Development concept in Nepal

Based on the data, after the change and restoration of democracy in 2047, Nepal has achieved good achievements in banking and financial sector, cooperatives, education, health, information and communication, roads, physical infrastructure and other sectors. Today, Nepali citizens have reached a state where they can use and enjoy various types of modern services and facilities available in the world market.

Widespread modern changes have started to be seen in the material comforts, lifestyles and lifestyles of common people. The income of both the individual and the nation is seen to increase. However, Nepal has still not been upgraded from the category of poor and least developed countries to the category of developing countries, while the frustration and dissatisfaction of the common citizens is increasing day by day. It is very important to find out the reason for this contradiction.

The Constitution of Nepal 2072 aims to fulfill the aspirations of sustainable peace, good governance, development and prosperity through a federal democratic republican governance system. According to the new structure, Nepal has been restructured into three levels, the federal, state and local levels. All the three levels are formulating and implementing their periodic plans. However, even though the country has been transformed into a federal structure, there does not seem to be any significant change in the concept of development. The local bodies of the past have been transformed into local levels, ie rural municipalities and municipalities. The local level has been transformed into a unit with more authority and resources than in the past. When the local bodies were converted into village councils and municipalities without adequate homework, although there is an appearance of urbanization in the name, no meaningful change is seen in reality.

In our context, there is a general opinion that the development of the country means the construction of large physical infrastructures and the development of the society means following western culture and modernity. Urbanization, industrialization and modernization are only called development. The main purpose of development is to facilitate the life of the common man, but the existing concept of development and unplanned infrastructure construction in the name of development in Nepal is causing a negative impact on the environmental balance and is causing long-term damage to the lives of the common people by exploiting the natural resources of the mountains, hills and plains.

The standards of development in Madhesh are even more different. Although Madhesh is geographically very accessible, it is relatively backward in terms of development. A comment has been created that development is only infrastructure building. Everywhere one sees only the pattern of unplanned development. Although everyone is interested in building physical infrastructure even in the field of education and health, quality education and health service provision does not seem to be a priority. It seems that no attention has been paid to clean drinking water and environmental sanitation. Due to the lack of knowledge and awareness about clean drinking water, the overhead drinking water tanks that have been built in most of the rural parts of Madhesh are also unused. Even though wards, municipalities and districts have been declared open defecation-free on the basis of competition and competition through programs everywhere, no meaningful results have been seen in practice.

There is widespread ignorance about the long-term effects of lack of clean drinking water and environmental sanitation on human life. There is also lack of awareness and ignorance about the meaningful importance of education and health. Instead, paved road-street slopes without proper drainage system are found to be the most preferred. People's representatives at all three levels, local, state and union, are found to have strong competition and extensive competition in this work. Although the constitution of Nepal has classified public roads as local roads, rural roads, agricultural roads, urban roads, provincial public roads and railways, and national public roads, it seems that there is widespread interest and unnecessary competition of people's representatives at all levels in the construction of roads under the local level.

According to the data of the Department of Foreign Employment, the districts of Madhesh Province are at the top in the list of a large number of people going abroad for employment from Nepal. Foreign employment has increased the income of individuals. Private schools are the preferred choice for children's education for the majority of the economically well-off. Public schools mainly enroll children from low-income and disadvantaged families. While the educational level of majority of private schools is also very weak and substandard. The situation in health institutions is almost the same. Common people do not have much faith in the services of government health institutions and the free medicines available there. Especially for immunization services, ante-natal (pre-natal) check-up and safe delivery (childbirth) services, patients only trust and depend on government health institutions. Even people from low income and disadvantaged groups go to private hospitals and clinics for other health treatments.

People's lives have become easier due to road transport. Access to the market for village products has become easier. On the whole, increasing road transport facilities have contributed greatly to increasing the accessibility of villages to cities and the impact of urbanization on villages. At the same time, it has brought about a complete change in the lifestyle of common people. There has been a big change in people's walking habits, labor habits etc. There has also been a massive change in the diet of the rural residents.

Traditional meals and snacks are replaced by ready-made and junk food. In addition to the decline in the production of traditional food items, domestic products have also been replaced by imported goods. The use of pesticides and chemical fertilizers is increasing day by day, while the use of organic fertilizers is very low. The original identity of the village home, where only organic products are produced and consumed, is gradually disappearing. As a result, even our most useful traditional knowledge and skills have begun to decline. The use of imported goods has started to be taken as a standard of prosperity and modernity in the society. All these reasons have negatively affected people's health and lives. The prevalence of non-communicable diseases, which were rarely seen in rural areas in the past, seems to be increasing rapidly.

In the past, especially in the villages of Madhesh, the number of alcoholics is increasing day by day compared to the alcohol that was used in very small quantities. The number of young drug users also seems to have increased. Unplanned urbanization and uncontrolled internal migration are having a negative impact on the environmental and social balance.

It is affecting the uneven distribution of population and the production process. Commercial purposes such as plotting in agricultural land, building roads, and building houses seem to affect the production. As a result, despite being an agricultural country, Nepal has to import food. In this sense, in the current situation, destruction is being done in the name of development in Nepal. In the name of modernity, the originality and social structure of the country is being destroyed and various kinds of distortions are increasing day by day.

At present, in addition to grass (nutritious food), shelter (safe housing), cotton (seasonal clothing), minimum quality health care, quality basic education, clean air, clean potable water, environmental sanitation, employment and social security etc. are basic human needs. is a requirement. In the existing concept of development, these aspects are considered secondary, due to which the standard of living of the common people has not improved significantly.

Therefore, our development model should not only be limited to the construction of physical infrastructure but should be such that it can bring positive changes in the lives of common citizens by fulfilling their basic needs. Development should be measured not only on the basis of economic growth but also on the basis of people's standard of living, social justice and environmental balance. In order to improve the existing concept of development, policy makers at all levels need to adopt a new and long-term approach based on the concept of creative development.

Local needs, resources and culture should be identified and development programs should be prepared accordingly. Without establishing the village as a empowered, autonomous and production-oriented unit, neither development is possible, nor building an equitable society is possible. In the context of Nepal, scientificization and technologicalization of agriculture, ensuring quality education-health services and creating jobs can be suitable and relevant development models. Agrarian economy, employment-oriented and self-reliant economy, village oriented policy are the important needs of today.

Development is an inevitable process for humans, while the basic foundation of development is human resources. Only efficient and balanced population can develop. Development cannot be envisaged without a healthy, capable and skilled citizenry. Development is a human process and it is ongoing. The concept and concept of development should keep changing according to time and environment.

(The author is a member of the Constituent Assembly)