Kathmandu. Today’s meeting of the Council of Ministers took 9 different decisions. The decision was taken at a meeting held at Singha Durbar at 1 pm today.

The government has decided to accept the concessional loan equivalent to USD 85 million to be provided by the World Bank for the Greater Lumbini Area Development Project and to provide 50 per cent discount on infrastructure development tax on the import of petrol, diesel and kerosene.

The meeting also decided to shift the Pulchowk-based Water Resources and Energy Research Centre to Godavari-3 and shift the office of the Water and Energy Commission Secretariat to the same building.

Similarly, permission has been given to acquire around 9 ropani of private land at Dhunibesi municipality-9 in the western section of Nagdhunga Surudmarga and around 2 ropanis of private land at Uttargaya rural municipality-5 along the Betrawati-Dhunche-Syafrubesi road section of Pasang Lhamu highway.

The meeting held today decided to allow the use of 46.39 hectares of national forest land in Kathmandu, Lalitpur and Makwanpur districts for the construction of Kathmandu-Tarai-Maghe Fast Track and to approve the removal of 1,898 trees and poles of different species from the forest area. The meeting also decided to appoint Kiran Pandit, Executive Director of Nepal Rastra Bank, to the post of Deputy Governor of Nepal Rastra Bank.