Govt discontinues three ‘populist programmes’

THE government has discontinued three “populist programmes” this fiscal year, and has used the budget—which would have gone to those programmes—in increasing grants for local bodies and other activities such as roads, bridges and social security. The discontinued programmes are People’s Participation Programme, Electoral Constituency Development Programme and Terai- Madhes and Karnali Vicinity Programme. Ministry of Federal Affairs and Local Development Spokesperson Dinesh Thapaliya said Rs 1.3 billion has been diverted to other programmes. The biggest chunk of the amount has gone for increasing grants for local bodies, he said. The government has increased the upper limit of the grant for village development committees to Rs 4.6 million from Rs 3 million. The grant for municipalities and district development committees has also been increased, according to the ministry. The government had allocated Rs 500 million for People’s Participation Programmes, Rs 600 million for Electoral Constituency Development Programme and Rs 200 million for Terai-Madhes and Karnali Vicinity for fiscal year 201-12. Under the Electoral Constituency Development Programme, the budget was meant to be used for development activities of constituencies. Development of local roads, drinking water facilities and other activities were to be carried out under the People’s Participation Programmes at the local level through consumer committees. Similar activities were to be carried out to improve livelihood of the people of Karnali region and its vicinity as well as backward region of Terai under the Terai Madhes and Karnali Vicinity Programme. “All these programmes were of populist and politically-motivated nature,” said Thapaliya. “These were imposed directly by the centre with little participation of the locals.” The government discontinued these programmes following mounting pressure for not introducing a populist budget at a time when the Constituent Assembly elections have been scheduled for November 19. Officials at the local development ministry are happy with the transfer of the budget to increase grants for local governments. “These populist programmes were introduced against the decentralisation policy of the country,” said Thapaliya. “The grants to be provided to local bodies are used for locallydetermined projects.”