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Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal inaugurated the field office of the Budhigandaki Hydropower Project amid a program on Wednesday. Budhigandaki Hydropower Project is a 'national pride' project.

The Prime Minister unveiled a copper plaque to formally inaugurate the office.

Prior to this, the Prime Minister took an aerial view of the areas in Gorkha and Dhading vulnerable to the inundation due to the project construction.

He was accompanied by Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Home Affairs Narayan Kaji Shrestha, Minister for Energy, Water Resources and Irrigation Shakti Bahadur Basnet, former Prime Minister Dr Baburam Bhattarai, federal parliamentarians from Dhading and Gorkha, chiefs and chief ministers of Gandaki and Bagmati provinces, the government chief secretary, the energy secretary and the managing director of Nepal Electricity Authority (NEA).

The government has already established the Budhigandaki Hydro Electricity Company with an authorized capital of Rs 60 billion to undertake the 1200-MW Project of national pride.

Similarly, the government has distributed compensation amounting to Rs 34.3 billion for land acquisition related to the project. The distribution process is in its final phase of completion. Around 50,000 people in Dhading and Gorkha districts will be affected by the project.

The detailed project report for the Budhigandaki Project was prepared by France-based Tractebel Engineering in 2014. The proposed dam will be 263 meters high.

The government said that the project will be developed through the mobilization of internal resources. 

The NEA has its larger chunk of share in the project, according to Company Chief Jagat Shrestha.

Birth: 5 July 1954, Kaski

Death: 12 July 2023, Kathmandu

Sita Dahal, the wife of Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal who passed away on Wednesday, was not just a doting mother and a politician’s spouse, she was also a watchful protector and advisor of CPN (Maoist Center).  

Born on 5 July 1954, in Kaski, her family permanently relocated to Chitwan when she was eight. In 1969, she married Dahal and became involved in politics alongside. Throughout her healthy life, Sita played a vital role in the party, acting as a coordinator, guardian, and advisor for the party.

Dev Gurung, general secretary of the Maoist Center, hailed her unwavering dedication to the party: “During the Panchayat period, she spent a significant amount of time underground for party work. She remained actively engaged in underground politics from the beginning of the civil war, acting as a coordinator and guardian for the entire party during tumultuous years.”

Party leaders and cadres remember her as the party’s true guardian, adept at uniting everyone, particularly in times of crises. Within the party too, she was seen as a motherly figure, who was loved and respected.

“Besides being a supportive spouse to our party chairman, she also assumed various roles within the party,” says Dinanath Sharma, secretary of the Maoist Centre. “She played a pivotal role in unifying party leaders and cadres, ensuring the party’s resilience during challenging periods. In addition to her private responsibilities, she displayed a warrior-like spirit and offered many valuable suggestions.” 

Despite her position, Sita maintained a down-to-earth demeanor and possessed an equal and respectful attitude towards people from all walks of life. Her amicable nature made it easy for the public to connect with Prime Minister Dahal, and she played an integral role in supporting him through the ups and downs of his political journey.

Krishna KC, a member of the secretariat team during Prime Minister Dahal’s second term, says it was because of Sita that general public and party cadres could easily approach the prime minister and party chair.

“It was her who used to advise the prime minister to always make time for people,” adds KC. 

Despite her powerful position, Sita embraced an ordinary life and relished her experiences, perhaps influenced by her upbringing in a humble farming family. She treated everyone with equal respect, whether they held high status, were party workers, or belonged to ordinary backgrounds.

“To make a revolution successful, there are equal roles of many frontliners and backliners. Sita Dahal is one of such a backliner who is a strong pillar of the Maoist revolution,” says Chairperson of Communist Party of Nepal Netra Bikram Chand, who was a close hand of Prime Minister Dahal during the insurgency period.

Sita’s role as an advisor to her husband and the party stopped after she was diagnosed with a debilitating condition related to a rare neurological disorder called Progressive Supranuclear Palsy (PSP) Parkinsonism. She was also suffering from Diabetes Mellitus-II and Hypertension. Over the years, her condition continued to deteriorate. She passed away while undergoing treatment at Norvic International Hospital in Kathmandu. She is survived by her husband and two daughters.