KATHMANDU: Immediately after the formation of the government led by Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP) senior leader Balendra Shah, 100 governance reform agenda items were made public with specific completion deadlines, ranging from immediate action to work to be done within 24 hours, and up to tasks to be completed within 1,000 days. Setting aside items with no specific deadline, there are 15 items to be completed within 15 days – one within 24 hours, five within seven days, and nine within 15 days. Of these, the government has completed only two. Sixteen days after the announcements, the remaining 13 items have not been fully delivered.

Under item 4, the government had committed to forming a task force within seven days to prepare a discussion paper on constitutional amendment. So far, a task force under the convenorship of Asim Shah has been formed and it has held one meeting. Under item 42, the government commitment to shutting down betting apps and related websites within 24 hours has been completed.

Item 6 committed to immediately advancing investigation, action, and prosecution against those responsible for violence and destruction in the Gen Z movement on the basis of the Gauri Bahadur Karki Commission report. The government arrested then-Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli and Home Minister Ramesh Lekhak within 24 hours of taking office and began investigation. Item 7 committed to forming an inquiry committee within seven days to establish the facts of the September 9, 2025 events. But 16 days on, the government has not advanced this.

Item 43 committed to forming an empowered asset investigation committee under the Office of the Prime Minister and Council of Ministers within 15 days to end the corruption, hidden wealth, and impunity prevalent in the country. This too has not been advanced.

Item 5 committed to announcing a formal apology to Dalit and historically excluded communities along with a reform program within 15 days. RSP Chairman Rabi Lamichhane did issue an apology from the parliament floor, but a reform program has yet to be announced. Item 14 committed to formulating and approving national standards for organizational management surveys at federal, provincial, and local levels within 15 days. This task does not appear to have advanced.

Item 22 committed to all offices providing the Ministry of Federal Affairs and General Administration with a list of front-desk staff and their training needs within 15 days. This task does not appear to have been completed. Item 35 committed to arranging within 15 days for citizens to download certificates through an official mobile app, a citizen app, or email – this has not been completed.

Item 46 committed to issuing the second National Action Plan against Corruption within 15 days in conformity with the UN Convention Against Corruption. The government has not yet issued it.

Photo: Bikram Rai

Item 92 committed to preparing digital records, strengthening monitoring systems, and launching a special campaign to remove illegal encroachments on public land within 15 days, including beginning investigation within 15 days into land encroachment and misappropriation by the Nepal Child Organization as recommended by the high-level inquiry commission (the Hari Babu Commission). This has not been implemented.

A separate unit has been established to implement and monitor the government’s 100 agenda items, says Office of the Prime Minister and Council of Ministers spokesperson Hem Raj Aryal. “Some tasks have been completed. Others have been started,” he told Nepal News on Sunday (April 12). “Daily reporting takes place on the progress of each item.” He claimed that processes are advancing to complete work on time but gave no clear account of the deadlines that have already passed.

Former chief commissioner of the Commission for the Investigation of Abuse of Authority Surya Nath Upadhyay says the government must make decisions thoughtfully in order to deliver on its commitments. “It is necessary to understand our bureaucracy, laws, processes, and social conditions before deciding. If work is completed on time once committed to, public trust can be won,” he says. “Everything cannot be done at once, nor should it be rushed.” He advises against rushing constitutional and legal amendments.

Associate Professor Dipesh Ghimire of Tribhuvan University analyses that the government’s deadlines have been missed because it was overly ambitious in drawing up its agenda. “The agenda items are important, but the government seems to have been somewhat over-ambitious on corruption control and good governance. It appears deadlines were set without understanding how governance actually works,” he says. “Perhaps there was no realistic sense of how long each task would take.”