Govt. forms panel to probe power tariff dues; mulls over correcting the list of Martyrs

Kathmandu / Jan 9: The Council of Ministers on Tuesday appointed 25 persons in the National Development Council.

The appointees come from amongst the representatives of the District Coordination Committees (DDCs), local governments and other agencies. A cabinet meeting held today took this decision, according to the PM’s secretariat.

Likewise, the government has decided to announce martyrs to different persons whose names were missed in the Nepal Gazette in the past and made corrections to the list of martyrs announced in different dates.

Similarly, the cabinet approved the resignation tendered by Chairperson of Nepal Telecommunications Authority (NTA) Purushottam Khanal.

As decided by the cabinet meeting, NTA Board of Directors Nabaraj Adhikari has been assigned as the Acting Chair until next decision as per the Rule 3 (A) of the Nepal Telecommunications Authority Regulations, according to the PM’s secretariat.

For the appointment of the new NTA Chair, a panel has been formed under the leadership of the Secretary at Ministry of Communications and Information Technology.

Furthermore, the cabinet meeting today formed a committee to probe the issues of power tariff dues related to dedicated and trunk line services. Former Supreme Court Justice Girish Chandra Lal shall lead the probe panel.

The cabinet meeting has also directed the line agencies to ensure power supply in the industries whose power supply was cut off due to the long pending dues.

Minister Sharma proposes for correcting system without considering a specific person

Minister for Communications and Information Technology, Rekha Sharma, has said any decision to be made disregarding the rights of the Prime Minister, who holds a majority, will not be applicable.

During a meeting of the State Affairs and Good Governance Committee, the House of Representatives in the discussions over the bill to revise the Constitutional Council (Functions, Duties, Powers and Procedures) Act, 2066 (2010) BS, the Government Spokesperson advised to correct the system without focusing on any specific individual.

Responding to concerns raised during discussions on the Bill, Minister Sharma urged participants to work together to strengthen the bill, emphasizing the importance of seeking solutions through consensus without scrutinizing individual characters. She proposed exploring good practices and alternatives, highlighting that advanced democracy provides viable alternatives to traditional democratic approaches.

The bill’s primary focus is on revising the Council’s decision-making procedures and quorum requirements. Some members advocated for provisions allowing decisions to be made in the presence of a majority, including the chair. They argued that Council members should fulfil both constitutional responsibilities and other duties associated with their positions to maintain the integrity of the Council. There was a consensus on ending the trend of some members regularly failing to attend meetings.

Certain members suggested making it legally mandatory for individuals holding distinguished posts to show due respect to the Constitution and democracy.

“Some members continue to bypass the meeting regularly and have posed challenges in the functioning of the Council,” they said, assessing that the mindset that an individual is above the rule hinders the institutionalization of democracy.

Secretary at the Office of the Prime Minister and Council of Ministers, and secretary at the Ministry of Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs stressed the need for a wider participation of members in the meeting to make its functioning smooth and effective.

Committee members highlighted that the aim of the bill is to address potential adversities arising from the dynamic involving various parties within the government and those holding majority positions in the Council. Although the proposed amendment does not differ significantly in substance, it strives for linguistic clarity, it is said.

During the meeting, authority was granted to senior members in the committee representing the Nepali Congress, CPN (UML), CPN (Maoist Centre), and the Rashtriya Swatantra Party to collaborate and reach a consensus on the bill. Following the completion of theoretical discussions, the committee has initiated clause-wise deliberations on the proposed amendments. RSS