INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
KATHMANDU, DECEMBER 15In gross violation of existing laws which require the local levels to get their budget for the
fiscal 2022-23 endorsed and enter details into the portal of the Ministry of Federal Affairs and General Administration on time, eight local
governments are yet to comply with the existing legal provisions.
New provisions implemented to make local levels
Huawei's 'Seeds for the Future 2022' programme concludes
As per Section 71 of the Local Government Operation Act,
the village/municipal assembly of each local level shall endorse the budget submitted by the village/ municipal executive for the upcoming
fiscal no later than mid-July
Similarly, the local levels concerned are required to enter details of the budget into the portal of the MoFAGA compulsorily.
Nearly five-and-a-half months after the beginning of the new fiscal, eight out of 753 local levels have failed to comply with the law
despite repeated circulars issued by the MoFAGA.Also today, the MoFAGA issued a circular to these eight local levels to strictly comply with
the law after the Commission for the Investigation of Abuse of Authority asked the ministry to direct the local levels to present their
budget for the running fiscal, said an official.These erring local levels include Aurahi Rural Municipality and Karjanha Municipality of
Siraha, Nagarain and Kamala municipalities of Dhanusha, Bishnu Rural Municipality and Baudhimai Municipality of Sarlahi, Yamunamai Rural
Municipality of Rautahat, and DuduwaRural Municipality of Banke.The MoFAGA warned that negligence of these local levels could affect the
social security programme and health, education, good governance sectors.The Intergovernmental Fiscal Arrangement Act also requires the
local levels to present their budget within the stipulated time
If the local governments fail to present the budget on time, they will not be able to utilise the budget allocated to them, except in
extraordinary or emergency cases
Moreover, these local levels have not even corresponded with the MoFAGA in the midst of the ongoing delay.Apart from internal conflicts
related to allocations, some local bodies said they lacked trained manpower to formulate and present the budget.The federal government has
already issued the Directive on Formulation of Annual Plan and Budget of Local Levels to implement and bring about uniformity in the
programmes envisioned by the constitution and the Local Government Operation Act for overall development of the local levels.As per the
directive, the local levels should prepare and implement annual plan and budget on the basis of the constitution, other existing laws,
medium-term expenditure framework of the concerned local level, resources, financial policies of the federal and provincial governments, and
the commitment made by the Government of Nepal to the international community.A version of this article appears in the print on December 16,
2022, of The Himalayan Times.
This article first appeared/also appeared in https://thehimalayantimes.com