Some time ago, an article titled ‘Traditional Finance Feared by Departure’ by writer and analyst Bishnu Sapkota was published in ‘Kantipur’. The article also received various criticisms. However, as Sapkota said, ‘traditional finance’ still loves the status quo. 

Some circles are still active in portraying the Prime Minister as immature due to the fact that he is a young man. A few days ago, UML Chairman KP Oli had already declared that ‘this government came in on a whim, it will go out on a whim’. It is true that the current government has always been afraid of those who have always lived in the system and have benefited from the system by surrounding them. People who tried to hide evidence of wrongdoing yesterday are confused by the fear of going to jail today. 

Even our bureaucracy does not have much affection and love for the word ‘good governance’. There is still a mentality that the government will take care of them even if they do not work in public service. However, there are also employees who are honest and happy to work. Employees also play a role in the success and failure of the government. The people have been able to breathe a sigh of relief after this government eliminated the middlemen who ruled under the guise of power in essential government bodies. However, the lines in government offices have not stopped yet. It is also necessary to pay attention to technology in that. 

The government is ready to maintain administrative austerity, simplification in service delivery, electronic good governance and faceless service with the resolution of 'The Foundation Year of Government Reform'. Similarly, declaring 2083/84 as the 'Year of Law Reform and Construction', a list of 166 bills to be drafted in the coming year has been sent, which is positive. In the past, the old parties had set a record of ending the parliament session without passing a single bill. The government has recently introduced the 'National Integrity Policy-2083'. The aim of bringing this seems to be to promote good governance and control corruption. This article comments on the 100-day tenure of the government. 

Positive steps 

It can be seen that the Balen government, which was formed with the hope of the people, has been the first priority of good governance. The first cabinet meeting of the government had presented the government's 100-day roadmap by making public the '100 agendas of the government related to governance reforms' on Chaitra 13. For its implementation, the government has also issued 40 directives and administrative documents for governance reforms. Now, it is not possible to find everything in 100 days because in the past, the parties that are said to be 'experienced in running the government' struggled to expand the council of ministers in the same 100 days. 

The government is committed to administrative austerity, simplification in service delivery, e-governance and faceless service with the resolution of 'The Foundation Year of Government Reform'. The government has recently introduced the 'National Integrity Policy - 2083'. The purpose of this seems to be to promote good governance and control corruption.  The Balen-led government is focused on making the administration strong and people-oriented. Government bodies have been streamlined to provide service-user-friendly services. The activity of the party-based trade union of civil servants and the party-based student organization under the university has been restricted. Although the right to organize and open a union is appropriate from the point of view of human rights and is provided for in the constitution, these party structures were leading us to tarnish the institutional image of political parties as a place for the production of cadres. The intentions of those involved in it were evil. 

Similarly, the government has reduced the number of ministries from 22 to 18. Even the employees are under moral pressure after the Prime Minister and ministers themselves reached the ministries on time. Similarly, the government has also motivated the employees by increasing the service facilities of the employees through the budget. Now, the National Vigilance Center and the Money Laundering Investigation Department, which were paralyzed in the past, have become aware. Employees who used to gossip in the sun at Singha Durbar are focused on work with the advent of a powerful government. 

The people will get the experience of the government from the nearest government offices and local levels. After the current government came to power, the bureaucracy has been forced to be accountable. A separate code of conduct has been introduced for the Chief Administrative Officer. The activism of General Administration Minister Pratibha Rawal is commendable. The government may have to spend some time learning when it is filled with youth, but they have also shown new ways and strategies of governance. They have imitated new practices. They have seen changes in the country and abroad. It was not uncommon to bring an ordinance and throw out those who were politically appointed at different times at the same time. However, while saying this, it was wrong not to give them time to explain. There were definitely some qualified people there.

Balen has given better priority to protocol over institutional diplomacy after forming the government. He has had group dialogues rather than individual meetings with ambassadors. He is trying to strengthen the institutional mechanism. In the past, diplomacy and protocol were flouted so that even the general secretary could meet the Prime Minister. This is not the case now. 

