Kathmandu, Jun. 7
Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Bishnu Prasad
Paudel has said that the elections neither hamper the execution of the budget nor
kill the development spirit.
"Development projects won't be affected by the election
activities. The government is set to expedite the development work, both will
move ahead together," he said while speaking at an interaction on the
challenges and the way out for the implementation of budget of the coming
Fiscal Year 2021/22 organised virtually by Nepalese Association of Financial
Journalists (NAFIJ) on Monday.
According to him, every effort would be made to maximise the
implementation of budget with work beginning from the first day of the next
fiscal.
"The Ministry of Finance (MoF) is forming a special
mechanism for the same. All the development ministries are directed to create
the work procedures for the programmes included in the budget before the end of
the current fiscal year," said DPM Paudel.
He maintained that no one is allowed to take even a single
basket of pebbles and sand from the Chure region, however the issue was
sensationalized by some interest groups. "Instead, the government has
announced some long-term programmes for the protection of environment such as
banning the polythene bags of less than 40 micron.
He said that the suggestion made by the former Finance
Secretary Dr. Shanta Raj Subedi to bring three ordinances to support the
development of large projects could help in expediting the execution of large
and pride projects.
Presenting a paper in the programme, Dr. Subedi had
suggested bringing ordinances to amend the Public Procurement Act, project
implementation and land acquisition and compensation. He has recommended making
the changes in consultation with the private sector.
He recommended the government to immediately ask the line
ministries to create a action plan for the budget of the next fiscal and ask to
conduct self-evaluation. "Inter-agency coordination should be intensified
and the tender process should be completed before October, the festival season
in the country," he said.
According to Dr. Subedi, the MoF should also be rigid in
terms of budget transfer and additional payments to the projects, and must ask
the execution agencies to surrender the unspent budget after seven months of
the fiscal.
He was particularly critical of the ministries not taking
ownership of the programmes in their area in the budget. "Exporting
construction materials is included in the budget at the proposal of the
Ministry of Industry, Commerce and Supplies and Ministry of Forests and
Environment has not fully owned the programme. Likewise, the issue of allowing
private sector to import and distribute salt is not owned by the Commerce Ministry,
and Prime Minister Employment Programme (PMEP) is largely understood as the
project of Prime Minister's Office," he said.
Governor of the Nepal Rastra Bank, Maha Prasad Adhikari,
said that the banks and financial institutions want to be sure about the
recovery of the loan they mobilised so those who want loan against their
certificates of graduation should present a plausible business plan.
He said that the central bank will address the demands of
the private sector through the Monetary Policy of the next fiscal.
Finance Secretary Shishir Kumar Dhungana said that the
preparation for budget implementation would be completed before two weeks of
the new fiscal year. He also said that a new working procedure is being
formulated to make the PMEP more effective.
President of the Federation of Nepalese Chambers of Commerce
and Industry, Shekhar Golchha, said that the budget announced at the adverse
time of pandemic had created hopes in the people. He demanded that universal
vaccination of the workers and employees is a must for business operation.
President of Nepal Chamber of Commerce, Rajendra Malla, said
that the one-door policy to the business must be immediately implemented. He
suggested the MoF to bring the middlemen in the areas like agriculture and real
estate under the tax net.
Likewise, Senior Vice President of Confederation of Nepalese
Industries, Bishnu Agrawal, pointed out to the need of special legal provision
to implement public-private-partnership at the local level.
Published in The Rising Nepal daily on 8 June 2021.
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