January 4: Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal has issued a 30-point directive to the government secretaries on various topics issues such as making the public service delivery and matters related to public concern fast and efficient.    

PM Dahal directed the secretaries of various ministries during a meeting held at the Office of the Prime Minister and Council of Ministers on Tuesday. The meeting focused on topics such as good governance, service delivery and the people's livelihood.    

The secretaries of all the ministries had earlier presented progress reports, the problems and challenges related faced by their respective ministries to the prime minister on Monday while the secretaries at the Office of the President and Vice President and different constitutional commissions and bodies presented the reports on Tuesday.    

Addressing the secretaries after receiving their progress reports, PM Dahal said he expected full cooperation from the civil administration and government bodies this time as well just like in his previous tenure.    

He focused his address on topics concerned with delivery of public services related to daily needs of the people and with development projects, and the operation of development works, rather than policy issues or long-term matters.    

The executive chief mainly expressed his concern regarding the difficulties faced by the general public on matters related to the service delivery, stressing that these matters needed to be addressed promptly.    

Stating that the people's expectation that the services would be accessible at their doorstep along with the practice of federalism has not been fulfilled, PM Dahal said the performance of the government bodies has not been satisfactory as per the people's expectations over the last five years.    

"News has been published that people have to stay in queue since 2 am for making passport even as we are having this meeting now. The difficulties associated with acquiring the national identity card is equally harrowing. We do not have a satisfactory answer to the question as to why the identity card is necessary," the PM said, adding that it will take decades for the 30 million Nepalis to get the National Identity Card in their hand if the works on this matter progress in the current pace.    

“The situation is such that one has to wait for many years to get the driving license and your immediate attention is required on this issue as well,” the PM added.    

In course of the address he urged the secretaries of the government bodies concerned to immediately keep in priority works on removing the difficulties the general public is facing while accessing the basic services such as education, health, transport, passport, driving license, National Identity Card and paying the land revenue taxes and other fees.    

"A situation will come when harsh action would have to be initiated against the officials responsible if the service-seekers have to bear the difficulties of staying in line like they are enduring now to access various services like passport, the National Identity Card, driving license, no-objection letter provided by the Ministry of Education, medical treatment of patients at government hospitals and at places for paying the land revenue, land survey and tax and fees, even within a month from the formation of the present government," the Prime Minister cautioned.    

The PM said that his attention was drawn to the fact that no significant progress was achieved in the revenue collection front. There are questions concerning the delivery of government service, he added.    

He raised the question that the development expenditure has been only 11 percent when the half of the fiscal year is already past. "What are the reasons the targeted development expenditure has not been achieved? Who is responsible? If we do not look for the reasons behind this now, then when and who will do it? Bring proposals of improvement based on facts if there are problems at the policy level. However, there cannot be any excuses for shying off the responsibility by blaming someone else," he said.    

He also directed the National Planning Commission to inform the government about the budget allocated for big projects, expenses made so far and physical progress as well as to seek the measures in order to expedite development projects.    

Stating that public service delivery is always problematic, he asked to find out the root causes of the problem. During his address, the PM also raised the issue that citizens had to face deaths and accidents in lack of systematic public transport service.    

Prime Minister Dahal instructed the Home Administration to settle the crime-related complaints immediately.    

Likewise, he also urged the bodies concerned to control corruption, to carry out activities in order to prevent COVID risk, to pay attention towards the impact due to cold wave and snowfall, to make smooth supply of daily essentials and to forward activities of development projects in an expedited manner.-- RSS