By Ranju Kafle

Kathmandu, May 20: Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli Tuesday said that the government would not step back from its campaign to reclaim the Nepali territories of Limpiyadhura, Lipulek and Kalapani.
Defending the policy document of the government for the year 2020/21 in both the Houses of Federal Parliament today, the Prime Minister also said that returning Nepali land and protecting human lives from COVID-19 pandemic was the first responsibility of the government.
“If we save lives from crisis, activities can be revived,” he said, adding that the virus was challenging the existence of human race itself.
Participating in two-day long session, 112 leaders and lawmakers of different political parties had raised different questions on the policy document of the government for the coming fiscal year and five amendments were registered to the document.
The PM said that the government had drafted a relevant policy for the year and urged the lawmakers to endorse it unanimously. “It is not the time to divide our opinions, let’s battle against the contemporary challenges,” he added. The policy document was endorsed by the House with majority votes at the end of the session later today.
He also updated on the status of government capacity on preventing infection and providing treatment to the people against widely spread coronavirus. According to him, the government had prepared 57,904-bed isolation wards in the nation and among them 23,000 beds were at par with the WHO standards. “We are focused on extending tests, ensuring availability of health equipment to the medical personnel and required equipment to the hospitals and health safety of the people,” PM said.
Stating that the situation had forced the government to minimize its capacity and the reverse with necessities, Prime Minister Oli said that the government would draft the budget balancing both social and economical needs of the time. “A realistic budget will come to tackle the situation well,” he said.
Safeguarding lives from COVID-19
PM Oli expressed sorrow for not being able to prevent the entry of COVID-19 inside the country. “We have failed to restrict the virus and despite our great efforts to save everyone, two lives have been lost and I am sad,” he said.
PM expressed satisfaction over government efforts made on prevention and treatment against COVID-19 and said that the world was not ready for the battle against virus when it broke out. “We extended out capacity from 3,307 isolation beds to double them across the country,” he claimed. Illegal entries on the borders and irresponsible nature of people towards isolating themselves were the reasons behind increasing cases, he said. The PM further said the pandemic had a global impact which would not go easily.
Prime Minister Oli also said that some political parties tried to politicize the global health crisis for their benefit and the pandemic gave a great lesson though it was expensive enough.
Economic recovery
Prime Minister Oli said that focusing on health, education and agriculture was the only choice left for economic recovery due to the health crisis and its impact on economy. “COVID-19 is a bitter reality, we have to overcome it first,” he said. Development is essential for building our economy but the virus has come as a major obstacle to it, he said.
Current regression will be resolved only if measures of self-reliance are made stronger than they are now. According to the Prime Minister, COVID-19 had blocked revenue sources and the national GDP went down. “Special packages of agro business not only create jobs but also play vital roles in balancing domestic demand,” he said. The government will focuses on production in the coming year, he said.
He also assured business community of assistance of the government. “Real packages of fiscal resurrection will be introduced for economic stability as per our national capacity,” he had said.
Fulfilling social responsibility
PM assured of taking guardianships to the people during the crisis. He said the government was now focused on fulfilling its guardianship by ensuring food and other necessities of the people. Poor, needy and elderly citizens were government’s responsibility and youths had to work for survival, he clarified. PM highlighted the need to boost gross domestic happiness instead of GDP.
Border safety
Prime Minister Oli expressed his clear stance to reclaim the country’s territory of western border point from India. He reiterated that Lipulek, Limpiyadhura and Kalapani belonged to Nepal. Referring to the Indian logo with lions looking at all four directions with an inscription in Sanskrit reading ‘truth always wins’, PM Oli said he wanted to ask whether it was ‘truth wins’ or ‘lion wins’.
“We hope it must be ‘truth wins’,” he said.
Stating that no country should make any
comment about another country through the army, Prime Minister Oli said Nepal is one of the 19 countries which were never colonised.
He also said that the constitution would be amended to incorporate the updated version of the map. “The constitution has to identify
its real map and we will make sure through its amendment,” he said.
The Council of Ministers has endorsed the new political map of the country including Limpiyadhura, Kalapani and Lipulek in it on Monday. Main opposition and other parliamentary parties also welcomed PM for his stand on border safety. Issuance of new political map including Kalapani, Lipulek and Limpiyadhura was highly appreciated in the House. “The task of reclaiming our lands is not so easy, but it is possible with integrated efforts of all,” PM had said.
Nationalism is not smaller or bigger, he said, adding, “Geography could be bigger or smaller not nationalism; we have sovereign rights of making decisions of our own,” he said. PM said he was sad to hear the blame of fake nationalism for his sincere efforts. He said a small country like Nepal which lies in between two rising powers cannot practice fake nationalism for gaining its political status.
Labour market management
The PM said that the government had made continuous diplomatic efforts on facilitating migrant workers working in international market at places they were in. PM Oli mentioned limitations of government about immediate rescue from India and overseas. “We have not closed our doors for our nationals but immediate rescue is not possible,” he clarified.
MCC approval imperative
The PM also spent his time on the need to accept American grant of Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC) in the House today. “Parties may have their part to discuss the MCC compact but the document is at Speaker’s table and the House will make final decision on that,” he said. Stating that the policy document of the government remained silent about MCC, the PM argued in its favour and said the government owned up the MCC pushed by the previous government.
He also expressed his clear stand on inter-country transmission lines. “Proposed transmission lines from Lapsifedi-Ramche-Hetauda to Butwel is our need, it will be completed either with foreign assistance or from our own sources for the benefit of the country,” he said.
It is the same transmission line project which was dragged into controversy forcefully. The government planned constructing transmission lines with MCC grant but lawmakers divided into separate groups over the clauses in it.