Kathmandu, February 21

The government has sacked five office bearers of Social Welfare Council —  Vice-chair Nilmani Baral, Treasurer Bir Bahadur Thagunna, members Indra Kumar Jha and Gokarna Prasad Bhatta and Member Secretary Dilli Prasad Bhatta —  for acting with malicious intent to harm the interests of SWC.

Minister of Communications and Information Technology Gokul Prasad Baskota said that the government had sent a probe committee report to the Commission for the Investigation of Abuse of Authority, telling it to probe allegations of fiscal and administrative irregularities at SWC.

The government has also decided to sign an agreement for the avoidance of double taxation and prevention of fiscal evasion with respect to taxes on income. Sapkota said the government took a decision to this effect in the Cabinet meeting held on Monday. The government also decided to enforce Feed Act, 1976, in the remaining 33 districts of Nepal.

The government has directed the line ministry to set up information system related to programmes of National Identity Management in all districts. It has also decided to immediately provide compensation to crime victims as per the court orders and to allow use of forest land for the upgradation of Panchkhal-Melamchi road.

The government has decided to mark February 13 as Employment Day every year. It has authorised Nepal Telecom Authority to cancel the agreement signed with a company to lay  optical fibre network in districts of Gandaki and Province 5 and for the work related to optical network lease connectivity and to enter into agreement with new companies.

Minister Baskota said the company that had signed agreement with the NTA was supposed to complete construction work by mid-May last year, but it failed to do so. The government also decided to keep five hospitals — Koshi  Zonal Hospital, Morang;  Narayani Sub-regional Hospital, Parsa; Bharatpur Hospital, Chitwan; Bheri Zonal Hospital, Banke; and Dadeldhura Sub-regional Hospital, Dadeldhura —  under its control.

The government also decided to register in the Parliament a new bill to amend and integrate laws related to foreign investment and technology transfer. It also decided to register new public private partnership and investment bill in the Parliament.

The government also promoted Colonel Ganesh Kumar Shrestha to the post of Brigadier General of the Nepali Army.