Local levels for investment in Karnali development

Karnali Province Governor Govinda Prasad Kalauni has said the State should not delay augmenting investment for the development in the Province. He suggested the Municipal Development Fund to prioritize investment for Karnali development.

He said it during a seminar organized by the Fund here. Management of able human resources is equally important in addition to resources at local levels of Karnali Province, Kalauni underscored.

On the occasion, Executive Director at the Fund, Krishna Prasad Sapkota, shared the information that Fund had the strategy to collaborate with all municipalities within the coming four years. The municipalities suffering backwardness would be given special priority, he added. Clarity in policy level is essential to invest in projects which are beneficial in terms of economic and commercial viewpoints. The local levels could mobilize both loan and grants in a balanced manner.

Chairman of Nepal Municipalities' Association, Ashok Byanju, urged the local level chiefs not to hesitate in creating infrastructures by taking loan. The projects that are capable to create internal sources could be more beneficial and make local levels self-reliant, according to him.

Most of the chiefs at local levels of Karnali Province, however, said they faced a shortage of land for creating infrastructures. They shared the plight that they had to lobby with the federal government for long to acquire lands for running a project. The trend of appeasing the federal government to create infrastructures at the local level must be ended, they underscored.

They expressed doubt whether the Fund would provide assistance based on pressure and lobby via political party. Fund Executive Director Sapkota made it clear that the assistance could be provided based on project performance and result.

Expert at Municipal Development Fund, Suman Mehar Shrestha, informed that discussion was also held on the effectiveness of financial and capacity development programme launched for municipalities with the assistance of the European Union.

Earlier, the Fund had held discussion with the chiefs of local levels in Sudurpaschim Province.