Dahal against budget transfers, UML also unhappy
KATHMANDU, May 31:
The opposition UCPN (Maoist) has criticized the government for transferring budgetary funds to non-budgetary programs. Speaking on the first day of the budget session of parliament on Friday, leader of the opposition Pushpa Kamal Dahal objected to the government’s moves, alleging that the fund transfers were done unilaterally.
“The government has transferred Rs 4 billion earmarked for different district development committees to other, non-budgetary programs,” added Dahal, who however did not furnish any details to the House.
He also expressed serious concern over unilateral preparations by the government for the upcoming budget. The budget transfer issue was one of the issues raised in parliament while obstructing the proceedings and stalling business.
The opposition party protested against the government in parliament while ruling coalition partner CPN-UML also expressed dissatisfaction with Finance Minister Ram Sharan Mahat and admonished him to correct the budget-transfer move.
UML leaders Surendra Pandey, Bharat Mohan Adhikari, Rajendra Pandey and Tourism Minister Bhim Acharya had been to the finance ministry Thursday to expressed dissatisfaction over unilateral decision-making by the finance minister on the budget transfers and budgetary preparations.
“Our findings show that a budget of Rs 570 million from the Ministry of Local Development has been released after creating new, non-budgetary programs,” said Surendra Pandey, a former finance minister.
UML also discussed the budget transfers and creation of new programs to release the funds, at the party’s parliamentary party meeting, Friday morning.
Pandey also alleged that the government had shown reluctance to appoint projects chiefs on time at different infrastructure projects, thereby causing failure to award construction contracts, and subsequently transferring the budgets to other, similar projects in the election constituencies of the ministers towards the end of the fiscal year. “We also found that a fund of Rs 950 million earmarked for the Bheri Babai Diversion Multipurpose Project has been transferred to minor irrigation projects in the region by Irrigation Minister N P Saud,” added Pandey.
He further said that they are yet to collect details of such transfers from the various ministries. Pandey said they have clarified to Finance Minister Mahat that they will not cooperate with the government for endorsing the budget through parliament if corrective measures are not taken.
Following the obstruction in parliament, Minister Mahat has directed officials to compile all the details of budget transfers for presenting the same to parliament on Sunday. Talking to Republica, Finance Secretary Yubaraj Bhusal maintained that the transfers were made only for fund management purposes and only from projects of low performance to projects that needed extra resources.
UML MPs want party to quit government
Lawmakers from the ruling coalition partner CPN-UML have said that their party should quit the government accusing the major ruling party Nepali Congress (NC) of bypassing the second-largest party in budget allocations, expenditures and other crucial issues.
UML lawmakers while airing their views at their parliamentary party meeting held at CA building in New Baneshwar on Friday pressed the party leadership to strongly counter the NC from the parliament as well as inter-party talks.
“Some of our friends said that our party should not remain in the government if the role of the UML ministers and lawmakers is limited to endorsing NC’s wrong decisions and the party’s monopoly in budget allocations and expenditures,” lawmaker Gokarna Bista told Republica. “We must protest such wrong activities. If the NC is not ready to mend its ways and recognize UML strength, we should better quit the government.”
He said that the UML plans to strongly protest the Nepali Congress activities also in parliament. “It is unacceptable because it violates financial discipline and coalition culture,” said Bista. “It is objectionable also because the NC is arbitrarily doling out funds at the end of the fiscal year.”
UML lawmakers said that the NC has been unscrupulously distributing funds to the ministries led by NC leaders.
They also accused Finance Minister Ram Sharan Mahat of not consulting coalition partners in connection with preparing new fiscal budget.
Gokarna Bista, Surendra Pandey, Prakash Jwala, Bhim Rawal, Bikas Lamsal, Jivanprem Shrestha, Shreemaya Thakali, Yagyaraj Sunuwar and Nagendra Chaudhary, among others, aired their views during the meeting.
They also came down heavy on UML leadership as well. They accused the party’s top leaders of failing to engage properly with the NC.
Lamsal said the UML leadership was committing one blunder after another since it joined the NC coalition. “It was our leaders’ blunder to allow the NC to lead all the development-related ministries,” Lamsal told Republica. He also criticized the UML leadership for failing to reject controversial judges at the Supreme Court.
“NC is ruling the country as if it secured majority in election whereas our party is the partner of almost equal strength. So it is our leadership’s complete failure,” said Lamsal.
Source: Republica
