Rs 2.43 billion pledged for investment in hydropower projects

A campaign of Energy Ministry calling for commitments for investment in hydropower projects has received an overwhelming response.
Till now, commitments of Rs 2.43 billion have been made, according to the Ministry. The commitments were made by 24,249 individuals and 27 companies.
The call for online application was announced on January 9. Launching the portal, energy minister Janardan Sharma had appealed for investment commitments in hydropower.
He came up with an investment drive in hydropower under the slogan ‘Nepal’s water and people’s investment’. The minister had said that he came up with the idea after finding genuine interest among members of the public as well as migrant workers in Malaysia and the Middle East to invest in hydropower.

Nepal's GDP will grow significantly through power trade: Report

Nepal's gross domestic product (GDP) could reach to Rs 13,100 billion (over $120 billion) in 2045, which is 39 per cent more than with existing trading mechanisms, with accelerated power trade (APT) between India and Nepal, according to a report.
The report, 'Economic Benefits from Nepal-India Electricity Trade,' released here today, also states that the growth in GDP is driven in part by the three-fold increase from Rs 310 billion in 2030 to Rs 1,069 billion in 2045 in revenue earned from electricity trade.
However, Nepal needs to invest up to Rs 2,596 billion in between 2012 and 2030 and another Rs 2,216 billion in between 2031 and 2045 to harness electricity of this quantum, the report added.
Highlighting the key findings of the report, chairman of Integrated Research and Action for Development (IRADe) – which conducted the study – Kirit Parikh said that the increased power trade will also fuel Nepal's per capita electricity demand to jump from the current 139 kWh/year to 1,500 kWh/year by 2045.
The report attributes it to increased domestic hydropower production that is 34.4 Gigawatt (Gw) in 2045. "Per capita electricity demand reflects strongly on the Human Development Index (HDI) of a country as increased access to electricity is directly linked to better quality of life," it added.
Nepal’s per capita electricity consumption stood at a low of 139 units per year in 2012, as against South Asian average of over 600 units and global average of around 2,800 units.
The first of its kind study was conducted by the India-based research institute IRADe under the fourth phase of the South Asia Regional Initiative for Energy Integration (SARI/EI) Programme. SARI/EI is a United States Agency for International Development's (USAID) programme that works to promote cross-border electricity trade for revitalising and accelerating regional economic development in South Asia.
Member of National Planning Commission (NPC) Swarnim Wagle, Chargé d'Affaires at the US Embassy in Kathmandu Michael Gonzales and second secretary at the Indian Embassy in Kathmandu Mala Narendra, released the report amid a function here today.
The report analyses the potential of cross-border electricity trade (CBET) between Nepal and India, and its feasibility and impact on the economy, power systems and power infrastructure of both countries.
Wagle, on the occasion, said that the report will be useful for the NPC while preparing periodic plans. "Electricity trade and hydropower development can significantly energise Nepal's economy and can help in the process of industrialisation," he said, adding that both the countries stand to gain from India-Nepal electricity trade. "Bangladesh and other South Asian countries also stand to reap benefits from the power trade."
Saying that power shortage is the biggest binding constraint to Nepal’s economic growth," he further added that Nepal can revive the manufacturing sector, if it can generate more electricity. "This could absorb youths, who want to move away from subsistence agriculture, reducing outflow of workers to various labour destinations."
He also opined that abundant supply of clean and reliable power through hydro sources will not only drive economic development but also improve the country’s ranking in HDI.
Nepal, home to around 6,000 rivers, rivulets and tributaries, has the potential to generate over 40 Gw of electricity through hydropower plants. But as of now, the country’s installed capacity stands at less than 1,000 MW, whereas peak demand stood at around 1,385 MW in the last fiscal year.
There is a big gap in demand and supply of electricity because Nepal has not been able to build relatively bigger hydropower plants since 70MW Middle Marsyangdi Hydroelectric Project, located in Lamjung, came into operation in 2008.
Nepal has now set an ambitious target of generating 10 Gw of electricity through hydro resources in the next 10 years, which, many say, is achievable.
However, Nepal will not be able to take advantage, if there is a delay in capacity addition. For instance, if project implementation is delayed by five years, not only will the country lose the earnings from power exports in that period, it will also have to pay for the power that it imports until the projects are implemented, the report reads, adding that the country will be net importer of electricity and will have to spend more to purchase power, if project implementation is delayed. Currently, the country has been importing around 450 MW of electricity from India to manage its power deficit. However, Nepal has planned to export electricity to India and gradually to the regional power market from the fiscal year 2021-22.
The country will require around Rs 2,596 billion to develop 18.6 Gwof power by 2030 and Rs 4,812 billion to exploit 34.4 Gw of hydropower potential, according to the study. "Nepal itself has huge possibility to increase consumption, as the share of electricity in the total energy demand of the country is merely two per cent."
Based on the IRADe-System for Analysis of Power Trade and Economic Growth (I-SAPTEG) modeling system, the research uses five models – three power system models and two macro-economic models to capture the impacts of electricity trade in India and Nepal under three scenarios – trade, business as usual and delayed capacity addition.
The study assesses potential power trade and the price of tradable electricity in between 2012 and 2050 consistent with the country’s macroeconomic framework. It also quantifies and analyses socioeconomic benefits of cross-border electricity trade arising from investment, export revenue and reduced electricity price between Nepal and India.
Similarly, on the occasion, Gonzales said that Asia, which is the fastest growing region in the world, lacks reliable power infrastructure. "With optimum utilisation of resources and a coherent regulatory framework in place, better regional integration could be achieved through CBET," he said, adding that the report rightly points out Nepal can gain tremendously from CBET. "For India, the benefits are more in terms of lower electricity system costs due to electricity imports from Nepal." Additionally, the import of hydropower electricity from Nepal will reduce carbon emissions of the power sector in India as the country's electricity generation is largely coal-based," he added.
Calling the findings of the report 'a win-win opportunity for both India and Nepal,' Mala Narendra said that India was committed to cross-border electricity trade in South Asia.
"To facilitate this, India's Ministry of Power in consultation with Ministry of External Affairs recently issued the 'Guidelines on Cross Border Trade of Electricity',” she added.
However, experts have been claiming that the guideline is against the ethos of Power Trade Agreement (PTA) signed between Nepal and India.
On the occasion, Jyoti Parikh of IRADe said that the power systems of the two countries are linked for different periods – peak and off-peak hours – to capture the compatibility for trade in the model which gives very different insights. "Our aim was to see, if Nepal too can follow Bhutan's example in transforming its economy," she said, adding that the primary objective of the study is to provide critical research on the viability and advantages of CBET so as to assist policy-makers in making strategic decisions.

