The government has announced a high-level commission to recommend reforms to revitalise the ailing economy. Former finance secretary Rameshore Khanal will lead the five-member commission tasked with advising the government on various aspects of economic reform, according to a recent Cabinet decision.

A Cabinet meeting on Monday decided to form a commission that will suggest changes and reforms in the economy.

Its members are National Planning Commission member Prakash Kumar Shrestha; Head of Central Department of Economics, Tribhuwan University Prof Ram Prasad Gyawali; Biswas Gauchan, executive director at Institute for Integrated Development Studies; and Kalpana Khanal, senior researcher at Policy Research Institute.

The commission will also consult with various sectors of the economy including the private sector, as needed, as per the Cabinet decision.

Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance Bishnu Prasad Paudel has expressed confidence that the commission will engage with all stakeholders and give necessary recommendations to put the economy on the track and to make it dynamic according to changing times. The finance ministry had already proposed forming such a commission as part of its 100-day action plan, which included forming a high-level economic sector reform recommendation commission.

Likewise, while speaking to reporters about the Cabinet decision, Minister for Communications and Information Technology Prithvi Subba Gurung, who also serves as government spokesman, said that the number of disaster crisis zones announced last week is likely to increase. The recent floods and landslides have caused nationwide havoc just ahead of the Dashain festival killing at least 244 people. Nineteen people are still missing and 179 were injured, according to the home ministry.

Gurung said that although the government had recently declared 59 local units as disaster crisis zones, this number could go up to 65.

“Work is underway to resume and restore highways and roads in the local units declared as disaster crisis zones. Discussions are ongoing to release funds to the district disaster management committee to restore telecommunication and electricity services, ensure food supply, open link roads to villages, and construct temporary bridges,” Gurung said.

“We are collecting data on the damage caused by the recent floods and landslides, but we are still waiting for the report. Once the report comes, we will allocate funds as per the needs of each local unit after assessing the damage.”

The home ministry will study the report and make recommendations to the government accordingly. Some lawmakers from Sindhuplachok and other districts had complained that the criteria for declaring disaster crisis zones were flawed and biased. The meeting also decided to open an additional 57 mountains for climbing, as per the proposal of the Ministry of Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation.