Bagmati Province Government Shifts Focus to Implementation in Policy and Programs

Makwanpur. The Bagmati Province Government has changed its priorities in its policy and programs. While the government announced new plans and work details in the policy and programs of previous fiscal years, this time it has prioritized the implementation aspect. In last year's policy and programs, the government had put forward new policies and programs for the development and good governance of the province, but in the policy and programs for the upcoming year, their implementation has been given importance. The government has set a goal of completing incomplete projects rather than new ones in the policy and programs for the upcoming fiscal year. In the policy and programs for the fiscal year 2083/084, presented by Province Chief Deepak Prasad Devkota in the Provincial Assembly meeting on Tuesday, compared to the policy and programs for the fiscal year 2082/083, the government appears to have moved from infrastructure construction and reconstruction to digital governance, administrative reform, and specialized production. In the fiscal year 2082/083, the government had mainly focused on establishing a 'Province Project Bank' and systematizing the project selection process, while the policy and programs for the fiscal year 2083/084 emphasize the implementation aspect. To reduce expenditure in the upcoming fiscal year, the government has moved forward with the goal of merging the currently existing ministries to reduce them to 8 and abolishing unnecessary structures. The government has emphasized the use of artificial intelligence in decision-making processes and digital transformation. The policy and programs for 2082/083 sought self-sufficiency in agriculture through programs like 'One Village One Agricultural Product' and 'Farmer's Hand, Government's Support'. The government does not seem to have achieved significant progress in this area. For 2083/084, the government has announced the 'Pride of the Province, Diligent Farmer Campaign'. The government has also announced that it will make legal arrangements to manage commercial cannabis cultivation. In the previous year (2082/083), the government was focused on the reconstruction and rehabilitation of structures damaged by floods and landslides, with an emphasis on the slogan 'Roads and Bridges: The Foundation of Development'. The policy and programs for 2083/084 adopt a policy of 'Repair First, Then Construct' and discourage the opening of new tracks. The government has set a goal of promoting electric vehicles and bringing the transportation service into a digital system with QR codes. In the health sector, the policy and programs for 2082/083 continued the 'Chief Minister People's Health Program' and concessions for cancer treatment. In the policy and programs for 2083/084, the province government has put forward the concept of establishing 'Health Centers' and health tourism. In the social sector, this time the government has put forward the concept of integrated housing for marginalized Chepang, Bote, Majhi, and Thami communities and 'A Province for the Poor to Live In'. In 2082/083, the government had set a goal of developing the 'Shiva Circuit' and the Sarlahi-Makwanpur-Chitwan region as an industrial corridor. Evaluating the implementation of this program as very weak, the government has adopted a policy of preparing programs to bring incomplete projects to completion. In 2083/084, the province government has announced the development of Dhangdunge Dada in Dolakha as a 'Film City' through the 'Let's Travel Bagmati, Let's Understand Culture' campaign and a digital campaign for tourism. What are the new programs of the government? The government plans to pave the legal way for cannabis cultivation for medicinal and industrial purposes, and to reduce expenditure by reducing the number of ministries, offices, and administrative staff. The 'Hello CM Desk' will be effectively operated to listen to public grievances, and a startup ecosystem program will be operated to provide loans to youth against projects. The policy of using artificial intelligence in decision-making processes and monitoring systems has been included for the first time. Making the provincial capital Hetauda a 'Greater Hetauda' and building pedestrian-friendly roads with cycle lanes have been included in the government's policy and programs.

Bagmati Government's Policy and Programs Presented in Parliament (Full Text)