Kathmandu, May 25
Finance Minister Yuba Raj Khatiwada is scheduled to present the government’s annual budget plan for the next fiscal year 2020/21 this Thursday.
As the country’s economy has been shattered by the global Covid-19 crisis, the economist-turned-politician has a big responsibility to show a way to recover the losses.
But, the industrialists, private sector leaders, and some pro-opposition stakeholders fear that he will be unable to shoulder the responsibility. Citing the government failed to meet their expectations in its annual policy and programme for the next fiscal year, they say they do not have any expectations from him.
Immediately after the government presented its annual policy and programme, 12 organisations related to the country’s tourism industry said the plan failed to spell out any plan that could revitalise the industry that has been pushed to its deathbed by the Covid-19 crisis.
Likewise, Bhawani Rana, the president of the Federation of Nepalese Chambers of Commerce and Industry, the private sector umbrella organisation, says the government completely ignored the federation’s suggestions in the annual policy and programme. “We are very sad that there was not any concrete programme to save the private sector, the employer of 3.5 million people, from going to the coma.”
Meanwhile, economist Govinda Raj Pokharel says the public does not hope anything from the government at this critical time as it could not meet their expectation in a relatively convenient time also. “He (the minister) did not show any creativity when it was easy for him, so people wonder what he will do now,” he says, “He has already lost an opportunity to introduce some relief packages before the budget announcement.”
Both Rana and Pokharel are almost certain that Khatiwada will not surprise them by exceeding their expectations.
