Kathmandu, July 24: The Government of Nepal has declared Madhes Province a disaster-affected area for a period of three months, following a prolonged drought affecting the region.
The decision was made at a Cabinet meeting held on Wednesday, as shared by Government Spokesperson and Minister for Communications and Information Technology Prithvi Subba Gurung at a press conference on Thursday.
Minister Gurung stated that Madhes is facing severe water scarcity, prompting the government’s decision to immediately respond to the crisis. “The government is committed to ensuring water supply in every household and resolving issues impacting people’s livelihoods,” he added.
On Tuesday, the Madhes Province Government had recommended that the federal government declare the province a crisis-hit region.
Gurung emphasized that national prosperity is incomplete without the prosperity of Madhes, highlighting the need for improved education, healthcare, and development infrastructure in the region. He also underlined the importance of environmental conservation alongside development.
Other Cabinet Decisions:
- The district headquarters of Rukum East has been officially designated as Rukumkot, specifically wards 5 and 6 of Sisne Rural Municipality.
- Approval was granted for Koshi Province Chief Parshuram Khapung to participate in the Fourth Convention of the Nepal Federation of Indigenous Nationalities, to be held on August 3 in Malaysia.
- Secretary Phanindra Gautam and four other officials were approved to attend the Asia-Pacific Joint Group Face-to-Face Meeting under the FATF International Cooperation Review Group, scheduled for September 3–4 in Macau, China.
- Other secretaries were also approved to attend various international events.
- The government approved the acceptance of a $100 million loan from the OPEC Fund for International Development for Nepal’s Power Grid and Distribution Project.
- Marchabari Rural Municipality in Rupandehi has been allowed to use nine bigha of government land (previously part of Silautiya VDC-6) for the construction of an administrative building.
- Aurahi Municipality in Mahottari was similarly granted permission to use government land at the former Aurahi VDC-5 for an administrative building.
- Several hydropower projects have also been authorized to use national forest land for project development.
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