KATHMANDU, April 23: The main opposition party CPN-UML has made public its manifesto for the upcoming local-level election slated for April 23.
On the occasion of the party's 74th anniversary on Friday, the CPN-UML issued its manifesto expressing its commitment to 'build an industrial center at each local level' to create a permanent structure of development. The party expressed its beliefs that this will create employment and prevent young people from going abroad.
With the commitment to alleviate poverty through cooperatives, the party has decided to identify the poor families in each municipality, update the poverty related statistics and form production cooperatives with the participation of the poor families. The UML has made public its election manifesto with the slogan, 'UML Government in Municipalities for Prosperity and Socialism'.
In the manifesto, it is stated that cooperatives will be developed as a means of raising local capital, developing entrepreneurship, increasing production, creating employment and alleviating poverty. It has taken the policy of producing, supplying and marketing local goods in cost and management partnership with cooperatives and the private sector, and encouraging savings and credit cooperatives to mobilize capital in the production sector.
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Similarly, the party has expressed commitment to promote cooperatives, registration, operation and promotion of local cooperatives for agriculture, education, health, communication, housing, electricity, biogas, consumer, garbage collection and treatment, production of organic manure and biological pesticides.
In the manifesto, the UML has stated that it will increase production, create employment, alleviate poverty and build a self-reliant economy by industrializing through public, private and cooperative means under the industrial policy. Industries based on basic medicine, paper and agricultural products will be operated at local level.
Expressing commitment to develop entrepreneurship, provide training and seed capital, develop the main economic center and market-centric infrastructure in each municipality, the party has announced its plans to establish at least one industrial village in each municipality and at least one industrial zone in each province.
The UML has also announced to manage resources, resource policies and legal provisions related to mining, extraction, protection and operation of mines and minerals within local jurisdiction to encourage private and cooperative sector to establish and develop small and medium enterprises, special economic zones and promote them to extract mines and minerals within the jurisdiction of local level.
The manifesto also states that those who want to become self-employed will be provided soft loan or grant assistance from the local level. It states that employment and income generation opportunities will be provided to the poor by providing means of production and skill based training, minimum wage will be implemented, and all workers working in formal or informal nature, agriculture, industry and service sector will be brought to contribution based social security.
The UML has also announced plans to establish a technical related secondary school in each municipality, provide free pre-screening for serious diseases and cervical cancer, provide compulsory health insurance to every citizen, provide safe drinking water to all citizens within two years under one house one tap campaign, and build a clean and beautiful municipality.
Among other things, the manifesto includes various works done by the Oli-led government during his tenure as testimony of the party’s commitment to development and prosperity.
