Acting Mayor Sunita Dangol Emphasizes Citizen-Centric Welfare State

Kathmandu. Acting Chief of Kathmandu Metropolitan City, Sunita Dangol, has stated that we must strive to build a citizen-centric welfare state by embracing the philanthropic spirit of Shankhadhar Sakwa. Speaking at a program organized on the occasion of Nepal Sambat 1147 on Tuesday, she mentioned that Nepal Sambat's proponent Shankhadhar Sakwa should not be seen merely as the founder of Nepal Sambat. She stated that Sakwa should be remembered as a symbol of social responsibility and philanthropy. She said that contributing to the welfare of society, alleviating the suffering of citizens, and bringing about positive change is the true greatness of an individual, rather than accumulating personal wealth and comfort. Stating that the state should not be limited only to the mechanism of collecting taxes and operating administration, she mentioned that the state's primary responsibility is to ensure the welfare of the poor, marginalized, backward, and distressed citizens. Emphasizing that ordinary citizens should be at the center of a welfare state, she said that citizen-friendly policies, laws, and programs are necessary to ensure health, education, justice, and social rights. 'When we talk about Nepal Sambat, we must remember Shankhadhar Sakwa,' said Acting Mayor Dangol. 'Shankhadhar Sakwa is not only the founder of Nepal Sambat, not only its proponent, but we must take him as a symbol of social responsibility and philanthropy.' 'Rather than how happy a person is, how much wealth they have, one must work for the benefit of society and the people,' she added. 'One must work to alleviate suffering.' 'The greatness of any individual should be measured not by how much we have earned in our lives, but by how much we have been able to give to society, what contribution we have been able to make to bring positive change in society,' Dangol said. 'This is what we learn from his life.' 'Today we are in a welfare state,' he added. 'The state is not just a mechanism for collecting taxes and running the administration.' 'The state is an institution that can do good for the poor, marginalized, backward, impoverished, and distressed citizens, and it is also an institution responsible for essential aspects of life such as cultural, political, prosperity, security, and happiness,' Dangol said. 'Especially in a welfare state, ordinary citizens should always be the focal point,' he added. 'Therefore, it is necessary for the state to deliberate deeply on health, education, justice, social, and various citizen rights and to bring citizen-friendly policies, laws, and programs.' 'Kathmandu Metropolitan City is working with an understanding of the spirit of a welfare state and the aspirations of the people, and we are also ready to work in the coming days,' she clarified. She stated that Kathmandu Metropolitan City is operating various programs in the health and justice sectors for the convenience of citizens. She mentioned that the metropolis has been operating programs such as 'Bike Ambulance' service, free legal aid program, and the 'Jhilimili Shahar' (Bright City) campaign. She stated that although the tender process was initiated with the goal of installing street lights in dark places by Tihar, the process could not be completed this time due to technical reasons, and she said that the 'Jhilimili' campaign will be continued in the coming days. The metropolis has also announced the construction of residences for Shri Ganesh and Shri Bhairav. Informing that the metropolis has moved forward with the construction process to address the long-standing demand of the local community for residences for the living goddess Kumari along with living deities Shri Ganesh and Shri Bhairav in the same place, she said that preparations are being made to lay the foundation stone for the construction of the residences with prayers on November 21.