KATHMANDU: The newly formed government led by Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli held its maiden meeting at the Office of the Prime Minister and Council of Ministers on Monday.

The Cabinet meeting decided to end the current shortage of daily essentials including petroleum products at the earliest.

Likewise, the meeting also urged the parties staging protests in various Tarai districts to join the negotiation table to get their issues addressed.

The meeting assigned newly appointed Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Foreign Affairs Kamal Thapa to hold talks with India in order to ease supplies.

The erstwhile government had given the responsibility to the then Minister for Foreign Affairs Mahendra Bahadur Pandey.

Meanwhile, it has been learned that the Cabinet assigned newly appointed Minister for Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs Agni Prasad Kharel to work as the government spokesperson.

Twines to be replaced with suspension bridges

Meanwhile, Prime Minister Oli said the Cabinet also decided to replace the twines being used to cross rivers with suspension bridges.

Speaking to media after the first Cabinet meeting, Oli said the time for using twines is over now.

A total of 350 twines of the remote areas in the country would be replaced with the suspension bridges within two years aiming to bring an end to the vulnerable situation that people face while crossing the rivers, according to the Prime Minister.

"The twines will be replaced with the suspension bridges within two years," the PM said.

The project is expected to cost Rs 3.25 billion.

Likewise, Oli said that a master plan for the safe settlement of April 25 earthquake survivors would be devised and necessary changes would be introduced for well-management of the urban development.

(With inputs from the Rastriya Samachar Samiti)