April 16, 2021
Scores of civil society organizations working for promoting economic, social and cultural rights of the people on April 16 submitted a pre-budget suggestion paper to Finance Minister Bishnu Prasad Poudel requesting the government to unveil a human rights friendly budget. This was done aimed at protecting the people’s social security and saving them from deepening COVID-19 pandemic.
Leaders from 34 civil society organizations united under the banner of Economic, Social and Cultural Rights National Network (led by Secretariat- JuRI-Nepal) handed over a memorandum to the finance minister at a time when economically excluded persons with disabilities were struggling to survive and livelihood of people was at risk due to the deepening COVID-19 crisis. In the meantime, the government was preparing to formulate a budget for next fiscal year.
With this submission civil society representatives have urged Finance Minister Poudel to ensure housing, education, health and employment for all citizens, expand people’s access to health, ensure free Covid-19 testing and treatment, ensure digital learning for students in the contexts of lockdowns enforced for months affecting entire academic session and introduce pro-people budget.
The government was advised to ensure free facilities for all Covid-19 patients. This suggestion was put forth before the government as the people were forced to pay PCR tests on their own, health professionals were not getting enough protective gear like gloves, PPE and other essential medical equipment and doctors were not available in remote parts of the country. Further, people mainly those staying indoors for months were suffering from mental illness. Due to COVID-19 bored and broken youths were left jobless and depression was rife among them.
Likewise, the civil society leaders urged the government to ensure food security in the face of the deepening global pandemic. Thousands of daily wage earners were reliant on food provided by charity organizations. Food supply chain was disrupted to far flung villages.
They urged Finance Minister Poudel to introduce a new budget in line to create job opportunities, ensure free education and end all sorts of social and gender-based violence so that an equitable society could be created. Please click here for the full text in Nepali.