HELLO NEPAL

The Himalayan Times 27 June 2019 Gross misuse of power Nepal is experimenting with the federal structure following the three levels of elections held almost 15 months ago. Both the provincial and local level governments are working in their own ways due to lack of proper guidelines and necessary acts to be provided by the federal government. All the Chief Ministers had expressed their grievances to the Prime Minster in running the provinces during the Development Board Committee Meeting recently held in Kathmandu. This situation has created confusion and doubts over the intention of the central government about its seriousness in implementing federalism in real sense. Also, the common people hear and read about the monopoly of some of the provincial and local governments in handling their state affairs, undermining and interpreting the constitutional provisions to suit their own purpose. For example, the decisions of some provincial governments to procure expens...

The Himalayan Times 20 June 2019 Duplication of projects Nepal is still passing through a political change that was brought in by the second Jana Andolan in 2062/63. The three tiers of elections held in accordance with the new constitution gave legitimacy to the three levels of government. These governments, however, do not seem to be performing as per the people’s expectations. One of the main reasons behind the sloppy performance of the provincial and local level governments is the lack of qualified and trained human resources. And the federal government at the centre has been embroiled in multiple problems.  In accordance with the constitution, every government has to bring in the budget for the overall development of the nation. All the governments in the past used to present their annual budget with tall promises. However, most of their budget remained unspent due to either the poor planning process or overambitious programme and unrealistic budget. The...

The Himalayan Times 13 June 2019 Respect traditions Nepal is known for its unique multicultural, multi-religious and multi-ethnic communities. Different ethnic groups have been maintaining their traditional culture and social values respecting each other’s century old identities, honouring each other’s existence and living together harmoniously. It is also rich in its natural resources. In the meantime, Nepal and its people have seen and experienced different political upheavals in its political history. It experienced Rana’s autocratic regime, partyless Panchayat system, constitutional monarchy and multiparty system and it is now a republic governed by a two thirds majority government since the last fifteen months. People are the sovereign of this republic in accordance with the constitution. However, looking at the ongoing political performance and the high handedness of the government, it seems this is limited to the provisions of the constitution. People ...