National
Govt mulls limiting local units’ share to 20-30 percent
The government is considering keeping the share of the local government at 20-30 percent of the total investment in development projects under the Local Infrastructure Development Partnership Programme (LIDPP).The government is considering keeping the share of the local government at 20-30 percent of the total investment in development projects under the Local Infrastructure Development Partnership Programme (LIDPP).
This is a revised format of the controversial Constituency Infrastructure Special Programme and Constituency Development Programme. The government has earmarked Rs 40 million for each constituency under the LIDPP, it was mentioned in the budget for the next fiscal year.
The programme will be operated under cost-sharing mechanism for the development of necessary infrastructure in coordination and facilitation of the elected representatives at federal, province and local levels.
Dinesh Kumar Thapaliya, secretary at the Ministry of Federal Affairs and Local Development, which is drafting the regulations on the programme, said they were holding discussions on the proposal of maintaining share of municipalities at 20 percent and rural municipalities at 30 percent of the total investment under the LIDPP. “It is just a proposal, we have not finalised it,” he said.
Although the budget talked also about accommodating the resources from the provincial governments under the programme, the ministry has yet to decide whether the provincial governments would be ready for integration of the programme. Except for provinces 3 and 4, the other provinces has allocated budget for the constituency development programme.
“We cannot dictate the provincial governments as they are separate entities and are independent from the central government,” said Thapaliya. “We plan to give them an option of collaborating with the central programme if they want.”
The projects under the LIDPP will be selected and monitored by a committee comprising members of the federal parliament from the constituency concerned, members of the province assembly and heads of the local level and coordinated by the directly-elected members of the House of Representatives.
Under this programme, a maximum of five projects related to roads, drinking water, irrigation and river control will be implemented in each constituency within three years.