Kathmandu.

The Karnali State Assembly has passed the state government’s policy and programmes. The eighth meeting of the Assembly’s sixth session passed the policy with a majority on Tuesday. Chief Minister Mahendra Bahadur Shahi had presented a proposal in this connection before the Assembly meeting before this.

The main opposition party in the State Assembly, the Nepali Congress, had, however presented a amendment proposal on the state government’s policy and programmes. the party’s parliamentary party leader Jeevan Bahadur Shahi had presented the amendment. Assembly speaker Raj Bahadur Shahi urged the main opposition party leader to take back his proposal but the latter declined to do so. After this the Assembly rejected the amendment proposal by a majority vote.

Answering to questions raised by Assembly members on the government’s policy and programmes before this, Chief Minister Shahi said the state government was focussed on saving the people from hunger and epidemic. He said the commitments made in the policy and programmes would be fulfilled through the budget. He said the state government has made the local levels responsible for the management of quarantines by setting up a fund for this purpose. He added that there were only two PCR machines in the state and it was inadequate for carrying out tests for coronavirus given the increasing number of people coming from India. The Chief Minister stated that the state government has forwarded the process of purchasing one more PCR machine and the tests would be expanded both through PCR and RDT method. 

He added that the state government would also increase the number of isolation beds in Surkhet, Jumla and Chaurjahari. The Chief Minister also pledged that the government would address the concerns raised by the Assembly members regarding the policy and programmes. Chief of Karnali State, Govinda Prasad Kalauni had presented the government’s policy and programmes in the State Assembly on May 29.