Nepal govt scrambles to rush aid to quake victims
Kathmandu (PTI): Nepal's authorities on Sunday scrambled to rush aid to people affected by Friday's earthquake that has killed at least 157 people and left a trail of destruction in the Himalayan nation's remote mountainous region.
The earthquake with an epicentre in Jajarkot district, about 500km west of Kathmandu, was recorded just before midnight on Friday. As the earthquake destroyed hundreds of houses in the mountainous region, several people had to spend Saturday night under the open sky.
Out of a total of 157 people who died in the tragedy, the bodies of 120 have so far been handed over to the family members. About 253 people were injured in the quake, the most devastating in the country since 2015.
Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal 'Prachanda' is holding a Cabinet meeting to decide on a special relief package for the survivors of the earthquake.
The government on Saturday said it is not in a hurry to seek foreign help for search and rescue operations and in the management of relief distribution and other logistics in the wake of the devastating earthquake in western Nepal, particularly Jajarkot and West Rukum districts.
In the aftermath of the disaster, Nepal's immediate neighbours, India and China, and the United States have offered support with logistics, and search for the victims by sending rescue teams to the country.
"We are yet to make any decision on accepting foreign aid," Prachanda said on Saturday as he visited the earthquake-affected areas.
"There will be a Cabinet meeting on Sunday morning for those decisions," he said. "We will then speed up relief and rehabilitation operations."
The government on Saturday evening decided to send relief materials like blankets, clothing and food items starting Sunday. The distribution of relief materials donated by the different agencies will also be carried out.
Local government officials say the situation was chaotic on Saturday morning due to inadequate means to deal with the disaster.
Harischandra Sharma, assistant chief district officer in Jajarkot, said the under-resourced and poorly equipped district hospital was struggling.
"The hospital lacks both human resources and equipment to deal with a huge number of victims. We were struggling to cope with things on Saturday morning," he told the Kathmandu Post newspaper.
The situation has largely come under control with more doctors and medical teams arriving from Kathmandu and Surkhet, he said.
"The people have been compelled to live in the cold under the open sky after they lost their houses to the disaster. Supporting them with relief materials should be our major focus. We are working to this effect," Sharma said.
Suresh Sunar, the Chief District Officer of Jajarkot, has confirmed that the rescue operations for earthquake victims have been completed, and relief distribution will commence on Sunday.
He said that rescue efforts had been ongoing since Friday night, but they were successfully concluded by Saturday night, allowing relief distribution to begin on Sunday.
Sunar also said that over 1,000 households have been affected, resulting in millions worth of damage.
He added that preparations have been made to streamline the relief distribution process through a one-door system. Jajarkot suffered the most damage in the earthquake that occurred on Friday night, with 105 casualties reported in Jajarkot alone.
A team of seismological experts at National Earthquake Monitoring and Research Center, Lainchaur has reached Jajarkot to carry out further study and research on the earthquake that occurred on Friday night.
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Vartha Bharati–Sankalp predictions align closely with Karnataka bypoll results
Bengaluru: The Vartha Bharati–Sankalp election analysis has shown a high level of accuracy in predicting the outcome of the recent Karnataka Assembly by-elections held in May 2026, correctly calling winners in both constituencies and closely estimating vote share trends.
The by-elections were held in Bagalkot and Davanagere South, drawing significant political attention as both seats were seen as key tests for the ruling Congress and opposition BJP.
According to the analysis, Vartha Bharati–Sankalp had made three major projections ahead of the results the winning party, vote share percentages, and margin of victory.
In both constituencies, the platform accurately predicted that the Congress would emerge victorious. The outcome matched the projections, with Congress candidates winning in Bagalkot and Davanagere South.
In terms of vote share, the predictions were largely in line with the final results. In Bagalkot, the BJP’s vote share was forecast in the range of 40 to 46 per cent, while the actual figure stood at 42.9 per cent. The Congress vote share, however, exceeded expectations, with the party securing 55.4 per cent against a projected range of 43 to 48 per cent.
The margin of victory in Bagalkot turned out to be significantly higher than anticipated. While the projection had placed the margin between 2,000 and 3,500 votes, the final margin was around 22,332 votes.
In Davanagere South, the predictions also remained largely accurate. The Congress vote share was projected between 43 and 51 per cent, and the final figure stood at 43.9 per cent. The BJP was expected to secure between 42 and 50 per cent but ended with 40.3 per cent.
The analysis had also identified the role of SDPI as a potential spoiler in the constituency. While its vote share was estimated around 6 per cent, the party eventually secured around 12 per cent of the vote.
The margin of victory in Davanagere South was predicted to be between 1,500 and 2,600 votes. The actual margin was higher at around 5,708 votes, though the contest remained relatively close as anticipated.
Overall, the performance of Vartha Bharati–Sankalp stood out for correctly identifying the winning parties in both seats and maintaining close accuracy in vote share estimates, with only limited deviations in specific cases.
