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Since the formation of the second Provincial Assembly in Madhesh Province in 2021 (2078 BS), there have been four changes in the Chief Minister position. Political instability has caused many development projects and key initiatives under the ‘Province Pride’ program to stall or come to a halt. During the province’s establishment, Lalbabu Raut successfully led the government for a full five-year term. Under his leadership, several women-centric programs were introduced. Notable initiatives under the Province Pride included the ‘Save the Daughter, Educate the Daughter’ campaign, distribution of bicycles to school-going girls, free insurance for families with daughters, and legislation against untouchability.
Former Chief Minister Raut explained, “The ‘Save the Daughter, Educate the Daughter’ program was initially launched to promote the education of girls. Under the daughters’ insurance scheme, a provision was made to offer insurance coverage of NPR 300,000 for each girl born. This was intended to reduce female feticide and encourage families to welcome daughters with joy.”
“From the outset, my belief was to eradicate discrimination against women. These programs were designed to guide society in a positive direction,” he added. However, after corruption was confirmed in the bicycle procurement of 2022 (2079 BS), the ‘Save the Daughter, Educate the Daughter’ program was halted. Those bicycles remain unused, stored in the ruins of a cigarette factory warehouse in Janakpur. Similarly, the daughter education insurance scheme has become ineffective. According to Raut, 5,666 girls were insured in 2018/19 (2075/76 BS), but to date, only about 16 beneficiaries have continuously received insurance services. Nearly 9,000 applications have yet to be implemented.
Satish Kumar Singh, Chief Minister from the Janamat Party, acknowledges his inability to sustain previous programs. “I could not implement even three to four major schemes I introduced,” Singh admitted. He attributes the failure to administrative issues, stating, “Corruption allegations arose, employee attendance declined, and procedures were unclear. Although staff became experts, their lack of honest effort further complicated issues. As a result, we could not advance the Province Pride initiatives.”
Meanwhile, during Chief Minister Saroj Yadav’s tenure from the JSP, the construction of the Ram Janaki multi-purpose stadium in Janakpur was announced. In 2020 (2077 BS), under the provincial transport program, five modern buses were purchased for NPR 30.9 million, intended to operate on Janakpur-Virganj and Janakpur-Rajbiraj routes. However, these buses were later transferred to other organizations. Saroj Yadav, who served only 24 days as Chief Minister from the UML, introduced plans to award ‘Madhesh Ratna’ to Madhesh movement martyrs, provide relief to farmers, and offer allowances to unemployed youth, but all these announcements remained unimplemented.
Currently, Surendra Labh Karn serves as the sixth Chief Minister of Madhesh Province and has appointed Krishna Prasad Yadav from the Nepali Congress in accordance with Article 168, Subsection (2) of the Constitution. Krishna Prasad Yadav has publicly pledged to eliminate irregularities in the province, establish good governance, and foster development in agriculture and farmer-related sectors, reflecting the province’s agrarian base.
Dr. Sohan Prasad Sah, former vice-chairperson of the Madhesh Province Planning Commission, states, “Previous plans lie incomplete. There has been no proper investigation, study, or monitoring of their current status.”
Political analyst Chandra Kishor comments, “Coalition governments tend to prioritize individual interests. Social justice programs must be continuous. Even in the seventh year of federalism, if ongoing projects were prioritized and sustained, it would lead to positive changes. Ultimately, citizens are directly impacted by these initiatives.” Despite the launch of various programs, many remain unimplemented, which has eroded public trust and increased dissatisfaction with the government.
