Bikalpa an Alternative in support of the Samriddhi Foundation, conducted Biratnagar Leaders Circle Meet on the 18^th of April, 2022, at Hotel Shree Krishna , Biratnagar. The objective of the meeting was to bring together the leaders from various realms into the shared space to have deliberation and discussion on sectoral issues and agendas targeting the upcoming local election. The leaders from multiple sectors, such as Education, Health, Tourism, Business, Women, Children, Gender & Minority, Disabilities, etc., voiced their viewpoints to bring transformation in the respective sectors.

The program began with a short address on the topic of discussion by Basanta Adhikari, Founder of Bikalpa an Alternative. The floor was then handed over to Dependra Chaulagain, Director of the Samridhdi Foundation, to moderate the program. Each speaker was given 5 minutes to share their expectations from the upcoming people’s representatives for the progress and development of their sector. The sector-wise sharings of the attendees are presented below:

1. Education – The education system is quite expensive for the general public. The educational system has been commercialized.  The government should take responsibility for education as marginalized and poor communities cannot afford it. There are lots of malpractice in higher and lower secondary schools. The federal government enforces its irrelevant curriculum, which is actually under the local government’s jurisdiction. The students are overburdened with unnecessary courses, and many needed courses are not included. Practice-based teaching methods are absent. There is a need for E- libraries for intellectual development. The representatives should try to facilitate schools rather than govern. Education sector specialists should not be ignored during policy-making and facilitating the regulation of education boards. In community schools, the government should take responsibility for providing free education.

      2. Health– Health shouldn’t be limited to patients and hospitals. Hospital opening is not an indicator of good health but rather the number of unhealthy people. Health should be focused on improving community preventive measures. There is a lack of human resources in hospitals which should be addressed. Health Insurance and Allowance should be made more accessible and easy to avail.

   3. Tourism- Biratnagar has lost the race in the hospitality sector. There is a lack of concrete planning and vision. As there is no nature-based tourism in Biratnagar, the government should prioritize MICE  (Meetings, Incentives, Conference, and Exhibition) and sports tourism. There is a need for exhibition halls. The government should focus on lobbying for an international airport and create channels with India and Bangladesh.  Public toilets should be built across the cities. The proper management of waste, sanitation, and security could attract tourists from India. The local government must beautify the area around rivers like Singhiya and Keshaliya.

   4. Business and Industries-  There is a need for representatives who understand industries and work across parties. They should make agendas focusing on the Micro and Small enterprises. Making small businesses pay taxes at all three levels confuses and puts an extra burden on them. The government must generate a suitable, friendly environment to foster the women entrepreneurs. VAT bill has been made compulsory for exporting, which discourages smaller businesses. The lack of implementation of reforms despite legislation needs to be addressed. Security issues are rising in Biratnagar like a small level burglary. CCTV cameras have not been maintained and monitored on a regular basis. Political parties and the government should give importance in promoting startup businesses. Local Markets should be created to provide markets for the products of Micro and Small enterprises.

 5. Children and Women-  Parks and recreational center for children is required in Biratnagar. The Current government designated the Child Welfare Officer without proper guidelines;the next government should not repeat such blunders. A fund for the reduction of violence against women has been established but has not been implemented.There is no policy of spending Gender Based Violence Prevention Fund. It is crucial to make these funds effective. A proper place to complain about domestic violence, sexual misconduct, and the children’s security helpline must be established. The local government should build a proper shelter for the victims of domestic violence and sexual harassment so that they don’t have to return to the same place where they have been victimized. We need to pressurize the government for women’s inclusion, women’s empowerment, and proportional rights in the leadership position.

 6. Laborer- We need representatives who develop and respect labor. A database of the number and types of labor force must be available at the ward level. The labor desk needs to be prepared. Skill-based training is provided in unnecessary and monotonous sectors, instead, there is a need to provide technical skills that are being sourced from outside nations. The local government needs to take over legal cases and make them available to the respective municipality. Respect should be given to the laborers to boost their self-confidence. The government should look after the education and health of the working class.

 8. Others- Local representatives need to become common once elected. There needs to be a five-year vision and stick to it. Party needs to follow a proper procedure to bring eligible candidates onto the field. Most are still selected based on the spending capacity. A participatory approach needs to be used. Basic infrastructures must be maintained. New leadership needs to form a committee of experts (tourism, transportation, etc) on a voluntary basis. Water, communication, and roads should be kept clean and taken proper care of it. The local government must decently handle the lackluster public service delivery. The excessive queuing at government offices and hospitals need to be handled by the local government. Good governance and accountability in public service delivery must be the prime focus. In order to prevent youth from leaving the country, employment opportunities for youth must be increased. Similarly, the government should mobilize entrepreneurs and make plans to decrease imports through their help. In case of drug abuse, the local government should be interested in rehabilitation and creating a database of drug users.  Drug abuse is a serious issue and needs to be looked into by the local government. People with disabilities and LGBTQI need to be identified. The government should do the planning of ICT (Information and Communication Technology) for the digitization of public service delivery. Information is power and it needs to be tied to people’s rights.

The session ran for two hours. Altogether 36 participants including the members of Bikalpa were presented at the program. The moderator of the program, Mr. Deependra Chaulagain, delivered his closing remarks and ended the session.