Kathmandu, August 4

The government has decided to hold by-elections on November 30, according to Minister of Communications and Information Technology Gokul Prasad Baskota. He was  addressing a press meet organised at Singha Durbar today to disclose the decisions of the July 1 Cabinet meeting.

The government has approved the Public Procurement (eighth amendment) Rules-2019 and published it in the Nepal Gazette.

As per the Cabinet decisions, the government has authorised the concerned agency to form a talks team regarding a subsidised loan of around Rs 21.45 billion from the Asian Development Bank for upgradation of highways in Nepal. The government has decided to determine pay scale of employees adjusted at the provincial and local levels. New pay scale of civil servants and teachers will also be fixed for the current fiscal 2019-20.

Minister Baskota said the Cabinet had decided to provide one million rupees in grant to the Nepal Notary Public Council, include khoret (foot and mouth rust disease) and rabies into the Animal Health and Livestock Service Rules-2000, by making an amendment to the concerned law. The government will provide visa fee exemption to the Open University for its teacher and student exchange programme.

Arjun Bhandari, who received bullet injury during a protest organised demanding action against the guilty of Nirmala Panta’s rape and murder in Kanchanpur, will be provided with a monthly relief amount of Rs 25,000. Nepali citizenship certificate of eight persons will be revoked for obtaining the certificate by submitting false documents.

Minister Baskota said if adjudications of cases related to development projects and tax were delayed, that would lead to unprecedented hike in project cost and could also harm people’s interests.

In response to a journalist’s query, minister Baskota said the Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli would himself bear his treatment cost in Singapore. He said the government paid only for the air tickets of the members in the team that accompanied the PM to Singapore. He said only the government employees who were accompanying the PM would get food and accommodation allowances, as per the government rule.

Baskota said the reports that PM Employment Programme fund was being spent on trivial issues were wrong. He said the government was committed to hold dialogue with Netra Bikram Chand-led Communist Party of Nepal but, his outfit had to renounce violence.

The Cabinet has also decided to transfer additional inspector generals of Armed Police Force and approve the visit of Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli to Singapore for medical treatment.