KATHMANDU: The Nepali Congress — the second largest party in the CA — submitted its incomplete concept paper to the Constituent

Assembly Committee on State Restructuring and Distribution of State Power yesterday.

The committee had earlier written to the party four times to

submit its concept paper immediately. Other parties in the CA have already submitted their views on the issue along with proposed map, number and names of federal states.

The document, submitted by the NC chief secretary Ram Chandra Pokharel, neither mentions about the proposed map nor the number of federal states, which the committee was seeking. The party has suggested constituting a State Restructuring Commission as envisaged by the Interim Constitution to determine the number, name and demarcation of federal states.

“The NC has only come up with a broad outline on federalism and it has suggested constituting the commission to recommend the number and demarcation of the federal states,” said committee secretary Thakur Baral.

The party has suggested that geographical similarity, cultural and ethnic similarity, population distribution, identity, representation and ownership should be ensured while carving the federal states. Economic viability and interrelationship between the federal states and concept of regionalism, local autonomy and decentralisation should also be taken into consideration, the party has suggested.

The NC CA members are scheduled to make presentation of the party’s views on state restructuring in the committee meeting slated for tomorrow.

Although the mid-December is the deadline for submitting

their reports, the CA’s committees on the Forms of Governance,

State Restructuring and Distribution of State Power and Constitutional Committee are yet to submit their concept papers on their respective disciplines.