KATHMANDU, Dec. 31 -- The Government of Nepal has officially approved the long-awaited National Urban Policy 2081, which aims to improve urban development across the country. The policy, passed by the Council of Ministers in the last week of December, outlines four main strategies to address urbanization challenges: creating a comprehensive national urban system, expanding access to resilient urban infrastructure, maximizing resource mobilization for urban development, and strengthening coordination and governance within urban management.

One of the key features of the policy is the clear distribution of responsibilities among the three tiers of government - federal, provincial, and local levels. The federal government will be in charge ...