Govt. urged to bring budget facilitating implementation of federalism

Kathmandu, April 27: The Legislature-Parliament, International Relations and Labour Committee has directed the government to bring budget for the next fiscal year that helps implement the different provisions envisaged by the new constitution such as federalism, and that alleviates the impact of the border blockade on the economy.

The committee that convened here today to discuss on the coming budget instructed all the government ministries and the National Planning Commission (NPC) as well to formulate plans focusing the budget on strategic projects of national importance that can give concrete results and maintain regional balance.

The meeting also decided to issue directives to the government, the Ministry of Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation and the NPC against removing any of the projects that are in the process of implementation after their inclusion in the government’s budget and policy and programmes but which have not been completed till date.

It called for stopping the practice of arbitrarily forming institutions or organisations and the government allocating funds to them at will while underlining the need for allocating the budget only after prioritising personalities making significant contribution to the nation and classifying the institutions instituted to their memory.

The committee also directed all the ministries of the government and the NPC to allocate the budget for the conservation, construction and development of temples and trusts through the Ministry of Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation only from the next fiscal year.

Likewise, the meeting stressed on setting up emergency relief fundat the Nepalese embassies in countries with high number of Nepali migrant workers for the rescue of the Nepali workers who are stranded there and also to make arrangement of keeping a legal officer for providing legal assistance to such workers.

Committee president Prabhu Saha said the meeting also decided to direct the government, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, NPC and the Finance Ministry to allocate adequate budget for mobilising the local law professionals.

NPC member Dr Kripa Sindhu Prasad Chaudhary, Secretary at the Ministry of Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation Prem Rai, Secretary at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Shanker Das Bairagi and Joint Secretary at the Ministry of Finance Ram Sharan Pudasaini spoke on the priorities of their respective offices.

It was also shared in the meeting that the budget for the next fiscal year will be tabled in the parliament on May 28 and the principle and priorities of the budget would be announced 15 days before that.

Lawmakers speaking in the meeting suggested the government to include in the budget the development plans approved by the District Development Committees rather than the ones coming through the indirect channels.