National
PM: Stop arguing and strive for better results
In an unprecedented move, Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli has begun a performance evaluation of his own government starting Wednesday, calling a special meeting of ministers and secretaries following continuous criticism of his administration to deliver on the promises made since coming into office.Anil Giri
Expressing frustration at slow progress in service delivery, implementation of the projects and capital expenditure in the last four months, Prime Minister KP Oli took his ministers and secretaries to task again on Thursday, instructing them to pick up the level of performance.
“No more arguments, I need results,” Oli said on the second day of evaluation of his own government at Singha Durbar.
Thursday’s meeting assessed the performances of Ministries of Education, Science and Technology, Youth and Sports; Water Supplies; Tourism and Civil Aviation; Labour, Employment and Social Securities; Land Management, Cooperatives and Poverty Alleviation; and Forest and Environment in the last four months since the annual budget was announced.
Insisting on a change in working styles of the ministers and government staffers, Oli asked them to prioritise works of the country’s development rather than wasting time in meetings, discussions and consultations.
“Do not wait for orders. Follow whatever rules and regulations we have, and complete the task on time,” Finance Minister Yubraj Khatiwada quoted the prime minister as telling the meeting.
Oli also asked them to first study in depth about subject matters before consulting with experts. “First you should be clear about what you want to achieve and enrich it with suggestions from experts,” he said. “New and constructive works should be carried out in every sector each day. If all sectors moved ahead in a constructive way, Nepal moves one step forward each day.”
Calling for the timely completion of the national pride projects like Melamchi Drinking Water project, the prime minister urged the government employees to practice austerity measures and not to create burden on the state coffers by taking allowance for meetings held during office hours.
He also enquired about the preparations being made by Nepal Airlines Corporation in bringing its wide-body aircraft into regular operation and reasons for its hefty losses. On the occasion, Oli urged the Ministry of Forest and Soil Conservation to promote mass agriculture through the cooperatives by using modern technologies.
“Our priority should not be the remittance. In the coming days, the focus should be on youth self-employment, production and productivity to strengthen our economy,” he said.
On the widening gap between the federal, provincial and local governments, Oli said, “We have work in a collaborative and corroborative way to build this nation.”