PM admits failures

KATHMANDU, July 9: Prime Minister Madhav Kumar Nepal has admitted in a report that the UML-led government virtually failed to improve governance as had been committed through various plans and programs introduced by the government.



The report on governance reform which will be submitted to parliament as per the Governance Act-2064 says that most of the efforts aimed at governance reform were fruitless. [break]



The report says that the plans and programs on governance introduced last year went largely unimplemented. “We have come up with the conclusion that the implementation aspect of most of the governance related programs remained unsatisfactory,” a high level source at the Prime Minister´s Office told myrepublica.com on condition of anonymity.



Last year, the government had introduced Anti-Corruption Act-2066 with the mandatory provision to conduct transactions worth above one million rupees through banks. This was never brought into implementation.



According to the report, Regulation on Civil Servant´s code of conduct, which was introduced last year, was also not implemented. The regulation had prohibited the government employees from accepting gifts from service seekers and attending their parties. Likewise, government´s plan to set up service centers in various districts never saw the light of the day.



The report says that the government, however, was successful in implementing two governance related programs. First, making scientific public transportation fare effective and second, making Nepal Army, Armed Police Force and Nepal Police inclusive. “The government successfully completed its task of making these institutions inclusive,” states the report.



“There is no enforcement mechanism and thus most of the programs could not be implemented,” an official at the Office of the Prime Minister and Council of Ministers (OPMCM), said, adding, “The government cannot achieve its goal unless there is an effective enforcement mechanism.”



The report mostly focused on what the government tried to do last year. “The government made several attempts aimed at reforming governance,” states the report adding, “But implementation aspect was not much encouraging.”



The prime minister is required to submit such a report to parliament every year. However, no such report was submitted by the prime minister to parliament last year. The Act was introduced two years ago.

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