२ वर्षमा ५० विषयगत कानुनको मस्यौदा संशोधन आवश्यक

नेपालले कालो धन ओसारपसार तथा सम्पत्ति शुद्धीकरण निवारणका विभिन्न विश्वस्तरीय मञ्चमा गरेका वाचा पूरा गर्न अनुमानित ५० वटा विषयगत कानुनको मस्यौदा स्वःमूल्यांकनले औंल्याए बमोजिम आगामी २ वर्षभित्र संशोधन गर्नु आवश्यक रहेको छ ।
मंगलबार सम्पत्ति शुद्धीकरण निवारणका सम्बन्धमा नेपालको विद्यमान अवस्था, सम्पत्ति शुद्धीकरण निवारणको प्रभावकारिताका लागि अवलम्बन गर्नुपर्ने कदमहरु र आगामी सन् २०१९–२० मा सम्पन्न हुन गइरहेको नेपालको मूल्यांकनका लागि आवश्यक पर्ने तयारीका विषयमा अर्थसचिव तथा सम्पत्ति शुद्धीकरण निवारण सम्बन्धमा गठित राष्ट्रिय समन्वय समितिका संयोजक शान्तराज सुवेदीको अध्यक्षतामा नियमनकारी निकाय लगायत सरोकारवाला पदाधिकारीको सहभागितामा अर्थ मन्त्रालयमा मंगलबार एक छलफल सम्पन्न भएको छ । छलफलमा कालोधन छानबिन तथा सजायको लागि कानुन निर्माण आवश्यक रहेकोले अनुमानित ५० वटा विषयगत कानुनको मस्यौदा स्वःमूल्यांकनले औंल्याए बमोजिम संशोधन  गर्नुपर्ने जनाइयो ।
वित्तीय क्षेत्रको स्थायित्व, पारदर्शिता र वित्तीय अपराध नियन्त्रणमा सम्पत्ति शुद्धीकरण निवारण प्रणालीको भूमिका विश्वमा प्रखर बन्दै गइरहेको बेला नेपालमा पनि पछिल्ला वर्षमा सम्पत्ति शुद्धीकरण निवारणका क्षेत्रमा कानुनी तथा संस्थागत संरचना निर्माण भइसके पनि वर्तमान अवस्थामा यस प्रणालीलाई मजबुत बनाउनुपर्ने अझै खाँचो रहेको बैठकको ठहर छ ।
यस प्रणालीको प्रभावकारितासँगै आपराधिक गतिविधि कम हुँदै जाने, राजस्व परिचालनमा उत्साहजनक वृद्धि हुनुका साथै वित्तीय क्षेत्रसमेत सबल भई समृद्ध अर्थतन्त्र निर्माणका आधार खडा हुने हुनाले बढ्दो आतंकवाद, वित्तीय प्रणाली र व्यापार व्यवसायको विश्वव्यापीकरणसँगै विस्तार हुँदै आएको वित्तीय अपराधका गतिविधि वृद्धिले यसको आवश्यकता बढेको हो ।
सम्पत्ति शुद्धीकरण निवारण प्रणाली सदृढ बनाउन सके मुलुकको वित्तीय क्षेत्रमा मात्र नभई समग्र अपराध नियन्त्रणमा प्रभावकारिता सुनिश्चित गर्न सकिने भन्दै सुवेदीले उक्त अवसरमा विश्वका धेरै मुलुकले सम्पत्ति शुद्धीकरण निवारणको असल अभ्यासबाट मुलुक निर्माणको अभियानमा सकारात्मक नतिजा हासिल गरेको बताए । मुलकको सर्वांगीण विकास र वित्तीय अपराध नियन्त्रण एकै सिक्काका दुई अभिन्न पाटाका रुपमा रहन्छन् भन्ने मान्यता विश्वव्यापी गएको परिप्रेक्ष्यमा सम्पत्ति शुद्धीकरण निवारण प्रणालीका आधार ४० मापदण्डमध्ये २० मापदण्डको हाराहारी वित्तीय