The closed Janakpur Cigarette Factory lies within the premises of the Madhes Provincial Government’s office, Madhes Bhawan. Its old warehouse now holds around 4,000 bicycles—purchased in 2022 to be distributed to schoolgirls under the ‘Beti Bachau, Beti Padhau’ program, a flagship “Province Pride Project.”
That project, however, was shut down after corruption was uncovered in the bicycle procurement process. Even the bicycles that had already been purchased were left undistributed, with officials dismissing them as “waste.”
Nearly eight years have passed since the formation of provincial governments. During this time, the Madhes government announced ambitious projects such as the Agricultural University, the Madhes Institute of Health Sciences, Beti Bachau, Beti Padhau, and the Ram Janaki Stadium. Yet some have been halted due to budget shortages, some stalled mid-way, and others continue at a sluggish pace.
“Pride projects are not for individual leaders or governments, but for fulfilling citizens’ needs. In Madhes, they became centers of corruption and irregularities. The people were humiliated,” says Bhogendra Jha, former Vice-chair of the Madhes Provincial Planning Commission. “Ironically, these projects were discredited by leaders who called themselves true sons of Madhes.”
With frequent changes in leadership, government priorities also shifted. Projects launched under former Chief Minister Lalbabu Raut of the Janata Samajwadi Party were not carried forward as “provincial pride” by his successor, Saroj Yadav, even from the same party. “I admit that during my tenure I could not advance some of the pride projects,” says Yadav. “But it was not for lack of will. Those projects were mired in corruption cases, some even filed with the CIAA. That’s why they could not move forward.”
Yadav says he tried to establish 50 MBBS seats at the Madhes Institute of Health Sciences, but argued that major projects can succeed only with cooperation from employees, political parties, and stakeholders. Without such support, he said, progress was impossible. His government also announced plans to build the Ram Janaki Multi-purpose Stadium in Janakpur, with a promised Rs 2 billion investment. That too never progressed beyond paper.
In November 2020, the Province Transport Program was introduced under then-Minister for Physical Infrastructure and Transport Jitendra Sonal. Five modern buses were purchased for Rs 39 million to run on Janakpurdham–Birgunj and Janakpurdham–Rajbiraj routes. But after Sonal’s removal, his successor, Congress leader Ram Saroj Yadav, showed little interest. The buses sat unused for 16 months before being handed over to various institutions, including health and agricultural institutes.
“A clear procedure should have been prepared before purchasing the buses,” says former minister Yadav. “It was an immature decision to buy them without planning, feasibility studies, or staffing arrangements. Without these, the money is wasted and projects collapse.”
Former Finance and Transport Minister Sonal blames a culture of political rivalry: “The transport plan was abandoned because of the mentality that others should not get credit. When I was minister, I launched programs like water in the fields, work in the hands, and provincial transport, but subsequent governments ignored them.” A CIAA complaint over alleged corruption in the bus purchase is still under investigation, according to the Commission’s Bardibas office.
The Beti Bachau, Beti Padhau campaign, once launched with great fanfare by Lalbabu Raut, was touted as a foundation for women’s empowerment, introducing schemes from education insurance to bicycle distribution. Today, the campaign has vanished. On 1 Feb 2024, the Special Court convicted then-secretary Yama Prasad Bhusal and engineer Bhagwan Jha of corruption in the bicycle procurement process. “Our daughters could have benefitted greatly,” says Arun Sah, a parent from Janakpurdham-4. “But corruption stole their rights. Even today, more than 5,000 bicycles are rotting in warehouses.”
The Madhes Institute of Health Sciences, established in March 2020, is also struggling due to limited funding. “This year our budget increased by Rs 20 million compared to last year, but it is still not enough to expand quality health services and education,” says Rector Dr. Ramnaresh Pandit.
Of the Rs 170m allocated, Rs 120m goes to salaries, leaving little for operations or improvements. The institute offers undergraduate programs such as MBBS, BNS, BSc Nursing, BPH, and BSc MLT, and postgraduate programs in Obstetrics and Gynecology, Pediatrics, Internal Medicine, and General Surgery. By law, the institute should provide 100 percent scholarships at the postgraduate level and 75 percent at the undergraduate level. However, since it falls under the provincial government, the federal government has not released the required scholarship funds. With only 12 fee-paying students generating Rs 18m annually, the institute cannot cover its scholarship commitments, Pandit says.
Provincial Health Minister Shatrudhan Prasad Singh acknowledges the challenge: “Provincial support alone is not enough. The problem arises when the federal government withholds funding.”
The Madhes Agricultural University, another pride project, is also in crisis. Only eight professors currently teach across four faculties. Though inaugurated in Nov 2021 with much fanfare by Chief Minister Raut, JSP President Upendra Yadav, and other provincial leaders, construction of its main campus in Rajbiraj stalled for lack of funds.
The government initially provided Rs 317.6m in 2021/22, but subsequent budgets shrank drastically. “This year we requested Rs 400m but received only Rs 40m. Last year we got just Rs 1m after being promised Rs 10m,” says Vice-chancellor Baidyanath Mahato.
“The Agricultural University has fallen victim to political neglect,” argues JSP spokesperson Manish Suman. Political analyst Roshan Janakpuri agrees: “Projects launched by one party are abandoned when another comes to power. If properly run, this university could transform Nepal’s agricultural sector, but the government has not invested.”
“All governments should prioritize pride projects, but here priorities shift with each administration,” adds economist Surendra Lav. “The projects themselves were important, but instead of being implemented, they were used for party propaganda and personal glory. That is why the situation has worsened.”
