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Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal has called upon relevant authorities to seek the middle-way for finding a solution to the ongoing disputes concerning trunk and dedicated electricity line tariffs.

In a discussion held at the Office of the Prime Minister and Council of Ministers today, the Prime Minister underlined the need of creating a situation where the Nepal Electricity Authority (NEA) can recover its dues, and industries can resume operations promptly.

He suggested considering the directives of the Commission for the Abuse of Authority and various committees under the federal parliament while exploring ways for sorting out the matter. He stressed on the need of seeking opinions from the Office of the Attorney General in reaching a conclusive decision, urging relevant bodies to explore alternative ways for resolving the matter.

During the meeting, Minister for Energy, Water Resources, and Irrigation, Shakti Bahadur Basent, assured that the government is actively working to resolve the issue based on available facts and existing laws. He said that entrepreneurs have been given installment options to pay their dues, expressing hope that the matter will be resolved through consensus and legal consultations with the Office of the Attorney General.

Similarly, Minister for Industry, Commerce, and Supplies, Ramesh Rijal, who was also present in the meeting, appealed to the government to facilitate finding solutions to the genuine concerns of industrialists. The Ministry is coordinating efforts to establish common ground for the restoration of industrial operations, according to him.

Government Chief Secretary Dr Baikuntha Aryal was of the view of seeking solutions in accordance with decisions made by the Electricity Regulatory Commission and existing laws and working procedures.

Nepal Electricity Authority (NEA) Managing Director Kulman Ghising briefed the meeting about NEA's priorities, duties, and future plans.  He assured that the disputes regarding trunk and dedicated power lines would be addressed positively." The NEA anticipates reaching a concrete decision in consultation with the Electricity Tariff Fixation Commission."

National Planning Commission Vice Chair Dr Min Bahadur Shrestha and Energy Secretary Gopal Prasad Sigdel, among others were present in the meeting.

Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal has expressed his commitment that the present government shall not conclude any agreements against the national interest.

Participating in the discussions on a bill designed to amend the Constitutional Council (Works, Duties, Rights and Work Procedures) Act, 2066 BS in a meeting of the House of Representatives, State Affairs and Good Governance Committee today, he reiterated that the government would enter into only the agreements that are in the nation's interest.

The PM said so while making things clear from his side after the lawmakers during the discussions inquired him about what transpired in his meeting Thursday with the Minister of External Affairs of India, S Jaishankar, and the agreements Nepal signed with India.

"I had a one-on-one and Nepali delegation-level meeting with the Indian External Affairs Minister yesterday. During the meeting, I talked on matters of Nepal's national interest and the electricity trade agreement only. The electricity trade agreement is in Nepal's interest; and an agreement has been reached by which Nepal will export 10,000 megawatts of power in 10 years," he said.

Stating that it is India not alone deciding on projects of up to Rs 200 million of investment, PM Dahal made it clear that Nepal also decides and has partnership on this matter. He further said: "The main thing is that an agreement has been made by which India will buy 10,000 megawatts of power in 10 years, no matter who has produced the electricity. It is not necessary to have any doubts, and the implementation of the agreement will also be only in Nepal's national interest."

In reply to lawmakers' question that the Indian Minister for External Affairs had been concerned about the Chinese delegation's visit to Nepal, the Prime Minister said, "He (S Jaishankar) did not even mention a word about this matter during the one-to-one and the delegation-level meeting as well. That is only falsehood and propaganda; it does not have any truth."

Stating that emphasis has been laid on unanimous consensus as far as possible on the bill designed to amend the Constitutional Council (Works, Duties, Rights and Work Procedures) Act, 2066 BS, the PM insisted the amendment bill has been brought to eliminate the problems and ill practices seen in the past in constitutional appointments.

India’s External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar called on Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal on Thursday.

Jaishankar, who arrived in Kathmandu to take part in the seventh Nepal-India Joint Commission, held a meeting with Prime Minister Dahal at the Prime Minister’s Office in Singhadurbar.

During the meeting, matters relating to bilateral relations and mutual interest, Nepal-India long-term power trade and implementation of agreements signed with Prime Minister Dahal during his India visit were discussed, the Prime Minister’s Secretariat said.

Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal has pointed out the need for transformation in educational policy, curriculum and structure for the reform of the country's education sector.

Addressing the Kantipur Education Summit ceremony here today, Prime Minister Dahal mentioned that the government has been carrying out activities for reforms of the educational sector.

