Provincial government performance weak, no province scores above 46 points
Dhangadhi: The performance of provincial governments has been rated weak, as they have struggled to effectively fulfill key responsibilities such as law enforcement, air pollution control, and forest area expansion.
The assessment of all seven provinces for fiscal year 2081/82, conducted by the National Natural Resources and Finance Commission based on 11 indicators, revealed disappointing results. According to the commission’s report released on Thursday, no provincial government scored more than 46 points out of a total of 100. Despite being close to the passing mark, provinces failed to achieve excellent results.
Sudurpaschim Province received the highest score this year with 45.70 points, down from 51.60 points last year. Koshi Province ranked second with 44.29 points, compared to 50.90 points last year. Madhesh Province remained at the bottom with 27.28 points, declining from 30 points last year.
Bagmati Province secured third place with 42.46 points, while Gandaki, Lumbini, and Karnali provinces scored 37.91, 34.71, and 32.26 points, respectively.
Juddha Bahadur Gurung, acting chairman of the commission, noted that provincial performance has deteriorated compared to previous years. He highlighted that a new pollution-related indicator was included this year, for which all provinces received zero points due to increased pollution levels.
Additionally, four provinces received zero points for failing to increase forested areas. The commission also noted that constitutional provisions requiring provinces to provide conditional grants to local levels, based on criteria set by the commission, have not been implemented, contributing to lower scores.
Overall, the performance of all provinces, including Sudurpaschim, has been deemed weak, reflecting challenges in governance, resource management, and implementation of development priorities.
Dineshkhabar Desk