MORANG, AUGUST 23
National Assembly Chairperson Ganesh Prasad Timilsina said it was political parties' responsibility to safeguard the federal democratic republic.
At an interaction on 'Enabling Federal Governance' organised by Federalism Implementation Study and Monitoring Special Committee and Office of the Chief Minister and Council of Ministers of Province 1 here today, Timilsina said federalism would be firmly institutionalised if the political parties were devoted to citizens, and added that the ultimate goal of federalism was to end discrimination by maintaining good governance in the country. On the occasion, Timilsina underscored the need to inform the general public about the works carried out by the three levels of the government and all development works after the establishment of federalism.
The National Assembly chairman said federalism was a means not an end, adding that political parties should ensure transformation through behavioural changes, thus enabling of federalism.
During the programme, Chief Minister of Province 1 Rajendra Kumar Rai said federalism should be made high-powered and the gaps in it should be filled.
He was of the view that the general people have realised the shift in infrastructure development works carried out by the province and local levels after the establishment of federalism. Rai added that federalism should not be made the revised form of decentralisation stating that it was the responsibility of political parties to ensure more rights to the provinces.
Likewise, Speaker of Province 1 Pradip Kumar Bhandari said laws on concurrent rights of federal and province governments should be made, but viewed that the local levels were not managing the areas of education and health care.
Committee Coordinator and National Assembly Member Dr Khimlal Devkota argued that remote areas in the country had witnessed development prospects with the establishment of federalism. National Assembly member Bimala Rai Poudel, Health Minister of Province 1 Jayaram Yadav and others expressed their views on empowering the provinces to empower the people.
A version of this article appears in the print on August 24, 2022 of The Himalayan Times.
