Govt. to reconstitute search committee for TJ-related appointments

Kathmandu, Oct 20: The government is going to reconstitute a search committee chaired by former Chief Justice Om Prakash Mishra to conclude transitional justice.     

The decision has green-lit the reformation of the recommendation committee for the transitional justice-related bodies -- Truth and Reconciliation Commission and Commission of Investigation on Enforced Disappeared Persons.     

The committee will recommend candidates for Chairperson and members for the two commissions. The new committee chaired by former CJ Mishra will have members including former Attorney General Khamma Bahadur Khati, Dr Arjun Kumar Karki and Stella Tamang alongside experts in human rights, psychology, law, sociology and women's rights and other disciplines.     

Minister for Communications and Information Technology Prithvi Subba Gurung shared this information in a press meet organized here today to make public the decisions of the October 18's cabinet meeting.     

Minister Gurung, also the Spokesperson of the government, said that the committee will facilitate the appointment of the officials to finalize transitional justice-related tasks.     

Similarly, the cabinet decided to authorize a talk team led by a Joint Secretary of the Ministry of Finance to negotiate and approve around 135 million USD proposed by the World Bank aimed at promoting green and inclusive development.     

Similarly, the government will accept the World Bank's 150 million USD concessional loan, Minister Gurung informed.     

According to the Minister, there will be an exemption on the customs duties on the goods to be provided to the government of Nepal as grant assistance for the post-disaster relief distribution and reconstruction drive.     

Other key decisions of the cabinet include reappointment of Ashish Gajurel as the Executive Director of the Nepal Intermodal Transportation Development Committee, approval of the team led by Minister of Energy, Water Resources and Irrigation Deepak Khadka to participate in the International Solar Alliance's Assembly to be held in India from November 3-6.     

As per the cabinet's decision, the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock Development will be granted pre-approval for quarantine offices and management survey.     

Similarly, among the 71 local levels in 20 districts severely affected by the recent monsoon-induced disasters of September 27, 28 and 29, the government decided to provide Rs 10 million to each severely affected local level, Rs 7.5 million to moderately affected and Rs 5 million to normally affected ones, the Minister shared.     

Likewise, the cabinet meeting approved the Saudi Arabia visit of Minister for Physical Infrastructure and Transport Devendra Dahal to take part in 'Road Safety and Sustainability Conference: Innovating for Tomorrow' to take part from November 2-4.     

The meeting also decided to give national forest areas for different hydropower projects for the hydel projects development and transmission line construction.     

Minister Gurung said that a decision was made to gift a couple of elephants to the government of Qatar as per the National Park and Wildlife Conservation Act, 2029 BS.     

Similarly, a decision was made to hand over the Central Zoo to the National Trust for Nature Conservation (NTNC) for its management.     

Likewise, a high-level study and recommendation committee was formed under the chair of former Supreme Court Justice Anil Kumar Sihna for the overall study of Nepal's civil aviation sector in order to make this sector safe, reliable and trustworthy. The members of the study panel include aviation management expert Rajendra Bahadur Singh, aviation safety expert Bheshraj Subedi and Captain Riwaj Prasad Pradhan.     

According to Minister Gurung, a decision was made to provide Rs 3 billion to the Nepal Telecommunications Authority for the fiscal year 2081/082 BS.(RSS)