Kathmandu: The government has declared the Madhes Province as a disaster-hit zone. A meeting of the Council of Ministers held Wednesday made this decision, government Spokesperson and Minister for Communications and Information Technology Prithvi Subba Gurung shared on Thursday organizing a news conference. As decided, the Madhes Province was declared the disaster-affected area for three months from the date the notice is published in the Nepal Gazette.
According to National News Agency Nepal, Minister Gurung stated that Madhes is facing severe challenges due to drought. The decision aims to provide immediate solutions to the problems faced by the region. The government is focused on ensuring water supply to every household and addressing issues affecting the people’s livelihood.
On Tuesday, the Madhes Province Government had urged the federal government to declare the province a crisis-hit region. Minister Gurung emphasized the importance of Madhes in the nation’s prosperity and highlighted the need for education, health, and development infrastructures in the region. He also stressed the importance of achieving prosperity while considering environmental conservation.
In other decisions, the cabinet meeting designated Rukumkot, wards no. 5 and 6 of Sisne Rural Municipality, as the district headquarters of Rukum Purva. Additionally, the cabinet approved the visit of Province Chief of Koshi Province, Parshuram Khapung, to attend the Fourth Convention of the Nepal Federation of Indigenous Nationalities in Malaysia on August 3.
The cabinet also sanctioned the participation of Secretary Phanindra Gautam and four other officials in the Asia-Pacific Joint Group Face-to-Face Meeting under the International Cooperation Review Group of the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) scheduled for September 3-4 in Macau, China. Other secretaries were approved for various international events.
Minister Gurung announced that the cabinet agreed to accept a $100 million loan from the OPEC Fund for International Development for Nepal’s power grid and distribution project. Furthermore, Marchabari Rural Municipality in Rupandehi and Aurahi Municipality in Mahottari district received permission to use government land for the construction of administrative buildings.
The cabinet also approved the use of national forest land by some hydropower projects for project advancement.