Kathmandu, Feb. 3: Minister of State for Population and Environment Bhakta Bahadur Balayar, at the meeting held today to review the annual progress of the year of 1998-99 and the first four monthly progress of the 1999-2000 of the Ministry of Population and Environment, said that populations and environment programmes should be moved ahead with a new concept.

Secretary Dr. Govinda Raj Bhatta expressed the view that the organisational structure of the ministry had to be improved to effectively shoulder the responsibilities of the ministry and more means and resources were needed for it.

Joint secretary Ananta Raj Pandey presented the progress report of the environment protection programme while joint secretary Janak Raj Joshi and under-secretary Upendra Prasad Adhikari presented the progress report of the national population programme. Joint secretary at the National Planning Commission Bhagawati Kumar Kafle suggested that more publicity should be carried out on the policy formulated and the programmes launched by the ministry in the field of population and environment.