Kathmandu. More than Rs 18.39 billion has been deposited in the Prime Minister’s Natural Disaster Relief Fund.

At a regular press conference at the Office of the Prime Minister and Council of Ministers, Spokesperson Hemraj Aryal said that Rs 18.39 billion has been deposited in the fund as of 9 am on Friday.

The Prime Minister directed the government to make mutual coordination, information sharing and cooperation effective among the Nepal Army, Nepal Police and Armed Police Force to further strengthen the security system of the country. The committee also directed to adopt a zero-tolerance policy to prevent any weakness in the security of life and property of the citizens, and to strengthen peace and security.

Meanwhile, during a meeting with Indian Foreign Secretary Bikram Misri, the Prime Minister expressed his gratitude to the Indian government for providing rescue and relief materials in the aftermath of the recent floods and landslides in Nepal.

According to the office, a meeting of the first quarterly progress review and ministry-level development problem resolution committee of the current fiscal year has also started from Friday. The meeting is reviewing the programs and activities executed so far and discussing the future action plan.

Likewise, 21 complaints related to irregularities and corruption received at the Office of the Prime Minister and Council of Ministers have been forwarded to the bodies and ministries concerned for investigation and necessary action.

A meeting of the secretaries held on November 3 directed the ministries and agencies to implement the detailed implementation plan prepared by the ministries and agencies for the current fiscal year in a time-bound manner and for effective monitoring and evaluation. The Auditor General has also been asked to prepare a clear action plan for the settlement and reduction of arrears.

It has also been decided to intensify market monitoring to control unfair trade activities such as consumer fraud, adulteration and artificial scarcity. All ministries and agencies have also been directed to effectively implement the Regulations 2083 on the use and promotion of domestic products in public procurement and the simplification and digitization of government decision-making.

Similarly, to strengthen the security of government websites, SSL and TLS certificates will be made mandatory and cyber security advisories have been issued regarding security vulnerabilities seen in various technologies. Opinions and suggestions have also been collected on the draft personal data protection policy, the office said.

On the investment side, the physical progress of the Arun III Hydropower Project has been more than 77 percent and the progress of the electricity transmission line has been more than 60 percent. The office has informed that the work has been started with the aim of completing the construction within the next four years after receiving the documents related to the financial management of the Upper Karnali Hydropower Project.

Meanwhile, the Public Procurement Office (PPO) has brought into operation the second version of the e-government procurement system (e-GP) from November 3.