Energy Minister Shrestha Reports Significant Governance Improvements in First Two Weeks

Biratnagar. Minister of Energy, Water Resources and Irrigation, Biraj Bhakta Shrestha, has claimed that the ministry has achieved significant improvements in governance and public service delivery within two weeks of assuming office.

According to the progress report for the month of Chaitra released by the ministry on Monday, policy reforms, project monitoring, and addressing public grievances have been prioritized during this period.

The ministry stated that by making the hotline number 1151 effective, 100 percent of the 4,269 grievances received over the two-week period have been resolved. Of the grievances received, 4,248 were via phone, 14 via WhatsApp, 2 via email, and 5 through the Hello Sarkar portal.

Minister Shrestha formed a governance unit on Chaitra 18, coordinated by the head of the administration division, to make the ministry's performance result-oriented.

This unit will monitor employee performance, adherence to timelines, and delivery-based governance. Furthermore, the ministry has adopted a policy of completing stalled and abandoned projects rather than adding new ones without detailed study.

The ministry has formed various committees to advance the strategic development of the energy sector. A committee coordinated by Joint Secretary Sandeep Kumar Dev has been formed to prepare an energy export and consumption strategy within one month.

Similarly, separate study committees have been formed under the leadership of Joint Secretary Dr. Maheshwar Shrestha to analyze abandoned projects for inclusion in the upcoming budget, and under Joint Secretaries Sagar Raj Gautam and Mohan Shakya to resolve disputes related to stalled power purchase agreements and licenses.

The ministry has prioritized the Water Resources Bill, Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Bill, and the Electricity Bill. Regarding social justice, the process of providing employment to the families of martyrs of the Gen-Z movement has been initiated, with the report noting that a decision has been made to appoint additional family members of martyrs to the Nepal Electricity Authority.

Additionally, a decision has been made to submit a project proposal worth approximately 2.9 billion rupees for Nepal from the Loss and Damage Fund to mitigate the impacts of climate change. The report also mentions preparations to call for tenders for the civil construction of the Sunkoshi-Marin Diversion, tenders for the construction of the Budhigandaki project camp, and the acceleration of work to remove electricity poles and underground cables in the Kathmandu Valley.