Kathmandu, July 10

The government today appointed Dinesh Bhattarai as Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba’s foreign affairs adviser.

A meeting of the Council of Ministers presided over by PM Deuba took a decision to this effect.

Bhattarai, a retired career diplomat had earlier worked as foreign affairs adviser to former prime minister Sushil Koirala. In the past, he had also served as Nepal’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations and other international organisations in Geneva.

The meeting also appointed journalist Govinda Pariyar, as press coordinator to PM Deuba. Pariyar has been in active journalism for more than one-and-a-half decades.

According to Finance Minister Gyanendra Bahadur Karki, who is also the government spokesperson, today’s meeting also decided to provide Rs 25,000 to each flood victim family of Saptari district.

Likewise, the meeting decided to provide Rs 1.5 million soft loan to each flood victim family for reconstruction of their houses damaged by floods.