Govt’s primary mandate is to conduct elections on announced date: Minister Aryal

By A Staff Reporter,Kathmandu, Nov. 21: Minister for Home Affairs Om Prakash Aryal has reiterated that the foremost responsibility of the government in the coming days is to ensure that the upcoming elections are conducted peacefully and fearlessly on the scheduled date. 

Minister Aryal made these remarks while addressing the first quarterly review meeting of the Ministry of Home Affairs for the fiscal year 2025/26, and the session of the Ministerial-Level Development Problem-Solving Committee, held at the Ministry on Thursday.

Directing all agencies and employees under the Ministry, Minister Aryal instructed them to carry out their responsibilities with full preparedness and commitment so as to guarantee that the elections proceed as planned. 

He emphasised that the Ministry’s operational procedures must be aligned with the sentiments and spirit of the recent Gen Z Movement, urging service-delivery institutions to make their operations efficient, faster, and simpler. 

He further stressed the need to shift services to electronic systems wherever possible and to maintain a robust system of record management.

“I instruct all subordinate bodies and officials to work in a manner that eliminates unnecessary hassles faced by service seekers due to government processes,” Minister Aryal said. Expressing appreciation to the Ministry of Finance, he noted that the latter had provided essential facilitation for budgetary programmes required to prepare the environment and logistical resources for the upcoming elections.

Aryal also stated that the Ministry would thoughtfully internalise and implement the suggestions received from the Prime Minister’s Office, National Planning Commission, Ministry of Finance, and Ministry of Federal Affairs and General Administration during the review process.

Acknowledging that efforts to curb revenue leakage remained insufficient, he directed authorities to pay special attention to the issue and ensure visible progress by the next quarterly review. He similarly instructed the concerned bodies to reassess their existing working approaches regarding cross-border crime reduction, narcotics control, and road-accident mitigation, and to deliver results that citizens can tangibly experience.

“Although the Gen Z Movement and subsequent developments have created some disruptions in our regular operations, it is now essential to expedite and advance the Ministry’s routine responsibilities,” he noted.

Addressing issues raised during the meeting, Aryal directed all subordinate agencies to regularly conduct internal reviews of their annual work plans, define milestones, and undertake timely evaluations to ensure target-based progress. 

He further instructed the agencies to end the practice of requiring citizens to repeatedly submit the same personal information to different government bodies. Stressing the importance of the National ID system, he ordered concerned agencies to prioritise integrating all government systems gradually into a unified platform, assuring his full support at the ministerial and secretary levels.

Urging officials to address citizen grievances promptly, he advised them to discourage practices that delay or sideline the work of service seekers.

Home Secretary Rameshwar Dangal emphasised that the Ministry, being one of the most sensitive ministries, must centre its work on good governance and transparency. 

Highlighting the significance of departments such as the Department of National ID and Civil Registration, he said that the Ministry’s reputation is reflected through the quality and efficiency of services delivered by these key agencies.

The Ministry’s Joint Secretary and Head of the Evaluation Division, Suresh Panthi, presented an overall progress report, informing that out of the Ministry’s annual budget of Rs. 208 billion, the first quarterly expenditure had reached 20.92 per cent under recurrent headings and 10.65 per cent under capital headings.