In a 64-page long election manifesto unveiled by party chairman Jhalanath Khanal amidst a special function at the party´s headquarters in Balkhu on Tuesday, UML has also committed to ensure representation of 50 percent women in the local bodies in five years. [break]
The UML has proposed multiple identity-based seven federal states. While maintaining that there will be clear allocation of powers among federal, provincial and local governments, the party has proposed giving authority to the concerned elected provincial assembly to choose the names of the states.
The number, boundaries and names of federal states were the key contentious issues that eventually led to the dissolution of the Constituent Assembly (CA) without promulgating a new statute.
Addressing the function after making public the election manifesto, Chairman Khanal said the number of federal states could be changed in consensus with other political parties in the new Constituent Assembly (CA). He added that UML will recognize five bases of identity and four bases for economic viability while delineating federal states.
On system of governance, UML has proposed a directly-elected executive prime minister and parliament-elected ceremonial president with a special provision to ensure effective check and balance in the powers these two posts hold. While the manifesto is silent about electoral system, the party has pledged to take special measures to ensure rights of various marginalized and backward communities including indigenous nationalities, Dalits, Madhesis and women.
Likewise, the party has expressed commitment to independent judiciary, inclusive democracy, progressive democracy with social justice, secularism and religious freedom, good governance and democratization of political parties, social security to the elderly and physically-challenged while upholding the concept of welfare state. Also, the party has committed to making untouchability-free Nepal and make Nepali as official language while giving recognition of national language to all the languages spoken in the country.
The UML has proposed owning all the agreements reached among political parties in the erstwhile CA through a special resolution in the first meeting of the new CA while also pledging to take special initiatives to facilitate parties to arrive at consensus on contentious issues of the new statute.
The UML in the manifesto has announced to give continuity to the some of the popular programs initiated by the nine-month UML-led government in 1994. The party has announced to give continuity to the Afno Gaaun Afain Banaun program that started allocating national budget directly to the villages and municipalities and giving elderly allowances with increment in the amount being given at present. The UML proposes to increase the grant per VDC to Rs 5 million, up from Rs 1-3 million.
The UML has announced to start construction of Kathmandu-Tarai Fast Track and construction of Postal Highway and Mid-Hill Highway to better connect settlements and villages across the country, construction of international airport in Nijgadh, and regional airports in Lumbini and Pokhara in five years. The party announced to provide State Privilege Indentity Cards to those who are below the absolute poverty line and scholarships to girls up to grade 10.
Among its populist programs that may woo prospective voters to its fold, the UML has committed to graduating Nepal from the LDC status, ensuring shelter to 500,000 homeless in five years, creating employment opportunities to 300,000 people per year, ending load-shedding, eradicating illiteracy, connecting all district headquarters with black-topped roads, establishing a model village with all amenities one each in all 240 election constituencies and constructing an ethnic museum within five years that would reflect social diversity and a separate mass communication museum in Kathmandu.
The UML has also separately announced its long-term plan in its manifesto. The party has announced to avail entire population of electricity in five years and free electricity to the poor.
Besides, the party has pledged to develop various major hydropower projects including the 900 MW Upper Karnali, 750 MW West Seti, 600 MW Budhi Gandaki, Upper Marsyangdi, Lower Arun, Tamakoshi III, 900 MW Arun III, Upper Tamor through public-private partnership in 10 years. The party has also announced to construct four North-South corridors linking both India and China, East-West Railway, and Kathmandu-Pokhara Railway among other things. It has also set an ambitious target of bringing in 2 million tourists annually by 2018.
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