Gandaki: Learning the ropes of federalism
Pokhara : The seating of dozens of VIPs. Their felicitation with Nepali khada, garlands and vermillion powder. The elaborate speeches by dignitaries. Even for a small public function, a whole day is wasted. But they do things differently at the Madi rural municipality of Kaski district.
First, Madi has ruled that khada and garlands prepared outside the rural municipality cannot be used at public functions. Also, only the chairperson gets to speak at such functions. This saves time. Moreover, the use of local products at such functions has been a boon for the women of Tangting ward 2 who have banded together under the local Ama Samuha (‘mother’s group’).
The marigold flowers planted by 61 women over 10 ropanis of land blossom year-round. “We sell garlands whenever there is a public function. We also get orders from Pokhara and there is no risk of our flowers going unused,” says Kuldevi Gurung, the chairperson of the Ama Samuha. Recently, the group sold over 500 garlands, Rs 50 apiece, for a public function. Madi’s chairperson Bed Bahadur Gurung says the rural municipality contributed Rs 100,000 for the flower plantation initiative.
Likewise, the Rupa rural municipality of Kaski district has seen remarkable changes in recent times. Following the 2017 election, the five health posts there have been equipped with laboratories that now carry out stool, urine, sputum and blood tests. “We had to pay hefty sums and travel long distances for even basic health tests. But no more,” says Til Bahadur Thapa, a local. Rupa’s chairperson Navaraj Ojha says he is committed to appointing enough personnel at all ward offices, to connecting all wards with roads, and to providing social security to every household.
Gandaki Province Chief Minister Prithvi Subba Gurung says the provincial government could have done so much more with more power from the center. Yet he is satisfied with what he has achieved. “We have built a basis for development. As they say, a good start is half the job done,” Gurung says. He says he is committed to spending up to 80 percent of the allotted budget.
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Province 3: Learning the ropes of federalism
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Farwestern: Learning the ropes of federalism
Province 3: Learning the ropes of federalism
Hetauda : Even though the Province 3 government has been in place for over a year, the permanent provincial capital is as yet unsettled. The provincial parliament has held endless debates on this, but to no avail.
The special committee set up to study the feasibility of a permanent capital had submitted its report to the provincial speaker on July 10, 2018. After a long delay, the report was formally tabled in the provincial parliament on Oct 8, 2018. The parliament had committed to settle the issue by the end of its yearly session on Dec 25. That could not be done either. The winter session of the provincial parliament is yet to start.
The province chief minister summons the provincial assembly after a decision to the effect by the provincial cabinet. But the provincial government is not in favor of immediately convening the parliament. “Most likely, the parliament will be summoned only after mid-February,” says Province 3 Minister for Internal Affairs and Law Salikram Jamarkattel. “We will raise the issue of the provincial capital in the inaugural meeting.”
Chief Minister Dormani Poudel has of late been mum on the issue. Those close to him say the chief minister is in favor of tiring out those in favor of moving the capital from (the temporary capital of ) Hetauda. Poudel has been lobbying with federal-level leaders not to move the capital. But some cabinet members like Jamarkattel are lobbying to shift the capital to Kavre district. “We will obey our party [Nepal Communist Party]. That said, we believe Hetauda as the capital has certain disadvantages,” he says. “Since this falls under the jurisdiction of the provincial parliament, we want the parliament to quickly settle the issue.”
The main opposition NC is numerically weak in Province 3, and so the primary reason for the dispute are internal disagreements within the ruling NCP. “The issue is as yet unresolved mostly because of our internal disagreements,” says NCP provincial MP and chairman of the capital feasibility study committee Dipak Niraula. “It is unlikely to be resolved unless the prime minister intervenes.”
