Biratnagar Tops Fiscal Commission Ranking, Kathmandu Sits Rock Bottom Among Metropolitan Cities

National Natural Resources and Fiscal Commission has ranked Biratnagar Metropolitan City as the best-performing local government in the current fiscal year, with a score of 78.11 percent based on 17 performance indicators.

Lalitpur Metropolitan City secured second position with 76.33 percent, followed by Bharatpur with 68.08 percent, Pokhara with 58.76 percent, Birgunj with 54 percent and Kathmandu Metropolitan City with 44.97 percent in the ranking released on Thursday.

Nagarjun Leads in Kathmandu District

Among the 11 local governments in Kathmandu district, Nagarjun Municipality ranked highest with 70.63 percent.

Other municipalities in the district scored as follows: Kageshwari Manohara (61.82 percent), Kirtipur (62.15 percent), Chandragiri (67.59 percent), Tokha (65.67 percent), Tarakeshwar (59.29 percent), Gokarneshwor (56.78 percent), Shankharapur (55.20 percent), Dakshinkali (53.22 percent) and Budhanilkantha (51.39 percent).

In Bhaktapur district, Bhaktapur Municipality scored 68.32 percent, followed by Suryabinayak (66.52 percent), Changunarayan (62.59 percent) and Madhyapur Thimi (50.92 percent).

In Lalitpur district, Mahankal Rural Municipality scored 72.99 percent, Konjyosom 68.79 percent, Bagmati 67.84 percent, Mahalaxmi 51.78 percent and Godawari 40.93 percent.

How the Commission Evaluates

The commission evaluates local governments based on 17 indicators related to fiscal discipline, governance and service delivery. These include whether the executive body presents the annual budget by mid-June (Asar 10), approves revenue estimates, and deposits 40 percent of revenue collected from property registration fees and entertainment tax into the provincial consolidated fund on a monthly basis.

Other criteria include conducting and publishing an annual budget review by mid-November, mobilising revenue within the local government’s jurisdiction, spending performance relative to allocated budgets, and settlement of audit irregularities.

The indicators also assess whether local governments use the Local Consolidated Fund Management System, prepare periodic plans, and submit performance details through the commission’s electronic portal within the stipulated timeframe.

In the social sector, the commission reviews net enrolment rates of children aged five to 12 in grades 1–8, student retention from grade 8 to grade 9, and the proportion of grade 10 students in community schools securing at least a GPA of 1.6 in the Secondary Education Examination.

Health-related indicators include the proportion of women completing at least four antenatal care visits and the percentage of fully immunised children.

The commission conducts the evaluation annually to assess the performance of municipalities and rural municipalities and to guide fiscal transfers and policy improvements. -- RSS