Govt allows use of forest area for hydropower project (with video)

KATHMANDU, July 4: The government has given permission to a hydropower project to use the area of national forest at Chautare of Shadananda municipality of Bhojpur. The Upper Chirakhwa Khola Hydropower project is allowed to use 0.22 hectares of land for thirty years and remove 35 trees for the construction of the project.

The recent cabinet meeting took this decision, according to Minister for Information and Communications Gokul Prasad Banskota who added that trees were being cleared for the construction of transmission line of 1320-KV electricity in Dolakha. The transmission line stretches from Suri to Singati of Dolakha district. The forest in 5.41 hectare of land in the Gaurishankar Conservation Area is allowed for the use.

Also the spokesperson of the government, Minister Banskota informed media today that the cabinet meeting decided to accept the grants to be provided by the German government for the renewable energy program, child maternal health service, and sustainable economic development. The joint secretary at the Finance Ministry has been granted authority to sign the agreement on behalf of the government.

The government has also approved the determination and review process (first amendment) of the percentage of injury the people received during the armed insurgency in 2076. Similarly, a directive relating to the rehabilitation and upkeep of the people including the Maoist fighters, and others injured during various struggles and movements has been endorsed. The approval of the directives would help ease the treatment and care of those injured in various political movements.

The government has decided to promote and install the senior officers of the Nepal Army. According to which decision was made to promote and install technical colonel Surya Raj Sharma to the post of technical Brigadier General. Likewise, three Colonels were promoted and installed to the post of Brigadier General and transfer 16 Brigadier Generals, shared Minister Banskota. Technical Brigadier General Kamal Man Singh, technical colonel Sharad Lal Shrestha and technical Lieutenant Colonel Kiran Shrestha have been promoted. Similarly, the decision was made to promote and install technical colonel Dr Mukunda Singh Shrestha and technical Lieutenant General Dr Sunita Panta while technical Brigadier General Dr Arun Kumar Neupane has been transferred, informed Minister Banskota.

The meeting also decided to provide uniform allowance to the assistant workers in the public schools’ Early Child Development Centres. The staffers in the community schools would be provided uniform allowance effective from the new fiscal year 2019/20. The government has decided to provide Rs 38.2 million as a loan to the Nepal Drugs Limited for it to pay retirement duties to its nine retiring staffers and provide salary and other allowances to their staffers for this current fiscal year.

An eight-member team has been formed for obtaining a loan at subsidized interest for the Bagmati River Basin Improvement Project (second Phase). The team led by the Joint-Secretary of the Department of Financial Assistance Coordination under the Minister of Finance has been given authority to hold talks with the Asian Development Bank for the same, according to Minister Banskota.

The government has extended the term of the Central Investigation Bureau probe committee, formed to implement the report of the committee on investigation of irregularities related to government, public and guthi land, by two months. Likewise, the cabinet has decided to hand over the immovable and movable property, liability and employees of the Central Child Welfare Board and its district chapter to the National Child Rights Council and Local Child Rights Committees. Also, the Casino (fourth amendment) Regulations, 2075 was endorsed.