He shared, "In the context when Nepal's higher education is facing global problems of globalization, such programs will have quality contribution for policy making with our own specialties and uniqueness in light of experiences across the world."

There are impacts of globalization at most of the areas of national life including education, said PM Dahal, adding, "There are direct impacts of globalization across the world. In developing countries like Nepal, its multifaceted impact exists as a challenge.  It has brought changes in economy, education, psychology and social structures of small and independent countries."

"We can overcome this challenge only after making changes in our educational policy, curriculum, and structures", he opined.

Stating that a negative mindset has been developed in the new generation in recent periods that there is no quality in a country's education and it could not compete in the global market, the Prime Minister stressed the need to discourage such a mindset.

The trend of brain drain of those academic personalities and those having employment opportunities in the country due to temptation of acquiring wealth in a short period was the matter of concern, he shared.

The government which has announced reforms in all the state apparatuses from today on cut down on the snack expenditures of the meeting of Council of Ministers.

Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal informed the meeting of the Council of Ministers held at Singha Durbar this morning that the expenditure on snacks served in the meetings of the Council of Ministers has been cut down, saying the reforms should be initiated from small topics, according to the Prime Minister's Secretariat.

The PM Office stated that approximately Rs 60 thousand was spent on snacks in each meeting of the Council of Ministers. It is said the Council of Ministers meets more than 100 times in a year. Govinda Acharya, the Press Advisor to the Prime Minister, said that around Rs 6 million is saved annually with the cut down on the snack expenses in the meeting of the Council of Ministers.

Normal snacks will be served in the meeting of the Council of Ministers from now on, the PM Secretariat said. Acharya said PM Dahal has started reforms from his own office as minor topics are also considered significant in good governance and reforms.

He added that works related to good governance and improvement would be consistently pursued ahead.

Prime Minister Dahal, who has announced to change the working style of the government, has been reaching the Prime Minister's Office at Singha Durbar at 10 am daily, except on public holidays.  He has been taking daily briefings from various ministries and initiatives for resolving the problems seen in development projects, including the national pride projects, from the Singha Durbar.

Meanwhile, the government's decision to use the Nepal Sambat calendar in all the government documents has been implemented. Acharya, the PM's press advisor, said the Nepal Sambat date has started to be used in the messages of best wishes that the PM has been issuing on various occasions.

Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal has said that complaints have been received that the service seekers have not got the driving license on time.

During a meeting with the officials of the Ministry of Physical Infrastructure and Transport, the prime minister issued a directive to make arrangements to provide the driving license at the earliest.

Saying that delay in printing the smart driving license would show the managerial weakness, Prime Minister Dahal directed the concerned officials to make arrangements in printing and distributing the smart driving license seriously.

Stating that the government and the prime minister will have to face criticism if the Ministry does not work properly, he urged the officials to be aware of the same.

“We are making qualitative changes in the process of policy program and budget formulation. The Planning commission and the Finance Ministry should also consider this carefully. Our responsibility is to develop the country,” the prime minister said, adding, “We should work seriously to restore the people’s hope. We should not leave any room for complaints.”

Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal has announced a shift in the ongoing style of the government’s annual policy and programme, and budget from the upcoming fiscal year. But he has not elaborated it well.

The PM’s remarks come at a time when the government is facing to scale up the capital expenditure. 

Addressing the nation today to unveil his government’s achievements made in the past one year, the Prime Minister admitted that traditional style of policy and programme could not bring about results and added that a new style would be embraced.

Prime Minister Dahal argued that the traditional way of budget making has failed to allocate budget to the priority projects and make true estimates on expenditure, leading to direct impact on capital expenditure. “I plan to move ahead in a new style by changing the system of policy making and budget preparation,” he added. 

Dahal also shared that the principles and priorities of the budget for the upcoming fiscal year would be made public in February and the feedback from the people’s representatives and general public would be taken on it. He stated that policy, structural and legal measures would be taken with the target to obtain a double-digit economic growth rate. 

The Prime Minister was of the view that the government is making the best possible efforts despite the journey to development and prosperity so far was not satisfactory.  The Prime Minister said that he would not make claims about the complete success of his government but announced that he would change the government's working style with this concern and self-review.

