Kathmandu: The government has officially removed Sharad Ojha from his position as the Chairman of the Nepal Insurance Authority. A recent meeting of the Council of Ministers on August 18 led to this decision, as confirmed by Minister for Communications and Information Technology Prithvi Subba Gurung. Minister Gurung, who also serves as the government’s spokesperson, shared this development during a regular press conference held to communicate the cabinet’s decisions.
According to National News Agency Nepal, Ojha’s removal was based on the recommendation of a probe committee, citing reasons of indecent performance, inadequate work competency, and a failure to fulfill his responsibilities adequately. In the same cabinet meeting, several other decisions were made, including the approval of a visit by National Planning Commission Member Dr. Prakash Kumar Shrestha to Thailand for a conference on Resilient Supply Chains and Equitable Growth in a Changing World of Work, scheduled for September 15 and 16.
Additionally, the cabinet approved the participation of Narayan Prasad Sharma Duwadi, Secretary of the Commission for the Investigation of Abuse of Authority (CIAA), in the “Anti-Corruption Initiative for Asia and the Pacific-2025” in Indonesia from September 23-25. Permission was also granted to a delegation led by Auditor General Toyam Rana to attend the 25th International Convention of the International Organization of Supreme Audit Institutions in Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt, from October 27-31.
The government also sanctioned a Rs 30.8 billion concessional loan from the Japanese government for the Koteshowor Intersection Improvement Project. It approved the principle for formulating a bill related to lease finance and amended the grant and loan agreement of a forest project for prosperity. Furthermore, the Human Rights Award Fund Operation (First Amendment) Regulation, 2082, was approved, along with the appointment of Dr. Tek Bahadur Ghimire as the chairperson of the Administrative Court and advocates Nawal Kishor Yadav and Alok Chandra Shrestha as members.
Minister Ajay Kumar Chaurasiya received permission to participate in the 63rd Annual Session of the Asian-African Legal Consultative Organisation in Kampala, Uganda, from September 8-12. The government decided to issue a diplomatic passport to Bandana Rana, a member of the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW), and gave Foreign Minister Dr. Arzu Rana Deuba permission to attend a high-level conference of the Asia Cooperation Dialogue on World Financial Structures starting September 2 in Bangkok, Thailand.
Other decisions included the approval of the Customs (Eighth Amendment) Regulations, 2082, the National Youth Policy, 2082, and the Headquarters Agreement between the Government of Nepal and the South Wildlife Enforcement Network, 2025. Permission was also granted to present a bill designed to amend the act related to reconciliation, 2068, at the federal parliament.