Directive to appoint National Security Advisor annulled

By A Staff Reporter,Kathmandu, Aug. 9: The government has decided to annul the 'National Security Advisor Appointment, Service, Conditions, and Facilities Directive-2080' of the National Security Council.

A meeting of the Council of Ministers held on August 6 took decision to this effect, according to Minister for Communication and Information Technology Prithvi Subba Gurung on Thursday.

Speaking at a press conference organised to make the Cabinet decisions public at the Ministry, Minister Gurung said that the directives issued to appoint national security advisor, his/her service, conditions and facilities have been scrapped for now. On July 24, the first-ever appointed National Security Advisor (NSA) and former Chief Secretary Shanker Das Bairagi had tendered his resignation from the post of NSA citing personal reasons. 

Bairagi has mentioned that he resigned from the post to spend his time studying. Bairagi was appointed as the NSA in mid-June last year. 

But this time, the government itself has decided to annul the directives made to appoint and fix service, condition and facilities while appointing the NSA. As a practice, the National Security Council (NSC) is chaired by Prime Minister during a meeting.

The NSC is responsible to advise the government/executive on the security and defence issues. It is also the research-oriented policy-making body of the government which has been assigned an important responsibility in terms of making security policy and analysing security dynamics and challenges. 

Similarly, the Cabinet meeting held on August 6 decided to transfer some secretaries and joint secretaries to various offices of the Nepal government.

Of them, Secretary Udaya Raj Sapkota of the Office of Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) has been transferred to the Ministry of Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs. 

Secretary Phadindra Mani Gautam of the Ministry of Law and Justice and Parliamentary Affairs to the Office of Prime Minister and Council of Ministers (OPMCM), according to Minister Subba. 

Further, the government has promoted Joint Secretaries of Nepal Law and Justice Service to the post of Secretary and deputed them to different offices. 

Joint Secretary Alok Chandra Shrestha of the Ministry of Defence has been posted in the Office of Truth and Reconciliation Commission as Secretary and Joint Secretary Parashar Dhungana of Nepal Law Commission has been promoted as the Secretary of the same Commission.

Similarly, the government has appointed justice of Surkhet High Court as chairman of the Labour Court.

The Cabinet meeting has also appointed DIG Ram Dutta Joshi of Nepal Police as Additional Inspector General. Following his promotion, he has been sent to the Operation Department of Nepal Police from Provincial Coordination Department of Nepal Police Headquarters. 

Likewise, the government has transferred three AIGs of Nepal Police. As per the decision, AIG Deepak Thapa of Kathmandu Valley Police Office, Ranipokhari, has been transferred to the Central Investigation Bureau (CIB). AIG and chief of CIB Shyam Lal Gyawali has been transferred to the Police Headquarters and AIG Kiran Bajracharya to the Kathmandu Valley Police Office, Ranipokhari from the Police Headquarters, Naxal. 

Minister Gurung has also said that the government has given approval to the Ministry of Finance to form a negotiation team to receive USD 20 million grant and USD 10 million loan for a project of Climate Resilient Landscapes and Livelihoods to be provided by the Asian Development Bank.

Also, the government has decided to accept assistance of Rs. 6.58 billion to be provided by the British government to implement SAMARTHA: Enhancing Human and Gender Development Outcomes through System Strengthening Programme and also decided to accept Rs. 6.50 billion by the British government to implement Resilience, Adaptation, Inclusion in Nepal (RAIN) programme.