Kathmandu: Rastriya Swatantra Party leader and lawmaker Dr. Swarnim Wagle has criticized the government’s new policies and programmes, labeling them as routine during a parliamentary session. He expressed his views based on party lines during a discussion on the government’s annual policy and programmes for the upcoming fiscal year 2082/83 BS in the House of Representatives.
According to National News Agency Nepal, Wagle described the new policies as a mere list of old programmes brought forth by a fatigued government. He highlighted the misalignment in budget priorities, pointing out that tourism had been grouped under physical infrastructure and agriculture under trade. Wagle also noted a lack of coordination between the ministries of foreign affairs and finance. Despite an agreement between the Nepali Congress and the Communist Party of Nepal (UML) to eradicate corruption and ensure good governance, Wagle claimed these objectives were not being met in practice. He pledged his party’s support if the high-level economic reform suggestion report included in the policies was practically implemented.
Rastriya Prajatantra Party leader and lawmaker Gyanendra Shahi also voiced concerns, stating that while the government’s policies spoke of an agricultural revolution, domestic farmers were struggling due to competition from imported goods. Shahi urged for policies that would discourage the import of agricultural products, encouraging local production instead.
Meanwhile, Devendra Paudel, Secretary of the Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist Centre) and member of the House of Representatives, also criticized the government’s policies as traditional. Paudel noted that many of the new policies were copied from previous years and failed to address comprehensive national development. He highlighted that only 31.9 percent of the development budget had been spent in the past ten months, pointing to issues with national pride projects due to budget shortages.
On the other hand, CPN (UML) lawmaker Yogesh Kumar Bhattarai praised the policies and programmes as youth-oriented and investment-friendly. Bhattarai emphasized the importance of integrating the capital of Nepalis worldwide for the country’s economic development. He advocated for increased investment in energy, agriculture, and tourism sectors and criticized the practice of selling electricity to neighboring countries at low prices while purchasing it at higher costs.