By Our Reporter
After Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal garnered overwhelming support in the House, the ruling parties are likely to decide on the ministers and other key posts within a few days.
They have already divided the posts of chief ministers with the UML appointing three chief ministers and the Maoist Centre two. The parties have not yet decided who will lead the government in Madhes and Sudurpaschim. The UML has already appointed Hikmat Karki as its chief minister in Province 1 and Khagraj Adhikari in Gandaki and it is almost sure to appoint Lila Giri as chief minister in Lumbini.
Similarly, Shalik Ram Jamkattel of the Maoist Centre has become chief minister in Bagmati, and the Karnali is picking Maoist Chief Minister within a few days. Most probably, the UML will lead the government also in Sudurpaschim. However, the dispute between the UML and Maoist Centre in Province 1 with the Maoist rejecting to join the government after the centre decided that UML would be leading the government there for the whole five years.
The ruling parties need to do more exercises to pick ministers in the centre as six of the seven parties in the ruling coalition have decided to join the government. Only Rastriya Unmukti party will not join the government. Parties like Rastriya Swatantra Party are bargaining for more ministries while the big two parties too want more ministers from them. But again, many senior leaders may not join the government as they have to work under Deputy Prime Minister and Home Minister Rabi Lamichhane, the youngest DPM.
RPP chair Rajendra Lingden and JSPN’s Ashok Rai are likely to be appointed as DPM in the government.
Besides the ministers, the parties have to divide the posts of Deputy Speaker in the House of Representatives and Province Chiefs,
Speakers and Deputy Speakers in all seven provinces.
21-point Common Minimum Programme made public
The government has made public its Common Minimum Programme.
Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Finance Bishnu Prasad Paudel read out the programme, drafted by a task force comprising leaders from the different parties presently in the ruling coalition, amid an event at the Office of the Prime Minister and Council of Ministers on Monday.
The 21-point Common Minimum Programme of the government focused on solving the issue of citizenship, controlling corruption, enhancing healthcare, education and service delivery and introducing a system of time cards to reduce crowding at government offices, among others.
The government has also prioritised the consolidation of democracy, political stability, development, prosperity and good governance.
The coalition parties have pledged to immediately tackle the citizenship problem and have promised to bring an end to the circumstances currently preventing eligible Nepali citizens from obtaining their citizenship cards.
Similarly, they have stated their intent to enact or amend at least a dozen legislations in the first session of the present House of Representatives. These include the Public Procurement Act, Citizenship Act, Local Administration Act and an e-governance law.
To instil public faith in state mechanisms, the government has vowed to crack down on corruption.
The government will provide free testing and treatment to individuals aged 60 and above suffering from hypertension and diabetes, read the CMP.
Through the programme, the government has also announced its plans to provide every household with 10,000 litres of free drinking water every month.
In the next five years, the government aims to increase electricity production to 6,500 megawatts and per capita consumption to 700 kilowatt-hours.
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