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NC seeks FinMin’s resignation over ‘leak’

The opposition Nepali Congress has demanded Finance Minister Bishnu Poudel’s resignation on moral grounds as information about the size of the budget and its priorities was disseminated a day before the budget was presented to Parliament. NC seeks FinMin’s resignation over ‘leak’

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Published at : May 30, 2016

Updated at : May 30, 2016 08:35

Kathmandu

The government on Saturday presented a Rs1048.92 billion budget, exceeding the Rs 909 billion ceiling set by the National Planning Commission.

NC lawmakers Bimalendra Nidhi and Ram Hari Khatiwada, among others, raised the issue during a joint meeting of the largest party’s Parliamentary Party and the Central Working Committee.

The meeting held on the Legislature-Parliament premises in New Baneshwor on Sunday morning criticised the budget presented by the CPN-UML-led coalition government as lacking policy- and structural-level arrangements for its implementation.

A day before the finance minister presented the budget to lawmakers, some newspapers had reported about its size and major programmes.

The NC concluded that the budget for the fiscal year 2016-17 violated fiscal discipline so it could not be implemented. The meeting also decided to take strong position during deliberation in the House on the Financial Bill.

Former Finance Minister Ram Sharan Mahat said that the budget broke the ceiling set by the National Planning Commission. This would invite financial “anarchy’ as the projects were proposed without research. “This is a baseless budget that only aims to please all,” Mahat told the meeting.

On the proposed rail link between Kathmandu and China, Mahat said the government had presented the five-year project as if trains would cross the border at Kerung into Nepal soon.

Another former finance minister and NC leader Mahesh Acharya also came down heavily on the budget saying that it would be difficult to meet the revenue target at a time when agriculture output has decreased and industrial environment not favourable. Acharya added that many programmes outlined in the budget were too ambitious to be carried out as foreign aid would be unavailable in the expected amount.

Party leaders attending the meeting said the budget would increase inflation and negatively impact the economy.

Welcoming the decision to increase the salary of government employees and the house rent allowance for parliamentarians, the leaders said it would ultimately increase the cost of living for the ordinary people.

Leader Ramesh Lekhak said the ambitious budget would not be implemented, citing the example of the current fiscal year in which 20 percent of the funds are yet to be spent.

Coalition partner RPP-N expresses discontent

KATHMANDU: Rastriya Prajatantra Party (Nepal), a major coalition partner in the government, has expressed its displeasure over the budget.

Some components of the budget seem positive, but there are some serious lapse in it due to lack of discussion among the parties, said party Chairman and Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Foreign Affair Kamal Thapa.

The party has serious reservations over discriminatory allocation of budget under the constituency development programme, said party Spokesperson Mohan Shrestha, referring to the RPP-N meeting on Sunday to discuss about the budget.

The budget presented by Finance Minister Bishnu Prasad Poudel on Saturday has allocated each lawmaker Rs 5 million for constituency development programme and Rs30 million for each 240 electoral constituencies.

While the salary hike of the civil servants was a welcome step, it will only benefit the senior level officers not the lower ones, Shrestha added.

He said that though the government’s policies and programmes spelled out the promotion of Sanatan Dharma, it has failed to earmark funds to implement it.

Budget is on right track: PM Oli

While strongly defending the Budget, Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli has said the criticisms that the budget tabled by government on Saturday was of ‘huge size’ and ‘distributive’ are baseless.

Speaking at the parliamentary party meeting of the CPN-UML at its Parliamentary Party office in New Baneshwor on Sunday, PM Oli said the comments were just a part of the trend that an opposition party has to express disagreement over the ruling party’s act. Oli, who is also chairman and PP leader of UML, challenged the opposition parties to come up with evidence to show where and how the budget was

distributive.

He said the budget is oriented towards development of the country, advancement of the people and socialism as envisaged in the new constitution. “The budget comprises clear policy and approach in taking the country ahead, and with the goal of enforcement”, he said.

On remarks from various quarters on the size of the budget unveiled on Saturday, the PM said that the size of the budget is smaller by four percent as compared to previous one.

He also said that the government has allocated budget in various sectors with due responsibility for the development of the country. The Prime Minister said the principles of the budget advocate development and prosperity of the country. “Implementation of the budget will show what ways should be adopted to develop a country,” he said.

Responding to criticism of the budget by various quarters, Finance Minister Bishnu Prasad Poudel said that the criticism was made on the ground that the government has brought a very popular budget, but not the fact that they disliked it.

He defended the budget, saying that it has accorded high-priority to the construction of federal structures, local elections, agriculture and energy.

CPN-UML chief whip Bhanu Bhakta Dhakal termed the budget as good and urged all lawmakers to support it, and lend support to pass it.

He said that a good message would be spread if a campaign regarding good aspect of government’s policies and programmes would be launched across the nation.

Vice-Chairman of the National Planning Commission, Yubraj Khatiwada, said that attention was paid in budget allocation to the production sector including agriculture, with a targeted economic growth rate of 6.50 to upgrade the country from a least developed to a developing country.

Stating that it was not right to criticise over the size of budget as it was allocated on the basis of parliamentarians, Khatiwada said that parliamentarians would defend the budget in the parliament and they would defend it outside of the parliament as revenue would sustain it.

Likewise, NPC member Suchitra Shakya suggested that the budget should be taken for intellectual discussion across the nation.

Some of the parliamentarians argued that budget was only allocated for most projects in PM’s home town in Jhapa, and Finance Minister’s home town in Rupandehi.