Politics reigns supreme in a state as it influences every sector of the society including the economy. However, the statecraft is not the end in itself; it is basically a means to ensure development, prosperity and happiness of the citizens. End is more important than the means. Politics for the sake of politics, with its departure from ends, cannot win the trust of the people.  Systems of governance that fail to deliver development and prosperity cannot sustain. Working of a system keeps evolving in order to fine tune towards the development needs of the people. Slogans remain only slogans when they are not up to the mark to address the grievances of the people and bring happiness and wellbeing. The dream of prosperity and happiness can be fulfilled only when development has been put in the focal point of the government.

Policies and programmes designed to meet the long unfulfilled economic aspirations of the people are the need of the hour. A political economy without a development vision to address the needs of the majority of the populace cannot create stability. The dream of development and prosperity cherished by the Nepali people has remained unmet for a long time. It is high time we stop being misled by high sounding slogans and begin to have faith in practical action that puts people’s welfare on top priority. Development is not about fulfilling the needs of a small section of influential and well-off people. It should aim at making the common masses affluent, happy and healthy. It is about the realisation that only prosperous Nepal can make every Nepali happy.

It is not time to be fooled by the hollow slogans that have betrayed us many a times but to believe only in the action that can propel development activities and take people out of the clutch of poverty for good. When the gate of development is unlocked, there will be no looking back. Development unleashes the journey to prosperity and happiness for every Nepali. The nation is currently gripped by the dreaded scourge of the coronavirus pandemic. This is a challenging time where saving lives and staying safe and healthy is the first priority. But it is a matter of pride that development activities have not come to a standstill despite this public health challenge. In this regard, Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli said the other day that the government will keep advancing the development projects along with the continuing battle against the virus scourge.

It is worth noting here that the annual budget of the government for the upcoming fiscal year has set the economic growth target above six per cent despite the hurdles posed by the pandemic. He said that a wave of development works has set into motion across the country. Works are going on in infrastructure development which is vital to speed up development works. When it comes to building infrastructure, however, the health sector should get due priority at this time of pandemic. In this regard, the number and capacity of COVID dedicated health facilities have been increased. Budgetary allocations have been made for this sector and health materials including COVID-19 vaccines have been arriving from neighbours and friendly countries. As the coronavirus is the common enemy now, as the Prime Minister has pointed out, all efforts, resources and manpower should be focused in this front.