JHAPA: Nepali Congress General Secretary Bishwa Prakash Sharma has criticized the growing rhetoric that there has been “no development” in the country, calling it a misleading narrative that undermines tangible progress made across Nepal.
Speaking at a program organized to distribute land ownership certificates to Dalit and landless squatters in Buddhashanti Rural Municipality-4, Sharma emphasized that such claims ignore the visible improvements in infrastructure and public services in recent years.
“Every local level now has blacktopped roads. This rural municipality alone has received Rs 180 million for a drinking water project. One of Nepal’s longest suspension bridges is also here,” he said, citing examples of progress in transportation, healthcare, drinking water, electricity, and other public services.
Sharma acknowledged that while development is visible, citizens also seek transparency and effective governance alongside infrastructure improvements.
He also discussed the tax-related delays in the land ownership certificate distribution process.
“We had initially halted the distribution due to heavy taxes. But after we raised the issue with the government, they agreed to lift the burden,” he said.
As a result, 195 landless households in Ward No. 4 of Buddhashanti received land ownership certificates on Monday.
Madan Adhikari, Chair of the Land Problems Resolution Commission in Jhapa, shared that preparations are underway to distribute land ownership documents to 550 landless households in the district.
The broader land distribution campaign was launched two days ago by former Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli in Kankai Municipality, where 157 families were handed ownership certificates.
According to Adhikari, an additional 132 households in other parts of Jhapa have already received the documents, with efforts ongoing to ensure broader land security for marginalized communities.
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