UPDATE JAPAN EXTENDS ASSISTANCE TO AUGMENT FOOD PRODDDDDDDUCTION; OTHER DETAILS Kathmandu, 29 April: Japan Sunday gave Nepal an annual 250 million Yen grant to increase food production confirming renewal of an old programme. Japanese ambassador Kunio Takahashi and Finance Secretary Krishna Hari Baskota signed an ageementin the presence of Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Narayan Kazi Shrestha and visiting Japanese Foreign Minister Koichiro Gemba.. Gemba arrived overnight for a 16-hour visit. Nepal asked Japan during bilateral talks for Japanese assistance for the Upper Seti hydropower plant , and execution of a metro railway network in the Valley; Nepal also asked Tokyo for assistance to modernize TIA and construct a centre for accident for the treatment of serious injurious. Japan provided support material to election commission through JICA. Gemba held discussions separately with Prime Minister Dr Baburam Bhattarai and President DR. Raaaaam Baran Yadav. nnnn ARMY CHIEF PROPOSES INCREASING OFFICER CORE OF NA Kathmandu, 29 April: Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Defence Bijay Kumar Gachhadar on Sunday said that the government was working actively in a positive way to make the national army more capable and professional, RSS reports. Speaking at a meeting of the State Affairs Committee (SAC) of the Legislature-Parliament, Gachchhadar said the government was doing homework to make timely changes in the Nepal Army's organisation. Lauding the national army for living with different political changes happened in different sections of history and being devoted to country and country people, the Defence Minister said that the Nepal Army (NA) has established a glorious history as the national army. "Nepal Army is a non-disputed organisation and Nepal Army itself has proposed a new working plan for making the organization more effective," Gachchhadar told the meeting. The recently-proposed document would help make the NA a democratic and inclusive institution at a time when voices were raised from different political sections in order to make the NA more responsible to people. Secretary at the Ministry Madhav Prasad Regmi informed the meeting that total size of the national army has reached 92,753 at present. On the occasion, Chief of Army Staff (CoAS) Chhatra Man Singh Gurung said that the NA was working professionally by adopting democratic system. Saying new working plan was floated and sent to the Ministry as the organizational structure of the NA was too old, irrelevant and incompatible; CoAS Gurung said that new working plan with vision to uplift the NA should be made in order to take the NA in line of the armies of other developed countries. During the meeting, the report on NA's internal restructuring was also proposed. On the occasion, members of SAC drew attention of the government to table bill on national security policy in the Legislature-Parliament prior to approving the new working plan floated by the NA. In its proposal, the NA has proposed to increase the numbers of senior officials. NA has proposed to four quotas for Lieutenant Generals from existing two quotas and from 18 to 24 quotas for Major General, among others. nnnn