Compared to the provinces, the service delivery and presence of the local government is very tight. Politically and socially, the local government has shown a strong presence. However, the local government has not been able to provide services as promised. Local government representatives also agree on this matter.

If that is the case, it is time to learn based on the practice so far, and the union or state government should review it in a deep and creative academic framework. However, neither the state nor the union government is interested in such research. 

The relationship between local government and employees

There are currently no executive officers at the local level. It has affected the work of many municipalities. The chairman of a rural municipality in Madhesh wanted to create a master plan for employment. Creating jobs at the local level was his priority.

His plan has not moved forward without getting an executive for a year. A rural municipality of Bagmati province tried to move forward with the strategy of increasing agricultural production and the plan of tourism. At the end of the discussion with me, he said - Now I will discuss with the right person. The executive officer was meant to mean a person who runs the right way. A righteous person sometimes stays on vacation, sometimes prepares for public service. Sometimes it is necessary to work in Singha Durbar. For the past 6 months his plans have not progressed and he is tired.

In a discussion program during the first local government, the mayor said in his speech - I will now study strengthening the local economy. After the discussion in Kathmandu, he returned to his municipality and tried to continue his studies. The executive officer showed the report stating that such a study has been done. At a later meeting I asked him - where did your study of local economy go? His answer was – the executive officer stopped saying that it was done. I asked further, was the study as you said? was not, but did not consider the executive officer to study further. 

The relationship between employees and public representatives is clear from the above incidents. The elected representatives of the local government are not allowed to work within the rules and their beliefs and strategies. In a federal democratic republic, the people's elected representatives will give the perspective. That approach is to be implemented by the staff. But there is a limit to the steps.

Commentary is being created that the local government could not work either. Local government has its weaknesses and limitations. But the Panchayat-era bureaucracy, which has never been restructured, has neither assimilated federalism nor local government. A great embarrassment is kept hidden. It is not possible for one municipality to raise it. Uthaiha also does not get a place. But it is strange that the municipality federation and rural municipality federation keep silent. 

How to manage employees? 

There is no belief that the local government can deliver with the current personnel management process. More than 95 percent of the mayors did not seem to be able to implement their vision by fighting with the staff, except for some exceptional mayors who could show their personality and work. Employees sent from the union have no responsibility and accountability to the local government. It is a different matter if someone works as a good employee. Now it has to go to new management. 

The practice of assigning staff to the local government from the association should be legally amended. The local government itself appoints the staff it needs. Appoints based on their characteristics and needs. It is sufficient that the Local Government Operation Act stipulates that this percentage of money can be spent on staff management. Thus the employees appointed by the local government are not permanent. This is a five-year contract service. If someone is not satisfied with their work, they retire within a year. Employees are responsible and accountable only if the right of appointment and dismissal rests with the local government. This is a general principle not only in the case of local government, but also in terms of institutional management.

One of the beautiful aspects of this is that the municipality can increase animal husbandry if it keeps a lot of staff with knowledge of animal husbandry. If it is possible to grow apples or walnuts, the corresponding manpower will be kept in the contract. These are just two examples. Respects the right to hire employees as needed. The present personnel management is uniform. There is a District Forest Officer in the District Forest Office in Kathmandu. How much is his job? Districts with large forest areas also have a single forest officer. This is incompatible.

It should be left to the local government to decide what kind of employees, how many of their skills are needed and how to hire them. As soon as such a proposal is made, a question arises - the local government and elected representatives keep sala, sali, jethan, making it easier to commit corruption. The argument is put forward that because of this, misgovernance increases. Such an argument is a mistrust of local government. Since the establishment of the local government, the leadership at the top level has been watching with disbelief. Such glasses are more powerful than others of Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli. If the local government fails to deliver even with its own staff, the next time the voters lose and punish them. 

Local government is such a close-knit government, voters know if the mayor buys new shoes. What is meant to be said is that the arbitrariness of the local government in the appointment of employees will be exposed. Another thing, recruitment can also be done on the basis of merit by managing the examination system. The local government should make a system of who and how to take the exam. In the situation where the local government has the right to appoint employees, the relevant political party should also take responsibility.

Now it is easy to escape that the local government is not allowed to work by the staff. Such a facility should not always be given to the local government. With this facility, local governments have not been able to be responsive and accountable to the people. It is easy to say that the employee did not allow him to work. If we do not manage the employees, the roots of federalism cannot spread to the community level. Local governments, which are considered the foundation of federalism, become unpopular and questions arise about federalism. Questioning the system because of bad practices is a rare thing in political science. 

The basis of demarcation is accessibility and proximity

During the construction of the present municipalities, a commission completed all the work within three months. In fact the Commission was made to show. Demarcation was done on the basis of political consensus. Let's look at a small example, there is a Gorkha across from Anbukhaireni in Tanahun. More than 60 percent of people come from Gorkha to get services at the hospital in Ambukhareni. It is not bad to come to get services, but to get services for formal administrative work, one has to go three hours away.

I asked more than 15 rural villages during the research - are the demarcations of your rural villages agreed? All had the same answer, no. We had such a regressive debate during the mapping of the rural municipality - the wards should not be divided, let alone the district. Federalism demanded re-demarcation. Municipalities were built based on the slogan of Akhand. This is incompatible.

Now once based on the study, the process of re-delimitation should be carried forward through a commission after spending a long time. Accessibility, proximity to the center of the municipality should be a basis. The boundaries of old districts and villages should be forgotten and new boundaries should be drawn. Mistakes are made based on bad demarcations made by the Panchayat. Panchayati delimitation is to be forgotten and deleted.  identify the basis of

demarcation 

In a culturally diverse country like Nepal, the Panchayat placed communities with the same culture, same economy, and same livelihood in different places. Zones, districts and boroughs were separated when they were created. It was intended that no political structure should be dominated by tribal communities. The upper part of Tanahun, the upper part of Nawalparasi and a part of Palla had the same territory of the Magars.

They were divided into Palla, Nawalparasi and Tanahu. The zone itself is different. After all, they lived in the same area. was connected. broken up Even in the current municipality, one cultural community does not belong to one municipality. Because we took a policy of not dividing the wards and gavis. The past continued. It could not provide identification at the local level. Identity was linked to racial commentary. First, identity-based states are said to be caste states.

Second, it was said that the job of identity management is only for the province. In less diverse countries, identity is a territorial matter. But in a very diverse country like Nepal, identity should be made a matter of local government. we missed If a community with at least one characteristic falls under one municipality, the community would support the municipality to protect its language, culture, and strengthen its economy. It also strengthened the local production system and economy.

also addressed issues of identity and self-esteem at the local level. Now local government should be demarcated once and for all to keep different cultural communities together. Along with this demarcation, the municipality should be given an opportunity to have an identity-friendly name. Federalism or local government is not for rivers and mountains, but for the self-esteem and identity of the community. Now we must proceed with the process of re-delimitation without delay. 

Localization and identity-friendly development

The definition of development after restructuring should be done by the local government based on local context and characteristics. Now the local government has spent a lot on physical infrastructure. Local government has very little money. They cannot do much in infrastructure. The state and union should take charge of the infrastructure work.

The local government should spend on issues such as local governance and employment. It should be managed in such a way that more than ten percent of the money is not allowed to be spent by the local government on physical infrastructure. But the union and the state must ensure that the physical infrastructure works. Local government should focus on rural industrialization for the growth of local economy while making its natural resources productive. Your development process should be carried forward based on knowledge, skills and technology.