KATHMANDU, SEPTEMBER 25
The Ministry of Federal Affairs and General Administration has issued a circular to all 753 local levels, directing them to accept the chief administrative officers deputed by it.
The circular follows refusal of some local levels to welcome the CAOs and let them discharge duties.
An official at MoFAGA said elected representatives of 15 local levels had barred the CAOs from signing the attendance register and discharging their functions and duties over a period of oneand-a-half months for allegedly not deputing the CAOs who were committed to working in their favour as per wish of the political parties represented by them.
Though it has been more than seven years since the country embraced the federal system of governance, the power to depute CAOs to the local level still rests with the federal government. The elected representatives of the local levels, who barred the CAOs from attending office, have claimed that the deputation of the CAOs was against the request made to the MoFAGA for sending the CAOs sought by them, the official said.
The circular issued by the MoFAGA read that its serious attention had been drawn to the refusal of the local level to let the CAOs perform their duties. The elected representatives of the local levels in question had also sent the CAOs back without accepting them as their administrative chief. "The MoFAGA has deputed the CAOs as per section 84 of the Local Government Operation Act, 2017," the official said. The section directs the Government of Nepal to depute officer-level employees from civil service to serve as CAO of the local level. MoFAGA warned that service delivery of the local levels and maintenance of administrative good governance were likely to be affected due to the move of some local levels to send the CAOs back without allowing them to discharge their duties. The local levels have been told to let the CAOs perform their duties and to act as per the prevailing laws and the constitution by implementing the spirit of cooperativeness, co-existence and coordination between the federal, provincial and local levels for the delivery of efficient and quality services in a participatory, accountable, and transparent manner.
The CAOs act as secretary of the village/municipal assembly and executive body. Their functions and duties are to enforce the decision of the assembly and executive body, formulate annual programme and budget as per the direction of the chair or mayor, besides monitoring and evaluation thereof, maintain records of the fund and financial transactions and carry out audit, and clear arrears, protect movable and immovable property of the rural municipality or municipality, and maintain administrative and financial control of the rural municipality. They are also responsible for preparing a public procurement plan and carrying out procurement-related works.
A version of this article appears in the print on September 26, 2022 of The Himalayan Times.
