Restoring Public Trust Through Better Governance

Although the government led by Prime Minister Sushila Karki was formed primarily to oversee elections, it has demonstrated a commendable resolve to improve public service delivery and make a tangible difference in day-to-day governance. The administration has sought to assert its presence not merely symbolically, but through concrete actions aimed at streamlining routine administration. Even modest improvements in efficiency can significantly enhance public satisfaction, and in this respect, most ministers appear to be working with focus and commitment. While the government may be transitional in nature, public expectations understandably extend beyond elections alone. Governance, after all, is also about continuity—particularly in a country where administrative delays and irregularities have long tested citizens’ patience. In such a context, the proactive role played by ministers assumes real importance. A notable example is Minister for Land Management, Cooperatives and Poverty Alleviation Kumar Ingnam, who has taken decisive steps to curb the influence of middlemen in land revenue and survey offices and to reduce chronic delays in service delivery. His intervention followed the discovery that some officials were still attempting to solicit bribes—even when the minister himself posed as a service seeker. In response, he initiated a transfer drive against errant staff and unveiled a 39-point action plan aimed at bringing immediate reforms to land administration. This hands-on approach sends a strong signal that inefficiency and malpractice will not be tolerated. While such basic functions should ideally be handled by the bureaucracy itself, ministerial leadership of this kind has helped inject urgency and accountability into a system otherwise prone to inertia.