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Winter is here, and with it comes cold-related and respiratory illnesses. The worsening air quality, particularly in urban centers like Kathmandu, is fueling such diseases. The Ministry of Environment and Kathmandu Metropolitan City have come up with a grand policy and program to curb air pollution, but they have little difference. Kathmandu is rated as one the most polluted cities in the world. This winter season, people need to pay extra attention, as the coronavirus is still circulating among us. It is difficult to distinguish covid infection from common cold or flu. In the Tarai, many people do not have warm clothes to see them through the winter. Distressing news is coming from Tarai that people are dying from extreme cold. Two persons from Musahar community died of cold in the last two weeks. Those losing lives to chill are from Pidari of Haripur Municipality-9 in Sarlahi.  Ramesh Majhi,40, from ward no 9 and Ram Bhagat Majhi, 65, from Haripur Municipality-6 lost their lives due to severe cold, according to the District Police Office. Ramesh used to work as a laborer. He died while sleeping. He had slept in a straw. Many families, particularly in poor communities, rely on bonfires to keep them warm. The practice of making bonfires to ward off cold not only contributes to air pollution and respiratory diseases. It also raises the risks of death due to smoke asphyxia and household fire. Availability of warm clothes could greatly minimize these risks. From an individual level, we could donate warm clothes to the least fortunate ones, either in person or through various charities and social organizations. When covid epidemic was at its peak, many people came out to support the poor. It is important that we show the same spirit of goodwill. It is equally important that all three levels of government—federal, provincial and local governments—raise awareness among people about diseases associated with cold weather and the ways to prevent them. They should also equip health facilities with medicines because poor people cannot afford to go to private clinics and hospitals.  As our healthcare system is still centralized, the federal government should take immediate measures to increase and improve the medical resources of health facilities in outlying regions of the country. We are currently in the government transition process. The incumbent Sher Bahadur Deuba-led government has been rendered into a caretaker role, and the process of new government formation is likely to take some time. For our political parties and their leaders, preventing winter-related diseases and deaths is not a priority.  But this cannot be an excuse not to address the issue. Government agencies should collect the data of people who do not have proper shelter and clothes, and take steps to protect them.

The incumbent Sher Bahadur Deuba-led five-party coalition government is essentially a caretaker dispensation, as the country just conducted the elections to federal parliament and provincial assemblies. In this interregnum period, it has no authority to take any big decision. But Deuba has gone on to issue an ordinance that allows the government to scrap the so-called political cases—both sub-judice and adjudicated ones. The only job of the current government is to facilitate smooth transition of power. It’s clear to see where this ordinance came from and to what end. As the five-party coalition, led by the Nepali Congress, could not muster a majority in the Nov 20 polls, it will need the support of fringe parties to form a government. This is where the ordinance comes in. It was issued with a purpose of freeing Resham Lal Chaudhary, a former lawmaker and leader of Nagarik Unmukti Party, who is currently in prison after being convicted of orchestrating the 2015 Kailali massacre, where eight people including a toddler lost their lives. Chaudhary’s party has won three seats in federal parliament, and the five-party coalition needs just two seats to secure a majority. The ordinance was brought to woo the newly elected lawmakers of Nagarik Unmukti Party. This transitional government has overstepped its jurisdiction by issuing the controversial ordinance. The important thing to bear in mind here is that the newly elected members of the House of Representatives (HoR) have yet to hold the first meeting. Before entering into its main business of lawmaking, the HoR will have to elect a new prime minister, president, deputy president, speaker, and deputy speaker. The new government will take shape accordingly. Even if the five-party coalition were to form the next government, this is a bad beginning in many ways. The move clearly demonstrates that the parties are not ready to mend their ways. In the past five years, parties in power largely bypassed the parliament and tried to run the country through ordinances. They seem to be headed towards the same path all over again. The recently concluded elections have clearly shown that people’s faith and trust in mainstream political parties are fast eroding. The emergence of new political parties should have served as a warning to them. But apparently, it didn’t.

Farmers across the country are busy planting winter crops, and they are in desperate need of fertilizer. It is a problem that rears its head every six months, but the government has failed to address it. Nepal needs 700,000 metric tons of fertilizer annually; only half of that is reaching the farmers. The Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock should be held responsible for this, as it has consistently failed to procure enough fertilizer on time. Squeezed by the shortage, farmers are turning to black market in order to dress their fields with vital nutrients needed for their crops. In some places, there have been reports about big farmers with political connections hoarding fertilizer. Further, when the government calls a tender for fertilizer import, it is often the case that businesses with close nexus with politicians get the contract. And if they fail to make the import on time, they go unpunished. Political leaders are also responsible for perpetuating the fertilizer crisis. Nepal’s agricultural output is already going down due to climate change-related weather events. Chronic fertilizer shortage is making matters worse. This double-whammy situation has contributed to ballooning import bills for agricultural products from India and other countries. Severely lopsided balance of trade has already triggered an economic crisis in Nepal. Yet, the government and leaders are silent. They have refused to learn a lesson from Sri Lanka on how low agricultural productivity can impact the economy. Our top politicians, including the prime minister, should treat fertilizer shortage as a national problem and take the necessary measures accordingly. If they continue to remain idle, Nepal could soon face food insecurity. Nepal is heavily reliant on India to meet its demand for food grains. But lately, India too is under stress to ensure its own food security, particularly in the aftermath of the Russia-Ukraine war, which has severely upset the global supply chain. Given the grim scenario, the main job of the government should be to enhance food productivity at home. But Nepal seems to be headed in the opposite direction. Experts suggest that the only way to ensure fertilizer security in Nepal is to set up a factory within the country. But this will cost time and money. The stopgap solution will be to hold talks with the Indian government. Shortage of fertilizer has multiple effects, from the economy to food security. The government and leaders should take note.

The parliamentary and provincial assembly elections have concluded in a free and fair environment.  This is the second periodic election held under the 2015 constitution. So, it is a milestone development in terms of the implementation of the constitution, which was opposed by Madhes-based parties and Janajatis. But the poll outcome has diminished the hope of government stability. The Nepali Congress (NC) and CPN- UML have emerged as the first and second largest parties. Still, the seat numbers of either of these parties are very low. If either one were to form the next government, it would need the support of four-five fringe parties. Such a coalition government is bound to be a fragile one. It could collapse anytime, triggering instability. The newly emerged parties and some old parties like Rastriya Prajatantra Party, meanwhile, have some reservations on the constitution and the federal set up. This does not augur well for the stability of the country. One way to prevent this impending volatility can be an NC-UML coalition. UML seems ready to go for this option. Senior UML leaders including Bishnu Rimal have publicly stated that the party is ready to sit down for power-sharing talks with the NC. At this point, the NC should seriously consider this option. The UML leaders have rightly said that the two big parties should shoulder the responsibility of ensuring a stable government. The NC-UML coalition government will be a strong one in terms of their parliamentary strength. Their numbers will allow the parliament to enact laws required to run the government. We have seen in the past how the involvement of many parties in government can paralyze both government and parliament functioning. Compared to other parties, we believe that the NC and UML can formulate an implementable common minimum program. They are also more mature when it comes to dealing with internal and external challenges. Barring a few issues, the two parties have almost similar positions on Nepal’s relation with big powers. Only a stable and strong government can revive people’s trust on major political parties and thereby to the current political system. If public frustration continues to rise, the system could collapse. For the greater good of the country, the NC and UML should put their differences aside and come together.