 Similarly, the Prime Minister made the announcement that he would not attend any of the public events except for some pre scheduled and compulsory ones and added that his focus would be on new policy and program, budget preparation, and resolving the issues in the areas of development and good-governance. “This will be a departure to change the government's working style. I am making changes to the structure of the Office of the Prime Minister this week,” Dahal stated.

Prime Minister and CPN (Maoist Centre) Chair Pushpa Kamal Dahal has alleged that forces opposed to the federal democratic republic are scheming to mislead the people.

Addressing a meeting of the CPN (Maoist Centre) ward committee at Barpak Sulikot Mural municipality-8 in Gorkha under the party’s Special Transformation Campaign today, he said the enemies of the republic are conspiring to make the people dejected and mislead them against the republic.

“You and we all should prevent people being misled and dejected. These kinds of people do not even see the good works carried out by the government, do not want to show that to the people and also do not talk positively. They only talk negatively and are plotting to spread hopelessness among the people,” he said.

The PM stressed on the need of taking the people into confidence and convincing them to stop the anti-republic activities. He also explained that the main objective of conducting the special campaign is not only to make the party active and vigorous, but also to deepen its relations with the people and defend the change that has been brought after the struggle and sacrifices. The party Chair claimed that the campaign has been successful as per its mission.

PM Dahal also informed that the government has started preparations from now itself to bring the budget for the next fiscal year in a new way so that the people will get to experience the change.

“The trend of traditionally holding discussions on the topics of the budget from mid-February and concluding the same in mid-May will be put to an end now. This time the government will finalise the budget by mid-February in a new way so that the people will experience a change,” he added.

On a different note, the Prime Minister claimed that the present government and the coalition have become stronger and the present ruling alliance will last its full five-year term.

Stating that the incumbent government has liberated the usury victims from the exploitation of loan sharks, he said only the Maoist-led government can banish the corrupt, land Mafiosi and the smugglers.

He said the construction of the Budhigandaki Hydropower Project, a project of national pride, has been finalized and urged the party workers and the general public not to have doubts whether or not the project would be constructed.

Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal has pledged that there would be no budgetary constraint issues for the implementation of Budhigandaki Reservoir-based Project.

Speaking at a program entitled "The Prime Minister with People's Representatives and Stakeholders” organized by the Barpak Sulikot Rural Municipality in Gorkha today, he said the budget resources for Budhigandaki, the project of national pride, has been ensured. 

"Now there is no confusion over the availability of the budget for the project.  The government, through the Cabinet meeting recently, decided to allocate five percent of revenue from the physical infrastructure sector to the project."

The 1,200-megawatt project will be implemented soon, according to the Prime Minister who believes that the project implementation will pave the way for economic development, prosperity and job opportunities in Gorkha in the future.

Dahal, who is also the House of Representatives (HoR) member from the Gorkha constituency-2, said he is committed to implementing words he gave before the Gorkha folks during the election campaign period. 

Discussions are in progress to revive the Gorakhkali Rubber Industry based in Deurali of Gorkha, according to the Prime Minister.

Pressing an idea for upgrading the Aanppipal Hospital in the district to a 50-bed health facility, he pledged to initiate towards that end.

Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal has announced to expand the scope of health insurance.

In an address to the nation on the occasion of the completion of one year of his government today, Prime Minister Dahal said the insurance scheme has not proceeded according to the spirit of the National Health Insurance Act introduced during his previous tenure in 2074.

But the current government will improve it to realize the constitutional right of citizens to health with a high priority, he said. For this, policy and procedural reforms for the effective implementation of insurance, capacity building of the insurance board, strong monitoring and evaluation mechanism, increasing the scope of insurance coverage and comprehensive improvement in the structure and quality of services, he informed that the government is taking care of the insurance.

The Prime Minister also expressed the commitment to increase the current ceiling in insurance coverage, while all the free health programs will be included in the health insurance in an integrated manner.

With a focus on health insurance, the health system will be developed according to the integrated health infrastructure development standards, he said.

Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal has said that the government shall change its style of working.

In an address to the nation on the occasion of the completion of one year of his government today, he said that the legal, policy and procedural complexities of infrastructure development will be solved based on a work schedule and time table.

He also announced making structural changes in the Prime Minister's Office, to give an indication of the way forward.  "Though the government did not fail but the outcome is not as per my willingness to deliver during this term," he said while pledging to self-assess on the basis of not about how much the country has achieved but how much it could have achieved.

