Government committed to delivering good governance experience through reforms: Spokesperson Pokharel
Kathmandu: Minister for Education and Sports and Government Spokesperson Sasmit Pokharel has said that the government is committed to ensuring citizens experience good governance by making governance reforms more institutionalized, advanced and result-oriented.
Presenting a summary of the government’s major tasks, achievements and initial outcomes from the first 100 days of its formation in the House of Representatives meeting on Tuesday, Minister Pokharel said that significant progress has been made in areas including zero tolerance against corruption, austerity measures, merit-based appointments and digital service delivery.
He reiterated the government’s commitment to institutionalizing the aspirations of good governance and governance transformation expressed during the Genji movement of last Bhadra.
According to Minister Pokharel, the first meeting of the Council of Ministers under the leadership of Prime Minister Balendra Shah approved 100 agendas for governance reforms. He said the Office of the Prime Minister and Council of Ministers has been carrying out regular monitoring, coordination and facilitation by setting timelines, responsible bodies and performance indicators for each agenda.
Policy and legal reforms
Minister Pokharel informed that the framework for basic aspects of national policy formulation and policy testing has been implemented to make policy-making evidence-based and control self-motivated policy formulation.
He said the number of federal ministries has been reduced to 18 to decrease administrative burdens and that a 17-member agile and functional Cabinet has been formed, which is estimated to save around Rs 20 billion annually.
He said various policy and legal arrangements related to good governance, public service delivery and development have been introduced, while the Public Procurement (Second Amendment) Bill has been presented in Parliament to make the procurement process simpler, easier and more competitive.
He also informed that the union system has been abolished with the objective of creating a public administration free from political interference.
Good governance and corruption control
Minister Pokharel said that the Property Investigation Commission has been formed under the Inquiry Commission Act, 2026 to investigate illegal assets of political office bearers and high-ranking employees and recommend action. He informed that more than 11,000 property details and complaints have been collected so far.
He said the high-level investigation report on Nepal Children’s Organization (Balmandir) and the Ncell share ownership dispute has been implemented, while the Central Investigation Bureau (CIB) is investigating fraud and criminal breach of trust cases.
He also informed that the National Integrity Policy has been issued to promote integrity, implement codes of conduct and control conflicts of interest. Action has also been taken against individuals and intermediaries involved in mutual transactions in government bodies.
Minister Pokharel said that records of a large number of government and public lands have been updated, initiatives have begun to remove encroachments in the Fewa Lake watershed, and coordination has started with 17 agencies to vacate encroached land belonging to Tribhuvan University.
He informed that payment of Rs 13.76 billion in outstanding dues to sugarcane farmers has been facilitated, Rs 350 million has been paid to dairy farmers, and minimum support prices for wheat and rice have been determined.
He said boards, committees and projects with overlapping responsibilities have been abolished and merged, responsibilities have been divided after the establishment of the Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation and a separate ministry focusing on inclusion, and positions in ministries have been reduced through organizational and management surveys.
He further informed that the Chief Administrative Officers working on a temporary basis at the local level have been replaced, facilities of officials not entitled to vehicle facilities under existing laws have been reduced, and the auction and transfer process of vehicles stuck at customs has been initiated.
Similarly, 31 unproductive bodies have been abolished, six bodies merged, six bodies transferred and restructuring of 18 bodies has been advanced. He said 672 government vehicles and motorcycles that were being used illegally have been brought back under state ownership.
Minister Pokharel informed that Rs 132.6 million has been recovered from Tribhuvan University professors who failed to return after study leave and Rs 434.8 million in outstanding dues have been recovered from industries.
He said more than 1,500 politically appointed officials have been removed from their posts, while appointments for vacant positions have started through open competition, public advertisements and expert selection committees. He also said that the process of appointing ambassadors through open competition has reached the final stage for the first time.
Public service improvements
Minister Pokharel said customs offices in major cities have been made operational for at least 12 hours daily, including holidays, and that the Inland Revenue Department has expanded services to 120 local levels.
He informed that procedures for operating citizen service centers have been prepared and that the Quality Assurance Standards for Services Provided by Local Levels, 2083, have been issued for the first time to make services provided by all 753 local levels citizen-friendly.
He said help desks have been established at Survey and Land Administration Offices to eliminate middlemen influence, while services including citizenship and passports have been delivered to citizens’ doorsteps in 75 districts through postal services.
Minister Pokharel informed that arrangements have been made to print 447,332 driving licenses and deliver them to transport offices, while preparations are underway to distribute them to service recipients’ homes in some districts.
He also said land administration services have been started from the local level, federal, provincial and local government offices have been connected to Hello Government, and 60 percent of complaints received have been resolved.
The progress of grievance resolution by all ministries is being monitored through an integrated real-time dashboard. The Ministry of Home Affairs has also brought the National Citizen Assistance and Grievance Management System into operation round the clock to address complaints, suggestions and requests from across the country.
Information technology reforms
Minister Pokharel informed that online citizenship recommendation services have been arranged through local levels in all 77 districts, while online pre-enrollment and appointment systems have been introduced for passport services.
He said immigration self-declaration services have been introduced through digital timecards and the Nagarik app at the Department of Immigration.
According to him, documents including police character certificates, permanent account numbers and engineering council certificates can now be downloaded through the app. Digital driving licenses have also been introduced, while a land revenue system has been implemented where land details can be viewed through LIN numbers and mortgage processes have been made mandatory online.
Minister Pokharel further informed that government applications and portals have been made disability-friendly and an integrated website system has been launched.