Three MoUs to be signed during President's Bangladesh visit: Govt. Spokesperson

Minister for Communications and Information Technology Parbat Gurung, also the government's spokesperson, said three memorandums of understanding (MoUs) would be signed between Nepal and Bangladesh during a state visit of President Bidya Devi Bhandari to Bangladesh. President Bhandari is flying to Bangladesh on Monday on a state visit. During the visit, an array of subjects like cultural relations, tourism sector and pesticides on agriculture and livestock between Nepal and Bangladesh would be discussed, he said at a press briefing organised on Sunday in Singha Durbar on making public decisions taken by latest four council of ministers meetings. Likewise, linking Nepal with ports in Bangladesh through railway and transportation would also be discussed. "There is the hope that the subject of initiatives taken by Bangladesh on purchasing power from Nepal will be discussed," he said. It has been decided upon to provide authority to Dinesh Bhattarai, Secretary at the Ministry of Industry, Commerce and Supplies, to sign one of the MoUs from the side of the Government of Nepal. Likewise, the government has decided to nominate a six-member delegation led by Vice Chairperson of the National Planning Commission Prof Dr Pushpa Raj Kandel to take part from Nepal's side in a virtual event of the Eighth Asia-Pacific Forum on Sustainable Development to be organised in Bangkok in Thailand on 23-26 March. Likewise, it was decided upon to nominate a six-member delegation led by Dr Kandel to partake from Nepal's side in a virtual event of the 77th session of the Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific scheduled in Bangkok on 27-29 April. Likewise, the government will accept medical equipment worth around Rs 1.08 billion to be provided from the Government of Japan in grant to control and treat non-infectious diseases. For the construction and upgradation of Darchula-Tinkar road, it will allow permission to use 253.36 hectares of forest lands within community forests in Kanchanpur, Dadeldhura, Baitadi and Darchula districts. It was also decided upon to provide permission to lease out the land at Hetauda Sub Metropolitan City in Makawanpur district belonging to the Nepal Trust to the Office of Chief Minister and Council of Ministers, Bagmati Province. Similarly, the government appointed Binod Kumar Joshi as the Chairperson of Nepal Transit Warehousing Management Company Limited and Phulman Bal (Tamang) as the General Manager of Nepal Television. The government has decided to declare martyrs to Chandra Dangi of Birtamod Municipality-9 and Ram Prasad Pradhan of Buddha Shanti Rural Municipality-1 in Jhapa district, who were killed by the then government on charges of involving in movements against the then Panchayat regime.