Kathmandu, November 22:

Three-tier government proposed.

Minister for Culture and State Restructuring Gopal Kiranti today proposed to create 800 districts (local bodies) out of the total 927 ilakas of the existing 75 districts, 3,913 Village Development Committees and 60 municipalities.

The remaining 127 ilakas can be adjusted within the 800 districts, Minister Kiranti said. He said the number of proposed districts could be revised when the State Restructuring Commission came up with its final proposal. He also said that it was not an interference with the jurisdiction of the proposed State Restructuring Commission.

“This is my personal view and the name and number of the local bodies can be determined by the sovereign Constituent Assembly,” Kiranti said at a press conference held at his residence today.

He also admitted the fact that his party had yet to come up with official stance on the local bodies. “I developed this concept after consulting the Prime Minister,” he said, adding that public debate was must to reach final conclusion in this regard.

Kiranti said he had to propose this concept on his own because experts on the local bodies were yet to be appointed in his ministry. He has been operating his ministry from his official residence in Minister Quarters, Lalitpur, due to lack of space in the Singha Durbar.

He said there would be 800 district headquarters, the same number of townships or business centres, hospitals, universities and communes.

“The concept of developing 800 districts is to bring the state machinery close to the people and to ensure service delivery at their doorsteps,” he said.

Minister Kiranti also proposed to create Sherpa Autonomous State in the northeastern region of the country, not proposed by the CPN-Maoist, and to constitute four economic development councils as administrative agencies of the federal government to coordinate with federal states.

According to his proposal, Koshi Development Council will coordinate with the proposed Kirant, Kochila, Limbuwan and Sherpa states; Gandaki Development Council will coordinate with the Tamsaling, Newa and Tamuwan states; and Karnali Development Council will coordinate with the Magarat, Khasan (Bheri-Karnali), Doti (Seti-Mahakali) and Tharuwan states. Tarai-Madhes Development Council will coordinate with the proposed Awadh, Bhojpura and Mithila States.

Kiranti said the proposed economic development councils would assist the federal states

in the economic and planning sectors. He also said there would be three tiers of governance

— federal government at the centre, autonomous federal states and local bodies — along

with specific rights of the respective bodies.