At least 400 new staffers needed in local units as chief and executive officer: MoFALD
KATHMANDU, March 8: The government has decided to immediately release at least Rs 10 million to each of the 744 local units delineated under the new federal setup and to bring the local administration in operation.
A cabinet meeting on Wednesday decided to bring the newly-delineated municipalities and village councils across the country in operation.
A cabinet meeting earlier this week had endorsed the proposal to delineate the country into 744 local units.
“The government today [Wednesday] has decided to set up all the 744 offices of metropolis, sub-metropolis, municipalities and village councils across the country and start their work,” Minister for Federal Affairs and Local Development (MOFALD) Hitraj Pandey told reporters after the cabinet meeting at Singha Durbar. “Each local unit will be provided with at least Rs 10 million.”
The MoFALD on Wednesday submitted the report of delineation of 744 units to the Election Commission so that the election body can make preparations for the local polls scheduled for May 14 in each of the units.
Kedar Bahadur Adhikari, secretary at the MoFALD, informed that the public can get services from the new offices from next week. “As we stepping up the preparations for the implementation of the new local units. The service seekers will be able to get daily services from Sunday,” he said, adding that they will publish the details of the 744 units in Nepal Gazette effective from next week.
He informed that the ministry has been asking the Ministry of General Administration (MoGA) for providing manpower to be mobilized in the new local units. “At least 400 new staffers are needed in the local units as chief and executive officer for now. It will be okay for running the offices of the village councils and municipal councils across the nation,” he added.
Meanwhile, the government has decided to provide Rs 1 million each to the family of four persons who lost their lives in police firing during the Saptari clashes on Monday. Minister Pandey also informed that the government has decided to bear the treatment cost of the injured people in the same incident.
Likewise, the cabinet also took the decision to form an Investigation Commission headed by a former justice at the Supreme Court to probe the Saptari incident. According to Pandey, the commission would submit its report within 15 days after beginning the task.
The police had opened fire in Maleth, Saptari on Monday claiming that they had opened fire as a preemptive measure to avoid clashes between the UDMF and CPN-UML cadres. The CPN-UML had organized a mass meeting in Maleth as part of its Mechi-Mahakali National Campaign while the UDMF cadres were trying to disrupt the UML's program when the incident took place.