Balen Shah's Government Translates Campaign Promises into 100-Point Action Plan

Biratnagar. Balendra (Balen) Shah, elected as a member of the House of Representatives from Jhapa Constituency No. 5, is currently leading the government. Immediately after assuming office as Prime Minister, the first cabinet meeting formulated a 100-point action plan set to have a long-term impact on sectors including good governance, service delivery, infrastructure, health, and agriculture.

There is natural curiosity about the alignment between the 'Pledge Letter' Balen handed over to the people of Jhapa-5 during his election campaign and the '100-Day Agenda.' Have the dreams Balen shared during the election transformed into government decisions?

Balen prominently raised the issue of landless, squatters, and unorganized settlements, which is the most pressing problem across the country, including in Jhapa-5, in his pledge letter. He gave an attractive slogan: 'Commission in 100 days, solution in 1000 days.'

Balen's electoral promise has been verbatim incorporated into policy as point number 91 of the action plan. The decision states: 'Complete the integrated digital census and verification of landless squatters and unorganized settlers within 60 days and resolve the problem within 1000 days.'

The Balen government has decided to either provide land to genuine squatters or resettle them through an 'apartment model' in densely populated urban areas.

In his pledge letter, Balen had resolved to upgrade Damak Hospital to 300 beds and provide 10% of the total beds free of charge for poor, helpless, and unattended patients.

Balen has implemented this promise for the entire nation through point number 85(a) of the 100-point action plan. It has been decided to 'strictly and immediately implement' the provision of providing 10% of beds free for the needy in both government and private hospitals.

To make this arrangement transparent, the action plan mentions developing a Free Health Portal within 30 days. Additionally, the plan includes establishing a system to display medicine prices at hospital pharmacies, operating accessible pharmacies, and setting up burn treatment centers at the provincial level.

Prime Minister Balen has also included the first point of his pledge letter, 'I will stand at the forefront of Parliament against mismanagement and corruption,' in the government's 100-point action plan. Point number 43 mentions the formation of a powerful asset investigation committee within 15 days to end corruption, asset concealment, and impunity. The first phase will investigate the assets of key political officeholders and high-ranking officials who held public office from 2062/063 BS until now, and the second phase from 2048 BS to 2061/062 BS.

Similarly, in line with the promise to register complaints online, points number 24 and 25 of the action plan state the launch of a 24-hour National Citizen Assistance System and the implementation of a file tracking system by connecting Hello Sarkar to an 'Integrated Digital Dashboard.'

The people of Jhapa-5 have high hopes that long-stalled projects such as the Damak-Chisapani road, Damak View Tower, and the Indigenous Peoples' Stadium will be completed. In his pledge letter, Balen committed to completing these projects quickly, easily, and result-orientedly.

Point number 49 of the action plan mentions taking projects that have been stalled, sick, and incomplete for a long time—including land acquisition, environmental impact assessment, and contract termination processes—through a fast-track mechanism. The Council of Ministers has also decided to directly implement projects that have not been contracted more than twice through a 'Government Infrastructure Construction Company,' which is expected to accelerate stalled projects in Damak and across the country.

In his pledge letter, Balen mentioned guaranteeing support prices for agricultural produce for farmers and establishing the Gauradaha Agricultural Storage Center. This has been incorporated into the action plan as national policy through points number 90 (a and b), which include determining the minimum support price for major food crops within 30 days. The action plan also includes a provision that payment for agricultural produce purchases must be made within a maximum of 25 days, failing which interest must be paid.

The government has put forward a policy of 'One Municipality, One Cold Storage Center.' Balen's promises regarding youth employment and making Damak an 'IT Hub' are covered in points number 58 and 59 of the action plan.

Balen's pledge letter included 'Full and transparent implementation of agreements made between the Government of Nepal and the JNK [Jana Andolan/People's Movement] affected parties.' Points number 6 and 63 of the government's 100-point action plan mention bringing a coordinated package within 100 days for the justice, employment, and rehabilitation of affected families and citizens during the JNK movement, and providing concessions to businesses affected by the movement.

Furthermore, decisions such as providing all government services from a single digital platform (Point 36), implementing a system where one detail is submitted only once (Point 29), and delivering government documents to homes via mail through a Government Courier Service, are citizen-friendly.