Ministers continue responding to queries raised during Ministry-wise discussions regarding Appropriation Bill 2076 BS

Kathmandu, June 24: Minister replying to queries raised during deliberations on the appropriation bill 2019 continued today as well.

In his response, Minister for Labour, Employment and Social Security, Gokarna Bista, said the government is moving ahead with substantive plans to make the foreign employment safe and transparent. The minister said, the Prime Minister Employment Programme makes its headway in a transparent way.

He briefed the session that suggestions had been received to invest remittance in a productive sector and social security plan had been implemented to create a favourbale atmosphere for employment at home.

Similarly, responding to queries of lawmakers, Minister for energy Barsha Man Pun said the government has made it clear that works on the Budhigandaki Hydroelectricity Project have been pursued with the concept of moving forward the project as per the engineering, procurement, construction and financing (EPCF) modality.

He that the Ministry has the concept of developing mega projects like the Budhigandaki Project as per the national interests. He  further said the construction of the Project would be started by selecting an appropriate construction modality as it is an important and strategically significant project. He denied that there was any power play and behind the scene machinations regarding awarding the contract of the project.

Likewise, physical infrastructure and transport minister Raghubir Mahaseth said government is serious to accomplish the unfinished projects and federal government is ready to complete those projects of national importance if province governments are unable to do so.

Earlier, Lawmakers speaking in the ‘special hour’ of the meeting of the House of Representatives today vociferously protested to the alleged tampering of the marks secured by a university student in final examination to make him eligible for a gold medal.

It is said the marks secured by the student in question were increased in collusion with the employees of the ‘confidential section’ of the Tribhuvan University, Office of the Controller of Examinations.

Agni Prasad Sapkota expressed concern saying the educational institutions were converting into the places of misconduct and anomalies, referring to the news carried by the press today about the alleged tampering of marks.

What kind of culture is it to add 6 before 9, the marks secured by the student in question, to make it 69 and honouring him with a gold medal,he asked.

The Tribhuvan University’s this incident is similar and this kind of tendency and culture should be strictly and ruthlessly crushed. Otherwise, development and prosperity would remain confined to paper only, he said, calling the serious attention of the Ministry of Education, Science and Technology towards this.

Among other issues voiced by the lawmakers drawing the government’s attention in the special hour include the incident of chaining an elected lawmaker serving jail during his health treatment at a hospital which showed the discrimination to a campaigner of the Tharuhat movement, the movement against the Guthi Bill among others

Similarly, lawmakers called on the government to act to address the problem of flooding and inundation caused on the Nepal side by the structures like dams and roads built unilaterally by India close to the Nepal-India border in the southern plains and others.

Meanwhile, speaking in the ‘zero hour’ of the meeting of the House of Representatives today, Pushpa Bhusal accused Prime Minister of blatantly violating the rule of law and governing the country in an ‘authoritarian manner’.

Prem Suwal also drew the attention of the government to dismantle the Laxmanpur dam constructed by India at the Nepal-India border in Banke district. Dilendra Prasad Badu called on the government to immediately start dialogue with the CPN (Maoist) Biplav group.