Agenda I proposed for Planning Symposium- Brainstorming

The Gross National Happiness Commission is planning to carry out a ground work for 11th FYP. Will be organizing a Planning Symposium cum brainstorming session to discuss range of issues. Following are some day to day pertinent issues, we may have to look into;

1. The Implementation of Annual Grant System: Though in principle we have the annual grant Guidelines, I believe it is only half way that we are implementing. We are still in mind set of implementing the previous planning and budgeting cycle due to lots of constraint like, changing the Engineer personnel mind set and for that matter even sector heads, lack of skills of GT and DT members to adapt to change etc. So, i think we still need to find ways to solve those issues and implement the Annual Grant Guidelines effectively for LG planning. I think the guidelines if implemented effectively will solve most of the problems we face at the moment of delaying the plans implementation.

2. The understanding between GNHC and Department of Budget has to be very clear with the process of Budgeting. GNHC saying one thing and Dept. of budget always with their own reservation affects a lot during the budget preparation. So, GNHC and Dept. of Budget has to first come to the mutual agreement and provide clear guidelines to LGs.

3. The capacity of Development of LG has to be a priority with more of financial decentralization. Department of Local Governance, RCSC and LDD has to do more.

4. With regard to PLaMS. I won’t say it is a failure but definitely is not a success also. Everyone, I think agree with me that PLaMS over the last years of implementation did not go well as we expected. The PlaMS as web-based system did not do much help to us as planning and monitoring tools.If you really go into the details of idea behind coming up with PLaMS and evaluate the present functioning system of PLaMS, I think we have to accept that we really could not make it an effective tools as we planned. But there are lots of factors contributing for that as we all know. I think we need to either simplify or for that matter if need be, we have to work it more seriously. Both central agency responsible and LG should look into the details and come up with solution.

5. With LG Act in place, I think there will be lots of changes in functioning unlike present system. But who is really responsible for looking after the LGs unit and its evaluation. If we really go by the principle polices that we have in place like, LG Act, Annual Grant Guidelines, Procurement Rules etc there will be no problems in LG. But the fact is that it has never been like that. Definitely, we need to ask ourselves why? And for that matter, it is not that reasons are unknown to us, every one of us know the problems including the central agencies but sad thing is that the will to pursue with solution to that problems are way behind keeping in pace of changes. I think we should be focusing more on finding solution rather than always documenting the problems with huge expenses.