Prioritization of human and nature management in budget stressed

KATHMANDU, July 7: Nepali Congress senior leader Ram Chandra Poudel has stressed on planned development for the management of the budget, calling for prioritizing the management of human and nature also in the budget.

Speaking in the special hour during the meeting of the Legislature-Parliament today, leader Poudel said that quality health services, education and employment opportunities should be expanded to places outside the Kathmandu valley to diffuse the population centered in Kathmandu valley and to attract them to cities outside the valley.

He demanded strict implementation of the policy that bars construction of big buildings on cultivable land.

“The people, not the leaders, should be kept in the center while formulating development plans,” he said, and urged on the government to bring development programs that fulfill the basic needs of the people and to take the government services and facilities to the doorsteps of the people.

He drew the attention of the government towards the local level representatives not been able to carry out works due to the lack of the related laws.

Stating that the talk of use of money to buy votes in the local level elections was heard, he said this tendency did not contribute to strengthen democracy. “We should end the tendency of making the elections costly and extravagant, and develop a system wherein people give their votes looking at the policy,” he said.

Political stability has been seen after the local level election and the door to economic development would be opened now, leader Poudel said, expressing the hope that the country would be able to make a big leap in economic development in 10 years.

“The tendency of some hydropower developers sitting on the licenses for years without constructing the hydropower projects should be ended and the available water resources utilized. The means and resources of the country should be utilized in the right way,” lawmaker Poudel said.

Stressing on the need of linking good governance with budget and plan as well as establishing corruption-free society, he said, “The CPN (UML) should also be flexible to address the demands of agitating parties and should help in constitution amendment for the wider acceptability of the new constitution.”

Lawmaker Ganesh Singh Thagunna drew the attention of the government to the incident of landslide at Dharchula of India on Thursday in which three people of Darchula were killed, and demanded the government to provide relief to the victim’s families.

Another lawmaker Ram Narayan Bidari demanded the government to carry out investigation into the dispute related to doctors at the Manmohan Memorial Hospital extracting the kidney of a patient while Anuradha Thapa Magar raised question that why the Education Ministry that circulated to celebrate Yoga Day, has not incorporated Yoga subject in curriculum.

Similarly, lawmaker Ramhari Khatiwada complained that the government has not paid its attention in upgrading of roads in city areas as well as remote areas.

Rameshwor Phunyal said that national pride projects lack budget to complete the construction task on time and Melamchi Drinking Water Project should be completed on time. RSS