Govt grants STC, FMTC 50 pc duty waiver for sugar imports 

KATHMANDU: The government has permitted the Salt Trading Corporation (STC) and the Food Management & Trading Company (FMTC) to import 30,000 metric tonnes of sugar with a 50% customs duty waiver to prevent a sugar shortage during the upcoming festivals.

Minister for Communication and Information Technology, Prithvi Subba Gurung, announced that the meeting of the Council of Ministers on Monday decided to grant a 50% exemption on customs duty for the import of 15,000 metric tonnes of sugar each by the STC and FMTC.

At a press conference held at the ministry on Tuesday, Minister Gurung informed that the two state-owned companies have been allowed to import sugar with customs exemptions to prevent a shortage of sweeteners during the Dashain, Tihar and Chhath festivals.

The cabinet meeting also recommended Chitralekha Yadav, a resident of Siraha district, for the position of Resident Ambassador to Australia and Non-Resident Ambassador to Fiji, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, Vanuatu, Tuvalu, Solomon Islands, Samoa, Palau, Nauru, Marshall Islands, and the Kingdom of Tonga.

The Council of Ministers extended the memorandum of understanding (MoU) signed between the Nepal Electricity Authority (NEA) and SJVN for the development of the Arun-IV Hydropower Project through a joint venture by one year, according to Minister Gurung, who is also the government spokesperson.

The meeting also approved temporary positions for 12 gazetted posts in the National Youth Council under the Ministry of Youth and Sports and four in the Fapla International Cricket Ground and Sports Village Infrastructure Development Committee for the fiscal year 2024/25.

The government has approved conducting an organisation and management (O&M) survey of the Ministry of Finance and its subordinate offices.

The Cabinet has also decided to approve the Land Use (Second Amendment) Regulations, 2081, and the national report on the implementation of the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, which will be submitted to the relevant United Nations Committee.

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