By Purushottam P. Khatri
Kathmandu, Sept. 29: The government has finally paved the way for concluding the police integration process in all the seven States after President Bidya Devi Bhandari Monday issued the Nepal Police and State Police (Operation, Supervision and Coordination) First Amendment Ordinance as recommended by the government.
Along with the police integration ordinance President Bhandari today issued two other ordinances related to acid and other harmful chemical regulation ordinance and some amendments in the Criminal (Code) Act and Criminal (Code) Procedure Act-2017.
A Cabinet meeting held on September 24 had decided to recommend the President to issue the three ordinances, Minister for Foreign Affairs and government spokesperson Pradeep Kumar Gyawali said at a press conference organised to make the Cabinet decisions public on Monday.
The issuance of the police integration ordinance will now provide a way for the Ministry of Home Affairs to push forward other necessary procedures to complete the halted integration processes of Nepal Police in the State Police.
As per the ordinance, the Metropolitan Police concept established some 12 years back will be now changed and the Kathmandu Valley's overall police command and operation is brought under the central government rather than the government of the Bagmati State.
Also, the present Metropolitan Police Office will change into the Federal Capital Police Office.
According to Senior Superintendent of Police and spokesperson at the Nepal Police Headquarters Kuber Kadayat, the Metropolitan Police Crime Division Teku's operation command will also come under the Federal Police in the valley. The name of the Metropolitan Police Crime Division will also be changed into the Federal Capital Crime Division.
The ordinance has also given rights to the State Police Office to make promotion and transfer of police officers up to Superintendent of Police (SP).
Meanwhile, the Cabinet meeting decided to accept grant and finance assistance worth billions of rupees to be provided by different internal bodies in the development initiative of the government.
As per the decision, the government decided to accept concessional loan of Rs. 9.38 billion from the World Bank for a project of Ural Entrepreneurship and Economic Development. The Ministry of Finance was advised to form a five-member dialogue committee led by a joint secretary of the Ministry.
The government decided to accept the concessional loan of Rs. 18 billion from the Asian Development Bank to implement the South Asia Sub Regional Economic Cooperation Airport Capacity Enhancement Project.
Likewise, the Cabinet meeting also decided to accept the economic support of Rs. 3.52 billion to be provided by the British government to implement the Nepal Health Sector Programme-III and Rs. 1.75 billion grant assistance to implement Integrated Landscape Management to Secure Nepal's Protected Area and Critical Corridors project and Developing Climate Resilient Livelihood in Vulnerable Watershed in Nepal and Developing Climate.
Meanwhile, the Cabinet meeting held on September 27 decided to endorse the memorandum of understanding (MoU) to be inked by the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock Development of Nepal and Mashavlsrael's Agency for International Development Cooperation of Israel for Nepal-Israel Cooperation on Agriculture Centre of Excellence project in Nepal. The government has given authority to sign the MoU to Nepali Ambassador to Israel Dr. Anjan Shakya.
The implementation responsibility of the project was given to the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock Development, according to Minister Gyawali.
The government has appointed Dr. Deepak Kumar Bhandari of Rupandehi district as executive director of Nepal Agricultural Research Council (NARC)