The govt priorities cannot be put into action at the grassroots level unless the govt itself is sincere
It appears that the budget session of the Federal Parliament, which commenced on Tuesday, will move ahead smoothly as the main opposition, the CPN- UML, has decided to end the nine months of House obstruction over the Speaker's refusal to confirm the expulsion of 14 UML lawmakers for violating the party's decisions. Addressing the first meeting of the parliament, UML leader Pradeep Gyawali said his party decided to end the House obstruction, mainly because of the conclusion of the local level elections and looming economic crisis, which needed serious discussion in the House. As per the constitutional provision, the government must table the fiscal budget for the year 2022/23 on May 29. Before tabling the fiscal budget, President Bidhya Devi Bhandari will present the government's policies and programmes. The main opposition was under pressure to end the House obstruction due to 'technical reason' as it would be awkward to resort to the House obstruction while the President was presenting the policies and programmes in the joint session of the House. It also would not be morally appropriate to continue the House obstructions following the presentation of the policies. This is the last session of the five-year term of the Federal Parliament as the next general elections are to be held in November.
On the opening day of the session, Finance Minister Jandardan Sharma also presented the government's economic principles and priorities of the upcoming budget, also known as the pre-budget discussion. While presenting the principles and priorities of the next budget, Sharma claimed the national economy, which was hit hardest by the COVID-19 pandemic, was slowly recovering and was expected to grow by more than 5 per cent. He said the upcoming budget would focus on strengthening federalism, preparing the base for a socialism-oriented economy and ensuring social justice by making investments in the social sector and also making the national economy self-reliant.
Sharma said the upcoming budget would take measures to increase productivity in the agriculture and manufacturing sectors, while increasing the share of Inland Revenue. He said the new budget would set a long-term goal of making the tax system sustainable by expanding the tax net. The government's plan is to create job opportunities by making heavy investments in the agriculture sector, which could, of course, absorb tens of thousands of youths in it. However, it is not possible without having vast swathes of land either for cereal production in the plains or for horticulture or herbal farming in the hills and mountains. A private firm or individual should be provided with enough land so that huge investments could be made for large-scale commercial farming. Fragmentation of land in the Tarai region and exodus of the population from the hills and mountains are the major problems that need immediate redress for sustained agricultural growth. Is the government ready to provide a registered firm/individual up to 500 ropanis of land for horticulture in the hills on a leasehold basis for 50 years? If yes, it is possible to increase agricultural growth, which will also help address the problem of migration.
Don't be stressed
We live in a world where life is fast-paced and under tremendous pressure from society to achieve goals, with constant fears of failure. The stress, coupled with pollution, junk food, and the consumption of tobacco and alcohol, impacts people's health negatively, leading to various health issues, especially hypertension. Nepal is said to have 4.7 million patients suffering from hypertension, of whom about 400,000 are under medication. But of them, only half have their blood pressure under control. What is worrisome is that even youngsters aged 15-24 are being diagnosed with hypertension, with 50 per cent among the population above 40 years suffering from it.
Many people would not know if they were suffering from hypertension, and the only way to do so is to take one's blood pressure regularly. High blood pressure leads to various health ailments, including cardio-vascular disease, diabetes, kidney and liver problems and brain haemorrhage if not controlled in time. Awareness is key to controlling blood pressure through a balanced diet low on salt, sugar and fat, and regular physical exercise. World Hypertension Day, marked every year on May 17, is an occasion to create the much-needed awareness on the issue.
A version of this article appears in the print on May 19, 2022, of The Himalayan Times.
