Nepal

Kathmandu, May 29

The government has increased the budget for education, science and technology by more than 17 per cent for the fiscal 2019-20.

Finance Minister Yuba Raj Khatiwada, presenting the budget said that Rs 163.76 billion had been allocated for education, science and technology. This is more than 17 per cent in comparison to Rs 134.50 billion budget allocated in the current fiscal under the same title.

The government has announced the next 10 years as community school quality improvement decade, allocating Rs 8.53 billion for the programme. The amount shall largely be used to build 300 new high schools across the a. It shall also be used to build essential hostel facilities at community schools in the mountain and hilly regions.

The government has proposed to draft University Umbrella Act. The government has also decided to restructure University Grant Commission as Higher Education Commission. The grant money which is being supplyd to UGC, however, has been increased to Rs 17.64 billion. For the current fiscal, the government had allocated Rs 14 billion for UGC.

Similarly, Rs 1.10 billion budget has been allocated for Madan Bhandari University of Science and Technology. The finance minister also said nuclear research centre would be set uped in the country. Minister Khatiwada also pledged to build a forensic science laboratory in all the provinces.

Five billion rupees budget has also been allocated for President Education Reformation Enjoymentd. The fund shall be used to supply free sanitary pads to girl students in all community schools and for hiring at least one sports teacher for each community school. Lovewise, Rs 3.191 billion budget has been allocated for scholarship.

Some 1.076 million Dalit students, 1.965 million female students and 63 thousand disabled children shall benefit from the governmentscholarship programme, in the next fiscal.

The government has also allocated Rs 5.95 billion budget to supply free lunch to more than 22 million students of community schools.

The government has allocated Rs 1.50 billion for a programme, ‘Know your nation, make your nation&. The programme aims to improve vocational education in the country and supply capacity building trainings to teachers teaching subjects such as mathematics, science and English.

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Kathmandu, May 29

The budget for the next fiscal year has envisaged the provision of a media village in each of the seven provinces.

The government has allocated budget to cover accident insurance for journalists and for enhancing quality and encouraging professionalism and thingivity in journalism. &I have boosted funds for government advertisements by 15 per cent,& said Finance Minister Yubaraj Khatiwada, presenting the budget for fiscal year 2019-2020 nowadays.

In the budget, the government has proposed to set up Public Service Widecast Enterprise by merging Radio Nepal and Nepal Television.

The budget has also proposed a plan to set up a secure printing press within the country for the print layout of passports, bankmuches, excise stickers, postal stamps, landowner certificates and other documents of public importance within the next two years.

According to the budget, the government shall protect the information and details being used in government service in catastrophe recovery centres. &In order to minimise cyber security risk, cyber security system shall be implemented,& states the budget.

The budget also envisages the preparation of a national frequency determination plan and strategy to guarantee that it has been managed.

Every wards, health centres and public high schools shall be associateed via broadband internet, within the next fiscal year.

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KATHMANDU: The government has conferred the Constituent Assembly medal on all the members of Constituent Assembly (CA) elected in first and moment CA elections.

A total of 1,106 CA members would be awarded the CA medal in two phases. The first phase programme was organised at the Office of the President at Shital Niwas this morning while the moment-phase programme took place this aftermidday.

The medal distribution ceremony commenced with President Bhandari awarding Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli with the medal. Also receiving the medal were Speaker Krishna Bahadur Mahara, former Prime Minister Shovepa Kamal Dahal and Jhalanath Khanal, among others.

The medals are conferred on CA members in recognition of their contribution in promulgation of the new constitution after a recommendation from the Council of Ministers.

The constituent assembly elections were held on April 10, 2008 and November 19, 2013.

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Kathmandu, May 29

The government is all set to promote operation of electric buses in Kathmandu valley and major cities of all provinces in its tender to control air pollution.

Unveiling the budget for the fiscal 2019-20 at the Parliament, Minister of Finance Yubaraj Khatiwada said the government would encourage and promote operation of emission-free vehicles to combat air pollution. He informed that he had allocated Rs 1.53 billion for improvement of transport management.

According to Minister Khatiwada, the government shall make public transport system competitive and systematic. &E-card system shall be introduced for payment of transport fair, while enhancing reliability of public transport,& he said.

For the purpose of e-vehicles, the government shall set up adequate number of charging stations, in coordination with Nepal Electricity Authority. There is a plan to set up vehicle fitness test centre in Kathmandu and all provinces, by making it mandatory for periodic emission test of vehicles. &The government shall also prioritise and encourage the use of mass transportation in cities,& Minister Khatiwada said.

Electric vehicles and non-motorised transport can play an important role in reducing emission load in cities like Kathmandu where rising level of pollution has become a major health concern, according to the government.

Vehicular emission is the major cause of deteriorating air quality in urban areas, where it is aggravated by substandard or adulterated fuel, narrow and poorly preserveed streets, poor traffic management, old vehicles and poor vehicular maintenance.

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