27th Flora Expo kicks off in Kathmandu
The 27th Flora Expo hosted by Floriculture Association of Nepal has kicked off today.
The expo that began with the main slogan 'Floriculture for Clean Environment, Employment and Economic Prosperity' is to be run in Bhrikutimandap exhibition hall up to March 22, it is stated.
Inaugurating the fair, Bagmati province Minister for Agriculture and Livestock Development, Madhusudan Paudel expressed the province government's ever readiness to support to prosper floriculture business.
He urged the concerned stakeholders to provide further program and policy recommendations to that end.
"Floriculture and nursery is a competitive enterprise. It has to be made tech-savvy. The plants need to be protected and new to be promoted," he said.
President of the Association, Rajesh Bhakta Shrestha, said that floriculture is currently being carried out in about 270 hectares across 52 districts and that more than 53,500 people are employed directly or indirectly in the flower business.
He mentioned that some agricultural policies have been modified and implemented, which has led to policy issues in imported flowers and flower-based products that need to be produced domestically.
Couple dies as truck hits bullock cart in Kailali
A couple died when a truck hit a bullock cart they were travelling on at Bajaipur in Kailari Rural Municipality-5, Kailali on Wednesday.
DSP Yogendra Timilsina of the District Police Office, Kailali said that the deceased have been identified as 60-year-old Kalsu Chaudhary and his 70-year-old wife Setanu Chaudhary.
According to him, the Chaudhary couple, who sustained serious injuries when the truck Na 6 Kha 778 hit the cart from behind last night, were rushed to the Seti Provincial Hospital in Dhangadhi, where both of them died during the course of treatment, police reported.
DSP Timilsina shared that both oxen pulling the cart also died after being hit by the truck.
Police said that they have impounded the truck and arrested its driver for investigation.
Further investigation into the accident is underway, police said.
Rainfall likely in Karnali and Sudurpaschim Provinces
The weather will remain generally cloudy in the hilly and mountainous regions of Karnali and Sudurpashchim Provinces while the weather in the remaining areas will be partly cloudy.
According to the Weather Forecasting Division, there is a possibility of moderate rain and snowfall with thunder, lightning, and hail at some places in the hilly and mountainous regions of Karnali and Sudurpashchim Provinces, at a few places in the hilly and mountainous regions of Lumbini and Gandaki Provinces, and at one or two places in the hilly and mountainous regions of Koshi and Bagmati Provinces as well as the Tarai region of Sudurpashchim Province.
Meteorological Analysis by the Divisions states that currently Nepal is under the partial influence of a westerly low-pressure system and local winds.
KMC rescues nearly 3,000 street people in eight years
The Kathmandu Metropolitan City (KMC) has rescued a total of 2,919 homeless people living in the street in the past eight years, officials said.
The KMC began collaborating with the Manav Sewa Ashram on November 17, 2017 to rescue, manage and rehabilitate helpless street dwellers.
Ramji Adhikari, Chairperson of the Ashram, shared that of those rescued, 315 have died.
Adhikari added that 713 rescued people were reunited with their families, while 336 have been reintegrated into their communities.
Currently, 268 people rescued from KMC streets are sheltering in the Ashram, he added.
Likewise, Sunita Dangol, Acting Mayor of KMC, said that the rescue program was being carried out as a part of the preparation to declare the city 'street people-free'.
Dangol stressed that making such a declaration sustainable would require coordinated legal, administrative and practical measures.
Similarly, Bishnu Prasad Joshi, Chief of City Police Force, mentioned that efforts to identify and bring homeless people to Ashram continue.
He shared that the KMC has already provided the Ashram with over Rs 28.73 million along with a dedicated vehicle during this period.
Ashram's Chairperson Adhikari informed that the Ashram coordinates identification, recommendation and management of those left stranded in the street.
He also added that people's representatives, KMC's administrative staff, City Police Force among others are actively coordinating efforts to rescue stranded street people.
