“The Decentralization of Authority Has Made ‘Singa Darbar in Every Village’ Possible” – Speaker Mandal

Kathmandu: Ramchandra Mandal, Speaker of Madhesh Province, stated that sending the authority of Singha Durbar to the provinces and villages is a matter of pride.

Speaking as a special guest at the book launch of “Gaun Gaun Ma Singha Durbar”, published by Apsara Gautam in Kathmandu, Speaker Mandal explained that in the past, policies, regulations, and budget allocations were decided solely at Singha Durbar.

However, now that Singha Durbar’s authority has been decentralized to provinces and local levels, it is referred to as “Gaun Gaun Ma Singha Durbar.”

Speaker Mandal emphasized that the powers enshrined in the Constitution should be distributed among the people. He added that since the Constitution belongs to everyone, it must be accepted collectively. He also suggested that if needed, any political party could secure a two-thirds majority to amend the Constitution.

He criticized the central and provincial governments for interfering in each other’s powers, saying, “The federal government intervenes in provincial matters, and provinces infringe upon others’ rights.

The Constitution lists shared powers, but the center still makes laws—doesn’t this count as encroachment?” He noted that federalism can be implemented more effectively only if the center respects its limits.

Speaker Mandal also urged provinces to demonstrate their capabilities. He highlighted that the central government’s retention of a larger portion of the budget has caused financial difficulties for provincial and local governments.

He stressed the need to establish a joint mechanism to systematically manage the list of shared powers mentioned in the Constitution.

He praised the publisher and editor, Apsara Gautam, for publishing a book that links federalism, the Constitution, federal arrangements, provincial governments, and local authorities.

The book features contributions from 33 individuals, including provincial chief ministers, speakers, provincial heads, constitutional experts, former ministers, journalists, federalism experts, and parliamentarians. This 300-page book covers topics concerning all three levels of government.