PM directs ministers to plan for budget implementation

Kathmandu, June 8: Prime Minister K. P. Sharma Oli Friday directed the ministers and secretaries to put their effort to prepare for the implementation of the budget of the coming fiscal year 2018/19 from the very first day, July 17.

"Come up with the concrete plan of development programmes of respective ministries, execution modality of the projects and other necessary preparations within June 29. There will be an extensive discussion on those projects and plans on July 9 in order to start their execution from July 17," the Prime Minister directed the ministers and high government officials at Singha Durbar today.

PM Oli said that the traditional modality of budget execution which had been practised so far had failed to deliver the expected results and meet the development expectations of the people; hence a new development perspective was needed.

Although the past governments announced a couple of budget implementation year in the past, and the new Constitution included a provision to present the budget some 45 days before the starting of new fiscal year, the implementation of budget is still very poor with the development expenditure hovering around 70 to 80 per cent.

At the same time, there is a trend of spending as much budget as possible at the end of the fiscal year, in May, June and July, and the quality of construction was below standard.

Similarly, most of the national pride projects, including irrigation, hydroelectricity, airport and road, are not completed in their stipulated deadline.

“We need to move forward with long-term concepts and sustainable development. People have democracy, and their rights have been institutionalised through the Constitution. Therefore, people have high expectations from this government. We have no choice but to race ahead with better plans and programmes,” Prime Minister Oli said.

He said that the incumbent government was not like a priest who wakes every morning to make trips to the nearby temple, worships the god and repeats the same activities the next day. There should not be the continuation of the past but an enthusiasm to move ahead with leaps and bounds.

There is a need to lead the country on the path of agricultural self-reliance by utilising the wasted land, he stated.

According to PM Oli, people expect the government to do everything and solve their problems but the government doesn’t have that capacity, so people’s capacity should be increased to make them able to solve their issues themselves.

He also said that the government should reply the critics of the policy and programmes, and budget through action.

“Government has zero tolerance to corruption. Therefore prevent you from doing non-transparent and inappropriate activities,” he directed.

Published in The Rising Nepal daily on 9 June 2018.