Project Overview
Executive Summary
The project entitled as "Improving Public Financial Management of Chaumala and Masuriya VDCs of Kailali district through Citizens' Engagement, Phase-I” was implemented by Rastriya Dalit Network (RDN) Nepal with the financial support of Centre for International Studies and Cooperation (CECI). The project was implemented at 2 VDCs (Chaumala and Masuriya) of Kailali district for the period from 1 May, 2013 to 28 Feb, 2014 targeting VDC, DDC, other likeminded government and non-government agencies (CFUGs, HMC, HMC, Users groups), political parties, media etc. The justification of the project is that dozens of mechanisms and tools have been developed to manage the social accountability challenges of public financial management like budget preparation, dissemination and analysis, public expenditure and public procurement monitoring. The government of Nepal has also made laws and institutional mechanism for the development of public financial management and effective streamline of public resource. Although having institutional, legal and citizen structures, it is less realized the integrity yet in their working procedures and existing practices.
Overall Objective: To strengthen the transparency, efficiency and inclusiveness of public finance management in target areas through fostering the use of social accountability tools.
Outcomes:
Outcome 1: Target group of the project will have increased awareness about the budget process of local government in particular VDC budget and they will be able to analyze the VDC budget from the lens of gender and pro-poor.
Outcome 2: Selected member from target group of the project will be able to track the expenditures of the VDCs
Outcome 3: Selected members of the target group of the project will have the capacity to monitor the public procurement process of the projects executed from the budget of VDCs
Outcome 4: Increased transparency and efficiency in public financial management of the local bodies through constructive citizen engagement
Outputs:
Output -1: A report on budget analysis of at least one fiscal year of both VDCs produced as a result of gender and pro-poor budget analysis by trained citizen groups of both VDCs)
Output- 2: A report on public expenditure tracking of at least one budget head of at least one fiscal year of both VDCs by trained citizen groups
Output -3: A report on public procurement monitoring of at least one current project of both VDCs by trained citizen groups
Output-4: Increased engagement of citizens, citizen groups and service providers for better results in the day to day affairs of VDCs
Key Activities:
Activities required to produce output-1:
Activity 1.1: Budget literacy orientation
Activity 1.2: Production and dissemination of informative reading materials on local budget
Activity 1.3: Production and dissemination of radio program on local budget
Activity 1.4: Orientation on Budget analysis
Activity 1.5: Participatory budget analysis
Activities required to produce output-2:
Activity 2.1: Orientation to volunteers on PETS
Activity 2.2: Developing PETS questionnaire, pre-test, revision and printing
Activity 2.3: Data Collection
Activity 2.4: Data entry, data cleaning and data tabulation
Activity 2.5: Analysis, interpretation and report
Activities required to produce output-3:
Activity 3.1: Orientation to citizen monitoring committee
Activity 3.2: Field observation by citizen monitoring committee
Activity 3.3: Inspection of record and documents of VDC and user committee
Activity 3.4: Periodic meeting of citizen monitoring committee
Activity 3.5: Preparation of report of the procurement monitoring of one project
Activities required to produce output-4:
Activity 4.1: Initial consultation meeting with service providers
Activity 4.2: Initial consultation with target groups at VDC level
Activity 4.3: VDC level dialogue with citizens to disseminate the result/findings of budget analysis, PETS and Public Procurement Monitoring
Activity 4.4: Project review meeting at district level
