The delegation comprises Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Sujata Koirala, Foreign Secretary Madan Kumar Bhattarai, prime minister´s spouse Gayatri Nepal and the prime minister´s bodyguards, among others. [break]
Expenses of 12 members of the delegation will be borne by the Bhutanese government, Bhattarai said.
Talking to media persons after the meeting, Minister for Information and Communications and government spokesperson Shankar Pokharel said the meeting gave its nod to sign three separate agreements -- SAARC Accord on Regional Investment Protection, SAARC Agreement in Trade in Service and SAARC Agreement on Rapid Response to Natural Calamities -- during the SAARC Summit.
According to Pokharel, the cabinet also formed a three-member ministerial committee under the chair of Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Physical Planning and Works Bijaya Kumar Gachchhadar to assign portfolios to newly promoted government secretaries. The committee includes Minister for Culture Minendra Rijal and Minister for General Administration Prabhakar Pradhananga.
Altogether five secretaries are yet to get their portfolios. The secretaries yet to be posted include Bimal Wagle, Shital Babu Regmi, Mahendra Prasad Shrestha, Madhav Ghimire and Ananda Raj Ghimire.
Among other decisions, the cabinet also approved Arms and Ammunition Regulations 2066 BS and gave nod to Ministry of Finance to sign agreements with the respective governments to receive grant assistance from India to upgrade Dakchhinkali-Kulekhani section of the road and Japanese grant assistance for forest conservation.
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