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Leading a Nepali delegation, Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal is leaving for Uganda tomorrow.

The visit is aimed at attending the 19th Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) Summit to be held in Kampala of Uganda on January 19-20. The PM will board the Qatar Airlines' 2:15 am flight for Uganda, according to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

The PM will be accompanied by his daughter Ganga Dahal, Minister for Foreign Affairs Narayan Prasad Saud, Sewa Lamsal, Secretary at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and other senior government officials, the Ministry said.

On the first day of the two-day Summit, PM Dahal will address the plenary session on the theme 'Deepening Cooperation for Shared Global Affluence'.

On the same day, Dahal will attend the state banquet hosted by the President of Uganda, General Yoweri Kaguta Museveni, in honor of the Heads of the delegation from the NAM member states.

In addition to the Summit activities, PM Dahal is slated to hold bilateral meetings with the Head of the States, Head of the Governments, and other dignitaries attending the event.

Foreign Minister Saud has already left here for Uganda on January 15 to participate in the ministerial meeting taking place in Uganda from January 17-18. Preceding the ministerial meeting, the senior officials meeting was held from January 15-16.

Agendas of the Summit include considering the report of the preparatory ministerial meeting, reviewing the progress achieved in the outcome of the 18th NAM Summit held in 2019 and adoption of the Kampala Declaration among others.

Nepal, being a founding member of the NAM, has been actively participating in all NAM Summits. The principle of nonalignment is one of the bedrock principles of Nepal's foreign policy.

PM Dahal is scheduled to return to Kathmandu on January 21.

Following the 19th NAM Summit, the Third South Summit is taking place in Uganda itself from January 21-22 which will be led by Foreign Secretary Lamsal, according to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

The Election Commission has directed the government to ensure security arrangements necessary for holding the National Assembly (NA) elections scheduled for January 25 in a cordial atmosphere.

A meeting of the EC today directed the government to make the NA-election related security arrangements in coordination of the Home Ministry in involvement with security agencies.

The government has been urged to consider potential security challenges for voters, election candidates, offices of the election officers, election employees, and for the management of election logistics and in the voting stations and put security arrangements in place accordingly, according to EC assistant spokesperson Shreedhar Panthi.

The EC has set up the offices of the election officers in its province offices in Morang, Dhanusha, Makwanpur, Kaski, Dang, Surkhet and Kailali.  It has sought the security arrangements in those routes using the election voters for visiting polling stations and in their residential areas as well.

Province Assembly members, chairs and vice chairs of rural municipalities, mayors and deputy mayors of municipalities are the voters of NA election.

The EC has directed for coordination hoteliers in the districts where polling centers have been established to facilitate voters with accommodation at their personal expenses and the coordination with the respective District Administration Office during the movement of voters and for the security of polling centers and stations.

It has also urged the district election security committee to deliver actively to ensure the effective and reliable election security arrangements.

Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal has directed the bodies concerned to take measures immediately to stop the inconveniences faced at the airport by abroad-bound Nepalis going on visit visa and taking work permit. He said that complaints of this have been received.

The PM issued this instruction in the course of discussions today with Deputy Prime Minister and Home Minister Narayan Kaji Shrestha, the Minister for Labour, Employment and Social Security Sarat Singh Bhandari, Chief Secretary Dr Baikuntha Aryal and the secretaries of the related ministries.

Stating that complaints have been received of those bearing the visit visa and labor permit facing inconvenience at the airport, the PM has instructed for immediately creating a conducive environment, according to the PM's Private Secretariat. 

"I have heard of the complaint that those going abroad on the visit visa are turned back from the airport citing lack of proper documents, but they are allowed to travel after some days through a 'setting' (meaning in collusion). Please do and get done according to the Immigration Work Procedures in connection with those going abroad on visit visa. Please, stop pestering the people," he said.

The Prime Minister has directed the bodies concerned to conduct awareness programs on foreign employment and visit visa reaching the local levels and to work in favor of the nation and people.

The Ministry of Water Supply has urged one and all to trust the quality of water supplied through the Melamchi Drinking Water Supply Project which was resumed from Monday in the Kathmandu Valley.

Issuing a notice today, Ministry Joint Secretary and Spokesperson, Meena Shrestha, said the water supplies from the Melamchi River meet the World Health Organisation (WHO) standards as it is distributed to consumers only after processing it at the water processing plant at Sundarijal.

The Ministry said that initially, the water may appear muddy due to soil residues within the water pipes, a consequence of the prolonged disruption in water supplies. It assures the public that the water will become clear with continued flushing after the resumption of regular supplies. The notice urged consumers not to be swayed by rumors and to trust in the water quality.

Simultaneously, the government has established a facilitating committee to address any issues in the Melamchi drinking water supplies. In case consumers encounter problems, they are requested to contact the committee.  The government aims to supply 170 million liters of water daily from the Melamchi River in Sindhupalchowk to meet the needs of the Kathmandu Valley.