Cabinet decisions: ranking determined, investigation into ambassador

The government has approved the Nepal Special Service (8th amendment) Regulation-2075 BS. 

Making public the decisions of the cabinet meeting held at the Office of Prime Minister and Council of Ministers on January 3 and 7 today, government Spokesperson Gokul Prasad Baskota shared that the government has decided to approve ranking of dignitaries associated to different sectors of national life. 

"The cabinet has decided to grant two kattha seven dhur land on the premises of Nepalgunj (Banke) Stadium to National Sports Council and promote and post seven Lieutenant Colonel of the Nepal Army and transfer 13 Colonels", Minister Baskota informed. 

Likewise, the cabinet endorsed the Telecommunication (8th amendment) Regulation-2075 BS and also decided to grant approval to send a bill for amendment to the Special Economic Zone Act-2073 to the federal parliament. 
The government is sending a Nepali delegation headed by Secretary at Energy, Water Resource and Irrigation Dr Sanjaya Sharma to participate in a meeting of the Nepal-India secretariat level joint hydropower committee to be held in New Delhi, India. 
Baskota further shared that the cabinet has also decided to submit a bill on operation, supervision and coordination of works to be carried out by Nepal Police and Province Police-2075 before the parliament. 

The government also has approved amendment statue of National Association of Village Development Committees Nepal-2074 and Right to Employment Regulation-2075 as well as decided to dissolve Mahendranagar Development Committee. 

The government has decided to keep nine development committees among different development committees under the Ministry of Health and Population in the federal ambit. It includes Kanti Child Hospital under the Kanti Child Hospital Development Committee (formation) order-2040, Paropakar Maternity Hospital, Kathmandu under the Paropakar Maternity Hospital Development Committee (formation) order-2046 and Shukraraj Tropical and Communicable Disease Hospital under the Shukraraj Tropical and Communicable Disease Development Committee (formation) order-2049 BS. 
Likewise, others include Singhadurbar Baidyakhana Development Committee, Kathmandu, Insect Diseases Research and Training Center, Kathmandu, Mental Hospital, Lalitpur and Nardevi Ayurveda Hospital. 

Similarly, Shahid Dharmabhakta Human Organ Transplant Center, Bhaktapur and National Ayurveda Research and Training Centre, Kirtipur have also been kept under the federal structure. 

The government has decided to promote Director of Additional Chief Investigation Director Ganesh Kumar Adhikari as the head of the National Investigation Department of Nepal. 

Responding to journalists' queries regarding the controversial wide body aircraft procurement process, Minister Banskota said the parliamentary public accounts committee and a commission formed by the government were investigating into the case. 
He also shared that the government has directed Nepal's ambassador to Australia Lucky Sherpa to put in papers as the committee was investigating into her controversial activities. 
On another note, Minister Banskota said Prof Dr Govinda KC's demands were already addressed therefore his further hunger strike had no meaning. He also urged all not to make comment on clean feed as the policy was adopted to manage the media houses. Government spokesperson Baskota further said that the Prime Minister's recent address to the parliament was based on factual data.