KATHMANDU, SEPTEMBER 28

Finance Minister Janardan Sharma said the fully proportional electoral system is necessary to eliminate unhealthy competition and malpractices in the election.

'Fully electoral system based on socialism with Nepali characteristic should be adopted,' he added.

In his address to a plenum of the party-affiliated Nepal Dalit Liberation Front at Paris Danda today, the CPN (Maoist Centre) leader was of the view that such electoral practice was a must to ensure the representations of Dalit and other marginalized communities in the policy and decision-making level.

'People from Dalit and marginalized community are not in the position of exercising money-power in a bid to secure victory in the election,' he said, adding that a fully proportional electoral system serves the real essence of inclusive proportional principles. As the Finance Minister claimed, the government has first time launched economic relief packages targeting poor and needy sections of society.

Moreover, the provision of providing monthly treatment expenses to people with chronic illness was introduced for the first time in the country.

The Dalit Housing Programme was announced as the previous People's Housing Programme failed to address the needs of the Dalit community, according to him.

The government has already switched into actions against poverty and trade deficit and for building a self-sufficient economy through the substitution budget, the Finance Minister asserted.