Kathmandu: President Ramchandra Paudel emphasized the significance of enhancing the living standards of the populace and the prosperity of the nation as fundamental objectives of the country’s constitution and its federal democratic republic. He articulated this vision during the Pushpalal National Award 2082 distribution ceremony.
According to National News Agency Nepal, the President highlighted the historic struggles and sacrifices made by senior leaders and the Nepali people which culminated in the establishment of the federal democratic republic. He underscored that the improvement of living standards and national prosperity were paramount goals in this political evolution.
The Pushpalal National Award, named after the founder leader of the Nepal Communist Party, the late Pushpalal Shrestha, is presented annually by the Ministry of Culture, Tourism, and Civil Aviation. The award comes with a monetary prize of Rs 100,000. This year, the award honored Shanta Manavi for her work in politics, Dr. Medini Prasad Sedai for his contributions to history, and Ram Mani Pokhrel for his achievements in literature.
President Paudel stressed the importance of efficient resource utilization, effective service delivery, and the promotion of good governance as means to achieve the goals set by democracy and the constitution. He noted that only by reaching these objectives could the nation truly honor the leaders who dedicated themselves to democracy.
Highlighting Pushpalal Shrestha’s contributions, the President noted his meticulous documentation of Nepal’s economic structure, class analysis, production systems, and societal contradictions. He praised Pushpalal for establishing a distinct line of thought and identity among communists, despite his Marxist ideology, by advocating for democratic processes to solve societal issues.
President Paudel credited Pushpalal’s ideology with laying the intellectual foundation for the involvement of Nepali communists in democratic processes, citing the political transformation of 1990 as evidence of its effectiveness.
Minister for Culture, Tourism, and Civil Aviation, Badri Prasad Pandey, also recognized the importance of Pushpalal’s ideology in shaping Nepal’s leftist movement. Honored politician Shanta Manavi shared her experiences of contributing to societal changes during the autocratic Panchayat system.