Singh appointed Chief Minister
Satish Kumar Singh has been appointed the Chief Minister of Madhesh Province. Madhesh Province Head Sumitra Bhandari appointed him as Chief Minister on June 7. Singh is a lawmaker of Janamat Party and succeeds Saroj Kumar Yadav of the Federal Socialist Forum. Singh garnered the support of 55 provincial assembly members from six political parties.
Gadtaula appointed Acting Chief Secretary
The Cabinet on June 24 appointed Lila Devi Gadtaula as the Acting Chief Secretary of the government of Nepal. Gadtaula was previously serving as secretary at the Office of the Prime Minister and Council of Ministers. She has been assigned the responsibility of Acting Chief Secretary because erstwhile chief secretary Baikuntha Aryal has been suspended following a lawsuit related to a graft case filed against him by the Commission for the Investigation of Abuse of Authority (CIAA). Gadtaula is the first female taking the highest charge in the history of civil service in Nepal.
World Bank names New Country Director for Nepal, Maldives and Sri Lanka
World Bank has appointed David Sislen as the Country Director for Maldives, Nepal, and Sri Lanka, effective July 1, 2024. He succeeds Faris Hadad-Zervos, who will be taking on a new World Bank assignment, according to World Bank South Asia Office.
Sislen, a dual national of the US and Italy, joined the bank in 2001 as an Economist in the Urban Cluster Unit and has since held various operational and managerial positions in different regions. His most recent assignment is as Practice Manager for Urban, Disaster Risk Management, and Land in the Latin America and Caribbean Region, based in Washington DC.
“I am looking forward to my new role and meeting with all our stakeholders and partners soon,” the statement quoted Sislen as saying, “My key priority will be to lead the strategic dialogue to shape and implement operational engagements in line with the bank’s focus on speed, scale, and impact, working closely with the government, development partners and diverse stakeholders.” Sislen will oversee the World Bank portfolio of around $4.8 billion in Maldives, Nepal, and Sri Lanka.
Dhital appointed Chairman of ERC
The government appointed Ram Prasad Dhital as the Chairman of the Electricity Regulatory Commission on June 21. Dhital is former Executive Director of Alternative Energy Promotion Centre (AEPC). Similarly, the government named the other two members of ERC, namely, Dr Madhusudan Adhikari and Jhamak Prasad Sharma.
Directors appointed to Medical Education Commission
Four directors of Medical Education Commission have assumed office. Prof Dr Sudip Acharya, Prof Dr Guru Khanal, Prof Dr Sujanbabu Marahatta and Prof Dr Sarala Shrestha have assumed office as director of Medical Education Commission. They will take charge at the Directorate of Standard and Accreditation; Directorate of Examination; Directorate of Planning, Coordination and Academic Upgradation and National Board of Medical Specialties. A recommendation committee led by member of the National Planning Commission, Dr Ram Kumar Phuyal and comprising of Prof Rameshkanta Adhikari and Prof Dr Buddhi Bahadur Thapa as members recommended the names from among various applicants.
Sharma and Gauli named Honorary Consulate Generals
The government has appointed Honorary Consulate Generals for New South Wales and Victoria of Australia. Sanjeev Sharma has been appointed Honorary Consulate General of New South Wales and Nirajan Gauli for Victoria. Sharma is director of Expert Group. He has announced to invest in a resort in Murmatop (Rara Lake area) of Mugu district. Gauli is an engineer by profession. Sharma and Gauli were appointed by the Cabinet based on the recommendation of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Shrestha named Acting CEO of Himalayan Everest Insurance
The Board of Directors meeting of Himalayan Everest Insurance Limited appointed Anju Shrestha as Acting Chief Executive Officer of the company on June 27. She was serving as the Deputy Chief Executive Officer of the company prior to being named as the Acting CEO. The board has thanked Bijaya Bahadur Shah for his contribution as the CEO of company and successful merger of Himalayan Insurance and Everest Insurance, which was the first merger in the history of non-life insurers in Nepal.
Golchha elected new president of NYEF Kathmandu
The Nepalese Young Entrepreneurs Forum (NYEF) Kathmandu elected Abhimanyu Golchha as the President through its 6th annual general meeting held on June 28. The AGM elected the new executive committee under his leadership which comprises of Appa Sherpa, First Vice President; Anubhav Shrestha, Second Vice President and nine executive members namely, Cheteze Tamang, Ichhya Malla, Nirdesh Dwa, Saurabh Shrestha, Vedika Murarka, Sandeep Sharma, Surakshya Adhikari, Santosh Pandey and Nikhil Agrawal. Further, Prarthana Saakha will serve in the new executive committee as Immediate Past President.
Pandey appointed Vice Chair of PATA Executive Board
The Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA) has ratified the new Executive Board through its 73rd annual general meeting (AGM) held on June 7. Peter Semone has been formally endorsed and will serve as the Chair of the Association’s Executive Board for a second consecutive term. Semone is a leading tourism development expert specialising in the Asia-Pacific region.
Further, PATA also ratified Suman Pandey, President of Explore Himalaya Travel and Adventure, as the new Vice Chair, and Luzi Matzig, Chairman of Asian Trails Ltd, as the new Secretary/Treasurer of the association.
Pandey is a well-known figure in Nepali tourism and President of Explore Himalaya Travel and Adventure. He is also the CEO of Fishtail Air; Director of Summit Air; Director of Chhaya Centre; President of the Himalaya Academy of Travel and Tourism, an academy imparting tourism related vocational trainings; and President of Himalayan Pre- Fab Pvt Ltd, a company specialising in making eco-friendly prefabricated homes.
Similarly, Luzi Matzig established founded Asian Trails Ltd in September 1999 and is currently the Chairman. The Asian Trails Group now operates 33 offices with over 500 staff across Thailand, Cambodia, China, Indonesia, Lao PDR, Malaysia, Myanmar, Singapore and Vietnam.
Members of the Executive Board for this term include Ben Montgomery, Director of Business Relations Management, Centara Hotels & Resorts, Thailand; Henry Oh, Chairman, Global Tour Ltd, South Korea; Noredah Othman, CEO, Sabah Convention Bureau, Malaysia; Mayur Patel, Head of Asia, OAG, Singapore; Gerald Perez, Vice President, Guam Visitors Bureau, Guam; and SanJeet, Director, DDP Publications Private Limited, India. Additionally, PATA CEO Noor Ahmad Hamid remains on the Executive Board as an Ex-Officio member.
