Kathmandu, June 14
The Intergovernmental Financial Management Act requires all local governments of the country to announce the budget plan for the next fiscal year, beginning after mid-July, by June 25 every year. However, many of local governments have complained that they are unlikely to meet the deadline as they do not have sufficient staff to calculate accounts.
Subas Chandra Shiwakoti, chief of the staff administration sector of the Financial Comptroller General Office under the MInistry of Finance, says almost half of the local bodies lack sufficient staff.
Many of the local units lack officer level staff and they are preparing the budget with nongazetted employees, according to him.
“Overall, all metropolitan cities, submetropolitan cities and municipalities have required staff,” he says, “But, there are problems in rural municipalities.”
On the other hand, staff have also complained that they have double burdens as the local units want them to settle all accounts related to projects of this fiscal year as soon as possible.
“We have to prepare the next year’s budget. On the other hand, many payments are pending for the works that are already over,” Govinda Bhattarai, Chief Administrative Officer of Malika Rural Municipality in Gulmi district, says, “The work pressure is unbearable.”
Meanwhile, the Office on Tuesday issued a circular to all accounting staff deployed at the local level, directing them against leaving the current workstation without managing replacements despite transfer orders.
