Govt forms panel to recommend office bearers for TRC and CIEDP

By A Staff Reporter,Kathmandu, Apr. 13:The government has decided to recommend President Ramchandra Paudel to prorogue the winter session of the federal parliament effective from Sunday midnight (April 14).  

A meeting of the Council of Ministers held at the Office of Prime Minister and the Council of Ministers on Friday decided to recommend to President Ramchandra Paudel to prorogue the winter session from Sunday (April 14). 

According to Minister for Communication and Information Technology and government spokesperson Rekha Sharma, the government has formed a committee to recommend office-bearers to the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) and the Commission of Investigation on Enforced Disappeared Persons (CIEDP), Nepal.

Minister Sharma said that the government has formed a committee to recommend the chairman and members for both commissions under the chairmanship of former Chief Justice Om Prakash Mishra.

The members of the committee are the chairman of the National Human Rights Commission or the member appointed by the Commission’s Chairman, former judge of the Supreme Court, Jagadish Sharma Paudel, Dr. Arjun Kumar Karki and Stella Tamang are members of the recommendation committee.

The cabinet meeting also recommended Dr. Anjan Shakya for one vacant seat in the National Assembly.

Similarly, at the recommendation of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Dr. Damodar Paudel has been appointed the honorary consulate of Ohio State of the United States of America. 

The government has decided to recognise orange as the national fruit. The cabinet meeting decided this as per the proposal tabled by the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock Development.

Orange farming is considered an important occupation for rural people of the central part of Nepal due to the suitable climatic conditions. The main areas of orange farming in the central region are Lamjung, Tanahun, Kaski, Syangja, Parbat, Myagdi and Gorkha districts. 

The government has been promoting orange cultivation in the potential areas by declaring them as super zone. 

Orange is one of the most popular fruits of Nepal. Nepal has some famous pocket areas of orange production. Orange has been declared as the national fruit to help increase its production, said the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock Development. 

Similarly, the import of oranges has also increased during the first eight months of the current fiscal year as compared to the same period last fiscal year.

Oranges worth Rs. 1.10 billion have been imported in the first eight months of the current fiscal year against the import worth Rs. 729 million in the corresponding period in the previous year.

Around 16,255 tonnes of oranges were imported in the first eight months of the current fiscal year, while 13,114 tonnes were imported in the corresponding period last fiscal year 2022/23.

About 15,487 tonnes of oranges worth Rs. 8816 million were imported in the last fiscal year 2022/23.

Nepal imports oranges from China, Egypt, India and South Africa. 

All kinds of fruits produced in the country are available only in season. During the peak harvest season, the supply of fruits increase and farmers cannot get reasonable prices.