Nearly nine years after provincial governments were established in Nepal, chief ministers are still grappling with many of the same problems: police integration, civil service management, laws governing shared powers and the distribution of financial resources.
After making joint commitments at earlier gatherings in Pokhara and Hetauda, they have assembled in Biratnagar once again, this time proposing greater cooperation among provinces to address their common challenges.
While continuing to press the federal government for greater authority and resources, the chief ministers have proposed closer partnerships among provinces.
The central finding from the three conferences is clear: although provincial governments have identified their problems and made commitments to resolving them, implementation has fallen short. That remains the main test for the Biratnagar conference.
On September 6-7, 2018, the chief ministers of the seven provinces gathered on a common platform for the first time, at the initiative of Prithvi Subba Gurung, then chief minister of Gandaki. At the time, most provinces had yet to be named.
A second gathering in Pokhara on June 30 and July 1, 2023, produced a 17-point list of demands to the federal government, covering police integration, civil service management, lawmaking, fiscal transfers and the use of natural resources. With little progress on those demands, the chief ministers again voiced their frustration.
Six months after the Pokhara conference, a meeting in Hetauda issued a nine-point joint declaration, citing the failure to implement earlier decisions. As the provinces’ shared problems remained unresolved, the same issues returned to the agenda of the Inter-Provincial Chief Ministers’ Conference 2026, held in Biratnagar on October 13-14.
At the Pokhara conference, the chief ministers of six provinces attended, with the exception of Koshi. This time, all except the chief minister of Sudurpashchim are attending, alongside principal secretaries, officials from the provincial policy and planning commissions, and the chief attorneys.
‘Provinces expected to deliver with their hands tied’
Surendra Raj Pandey, chief minister of Gandaki, said that of the 17 demands submitted to the federal government from the Pokhara conference, only the agenda of issuing driving licences had been addressed, albeit partially. There has been no substantial progress on the remaining demands, he said.
“We were given the authority to print driving licences, but only at the printing press designated by the federal government,” Pandey said.
Expressing frustration at the criticism that provincial governments were failing to deliver because they lacked capacity, Pandey said they were being expected to perform without the necessary powers.
Without the necessary laws, provincial governments cannot deliver services as much as they want, he said.
Pandey said the constitution assigns responsibilities to provincial governments but does not give them the corresponding powers and resources. If provinces are denied the authority needed to function, he argued, the rationale for retaining the federal structure itself is questioned.
“If we are not given the authority, federalism needs to be rethought. Otherwise, we must be given the powers,” he said.
The provinces’ longstanding demands concern police integration, the Federal Civil Service Act, the Education Act, the Forest Act, the transfer of administrative authority and the distribution of fiscal resources. Chief ministers say the absence of an essential legal framework prevents them from fully exercising their constitutional powers.
Pandey said provincial concerns had also been raised at the National Problems Resolution Committee and the National Coordination Council, but neither forum had produced a concrete solution. Delays in enacting laws required to implement federalism had affected provincial operations, he said.
“We will continue raising these demands until they are met,” Pandey said. “It is the federal government’s responsibility to fulfil them.”
Police integration and civil service remain sticking points
Police integration and control over the civil service remain among the most pressing challenges. Although the constitution assigns provincial governments responsibilities for public security and development, chief ministers say they lack control over the administrative machinery and personnel needed to carry out those duties.
Chet Narayan Acharya, chief minister of Lumbini, said the federal government must transfer the administrative powers guaranteed to the provinces by the constitution. Delays in enacting laws governing provincial police and administration have hampered the performance of provincial governments, he said.
“How long must we keep raising the same issues?” Acharya said. “Why have the administrative powers provided for in the constitution still not been transferred to the provinces?”
He said the federal government had withheld some of the powers that provinces were supposed to exercise.
Delays in drafting new laws and amending existing ones also affect provincial development and public service delivery, Acharya said. Fiscal transfers, too, had not been implemented in keeping with the spirit of the constitution.
Krishna Prasad Yadav, chief minister of Madhesh, raised concerns about the federal government’s practice of assigning secretaries to provincial ministries, saying it undermined provincial autonomy. He called for responsibilities to be transferred in line with the powers allocated to the provinces under the constitution’s schedules.
Pandey said provincial governments were not always adequately informed about the arrival and departure of secretaries assigned to their administrations. The provinces’ limited role in personnel management, he said, weakened their administrative autonomy.
Natural resources and land acquisition add to the challenges
Beyond administrative authority, provinces face difficulties in using natural resources, collecting revenue and acquiring land for development projects.
Pandey said unclear divisions of authority and responsibility among the three tiers of government over forests, stones, gravel, sand, mines and minerals had hampered provincial revenue mobilisation. Disputes over forestry laws and the sharing of royalties had further obstructed the use of available resources, he said.
Land acquisition has also delayed development projects. Pandey said provincial governments faced difficulties developing physical infrastructure because they did not even own the land on which provincial assembly buildings and ministries operate.
The chief ministers broadly agree that the mismatch between powers, responsibilities and resources has constrained provincial performance. But provinces also need to assess how effectively they have used the authority and budgets already available to them, increased internal revenues and delivered public services.
Provinces look to partnerships to break the deadlock
With implementation of their earlier demands uncertain, the chief ministers have proposed greater inter-provincial cooperation at the Biratnagar conference.
Madhesh Chief Minister Yadav proposed establishing a Chief Ministers’ Partnership Development Forum, with all seven chief ministers as members. He also suggested the need for a dedicated fund to promote cooperation among provinces and advancing the idea of an inter-provincial investment bank.
Koshi Chief Minister Hikmat Kumar Karki said that their constitutional powers needed a clear interpretation to ensure effective implementation of federalism. He added that provinces should not only demand greater authority but also examine their own shortcomings.
Kiran Thapa Magar, chief minister of Bagmati, called for a clearer delineation of the responsibilities of all three tiers of government. He proposed making climate change, disaster management and economic cooperation among provinces shared priorities.
Karnali Chief Minister Mangal Bahadur Shahi stressed the need to address problems in administrative and fiscal federalism.
Closer cooperation among provinces could open up new opportunities. Joint initiatives in agricultural production and marketing, tourism, infrastructure and disaster management could help provinces use their resources and capacities more effectively.
Although strengthening coordination and cooperation among provinces was a central objective of the conference, Karki said reaching concrete decisions on longstanding federalism-related problems would remain difficult without a common position in dealings with the federal government.
Experts say the Biratnagar conference should review implementation of the 17 demands raised in Pokhara and develop a concrete plan to resolve them. Identifying shared problems and reaching agreement are important, but implementation will also require commitment from the federal government.
“The fact that the same demands have to be repeated even after nine years exposes the gap in the implementation of federalism,” said Khimlal Devkota, an expert on federalism planning.