SURKHET, Jan 6: After assuming office as the third Chief Minister of Karnali Province, Rajkumar Sharma pledged to provide employment opportunities for 10,000 Karnali youths annually. However, one year into Sharma's tenure, the ambitious decision has yet to be implemented.
In a cabinet meeting held on December 18, it was decided to establish a working group tasked with executing the initiative to provide employment to 10,000 youths each year. Within a 30-day timeframe, this task force was assigned responsibilities such as mapping out public, private, and community programs related to employment, identifying areas of comparative advantage for job creation in Karnali Province, and formulating a questionnaire for collecting essential information with basic statistics for employment.
While the commitment to employing 10,000 youths annually was outlined in the first policy, program, and budget of the provincial government under Sharma's leadership, it took six months for the initial budget to be put into action. As of now, Chief Minister Sharma's first decision remains unimplemented. Provincial Government Spokesperson and Minister for Internal Affairs and Law, Krishna Bahadur GC, stated that efforts are underway to draft legislation aimed at fulfilling the promise of providing employment to 10,000 youths annually.
"At present, the law is in the drafting stage; we plan to pass it through the Council of Ministers and submit it to the next session of the provincial assembly," he affirmed. Unfortunately, Chief Minister Sharma's goals and decisions have yet to see fruition in the first year of his tenure, and the provincial government appears to be facing challenges in executing its plans. GC emphasized that it is premature to evaluate the government's performance, particularly given that it has been only six months since the introduction of the budget.
He pointed out that during the initial six months, the government had actively worked on implementing the budget inherited from the previous government, achieving success by surpassing the budgetary targets by two percent. "Our primary focus is on implementing the development budget, alongside our commitment to providing employment to 10,000 people annually," GC explained.
Shadow of federal govt on the province
The Nepali Congress and the Maoists, who had urged the public to sustain their alliance for five years, parted ways during the formation of the central government. As per the reconciliation at the center, the Maoist Center and the UML joined forces to establish the government in the province. The Nepali Congress, being the largest party in the provincial assembly, agreed to stay out of power. An understanding between the UML and the Maoist Center stipulated that the Maoists would lead the first term, with an agreement to rotate the post of chief minister. Rajkumar Sharma from the Maoist Center assumed the position of Chief Minister.
At that time, there were 14 provincial assembly members from the NC, 13 from the Maoist Center, 10 from the UML, one each from the Unified Socialist Party, the Rastriya Prajatantra Party (RPP), and one independent. The UML, Unified Socialist Party, and RPP, along with the Maoist Center, supported Sharma to secure his role as Chief Minister. Sharma received a vote of confidence on December 20.
On the eve of the presidential election, the RPP withdrew the vote of confidence given to Chief Minister Sharma on March 2 in Karnali. On March 31, Chief Minister Sharma sought a vote of confidence for the second time. Once again, Sharma secured a significant majority in the provincial assembly. Out of the 40-member provincial assembly, 38 votes were cast in favor of Chief Minister Sharma, while one vote was cast against him. The NC, the largest party in the provincial assembly that had previously voted against him, also supported him this time. Independent MP Devendra Bahadur Shahi also voted in favor of Sharma.
Following the presidential election on April 10, the UML recalled its ministers from the government and withdrew the vote of confidence given to Chief Minister Rajkumar Sharma. Within 104 days of assuming office, Sharma sought a vote of confidence for the third time, receiving the votes of 29 MPs. He garnered support from the NC, Unified Socialist, and independent MPs, along with the Maoist Center. Currently, Sharma continues to serve as the Chief Minister of Karnali with the backing of the NC.