Tuesday, June 19, 2012

Government expenses pick up but still stares at shortfall


Like in earlier fiscal years, government expenses have started to soar towards the end of this fiscal year too.
Finance Ministry today claimed that the government has been able to spend Rs 275.56 billion — which is 72 per cent of the total budget of Rs 384.90 billion — by the end of the 11th month (mid-June) of the current fiscal year.
"According to the central bank's treasury position, it has released Rs 266.96 billion by the end of Jestha (mid-June)," said finance secretary Krishna Hari Baskota.
"Similarly, the record of the Auditor General's office has posted Rs 8.59 billion in commodity and direct payment," he said, adding that the government's total spending stood at Rs 275.56 billion.
The government has been able to spend 77.3 per cent by the end of the 11th month — from the total Rs 345.22 billion earmarked under cash payment — and 21.7 per cent under commodity and direct payment from the total earmarked Rs 39.68 billion, he said, adding that the spending of commodity and direct payment could be more but the ministry has yet to get a complete record from donors and Auditor General's office.
Similarly, the government has been able to spend around 56 per cent of the development expenses. "The government has been able to spend Rs 31.76 billion on cash basis and adding Rs 8.59 billion commodity and direct payment also — though it directly does not come under development expenses — the total comes to Rs 40.35 billion making it some 56 per cent of the total development budget of Rs 72.61 billion," he added.
Despite the government's claim, the output of the development expenses is yet to be monitored effectively as successive governments have been spending without any productivity in the last two months of the fiscal year.
The government will be able to spend the recurrent expenditure of Rs 266.61 billion, which is regular salaries and administrative expenses, the finance secretary said.
"Similarly, the government will also be able to spend Rs 45.68 billion under financial management too," said Baskota, adding that the government will also be able to spend more than Rs 65 billion of capital expenditure, that is the development expenses, from the total earmarked Rs 72.61 billion.
In the last fiscal year, the government was able to spend Rs 65.43 billion on cash basis only, whereas a fiscal year ago in 2009-10, it had spent Rs 62.17 billion on cash basis only under development expenses.

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