KATHMANDU, APRIL 27

CPN-Maoist Centre has demanded that the government form an all-party mechanism to deal with COVID-19 pandemic.

CPN-MC Spokesperson Narayan Kaji Shrestha said there was a need for all stakeholders - political parties, civil society, health professionals, and others - to join hands in the fight against the pandemic.

A meeting of the CPN- MC Standing Committee held here today also urged the government to control movement across the border and to allow only Nepali nationals to cross the border after conducting PCR tests. Shrestha said his party had urged the government to set up isolation centres in border areas to isolate suspected COVID patients.

Shrestha said the party also urged the government to build COVID-19 dedicated hospitals with adequate supply of oxygen and ventilators that can also take care of frontline health workers. 'It is risky for all hospitals to treat COVID patients,' he added.

The party also demanded relief packages for the poor, workers, and farmers who were living hand-to -mouth due to the pandemic. It also demanded rehabilitation packages for businesses hit hard by the pandemic, said Shrestha.

According to Shrestha, the standing committee proposed amendment to the party statute to make it mandatory for all party committees to have at least 35 per cent participation of women and at least one woman among office bearers.

The meeting also proposed to amend the statute to have at least 15 per cent Dalits in the central committee. It also proposed to have Dalits in slightly (two per cent) higher proportion in lower committees than their population in respective geographic areas. The party also decided to have 20 per cent youths in all party committees.

These provisions will apply after the party's central committee adopts them.

Shrestha said his party had also initiated a debate on age bar for party leaders and whether there should be a term limit for the leadership.

A version of this article appears in the print on April 28, 2021, of The Himalayan Times.