OBSERVATION

Govt. right in focussing on poverty alleviation

Though a routine affair, there was much interest in the Royal Address to the joint sitting of the two houses of parliament this time. This is because this is the first policy and programmes that comes from a really stable government in more than four years.

As expected, the opposition parties have already slammed the announcement of the government and they have registered a litany of amendments that they feel should be implemented in the programmes.

However as a whole, people have welcomed the decision of the government to focus its attention on poverty alleviation. It has been written in the editorials of the government media that poverty is the base from which other ills of the society crop up.

Quite rightly, His Majesty King Birendra Bir Bikram Shah Dev in the Royal Address has said, " My Government is committed to implement various policies and programmes aimed at increasing earning of the people, augmenting employment and eliminating discrimination and inequality prevailing in the economic and social life of the country".

The people are happy that they are foremost in the priority list of the government. In this, the government has decided rightly to focus on the problems of the people first.

There may be other long term programmes in different sectors, but first some relief measures definitely have to be given by the present government to the people. It was not for nothing that they braved innumerable threats to cast their votes so that a single party may emerge with a clear cut majority and lead the nation for a full five year term.

This is something that did not happen after the Second General Election held in November 1994. No party could muster a majority and in the years following after this result of a Hung Parliament, the nation and the people both suffered. The politicians instead of rising to the occasion and working together in a coalition, just started to go for the fulfillment of petty interests. The one good thing that emerged from this situation however, is the unmasking of some politicians, most of whom have been rejected by the people in the Third General Election.

Now with a majority government in office, it is quite natural for the people to expect some measures from it to better their life. It must be remembered that the majority of the Nepalese people are poor and they live in the rural areas. Therefore, just glancing at the text of the policies and programmes of the government, one feels it has done right by addressing poverty, which is the number one problem that is afflicting this majority.

The solutions offered also seem quite pragmatic. Self employment opportunities, making loans easily accessible to the poor, social security programmes for the elderly, widows, helpless and handicapped people, welfare programmes for the indigenous ethnic groups, solving the problem of bonded labour and also the landless poor, all such schemes point to the fact that these citizens of the country, who are in the clutches of poverty, have been thought of. Of course there are other Nepalese as well, but the people living below absolute poverty line are the ones who need the help most.

Giving them opportunities to make something of their life with small loans, encouraging them to start small cottage industries and just showing that the government cares for them, will go a long way in solving this common problem of most rural folks.

Furthermore, the emphasis given to commercialise agriculture and to also increase agro-based industries is a step in the right direction to uplift the living standard of all the people. Almost 90 per cent of the Nepalese depend on traditional agriculture to make a living. So giving due emphasis to make agriculture a more attractive income generating sector, will definitely benefit a lot of poor Nepalese.

Naturally, education, health care, communication, transportation and electricity are also issues which have to be taken care of for the country to see balanced development.

Meanwhile, some observers, including economists have slammed the policies and programmes by saying that despite the government’s effort to touch every sector, its lacks long term prespective.

According to the Sunday Despatch, Dr. Madan Kumar Dahal has pointed out that without a broad 20 year perspective plan, a challenging task like poverty alleviation will not be fully successful.Similarly another economist Gunanidhi Sharma has said that it is contradictory for the government to talk of liberalisation and also self reliance. Like already mentioned before, most of the top level political parties have already registered in the House a petition to bring amendments in the government’s policies and programmes.

Yet, it is doubtful whether anyone can change the fact that poverty alleviation is the foremost challenge before the nation. By targeting this problem, the government has indicated it wants to help the people first. There may be different ways to go about in doing this, but while giving it a quick glance, one can hardly find any fault in what the present government has said that it wants to do.

So more than finding faults, it would be better if everyone, including the opposition parties cooperated with the government in this task. The discussions could be held in matters of developing water resources, developing a sound foreign policy, raising the standard of education and other such long term perspectives, but for some straight forward measures to tackle poverty alleviation, no obstacles should be put in the efforts being made to accomplish this.