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The government has decided to accept a grant assistance equivalent to USD  two million from the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) for the Improvement Project of the Siddhartha Highway (Butwal-Pokhara). 

A meeting of the Council of Ministers on Thursday took a decision to this effect, Government spokesperson and Home Minister Om Prakash Aryal shared this at a press meet on Friday. 

Similarly, the meeting agreed to remove a ceiling on foreign investment under an automatic route in the determined enterprises/business. 

As per the meeting's permission, Secretary of Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock Development Dr Rajendra Parasad Mishra will attend the 'First South Asian Agroforestry and Trees Outside Forecast Conference' to be held in New Delhi of India from February 5 to 7. 

The meeting has decided to endorse the Foreign Minister's visit to Bangladesh, attending the funeral ceremony of former Bangladeshi Prime Minister Begum Khaleda Zia last month. 

The government decided to give permission for the construction of an office building of the Province Public Health Laboratory on its five ropani of land in Bhaktapur district, according to Minister Aryal.  

Likewise, as per the cabinet decision, Water Supplies and Sanitation Division 3, Sindhupalchowk is allowed to use one ropani of land owned by the government in Kavre. 

Furthermore, the cabinet has decided to give an approval to a notice in the Nepal Gazette (Extraordinary Issue) regarding the Kigali Amendment to the Montreal Protocol, which was endorsed by the House of Representatives on March 11, 2025.

Forty-nine candidates across the country have withdrawn their nominations filed for the first-past-the-post elections to the House of Representatives scheduled for March 5, according to the Election Commission (EC).

At a weekly news conference organized by the EC today, EC Spokesperson Narayan Prasad Bhattarai shared that 49 candidates withdrew their candidacies from different constituencies so far. The EC is getting more information on this. 

He opined that the final name list of candidates towards FPTP elections has been released through 77 offices of chief returning officers and 88 offices of election officers across the country.

These offices would provide election symbols to candidates of political parties as well as independent candidates from 4 pm-7 pm today itself, said EC's Joint Spokesperson, Kul Bahadur GC.

Newly elected Nepali Congress President Gagan Thapa assumed office on Friday. 

Thapa, who previously served as the General Secretary of the party, was unanimously elected as the President during the second special general convention held in Kathmandu on January 15. 

The first meeting of the newly elected working committee is taking place at the party's central office in Sanepa today. 

Former Prime Minister Baburam Bhattarai has withdrawn his candidacy.

Bhattarai, who had filed his candidacy from Gorkha-2 for the House of Representatives elections scheduled for March 5, has decided to withdraw his nomination today.

He had filed his nomination from the Pragatisheel Loktantrik Party.