Kathmandu, June 6: The first President of Nepal, Dr. Rambaran Yadav, who promulgated the new constitution of Nepal in 2015, has stressed the sincere performance of political leaders to win the trust of the people. 

Dr. Yadav expressed this view while talking at the Gorkapatra Corporation on Wednesday. 

The former president visited the corporation to observe the exhibition of rare historical photographs printed from the archive of the corporation. The corporation organised the exhibition to mark Republic Day. 

“We have made a positive political change but institutionalising these epoch-making changes remains a challenge,” he said, “The people’s representatives need to work sincerely.”

 Dr. Yadav said that they need to form policies and laws for the development of the country and table them at the parliament for their successful implementation.

He expressed his concerns over the tendency of instability but said that the nation was heading towards a positive direction. He said, “It naturally takes time to meet the broader aspirations of the people. We need patience. We need good governance, transparency and honesty so that people will have faith on us.” 

Stating that the constitution was inclusive in terms of gender, caste, demography and others, he said that the country could achieve a golden era if government bodies worked abiding by the constitution. He said, “We are now in the materialist age. We need to understand if changes are taking place according to people’s will or not. Though we have touched the sky in terms of transformation, development still remains unstable.”

Additionally, he said that environmental aspects should be considered while conducting development activities. “Conducting comprehensive studies on demography and geography is essential to avert environmental degradation stemming from development,” he said, “We need to protect and preserve our environment and think about what resources and heritages we will leave for future generations.” 

He said that water sources in the Tarai were drying up due to environmental degradation at the Chure region. He also pointed the need for an environment-friendly agricultural system to develop the country. 

Additionally, he said that the photographs displayed at the corporation reflected the history of the country including the Rana regime, Panchayat system and monarchy. He pointed out that photographs were the medium connecting generations.

Bishnu Prasad Subedi, Executive Chairman of Gorkhapatra Corporation, said that the corporation is a historical centre of media studies with vast trove of materials and rich legacy. 

Chairman Subedi said that the corporation had highly prioritised digitalisation of the corporation’s publications and would bring about changes according to the timely needs. 

General Manger of the Corporation Lal Bahadur Airi presented an orgnnisational outline of the oldest media house of the nation.

A replica of the first issue of the Gorkhapatra and the photo book Pariwartit Nepal (Transformed Nepal), which includes photographs showcased in the exhibition, was presented to Dr. Yadav on the occasion.