‘Widening access to tap water, electricity major achievements of Gandaki Province’

Pokhara, February 14

Gandaki Province government has published a list of its achievements in the past two years.

The government will complete its second anniversary on February 16, the day when NCP Provincial Parliamentary Party leader Prithvi Subba Gurung took the oath of office and secrecy as the chief minister two years ago.

After being sworn by then province chief Baburam Kunwar, Gurung in capacity of chief minister, had then administered the oath of office and secretary to Ram Sharan Basnet as the minister for industry, tourism, forest and environment the same day. The two-member cabinet of the province on the same day had taken the decision of providing all households in the province with tapped water and electricity within two years.

“As per the decision of the provincial government, works towards providing all households with tapped water and electricity are being carried out on a war footing. Drinking and electricity projects will be completed within the current fiscal,” said Financial Affairs and Planning Minister Kiran Gurung, describing it as a major achievement for the provincial government.

As per the initial assessment, the households without power and tapped drinking water in the province were estimated at 14 per cent and 9 per cent respectively, two years ago. Based on the estimated data, the government had allocated budget with the policy to ensure lights even through solar plants in the places where supplying electricity through the national grid was not possible.

Further, Minister Gurung mentioned the task of denominating the province and fixing its headquarters as the other major achievement. A meeting of the provincial government held on 6 July 2018 had decided to name the province as ‘Gandaki’ after fixing Pokhara as its permanent headquarters through a meeting on July 2.

As per government sources, it has formulated some 32 acts in the past two years and unveiled three budgets so far. The government had unveiled budget worth Rs 24.02 billion for this fiscal.

So far, 19 per cent of the capital expenditure of the provincial government has been spent.