The Prime Minister pledged not to spend time attending to programs except that are already pre-scheduled and unavoidable. "I have come to the conclusion to start working on the new policy and program, and the budget, while addressing the problems in development and governance," he said. This will be the start of changing the working style of the government.

Pointing out complications in clearing hurdles in infrastructure development, including in using forest land and land acquisition, he said. "I will put an end to the tendency of obstructing the country's development by pointing fingers at one another. I believe that if needed infrastructure development should be given top priority even by declaring an emergency."

Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal has claimed that the country has the highest foreign currency reserve in history.

Addressing the nation on the occasion of the completion of one year in office, Prime Minister Dahal claimed that the foreign currency has increased by Rs 157 billion.

Prime Minister Dahal said that he made public the report card of one year as per the commitment he made while being appointed as the prime minister.

In the meanwhile, he  claimed that the public institutions have also become profitable.

He went on to claim that Nepal Oil Corporation, Nepal Electricity Authority and Nepal Airlines Corporation have managed to make profit.

The prime minister, however, said that the country’s economy did not grow as he expected.

Prime Minister Dahal said that he will take responsibility of it.

Prime Minister Dahal claimed that Nepal has exported electricity worth over Rs 15 billion in one year.

Addressing the nation on the occasion of the completion of one year in office, Prime Minister Dahal said that Nepal earned Rs 15. 27 billion by exporting 700 megawatt of electricity in one year, which is 31.28 percent more than the same period of the previous year.

Saying that Nepal was bearing the brunt of 18 hours of load shedding until he was appointed as the prime minister for the second time, he made it clear that Nepal has now become able to export the power.

“Nepal, which had to import the electricity during the monsoon season also, has reached the position to export the electricity,” he said.

Nepal’s power generation capacity has increased to 2892 megawatt in the seven years. Among which, around 541 megawatt was added in this year only, the prime minister stated.

During his visit to India this year, a long-term power trade agreement was signed with an objective to export 10, 000 megawatt of electricity in 10 years.

Prime Minister and CPN (Maoist Center) Chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal has described Marxism as a philosophy to make a substantive analysis of a concrete situation.

In his address to a program organized at the party central office in Parisdanda on the occasion of the 131st birth anniversary of the Chinese leader Mao Zedong (Mao Day) today, Dahal said, "The cultivation of Marxist thoughts remains a primary challenge for the Communist movement at present."

He insisted on the need of developing ideology being based on the evolving global context. "Today's national and international scenario differs from that of Mao's lifetime. Significant global changes have occurred post-Mao, with imperialism persisting through new strategies and actions. We, as Maoists, need to adapt ourselves to the given context, but unfortunately it has not happened."

On the occasion, he said remembering Mao means analyzing and understanding ideology and revolution in a fundamental way.

He said social justice, good governance and prosperity are bases for charting out a course for socialism and the incumbent government is actively working towards that end.  "The government accords top priority to social justice, good governance and prosperity to create a foundation for socialism. We will move ahead accordingly."

The Maoist Chair took time to say that the party will come up with a new campaign once its ongoing campaign entitled "Maoists with people: special transformation campaign" concluded. The four-month campaign is set to conclude on January 1.

Mao Tse-tung (Zedong), a great Chinese politician, Marxist theorist and a revolutionary figure was born December 26, 1893, Shaoshan, Xiangtan, China.

Maoist Centre's vice chair Pampha Bhusal, General Secretary Dev Prasad Gurung, Deputy General Secretary Barshaman Pun were among those attending the event.

It’s been a whirlwind year since Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal assumed office on December 26, 2022. Against all odds, he's managed to steer the ship through turbulent political waters, but the real question is: has the journey been as smooth as he'd hoped?

Let’s face it, people did not have much expectation with the current dispensation. Both Dahal and his key coalition partner Nepali Congress’s President Sher Bahadur Deuba are tested politicians with poor track records. So expectations from this government were not exactly high. Before this government even kicked into gear, citizens were already frustrated with major parties playing power games without any regard for progress. 

Fast forward a year, and the time has come to dissect Dahal’s performance. Dahal, whose party polled third in the 2022 general elections, showcased his skills by keeping the coalition intact and maintaining a precarious grip on power. 

Dahal’s CPN (Maoist Center) had forged an electoral alliance with the Congress and other fringe parties with the intent of defeating the CPN-UML. Dahal and Deuba had agreed to form a rotational government after the election, where Dahal would lead the first half of the five-year term. 