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Province 1: Learning the ropes of federalism
Province 2: Learning the ropes of federalism
Gandaki: Learning the ropes of federalism
Province 5: Learning the ropes of federalism
Province 2: Learning the ropes of federalism
Janakpurdham : Among the many acts formulated in Province 2, the one that’s been discussed the most is the Provincial Police Act. Province 2 Governer Ratneshwor Lal Kayastha signed the Provincial Police Bill, 2018 into law on December 30. The act, which was endorsed in accordance with Article 201, Sub-article (2) of the constitution, has 14 chapters, 102 clauses and 2 schedules. Clause 99 of the Act states that the operation, supervision and coordination of the provincial police will be in accordance with federal laws.
Clause 100 states that until the provincial Public Service Commission is formed, the federal Public Service Commission will carry out necessary tasks and responsibilities. Likewise, Clause 6, Sub-clause 1 states that the organization, structure and size of the provincial police force will be determined by the provincial government in consultation with the federal government.
Although the Act has been endorsed, it hasn’t been implemented. This is because the Federal Police Act hasn’t been issued and the bill on the formation of the provincial Public Service Commission hasn’t passed.
That the provincial government introduced this Act before the Federal Police Act was formulated created a lot of controversy. Some argued that in doing so Province 2 government was trying to subvert the constitution and the federal government. But Mohammad Lal Babu Raut, Chief Minister of Province 2, believes that the Act is a constitutional right for the province and will play an important role in facilitating coordination with the Center. “The constitution has bestowed this right on the provinces and we will make sure it is successfully implemented,” says Raut.
This Act is the embodiment of the provincial police force that the constitution envisions, says Dipendra Jha, Chief Attorney of Province 2. “It will bring about many positive results if the Center plays the role of a guardian and offers advice and encouragement to the provinces. The inclusive Act formulated by Province 2 can also be a good model for other provinces to emulate,” says Jha.
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Province 1: Learning the ropes of federalism
Province 3: Learning the ropes of federalism
Gandaki: Learning the ropes of federalism
Province 5: Learning the ropes of federalism
Karnali: Learning the ropes of federalism
Farwestern: Learning the ropes of federalism
Province 1: Learning the ropes of federalism
Biratnagar : The first meeting of the Province 1 assembly on Feb 5, 2018 had a fresh vibe to it. It hosted lawmakers, some of whom had donned their traditional ethnic attires, from all the 14 districts of the province.
That was a year ago. Provincial lawmakers say that while they haven’t been able to meet all public expectations, the provincial government has taken shape and its work has gathered momentum in the last year. “In the initial days, because of lack of laws and frequent staff transfers, we couldn’t do much work, but now it has picked up pace,” says Sarwadhoj Sawa, a provincial lawmaker elected from Sunsari. “The government is working steadily to fulfill public expectations.”
He says local bodies expect support from the provincial government in developing and implementing large-scale projects. It’s the provincial government that allocates budget for these projects. The projects are selected and the budget for them allocated based on the requests from local governments and the lobbying from provincial lawmakers. Because the provincial government is bigger than the local government, people stress that the former should get to allocate a bigger budget for various projects.
Bir Bahadur Limbu, the chairperson of Taltalaiya Development Committee in Itahari, says that Itahari sub-metropolis has allocated a development budget of Rs 5 million for Taltalaiya. The provincial government, on the other hand, has allocated Rs 2.5 million for it. Limbu thinks the budget allocated by the provincial government is a bit small. “But I’ve heard that it’s the provincial government that makes the masterplan. It can support us in other ways. I expect a lot of support from it in the days ahead,” says Limbu. Now that the country has adopted a federal model and formed provincial governments for the first time, Limbu expects the Province 1 government to expand its areas of support and treat all projects fairly and impartially.
Province 1 Chief Minister Sherdhan Rai says that as provincial governments came into being for the first time in the country, he faces the challenge of starting many things from scratch.
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Province 2: Learning the ropes of federalism
Province 3: Learning the ropes of federalism
Gandaki: Learning the ropes of federalism
Province 5: Learning the ropes of federalism
