Magar Day marked

LALITPUR: The Lalitpur District Committee of the Nepal Magar Association (NMA) celebrated the 23rd Magar Day by organising various functions, including quiz contest, poetry symposium on Magar language and a food festival, on Monday. Members of the Magar community celebrate the founding day of the NMA on Falgun 15 every year as the Magar Day. Addressing the function, president of the NMA Lalitpur district committee, Kul Prasad Pun, said the Magar communities stand together for inclusive democracy and restructuring of the state. — HNS

Novel released

KATHMANDU: Litterateur Diamond Shumsher Rana on Sunday released a novel Afnai Jiwan Ra Anubhuti written by Ruku Karki at a programme organised by the Sahitya Sangam Makwanpur, on the occasion of the Mahashivaratri festival. On the occasion, Rana said that as the country needs literature, we should all unite to develop it from Mechi to Mahakali. Litterateur and social worker Bhadra Kumari Ghale said we should give attention to what we are giving to the nation rather than what we received from her. Author Karki said she has penned the sufferings of her life in the novel. — RSS

Scholarships granted

BHAKTAPUR: Nepal Rastriya Dalit Samaj Kalyan Sangh, Bhaktapur, has granted scholarship worth Rs 1, 3, 50,000 to 52 Dalit students of Bhaktapur. At a programme, chairman of the District Development Committee of Bhaktapur, Surendra Pratap Shah, and vice-chairman Ramhari Thapa granted scholarships to the students. Distributing the scholarship, Shah and Thapa said no one should discriminate against the Dalits. The organisation has been providing scholarships to 406 Dalit students of Bhaktapur since 2050 BS. — RSS

Meet on pollution

KATHMANDU: Scientific use of household fuel is necessary in order to protect oneself from health problems caused by indoor air pollution. In the South Asia Regional workshop on ‘Indoor air pollution, health and house hold energy’ organised by Practical Action Nepal, it was informed that indoor air pollution is directly affecting 2.4 billion people in the world causing the deaths of 1.6 million every year. Member of the National Planning Commission Champak Prasad Pokhrel said the commission is formulating plans to control smoking. — RSS