The government has formed two different committees led by Foreign Secretary Shankar Das Bairagi to oversee implementation of the agreements signed during the PM’s official visits to India and China.

Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli visited India on February 19-24 and China on March 20-27, during which several deals and understandings were reached with the two neighbouring countries. Nepal and India signed seven agreements related to reconstruction, trade and transit, energy and infrastructure while 10 memorandums of understanding and agreements were inked with China.

The team to monitor the enforcement of deals with India includes joint-secretaries from the ministries of Physical Infrastructure and Transport, Finance, Commerce, Energy, Irrigation, Home, Law, Culture, Tourism and Education, the National Reconstruction Authority and the PM’s Office as members and the joint secretary at the South Asia division of the Foreign Ministry as the member-secretary.

The foreign secretary will head another team for monitoring of the agreements and deals reached with China. The 15-member team includes joint-secretaries from the PM’s Office, the ministries of Physical Infrastructure and Transport, Finance, Commerce, Energy, Home, Law, Tourism, Education, Supply, Industry and General Administration, and NRA as members and North Eastern Asia division at the ministry as member-secretary.

Meanwhile, the Cabinet meeting endorsed the National Security Policy-2073 and decided to present the bill on management of National Security Council’s tasks, duties, authority and working procedure at the legislation committee. Information Minister Sherdhan Rai said the meeting also decided to provide free dialysis to kidney patients. A team of kidney patients including Yagya Nidhi Dahal had met with PM Oli recently to request him to make the service free.

The meeting also formed an Information and Technology Council chaired by the prime minister, said Minister Rai, who is the Cabinet spokesperson. Minister for Information and Minister for Science and Technology will be the co-chairs at the council while the chief secretary, a National Planning Commission member, secretaries of the Ministries of Finance, Home Affairs, Information and Communications, Industry and Urban Development are the members.

Others include the chair of Nepal Telecommunications Authority, two persons related to information and communications to be appointed by the government, two professors or academicians, and two IT experts. The Cabinet also appointed Krishna Nath Khanal as member secretary of the Arrears Clearance Evaluation and Monitoring Committee.