KATHMANDU, JUNE 18
The government has decided to accept a soft loan of Rs 50.51 billion from the World Bank to fund various infrastructure projects, including roads and bridges.
The concessional loan will be utilized for the development of the strategic road network and the upgrading of trade routes and bridges.
Government Spokesperson and Minister for Communications and Information Technology, Prithvi Subba Gurung, informed the media that the World Bank Group would provide approximately Rs 29.72 billion for strategic road network and trade route improvement projects, along with an additional grant of around Rs 20.79 billion for the third phase of the bridge upgrade project.
The Minister shared this information while publicly disclosing the recent Cabinet decisions. As per the Cabinet's decision, the government will also accept a grant of approximately Rs 1.8 billion from South Korea for the implementation of an inclusive rural development project in Bardiya district.
Minister Gurung was presenting the outcomes of the Cabinet meeting held on Monday. The Cabinet also approved Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli's official visit to Spain, where he will lead a Nepali delegation from June 30 to July 5.
Additionally, it was decided to table a proposed agreement with the World Trade Organization (WTO) on fisheries before the federal parliament.
The Cabinet also made several administrative decisions, including the transfer of senior officials such as secretaries. Deputy Inspector General (DIG) of the Armed Police Force, Ganesh Bahadur Thadamagar, will be promoted to the rank of Additional Inspector General (AIG), with the appointment approved accordingly.
A Nepali delegation will be formed to participate in the 16th meeting of the Nepal-India Bilateral Consultation Group, scheduled to take place in Pune, India, on June 23–24.
In another decision, the government approved the use of 43.66 hectares of land within the national forest in the Nawalparasi Purba area for the construction of a 400 kV double-circuit power transmission line by the Millennium Challenge Account Nepal Development Committee (MCA-Nepal).
The Cabinet also endorsed the foreign visits of several ministers to international events, including Minister Gurung's participation in the World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS+20) and the AI for Good Summit 2025, both to be held in Geneva, Switzerland, from July 7 to July 11.
Furthermore, the government approved Nepal's membership in the International Big Cat Alliance (IBCA), a global initiative launched by India in 2023 to promote cooperation in the conservation of seven big cat species: tiger, lion, leopard, snow leopard, puma, jaguar, and cheetah.
