Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli has said that the incumbent government has only dreamt of projects that are realistic and feasible.
He said this while replying to lawmakers' questions during the discussions on the government's policies and programs for fiscal year 2019/20 in the meeting of the House of Representatives Tuesday.
"The government has talked of the dreams that can be visualized while one is awake. It has dreamt of nation building," he said, insisting that the present government was not talking of dreams that one sees during sleep but the dreams of developing the country and building its bright future.
He stated, "This is about the dream as to what could be done in one year and what could be done in the succeeding years, and where the country could reach. It is about the dream of achieving the sustainable development goals. It is the UN's dream. This is not a dream seen at night; it is the dream that can be fulfilled."
Making it clear that the policies and programs planned for the coming fiscal year would take forward the democracy in the wider sense, he said the policies and programs document has presented a clear vision regarding how to go about in the coming five years, 10 years and 25 years.
"The constitution has conceptualized social justice and equality and the government has brought its policies and programs to fulfill the same conceptualization, the PM said, adding that works have been carried out to do away with weaknesses and backwardness that remained in society.
He further added that the policies and programs have adopted the policy of all working together to unify the nation on the basis of broader social justice and equality and not on varied communal and regional narrow-mindedness.
Stating that the policies and programs has emphasized on education and health for nation building and prosperity, PM said good governance and corruption control were inevitable for development. There is no need to be confused regarding the government's policies and programs, he argued.
He suggested that the population entangled agriculture could be made to opt for other jobs through the modernization and commercialization of agriculture, stressing that the policies and programs have emphasized on increasing agriculture production and productivity and also on promoting organic farming. The government has tried to make the agriculture systematized and well-planned and it is projected that the entire agriculture sector would grow by 6 percent this year.
'My government'
Referring to the President using 'my government' while presenting the government's policies and programs in the parliament, Prime Minister Oli urged the population to forsake the contradictory mentality of not recognizing the institution elected by the people or negating this institution's dignity while accepting the topic of 'supremacy by virtue of birth' and respecting such an institution. By 'supremacy by virtue of birth', the PM was indicating to the institution of monarchy.
"The kind of prestige the people-elected representatives have, the self-declared institution does not have that. We have brought the people's representative system through hard struggle. We have established a system in which the people are the sovereign," he said.
Calling on the people not to be surprised with the President's use of the term 'my government', PM said for the President to address the government as 'my government' was an international practice.
He went on to say that the leader of the main opposition party, during discussions on the government's policies and programs in parliament, commenting on the President's use of 'my government' as copying the UK Queen, was also not diplomatically sound. He alleged that this has hurt the sentiment of a country which was Nepal's development partner.
Insisting that a prestigious institution as the Office of the President should not be dragged into unnecessary controversy, PM Oli said, "The President is the highest and respected institution of the state system; this institution is common and which party is leading it and the government is a different matter. The President saying' my government' is not a mistake. We should not get bogged down in the President calling the government as 'my government'.
"The Prime Minister sarcastically said that the opposition party could also call this government as its own.
'Constitution would be amended based on need'
The prime minister said the constitution would be amended on the basis of necessity and meaning. “The constitution is not unamenable document,” he said, adding that it would be edited keeping the interest of the nation at center. He hinted the possibility of the constitution’s amendment at any appropriate time through discussions to keep the federal democratic republic system lively.
In the opinion of the prime minister, it was rumored that the communist principle is for the distribution of poverty and as he said those forces involved in spreading such false notion were becoming weaker. “The government has commitments to taking the country towards the path of prosperity and economic development. Our stand is that no one should be left behind.”
According to him, the government is committed to upgrading the nation from the status of LDC to the middle-income country by achieving the sustainable development goals and other set goals and targets.
The government was aware of growing trade deficit and a focus had been laid on import replacement through the increase in productivity and production. Investment, production growth, import replacement and export promotion were the policies of the government.
Claiming that government had come with effective works to maintain peace and security in the country and several epoch-making initiations were in place to ensure social security, create jobs opportunities and so on. “Separatism has been put an end.”
He added that the government was working wholeheartedly to protect the public property, the government had not involved in any move capable of destroying public property, initiations had been taken to utilize such and investigations were still on regarding the wide body aircraft purchase scam. As the prime minister claimed, gold smuggling has been controlled and smugglers are in the jail.
'No delay in contract'
Saying the situation of development construction of the country has become worst, he said now contract would be provided only as per the capacity of contractors.
Prime Minister Oli said, "Delay in development construction will not be acceptable now onward. There will not be competition of time and quality while giving contract. The government is serious on it."
Expressing commitment not to let any type of violence against women occurred as violence against women was not acceptable, he said stern action would be taken against those involved in VAW.
The Prime Minister said that many programs for women empowerment has been brought, adding that arrangement of free test of breast cancer has been made.
"Various programs to distribute free sanitary pad at all community schools, build capacity of women entrepreneurs and increase women's right in property", he added.
Reiterating that development of infrastructure, tourism and agriculture and electrification was the priority of policies and programs, the Prime Minister said the government was active to materialize the Digital Nepal and Literate Nepal.
He further said, 'Now no one should die of hunger. No one will be homeless. We have made arrangement of free snacks at primary level. Health insurance program has been brought." The government would protect helpless, disabled persons, he said.
Prime Minister Oli said that a process would be forwarded in order to complete the Melamchi Drinking Water project within coming fiscal year 2019/20.
