Government to talk to Nepali Congress on budget

Chief whips of the political parties in the government agreed to hold discussion on pre budget from the mid-June in the Legislature-Parliament.
According to chief whip of ruling CPN-UML Bhim Acharya, they have agreed to hold discussions with the main opposition party Nepali Congress on the budget for the fiscal year 2011-12.
At a meeting called by the deputy prime minister and Finance Ministry Bharat Mohan Adhikari, they also expressed the urgency on budget.
"The budget should be brought in time," Acharya said, adding that the delay in budget would affect the nation's financial and developmental activities.
Since the last three years, the successive governments have failed to present the budget on time creating a policy dilemma and confusion in the private sector.
"The government should take main opposition Nepali Congress and other parties in confidence to prepare budget, he added.
The UCPN-Maoists and CPN-UML are for bringing the budget for the new fiscal year saying the new government has not yet been formed.
Though Nepali Congress is also in favour of bringing the budget within July 16 but if possible the new government should bring the budget, according to Nepali Congress. "The budget could not be presented sidelining Nepali Congress," said the party.
The chief whip of Nepali Congress Laxman Ghimire, said that his party is ready to discuss on budget once the top leaders of major parties forge consensus over the budget.
Meanwhile, Transparency International Nepal today wrote Prime Minister Jhala Nath Khanal asking him not to breach existing Constitution by transferring budget from one project to another rampantly.
In its letter, Transparency International has reminded different clauses of the Constitution to the Prime Minister and asked him to abide by the Constitution of the land.
It has also criticised the government’s trend of transferring budget from one project to another without much study, analysis and estimation. "The Finance Ministry has started wrong tradition by transferring budget which is unconstitutional," the Transparency International Nepal said, blaming the ministry for playing foul.
After receiving complaints of misusing government coffer by transferring budget rampantly, Public Accounts Committee under Legislature Parliament had also on June 7 asked the Finance Ministry not to transfer budgets from one heading to another except for priority (P1) projects and natural calamity.
Similarly, Commission for the Investigation of Abuse of Authority (CIAA) has on June 13 directed the government not to transfer budget to the projects which are not listed under national priority.