Lumbini, Sept 25: The Lumbini Province government has prioritized 11 issues in the draft of the five-year strategic plan for curbing corruption in the province.

The draft is expected to be endorsed by the cabinet of the provincial government within mid-October this year for enforcement within the current fiscal year 2024/25.

Chief Minister Chet Narayan Acharya has already given a green signal to the strategy aimed at combating corruption and enchaining moral fabric of the provincial government.

The move is a part of the provincial government’s 99 activities of priorities to enhance accountability of the public offices and promoting ethical performance among the authorities in the province.

Towards this, a high-level monitoring mechanism will be put in place in the Office of the Chief Minister and Council of Ministers to promote austerity and ethical practices.

The provincial governments has prioritized enhancing professionalism, ensuring smooth public service delivery, adherence to fiscal discipline, effective implementation of the Projects, formulation of legislation, transparency and social accountability for corruption control and maintain good-governance.

The strategy has recognized public procurement management, public properties management, monitoring and evaluation, coordination, collaboration and partnership among others as thematic areas.

Similarly, frugality, accountability, transparency responsiveness towards public’s need and morality are emphasized in public administration. Special attention will be paid to ensure public’s participation in public activities and empowering citizens.

Likewise, the strategy outlines that projects selection and implementation will be objectively carried out.

Some creative measures have been devised for fight against corruption such as sensitizing school students especially to those in secondary level.

Contents relating to moral values and anti-corruption will be integrated in the curriculum of the secondary level.

Furthermore, training contents promoting ethical practices in governance by the people’s representatives and public office’s employees will be formulated.

The government plans to offer yoga, meditative and positive thinking exercises to the people’s representatives and public offices’ employees with an objective to instill the sense of spirituality and ethical conduct in them.

For this, the provincial government will collaborate with the Lumbini Buddhist University and Nepal Sanskrit University as well as other spiritual and religious organizations in the province, the strategy stipulates.

Also, the provincial government will coordinate efforts with the media outlets to promote ethical conduct and morality and to expose irregularities through investigative journalism. (RSS)