Nepal currently stands at a very sensitive juncture in history. On the one hand, we have a glorious document of political system change and a strong framework of a federal democratic republic, while on the other, we have a rapid exodus of youth, a stagnant domestic production sector, increasing foreign debt and a serious form of corruption. Nepal is basically a country with multi-ethnic, multilingual and multicultural characteristics. The different ethnicities, languages and historical cultures scattered across the Himalayas, hills and Tarai are the real identity and collective strength of Nepal.
However, the long-standing traditional political centralism, neoliberal policy weaknesses and the state machinery controlled by a few cronies have not been able to address the aspirations of the general public. In particular, the historically backward marginalized, indigenous peoples, Madhesi, Dalit and minority communities are still in a state of economic and social oppression and deprivation.
To overcome this serious structural failure and transform Nepal into a genuine welfare state, it is imperative to formulate and implement a concrete, practical, and scientific roadmap. Development is not just an abstract economic indicator or lifeless physical infrastructure. Development is sustainable and just only when the citizen standing at the doorstep of society feels his meaningful ownership and identity in the state.
The welfare state and the Nepali context
A welfare state is a socio-economic system where the state guarantees the minimum needs of every citizen—such as quality education, universal health care, decent employment, and complete social security. This concept is based on the belief that a market economy and open capitalism alone cannot raise the living standards of people at the bottom of society.
Although the Constitution of Nepal has declared the country a “socialism-oriented” state, the fundamental rights and welfare systems enshrined in the constitution have not yet been translated into the daily lives of ordinary citizens. Until the indigenous, Madhesi and marginalised people living in remote areas, including the Chepang, Musahar, Raute or the poor citizens of Karnali feel that the state is their guardian and that they also have a stake in its policies, socialism written on paper will have no meaning. Therefore, it is too late to formulate a concrete and practical ‘action plan’ according to the philosophy of inclusive progressivism, ensuring the identity, representation and access of every caste.
Five key pillars of a new plan
To make Nepal a truly welfare state and establish ownership of all communities in it, a concrete action plan should be implemented focusing on five main areas:
Valuing identity and cultural justice
When Nepal’s historical statehood promoted only a single cultural and linguistic identity, the majority communities fell into linguistic oppression and cultural marginalization. The first condition of inclusive progressivism is ‘cultural justice’.
- Education in the mother tongue: The right to quality education in the mother tongue for children of indigenous, tribal and indigenous communities from the primary level should be fully implemented in a practical manner. This not only enhances learning capacity, but also raises their cultural self-esteem and morale.
- Preservation of indigenous knowledge: The state should recognize the traditional skills, unique arts and indigenous knowledge of endangered and marginalized communities as national capital and protect and promote it.
Meaningful representation and structural equality
Although the current inclusive and reservation system implemented in Nepal appears technically positive, its real benefits have not reached the oppressed classes at the grassroots level. Only a few elites and elites within each community are taking advantage of it. In the spirit of inclusive progressivism, reservation should not be a mere technical means of fulfilling quotas. It should ensure a direct and meaningful voice of the disadvantaged citizens from Musahar, Chepang, Raute communities or Karnali at the highest levels of policymaking. Under the action plan, the policy of positive discrimination should be revised and restructured to reach the target groups based on population ratio and indicators of socio-economic deprivation.
Free and quality services
The backbone of the welfare state is free and quality education and health services. The rapid commercialization and brokering of education and health should be completely and strictly prohibited. When education and health become a business, the gap between the rich and the poor deepens. This will end social justice.
- Strengthening education and health: The state should double its budgetary investment in health and education and upgrade government schools and hospitals to make them superior to the private sector.
- Social security from the womb to the grave: The scope of unemployment allowance, maternity allowance, disability assistance, and old age allowance for all citizens should be made scientific and transparent, so that market fluctuations do not put the lives and security of citizens at risk.
Local priority over resources
The lives of most indigenous and Dalit communities in Nepal are directly linked to water, land and forests. However, in the name of infrastructure development or when distributing natural resources, local communities are being displaced and their lands are being taken away. Inclusive progressivism emphasizes the ‘priority’ of local communities over natural resources. Before embarking on projects like hydropower, roads or eco-tourism, the full consent of the local communities, the protection of their cultural centers and their share in the profits of the project should be ensured. Economic justice is not possible without transferring the actual ownership of the land to the landless squatters and oppressed classes like Haliya and Harawa-Charwa.
An inclusive economic model
A welfare state cannot be sustained by distributing social allowances or relief alone, it requires a strong and self-sufficient economic base. The current remittance-based model is sending the country's demographic dividend abroad and emptying our villages. Only by developing professional entrepreneurship at the local level by combining the indigenous skills of each community with modern technology can youth migration be stopped and the country’s economy become sustainable.
Ethnic unity: A growth engine
Although various political movements in Nepal have vigorously raised the issue of identity and rights, they have sometimes risked turning toward narrow ethnic polarization. Diversity is not a weakness of Nepal, it is the engine of prosperity and musical plurality. When the state treats all castes and communities equally and distributes economic resources fairly, then the sense of belonging and patriotism among citizens towards the nation becomes stronger.
This action plan should not be an administrative plan imposed solely from the center. This plan should be developed through extensive discussion, dialogue and consensus of representatives of all communities from the rural municipality, municipality and provincial levels. The key to its success is to formulate a participatory plan from the grassroots level, embracing the progressive principle of ‘leaving no one behind and leaving no one behind’.
Conclusion
The main objective of declaring Nepal a federal democratic republic was to establish a non-discriminatory, just and prosperous society. Even though the political system has changed today, the condition of the common people has not changed. The country is suffering from poverty, high prices and unemployment. To overcome this situation and build a strong nation, there is no other option than to implement an action plan in line with the philosophy of inclusive progressivism, taking all castes into confidence.
The state should now position itself not as a mechanism to protect the interests of a limited class, but as a guardian of the entire oppressed and working community. Only through the joint efforts and active participation of all Nepalis can the dream of an equitable, prosperous and welfare state be realized. This should be the real roadmap of Nepal in the 21st century.
