Land Reforms

THE House of Representatives, Lower House of Parliament, passed the Bill concerning land reforms and management the other day which seeks to bring about revolutionary changes and reforms in the existing land use and distribution system. The Bill institutionalises the commitment expressed by Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba a month ago, for revolutionary land reforms. The new amended Bill will lower the ceiling on land holding and redistribute the land to the landless and poor farmers. His Majesty’s Government took this bold decision with the objective of providing land to farmers and increase productivity in agriculture. This move has been hailed by people from various sectors as a historic move to uplift the condition of rural poor and raise agricultural outputs, although some political parties have demanded to further lower the ceiling on land. All political parties and demanded land reforms and distribution of land to the landless and poor farmers. But none could do it when they went to power in the past. Considering the demands and desire of the people and political forces of the country, the present government was bold enough to bring about the much talked about land reforms. This is an example that the present government is serious and responsible to the people and wants to do away with all forms of social and economic discrimination and disparity and rise the life of the people. Nepal is an agricultural country with more than 80 per cent people relying on agriculture for their survival. Agriculture has a lion’s share in the country’s GDP and also in the export business. This, without the improvement and development in the field of agriculture, national production cannot be raised. If national production and income are not raised, sustainable social and economic development of the country is not possible. Land reform is a must for increasing farm production. In view of this, the land reforms measures taken by His Majesty’s Government are, no doubt, revolutionary and historic. Now, parliament has approved the Bill for land reforms, which would become law after it gets the Royal assent. There is a more difficult task ahead for the government to properly and effectively implement the Bill after it becomes the law of the land. If effectively implemented, it would, no doubt, improve the life of the poor people living in the rural areas and also help in revolutionising the country’s economy. Effective implementation of the same depends on the co-operation and co-ordination among all political forces from central to grassroots level. As the government is committed to bring about social and economic transformation of the society by means of land reforms and other reforms programmes, co-operation from other political forces is highly needed for its successful imlementation.

Efficient Bureaucracy

THERE have been regular complaints that there are inherent weaknesses in the Nepalese bureaucracy. It is alleged this has been one of the biggest obstacles to bringing about massive reforms in the country. Ill equipped and poorly trained for their jobs, Nepalese bureaucrats have long been known to be unable to take quick and appropriate decisions on matters of critical importance. Worse still, they are known to harbour a negative attitude towards any form of change. The very process of recruiting civil servants is said to be faulty. Little wonder that it has failed to attract the best brains of the country, most of whom choose to remain outside the government and entertain their ideas and thoughts through the NGOs. In view of this situation, the Ministry of General Administration is introducing certain reforms to bring about transparency and make governance more effective. Secretary of the Ministry Mukunda Prasad Arrjyal told the press the other day that the Ministry would begin by improving record keeping and conducting trainings for the civil servants. On top of these, necessary steps will be taken to curb unproductive expenses, corruption and financial irregularities. The Asian Development Bank is assisting His Majesty’s Government with a financial and technical package to speed up the reforms process, and it has already identified the priority areas for reform. This, however, is not the first time that plans for reforms have been floated. Several administrative reform committees have been formed. But their advice and recommendations have largely been shelved. The past 10 years have especially been a bane for bringing about reforms in the civil service. All political parties that have come to power since the advent of multi-party democracy have meddled with the bureaucracy. Recommendations to cut down on the bloated bureaucracy, for instance, have never been implemented, largely because governments lacked the political will and commitment. Last year, the salaries and perks of government officials were raised – to bolster the morale and enthusiasm of the civil servants. The government also went one step further and gave them an extra day off on Sundays. But the efficiency of the bureaucracy has yet to match the new facilities given them. For the first time, however, reforms are being initiated in the examinations being taken by the Public Service Commission to attract good talent. But overall, before we see any major reforms, the Civil Service Act of 2049 must be amended. Desirable changes, as the Ministry Secretary noted, are not possible within the existing framework.