CAAN bifurcation bill prepared

KATHMANDU, Aug 21:A draft of the Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal (CAAN) bifurcation bill has been developed, according to Dr. Ganesh Prasad Pandey, Secretary of the Ministry of Culture, Tourism, and Civil Aviation.

In the presence of Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli, he delivered a presentation on behalf of the ministry during annual progress review and budget implementation meeting.

The ministry has advanced a draft law to separate the cans. "The bill on can division was passed by the National Assembly but was not submitted to the House of Representatives," Secretary Pandey stated.

The then-Minister of Tourism, Yogesh Bhattarai, registered the 'Nepal Civil Aviation Authority Bill, 2076' and the 'Nepal Air Service Authority Bill 2076' in the National Assembly on Falgun 11, 2076, to regulate air services and operate airports separately. The bill passed by the National Assembly on Shrawan 18, 2078, became inactive when the House of Representatives' session ended on Ashoj 1, 2079.

Secretary Pandey informed that the Ministry has created a culture policy and that promotional campaigns have been initiated with the goal of attracting 1.6 million tourists in the current fiscal year. During the previous fiscal year, 1.14 million foreign tourists visited Nepal. According to him, the average tourist stay in Nepal is 13 days, with a target of 13.5 days.