H.E. Shri Deependra Bickram Thapa, Secretary in the office of Prime Minister and Council of Ministers of Nepal, inaugurated a one-day Workshop “Local Development in Nepal and India: Challenges, Opportunities and Prospects for Cooperation” for the Local Development Officers (LDOs) of Nepal today at Gokarna. The Workshop is being organized by the Embassy of India, Kathmandu in association with the Ministry of Local Development, Government of Nepal and B.P. Koirala India-Nepal Foundation. The Workshop follows the study visits of all LDOs of Nepal to India for exchange of experience and ideas on development administration, which were undertaken since December 2007 to May 2008. It aims at encapsulating experiences of these study visits. About 70 LDOs, apart from senior officials of various Ministries of Government of Nepal, senior officials from various organizations such as National Planning Commission, the National Foundation for Uplift of Indigenous Nationalities, etc. and experts on economy and development are participating in the Workshop.

In his inaugural address, Secretary Shri Thapa stressed the need for continued interaction among development administrators of India and Nepal. The Ambassador of India & Co-Chairman of B.P. Koirala India-Nepal Foundation Shri Rakesh Sood emphasized that such study visits constitute an important component of India-Nepal Economic Cooperation Programme and also appreciated the role of the LDOs in implementing various projects under the programme which at present has more than 280 large and small projects running in all 75 districts of Nepal with a total outlay of NR 22 billion. Secretary in the Ministry of Development, Government of Nepal H.E. Shri Ganga Dutta Awasthi appreciated the study visits and organization of the Workshop and hoped that such endeavours will contribute both to strengthening India-Nepal cooperation and exchange of valuable experience for progress and prosperity of the two countries.

The Workshop includes presentation of papers by senior officers of the Ministry of Local Development who had led the study visits to India, in five working sessions namely: (i) Overview of Indian Administrative System; (ii) Local Planning Process: A Comparative of Experiences of India and Nepal; (iii) Social Inclusion and Social Justice: Some experiences from India in the context of Nepal; (iv) Local Governance and Democracy: Indian Experience and its Relevance for Nepal; and (v) Right to Information: Tool for Governance and Development. These sessions are chaired by senior officers of Government of Nepal and eminent experts from Nepal and India as panelists, who include Mr. B.S. Baswan, Director of Indian Institute of Public Administration, India’s premier public administration institute, and other senior faculty members of the Institute.