Project Summary

Project Title: Pro-Active Support for Disclosure of Fiscal and Governance Information
Funding Partner: The Asia Foundation (TAF)
Document Source: projectsummary3.pdf

Overview & Implementation Details

Project: Pro-Active Support for Disclosure of Fiscal and Governance
Information
Funding Partner: The Asia Foundation (TAF)
Start Date: April 25, 2014
End Date: March 20, 2015

Municipal governance is being exercised through 58 municipalities including a metropolitan
(Kathmandu) and three sub metropolitans (Lalitpur, Pokhara and Biratnagar) in Nepal. The
Government of Nepal has established 72 Municipalities in May 2014 (declared on Baishak 25,
2071). Then new 61 municipalities were declared on December 2, 2014 (Mangsir 16, 2071).
Hence, there are a total 191 municipalities. Municipalities in Nepal come in three levels of self-
government: metropolitan city, sub-metropolitan city and municipality. The first level applies to
only one which is Kathmandu, the second one to the 11 sub-metro cities and third one to the 179
Municipalities.
It is reliably learnt that some more municipalities are in the offing. The organizational structures
of the municipalities i.e. power, functions and financial sources, planning responsibilities,
administrative structures, human resource management
systems and relationship with the government of Nepal are as
provisioned in the Local Self Governance ACT 1999
(LSGA), the Local Self Governance Rules, 1999 (LSGR).
However, in the absence of elected representatives and other
attendant structural impediments the governing process and
mechanism in the municipalities is very weak. Moreover,
citizen's access to fiscal and governance information of the
municipalities tends to be very inadequate and poor.
At this backdrop, Institute for Governance and Development (IGD) with support of The Asia
Foundation has implemented the project - “Local Governance Action Research Phase II: Pro-
Active Support for Disclosure of Fiscal and Governance Information” from April 25, 2014
to March 20, 2015. The project has been implemented in concurrence and ownership of Ministry
of Federal Affairs and Local Development (MoFALD), Municipalities. And Partnership of
Freedom Forum (FF), IGD developed standardized website that ensures all information required
for proactive disclosure of fiscal and governance information is accommodated, in close
coordination with EOs/IOs/ICT Volunteers at the municipal level and ICT experts/officials at the
MoFALD. The standard websites have been installed in the 20 targeted municipalities -
Dhangadhi, Amargadhi, Tikapur, Gularia, Nepalgunj, Butwal, Suddharthanagar, Kapilvastu,
Tansen, Ramgram, Pokhara, Lekhnath, Putalibazar, Waling, Baglungbazar, Hetauda, Bharatpur,
Kalaiya, Gaur and Malangawa. A separate server was installed and setup for the website and
web-based information of the municipalities at GIDC in Singhdurbar. Moreover, the project
trained/oriented the IOs and ICT Volunteers to upload existing data and updating the information
in their websites and ICT officials of the MoFALD on operational part of the server.
The project built and followed up on the piloting initiatives held in five municipalities - Dharan,
Dhulikhel, Byas, Dailekh and Dhangadhi during the previous year.

The Overall objective of the project is to enhance Right to Information (RTI) in Nepal.
Moreover, the program intends to contribute towards strengthening capacity of municipalities for
Summary of the Activities at a glance
• Inception Workshop/orientation stakeholders
about program (June 9, 2014, Kathmandu)
• Standard Website design and development and
finalization and Installation, information/data
upload
• IOs, ICT Volunteer and ICT Regional experts
trained/capacitated on website operation
(December 10-11, 2014, Pokhara and 15-16
January Bharatpur)
• Server set up / Installation at GIDC and
Orientation/training for concerned officials
(February 12-13)

pro-active disclosure of fiscal and governance information in the selected cluster of the
municipalities.
The specific objectives are:
 To boost capacity of municipalities to improve access of citizen to fiscal and governance
information for an effective service delivery at the municipal level
 To contribute towards strengthening capacity of municipalities for pro-active disclosure
of fiscal and governance information in the selected cluster of the municipalities
 To strengthen response readiness for RTI

Target Municipalities
The Municipalities for the implementation of the project were selected based on the criteria such
as: Geographical coverage (both hill and Terai), proximity to each other, need etc. The criteria
were set in concurrence with the Ministry of Federal Affairs and Local Development
(MoFALD). The target municipalities were selected and finalized in consultation with the
MoFALD. The list of the clusters and target municipalities is as follows:

Clusters
Municipalities
1.
Dhangadhi
1.
Dhangadhi, Kailali
2.
Tikapur, Kailali
3.
Amargadhi, Dadheldhura
4.
Gularia, Bardiya
5.
Nepalgunj, Banke
2.
Butwal
6.
Butwal, Rupandehi
7.
Siddharthnagar, Rupandehi
8.
Kapilvastu, Kapilvastu
9.
Tansen, palpa
10.
Ramgram, Nawalparasi
3.
Pokhara
11.
Pokhara, Kaski
12.
Lekhnath, Kaski
13.
Putalibazar, Syanja
14.
Waling, Syanja
15.
Baglungbazar, Baglung
4.
Hetauda
16.
Hetauda, Makawanpur
17.
Bharatpur, Chitwan
18.
Kalaya, Bara
19.
Malangawa, Sarlahi
20.
Gaur, Rauthat

Detailed Description of the Actual Services provided

 Coordination and rapport building with MoFALD and Municipalities established
 Disclosure of fiscal and governance Information through the municipal websites
reviewed
 Organizational and IT Capacity Assessment of the target 20 Municipalities
undertaken

 Standard Website for municipalities developed and designed and installed in the
targeted municipalities
 Trainings/orientation provided to the IOs, ICT Volunteers of the 20 Municipalities
and MoFALD/LGCDP Experts
 A separate server for municipal websites and web-based information documentation
set up and installed
 Process leanings of the project activities implementation shared with the stakeholders

Results:
 A guideline/checklist of information to be documented and disclosed through the
municipal websites has been prepared and owned by the MoFALD and the targeted
municipalities.
 Standard Website for Municipalities designed and developed. The website is installed
in the targeted 20 Municipalities. MoFALD is going to plan to install the same
website as a template in each of the 191 municipalities.
 ICT Experts (8 persons), IOs (20 persons), ICT Volunteers (20 persons) of the
targeted 20 municipalities trained on how to upload information/update website
 A separate server for all the municipalities' websites and web-based information
documentation has been set up/installed at GIDC. ICT Experts at MoFALD and
concerned Officials at GIDC (7 persons) have been trained on Server
operationalization
 Information in the website tracked: The websites of the 20 municipalities were
tracked and reviewed the status of information disclosure. The newly installed
websites in the municipalities have been seemed improved in regard to the fiscal and
governance information. The upload of the data/information is smoothly taking place
in the website of some of the municipalities such as Malangawa, Dhangadhi,
Nepalgunj. Likewise, Gulariya and Tikapur seem fairly improved in regard to upload
data/information and update of the website. Amargadhi is in improving position. The
complete of the data/information upload takes time.

Significance & Legacy

This project contributed directly to IGD's institutional knowledge base and helped establish long-term networks among local communities, civic leaders, and government stakeholders.