KATHMANDU: The government has decided to appoint Secretary Lok Darshan Regmi as the Chief Secretary.

A meeting of the Council of Ministers held at the Office of Prime Minister and Council of Ministers (OPMCM), Singha Durbar today promoted Home Secretary Regmi to the post of Chief Secretary. Now, he serves as the 24th chief secretary of the government. He was promoted to secretary four years ago in 2013. Incumbent Chief Secretary Rajendra Kishor Chhetri is retiring Tuesday due to age-limit.

Talking to mediapersons following the meeting, Spokesperson for the government and Minister for Information and Communications Mohan Bahadur Basnet said the meeting also decided to install Shankar Prasad Adhikari to the post of Secretary at the Ministry of Finance.

Likewise, Naindra Prasad Upadhyay has been installed as the Secretary at the Public Service Commission, Madhu Prasad Regmi as the Secretary at the Ministry of Education, Mohan Krishna Sapkota as the Secretary at the Ministry of Home Affairs, Reshmi Raj Pandey as the Secretary at the Ministry of General Administration, Yubak Dhwaj GC as the Secretary at the Ministry of Forest and Prakash Mathema as the Secretary at the Ministry of Livestock Development.

The meeting promoted joint-secretary Bishnu Om Bade Shrestha to the post of secretary and accepted the resignations tendered by Education Secretary Sheshnath Adhikari and National Reconstruction Authority (NRA) chief executive officer (CEO) Dr Govinda Pokhrel.

Similarly, the meeting allocated the responsibility of NRA CEO to the former Finance Secretary Yubraj Bhusal for the time being.

Moreover, the meeting endorsed the provision for exempting the registration fees for transfer of houses built in the Giranchaur Integrated Model Settlement at Melamchi of Sindhupalchok to the earthquake survivors.

The meeting decided to sign on a memorandum of understanding between the Nepal Government and the European Union regarding the election observation and give authority to form a talks team to negotiate for an agreement relating to receiving a loan of US dollars 80 million from the World Bank for the Livestock Sector Innovation Project.

The Council of Ministers has reached an agreement regarding the 'medical education ordinance' and the final decision on this is expected from the next meeting, according to the Government Spokesperson Basnet.