshwar Municipality–8.
The 15 days long Mithila Madhyamiki Parikrama pilgrimage commemorates the period of 14 years in which god Ramchandra with his consort goddess Sita and brother Laxman spend life in exile in the forest. It is believed that lord Ram and goddess Sita also played Holi on this very day during the exile.
The Madhyamiki Parikrama pilgrimage started from Kalaneshwar in India on February 17 and this procession journey along with the palanquins bearing images of Lord Ramchandra and Mata Sita will conclude after 15 days in Janakpur on March 3.
Probe under way after illness kills 72 tigers in Thai tourist park
Authorities in Chiang Mai, a city in northern Thailand, are investigating the deaths of dozens of tigers at a popular tourist attraction this month, BBC reported.
Seventy-two tigers died in the span of less than two weeks across two facilities of Tiger Kingdom Chiang Mai, a park where visitors can touch and interact with tigers.
The local livestock department said samples from the tigers showed canine distemper virus - though authorities have not confirmed how the outbreak happened, according to BBC.
US–Nepal Startup Weekend Challenge concludes
The US–Nepal Startup Weekend Challenge concluded on February 21 after a three-day accelerator-style program, selecting nine startups as finalists
The nine finalist teams presented their ventures before a panel of judges.
Following evaluation, GarudX was declared the winner and awarded Rs 350,000 in seed funding.
Fully Charged Nepal Enterprise secured the first runner-up position with Rs 200,000, while Kanoon Portal was named second runner-up, receiving Rs 100,000.
A total of 283 applications were received from across Nepal, out of which 25 teams—representing nearly 100 early-stage founders and entrepreneurs were shortlisted to participate.
During the program held from February 19–21, participants attended workshops on business fundamentals and received one-on-one mentorship from Nepali and US-based experts to refine their business ideas and pitches.
Speaking at the opening ceremony, Scott Urbom, Charge d’Affaires at the US Embassy Nepal, said the program reflects the strength of the US–Nepal partnership by connecting Nepali entrepreneurs with American expertise and globally tested innovation models.
Supported by the US Embassy Nepal, the initiative was implemented by One to Watch in partnership with the American Chamber of Commerce in Nepal, Confederation of Nepalese Industries Young Entrepreneurs Forum (CNIYEF), Federation of Women Entrepreneurs Association of Nepal (FWEAN), Market Edge, Nepal Association of Software and IT Services Companies (NAS-IT) and Nepalese Young Entrepreneurs Forum (NYEF).
