Officials off to India to learn about federalism

A number of senior government officials have left for India on a study tour.

Seventeen senior officers left for a two-week visit to India, Sunday, to study various issues and aspects related with federalism in India.

This is the second such trip made by Nepalese officials.

"Like the previous visit in May 2008 to India by a group of 16 senior officers of Government of Nepal, this visit also is being organised by the Government of India through the Indian Institute of Public Administration (IIPA), New Delhi – a premier institute of India engaged in the training of civil servants," states a press release by Embassy of India in Kathmandu.

The delegation includes Dr. Uday Raj Sharma, Secretary of Nepal Trust and Sushil Jang Bahadur Rana, Secretary, Election Commission besides other secretaries to the Government, nine Joint Secretaries and six Under Secretaries from various ministries and departments, including Ministries of General Administration; Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs; Peace and Reconstruction; Finance; Information and Communication; Culture, Tourism & Civil Aviation; Education & Sports; as well as National Planning Commission, Public Service Commission and Commission for the Investigation of Abuse of Authority (CIAA).

"The visit has been arranged in response to a request from the Government of Nepal in the context of adoption of federal democracy as Nepal's future political structure. The delegation will visit New Delhi and the states of Tamil Nadu and Pondicherry, where it will meet senior government leaders, parliamentarians and officials to get a close view of India's federal system in work along its various dimensions – ranging from legislative to judicial, administrative, financial and developmental federalism."

The delegation will also visit to the Parliament and state legislatures, Supreme Court and High Courts and interaction with India's Election Commission, Finance Commission, Planning Commission and Inter-State Council have also been arranged.

"The delegation will also visit the Lal Bahadur Shashtri National Academy of Administration at Mussoorie, which provides the foundation and mid-career training for the civil servants of India."

"The visit of these senior officials is part of the on-going initiative for visits to India by the officials of the Government of Nepal under the India-Nepal Economic Cooperation Programme. Government of India will expand opportunities for study and exposure visits to the Nepalese civil servants in various focus areas so as to further strengthen awareness of each other's systems and reinforce the friendly, professional and close relations that characterize the interaction between the civil servants of the two countries," the press release adds. nepalnews.com sd Aug 24 08