PM Dahal pledges additional budget to NAST

Lalitpur, December 2

Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal said Nepal Academy of Science and Technology should play a significant role in the development of science and technology in the country.

Addressing the 39th General Assembly of NAST in Lalitpur today, Dahal, who is also the chancellor of the academy, pledged to allocate additional budget for the academy. “All research activities to be conducted by NAST should be result-oriented,” he said.

On the occasion, the assembly decided to confer the ‘NAST Technology Award’ with a purse of Rs 100,000 on Dr Surendra Lal Shrestha while the ‘NAST Science Award’ carrying a purse of Rs 100,000 will be presented to Dr Manoj Kumar Yadav.

Five people will be honoured with ‘NAST Science and Technology Award’ carrying a purse of Rs 75,000 each. Dr Santosh Nepal (Palpa), Dr Khemraj Joshi (Darchula), Dr Santosh Dulal (Jhapa), Dr Urmila Pyakurel (Sindhupalchok) and Dr Ramdevi Tamacho Saha (Saptari) were chosen for the award. Dr Saraswoti Acharya of Rasuwa was chosen for the ‘World Academy of Science Award’ with US dollar 1,000.

Prof Dr Tankanath Dhamala (Okhaldhunga), Dr Hari Prasad Aryal (Morang), Prof Dr Krishna Das Manandhar (Kathmandu) and Prof Dr Sirjanlal Shrestha (Lalitpur)were chosen for the ‘Nabil Science and Technology Award’.

Dr Bimala Dhakal of the TU Department of Biotechnology and Shree Shyam Pun of Department of Botany will be honoured with the ‘NAST Dayananda Bajracharya Research Award’.