Energy Minister Biraj Bhakta Shrestha Marks 15 Days in Office with Policy Reforms

Kathmandu. Minister for Energy, Water Resources and Irrigation, Biraj Bhakta Shrestha, has completed 15 days in office.

In his first two weeks, the Minister claims to have improved the ministry's performance and implemented policy reforms. Minister Shrestha assumed his responsibilities on Chait 13.

During this period, Minister Shrestha has prioritized good governance, addressing public grievances, reviewing stalled projects, and accelerating major infrastructure development.

To implement a delivery-based governance system, the Minister established a Good Governance Unit led by Joint Secretary Rudra Singh Tamang, which has begun monitoring staff performance and the utilization of government resources.

Furthermore, following his directive to activate the electricity hotline 1151, the Minister reported that 4,269 grievances received over the past two weeks—via phone, WhatsApp, email, and 'Hello Sarkar'—have been resolved with a 100% success rate.

Strategic Committees and Policy Initiatives

To implement the 100-point governance reform agenda approved by the Council of Ministers, Minister Shrestha formed four powerful committees. The Energy Export and Consumption Strategy Committee, led by Joint Secretary Sandeep Kumar Dev, submitted its preliminary draft to the Minister on Sunday.

Additionally, an 8-member Stalled Project Review Committee led by Joint Secretary Dr. Maheshwar Shrestha was formed, with its report to be incorporated into the upcoming budget. A 7-member committee led by Joint Secretary Sagar Raj Gautam has begun work on PPA and licensing, aiming to clear pending tasks within 180 days.

A 5-member License Review Committee, led by Joint Secretary Mohan Shakya, has been formed to review licenses issued by the Department of Electricity Development and has already prepared a draft. The ministry stated that these committees are working rapidly.

The ministry also noted that the draft of the Renewable Energy Bill is ready, and preparations for the Irrigation and Electricity Bills are in the final stages to be presented in the upcoming parliamentary session.

Social Justice and Employment for Martyr Families

Minister Shrestha has decided to provide employment to the families of martyrs from the Gen-Z movement. He approved employment for 8 families who were previously excluded during the 1029th meeting of the Authority.

The beneficiaries include Rojit Shrestha, Ambika Bishwakarma, Sumitra Mahat, Sheetal Poudel, Mausam Kulung, Parbati Adhikari, Hemanti Bista, and Manju Poudel. Previously, 27 individuals had already completed the employment process.

Minister Shrestha has directed the acceleration of dozens of projects under the ministry. The ministry is preparing to publish the tender for the civil construction of the Sunkoshi-Marin Diversion Project within a month. Tenders for bridge and camp construction for the Budhigandaki project were also called after he took office.

The ministry stated that teams have been mobilized to arrange for the charging of the Hetauda-Dhalkebar 400 kV transmission line and to underground the 11 kV line in the Maharajgunj-Ratnapark area.

Work has begun on establishing companies for the Dododhara-Bareilly and Inaruwa-Purnia 400 kV projects. The modality for forming a Multipurpose Irrigation Project Management Company is in the final stages, and preparations for monsoon-related disasters have been intensified.

International Cooperation and Investment

To establish Nepal's energy sector on the international stage, dialogues regarding transformative projects have begun with donor agencies, including the World Bank. Through the Alternative Energy Promotion Committee, a decision was made to submit projects worth approximately 2.9 billion rupees (19.87 million dollars) to the Loss and Damage Fund.

The ministry has already submitted its policy and program for the upcoming fiscal year 2083/84 to the Prime Minister's Office. The ministry stated that continuous discussions are being held with stakeholders to finalize the draft of the new Electricity Policy under the leadership of Energy Secretary Chiranjibi Chatout.