Kathmandu, Feb. 4 -- Jaya Yadav of Kapan, Kathmandu has been looking to buy a cooking gas cylinder since last Saturday.

Living in a rented room with limited space, Yadav does not keep an extra LPG cylinder. Her husband works abroad and she lives alone with her two-year-old daughter.

"We ran out of cooking gas on Saturday morning," Yadav said. "I went to the nearby grocery shop from where I usually buy gas, but the shopkeeper said he had none."

Yadav and her child had to make do with noodles, water and biscuits. Without any other recourse, she contacted her relatives.

"One of my relatives brought us an induction stove," she said. "But the electricity supply is also not reliable. I have been facing a lot of hassles while cooking in the ...