PM presents ‘major achievements’ of govt in three years

Kathmandu / Feb 15: Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli on Monday unveiled the ‘major achievements’ made by the government led by him in the past three years.

Highlighting the major achievements of the government during his address from the Prime Minister’s recently-reconstructed office in Singha Durbar on the occasion of the third anniversary of the government on Monday, PM Oli mentioned the implementation of constitution and federalism; putting in place the necessary policies and legal arrangements and preparation of the institutional and physical infrastructures for that purpose; the ‘encouraging’ overall economic situation; the rapid progress made in the post-earthquake reconstruction; and the ‘encouraging’ progress made in the education, health and social security sectors.

In this connection, the PM stated that the size of public spending has increased nearly 29 per cent and the size of the public budget too has grown by 186.64 per cent. The per capita income has increased by 23.6 per cent (from 887 USD to 1,097 USD). More than 900,000 people have been taken out of absolute poverty. If there weren’t COVID-19, this number would cross 1.5 million.

He said the UN Human Development Report shows that the HDI has increased by more than five percentage points, poverty has not increased and there is no hunger in Nepal.

PM Oli said the insurance service has expanded by 8.7 percent. Inflation has not crossed five percent despite the COVID-19 pandemic disturbing the supply chain and system globally.

He maintained that Rs 1,045 billion grants have been provided for the development of the provinces and local levels.

PM Oli also mentioned the reconstruction of the Ranipokhari as one of the major achievements of the government. He added that 559,461 private houses damaged by the 2015 Gorkha Earthquake have been rebuilt and that 95 per cent of the quake-damaged government buildings have already been reconstructed.

Similarly, 5,498 kilometres of road has been constructed in the last three years in the country despite the adverse impact of the coronavirus pandemic, PM Oli said.

The Tarai-Madhes Prosperity Program has been expanded and 1,080 community houses and 440 community infrastructures have been constructed under this program.

PM Oli said the construction of the Postal Highway has made 68.2 percent progress from 25 per cent, the Kaligandaki Corridor (Jomsom section) highway has seen 56 per cent progress, the Kaligandaki Corridor Highway (Palpa section) has made 20.5 percent progress and the Kathmandu-Tarai Expressway has made 11.1 percent progress in the last three years.

He stated that the North-South Karnali Corridor has made 23 per cent progress from 12.5 per cent and the rail, metro rail, monorail project has made 23.2 percent progress from 8.8 per cent.

Similarly, he said power production has increased by 333 megawatts and reached 1,430 megawatts. It is sure that 456 megawatts electricity will be added within this fiscal year. The electricity extension line of more than 66 KV capacity has been expanded to 4,251 kilometres, including 837 kilometres in this fiscal year. The population having access to electricity has increased by six percent to reach 90 per cent.

According to the PM, the production of major cereal crops has increased by 11.2 per cent, that of fish and meat by 20 per cent, that of milk by 19 per cent and that of vegetables by nine percent. Irrigation has been expanded in the Tarai-Madhes to more than 30,000 hectares in the last three years.

He also took time to defend his House dissolution move citing that some leaders of the ruling Nepal Communist Party (NCP) attempted to form a ‘parallel government’.

According to Oli, his government had been facing obstacles similar to that of a coalition government for the past one year.

On the occasion, Oli blamed the rival faction of the party led by Pushpa Kamal Dahal and Madhav Kumar Nepal for obstruction in the endorsement of bills, recommendations for the vacant position in various constitutional bodies and hearing in parliament. “Such an inappropriate act was purely an exercise of a parallel government.”