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President Ram Chandra Paudel, accompanied by First Lady Sabita Paudel, performed the Gaipuja rituals by making offerings and paying reverence to the cow on the occasion of the Gaitihar festival today.

There is the tradition of worshipping the cows as the symbol of Goddess Laxmi on the day of Gaitihar festival, a part of the five-day Tihar celebrations.

As per the time-honoured tradition, President Paudel worshiped the cow and offered it delicacies amidst a ceremony at the President House, Sheetal Niwas, the President's Secretariat has stated.

Prime Minister Sushila Karki has asserted that the government is committed to conducting the upcoming House of Representatives election in a free and fair manner.

Addressing the ceremony of garlanding the statue of Shankhadhar Sakhwa and honouring the national luminary organized by the National Luminary Shankhadhar Sakhwa Foundation, Madhyapur Thimi today, PM Karki expressed her confidence that all political parties and all sectors of society would provide support and cooperation to the government in conducting a free and fair election.

"It is well known that the government was tasked with holding the House of Representatives elections on March 5, 2026. The government has the responsibility to serve the Nepali people by addressing the legitimate voices of the Gen-Z in accordance with the Constitution of Nepal. The government is committed to creating an environment where the Nepali people can exercise their voting rights without fear in order to strengthen democracy, achieve economic prosperity, and protect citizens' rights," she said on the occasion.

The PM expressed extreme sadness over the loss of young lives and injuries to hundreds of people during the movement led by Gen-Z on the 8th and 9th of September against rampant corruption in the country.

She expressed commitment that the process of indicating the Nepal Sambat on the notes issued by the Nepal Rastra Bank will be taken forward after consulting the relevant parties.

Prime Minister Karki stated that the government's decision to mention the Nepal Sambat in official documents clearly shows that the government is keen to promote, foster and practically implement this calendar. She instructed the relevant ministries to effectively implement the Nepal Sambat in government offices and also mentioned cooperating with the Foundation for monitoring the implementation of the Nepal Sambat calendar.

She expressed that the Nepal Sambat, which was started in the year 936 in recognition of Shankhadhar Sakhwa's unparalleled contribution to society and the country, as well as his great work for social justice, did not originate from the decree of a king or marking a victory in a war, but rather arose from the public level based on the sacrifice and philanthropy of a trader, making it a calendar of high importance and carrying with it the legacy of public welfare.

Highlighting the need to follow the path shown by Shankhadhar Sakhwa to eliminate poverty and inequality in Nepali society and raise the economic status of the people, Prime Minister Karki stated that only by prioritising national interest over individual and party interests, as Shankhadhar Sakhwa did, can our national aspirations be fulfilled.

At the program, she garlanded the statue of Sakhwa and also launched the bulletin published by the Foundation.

PM Karki also on the occasion honoured the cultural scholar Chhatra Bahadur Kayastha and Nepah Pasa Pucha, USA with the Shankhadhar Sirapa award.

The chairman of the Foundation, Gyanram Shrestha, the Mayor of Madhyapur Thimi Municipality, Surendra Shrestha, and former chairmen of the Foundation, Shyam Krishna Manandhar and Madan Krishna Shrestha, among others, emphasized that more study and research should be carried out on Shankhadhar Sakhwa, and the Nepal Sambat should be fully implemented.

Minister for Communications and Information Technology Jagdish Kharel has said that the political dialogue the government held on Tuesday created an atmosphere for election.

For the first time since the formation of the present government, a dialogue was held with major political leaders and government in a bid to create an atmosphere for election and good governance.

 The five-hour-long meeting witnessed the expectation of political parties and the government's position to hold the March 5 election in a free and fair manner.

The meeting with the representatives of seven major political parties was held at a call of Prime Minister Sushila Karki at her official residence, Baluwatar.

PM Karki reiterated the government's stance on holding the election on the slated date. "It was a very positive discussion with the political parties. Most of them were positive towards elections that encouraged the government to forward activities," Minister Kharel shared before the media after the meeting on Tuesday night.  

"All stakeholders including political parties and Gen-Z have presented themselves with utmost responsibility to help in building the atmosphere for the election," Kharel, also the spokesperson of the government, said, adding that the ministers and security agencies were working untiringly for this.

 It was a serious and thorough discussion about the election, corruption control and security situation. The political parties were informed of the government's preparation for the election.

 The government also sought cooperation from political parties to build a security situation for holding elections in a free and fair way. Although PM Karki had held one-to-one meetings with top political leaders, this collective discussion has further helped in building trust, according to the Spokesperson.

Moreover, the government was recognized by all sides- political parties, Gen-Z and the international community. Even the investigation on loss of lives and property and necessary action featured the meeting.

In view of Minister Kharel, the country was normalized after a month since the Gen-Z protest, thereby building political trust and environment for talk.

He further shared that the Cabinet would be expanded immediately after Tihar festival.

Gagan Kumar Thapa and Prakash Sharan Mahat from the Nepali Congress, Shankar Pokharel and Pradip Gyawali from the CPN-UML, Barsha Man Pun and Pampha Bhusal from the CPN (Maoist Center), Swarnim Wagle and Sobhita Gautam from the Rastriya Swatantra Party, Rajendra Pandey and Prakash Jwala from the CPN (Unified Socialist), Rajendra Gurung and Mohan Shrestha from the Rastriya Prajatantra Party, Upendra Yadav and Prakash Adhikari from the Janata Samajbadi Party, and others attended the meeting.

Those from government sides were PM Karki, Finance Minister Rameshwor Khanal, Energy Minister Kulman Ghising, Home Minister Om Prakash Aryal, Minister for Agriculture Dr Madan Pariyar, Minister for Communications and Information Technology Kharel and PM's Chief Advisor, Ajay Bhadra Khanal.

Speaker Devraj Ghimire extended best wishes to all Nepali sisters and brothers in the country and abroad on the occasion of Nepal Sambat 1146 today.

He wished Nepal Sambat, a symbol of national identity, would inspire all to be united for building a prosperous and inclusive country with good governance.

In a message of best wishes given on the occasion of Nepal Sambat today, Speaker Ghimire reminded Nepal Sambat is a symbol of tolerance, fraternity, social harmony and national unity.

"Time has come for us to end corruption so that the country would be ensured with good governance," he said in the message, underlining the need for common resolution, transparency and accountability for building a corruption-free and prosperous Nepal.

According to him, collaboration among government, political parties, youths, civil society and entire Nepali citizens is imperative for peace and stability in Nepal in the wake of Gen-Z protest.

Nepal Sambat is observed as a historic event that features the contribution of luminary Sankhadhar Sakhwa in freeing poor Nepalis from financial burden.