क्षेत्रले पालना गर्ने र गराउने रहेका, वित्तीय क्षेत्रले काम गरेमात्र अन्य निकायले काम गर्न सक्ने भएको र सोको पूर्णता नभएका कारण अनुसन्धानमा समेत समस्या पर्न थालेको र अन्तर्राष्ट्रिय मूल्यांकनमा प्रत्येक ४० मापदण्डमा प्रत्येकको छुट्टाछुट्टै मूल्यांकन हुने भएकाले वित्तीय क्षेत्रमा नै समस्या देखिएमा समग्र प्रणालीका साथै मुलुक नै समस्यामा पर्नेतर्फ सरोकारवाला सबैको विशेष ध्यानाकर्षण गराइएको उनले जनाए ।
सन् २०१९ देखि सन् २०२० बीचमा सम्पन्न हुने नेपालको तेस्रो पारस्परिक मूल्यांकन सन् २०१२ मा प्रतिपादित नयाँ मापदण्ड र २०१३ को मूल्यांकन विधिमा आधारित हुने भएकाले उक्त मूल्यांकन विगत जस्तो प्राविधिक पक्षमा मात्र सीमित नभएर कार्यान्वयनको प्रभावकारिताका सम्बन्धमा छुट्टाछुट्टै मूल्यांकन भई सोही बमोजिम रेटिङसमेत हुने भएकाले उक्त पारस्परिक मूल्यांकनमा हालसम्मको प्रगतिले प्राविधिक पक्षमा बाहेक अन्य कुरामा खासै सहयोग गर्न सक्ने अवस्था छैन । यसर्थ हाल अगाडि बढाइएको स्वःमूल्यांकनको कार्यलाई तीव्रता दिई वास्तविक कमी–कमजोरीलाई समयमै सच्याउन आवश्यक रहेको पनि बैठकको ठहर छ ।
राष्ट्रिय तथा अन्तर्राष्ट्रिय महŒवको यस विषयमा छलफलका क्रममा उठेका विषयलाई समेटेर अर्थ सचिव सुवेदीले सम्पत्ति शुद्धीकरण निवारणका विषयमा स्वःमूल्याकंन प्रतिवेदनबाट बृहत् अवस्थाको चित्र नआउञ्जेल हालका लागि वित्तीय क्षेत्र लगायत नियमनकारी निकायहरुले एफएटिएफ विधिका आधारमा  रणनीतिक महŒवका काममा जोखिममा आधारित सूचना पद्धतिको विकास गरी खासगरी देहायका कार्यहरु गर्न निर्देशन दिए ।
वित्तीय क्षेत्रका नियमनकारी निकायले सम्पत्ति शुद्धीकरण निवारणका विषयमा नतिजामूलक नियमन तथा सुपरिवेक्षण गरी कमजोर व्यवस्था भएका बैंक तथा वित्तीय संस्था लगायत सूचक संस्थालाई उच्चतम स्तरको प्रदर्शनीय कारबाही गर्ने तथा सम्पत्ति शुद्धीकरण अनुसन्धान विभाग लगायतका अनुसन्धानकारी निकायले रणनीतिक महŒव भएका मुद्दाहरुको अनुसन्धान तीव्रताका साथ अगाडि बढाई अधिकांश ठूला केसको अनुसन्धान शीघ्र सम्पन्न गर्न सक्ने गरी संस्थागत सबलीकरण गर्ने विषयमा पनि बैठकले छलफल गरेको छ ।
साथै, यस प्रणालीको वर्तमान अवस्थाको यथार्थ चित्र स्वःमूल्यांकनबाट आउने भएकोले सो कार्यलाई तीव्रता दिई देखिएका कमी–कमजोरीलाई तत्काल सुधार गर्दै जाने व्यवस्था गर्ने र सोही प्रतिवेदन बमोजिम दोस्रो राष्ट्रिय रणनीति बनाई लागू गर्ने पनि बैठकले निर्णय गरेको अर्थ सचिवले जानकारी दिए ।

