A three-day MToT on local level periodic planning process was successfully completed from 2 to 4 March 2023 at Dhulikhel organized by Provincial and Local Government Programme (PLGSP). The main objective of MToT was to develop key resource person for the facilitation of periodic planning training at province, district and local level, support  and assure the quality of periodic plan formulation process and provide technical assistance support to local governments for the formulation of local level periodic plan through participatory and bottom-up planning process. The MToT was attended 49 officials from National Planning Commission (NPC), MoFAGA, Provincial Policy and Planning Commission (PPPC), District Coordination Officer (DCO) and Chief Administrative Officer (CAO) from selected district and local governments, TA team of PLGSP and planning practitioners. The proportion of women participation in the MToT were found 15 percent. The MoT was facilitated by former Secretary Dr. Teertha Raj Dhakal with the support from planning practitioner Mr. Prem Dawadi. The following 10 subject areas were covered during the three-day MToT which were summarized as below:

• Planning concept, practices and inter-linkages

• Needs and characteristics of the local level periodic plan

• Basis of local level periodic planning and mechanism

• Local level periodic planning process: analysis

• Local level periodic planning process: overall and sectoral visioning

• Local level periodic planning process: developing result framework (overall and sectoral)

• Local level periodic planning process: setting indicator and quantitative targets

• Local level periodic planning process: resource requirement, projection, sectoral allocation and funding source

• Local Level periodic planning process: writing plan document and approval

• Local level periodic planning process: implementing, monitoring and evaluation of the plan

The MToT was organized to oversee the following context. Government of Nepal through National Planning Commission (NPC) issued a local level planning guidelines to provide framework for planning at local level, institutionalize participatory and bottom up planning process and establish linkage between national, provincial and local level policies and plans. The guideline has been issued to streamline local and provincial priorities with national priorities, strategies and targets. It has been assumed that the guidelines has provided overall framework and process of local level planning along with the tools of periodic plan, medium-term expenditure framework (MTEF), annual policy, program and budget formulation.

According to mid-term review report (MTR) of the Fifteen Plan prepared by NPC, 350 local governments have already formulated their periodic plans based on the available guidelines and template with support available from different programmes funded from GoN and development partners including Provincial and Local Government Programme (PLGSP) and along with their own efforts. A the same time, more than 400 local governments could not yet formulate or are not interested to formulate periodic plan for guiding their development efforts and translating the political vision into practice. However, the standard, quality and uniformity of the already formulated periodic plans were seriously questioned. It has been realized by the local governments, provincial government and GoN that mere issue of the guideline is not sufficient to formulate the periodic plan at local level. Moreover, formulation of periodic plan by mobilizing consultancy services through service procurement process for technical assistance is questionable and against the participatory and bottom up planning process. This is happening mainly due to capacity constraints among officials at federal, province and more particularly local level and even the expert team providing the consultancy services on concept, process and tools. Therefore, PLGSP in coordination with MOFAGA organized a three-day Master Training for Trainer to concerned selected officials from NPC, MoFAGA, Provincial Policy and Planning Commission, Local Governments, PLGSP TA Team and experts.

It is expected that the key resource persons developed from the MToT would facilitate the local level periodic formulation training at province, district and local level, support and assure quality of the periodic plan formulation process, and provide the technical assistance to local governments for the formulation of local level periodic plan through participatory and bottom-up planning process.