According to the annual report of the Auditor General, the amount of beruju has increased rapidly in all the seven provinces of the country recently. In Beruju, Madhesh and Karnali provinces have surpassed others.

In the financial year 2079/80, Madhesh and Karnali provinces have 3.87 and 2.59 percent of the annual allocated budget, respectively, according to the financial report. The issue that some of the illegal money should be recovered, regulated and a large part of it ends up in corruption is not new for Nepal.

Madhesh and Karnali provinces are weak in all areas including economic, social, educational and have also fallen in the human development index. When the issue of Karnali was raised, the ruler has been keeping a close eye on that area since the Panchayat period and still the government has not been able to deliver essential food items like salt and rice to some places there. None of us is ignorant of the fact that daily consumer goods are very expensive, and that the government agencies are indifferent in marketing the agricultural produce and other materials produced by the local people.

It is more regrettable that after the local government took charge, the irregularities in the development and construction work are increasing every year, and that the union and the state are not concerned about it. In the financial year 2074/75 in Karnali province, the amount of beruja was less than 1 percent of the allocated budget, and since then, up to 2078/79, it has been 2.72, 3.56, 5.22, and 4.43 percent in each financial year respectively. It is natural that increasing irregularity in the government budget within a province that is weak in all aspects will hinder the development work there. However, the relevant government agencies have not shown interest in making use of funds by making the monitoring and regulation work more efficient.

How long will Karnali, who has been harassed for decades, continue to be mocked? In the same way, the people of Madhesh province, which is full of possibilities, are being harassed and harassed by the big ones on the one hand, and on the other hand, the development budget is being misused every year. If the government does not pay attention to utilizing the development budget of the backward provinces, it is certain that the plight of Karnali and Madhesh provinces will remain the same.

- Bhuvneshwar Sharma , Chandragiri-2, Kathmandu