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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.

Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal has directed the Ministry of Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation to move ahead the process of purchasing aircraft in a transparent manner, leaving no room for any error and dispute.

He gave this directive in the joint briefing and discussions program of the Ministry of Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation and the Ministry of Water Supply held at the Singha Durbar today.

"Questions are always raised in aircraft purchase deals in Nepal. Let there be no such errors this time. The aircraft purchase process should be cent percent correct, error-free and transparent. There should be no mistakes and questions like in the past in the procurement process this time," he reiterated.

The PM also spoke on the need of changing several of our tourism-related policies and regulations as they are not tourist-friendly. "Let us all think about creating a conducive environment for the tourists. You bring the proposals and let us attract tourists by opening up the prohibited areas. Night time services should also be opened in the tourist areas and the government should be flexible in this too," he said.

Minister for Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation Sudan Kirati said the airports constructed on the basis of 'political pressure' were not operating in an effective way, stressing on the need of constructing airports only on the need-basis in the coming days.

He said that the solution should be sought for the areas prohibited for tourists and suggested making diplomatic initiation for operating the Bhairahawa and Pokhara international airports in their full capacity.

On the occasion, PM Dahal instructed the bodies concerned to immediately resolve the problem of the consumers having to pay water tariff even for taps which are dry. He directed for writing off the water tariff of consumers not getting water supply.

He also called for further expediting works on the Melamchi Water Supply Project while expressing happiness over the works currently being carried out in two shifts as per the 28-day integrated action plan for bringing 170 million liters of water daily from Melamchi to Sundarijal of Kathmandu within a month.

The PM also urged the bodies concerned to look for other sources of water to supply water in the Kathmandu Valley which has a daily demand of 250 million liters of water.

Water Supply Minister Mahendra Raya Yadav, Minister Kirati, Minister of State for Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation Sushila Shreepali, Chief Secretary Dr Baikuntha Aryal, Water Supply Ministry secretary Suresh Acharya, Culture Secretary Deepak Kafle, Finance Secretary Krishna Hari Pushkar, among others put their views on topics related to works and responsibilities of their respective ministries.

Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal has held consultations with the top leaders of major parties on finalization of the transitional justice issues.

Nepali Congress president Sher Bahadur Deuba, CPN-UML Chair KP Sharma Oli and Nepali Congress Chief Whip Ramesh Lekhak were present in the discussions held at the Prime Minister's official residence at Baluwatar today. 

On the occasion, the leaders talked on various topics including finalizing the remaining tasks of the peace process in relation to transitional justice, said Manohari Timilsina, the media expert to the Prime Minister. The meeting will be held on Monday as well, Timilsina added.

The bill for amending the Commission of Investigation on Enforced Disappeared Persons (CIEDP) and the Truth and Reconciliation (TRC) Act, 2071 is still under consideration in the Federal Parliament.

Preparation has been made to pass this bill in the coming session of the Federal Parliament forging consensus at the highest political level.

The government is in preparation to summon the winter session of the Federal Parliament.

Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal has inaugurated Inaruwa substation today. Inaruwa substation is considered one of the important projects for strengthening power transmission and distribution systems.

Constructed at Bhokraha Narsingh Rural Municipality-4 of Sunsari district, the 400-Kv substation is one of the largest substations constructed in the country.

The country's second largest substation based on Gas Insulated System (GIS) was charged in the second week of October. 

Minister for Water Resources and Irrigation, Shakti Bahadur Basnet, former minister Gyanendra Bahadur Karki, high-officials of Energy Ministry, Executive Director of the Nepal Electricity Authority, Kul Man Ghising, among others were present in the inauguration ceremony.

The next substation of 220/132/33 kV has already come into operation in Inaruwa. There are three power transformers of 315-MVA in 400/220 kV Inaruwa substation constructed under 400-kVHetauda-Dhalkebar-Inaruwa substation expansion project. Around 4,000 MW electricity would be transmitted from Inaruwa substation after the completion of 400 kV Inaruwa- Dhalkebar transmission line.

NEA Executive Director Ghising said Inaruwa substation is the backbone for transmitting electricity produced from hydropower projects at different districts of Koshi Province, for consumption of power locally and to export surplus electricity to India.

Executive Director Ghising said, "Electricity will be supplied locally in addition to the electricity flow from the substation to the national transmission grid. This will improve the voltage in that area thereby ensuring reliable supply of electricity."

Ghising further said that the Inaruwa-Purnia 400 KV cross-country transmission line has been proposed for power trade with India and Inaruwa-Anarmani 400 KV transmission line has been proposed for trade among Nepal-India and Bangladesh from this sub-station.

The Inaruwa sub-station, according to him, has become another huge electricity center to supply electricity from east to west within the country and export to India besides regional power trade.

Moreover, the substation would be significant to supply additional electricity to the industries within the Morang-Sunsari Industrial Corridor. The electricity generated from Arun and Tamor Rivers and their tributaries would be linked to the Inaruwa Sub-Station through Koshi Corridor 220 KC transmission line.