But soon after the election results were out, Deuba refused to honor the deal, prompting Dahal to form a coalition government with the UML. The Maoist-UML partnership was short-lived though. While Dahal assumed the seat of the executive, it was the UML, the second largest party, that called most of the shots, much to the prime minister’s annoyance.  

The last straw came when the UML staked claim to the post of the president. So Dahal once again struck a deal with Deuba’s Nepali Congress to form a new government within months after the elections. And this time Deuba agreed to allow Dahal to lead the coalition government first as a returning favor for throwing the Maoist party’s weight behind Congress’s presidential candidate, Ram Chandra Paudel. Thus Dahal succeeded in reviving the pre-election coalition, and he has so far managed to keep it together. 

Soon after assuming the prime minister’s office, Prime Minister Dahal projected himself as a champion of republicanism, secularism, federalism, and inclusion. He promised to protect and promote these values enshrined in the 2015 constitution. 

But the prime minister found himself facing a challenge on all fronts. The constitution's key pillars came under attack, with voices against it growing louder. Secularism and federalism faced severe backlash, and provincial governments complained of being short-changed by the federal authority.

Then along came anti-republican rabble-rouser Durga Prasai, a businessman turned common enemy of all major political parties, who rallied thousands of people behind him to protest against the current political system. Additionally, the social harmony that Nepal once prided itself on was disrupted by clashes between religious and ethnic groups. 

People’s frustration with major political parties has reached an all-time high, and the popularity graph of leaders have hit rock bottom. The fear of a crumbling system is palpable, and parties are already fretting about the next election.

The next general election is four years away, and the major parties are already worried. They fear the rise of new political forces, particularly the Rastriya Swatantra Party, and independent candidates.

On the governance front, Dahal failed to inject hope and optimism. Corruption remained untamed, and service delivery showed no signs of improvement. Despite issuing directives to improve governance, Dahal found himself in a bind as his own directives gathered dust. Frequent transfers of officials, a desperate attempt to appease ministers, reflected a lack of learning from past mistakes.

Even within his party, discontent brewed. Dahal's close-knit circle irked party members, and the resignation of political advisor Haribol Gajurel spoke volumes about the government's internal struggles. In the midst of this, Dahal’s attempt to salvage the government's image through selective anti-corruption measures fell flat, failing to inspire hope among the people.

The government also failed to endorse the key bills from Parliament that aim to strengthen the federal and local governments. Dahal had promised to conclude the transitional justice process drawing the support of the international community, but failed on this agenda too.

While Prime Minister Dahal tried to improve the image of his government by opening an investigation into some big corruption scandals such as fake refugee scandals, the Lalita Niwas land grab, and smuggling of gold, it failed to sprout hope in the people because he adopted a selective approach and tried to protect his party leaders. 

The economic outlook under Dahal's leadership has been far from rosy. A surge in people seeking job opportunities abroad reflects a lack of confidence in the domestic job market. While some positive indicators exist, such as a decline in inflation and growing remittances, the overall economic landscape lacks the transformative touch promised by Dahal.

In the realm of foreign policy, Dahal played it safe. Steering clear of contentious issues with major powers, he focused on economic and developmental agendas. An appeasement policy was adopted to safeguard the fragile coalition, especially with India, which wields significant influence over Nepal's internal politics. Dahal has also somewhat succeeded in convincing China regarding his compulsion of maintaining close ties with New Delhi and Washington.

As Dahal contemplates changing ministers to shake things up, the real question remains: can a mere reshuffling bring about the change Nepal needs? Self-reflection seems to be in short supply as Dahal, instead of addressing concerns, dismisses critics as regressive forces.

First, Dahal himself should mend his ways. Over the past year, Dahal spent most of his precious time participating in insignificant events, such as a book launch and building inauguration. He invested very little or no time to diagnose where the problem lies and how it can be resolved. He rarely visited any government offices to inspect the service delivery.

One year into the job, Dahal appears more focused on securing the next year in power than leaving a lasting impact. The clock is ticking, and the country watches with bated breath to see if Dahal can transform challenges into triumphs in the years ahead.

Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal is scheduled to address the nation at 3 pm tomorrow.

He will be addressing the nation from his Singha Durbar-based office on the occasion of the completion of one year in the office.

Dahal was appointed the Prime Minister of Nepal on December 25, 2022.