Kathmandu, September 16

The government has issued Constituency Development Programme (Operation Procedure, Seventh Amendment) Regulation to permit lawmakers, both elected and nominated, to carry out development programmes.

According to the regulation published in the Nepal Gazette on September 11, any member of Parliament elected either under the first-past-the-post electoral system or nominated under proportional representation, who allocate 51 per cent or more of the budget received for the programme to the concerned constituency, may become its programme director or a committee member.

The MP may select any constituency of a district of his/her choice to operate the programme. The remaining amount after such allocation may be distributed to any other constituency of the district for the purpose of development programme.

The programme will be selected by the MP or his/her representative. While selecting the programme, the MP or his/her representative will be required to select one programme amounting to no less than one million rupees or up to 20 programmes worth over Rs 100,000 which could be completed within a year.

For this, the member fo Parliament should chalk out an implementation schedule and submit it to the District Technical Office by the end of Asoj (mid-October) of each fiscal.

“If the MP fails to select a programme or project and submit the same to the DTO within the time-frame for any reason whatsoever, the Ministry of Federal Affairs and Local Development may extend the period not exceeding one month,” said the new amendment.

Once the programme is approved, DTO will write to the District Treasury Control Office to release the budget. Any amount not spent by the end of fiscal shall be returned to the DTCO.

The programmes that may be selected include river, gorge and landslide control and irrigation; construction and upgradation of roads; water supply, sanitation, waste management and construction of landfill site; project concerning school, library and sports; biodiversity and environmental protection; renewable energy, micro hydropower and electrification; construction of health post, maternity home, community building, old age home, orphanage, rehabilitation centre and agri-product collection centre; and income generating and skill training programmes.

“No member of Parliament shall use the amount for his private purpose, provide it to political parties and their sister organisations, and distribute it to non-governmental organisations and persons,” states the law.