November 2: The main opposition party CPN UML has unveiled its election manifesto which includes over two dozen plans without any resource backup.

During the last election, the CPN UML had decided to merge with the CPN Maoist Centre which paid off as they secured an overwhelming two-thirds majority in parliament. The two parties ultimately merged after the election but they eventually split after some years due to conflict in power sharing agreement.

After the last election, KP Sharma Oli took charge of the government. Amid criticism that the Oli government did not work as per the aspirations of the people, the CPN UML on Tuesday unveiled its election manifesto for the upcoming election.

The left-wing party has pledged good governance, development, prosperity and equality in its manifesto.

Besides, the party has also  announced a dozens of programmes such as Citizenship only for Nepalis; Hunger no Longer; Domestic Production, Foreign Market; Secured Roof: Everyone’s Desire; Choice of Youth: Education; Free Meter: Ten Thousand Litres. Income-generating programmes and distribution of medicines for pressure and sugar also fall under the announcement.

However, the party’s manifesto does not mention how it will manage resources for implementing these programmes. The election manifesto of the CPN UML also includes an ambitious and unattainable plan of increasing the size of Nepal’s economy to Rs 10 trillion in the next five years. According to the Central Bureau of Statistics, the current size of Nepal’s economy is Rs 4.8 trillion. In order to increase the size of Nepal’s economy to Rs 10 trillion in the next five years, the country must attain growth of Gross Domestic Product by 15 percent each year. Only a day before the UML unveiled its election manifesto, the World Bank had projected Nepal’s economy to grow by 5.8 percent in 2022, 5.1 percent in 2023 and 4.9 percent in 2024.

The UML election manifesto also mentions that the party will increase the Per Capital Income of Nepal to USD 2400 in the next five years. This target is also unattainable in the next five years. The Per Capital  Income of Nepal in the current fiscal year is USD 1300.

The election manifesto also says that the UML will develop 50 new cities in the next five years and complete the construction of all the highways within the same period.