Kathmandu, May 5
Efforts to topple the KP Oli-led ruling coalition will affect preparations afoot for tabling budget for the fiscal 2016/17 in the Parliament and seeking its passage. The government was preparing to present the budget in the House in about three weeks.
Political tug-of-war and conspiracies to topple government, going on in full swing even after promulgation of a constitution through a popularly-elected Constituent Assembly, have affected budget preparations, officials at the Ministry of Finance say. They complain: At this movement, we do not know what to do. This is because programmes and priorities change once a new government takes shape.
“Budget making is a regular process. But parties want teir pet programmes and projects in the budget,” says a finance ministry official involved in preparing the budget.
The official adds: Once a government topples, we face tremendous pressure to incorporate concerns of its successor.
The Oli government was preparing to present an annual budget of around nine trillion rupees after making programmes for the fiscal 2016/17.
As per the new constitution, the government should present the budget in the Parliament on May 28 and the Finance Minister was to present the budget at 4 pm the same day. With the fate of the government uncertain, finance ministry officials do not know what to do.
