Govt awaits details of loss to allocate budget for post-disaster recovery

KATHMANDU, OCTOBER 8: The government has decided to allocate a budget for post-disaster recovery based on assessments of the damages caused by the recent floods and landslides at the local levels. Announcing the decisions made during Monday’s Council of Ministers meeting, Minister for Communications and Information Technology, Prithvi Subba Gurung, stated, "The scale of the losses varies—some local levels have experienced significant damage, while others have faced relatively less. The government is preparing to allocate the budget according to the severity of the damages."

The Government Spokesperson added that the number of severely affected local units, currently standing at 41, may increase as more data becomes available. The Home Ministry is expected to submit a comprehensive report on the extent of the losses to the government within a few days.

In addition to the disaster-related budget allocation, several other decisions were made during the Cabinet meeting. Gita Kumari Poudyal Adhikari, a member of the National Planning Commission, has been granted permission to attend the "Asia-Pacific Care Forum 2024: Transforming Care: Building Alliances, Empowering Women, Reshaping Economies," scheduled to take place in Bangkok, Thailand from October 22-24.

The Council of Ministers also approved the creation of 266 temporary Gazetted positions for various projects under the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock Development.

The Cabinet gave consent for the participation of the Minister for Youth and Sports in the "XXI International Sports Forum Russia: Country of Sports," to be held in Russia from October 17-19. Additionally, the government has approved the opening of 57 new mountain peaks for climbing.

Further decisions included approving the organizational structure and staffing plan for the Department of Postal Services and its subsidiary bodies, endorsing the Telecommunications (Tenth Amendment) Regulations, 2081, and granting approval for the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Urban Development to participate in the World Urban Forum-12, set to be held in Cairo, Egypt from November 4-8.

Moreover, the Council of Ministers approved the participation of the Minister for Health and Population in the "Community Health Delivery Partnership Event" during the World Health Summit-2024, which will take place in Berlin, Germany, on October 13.

The Cabinet also endorsed the Share and Credit Investment Policy, 2081, along with the Seeds Regulations, 2081.