Battling
Poverty
THE United Nations is a
viable development partner for Nepal. Without its support, launching of various
development programmes and reaping benefits from them would always prove to be an uphill
task. Under the umbrella of UN, there are many line agencies that have been working to
address a host of development issues related with health, education, manpower development
and industrialisation in Nepal. The country has been grappling with different challenges
in the form of poverty, illiteracy, hunger and disease over the years. Being a mountainous
country with a poor transportation network and the dearth of resources, Nepal's
development history has experienced many ups and down ever since the country opened its
doors to foreign investment fifty years back. The myriad anomalies that have stood in the
path of development are self-created rather than emanating from outside intervention. Ever
since the country embarked on to planned development with the launching of the first
five-year plan in the early sixties the number of those under the poverty line has
decreased considerably. But still official statistics reveals that nearly forty two
percent of the people are living under the poverty line. Battling poverty has been the
major thrust of Nepal's development endeavours. The government has aimed at bringing down
the number of those under the poverty line from the existing 42 per cent to 32 per cent
during the tenth five- year plan. This would require an all out effort from all sectors.
Prime Minister Lokendra Bahadur Chand speaking at the 57 th anniversary of the
establishment of UN said the other day that addressing the issues of poverty, the main
reason of destabilisation was the main task of the government to end conflict which causes
deprivation and desperation. The Prime Minister also launched an extensive UN Development
Assistance Framework 2002/2006 (UNDAF). Now that the Commission for Investigation of Abuse
of Authority (CIAA), has been empowered no time should be spared in bringing to book the
corrupt civil servants who have in many aspects hindered the development of the nation.
The government at this crucial juncture must also heed the offer made by the UN resident
coordinator in Nepal to mediate talks with the Maoists rebels who have been waging an
armed struggle and have been dismantling the development infrastructure. Given that all
the possible avenues of mediation and dialogue are well utilized and the bureaucracy is
strengthened, poverty could be reduced considerably. This would in turn have a positive
impact in the overall development scenario of the nation.
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