De-federalize civil service and police, says Chief Minister Yadav

Kathmandu: Chief Minister of Madhes Province Saroj Kumar Yadav has said that the provincial government is capable of carrying out any function if provided with civil servants and police personnel at its disposal.

Talking to RSS about the potentials and challenges of the provincial government, he said nothing can be done with only ministers and the chief ministers if there are not enough working personnel. “Hence, it is our request to the central government to complete adjustment of the civil service and the police.” Stating that the speed of development of the country can accelerate only if provincial governments are allowed to function to their full capacity, he suggested that the federal government should pass and implement the Civil Service Act immediately.

Also, the former speaker of the Province, said the provincial police are needed to maintain law and order and combat corruption. Stating that the provincial level has had to suffer the most since the country adopted a federal form of governance, he shared that the provincial government and the leadership of the provincial assembly had to start by purchasing furniture to operate the day-to-day office due to the lack of physical infrastructure. As structures were already in place at the federal and local levels they did not have to suffer like the provinces, who had to start from scratch.

Furthermore, the provincial governments and the people at large continue to suffer due to the huge deficit of employees in the province. He also claimed that his neutral and impartial role as the Speaker of the Provincial Assembly in the Madhesh had resulted in the regular and smooth operation among the seven province assemblies. Madhes province unanimously passed 55 bills and also the government’s annual budget in all five years. As all the political parties of Madhes province are in favour of federalism, it has been easy to function and perform, he said.

Despite the challenges, much progress has been made in the field of development and construction as well as service delivery, Chief Minister Yadav said including the drafting of various laws to establishing universities. Meanwhile, Minister of Social Development of Madhes Province, Surita Kumari Shah, said even though the form of governance has changed in the country, the way of working employees has not changed. Hence, they should be transformed as per the spirit of federalism.

She mentioned that since the centre has not been able to enact laws on time it is a challenge to the functioning of the province. “We are having difficulty in getting the required support from the central and local levels,” she said. Minister Shah said though the development works of the province are progressing effectively issues related to health, education and agriculture inputs are yet to be addressed properly.