Effectiveness of offices under OPMCM increasing : PM Oli

10 June, Kathmandu : Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli has claimed that the effectiveness of all those agencies functioning under the Office of the Prime Minister and Council of Ministers (OPMCM) has increased lately.

PM Oli said so while responding to the queries raised by parliamentarians in today’s meeting of the House of Representatives during the deliberation on various titles of OPMCM, National Commission Secretariat, Office of President and Vice-President under the Appropriation Bill-2077 BS.

Stating that there was no other ulterior motives to bring those agencies under the OPMCM except for making the government’s performance further effective, PM Oli reaffirmed that the works of those line agencies had been forwarded in an effective manner.  Confessing that he had no intention to concentrate power on him, Oli argued that those agencies’ effective performances in the later days had spoken volume for themselves and validated keeping these agencies under the OPMCM.

Government agencies and constitutional bodies such as National Investigation Department, Poverty Alleviation Fund, Development Board, National Planning Commission, National Development Council, National Vigilance Centre, Constitutional Council Secretariat, Department of Money Laundering Investigation, Central Bureau of Statistics and Department of Revenue Investigation and Office of Attorney General Office function under the OPMCM.

PM Oli had brought these agencies under the OPMCM over different periods in his second stint of premiership. On a different note, the Head of the Government said, “The government is serious towards fighting the pandemic since the onset of COVID-19 outbreak. We need collective effort to fight the pandemic.

There is no need to take all the comments and suggestions offered from all quarters towards this end in a negative light. I don’t claim that our effort are cent per cent right and successful but it can’t not be denied that it is due to our effective and timely efforts, COVID-19 could not wreak havoc in our country as much as in the other countries.” Recalling that the first case of COVID-19 in Nepal that was tested in Hong Kong, he shared that currently there were 21 COVID-19 test lab across Nepal.

Assuring of correcting any weakness arising in the arena of COVID-19 prevention, control and treatment of the infection ones, PM Oli admitted that it was difficult to arrange quarantine facilities for a huge population in a single stretch. “Rest assured, the COVID-19 response mechanism in the country has become better by far,” he said.

In a different vein, the PM underscored modernization of agriculture sector to offset the COVID-19 effects on national economy. “We should establish industries and run them. Small and medium scale enterprises (SMEs) should be equally prioritized. We have a heaps of works to undertake and accomplished and it is not as easy as thinking.”

In his response about lesser number of PCR tests being conducted on the foreign returnees, he informed that around 4,500 to 5,000 PCR tests were being conducted on a daily basis in the country but the number of people returning home from abroad were disproportionately high.

Regarding irregularities surrounding procurement of medical goods, Oli assured that there was not any case of embezzlement and the government would not spare the culprits if there was any.

As for Rs 10 billion of expenses spent for responding COVID-19 prevention and control efforts, he replied that all the expenses were recorded and the accounts for the expenses made by local and state level government have been maintained too.

Furthermore, he urged to have confidence over the state and local level government. On the occasion, PM Oli extended his thankfulness to the local level government and people’s representatives for their untiring efforts to contain COVID-19.