Gyawali new reconstruction authority CEO

Kathmandu, December 25

The government today appointed Sushil Gyawali as the Chief Executive Officer of the Reconstruction Authority.

Almost eight months after the devastating April 25 earthquake, the Legislature-Parliament passed a bill last week to set up the reconstruction authority. Cabinet meeting held this evening appointed civil engineer Gyawali, who is Executive Director of Town Development Fund.

Government spokesperson and Minister for Information, Communication and Technology Sherdhan Rai said Gyawali, a resident of Palpa, was a competent candidate to run the authority effectively.

Sushil Koirala-led government had appointed Dr Govinda Pokhrel as the CEO of the reconstruction authority and had been pressing the ruling coalition to continue with Pokhrel as CEO.

Since the authority is responsible for spending $4.1 billion pledged by the donors at a conference in Kathmandu earlier this year for Nepal’s reconstruction, the reconstruction authority CEO had become a coveted post.

The government also appointed seven members of the National Planning Commission. According to Minister Rai, the government appointed Dr Sumitra Amatya, Dr Kamananda Dev, Dr Chandra Kanta Poudel, Dr Sunil Babur Shrestha, Geetananda Joshi, Dr Kripa Sindhu Prasad and Bijay Bahadur Kunwar as the members of the NPC.

The government had already appointed Dr Yubaraj Khatiwada as the vice-chairman of the NPC.

It also transferred some secretaries and joint secretaries. Minister Rai said Secretary Jitendra Nath Sharma has been transferred to Urban Development Ministry from Prime Minister’s Office; Arjun Kumar Karki to Physical Planning and Transport Ministry from Urban Development Ministry; Gajendra Kumar Thakur to Science Ministry from Physical Planning and Transport Ministry and Bijay Kumar Mallik to Population and Environment Ministry from PMO.

The Cabinet also transferred Suresh Acharya to Drinking Water and Sanitation Ministry from National Vigilance Centre; Sunil Bahadur Malla to National Vigilance Centre from Information, Communication and Technology Ministry; Ramesh Kumar Sharma to Public Procurement Monitoring Office from Office of the Financial Comptroller General’s Office; Krishna Chandra Poudel to Livestock Development Ministry from Environment and Science Ministry; Kedar Bahadur Adhikary to PMO from Western Regional Administration Office and Bishnu Prasad Lamsal to Ministry of Supplies from Public Service Commission.

The government also deputed some joint secretaries to different offices as officiating heads. They include Consul General of Nepal Chandra Kumar Ghimire, who was deputed at Kolkata and has now been deputed as officiating Regional Administrator of Far Western Region in Dipayal; Shashi Shekhar Shrestha from Youth and Sports Ministry to officiating regional administrator of Mid-western Region Surkhet; Shankar Prasad Koirala from PMO to officiating regional administrator of Western Region in Pokhara.