Preparations are being made to cut down on fragmented plans and allocate the budget only after selecting the plans from the project bank.
What you should know
The Lumbini Province Government is going to prioritize the budget limit while preparing the next year's plans. Preparations are being made to reduce the fragmented plans through plan formulation and implement each plan only after it is approved by the Provincial Council of Ministers.
Chief Minister Chetnarayan Acharya has instructed the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Planning, including subordinate bodies, to make plan formulation and budget allocation realistic and systematic. In the semi-annual review program on the budget and program implementation status of the current fiscal year 2082/083 held by the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Planning on Sunday, he urged them to start preparing to keep the budget for the next fiscal year within 'size'.
Lumbini Province has been bringing a deficit budget every year. Even though the government's annual budget is within 30 billion, the government has been bringing a budget of up to 41 billion. The current fiscal year has a budget of 39 billion. Chief Minister Acharya has directed his subordinates, including the Ministry of Finance, to reduce it and start preparations by setting a budget limit within 30 billion.
For that, he said that the provincial government will prepare a plan formulation guideline and cut the plan into pieces and approve it from the provincial council of ministers and implement it. He also claims that the system of selecting only the project bank prepared by the provincial planning commission for plan selection will be implemented through the guideline.
‘It is necessary to make the budget for the upcoming fiscal year realistic.’ An attempt was made last year too, but some problems were seen due to technical reasons,’ he said, ‘Now we will bring the budget into a systematic shape and move towards effective implementation. All bodies must be responsible.’ Emphasizing on result-oriented work, he has also instructed ministers and secretaries to increase the pace of work as per the expectations of the people.
Chief Minister Acharya has also directed that the amount of projects completed in the last fiscal year and pending payment be released within the month of Falgun. ‘Payment for completed projects should not be delayed,’ he said, ‘seriousness is required in this.’
He stressed the need to expand the revenue range to increase the internal income of the province. The concerned ministry has also been instructed to ensure effective utilization of structures that have not been used even after construction. At the program, Minister for Economic Affairs and Planning Dhanendra Karki, former Chief Minister and Nepali Congress Parliamentary Party Leader Dilli Bahadur Chaudhary, former Chief Minister and Leader of the Opposition Jokh Bahadur Mahara, Chief Secretary Krishna Prasad Kapri, Vice President of the Provincial Planning Commission Dr. Dilli Raj Aryal and others said that the plan selection and implementation aspects should be made more effective.
Presenting the half-yearly progress report, Secretary of the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Planning Bandhu Prasad Vastola said that the financial progress of Lumbini Province is satisfactory compared to other provinces. The province is in fifth place in terms of performance evaluation, scoring 34.71 points. He also said that it will be corrected and moved forward in the coming days.
‘To improve the assessment, we need to increase revenue mobilization within the jurisdiction of the province and expand the scope of the forest sector,’ he said, ‘we need to move forward with special attention towards reducing illegal logging.’ He said that the basis for this assessment will be seriously analyzed and the process will be taken forward in the coming days.
