KATHMANDU, JANUARY 18

Most of the local levels have failed to comply with the 'Local Level Institutional Capacity Self-evaluation Procedure', which aims to identify the strengths and weaknesses of local governments through assessment of their performance and outcomes for the purpose of making them competitive and more effective.

As per the first amendment to the procedure, it is mandatory for the local levels to complete their self-evaluation and publish the results through their respective websites and notice boards by the first week of Magh (before December-end) each fiscal after approval from the executive office. An official at the Local Level Coordination Unit under the Ministry of Federal Affairs and General Administration said most of the local units seemed to have taken this provision for granted, contrary to the law. Nearly 70 per cent of local units are yet to complete their self-evaluation.

He informed that a circular was also issued to them to complete their self-assessment and publish the results without further delay. The thematic areas for self-evaluation of local units include governance arrangements, organisation and administration, annual budget and planning management, fiscal and financial management, public service delivery, judicial performance, physical infrastructure, social inclusion, environment protection and disaster management, and coordination and collaboration.

According to the MoFAGA, each of the thematic areas have separate indicators for self-evaluation. Maximum mark per indicator has been fixed at 1.

Poor performance, moderate performance and excellent performance will get 0, 0.5 and 1 respectively. 'The local levels are required to complete their self-evaluation and publish the results through their respective websites and notice boards by the first week of Magh each fiscal. Similarly, the final results should be sent to the concerned district coordination committee, Office of the Chief Minister and Council of Ministers of the province, and the MoFAGA by mid-January of each fiscal,' the official said.

The concerned departments, divisions and sections are involved in self-evaluation of the thematic areas.

The chief administrative officer designates a focal person, and the concerned departments, divisions and sections to provide the results of indicators determined for each thematic area to the focal person. Subsequently, the focal person consolidates the results of self-evaluation of the local level to the executive office chief administrative officer for approval before publication of its results through the website and notice board. The MoFAGA said it will prepare a consolidated report comprising the self-evaluation results of all 753 local levels and conduct capacity development programmes for such local governments which show poor results.

A version of this article appears in the print on January 19, 2022, of The Himalayan Times.