KATHMANDU: Unlike in the previous years, the public will not receive tika from President Vidya Devi Bhandari, Vice President, Nanda Bahadur Pun, Prime Minister KP Oli, Former King Gyanendra Shah and other VIPs on this Dashain.

The health safety directives issued by the Ministry of Health and Population has suggested the  social distancing and abstain the group ceremonies while observing the feast and festivals. The directives don’t allow any felicitations as the one done by VIPs and dignitaries like offering Tika to the public in the festivals like Dashain.

Every year hundreds of people including senior bureaucrats, politicians and the public go to the head of the state, head of the government and the former monarch seeking Tika and blessings during Dashain.

However, the Office of the President has notified that no decision of cancellation of Tika offering has been made yet. “ Everyone knows about it as per the health safety standards and the government’s directives,” Hari Prasad Dahal, the spokesperson at the President’s Secretariat said, adding, “As there are some more days for Dashain, decision will be made in few days.”

Meanwhile, the Office of the Vice President Nanda Bahadur Pun has notified that this year’s tea party has been cancelled owing to the coronavirus pandemic and the health directives issued by the government.

Similarly, Prime Minister’s Press Advisor Surya Thapa has informed that this year’s Tika offerings to the public has been postponed due to the widespreading coronavirus pandemic.

According to the Secretariat of Former King Gyanendra Shah, the King has postponed the Tika offering program for the public and the secretariat staffers this year.

The health safety standards and the health ministry’s directives prohibit the gathering of more than 25 people in religious ceremonies and religious sites.