People Are Important

THE relations between the bureaucracy and the public often make headlines. Whether it is efficiency, honesty or anything else concerning government agencies, time and again complaints are made. It may be true there might be some constraints for the bureaucrats in dealing with the works that the people want them to do. Still, lethargy must not prevail as the civil servants are there so that the public in general can avail their services. Though they are government employees, their main focus ought to be on serving the people in an expeditious manner. If everything had been well, they would have always received a pat on the back. That is, however, not the case. Lapses knowingly or otherwise can occur. This necessarily calls for self-evaluation. As a human being, errors just creep in. However, there is no need to get alarmed about it but measures should be initiated to rectify whatever has gone wrong. No one can consider himself/herself to be all knowing so everyone has to be conscious of his or her shortcomings. It should always be striving for the best. This is what the people expect of those in the bureaucracy specially those on the highest rung.

Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba, at a meeting in his office, advised the secretaries present that they should be guided by the dictum "we are here to serve the people’ and opt for the best way they can work in the people’s interest. It is not only working honestly is the top criteria but efficiency too must be present. Delay in executing duties is equivalent to denying access. The inconveniences facing the government secretaries too must receive attention. The necessary policies regarding their appointment, transfers and so on must be made more scientific and merit based rather than on favour him/her basis. Their morale must be boosted on every occasion so that they will be able to deliver their best. It is quality that must count and not leanings. On this count, the Prime Minister directed the secretaries to be prompt in delivering services, as that was the only way to win people’s favour and retain faith. It is a valid statement as this is the only way to keep people-bureaucracy relations in harmony.

For Better Health

A UNICEF (United Nations Children’s Fund) report has shockingly revealed that almost half of the total children under five years of age in Nepal are suffering from malnutrition, which is a major public health problem. The report shows that one third of the total children in the developing world are malnourished. Since malnutrition affects both physical anatomy as well as the intelligence of the children, it is a great setback for a developing country like Nepal, which cannot afford to have the brain-damaged children who have to bear the future responsibilities. And the children who develop low intelligence during their infancy can hardly recover throughout their lives. In this sense, it is particularly important to ensure that the children at such a tender age are well fed. What is more alarming is the fact that malnutrition is prevailing in the developing world that needs more skilled human resources for overall development. There are many factors for children’s malnutrition, poverty being number one. With almost 50 per cent of the total population living below the poverty line, Nepal faces a tremendous task of improving the living conditions of the people. The poor people who have the problem of two meals a day cannot afford for a balanced diet for their kids. This situation results in the lack of vitamin A intake, which is chiefly responsible for malnutrition. Similarly, public awareness is another factor aggravating the situation. Even the educated people neglect to follow healthy practice while rearing children. There is a growing tendency of bottle-feeding the children though breast-feeding is vital for children’s good health.

Despite the government’s efforts to improve the situation, there is a lot more to achieve. The problem is two-fold: tackling the challenge calls for huge resources and Nepal is facing the scarcity of necessary resources. Against such a backdrop, creating more employment opportunities for the poor is extremely essential to uplift their living standard. The children will be relieved of the evils of malnutrition once their parents are able to afford for their necessary diet. Besides, public awareness about children’s health is equally important to prevent the situation from worsening.