Cabinet approves Rs 2.73 billion Japanese grant for TIA, raises pay for school staff

KATHMANDU, Aug 19: The Cabinet on Wednesday took several decisions, including accepting a Japanese government grant of around Rs 2.73 billion for an air traffic control improvement project at Tribhuvan International Airport (TIA) and increasing the monthly remuneration of early childhood development facilitators, school employees and school support staff by Rs 5,000.

Government Spokesperson Sasmit Pokharel announced the decisions following the Cabinet meeting.

As part of its decisions, the Cabinet approved the Software Development and Operation Committee (Formation) Order, 2026. In addition, it accepted around Rs 2.73 billion in grant assistance from the Government of Japan for the air traffic control improvement project at Tribhuvan International Airport.

Meanwhile, the Cabinet approved a delegation led by a joint secretary of the Ministry of Home Affairs to participate in the 14th meeting of the Joint Working Group on Border Management, scheduled to be held in India on August 20 and 21. It also approved the establishment of a sub-centre of the Asian Disaster Preparedness Center in Nepal.

On the international front, the meeting approved a Nepali delegation led by the Minister for Foreign Affairs to participate in the 81st session of the United Nations General Assembly in New York, United States.

In the education sector, the Cabinet decided to increase by Rs 5,000 the monthly remuneration subsidy provided by the federal government to early childhood development facilitators, school employees and school support staff. It also decided to align the salaries of teachers working under teaching assistance grant quotas at the secondary level (Grades 9–10) and basic level (Grades 6–8) with the starting salaries of third-grade secondary and lower-secondary teachers, respectively.

Turning to bilateral relations, the Cabinet approved the signing of a bilateral air services agreement between Nepal and Saudi Arabia.

Similarly, it approved bills to amend the Payment and Settlement Act, 2019 (2075 BS), and the Citizen Investment Trust Act, 1991 (2047 BS), for submission to the Federal Parliament.

Among other things, the Cabinet promoted Joint Secretary Kamal Prasad Bhattarai to the gazetted special class and appointed him chief secretary of the Office of the Chief Minister and Council of Ministers of Bagmati Province.