Enhance Service Delivery

The federal system of governance in Nepal is getting consolidated and institutionalised with the elected people’s representatives at the helm of the three-tier governments since 2017. The country went to the second elections for the local level, and the federal and provincial legislatures on May 13 and November 20, respectively. The Constitution of Nepal, 2015 has specified roles and responsibilities of the local, provincial and federal governments.

They, however, have to work in coordination among themselves in order to ensure a smooth functioning of the system of governance. Being close to the people, the local governments need to deal with different issues and work towards delivering services effectively. They have to listen to the people and act accordingly. The local levels enjoy legislative, executive as well as semi-judicial powers. Learning by doing, the local bodies seem to have been able to gain the people's trust. 

However, the local governments are blamed for moving ahead with haphazard construction of roads, posing a serious threat to the fragile ecology. Such activities are quite contrary to the concept of local governance as they are likely to cause landslips.

There are also public complaints are that many local levels have failed to maintain fiscal discipline. Reports of the Commission for the Investigation of Abuse of Authority (CIAA) have indicated that a large number of complaints related to fiscal indiscipline at the local levels have been filed at this anti-corruption watchdog. This is definitely a matter of grave concern. When the trend of fiscal irregularities continues, the local bodies are sure to get deviated from their responsibilities of delivering services to the people efficiently and carrying out development activities as per idea of federalism.     

In this context, Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba has called for enhancing the delivery capacity of local bodies nationwide in order to enforce federalism and provide the people with a sense of good governance and development. The Prime Minister expressed that idea while inaugurating the 3rd National Congress of the Rural Municipality Federation organised in the capital on Sunday.

He asked the local governments to strengthen their service delivery system and work efficiently by adopting the policy of zero tolerance on corruption. He observed that the nation would leap forward on the path of development in no time if all the three-tier governments performed their duties using the powers given to them.

“Perform well to meet the people's expectations. The actual implementation of federalism depends upon your delivery," Deuba told the representatives of the local levels. It is also necessary for the local bodies to conduct researches properly before devising any development plan. 

As the nation has been scrambling for tackling pervasive poverty, underdevelopment, joblessness, gender-based violence, child marriage, dowry and numerous other socio-economic issues, the local levels need to work out necessary plans to address them. The Prime Minister also underlined the need for the local level representatives and the people to extensively discuss issues concerning education and health services, creating jobs, ending sexual violence and other crimes.

With the nation working towards achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by 2030, the local levels need to formulate plans and implement them effectively. Meanwhile, Chairman of the CPN-Unified Socialist and former Prime Minister Madhav Kumar Nepal has called on the local people's representatives to dedicate themselves to the task of national building.