STC and FMTC allowed to import sugar on duty waiver

KATHMANDU, SEPTEMBER 10: The government has allowed the Salt Trading Corporation (STC) and the Food Management & Trade Company (FMTC) to import 30,000 metric tons of sugar with a 50 percent customs duty waiver to prevent a shortage of sugar during the upcoming festivals. Minister for Communications and Information Technology, Prithvi Subba Gurung, shared that the Council of Ministers' meeting held on Monday decided to grant a 50 percent exemption to the STC and FMTC on customs duty for the import of 15,000 metric tons of sugar each.

At a press conference organized at the Ministry today, Minister Gurung clarified that the two state-owned companies have been allowed to import sugar with the customs exemption to prevent a shortage of sweeteners during the Dashain, Tihar, and Chhath festivals.

The Cabinet meeting also recommended Chitralekha Yadav, a resident of Siraha, for the post of Resident Ambassador to Australia and Non-Resident Ambassador to Fiji, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, Vanuatu, Tuvalu, Solomon Islands, Samoa, Palau, Nauru, the Marshall Islands, and the Kingdom of Tonga.

In the same meeting, the Council of Ministers extended the memorandum of understanding (MoU) signed between the Nepal Electricity Authority (NEA) and SJVN Limited for the development of the Arun-IV hydropower project through a joint venture by one year, according to Minister Gurung, who is also the government spokesperson.

Additionally, the meeting approved the creation of 12 temporary gazetted positions in the National Youth Council under the Ministry of Youth and Sports, and four positions in the Fapla International Cricket Ground and Sports Village Infrastructure Development Committee for the fiscal year 2081/82 BS.

The government also approved conducting an organization and management (O&M) survey of the Ministry of Finance and its subordinate offices. Finally, the Cabinet decided to approve the Land Use (Second Amendment) Regulations, 2081, and the national report on the implementation of the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, which will be submitted to the relevant United Nations Committee.