Govt offers to release funds to election constituencies of opposition leaders

KATHMANDU, June 4:

The government has offered to release additional budget to election constituencies of influential leaders of opposition parties in a bid to resume parliamentary meeting blocked since May 30.

According to a member of National Planning Commission (NPC), Finance Minister Dr Ram Sharan Mahat has asked the leaders to propose development programs in their respective election constituencies. “The finance minister will soon hold a meeting with leaders of the opposition parties. The meeting is expected to pave the way for resuming parliament meeting,” the member added.

UCPN (Maoist), Rastriya Prajatantra Party Nepal and Madhesi parties have been obstructing the house since the beginning of budget session May 30, accusing the government of transferring budget to fill the pockets of the cadres of ruling parties. Because of the obstruction, the government has not been able to submit its policy and programs and budget for discussion in the parliament.

This is not the first time that fund has been transferred from one heading to another. Ram Hari Khatiwada, a member of Public Accounts Committee of the parliament, said former peace and reconstruction minister Janardan Sharma had transferred Rs 1.19 billion from one budget heading of the ministry to another heading. Sharma is a UCPN (Maoist) leader.

PAC has asked the government to submit details of fund transfer over the past five years.

CPN-UML lawmaker Rabindra Adhikary said parliamentarians have failed to show mature behavior. He said lawmakers from different political parties are making a beeline at the finance ministry, seeking budget for their respective election constituencies. “Parliamentary committees -- PAC and the Finance Committee - are also not showing willingness to stop fund transfer,” he added.

Opposition parties have accused the finance minister of releasing Rs 15.4 million for his election constituency in Nuwakot district.

Though fiscal policy 2013/14 bars transfer of fund in the last quarter, it has not stopped the government with the fresh mandate to transfer fund, Dr Chiranjivi Nepal, economic advisor to the Prime Minister, said.

“The transfer of funds from the Ministry of Local Development to local bodies in the eleventh hour won´t give any output,” Chief Secretary Leela Mani Poudel said. “It ultimately goes into the pocket of the cadres of ruling parties,” he said, adding that the trend was set by the previous governments.

    
 Source: Republica