Kathmandu, September 23
The government has initiated the process to allow serving security personnel to participate in initial public offerings (IPOs) of hydropower projects.
Speaking at the House of Representatives meeting on Wednesday, Minister for Energy, Water Resources and Irrigation Biraj Bhakta Shrestha said legal procedures were being advanced to ensure that serving security personnel receive a two per cent share in hydropower project IPOs in recognition of their contribution during disasters.
“Respecting their dedication and contribution, necessary procedures have been initiated to establish a legal provision ensuring two per cent participation for serving security personnel in hydropower project IPOs,” Minister Shrestha said.
According to Sudarshan Shrestha, undersecretary at the Ministry of Energy, the provision will apply to serving security personnel. He said legal procedures were being advanced to ensure two per cent IPO participation from hydropower projects for personnel of all three security agencies.
He said a policy decision had been taken to involve security personnel in hydropower project ownership in recognition of their dedication and strong sense of responsibility towards the nation.
Minister Shrestha also said a decision had been made to provide immediate relief to the dependent families of Nepal Electricity Authority employees who died or went missing during disasters.
He said the families of authority employees who died or went missing in the Trishuli River while serving the nation would receive Rs 500,000 in immediate relief and 50 per cent of their salaries for six months.
Minister Shrestha also praised the coordinating role played during the Bhotekoshi disaster by employees of agencies under the ministry, the Nepal Electricity Authority, the Department of Irrigation, and the Department of Hydrology and Meteorology.
“We need to assess the damage as well as build technologies and infrastructure capable of reducing such risks in the future,” he said.
Shrestha said subordinate agencies had been instructed to give high priority to safety standards when planning future hydropower projects to make them disaster-resilient.
Meanwhile, citing information from the Meteorological Forecasting Division that a low-pressure system developing over the Bay of Bengal could bring heavy to very heavy rainfall to Nepal again, Minister Shrestha urged people to remain alert.
He said subordinate agencies had already been instructed to maintain high vigilance, particularly in central and western Nepal and recently flood-affected areas including Rasuwa, Nuwakot and Dhading, and to regularly monitor weather information.
