The DDC, Saptari has not been able to organize even the evaluation meeting of last fiscal year, quarterly meeting and other important meetings of stakeholders. Nabaraj Khadka, Spokesperson and Program Officer at the DDC informed that the DDC has been not been able to issue directives to concerned bodies like municipality and VDCs until now.
"We are at the risk of being failure at the Minimum Condition Performance Measures (MCPM)," Khadka said, informing that all the development activities at the ward, VDC and DDC level have been halted since the beginning of the prolonged protest. Total budget of district would be downsized by 20 percent in the next year's budget if it fails in the MCPM, he said.
"This is a huge loss to the local development. As due to lack of progress, budget allocated for the development works will not only freeze but additional 20 percent amount from the next year's budget will be also downsized. And this means a huge cut in completing development projects," Khadka asserted.
As per the Federal Affairs and Local Development Ministry's work plan, the DDC has to issue directives to the concerned agencies like VDCs and municipalities by the first week of December. And the VDCs and municipality have to inform village council and DDC about its work plan by mid January. Khadka said that the village council's affairs can be affected due to the inability of the DDC to issue directives on time.
MCPM of VDCs also affected
Due to the prolonged Tarai bandha, the Saptari District Development Committee has not been able to conduct the Minimum Condition Performance Measures (MCPM) yet, which is supposed to conduct every year. Though the office had advertised for selecting facilitator for the MCPM, the selection process was affected by the banda.
"We have some time yet and have been coordinating with the protesting parties," Khadka, said adding that all the VDCs of the district will fail in MCPM and 20 percent development budget will be slashed in the budget of upcoming fiscal year.
The government provides additional budget to the VDCs, which perform well in the MCPM. Last year most of the VDCs of the district performed well in the MCPM and development works so that chances of their getting additional budgets are high said Bhagwat Yadav, chairman of the Center for the Rights of VDC Secretaries. "We have high chance to get additional budget but despite the probability of gaining extra funds, the prolonged banda has now put us on the line to failure at the MCPM," said Yadav.
Donor agencies withdraw development budget
Donor agencies have withdrawn budget allocated for development projects, informed the DDC, Saptari. Though the exact amount withdrawn is yet to be ascertained, the DDC puts the figure to go above five million rupees. Various INGOs working in the district have pulled out of the district since the district was clamped down by the banda.
UNICEF, UNFPA, GSF, UN Habitat and several other donor agencies have allocated funds for development, awareness campaign, hygiene, education, health, maternal and child health, nutrition and other sectors in the district. And if these pull out of the district, DDC officials claim that it will affect the overall development of the district.
Distribution of social security allowances affected
The prolonged band has even deprived the DDC from distributing social security allowances to their recipients. According to Harihar Chaudhary of DDC, over 55,000 people of the district have been deprived from receiving the allowances.
About 20,000 Dalit children and about 35,000 elderly people disable and single women have been getting social service allowance in the district.
Related story
What is missing in budget for agriculture?
-1773673205.webp)
-1200x560-1773818828.webp)
