Govt to form panel to fix criteria on medals, decorations

By A Staff Reporter,Kathmandu, Jan. 19: The government has decided to form a committee to set specific criteria for the distribution of decorations and medals to be presented by the government annually.

A meeting of the Council of Ministers held for first time after the expansion of the Cabinet at the Office of the Prime Minster and Council of Ministers (OPMCM), Singha Durbar, on Wednesday, took decision to this effect.   

Minister for Finance Bishnu Paudel, talking to the media persons after the Cabinet meeting, said that the committee was formed to make the proper  distribution of orders and medals to people who have really contributed to the country and society from their respective sector. 

“We have formed this committee by making clear criteria so that even when the government distributes them, the recipient should really feel proud of it,” Minister Paudel said.  

The committee coordinator and members will be fixed after discussions, said Minister Paudel.

Similarly, the government has appointed Minister for Communication and Information Technology Rekha Sharma as the government spokesperson. As of Wednesday, the responsibility of government spokesperson was being handled by Finance Minister. 

Minister Paudel said that the government had fixed the minimum price of sugarcane at Rs. 540 per quintal.  At this price, the transportation cost for sugarcane will be borne by the government, said Minister Paudel. 

Similarly, the government has appointed Prof. Dr. Devraj Adhikari 

as the chairman of the University Grants Commission. 

Likewise, the government has transferred two Secretaries – Gopal Prasad Sigdel of Ministry of Physical Infrastructure and Transport Management to Ministry of Energy, Water Resources and Irrigation and Secretary Keshav Kumar Sharma of Energy to Ministry of Physical Infrastructure. 

Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal Prachanda discussed the operation of the crusher industry which is currently in closed state. The government will take a concrete decision regarding organised operation of crusher industry after holding discussions with the stakeholders, said Minister Paudel. 

Likewise, the Cabinet meeting decided to make the presence of at least one official from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs while any foreign envoy paid a courtesy call on Ministers of any Ministry. 

As the government has already decided to implement the recently introduced common minimum programme of the coalition government, each ministry has been provided a seven-day ultimatum to prepare action plan and submit it to the Office of Prime Minister and the PM Office will then make a plan issuing directives to implement the programmes to each ministry, said Minister Paudel.