Chief Minister of Karnali Proposes Placing Local Government Chief Administrative Officers under Provincial Authority

April 18, Surkhet – Karnali Province Chief Minister Yamalal Kandel has suggested that the Chief Administrative Officers (CAOs) of local levels should be placed under the jurisdiction of the provincial government. In an interview on Saturday, Chief Minister Kandel emphasized that the federal government should delegate the responsibility of appointing and managing the local level CAOs to the provincial government.

“Currently, the Ministry of Federal Affairs and General Administration deploys Chief Administrative Officers at the local level. This system creates challenges in coordination, cooperation, and implementation between the different levels of government. Therefore, it is necessary to amend this arrangement to resolve the issues,” he said. He proposed that while the Ministry should technically assign CAOs collectively to the provinces, the office of the Chief Minister and the Council of Ministers should manage vacant positions at the local level within their province.

Chief Minister Kandel highlighted the urgency of finalizing the division of powers swiftly to fully implement federalism as envisioned by the Constitution. “The Constitution sets the relationship among the federal, provincial, and local governments on principles of cooperation, coexistence, and coordination. It clearly defines shared and exclusive powers of each government level to avoid interference and confusion,” he added.

Furthermore, he clarified that the Province and local levels have the authority to legislate and implement laws within their exclusive powers, as long as these laws do not conflict with the Constitution and federal laws. “Hence, when the Province or local governments enact laws or policies within their exclusive rights, there should be no interference from the federal government,” he affirmed.