KATHMANDU, Feb 12: The Office of the Prime Minister and Council of Ministers (OPMCM) has commenced the follow-up on the status of the implementation of directives issued by Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal to government ministers and secretaries during the ministry-wise review at the beginning of his second term in office.
The OPMCM has written to the concerned ministries, requesting reports on the progress of implementing directives issued by the PM for various ministries related to work and policy reforms. On January 24, the OPMCM sent letters to the ministries, asking them to submit progress reports on the implementation of the PM's directives, as informed by Joint Secretary at the OPMCM, Khom Raj Koirala.
Koirala mentioned that some ministries have yet to submit their progress reports and have been urged to do so at the earliest.
During the ministry-wise review, Prime Minister Dahal issued a 10-point directive to the Ministry of Industry, Commerce and Supplies and seven-point directives each to the Ministry of Water Supply and the Ministry of Forests and Environment.
Comedy of errors
The Urban Development Ministry received an eight-point directive, including the submission of the modality and plan for executing the concept of 'One Model Integrated Settlement, One Local Level' targeted at impoverished, underprivileged, and marginalized communities. The ministry was also tasked with developing a plan for transforming traditional bus parks in all cities into smart bus parks, among other responsibilities.
The Ministry of Physical Infrastructure and Transport received 13-point directives, urging the submission of realistic details of works related to extending the reach of roadways to all rural settlements, reducing the production cost of goods and services in remote areas, and ensuring their accessibility to the market. The ministry was also directed to develop a special plan for issuing driving licenses and address the issue of development projects not completed within deadlines.
The Ministry of Labour, Employment and Social Security was given 17-point directives, including the presentation of a plan for maintaining a balance between demand and supply by preparing integrated details of employers and workers. The ministry was also tasked with developing a mechanism for the same in all 753 local levels and making arrangements for providing medical treatment to Nepali migrant workers injured or incapacitated during their work in foreign countries.
The Ministry of Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation received an eight-point directive, which included running the 'Let Us Send One Nepali and One Foreign Friend to Nepal Campaign' under the leadership of NRNA and appointing an internationally renowned person as the tourism promoter of Nepal.
Meanwhile, Suresh Acharya, Secretary at the Ministry of Water Supply and Sanitation, reported that they have prepared the report as per the PM's directives and forwarded it to the OPMCM. The OPMCM had issued an eight-point directive to the Ministry, including addressing the situation of demand and supply of drinking water in the Kathmandu Valley and resolving problems in water supply and sewerage in 23 different major cities of the country.
The OPMCM had instructed the Ministry of Forests and Environment to carry out a study and prepare a report on the latest status of community forests, ensuring accessibility for every marginalized, indigent community to the benefits available from forest resources. Ministry Secretary Dr. Deepak Kumar Kharal stated that the directives received from the PMO are under implementation, and information about this will be provided soon.
Spokesperson for the OPMCM, Narayan Prasad Bhatta, mentioned that they are regularly reminding the ministries about the status of implementation of the PM's directives, and detailed reports have also been received from several ministries in this connection.
The ministries have been urged to regularly submit progress reports on the PM's directives to the Infrastructure Development Division at the OPMCM on a fortnightly basis, said Bhatta.
