Cabinet decisions

Kathmandu, Feb. 15: The government has provided the Nepal Army (NA) with three billion rupees for the purchase of helicopter.

A meeting of the Council of Ministers held on Friday decided to provide the amount to the NA for the purchase of MI-17 helicopter and also forme a committee to expedite the procurement process in this connection, said government Spokesperson and Minister for Information and Communications Raj Kishor Yadav.

Similarly, the Cabinet has also approved the Identity Card Directive-2069 BS to facilitate the task of granting ID cards to the families of those killed and enforced disappeared during the political conflict.

According to Spokesperson Yadav, it was also decided to take loan assistance of Rs 5.95 billion from European Investment Fund for Tanahun Hydropower Project and form a talk team for the same.

Likewise, the proposal put forth by the Ministry of Energy to make first amendment of the contract of Kabeli Hydropower Project development was also endorsed, he said.

The meeting also approved the work procedure for the prevention and control of Bird Flu epidemic that has been broken out in Kathmandu Valley and its surrounding of late, the Spokesperson added.

Similarly, the government has also decided to recommend to President Dr Ram Baran Yadav for the exemption of rest of the jail-term to 16 inmates on the occasion of Democracy Day.

The meeting also formed a talk team to strike deal for the operation of Nepal-UAE air service and decided to provide with financial assistance of Rs 459,000 to Chairperson and other members of National Dalit Commission.

Likewise, the government has also provided financial assistance of Rs 400,000 to Committee for the Uplift of Marginalized, Oppressed and Dalit.

The Council of Ministers has set the criteria (not exceeding 100 per cent) for the performance based incentive system at the Department of Civil Personal Records.

The meeting has decided to transfer ownership of land being occupied by the Bankariya and Raute communities to themselves on lease for the next 40 years.

Besides, the Cabinet has decided to allocate amount spent in the treatment of journalist Satis Kumar Gupta.

As per the meeting, Sunil Kumar Jha and Shiv Kumar Patel have been appointed the Chairman of Hetauda Cement Factory and Udaypur Cement Factory, respectively. Similarly, the meeting appointed Mahesh Kumar Dahal as the Consular General of Nepal to Hong Kong.

Likewise, the meeting has decided to allocate Rs. 5 million to the Film Development Board.

The meeting has delegated power to the Nepal Telecom Authority (NTA) to hold a board meeting under the leadership of the senior most member. The NTA board members’ meeting has not taken place for a long time in the absence of chairman.

As per the meeting, Rs. 5o million shall be released to the Disadvantaged Citizens’ Fund and the name of Sagarmatha Zonal Hospital has been changed into Gajendra Narayan Singh Sagarmatha Zonal Hospital.