KATHMANDU: A Chinese writer Yee Liang has handed over Rs 200,000 to Home Minister, Ram Bahadur Thapa, as assistance to the survivors of the storm occurred recently in Bara and Parsa districts.

Writer Liang used social media to raise the amount for the disaster-hit people. Liang, who is the travel writer on Nepal and South Asia, has frequently visited Nepal for five years and even experienced the 2015 earthquake. He had proposed with his readers and friends for the help to the disaster-hit people in Nepal.

KATHMANDU: Bhikkhu Ashwaghosh, Sanghanayaka of Theravada Buddhism Bhikkhu Federation passed away on Friday. He was 94.

Ashwaghosh was suffering from kidney, heart and liver problems and from pneumonia and high blood pressure. He breathed his last while receiving treatment at the Dhapasi-based Grande International Hospital.

KATHMANDU: Speaker Krishna Bahadur Mahara left for Doha, Qatar leading a Nepali delegation to participate in the 140th assembly of Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU).

Mahara will put forth his views during the discussion on ‘parliament an appropriate forum to increase education of peace, security and rule of law’ in the assembly taking place from April 6-10.

ITAHARI: Police opened fire following a clash with the locals after disputes over border checks took a nasty turn at Bhokraha of the district on Friday.

SP Rajan Adhikari at District Police Office, Sunsari informed Khabarhub that a policeman was injured in the attack by the locals.

It is reported that some locals were also injured in the clash. Details are yet to follow.

KATHMANDU: Ghode Jatra is being celebrated in Kathmandu Valley today with fanfare. The festival is celebrated annually as per a mythology which relates the genesis of the festival after the death of a demon named Tundi.

On the day, the Nepali Army cavalry team performed different artistic stunts riding on their horses. On the occasion, president Bidhya Devi Bhandari, vice- president Nanda Kishor Pun, prime minister KP Sharma Oli, ministers and other high-ranked officers observed the Godhe Jatra performed by Nepali Army cavalry team at Thudikhel.

Public beliefs that the demon who lived on a meadow, which is now at Tundikhel, used to unleash terror among the Kathmandu denizens, particularly children. After his death people rejoiced by dancing on his body by riding horses.

There is also a belief that the parade of horses at Tundikhel keeps the demon’s spirit away. The faster the horses run, the better Tundi’s spirit is dispelled. As per another legend, the Ghode Jatra is held to mark the start of the New Year.

The festival is celebrated on the day of Krishna Aunsi, as per the lunar calendar, which is a day before the Chaitra Shukla Pratipada and this day is taken as the start of the New Year.

The horse parade, known religiously known as Aswa Yatra, is organized to welcome the New Year.The day before Ghode Jatra is also known as Pichas Chaturdarshi, as per lunar calendar.

The Jatra is also observed in Lalitpur today.

Photos: Krishna Khatri/Khabarhub

RUPANDEHI: The province 5 government has decided to provide Rs 10 million relief assistance to the storm survivors in Bara and Parsa districts.

A meeting of the State council of ministers on Friday decided to deposit the amount in the relief fund.

Similarly, the province 1 government also announced financial assistance of Rs 10 million for those people affected by the violent storm in Bara and Parsa, the districts in State 2.

A meeting of the State council of ministers on Thursday took a decision to this effect.

DOLPA : To get fresh textbooks at the beginning of the new academic session is usually a moment of waiting for almost all school students in Dolpa district.

But some 1,100 students in Dolpa do not know how long they have to wait for seeing new course books in hand.

School children of Jagadulla rural municipality-9 are attending class without books for two months.

According to the Mahadev Basic School Management Committee, the local government is responsible for this delay in delivering the school textbooks. The situation appeared as the local government did not purchase the texts on time for the distribution.

BAITADI: All the transit points of far western districts including Baitadi on the Nepal-India border will remain shut for three days in view of the parliamentary elections in India scheduled for April 11, said the district administration office.

In this regard, a Nepal-India border security meeting in Pithoragarh of India decided to close all transits connecting with Uttarakhand State of India from April 9 to 11, said chief district officer Aananda Poudel.

The meeting also discussed the issues of helping conclude the elections in a peaceful and fair manner, controlling trafficking of human, wildlife, illegal currency and illegal drugs along the border, exchange information regarding border security and a joint patrolling by security personnel along the border.

BIRGUNJ: The District Administration Office, Bara has implemented a one-door policy in the distribution of relief assistance meant for the victims of the recent violent thunderstorm in Bara and Parsa.

The Office took a decision to this effect in response to widespread complaints that the relief delivery was taking place in disorganized way.

With this decision, any individuals or organisations willing to distribute relief assistance to the affected should first take permission from the District Disaster Management Committee, according to Bara’s Chief District Officer Rajesh Poudel.

According to DAO’s information officer Murari Karki, there were massive complaints that real victims were deprived of the assistance due to its distribution in a disorganized way.