Nepal, Jan. 6 -- A cold wave sweeping across the southern plains has crippled daily life in several Tarai districts. Daily wage earners and people from the impoverished communities are among the hardest hit by the cold. Thousands of daily wage workers are forced to work in biting cold amid falling incomes, rising health risks and inadequate relief.

Laxman Tharu, 45, of ward 12 of Gulariya Municipality in Bardiya, complained that he is forced to work as a daily wage labourer even during the bone-chilling cold. "This year the cold has been extreme. The freezing weather makes it difficult even to move our hands and feet, and working in such conditions is incredibly hard. But what choice do I have? Not working is not an option," he said.

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