Provinces and Local Levels Submit Nearly 3,500 Project Proposals for Federal Grants

Around 3,500 project proposals have been submitted by provincial and local levels to the federal government to secure complementary and special grants for the upcoming fiscal year 2083/84.

According to the National Planning Commission (NPC), local levels submitted 3,358 proposals, while provincial levels submitted 140 projects and programs. The NPC had instructed them to submit proposals for projects and programs to be implemented under the federal complementary and special grants for the upcoming fiscal year by the end of Magh last year.

Assistant Spokesperson for the NPC, Dr. Diwakar Luitel, stated that the cost estimates, analysis, and selection of the received projects and programs are currently underway. "We are studying the budget ceiling received for complementary and special grants, the necessity of the received projects and programs, implementation readiness, required documentation, and other details," he said.

The NPC reported that out of the proposals received for these grant titles for the next fiscal year, 2,820 are for new projects and 678 are for ongoing projects and programs. For new projects and programs, 1,464 proposals were submitted for special grants and 1,356 for complementary grants.

Similarly, the NPC stated that 220 proposals were submitted for ongoing projects under the special grant category and 458 under the complementary grant category.

The NPC had instructed the provinces and local levels to submit proposals for grants under these titles in compliance with the provisions of the Complementary Grant Working Procedure, 2082 (First Amendment) and the Special Grant Working Procedure, 2082 (First Amendment). Accordingly, they were asked to submit proposals that do not overlap with projects or programs to be implemented from other sources or those already in operation.

For provinces, the recommendation and endorsement from the respective Provincial Policy and Planning Commission, along with the recommendation of the Provincial Government, were mandatory. For local levels, the recommendation from the Executive Committee was mandatory. The NPC announced that only proposals received through the commission's electronic information management system would be considered for complementary and special grants.

As per the working procedure, to request grants under these titles, a detailed cost estimate including feasibility study, 'drawing', 'design', and 'specification' of the project must be submitted. Documents such as the Environmental Study Report are also required.

The working procedure stipulates that for grant applications, there must be a decision by the respective Executive Committee for local levels, and for provinces, a decision by the Provincial Government's Council of Ministers based on the recommendation of the Provincial Planning Commission.