Concept of Development
Development is a positive and progressive change. The ultimate goal of development is to upgrade the standard of human life. Development indicates the economic and social progress of the people. It brings gradual progress in the existing condition of the country. Development is related with the fulfillment of human needs and upgrading the satisfaction level of people since the concept of development covers the social, economic and cultural progress. Human resource plays an important role in the development and also can lead the development towards the desired direction.
Various human and natural resources and means are required for the development. Rivers,
land, forest, minerals, etc are the natural resources and means whereas skilled manpower, technology, trainings, etc are human resources and means. Development covers various dimensions like rural, urban, community, human resource, economic development, environment conservation, climate change, administrative improvement, etc. A planned and environment friendly development helps in both environment conservation and fulfillment of human needs. It fulfills the basic needs of people by which people get the opportunity to attain and use their civic rights, live a life with dignity and the opportunity for personal development, social and economic progress. So, development activities should be carried out for the progress of the country.
Need of Development
Ü To make the human life easy, prosperous and joyful by fulfilling the needs,
Ü To increase the self dependence and competence,
Ü To ensure economic and social transformation, and
Ü To change traditional thought into contemporary.
Concept of Regional Development
This is a concept to develop the country by dividing it into different administrative units.
The concept of regional development is related with strengthening the administration of the
country. The main objective of this concept is fast and easy delivery of service to people.
With the objective of achieving balanced, effective and speedy development in all parts of the country, the concept of regional development was brought into implementation. According to this concept, Nepal was divided into 4 development regions in 2029 BS and into 5 development regions in 2037 BS including Mountain, Hill and Terai regions in each.
On the basis of landform, Nepal is divided into 3 geographical regions: Mountain region, Hilly region and Terai region. It is difficult to run development works in mountain and hilly region due to difficult topography. The Terai region has plain and fertile land. So, it is comparatively easier to develop the infrastructures of development in Terai region. With the objective of developing all the parts of the country from the administrative point of view, Nepal was divided into 14 zones and 75 districts on 1st Baishakh, 2018 BS.
Federalism
Federalism is an important concept of decentralization of power. Decentralization of power means the delegation of power from centre to the provinces and local level. Thus, federalism is a system of governance in which power is shared between a central authority an constituent political units. Nepal had been practising unitary form of governance since unification. However this system was not able to achieve development goals of the country and also seen as an ‘exclusive form of rule’. Federalism is seen as an inclusive practice for Nepal. So, with the view of proportionate development in all parts of the country by appropriate distribution and mobilization of resources and reducing the economic, social and religious discrimination, the country has been transformed into federal structure. Nepal became a federal democratic republican state since 15th Jestha, 2065 BS. According to the concept of federal system, Nepal has been divided into 7 provinces. Now, each province has a separate government along with a federal government at centre. There are three tiers of authority: central, provincial and local. From this system, people can utilize the resources and means of their region, earn income, consume and participate in the development of their region.
There are two types of federal system: one, by uniting the states like in the US, and other, by dividing a country into different provinces like in Nepal. At present, about 25 countries of the world have the federal system. This system is in practice in India, the USA, Canada, Belgium, Spain, Australia, Ethiopia, South Africa, Switzerland, etc. In this system, states or provinces are formed on the basis of geography, history, ethnicity and language, region, population, availability of resource, etc. Nepal has been divided into 7 provinces on the basis of identity and capability. The Constitution of Nepal has distributed the state power to central, provincial and local units.
Positive Aspects of Federalism
No political system is perfect in itself. Every political system has its positive and challenging aspects. Some positive aspects of the federal system are:
Ü Maintains close relation between the state and its people,
Ü Settles conflict at local level,
Ü Utilizes means and resources,
Ü Accelerates development activities,
Ü Increases public participation in government activities,
Ü Conserves local and ethnic art, culture and heritages,
Ü Maintains balance in population distribution,
Ü Doesn’t depend upon the centre for everything,
Ü Runs the provinces smoothly even if the central government is dissolved.
Challenging Aspects of Federal System
Besides the good aspects of federal system, it may create some problems and challenges,
like:
Ü Unequal distribution of means and resources between the states may cause unequal development and misunderstanding among the states.
Ü There may be conflict between the states regarding the use of natural resources of border areas.
Ü Federal system of government is more expensive; hence there may be lack of sufficient budget for its successful operation.
Ü There may be misunderstanding between federal government and provincial government regarding the sharing of power and authorities.
Ü Provinces may demand for a different and a separate state which can threaten the national security and integrity.
Ü The cultural and ethnic diversity can be a challenge regarding the state language and maintaining equal recognition to all cultural groups.