Forest Minister Chaudhary appointed NTNC chair

KATHMANDU: Prime Minister Balendra Shah has appointed Minister for Forest and Environment, Gita Chaudhary, as chairperson of the National Trust for Nature Conservation (NTNC).

Chaudhary, who is also overseeing the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock Development, was assigned the additional responsibility by Prime Minister Shah under the authority granted by the National Trust for Nature Conservation Act, 1982, according to the Office of the Prime Minister and Council of Ministers (OPMCM).

The NTNC had traditionally been led by the forest minister. However, the interim election government led by Sushila Karki had broken with that practice by appointing her personal secretary, Adarsha Kumar Shrestha, as chairperson. The decision had drawn criticism as it increased unnecessary financial liabilities on the state and promoted the practice of assigning key public institutions to close associates.

The OPMCM has claimed that Minister Chaudhary’s appointment as NTNC chair was aimed at restoring good governance and institutional dignity by ending the controversy surrounding the previous appointment.