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Wildfires have destroyed 4, 500 hectares of forest in Ramechhap district in the past one month.

According to the Division Forest Office, Doramba Shailung Rural Municipality had faced maximum loss and damage.

Forest Officer Om Sagar Bhandari said fire incidents have so far caused damage to 155 community and leasehold forests.

Bio-diversity including wildlife species has been severely affected due to the fire in many forests. Two persons have lost their lives to forest fire in the district this year.

Meanwhile, local administration has been sensitizing the locals about the loss and damage from the forest fire.

The administration has called for local communities towards the preservation of forest and wildlife cautioning that legal action against setting fire in the forest will be taken under the criminal charge.

The government has decided to promote two Deputy Inspectors General of Police (DIGs) to the post of Additional Inspector General of Police (AIG).

A Cabinet meeting held on Thursday decided to promote DIGs Umesh Raj Joshi and Bhim Dhakal to the post of AIG, government spokesperson and Minister for Communications and Information Technology Rekha Sharma said.

She said that a decision to Joshi and Dhakal was made at the proposal of the Home Ministry.

The Swiss government is to provide 9.01 million Swiss francs financial assistance for trekking based tourism projects in Nepal.

At a program organized at the Finance Ministry today, Joint-Secretary at the Ministry, Shreekrishna Nepal, and Swiss Ambassador to Nepal, Dr Danielle Meuwly, signed the agreement.

The four-year project would be implemented from this year (2024).

According to the Finance Ministry, around 100,000 locals of 29 local levels of Koshi Province would be directly benefited from the project.  

It is believed that there would be support in conservation of local art, culture, local production, employment creation and development of sustainable tourism from the implementation of the project.

On the occasion, Ambassador Meuwly expressed the belief that the project, which helps for sustainable tourism development and making the local economy dynamic, would be the milestone.

He shared that the implementation of the project would significantly contribute to environment-friendly socio-economic development.

Similarly, Joint-Secretary and Chief of International Economic Cooperation Coordination Division, Nepal, explained that the project would help increase tourism capacity of Koshi Province, thereby increasing income sources of locals by promoting eco-tourism.

MCA-Nepal has signed a contract with Linxon India Pvt. Ltd. for the construction of the 400 kV New Butwal Substation in Nawalparasi (Bardaghat Susta West) district in Lumbini Province.

As per the contract agreement, the deadline for completing the project to construct the Gas Insulated Switchgear (GIS) substation is 39 months.

Nepal Electricity Authority (NEA) Managing Director Kulman Ghishing, US Ambassador to Nepal, Dean R Thompson, local authorities, and people's representatives were present at the agreement signing ceremony.

Addressing the ceremony, the ambassador said the US government is ready to cooperate with the government of Nepal to ensure that the Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC) Pact was in the interests of Nepal to address its energy needs, the MCA Nepal said.

Speaking at the event, the ambassador stated, “The US Government is committed to working with the Government of Nepal to ensure that the compact delivers on Nepal’s energy needs. The 400 kV New Butwal Substation will improve Nepal’s transmission capacity contributing to reliable and affordable electricity for household consumption, expanded commercial and industrial enterprises, and cross-border electricity trading.”

NEA Managing Director Ghising said, “The 400 kV substation has been a priority for NEA and will supplement the existing 220 kV substation to significantly increase cross-border energy trade in the region.”

During the event, MCA-Nepal Executive Director Khadga Bahadur Bisht highlighted the overall progress being made in the implementation of the MCC Nepal Compact, stating “MCA-Nepal is expediting all works for the construction of the transmission lines and substations under the Electricity Transmission Project. We are at the final stages of the procurement process to sign the contract for the construction of the remaining two substations as well.”

Along with this substation, MCA-Nepal is constructing two other substations in Ratmate, Nuwakot district, and Damauli, Tanahun district under the Electricity Transmission Project funded by the US Government’s Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC) and the Government of Nepal. The contractors for the remaining two substations are being selected.

The MCA-Nepal Board, chaired by the Secretary at the Ministry of Finance, decided in its March board meeting to advance the 18 km Nepal portion of the New Butwal-Gorakhpur power transmission line to facilitate timely initiation of cross-border power trade as outlined in the agreement with India, the MCA Nepal said.