AIN Chairperson Deepak Raj Sapkota led a delegation of Steering Committee (SC) Members Sarah Blin, Sangita Nirola, Arun Rana and External Dialogue & Partnership (EDP) Members Davnews_id Smith and Pralhad Dhakal to pay a courtesy visit to the Ministry of Finance to meet Honorable Minister Dr. Ram Sharan Mahat. Also present in the meeting was Mr. Madhu Marasaini, Joint Secretary and Chief of International Economic Cooperation Coordination Division. The meeting mainly discussed about Development Cooperation Policy, Inter Ministerial Coordination, Representation of INGOs, Setting up Regional Offices of INGOs, Strengthening of SWC, Perception towards INGOs and their image, INGOs commitment in maintaining accountability and transparency and Work Permit concerns
Honorable Minister Dr. Ram Sharan Mahat acknowledged the work of INGOs; he sanews_id he is well aware about INGOs usefulness and shared about his experiences when he worked in Afghanistan. Minister stated that the main intention of bringing all INGOs under Anews_id Management Platform, AMP is to have a proper and periodic recording system of foreign anews_id. However, he remarked that it does not mean that the Government is questioning about INGO's transparency but to track the off budget funds that have not come under government system.
His advice for INGOs was to establish proper coordination, to spread out evenly rather than concentrating in one area, to avonews_id duplication of work, and to divnews_ide the work properly. He emphasized that if the funds are part of development assistance to Nepal and if the agreement is signed between development partners of two countries then the Government has to be accountable to the Parliament. Hence, it has to be accounted through AMP.
Regarding Work Permit hassles, Minister Mahat shared that he has heard similar concerns from the Private Sectors, Banks, Ambassadors and CEOs. He advised to write a letter to Department of Labor with a copy to Ministry of Finance, Women Children and Ministry of Home citing collective cases. He assured to help AIN in streamlining the work permit/visa process and intervene where required.
The Minister also remarked that bureaucracy is the same in all the countries and not only in Nepal. Likewise, Minister Mahat explained that the Media is critical to everyone; they have problem with everyone and they are after the Politicians and the Ministers too.