Powerless provinces

A decade into the federal experiment, the utter neglect of the seven provinces continues.

The centrality of provinces in the healthy functioning of federal Nepal cannot be emphasised enough. Nearly a decade after Nepal’s embrace of federalism, the country’s provincial governments remain in a state of limbo. This has not only tarnished their image in the eyes of the general public but cast doubt on their very existence. People from different walks of life are calling for ditching the provinces altogether. But amid these calls, it is once again worth asking what has rendered the provinces ineffective. A small example from Karnali Province exemplifies the hurdles that provinces face. In 2019, the province came up with the idea of having an integrated administrative building to enhance its service delivery. But the project couldn’t get off the ground as the federal Ministry of Urban Planning never permitted the province to use the land at the proposed site. This case speaks volumes about the federal-provincial divide: If a province has to beg with the federal government for years to put up a building, what are its chances of getting more substantive rights and resources?