BABBLES: Time to justify Nepal Army’s significance By Babbler There is rampant corruption in the country. Even during the corona virus pandemic crisis, the government officials were involved in money making business by procuring medical equipment even at 48 percent higher rate than the actual market price! After media criticism, the government was compelled to scrap the controversial deal with the Omni Group. Finally, the government has given the responsibility to the Nepal Army to import emergency medicines and medical equipment from foreign countries at government to government level deal. On this decision also, the government was criticized by individuals saying that it has ended the civilian rule. Of course, the civilian governance has failed to manage the ongoing crisis. Nevertheless, the Nepal Army is also being interrogated on corruption practices taking place in the organization. The present responsibility for the Nepal Army is an opportunity to justify its significance and give a reply to the enemies of Nepal Army that it is an organ to safeguard the nation and support people. Let’s hope, NA will maintain transparency by avoiding all possible chances of corruption and manipulation! Lockdown, lockdown and lockdown! It seems, for the government, lockdown is the only medicine to control the corona virus pandemic! Experts are asking the government to conduct mass level tests of coronavirus but the lab test process is very slow and just a few thousand people have undergone such lab tests of corona virus. On the other hand, the government has not been able to effectively seal Nepal’s borders with India as people, even after the lockdown, are entering into Nepal, which has alarmed people about an outbreak of the corona virus. More importantly, stopping people entering from corona virus affected India should be effective. If Nepal cannot stop the arrival of its own citizens from India, they should be compulsorily kept in quarantine and if needed in isolation along with coronavirus tests. Otherwise, lockdown alone will not control the spread of the virus. Death from starvation could be higher than coronavirus death! Whether the government is informed or not that the low-income group of people has already started to suffer from starvation as they have no income to feed their family. It seems, people dying from hunger and other dieses could be higher than the death from corona virus pandemic! Fortunately, until now, there is no report of death of people from coronavirus, however, there are reports that people suffering from chronic dieses are unable to get medical service as well as medicines due to the prolonged lockdown and coronavirus threat! More seriously, reports state that mothers giving birth were not getting food, labour class people leaving without food, etc. due to the lockdown. If the lockdown will continue further and if the government fails to provide relief to the people suffering from the ongoing lockdown, soon, people will start dying from hunger. Wanna see bankruptcy? If things will not be improved, Nepali economy is likely to face bankruptcy. As our general sector expenditure is higher, which, as per the economic terminology, the non-productive sector, if we don’t think about any cut down expenditure on such non-productive sector, the government will not have the funds to run the country. All economic indicators are negative, in the meantime, the non-visionary leaders introduced federalism along with introduction of seven federal states and 753 local bodies, which is a burden for a country like Nepal. The best way to rescue our economy is to scrap federalism. Otherwise, sooner or later, we will face economic crisis!