It may be noted that there has been a proposal to construct the Arun 'Hub' Inaruwa 400 KV transmission line.

The Authority said that the Inaruwa Sub-Station has been built in such a way that it can be expanded in future.

Various factors such as inundation, COVID-19 pandemic and prohibitory order and lack of timely availability of tools and technicians among others had adversely affected the substation construction process.

Sri Lankan Ambassador to Nepal Air Chief Marshal Sudarshana Pathirana paid a courtesy call on Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal on Tuesday.

During the meeting held at the Prime Minister's office in Singha Durbar, several matters related to Nepal and Sri Lanka were discussed, said the PM's secretariat.

Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal held a meeting with President Ram Chandra Paudel on Tuesday.

Prime Minister Dahal had reached Sheetal Niwas this morning to meet President Paudel.

During the meeting, they discussed the contemporary political situation of the country, the President’s Secretariat said.

President Paudel has continuously been showing interest in the works of the government.

On the occasion, President Paudel also showed concern about the National Assembly election.

The tenure of the 20 National Assembly members including a female member nominated by the President is expiring soon.

There is a provision to nominate one female member at the recommendation of the Cabinet.

The government has fixed January 25 as the date of the election for 19 seats.

Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal on Monday made a virtual inspection of Narayanghat-Butwal road section and Muglin-Pokhara road section from the 'Action Room' located at the Office of the Prime Minister and Council of Ministers in Singhadurbar.

The two road projects are under-construction but the progress in the construction of both the projects is slow.

During the virtual inspection from the Office of the Prime Minister and Council of Ministers this afternoon, the PM took stock of the recent progress made in the road construction and said that progress is not satisfactory as expected. "This is not fulfilling. Our quality role should be upped to this area," the PM added.

On the occasion, PM Dahal made a commitment to address the issues arising from short supply of pebbles, sand and stone, and electricity needed for the project’s advancement.   

Likewise, the PM asked the field officials and agencies to submit their reports on a regular and timely basis stating that the challenges could be troubleshooted if the reports were received in time so that the people's woes could be resolved. 

Now, the progress of the projects should be measured on the basis of milestone indicators, he added.

The PM also directed the officials and agencies to complete the projects on time and warned that there will be no excuse in the delay of the projects under different pretexts.

"These two projects are highly important and the construction should be completed in time. I will also come to the field to inspect the projects. Now I will give more time for the development works," according to the PM.

"Tasks of the national pride projects should be carried out in two shifts. Let's do serious homework for this. This is the last opportunity to work," the PM appealed to utilize the opportunity for development.

Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal  today said the Buddhist philosophy would remain alive until human existence.

Wishing for world peace, which he said is required, today at a programme organised at the Ramagrama Stupa in West Nawalparasi district, the PM said we achieved the feat of spreading the message of peace across the globe.

Lord Gautam Buddha's teaching is confirmed as more necessary and relevant in the present time, he mentioned. The Prime Minister also pledged to implement the master plan for the development of the stupa while saying that far sighting work would be carried out for its restoration, conservation and development.

Stating that the programme would spread the message of global peace, he mentioned that the United Nations Secretary General Antonio Guterres and himself pledged for world peace. 

"This programme is expected to not only spread a new message in the globe, but will also help play an important role in the religious, cultural and touristic development of the Ramagrama Stupa and the entire Lumbini area", underscored PM Dahal.

Saying that the international community has been appealed for the conservation and development of the Buddha-era heritages, he expressed his commitment to play an important role in the development of the Buddha-time heritages. He said that he is inspired by the philosophy, thoughts and teachings of Buddha.

Similarly, Minister for Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation Sudan Kirati informed that the government had carried forward a comprehensive plan for the development of Tilaurakot, Lumbini and Ramagrama Stupa.

"Although Nepal is multi-lingual and multi-ethnic, people of all religions and communities follow the Buddhist philosophy; this is religious tolerance, this is a message of unity," stressed the Prime Minister.

The event was attended by representatives of various foreign countries and Buddhist followers from various countries.

Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal has claimed that nearly 200 Nepalis, who had gone to Russia on student and tourist visas, have joined the Russian army to earn money.

Addressing the office-bearers meeting of the Press Center in the Capital on Monday, the Prime Minister said that he got the information that 200 Nepalis have joined the Russian army.

He further said that some Nepalis serving in the Russian army are under the control of Kyiv’s forces.

Prime Minister Dahal went on to say that he has even got the information that some Nepalis have also joined the Ukrainian army and the government is studying about the same.

Six Nepalis serving in the Russian army had died during the Russian-Ukraine war.

The government has already sent a letter to the Russian government to hand over the bodies to the Nepal government.

The government has also urged the Russian government not to recruit its citizens into the Russian army.

Meanwhile, police have arrested 12 persons for their alleged involvement in sending people to Russia illegally.