Local Self Governance in Development

For empowering citizens and improving local communities, local communities should have the control over decision making in their projects. Power and resources should be devolved from the central government to local bodies. Local bodies can fasten the decision making with the local citizens, and can allocate the resources with the involvement of the communities. 

While the goals are to promote the democracy and citizen participation, and if the locals who are themselves to be benefited from the development are not involved, then the sustainable development itself can not be imagined. Furthermore, social inclusion and equity is unlikely when the local bodies are not made responsive in such approaches. Similarly, the capacity of local bodies need to assessed to be really self-sufficient. Challenges are surely in funding and accountability, which are always in any governance system all around.

How local self-governance can approach development?

- understanding of the local needs, thoughts and wishes

* locals' challenges, opportunities, are unique compared to other places, who else would understand them better than the local leaders and local bodies.

* prioritization becomes essential, some times due to funding; in such assistance, local self-governance can prioritize the development projects, like not all villages need roads first-sometimes clean water access can be the issue

-  citizen participation

* a sense of ownership can developed within the citizens when one participates in that development work or when his voice is heard, accepted, respected or even when his fully explained why his thoughts might not be correct in the process,

* innovation and sustainable solutions can be  contributed from the locals themselves

- service delivery

* citizen feedbacks are to be heard by the local government; the responsiveness of the local governments can better the local needs developing the trust with the local government

- social security 

* empowering the marginalized groups, for equitable development

- sustainable development

* local government can be interested in the principles of the sustainable development by conservation, resource management, to which local communities can share the similar interests

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Local Government in Nepal:

* Article 226 of the constitution empowers the local governments to enact laws covering exclusive and concurrent rights outlined in schedule 8 and 9 respectively.

* Article 228 provides the rights for the local government to own and manage their own property, collect taxes and receive the final resources from the federal government. Article 229 establishes the provision for the local consolidated fund in the local bodies. 

* Article 235 of the constitution requires the local governments to follow the coordination. 

* Article 102 of Local Governance Operation Act 2017 affirms the provision for the local governments to formulate primary laws as well as delegated laws (secondary laws) such as regulations, guidelines, procedures and standards.