Aawaaj News & Research

03/03/2026

Your Vote Counts. So Does Your Mental Health
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27/02/2026

While political analysts focus on electoral calculations, voter turnout projections, and party strategies, research in political psychology suggests that election cycles can also influence stress levels, social relationships, and overall mental wellbeing. In Nepal’s current context, marked by youth mobilisation, public dissatisfaction, and intense digital engagement; the psychological dimension of this election may be as significant as its political outcome.

Nepal’s House of Representatives (HoR) election is scheduled for 5 March 2026. Parliamentary elections are typically held every five years, with the most

13/02/2026

Che means “top” and bang means “hill,” meaning the Chepangs are people of the hills. While this places them away from rivers, it does not shield them from danger, particularly landslides, which have intensified in recent years due to Dozare Bikash (डोजरे विकास), a model of unplanned and haphazard infrastructure development characterised by the reckless use of excavators.

Historically, the Chepangs practised a semi-nomadic way of life rooted in hunting, gathering, fishing, and deep dependence on forest ecosystems. Shifting cultivation (khoriya) developed over time as an adaptive livelihood strategy, particularly as access to forests became increasingly restricted, and agriculture gradually became a key means of survival.

Often portrayed as poverty-stricken, economically challenged, and marginalised, the Chepangs are among the more isolated Indigenous communities of Nepal.

04/02/2026

The Terai has long occupied an uneasy place in Nepal’s political, and by virtue, social imagination. Home to the country’s largest population and a backbone of agriculture, trade, industry, and customs revenue, it continues to be treated as a region whose loyalty is questioned rather than one whose contribution is fully recognised. This discomfort has shaped state attitudes, public discourse, and begs the question “Is the Terai even Nepal?” – not as provocation, but to reflect a discomfort that has shaped Nepal’s politics for decades.

The Terai has long occupied an uneasy place in Nepal’s political, and by virtue, social imagination. Home to the country’s largest population and a

26/01/2026

According to the World Health Organization, mental health is a critical yet frequently neglected component of healthy ageing. Nearly 14% of adults aged 70 and above live with a mental health condition, with depression, anxiety, and dementia being among the most common. Older adults face heightened vulnerability due to factors such as social isolation, loneliness, declining physical health, loss of income, bereavement, and, in some cases, neglect or abuse. Despite this, mental health conditions in later life often remain under-diagnosed and untreated because of stigma, limited access to care, and the misconception that emotional distress is a normal part of ageing.

According to the World Health Organization, mental health is a critical yet frequently neglected component of healthy ageing. Nearly 14% of adults aged 70