Niti held a discussion on the 21st of November, 2024, based on its study of Joint Service Arrangements Between Select Local Governments to disseminate its findings and help finalize the publication of the study. The discussion was held between National Natural Resources and Fiscal Commission (NNRFC), members from local bodies associations like National Association of Rural Municipalities in Nepal (NARMIN) and Municipal Association of Nepal (MuAN) and local governance and development experts.
Rajendra Pyakurel from NARMIN helped moderate the discussion after a presentation by the researcher where all participants agreed on the importance of mechanisms like JSAs which foster horizontal collaboration. Chairperson of NNRFC, Balanda Poudel specifically pointed out that granted there is sufficient data to support it, the NNRFC could include JSAs as a form of performance indicator for local governments which impacts the amount of funding they receive from the federal and provincial governments. Many participants encouraged to focus on the financial benefits of the arrangement which will ultimately make local governments more efficient in their service delivery. The discussion ended on the note that although the study is a novel effort JSAs can be adopted by local governments to further strengthen federalism.
