Birendranagar: The Karnali state government has made public the policy and program for the coming fiscal year 079/80, giving priority to the health sector. The policy and program presented by the state chief Tilak Pariyar in the Karnali state assembly on Tuesday includes programs ranging from ‘Karnali Tree Planting Year’ to ‘Gari Khane’.
The program will be implemented by declaring the coming year as ‘Karnali Tree Planting Year’ to promote the production, distribution and tree planting of multi-purpose and valuable species, said the state chief.
In the first year of the formation of the state government, the plan to create an organic state put forward by the then Chief Minister Mahendra Bahadur Shahi-led government was not successful. It is mentioned in the policy and program that the state government will provide skills, resources and means to the youths who have returned from abroad and are deprived of employment opportunities in the country to create self-employment through creative enterprise.
In the policy and program, the state hospital will be developed as a health science academy according to the concept of a recognized university and efficient manpower of health sector will be produced within the state. Similarly, a plan to develop the state hospital as a specialized referral hospital has also been included.
It is mentioned in the program that the physical infrastructure of the district hospital will be improved and specialist manpower will be provided. Similarly, the health services will be made quality, reliable and effective by gradually reducing the compulsion to go outside the state for health treatment through the use of information technology, said the state chief.
Ayurveda, natural and homeopathy and alternative medicine will be developed and expanded to diversify health services. The plan to upgrade the state Ayurveda dispensary as a provincial Ayurveda hospital and research center is also a priority.
Provincial supply centers will be brought into operation to manage the procurement, storage and distribution of medicines and health equipments. It is mentioned in the policy and program that necessary infrastructure will be provided to upgrade Salkot Primary Health Center as a 50-bed hospital to make the medical health service in the western region of Surkhet easy, accessible and quality.
Stem (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Mathematics) concept will be implemented as a test to enhance the educational quality of the school. It is also mentioned that arrangements will be made to provide quality education with residential facilities to the poor and deserving students through public-private partnership in the best schools in the state.
The state government has said that it will support schools with special education to use disability-friendly teaching and learning technology by constructing and improving disability-friendly infrastructure for easy access of persons with disabilities. The policy and program also states that the school health worker program will be continued for the health, nutrition and care of school children.
The state government has given continuity to the CM’s livelihood program, bank account daughter’s lifelong program, CM Dalit income generation promotion program, agricultural technical employment and Karnali Ujyalo program next year as well. It is said that the bank account daughter program will be continued by making arrangements for proper management of records and investing in return oriented sector. Similarly, the state government will continue the programs including Herbal Development Program, One District One Industrial Village Establishment Program, Collective Disaster Risk Insurance Program, Journalist Welfare Fund and Post Graduate Scholarship next year as well.
Road and bridge project will be implemented on priority basis by formulating Karnali State Road Master Plan. Eco-friendly roads will be constructed and upgraded so that the road connecting ward center to local level center and from local level center to the nearest highway and main road corridor will be operational for 12 months.
A policy of coordinating with the federal government has been put forward to expedite the construction of the Karnali and Bheri Corridor road projects, which are of national pride and strategic importance to the Karnali region. At least one road connecting all the district headquarters to the nearest highway or corridor will be implemented as a road project of state pride.
