Nepal stresses need to change social structure

June 4, 2000
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Kathmandu, June 4: Leader of the main opposition party Madhav Kumar Nepal, taking part in the discussions on the annual estimates of income and expenditure for Fiscal Year 2000/01 at the House of Representatives today, said the budget has failed to go into the depths of the country’s problems.

Stating that poverty and backwardness are on the rise, and discrimination against women and dalits and the Kamaiya bonded labour system continue to exist even today, Mr. Nepal spoke of the need of change in social structure to make the disadvantaged the owners of property.

There should be a change in land ownership through translation into action of the slogan of “land to the tillers” as propounded by the late BP, and a revolutionary land reform and irrigation network programme should be implemented, said the CPN-UML, leader adding, the budget is not realistic as the Rs. 12 billion deficit has a chance of adversely affecting the economy.

Noting that foreign loans and grants projections are not likely to be met and that more than 50 percent of the budget allocated for the districts will not reach there, he accused the government of politicizing the BP with Poor and women’s awareness programmes and rendering local bodies toothless.

The provision for confiscating property without genuine sources of income is a good point in the budget, said Mr. Nepal adding, programmes should be enforced through people’s participation as per the principle of decentralization and our dependency on foreign loans and aid should be reduced by mobilizing local means and resources.

The opposition leader also spoke of the need to contain corruption, irregularities and commission-mongering which are widespread in the country.