Kathmandu, June 2

The government has decided to deploy government employees to the 283 local levels where elections were held on May 14.

A Cabinet meeting held at the prime minister’s official residence in Baluwatar this evening took a decision to this effect, Minister for Foreign Affairs Prakash Sharan Mahat told The Himalayan Times.

Likewise, the meeting also decided to keep all poverty reduction related programmes of the government, including the Garibi Sanga Bisheshwor, under the Ministry of Cooperatives Development and Poverty Alleviation.

Similarly, the Cabinet also decided to observe May 2 as the Information and Communications Technology Day and to provide Rs 3 million to the Federation of Nepali Journalists to hold their convention.

In yet another decision, the government increased the compensation amount from Rs 500,000 to Rs 1,000,000 to the families of those killed in attacks by wild animals.

The last Cabinet meeting of the Pushpa Kamal Dahal-led government also decided to hike perks and allowances for government employees, mainly Nepali diplomats serving in foreign diplomat outposts. Minister Mahat said the hike was in range of 20 per cent to 30 per cent on the basis of location of the missions.

The Cabinet also decided to not allow opening of new medical colleges until a new bill on medical education is passed by the Parliament, said Minister for Health Gagan Kumar Thapa. “This means that the government would not allow opening of new medical colleges in Kathmandu and other parts of the country till a new bill on medical education is passed,” he added.