Nepal Cabinet Meeting April 20: Key Decisions Announced

Kathmandu, Nepal – The Government of Nepal officially released the outcomes of the Cabinet meeting held on April 20 (Baisakh 8). Minister for Communication and Information Technology and Government Spokesperson, Prithvi Subba Gurung, shared the 19 major decisions during a press conference on Wednesday.

1. Relief Package for Tinkune Incident Victims

The government will provide Rs 1 million each to the families of Sabin Maharjan and Suresh Rajak, who tragically died in the March 28 (Chaitra 15) Threekune incident in Kathmandu. This support aligns with the government’s commitment to assisting affected families during emergencies.

2. High-Level Governance Reform Commission

A 15-member High-Level Governance Reform Commission will be established under the chairmanship of the Prime Minister. The commission aims to improve administrative efficiency and transparency across government bodies.

3. Provincial Chief Minister’s India Visit

The Cabinet approved a bilateral visit to India by Sudurpaschim Province Chief Minister Kamal Bahadur Shah and Chief Secretary Dr. Kamal Prasad Pokharel from April 28 to May 4, covering New Delhi, Dehradun, and Lucknow.

4. $100 Million OFID Loan for Energy Projects

The government granted in-principle approval to secure $100 million from the OPEC Fund for International Development (OFID) for SASEC transmission and distribution projects. A dedicated negotiation team will be led by a Finance Ministry Joint Secretary.

5. Approval for Foreign Visits

• Energy Secretary Sarita Dawadi: Japan counterpart program (May 6–13)

• Agriculture Minister Ramnath Adhikari: 17th RIMES Council Meeting in Colombo, Sri Lanka (April 28–30)

• Home Ministry delegation: Nepal-India Narcotics Control Talks in Kathmandu (April 27–28)

• Foreign Minister: 81st UN ESCAP session in Bangkok (April 20–24)

• Defense Minister Manbir Rai: UN Peacekeeping Ministerial 2025 in Berlin (May 12–13)

• National Dalit Commission Chair Devraj Bishwakarma: Global Conference for a Caste-Free World in Canada (May 24–26)

6. Joint Kanchenjunga Climb with Indian Army

The government waived all mountain climbing permit fees for the Indo-Nepal Kanchenjunga expedition under the Joint Indo-Mountaineering Program, which includes 10 Indian and 13 Nepali climbers.

7. Cultural Cooperation with Hong Kong

The Cabinet approved a MoU on Cultural Cooperation between Nepal’s Ministry of Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation and Hong Kong’s Culture, Sports, and Tourism Bureau, authorizing the Ministry to finalize the agreement.

8. Land Use Approvals

• Kapilvastu: 8–10–9 bighas allocated to Lumbini Province’s Agriculture Ministry for a horticultural resource center.

• Rupandehi: 0–8–0 bigha allocated to Butwal Sub-Metropolitan City for building a ward office.

9. Institutional and Policy-Level Decisions

• Structural and staffing changes approved for the Supreme Court and its subordinate bodies.

• Foreign Aid Mobilization Policy 2082 approved.

• 14th amendment to Public Procurement Regulations 2082 approved.

• Chandrakala Paudel promoted to Chief Secretary of Koshi Province.

• Kedar Nath Sharma transferred as Secretary to the Ministry of Land Management, Cooperatives, and Poverty Alleviation.

The Cabinet meeting highlighted key decisions aimed at governance reforms, disaster relief, international cooperation, and institutional development in Nepal.

• Link “Supreme Court” to a page on Nepal’s judicial system.

• Link “Lumbini Province’s Agriculture Ministry” to an internal page on provincial government initiatives.

• Link “Nepal-India Narcotics Control Talks” to a related internal news or government cooperation page.

• Link OFID to the official OPEC Fund for International Development page.

• Link UN ESCAP to the UN ESCAP official website.

• Link Kanchenjunga to a relevant mountaineering or Himalayan tourism page.

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