March 16: Ministers and high-ranking government officials have been barred from making foreign trips except for the essential visits. Minister for Communications and Information Technology Rekha Sharma said that a meeting of the Council of Ministers on Tuesday took a decision to this effect.

Analysts say that such measures were taken due to the government’s failure to meet the revenue collection target in the first eight months of the current fiscal year.    
However, the government approved the foreign trips of secretaries of the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock Development, Forest and Environment, and Ministry of Health and Population.    
Likewise, the government has formed an Implementation Facilitation Committee under the coordination of a secretary at the Office of the Prime Minister and Council of Ministers for the implementation of the report prepared by Leelamani Paudyal-led High-Level Salary and Benefits Commission.    
Minister Sharma stated that participation of the Minister for Water Supply to the "The United Nations 2023 Water Conference" has been approved.    
The meeting's decision also includes promotion and deputation of Nepalese Army's colonels and brigadier generals.    
The cabinet meeting also decided to allow the use of national forest area for the construction of 132 KV transmission line of the Lower Likhu Hydropower Project and upgradation of 10-bed Rampur Health Post, Udayapur into a hospital.    
Meanwhile, the government has decided to accept a grant aid of Rs 14.31 billion from the British government for the Nepal local infrastructure support program.    
Minister Sharma shared that the government also fixed the minimum purchase price of milk at Rs 65 per litre.

Meanwhile, the cabinet meeting appointed Joint Attorney General Uddhav Prasad Pudasaini as a member of the Foreign Employment Tribunal. -- RSS