E-governance In Local Bodies

In the current changing situation, all municipalities should take the lead in running the government with the participation of the general public. The concept of open government partnership, which is currently being developed globally, should be assimilated. Helpdesks should be set up in every municipality. Local college students should be employed as interns in this. This will increase the people's commitment to service delivery. 

Fundamentally, people's representatives and employees of all municipalities should develop a service delivery-friendly mentality. The Gen Z generation is especially skilled in technology. They are growing up in the era of information technology. Therefore, municipalities should transform their services into digital governance. In addition, the use of AI and GIS systems and data analytics should be increased. 

Issue of corruption 

Since the issue of corruption is central to the Gen Z movement, municipalities should adopt strict financial discipline. A strong cell should be formed in every municipality to control financial irregularities and corruption. A self-declaration regarding conflict of interest should be made in policy making. A leadership Assessment Centre with experts should be established in the municipality for the right man in the right place. 

Local governments should be accountable, transparent and responsible. For this, public hearings, social audits and public audits should be strictly implemented. Each municipality should develop internal operating procedures. Similarly, those municipalities should implement an internal control system. All municipalities should implement e-governance, online grievance handling systems, digital payments, and transparent procurement processes. For this, an integrated digital governance platform should be created. A system of collective decision-making and collective accountability should be developed in all municipalities.

All municipalities should control unnecessary expenses. Fragmented plans should be eliminated. Citizen monitoring groups should be formed in all municipalities. Citizen Report Cards or exit polls should be made effective in all local governments. The thinking of the new generation, the power of technology, values and norms should be assimilated. In addition, a new administrative culture should be created by combining the knowledge and skills of old experienced employees. 

The service delivery of every municipality should be converted into a One Window System or Desk System. We can learn from Sweden's structural bureaucracy and New Zealand's contact management theory. Similarly, the Government in Your Pocket programme, implemented in Azerbaijan and Germany's Public Bonus System, can be implemented in Nepal in a suitable manner. 

There are small and large internal conflicts within every municipality. When this comes to the surface, negativity towards the municipality increases. Similarly, due to the conflict of mutual opinions, the number of complaints to the Commission for the Investigation of Abuse of Authority (CIAA) has increased. Negative news is increasing due to the neglect of the media sector. In the current situation, every municipality should prepare a reform package with the help of experts. In this, first of all, a framework for administrative reform should be created. In this, the agility of service delivery, satisfaction of service recipients, transparency, and the readiness of the municipality should be emphasised. 

Similarly, another strategy should be formulated that will be strict in financial discipline. In this, strict criteria for budget preparation, zero tolerance for misuse of public expenditure, and the protection of public property should be prioritised. In addition, an action plan to accelerate development work should also be formulated and implemented. In this, construction professionals, toll development organisations, consumer groups and beneficiary groups should be bound within the scope of strict financial discipline. 

The current Gen Z movement has raised the voice for significant changes in the old structures, customs and administrative structures. This new generation has expressed strong dissatisfaction with the inequality, corruption and unaccountability existing in society. We have good policies, but they are not implemented effectively. 

The Gen Z generation is attracted to new thinking, creativity, and innovation. As most local governments are also moving towards digital governance, the potential and opportunity for them to be like-minded with each other has been revealed. Similarly, the younger generation has demanded transparency, accountability, and public participation in governance. In fact, as municipalities are also moving forward in collaboration by directly communicating with the common citizen, there is a similarity in their thinking. 

In addition, the Gen Z generation has raised its voice on issues of equality, environmental justice, and rights. Municipalities also seem to be active in achieving this. Similarly, the young generation has taken up the issue of smart cities and green development and the municipalities are also moving in this direction. In recent days, the municipalities are promoting e-governance, smart services, waste management and green infrastructure through social media. In addition, the fact that the municipalities are fully connected on social media and the youth are seen as a meeting point can be accepted as a pleasant side. 

Digital governance

In addition, the movement has urged all the municipalities to transform into digital governance. Accordingly, the municipalities have started making the services they provide to the citizens available online. They are providing transparency to their services through mobile apps, websites, and digital platforms. In addition, the local government should ensure citizen participation, especially the participation of the youth generation in decision-making by developing a data-based decision-making process. In addition, community discussions, advocacy, and consultation and dialogue programmes should be intensified. 

Finally, municipalities should make it mandatory for stakeholders to participate in planning and budgeting. They should not lag behind in developing a performance evaluation system for public representatives and employees. In essence, the elected public representatives and employees of the municipality should move forward by assimilating the demands of the times and the voices of the youth.

(The author is a former chief information commissioner and former secretary.)