The government has sacked five officials of the Social Welfare Council, including its vice-chairman, on charge of working with “malicious intentions” and against the law.

A Cabinet meeting on February 15 decided to remove Vice-chairman Nil Mani Baral, Treasurer Bir Bahadur Thagunna, members Indra Kumar Jha and Gokarna Bhatta and Member Secretary Dilli Prasad Bhatta, Minister for Communications and Information Technology Gokul Banskota said at a regular weekly press briefing on Thursday.

Banskota, who is also the government spokesperson, said the Cabinet decided to sack the officials for causing harm to the council by working with malevolent intentions and against the law.

The council, formed under a separate Social Welfare Act, was established with a view to deal with the non-government sector in Nepal.  

The government has also decided to launch a probe into financial and administrative irregularities in the council according to the law, Baskota said. “A copy of the report will then be sent to the Commission for Investigation of Abuse of Authority for necessary action,” he added.

Some officials of the council were embroiled in controversies in the past as well for their alleged involvement in irregularities.

In some other decisions, the government has appointed Commerce and Supplies Secretary Kedar Bahadur Adhikari as the chairman of the Nepal Food Corporation Board of Directors. Earlier, Adhikari had served as a secretary at the Prime Minister’s Office and Cabinet Secretariat for almost two years.

Likewise, the government has promoted Joint-secretary Surya Prasad Gautam as the financial comptroller general and promoted Nepal Army Colonel Ganesh Kumar Shrestha to the post of brigadier general.

The government has also decided to create nine temporary posts as part of the preparation to establish three medical colleges under the Ministry of Education, Science and Technology.

The government has also decided to bring five hospitals—Koshi Zonal Hospital, Narayani Sub-Regional Hospital of Birgunj, Bharatpur Hospital of Chitwan, Bheri Zonal Hospital of Nepalgunj and Dadeldhura Sub-Regional Hospital of Dadeldhura—under the federal government to provide special services.