Janakpurdham: People's representatives from Madhesh Province have expressed concerns that federalism in Nepal is being questioned due to the delay in the devolution of power as per the constitution.

During an interactive seminar organized by the secretariat of the National Coordination Council at the Office of the Prime Minister and Council of Ministers, representatives in Madhesh criticized the federal government for failing to devolve power to the provinces and local levels.

Chief Minister of Madhesh Province, Saroj Kumar Yadav, highlighted the need to eliminate legal ambiguities to clarify the jurisdiction of all three tiers of government. He acknowledged that unclear laws were impeding development projects and service delivery, emphasizing the need to broaden and clarify existing constitutional provisions to make federalism more accessible to the people.

Speaker of Madhesh Province, Ramchandra Mandal, noted that the expected results of federalism had not been delivered because traditional attitudes and behaviors had not adapted to the federal republic. He stressed that institutions without the appropriate rights would not fulfill the spirit of the federalism movement.

Minister for Physical Infrastructure Development in the province, Krishna Prasad Yadav, argued that discussing the responsibilities of the three tiers of government was futile when the rights guaranteed by the constitution had not been devolved. He pointed out that Madhesh Province was suffering due to inadequate resource allocation, including budgetary resources based on population and the human development index.

Pradip Yadav, Chair of the Municipality Association in Madhes Province, echoed these sentiments, emphasizing that the provincial government could not function effectively without control over finances and security. He called on the federal government to complete the remaining tasks of administrative federalism promptly.

In response to questions, Krishna Hari Puskar, Secretary at the Office of the Prime Minister and Council of Ministers, stated that the federal government was working on necessary legislation to support federalism.

During the event, people's representatives worked in five different groups to provide feedback to the federal government regarding the devolution of power and the implementation of federalism.

The seminar aimed to gather information to assess the jurisdiction of the three tiers of government in Nepal.