Government unveils Immediate Implementation Action Plan

Deputy prime minister and finance minister Krishna Bahadur Mahara today unveiled Immediate Implementation Action Plan aiming at boosting development spending.
But the action plan, in many places, has promised to establish special purpose agencies or complete tasks on back dates, which could be sheer negligence on part of the government or mere copy paste of the earlier action plans.
Though it has recommended actions and schedule for the concerned ministries and agencies for effective implementation of Mahara's vision, the 'negligence' in preparing the schedule – that are back-dated – has ridiculed the Finance Ministry's working style.
"The government plans to spend at least 80 per cent of the capital budget with the implementation of the Immediate Implementation Action Plan," Mahara said, unveiling the document at a press meet at the Finance Ministry.
If the line ministries do not approve programmes within the first four months, they will not be authorised to spend the budget, Mahara said, adding that the officials, who do not provide enough staff and technical manpower to the projects, will also be punished. "The ministry will deploy a Rapid Monitoring Team for monitoring of mega projects."
The government has not been able to increase capital expenditure due to its eroding institutional spending capacity. By the end of the first half of the current fiscal year 2016-17, the government agencies have been able to spend only 11.30 per cent of the total budget allocated for development spending.
According to the Financial Comptroller General's Office, the government has been able to spend only Rs 35.25 billion of the allocated Rs 311.94 billion in the first six months of the current fiscal year, lower than the average spending of around 14 per cent of the capital budget by the end of the first half of the earlier fiscal years.
Though, resource mobilisation is the key task of the Finance Ministry and spending the capital budget is the primary task of development activities related line ministries like Physical Planning and Transport Minsitry, Energy Ministry and Urban Development Ministry. These ministries have not been able to perform upto the mark putting the pressure on Finance Ministry. "If the ministries are not able to spend the allocated funds by mid-March, they would have to surrender such unspent budget to the Finance Ministryso that the ministry can transfer the funds to the projects that are showing good progress," Mahara added. "The move would ensure that projects with good performance record do not face resource crunch and also prevent rampant mobilisation of resources at the last moment of the fiscal year."
Though, he claimed to have given emphasis on proper implementation of budget – though the action plan – to move forwards with higher growth trajectory, the eroding effective and productive spending capacity of the government agencies have been the key to holding the development back.
"As retarded growth, slow employment generation and huge trade imbalance have long since been identified as the structural problems facing the economy, we need to address these issues to move forward,” Mahara said, adding that effective implementation of budget, acceleration of post-earthquake reconstruction works, incentives for banks and financial institutions to float credit to productive sector and expanding credit to rural families, utilisation of remittance in productive sector through issuing the foreign employment bonds are some priority areas of the action plan.
Mahara also claimed to have prioritised reforms in legal and administrative fronts to harness the results within the stipulated timeframe.
The finance minister has claimed that the government will form a separate agency to implement mega projects including Budhigandaki Hydropower Project, Kathmandu-Tarai Fast Track, Second International Airport, Postal Highway, Smart City, Health Insurance and Social Security, and also to institutionalise the mechanism for mega projects. But Mahara neither elaborated on the modality of the agency, nor explained how the agency will work. He simply claimed that the agency will be formed within January 15. But there has been no sign of such agency even though it's already January 18. This gives enough room to doubt the implementation of programmes outlined in the action plan.
Though, Mahara himself is not convinced about the immediate implementation of his Immediate Implementation Action Plan, he said that it would help change the mentality of the bureaucracy as they have been working under a tunnel of laws and rules. "For development, we have to envision some methods that can implement projects in a fast track mode," he added.
Likewise, the action plan – filled with popular slogans and no better than the earlier ministers' paperwork – has also claimed to cancel the agreements with contractors that have been slow in implementing projects. "Such contractors will be blacklisted and deemed ineligible to bid for government tenders again," it reads, adding that the ministry, now onwards, will select only the projects that have undergone the 'Project Readiness Filter'.
Though, the finance minister claimed that his action plan will heal all the economic ills concerned with low growth, slow capital expenditure, supply-side constraints, lack of employment generation, lack of access to finance, ineffective utilisation of foreign assistance, it could be only on the paper as the implementation capacity of the government agencies have – in the recent years – witnessed an erosion due to excessive political bickering, nepotism and red-tape.
However, the 63-point ambitious action action plan envisages construction of Kerung-Kathmandu Railway Project, Kathmandu Valley Metro and Mono Rail Projects, Electric Railway Project, Second International Airport at Nijgad, reservoir-type hydroelectric projects with installed capacity of 300-500 MW and expansion of East-West Highway under engineering-procurement-construction-financing model. This project development model, it is said, expedites project completion, as a single party has to complete procurement works, build the project on its own and mobilise necessary funds to build the project as well.
The action plan also proposes to provide easy credit access to vegetable farmers, establish labourers’ bank to create database of workers available for different jobs, generate self-employment opportunities for 50,000 people within this fiscal year, create national single window to facilitate overseas trade and establish infrastructure development bank under leadership of the private sector.

