Cabinet meeting decides to accept Tharuhat Tarai-Madhes movement as political one

KATHMANDU: A meeting of the Council of Ministers held at the Office of the Prime Minister and Council of Ministers at Singha Durbar on Thursday acknowledged the Madhes movement as a political one.

It made a decision that the Ministry of Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs would present a proposal, at the recommendation of the Ministry of Home Affairs, to the next meeting of the Council of Ministers for withdrawing the cases filed against those people participating in the movement.

Minister for Information and Communications Surendra Kumar Karki, giving out information to the media persons on the decisions taken by the Cabinet meeting today, stated that the winter session of the Legislature-Parliament has been prorogued from today.

Likewise, the Council of Ministers today took a decision to declare  Nawaraj Pathak of Namobuddha Municipality, Kavre, who died in the police firing and Kul Bahadur Tamang of Dolakha who was killed in a clash during the local-level elections on May 14,  martyrs and to provide ex-gratia support of one million rupees to their families.

The government also decided to make arrangements for providing free education to Pathak and Tamang's children.

The Council of Ministers has appointed Bhawani Prasad Baral of Dharan the Chairman of the Press Council, Nepal.

The government has also made a decision whereby the general public, too, could avail of medical services from the hospitals and health institutes run by Nepal Police and the Nepalese Army.The government would establish coordination with the related bodies of the Nepal Police and the Nepali Army.

The Cabinet meeting decided to introduce the 'Chure Tarai Madhes Protection and Management Master Plan' for the management of the river systems, the promotion of greenery, forest area, for the development and sustainable management of forests and natural resources, and for minimizing the risk of climate change and adaptation in the Chure Tarai region, Minister Karki, who is also the government spokesman, said