The need for rethinking development

Even after the implementation of the new constitution with a federal structure, there is no significant change in the development concept. Although the local level is presented as a unit with more rights and resources, there is no fundamental difference in the results. As stated in the article, it is necessary to redefine the traditional thinking of only urbanization, industrialization and modernization as development. It is important to mention that unorganized physical development has a negative impact on the environment, rural development is neglected and there is no equal access to development in Madhesh and other areas.

However, if some important aspects were included in the article, the overall development of Nepal could have been covered more fully. The article does not clearly highlight the interrelationship between Nepal's development journey and global development trends. Because development is not only internal to a country but is also a matter linked to international trade, technology and knowledge. It seems necessary for Nepal to give equal importance to this context in its development strategy. Similarly, the role of technology is also neglected in the article. In today's world, technology is the main basis of development. It is bringing radical changes in the fields of education, health, agriculture etc.

But still the access to technology in Nepal is not only limited but the gap between the rich and the poor is getting deeper. The article mentions some things about environmental balance, but the impact of climate change and its negative impact on Nepalese society, especially in the rural and agricultural sectors, is not seriously analyzed.

The long-term impact of the climate crisis on food security, displacement and agricultural production should be considered as an important factor in Nepal's development policy and planning. Similarly, the article could have been more powerful if the importance of local community participation had been highlighted more thoroughly. Long-term and sustainable development is possible only by promoting the direct participation of the people in the decision-making process at the local level. In particular, the traditional trend of implementing development projects from the top down seems to be reconsidered. Focusing on the needs and desires of the local people in budget formulation and implementation is an inevitable necessity at present.

Overall, we need to move forward with local needs, environmental balance, community participation and technological capability as the main priority to improve the existing concept of development. As mentioned in the article, the concept of real development should be assimilated by making structural changes in Nepal's development model. The article would have been more relevant if it had more analytically covered the issues that contemporary and future policy makers should pay attention to!
– Tekendra Adhikari, Biratnagar