The problem of lack of budget in projects of national pride related to infrastructure is going to be repeated in the next financial year as well. While most of the projects of national pride are suffering from lack of budget, the National Planning Commission has set a limit for the government to increase only a small amount in them.

In the current fiscal year, most projects of national pride could not sign new contracts due to budget problems. There is also a problem of non-payment of the completed work due to lack of allocation of the allocated budget. If the work is not done in the scheduled time, the cost of the project will increase. 

Kuwer Nepali, the project director of the postal highway directorate, informed that two billion rupees are yet to be paid. For this project, the government has allocated a budget of only 3 billion 38 million rupees in the current financial year. "The file of payment is stuck in the Ministry of Finance," Nepali said, "More liability is being created where it is happening." 

Project director Nepali said that the target of constructing 75 km of black roads and 10 bridges for the current financial year cannot be met due to lack of budget. "Since the budget is not enough, we could not make a new contract this year," he said, "For the next fiscal year, 5 billion rupees are required, but the budget ceiling is only 3.5 billion rupees." This amount can be used to pay old obligations. The progress of the Hulaki highway project, which was started 16 years ago, is only about 71 percent. The completion time of Hulaki Highway is 2083/84. 

The east-west electric railway project, which was promoted in the year 2065/66, has not been able to provide compensation for the stopped land. Kamal Kumar Sah, the spokesperson of the railway department, said that only one and a half billion rupees are being allocated annually out of a requirement of around 24 billion rupees for compensation distribution. Where will one and a half billion be distributed? Who will be distributed?,' he said.

In the initial study, the distance of the east-west railway was 945 km. Later, when the map of Chitwan park area was changed, the distance was reduced to 925 km. Under the first phase, it is said that work up to Kakdavitta-Nijgarh can be done by 086/87. Land has been reserved from Jhapa to Sunsari for the railway. "Even though the Prime Minister, the Speaker and the Minister of Physical Infrastructure and Transport are from Jhapa, this project could not get priority," said an engineer of the department. 

From Bardibas in Mahottari to Chocha in Rautahat, a structure with a railway track is being constructed. About 28 billion has been spent on it. The department has been demanding continuous resource assurance from the Ministry of Finance for four years. 

Physical Infrastructure and Transport Minister Devendra Dahal informed that preparations are being made to distribute the compensation in the next fiscal year by arranging the budget. "Compensation could not be distributed for a long time, some amount is in Jhapa and Morang district administration office, it is insufficient and not distributed," he said, "we will start distributing compensation from the next financial year." 

Pushpalal (Madhyapahari) Highway, which has an estimated cost of 84 billion 33 crores, is facing problems in contract management due to lack of budget. The project is working on a contract worth more than 10 billion rupees, but the project will not be able to pay that amount after the work is completed.  Since there is no money to pay for the

ing work, the planning chief in the district has to run the road department, the physical infrastructure and transport ministry and the finance ministry. The progress of the

project is 83 percent. Sarla Neupane, senior divisional engineer of Madhyapahari Highway Project Directorate, said that despite requesting resource consent from the Ministry of Finance to award the contract for the new nine and the four broken sections, it was not forthcoming. "A contract cannot be awarded without resource agreement," she said. The budget has been allocated only 3 billion 58 million.' 

Even in the Rani-Jamra-Kularia irrigation project, the progress is not satisfactory due to insufficient budget. "There is no problem with the World Bank loan," said Dinesh Paudel, the information officer of the project.

This project, which started in 066/67, was supposed to be completed in 074/75 according to the initial agreement. It is said that it can be extended by 085/86. Its initial cost estimate was 12.37 billion rupees, now it has been revised to 29.58 billion rupees. The progress of the project is 73 percent. 

2.90 billion was allocated for this project in the financial year 079/80. In 080/81, it was reduced to 2 billion 63 crores. 2.82 billion has been allocated in the current financial year. The budget limit for the next financial year has been fixed at only 2 billion 47 crore rupees. This project aims to provide irrigation facilities to 38,300 hectares of agricultural land in Kailali throughout the year. 

The government has not allocated sufficient budget for other irrigation projects. Director General of Water Resources and Irrigation Department Sanjeev Baral said that there is a problem of asking for source assurance before awarding contracts. "One problem in national pride projects is the budget, another is the need to get resource assurances time and time again when making contracts. This should be removed," he said. "We have requested 1.44 billion rupees for work on the Baglung-Parvat section of the Kaligandaki Corridor, but we do not have the budget," he said. "But it was difficult to achieve the goal with a small budget," says Pokharel. 

The government announces projects of national pride, saying that priority will be given in resource allocation and intensive monitoring in implementation. But former Secretary Kishore Thapa commented that the Ministry of Finance is giving priority to the projects focused on the constituencies of leaders rather than Gaurav's projects. "The number of projects focusing on electoral areas is increasing," he says, "Ministers are put under pressure and influence to keep such projects in the budget, due to which Gaurav's projects are overshadowed."

Former Secretary Thapa said that Gaurav's projects should be reconsidered. "Let's cancel the project in which the progress is not good, otherwise let's not call it Gaurav's project and keep it as a normal project," he said, "Let's keep the project in which the progress is good, let's give enough budget." "The implementation of national pride and multi-year projects, its responsibilities and the payment of builders, should be followed by a policy of selecting new projects only if financial resources are available for a few years," the commission's report said, "The first priority should be given to completing those projects that are more than 80 percent completed." There is also a lack of budget to pay for the work done in this project of national pride. Photo: Madhav Aryal/Kantipur

The government has not mentioned projects of national pride in its policies and programs for the financial year 082/83. The government had included such projects in its previous policies and programs. There are 24 national pride projects announced by the government so far. Among them, only Bhairawa and Pokhara International Airports have been completed. The work has not yet started on Budhigandaki Hydropower, Paschim Seti Hydropower and Nijgarh International Airport. Although the construction of Melamchi drinking water has been completed, it has to be rebuilt after the flood damaged the spring.