Kathmandu, March 7

The Ministry of Federal Affairs and Local Development has directed all district development committees not to hold district council meeting for the next fiscal 2017/18 in the context of the government’s decision to form new local levels.

Yesterday’s Cabinet meeting had decided to substitute the existing local bodies with local levels in line with the federal set-up. “In this context, we request the DDCs to shun acts and functions relating to district council meeting for the next fiscal,” read a circular issued by the Rural Development Coordination Section of the MOFALD today.

Earlier, the MoFALD had directed the DDCs to fix the date of district council meeting before March 7 citing the announcement of May 14 local level polls. With today’s circular, the DDCs will neither fix the date of meeting nor carry out any functions relating thereto.

The district council includes chief of each VDC, chief of municipality, member of House of Representatives in the district and six others, including one woman, nominated by the district council from various fields. The functions and duties of the district council are to pass the budget, plans and programmes submitted by the DDC; adopt the resolution relating to taxes, charges, fees, tariff, loans or borrowings and internal resources; evaluate the programmes relating to the district plan; hold discussions on the audit reports of the DDC; approve the by-laws; evaluate the administrative functions; grant approval, as required, on the remuneration, number of positions, allowances and other facilities of the employees, among others.

The directive of the government not to hold the district council meeting will affect these activities until further decision.