Govt shifting development grant focus to Tarai

 • Plans to slash funds given to hill and mountain regions • Experts call it an irrational move

BISHNU PRASAD ARYAL

Fast facts • Tarai belt constitutes a little more than half of the total population of the country (50.2 per cent) • Hill and mountain belts constitute about 42.8 per cent and seven per cent of the total population‚ respectively • The Ministry of Federal Affairs and Local Development gets Rs 45 billion every year • As per the rule‚ each of the 3‚913 village development committees get Rs 1.5 million to Rs 3 million as grants • Each of the 75 district development committees get grants on the basis of performance • New rule says performance-based grants to the local bodies will be reduced‚ implying that each VDC will get only Rs 1.5 million and each DDC Rs 4 million

KATHMANDU: The Ministry of Federal Affairs and Local Development is planning to cut development grants given to the hills to provide the same to the Tarai region.

According to the national census 2011, the Tarai belt, smaller in area, constitutes more than half of the total population of the country (50.2 per cent) followed by the hill and mountain belts that constitute about 42.8 per cent and seven per cent of the total population, respectively.

“The remote hill and Himalayan regions, where poverty-stricken, marginalised and underprivileged people live, will be affected if the government’s plan to slash development grants is implemented,” said Dinesh Chandra Devkota, former vice-chairman of the National Planning Commission. “It will be an irrational move as marginalised people living in hills like Karnali region will be affected.”

The ministry is preparing to change the rules provisioned in the Local Bodies Resource Mobilisation and Management Guideline 2069 BS under the influence of minister for local development, Madhes-based parties and Unified CPN-Maoist, confidential sources at the ministry told The Himalayan Times. “This is a plan to spend more development budget in Tarai by cutting grants given to the hilly and Himalayan regions,” they said. “The government is planning to include this programme in the coming fiscal budget and programmes are being prepared for the coming year.”

THT’s repeated attempts to contact Minister for Federal Affairs and Local Development Bidhyadhar Mallik went in vain. He neither picked up his phone nor responded to emails.

The government allocates about Rs 45 billion for the MoFALD every year. Of the total allocation, about 70 per cent is spent on development activities and people-oriented programmes while rest is set aside for administrative purposes, according to the MoFALD.

Development grants are allocated as per provisions enshrined in the rules and regulations. Highly placed sources at the ministry told this daily that the plan was being chalked out with more focus on Tarai region in the name of population distribution.

Dinesh Kumar Thapaliya, Spokesperson for the MoFALD, conceded that the ministry was working to amend the rules. “This rule can be revised every two years,” Thapaliya said. “We can concentrate on densely populated areas while distributing grants,” he added.

The proposed plan will revise the existing system and send more budget to Tarai-based districts. Out of the total allocated capital expenditure, 50 per cent will be distributed on the basis of formula-based grants and remaining as per minimum conditions grants, according to the Local Bodies Fiscal Commission Secretariat.

Each of the 3,913 village development committees used to get Rs 1.5 million to Rs 3 million as grants while each of the 75 district development committees used to get grants on the basis of performance.

The performance-based grants to the local bodies will be reduced as per the new rule, which means each VDC will get only Rs 1.5 million and each DDC Rs 4 million.

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Nepal heading towards political collision?

Bishnu Prasad Aryal

KATHMANDU (Nepal), Nov 16-- Nepal’s struggle to become a Federal Democratic Republic makes no more a mirror reflect a thin hope for writing new constitution after the major political parties involve only in their partisan interests rather than national responsibility. Nepal in between two big nations—India and China-- is on verge of failed state leading to political uncertainty and anarchy.

Monarchy, some 240 years old, was abolished from Nepal on May 28, 2008 from legislature. The historical change came as a result of 19-day peaceful People’s Movement II 2006, following Royal take-over of the democracy on February 1, 2005 by then king Gyanendra Shah, who was crowned throne as successor of king Birendra, along with queen, two princes and a princess, who were massacred inside the Narayanhity Royal Palace in Kathmandu on June 1, 2001.

The incident took place during the last phase of a decade-long armed conflict ignited by the Communist Party of Nepal-Maoist (CPN-M) under the chairmanship of Pushpa Kamal Dahal aka Prachanda, killing some 15,000 people, including security forces and Maoist cadres. It announced ceasefire in late 2005. CPN-M was tagged terrorist by the Government of Nepal, USA and India among other countries. Although other countries withdrew the terrorist tag, the USA is yet to lift label tagged on the Unified Communist Party of Nepal Maoist (UCPN-M), then CPN-M.

Seven-party alliance including Nepali Congress (NC), a full-democratic party and Unified Communist Party of Nepal-Marxist and Leninist (UCPN-ML), middle path party, joined the hands in 2005 with CPN Maoist, ultra-leftist by signing 12-point pact to overthrow the monarchy from Nepal. The later agreed to follow democratic path while NC and UCPN-ML pledged to set up federal democratic republic of Nepal.

Constituent Assembly (CA) of 601-member poll was held on March 10, 2008 to write the new federal democratic constitution. The two-year tenure ended on May 28, 2010, which has been extended for one year. However, six months have just passed but there is no sign of dealing with the new statute, said constitutional expert Dr Bhimarjun Acharya. “The CA tenure can’t be extended again as per the constitution. Another CA election can be an alternative.”

On the other hand, the political parties have failed to form a new government by electing Prime Minister. The caretaker government led by Prime Minister Madhav Kumar Nepal, who resigned on June 30, 2010, is struggling to bring the fiscal budget for the current fiscal year that began on July 17.

The major political parties have been flexing muscles in blame games by neglecting to conclude peace process and write new constitution for a way out of impasse. The NC and UCPN-ML have criticised the UCPN-Maoist for failing to abide by past agreements. While Royalists are for reviving monarchy in the country.

More than 19,000 Maoist combatants, who are inside the cantonments supervised by United Nations Mission in Nepal, are desperate for their settlement. The political parties are yet to finalise the actual number of combatants to be integrated and rehabilitated as per their qualification.

The leaders of UCPN-M, the largest party in CA with 238 members but not with simple majority, have frequently reiterated their opinions over public places to launch another movement to capture state power and enforce communist rule exploiting transitional phase. Maoist chairman Prachanda have usually warned to ‘take over power through people’s revolt’ and appealed people to be ready for the change. UCPN-M senior leaders Mohan Baidya ‘Kiran’ and Dr Babu Ram Bhattarai have sung similar rhythm but are still uncertain of dates to usurp state power. They said that ‘foreign agents and anti-reactionary forces’ have blocked the Maoists to head the government and termed it as ‘feudalistic forces plotting conspiracy’ against them.

UCN-ML senior leader KP Sharma Oli lambasted the Maoists for conspiring to capture state power. “They will be responsible if the nation falls to a failed state,” Oli said a few days ago. “The dictatorship ultra party or another power is unavoidable unless a consensus is forged on the contentious issues.”

 Meanwhile, NC leaders are firm on their stance not to allow the UCPN-M to lead the government ‘unless it ensures to implement past accords, enshrine new statute and conclude peace process logically.”

The conflict among three major political parties has reached to climax by overshadowing the national interests, each party claiming to head the government. “They have overlooked the national interests for writing new constitution,” said Acharya. “If they fail to write new constitution and conclude peace process to a logical end before May 28, 2011, the country might have to face an abyss leading to political instability in the context of constitutional void,” he added. 

Thus, the Himalayan country will have to face hard times of totalitarianism or autocracy unless the situation turns to positive tunes by understanding national need and accountability. The jarhead politicians are yet to be enlightened with visions and realise the national interests for the sake of people and country to relieve from rising impunity.

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