Nepal tops regional ranking in inclusive development index

Nepal is not only advancing – in the last five years – in the Inclusive Development Index (IDI) but also ranks first in the South Asian region, a global report published today shows.
"Under the developing economies category, with overall score of 4.24, Nepal ranks 27th on the IDI, showing remarkable improvement over the last five years,” the Inclusive Growth and Development Report-2017 published by the World Economic Forum (WEF) reads.
"Nepal ranks 26th in Growth with a score of 3.35, whereas the country ranks 51st in Inclusion with a score of 3.25, but ranks 1st in Intergenerational Equity with a score of 6.11.”
“Intergenerational equity, which refers to whether economic performance is being pursued at the expense of future generations, is another limitation of GDP," the report reads, adding that increasing output, which at first glance would be 'good' for GDP, may come at the expense of externalities such as environmental damage, reduced leisure time, or the depletion of natural resources. "In other words, there is no link between GDP and the sustainability of the economy."
Though the country is ranked second to Lesotho – under the developing economies – for most improved five-year trend, it far below at 72 in GDP per capita, the report adds.
“Nepal, among the six countries, registered IDI scores that are 20 or more places higher than its GDP per capita rankings, suggesting that its development model is considerably more balanced and inclusive than that of countries with a comparable national income per capita.”
Notably, Nepal’s poverty rate has declined by 25 percentage points in this time, and its income inequality – net income Gini – by almost 8 percentage points, it reads, adding that Nepal outperforms all others on the intergenerational equity pillar during the most recent year, and has relatively low unemployment, including youth unemployment, and strong female participation in the workforce. “However, it performs poorly on GDP per capita and labor productivity.”
The framework indicates that the informal sector is dogged by low wages, leaving many workers in poverty. Priority areas include tackling corruption and administrative barriers to starting and growing a business, as well as continuing to improve infrastructure and basic services including education; particularly the availability and quality of vocational training, the report added.
Regionally, Nepal ranked 27th is followed by Bangladesh at 36th, Sri Lanka at 39th, Pakistan at 52nd and India at 60th in the IDI -2017.
The Inclusive Development Index (IDI) has been calculated by giving equal weight to the three pillars – growth, inclusion, and intergenerational equity – as well as the 12 indicators therein. However, if the bottom-line measure of national economic performance is sustained, broad-based progress in living standards, then a case could be made that the indicator or indicators that most closely approximate this concept should be weighted more heavily.
As measured by household surveys, median household income is attracting growing interest as an alternative to GDP per capita, the more commonly cited measure of a country’s material wellbeing. One drawback with GDP per capita is that it takes no account of distribution: it simply divides a nation’s income by the size of its population, the report states, adding, “If inequality in that country is very high, the resulting figure will provide a misleadingly optimistic suggestion of living standards for most individuals.”
Analysis of the 12 Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) that comprise the Inclusive Development Index, alongside the seven pillars of Policy and Institutional Indicators, suggests that median household income is indeed a reasonable proxy for inclusive growth and development as a whole even though it captures only one of the four dimensions of broad-based progress in living standards – income; opportunity; security; and quality of life – emphasised in the report.

