Nepal's Governance Roadmap Proposes Abolishing Dozens of Public Bodies for Efficiency

The 'Good Governance Roadmap, 2082' unveiled by the government proposes significant structural changes to reform the administration, recommending the abolition of about a dozen public entities, the merger of some, and the transfer of others to provincial and local levels.

The roadmap, made public today by the Office of the Prime Minister and Council of Ministers, states the necessity of restructuring redundant, inactive, or less effective bodies to make the governance system streamlined, effective, and accountable.

The roadmap mentions integrating organizations performing similar functions to make the management of resources, assets, and manpower more effective. Under this, it is proposed to merge the Nepal Mountain Training Academy with the Nepal Tourism and Hotel Management Academy, and to incorporate the Department of Printing, the Law Book Management Committee, and the Security Printing Development Committee into the Security Printing Center.

Similarly, the Nepal Intermodal Transport Development Committee is proposed to be merged with the Nepal Transit and Warehouse Management Company Limited to build a more robust structure, with the possibility of transforming it into an authority if necessary.

Furthermore, the Judicial Service Training Center is to be merged with the Judicial Academy, the Central Law Library Development Committee is to be integrated into the National Library, and various self-employment funds are to be consolidated to establish the 'National Entrepreneurship and Self-Employment Fund'. The roadmap indicates that the Terai-Madhes Prosperity Program would be more appropriate to be transferred to the respective provinces rather than being operated at the federal level.

The roadmap recommends the abolition of some public entities. The work of the Buddhist Philosophy Promotion and Monastery Development Committee is proposed to be managed by Lumbini University and the Department of Archaeology, leading to its abolition.

Moreover, entities that have not performed their functions despite being established for a long time, such as the Minimum Wage Determination Committee, Nepal Railway Board, Urban Public Transport Authority, Land Development Cycle Fund, and various Urban Development Committees, are on the list for abolition.

Some medical college infrastructure and development projects are also on the list for abolition. The Medical College Infrastructure Development Projects in Bardibas, Butwal, and Surkhet are slated for abolition. It is mentioned that these projects should be automatically dissolved upon completion. Additionally, the work of the National Dairy Development Board can be managed by the Department of Livestock Services, and it is proposed to abolish District Election Offices, transferring their responsibilities to the District Administration Offices while establishing election offices at the provincial level.

To simplify administrative processes, the roadmap also recommends abolishing some permit systems. This includes the proposal to remove the labor permit system and the 'No Objection Letter' (NOC) required for foreign studies, which is expected to provide convenience to service seekers.

For strengthening the federal structure, some bodies are suggested to be transferred to provincial and local levels. It is proposed to restructure and transfer the National Chure Conservation Committee to the province, and to hand over the Botanical Research Centers, Animal Disease Investigation Projects, various irrigation projects, and the 'People's Embankment Program' to the respective provinces. Various tourism conservation and development committees are also indicated to be transferred to provincial or local levels.

The Good Governance Roadmap emphasizes the strict implementation of the policy to automatically dissolve committees and projects established with specific objectives, costs, and timelines once their objectives are met.