By A Staff Reporter
Kathmandu, Oct. 22: A meeting of the National Security Council Wednesday discussed the nation’s security situation and possible measures and strategies that could be adopted to tackle the increasing cases of COVID-19.
The meeting chaired by Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli was attended by Home Minister Ram Bahadur Thapa Badal, Foreign Minister Pradeep Kumar Gyawali, Finance Minister Bishnu Poudel, Chief Secretary Shanker Das Bairagi and Army Chief General Purna Chandra Thapa. Secretary of the Ministry of Defence Reshi Ram Pandey attended the meeting as Member-Secretary of the council.
The security council consists of the Ministers of Defense, Home, Foreign Affairs, Finance, Chief Secretary and the Chief of the Army Staff.
According to a highly placed source at the Ministry of Defence in condition of anonymity, the meeting discussed the country’s security challenges and defence, including the National Security Policy-2019 which is yet to be amended. The Cabinet meeting had endorsed the Policy on March 18, 2019 but is not made public yet.
Prime Minister Oli has called the meeting of the security council immediately after the conclusion of a three-day Principal Staff Officers (PSOs) meeting on Tuesday.
The PSOs conference had too identified the growing contagion of COVID-19 and the insurgent group led by Netra Bikram Chand Biplav as the main challenges to the national security.
There is a constitutional provision for the National Security Council to be chaired by the Prime Minister to formulate policies related to the overall national interest, security and defence, and to recommend to the government for the mobilisation of the Nepali Army.