Cabinet finalizes PM’s China visit from 20-27 March; Major agreements likely

Kathmandu / March 15: Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli is scheduled to embark on an official visit to China on March 20-27 at the invitation of Chinese Prime Minister Li Keqiang.

A meeting of the Council of Ministers held at Prime Minister’s residence at Baluwatar Monday approved Prime Minister’s entourage to the northern neighbour. This is his second foreign official visit after taking charge of the Prime Minister of Nepal. Earlier, PM Oli had made an official visit of neighbouring country India on 19-24 February this year.

The meeting has also decided to grant authority to Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Foreign Affairs Kamal Thapa for approving the Youth Charter of the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) and serving as a signatory on the behalf of Nepal.

The endorsement of the Youth Charter is to formulate strategies on youth in the SAARC region to ensure legal framework for protect the rights of the youths, enhance their capacities and create jobs for youth and promote the youth-friendly policies, shared Minister for Information and Communications Sherdhan Rai.

Similarly, a 29-member high level committee has been formed under the chairmanship of Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Foreign Affairs Kamal Thapa to mark diamond jubilee of the relations between Nepal and Russian Federation. Also, five-year strategy plan has been approved for the construction of roads and rail way to prosper Nepal as per the proposal forwarded by the Ministry of Physical Infrastructure and Transport.

Similarly, the meeting has also decided to grant permission to the concerned authority for the appointment of Consular Generals in Bosina Herzegovina, Italy and Vietnam, according to which Shahil Agrawal will be appointed Consular General for Bosina Herzegovina, Pratibha Pandey for Italy and Rajesh Kaji Shrestha for Vietnam.

Likewise, the meeting has decided to appoint Laxmi Narayan Chaudhary as the new executive director of the United Nations UN Development Park Development Committee.

The Council of Ministers has decided to form a nine-member commission headed by Balananda Poudel to determine numbers and boundaries of village council, municipality and special, protected and autonomous region as specified in the constitution.

Members of the commission are Shyam Bhurtel, Dormani Poudel, Dr Madhav Adhikari, Dhiraj Shah, Sunil Ranjan Singh and Pabitra Shrestha Subba. Joint Secretary at the Nepal Government will serve as the member secretary of the Commission. But this position remains vacant.

A decision was also made to establish industrial corridor in various parts of the country allotting up to 1,000 bighas of land for each.

Likewise, government’s Spokesperson Rai said that around Rs 3.11 million has been released to cover treatment expenditure for 19 persons injured during the protest enforced by United Democratic Madhesi Front in various Tarai districts. The Finance Minister and Home Minister were directed to move ahead the due process to that end, he said.

Likewise, an approval has been given to sign an understanding paper on Orbit Frequency Coordination of Satellite for SAARC Region to be reached between Nepal and India as per the Kathmandu Declaration issued during the 18th SAARC Summit.

The Damak Municipality in Jhapa district has been granted permission in principle to build Damak Birat Buddha Park which will feature the world’s tallest Buddha’;s statue, standing at 540 feet.

A framework to provide staffers at the Nepal Police and Armed Police Force cash in lieu of rationing food has been approved in today’s meeting.

A total of 22 Joint-Secretaries, including Kumar Koirala, are to be transferred from their existing ministries according to today’s cabinet decision. RSS