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Decentralisation defunct for two decades
Bishnu Prasad Aryal
Kathmandu, January 4
All the governments after the restoration of democracy in 1990 have crippled the decentralisation policy, an effective tool of good governance in democracy. Only four meetings were held on the issue in two decades.
Meetings of the Decentralisation Implementation and Monitoring Committee (DIMC), the ever-biggest body headed by Prime Minister took place in Janury 17, 2000; March 28, 2001; January 8, 2002 and October 14, 2009, according to the Ministry of Local Development (MoLD), a focal ministry. The meeting should take place at least once a year. The schedule of DIMC meeting was increased to three times a year on March 28, 2001.
The Decentralisation Implementation Action Plan2058BS is in helpless situation. DIMC meetings decided to amend all contradicting rules and regulation with laws, give priority to local level plans in all ministries, establishment of local service commission, projection of line agencies under District Development Committees and review on number of local bodies. These serious issues are yet to be implemented, said Narayan Thapa, chief at Decentralisation Section, MoLD. “However, other petty decisions have been practiced to some extent,” he said.
“Not a single meeting was held in 2010 too,” said Dinesh Kumar Thapaliya, spokesperson for the MoLD. “This has badly affected in decentralisation and governance,” he said.
The policy of decentralisation was included in 1991 constitution. The Local Self Governance Act 2055BS and Regulation 2056BS clearly provision the objectives of the decentralisation on empowerment of local bodies, effectiveness, accountability, rights and use of resources in local level. They also include democratic process, transparency, people’s participation in development, financial resource management, local leadership and establishment of civil societies.
Bimal Koirala, former chief secretary, said that it was the result of government’s non-commitment towards the concept. “All the governments were centralised in Singhdurbar instead of reaching to people,” he said . “The local bodies should be empowered with political, administrative and economic rights,” he said.
Koirala further said that there was no option of decentralisation in any system either federal or unitary one. “No government willed to devolve power in local level. As a result country had to face conflict owing to the people’s frustration,” he added.
DIMC list
- Prime Minister: Chairperson
- MoLD Minister: Vice-Chairperson
- Govt Ministers: Members
- Chiefs of the Parliamentary Committees
- NPC Vice-Chairperson
- NMC members
- Govt Chief Secretary
- Govt secretaries
- Each representative from political parties elected in parliament
- Presidents of local bodies union and federations
- MoLD secretary: Member secretary
Working Committee
- MoLD Minister: Coordinator
- MoLD secretary: Member
- Six experts from decentralisation, revenue, accounts, rural development, administration and law sectors
- A Special Class Govt secretary
The working committee on decentralisation was formed once in the beginning, leaving it defunct for all. Interestingly, Minister for Local Development Purna Kumar Sherma Limbu, Vice-Chairman of DIMC, was ignorant about his position and the role of the committees. “It is the time of federalism and power projection to central, regional and local governments,” he said.
“The vacuum of elected representatives in local bodies for eight years affected in the implementation of the policy,” he said. “It is difficult to implement laws and rules in transitional phase,” he added.
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