Dhangadi, July 3

Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba expressed concern about the regular budget freeze in the far-west region and sought an end to this trend.

Inaugurating a two-day symposium on socio-economic development management and roadmap for Province 7 here today, the PM cited past data of 20 to 30 per cent of annual development budget freeze in the region and said, “We never get tired of talking about development but can’t spend the allocated budget fully. How can we develop this region by letting the development budget freeze year in and year out?”

“Despite the huge potential, the far-west is lagging very far behind in development, so it’s high time we stakeholders committed ourselves to changing the face of this region,” he said, describing technical education and the launch of big projects such as the Seti and Mahakali as the possible driving force for development in the region. The PM also took the opportunity to express his concern about the flight of youths to foreign countries, urging energetic young men to toil on their own soil instead in order to make the country prosperous.

Deuba also shared his happiness at having been able to conduct the second round of local elections and pledged to conduct the polls in the province that had been left out on the stipulated date.

“Apart from local polls, provincial and central elections are as important and will help in institutionalising federal democratic republicanism,” he remarked.

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