A property investigation commission has been formed. The report of the High-Level Economic Reforms Suggestion Commission led by Rameshwor Khanal is being implemented. The government is in the process of implementing the report of the High-Level Commission on Investigation and Protection of Government and Public Land (Rawal Commission)- 2052. The government is active in returning the encroached land of Tribhuvan University. It is active in returning the savings of savers of problematic cooperatives. It has abolished structures, boards, committees and projects that create double scope and unnecessary financial burden. It has increased pressure on professors and employees who go abroad on study leave and do not return to Tribhuvan University and the civil administration to return the money as a form of action. In the past, it was a practice not to implement the recommendations of the report prepared by its own government and to keep them in a drawer. 

It is commendable to establish the Ministry of Women, Children, Gender and Sexual Minorities and Social Security for inclusion. In the past, the post office was a gathering place for employees who did not want to work, but now the government has modernized and streamlined the post office. The government has issued the 'Quality of Service Delivery Standards from the Local Level-2083' for the first time. The government offices under pressure have been streamlined and ready to serve the citizens. The mechanism for hearing complaints through Hello Government has been made more citizen-centric. The services provided by the land administration and survey offices have started to be managed from the local level. The Zero File Week campaign has been launched and the organization and management survey of the ministry has been conducted by issuing guiding principles for the organization and management survey. 

The government has formulated criteria for changing the number and boundaries of rural municipalities, municipalities and wards and classifying municipalities. A constitution amendment task force has been formed. The preparation of bills has been accelerated. Diligence has been shown in the operation of closed industries, under which the readiness to reopen the Hetauda textile industry can be credited as a good step. We are stingy in giving credit to good work, but these changes have taught the traditionalist circle that only does politics, how much can be done if there is a government. 

The way forward 

The current government is appointing ambassadors and university officials through open competition. However, the government's job is also to recognize the country's diamonds. The government itself should be able to identify and find out what kind of person is eligible for which level, position or rank. King Mahendra, while identifying talented people, personally identified Yadunath Khanal, Harka Bahadur Gurung, and Amber Gurung and linked them to national development. 

During Mahendra's visit to America, he personally identified Bhesh Bahadur Thapa and made lateral entry and directly appointed him as the member secretary of the National Planning Commission, a high administrative post. Looking at these past examples, it can be said that even if all the qualified candidates do not apply for the posts of ambassador and vice-chancellor, it is not good to see the practice. Similarly, it is not appropriate for the government to initiate or pressure cases without paying attention to the rules, procedures, and regulations in order to achieve political revenge. Balen's statements regarding the border became controversial.

The government did not make the necessary preparations to solve the problem of squatters. Their human rights were not taken into account. Balen has not gone to meet the MPs of his own party and listen to the problems of the people of his area. Since the Prime Minister's advisor has his close associates and friends, it is creating problems. The treatment of the commissioners of constitutional bodies like the Authority was not appropriate. Balen himself said that ‘authority officials can be questioned not for 5 hours, but for five years if necessary’, which was like attacking the independence of constitutional bodies. The government should be able to manage the bureaucracy, not by intimidating it, but only then will it be successful. It would be good to have knowledgeable advisors on law and administration. The Balen government has shot itself in the foot by appointing its own friend, who has no knowledge of law and procedure, as an advisor. 

So far, decisions have been made without consulting even its own party’s MPs. In this context, the self-immolation case of Ganesh Nepali and the act of parking a vehicle in front of a media house are issues that are damaging the image of the government. Especially when decisions and announcements are made in a closed room without necessary preparation, people at the grassroots level have started leaving. Voices of dissatisfaction are rising within. This has strengthened the section that does not like this government. 

It is a matter of joy for us youth to see a 36-year-old youth in the prime minister’s chair. Balen should carry out his responsibilities in a mature and efficient manner. He should also be serious about the problems of the squatters and the people of the land. The votes received by Balen are the votes that 48 percent of the Nepali people trust in the party. Therefore, he should be able to convince the remaining 52 percent of the opposition.