Paudyal said good governance and improved law and order situation in the Indian state of Bihar within such a short span of time was impressive. [break]
He said he feels it is necessary to send a team to Bihar to study how the state has been implementing plans and policies on good governance.
“I have found Nepal quite ahead in terms of vision and ideas of good governance. But these vision and ideas remain unimplemented,” said Paudyal, comparing Nepal´s experience with Bihar´s efforts to ensure good governance.
Paudyal, who had accompanied Prime Minister Baburam Bhattarai to the summit, said good governance initiatives launched by Nepal in the past have begun in Bihar only recently and they have proven effective there.
“We had adopted the concept of citizen´s charter in Nepal in 2001 but Bihar introduced the same concept much later. While the concept did not work well in Nepal, the same concept, we were told, has proven effective in Bihar,” said Paudyal.
Nepal and Bihar also have similar mechanisms for handling public grievances. Paudyal said he was told by Bihar officials that their Hello Sarkar-like mechanism has been very effective.
“Based on what I was told during the summit, I found them [Bihar officials] responding more effectively to such grievances than we do,” said Paudyal. He said fast-track tribunals to handle corruption cases have also gone a long way in promoting good governance in Bihar.
“Nepal also needs fast-track courts. We have been drafting a new law to strengthen the National Vigilance Center,” he said.
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