IDI-2017 (Nepal)
GDP – 3%
Labour productivity and growth – 2%
Health lIfe expe nctancy trend – 1 yrs
Employmemt trend – (-0.3%)

Net Income GINI Trend – (-7.7)
Poverty Trend – 25.3%
Wealthy GINI Trend – 11.8
Median Income Trend – $1.2

Adjusted Net Savings Trend – 3.4%
Carbon Intensity Trend KG per$ of GDP – (-4.4)
Public Debt Trend – (-3.7%)
Dependency Ratio Trend – (-8.8%)

सरकारी खर्चको दुरावस्था, औषद्भन्दा पनि कम खर्च

पछिल्ला आर्थिक वर्षहरुमा सरकारको खर्च गर्ने क्षमतामा क्रमशः हस आउँंदै गएको छ ।
पछिल्ला आर्थिक वर्षहरुको आधा वर्षसम्म अर्थात पुष मसान्तसम्ममा औषद्मा करिब १२ देखि १३ प्रतिशतसम्म विकास खर्च हुदै आएकोमा चालु आर्थिक वर्षमा भने झन् घटेर ११.३० प्रतिशतमा झरेको छ ।
सरकारी राजस्व संकलनमासरकार सफल देखिएको छ तर, चालू आर्थिक वर्षको ६ महिनाको अवधिमा कुल पूँजीगत खर्च ३ खर्ब ११ अर्ब रुपैयाँ मध्ये ३५ अर्ब २५ करोड रुपैयाँमात्र खर्च गर्न सकेको महालेखा नियन्त्रकको कार्यालयले जनाएको छ ।
संविधानको निर्माण अघिको राजनीतिक अस्थिरता र बजेटमाथिको उग्र राजनीतिले विगतका वर्षहरुमा ढिला बजेट आउँंदा पनि करिब १३ प्रतिशतदेखी १४ प्रतिशतसम्म विकास खर्च हुने गरेकोमा चालु आर्थिक वर्ष अर्थतन्त्रका सूचकहरु नकारात्मक नरहेका र बजेट पनि निर्धारित समयअगावै आउँंदा पनि पूजिगत खर्चको दुरावस्था हुनुमा जोखिम लिन नचाहने कर्मचारीतन्त्र तथा राजनीतिक इच्छाशक्ति बिहीन राजनीतिज्ञ भएको विज्ञहरुको धारणा छ । 
यस्तै, चालु आर्थिक वर्षको ६ महिना वित्दा कूल बजेटमध्ये एक चौथाइमात्र खर्च भएको छ । चालू आर्थिक वर्षको पुष मसान्तसम्ममा कुल १० खर्ब ४८ अर्बको बजेटको २६.१९ प्रतिशतमात्र खर्च भएको पनि महालेखा नियन्त्रकको कार्यालयले जनाएको छ । सो रकममध्ये यस अवधिसम्म २ खर्ब ६५ अर्ब ३ करोडमात्र खर्च भएको कार्यालयको तथ्याङकले देखाएको छ । गत वर्ष नाकाबन्दी तथा भूकम्पको प्रभावको असर रहेपनि पुस मसान्तसम्म करिब २० प्रतिशत अर्थात करिब १ खर्ब ८० अर्बमात्र खर्च भएको थियो । गत आव ८ खर्ब १९ अर्ब ६४ करोड बजेट विनियोजन गरिएको थियो । गत वर्षकोभन्दा अहिले खर्च बढे पनि सन्तोषजनक भने नभएको अर्थ मन्त्रालयले बताएको छ । यस वर्ष ठूला ठूला परियोजना तथा अन्य कार्यक्रम अघि बढेपनि भनेको जस्तो उपलब्धी भने हासिल हुन सकेको छैन ।
साथै चालू आवको ६ महिनाको अवधिसम्म खर्च भएको रकममध्ये सबैभन्दा बढी साधारण खर्चतर्फ करीब ३४, पूँजीगत खर्चतर्फ ११ दशमलव १३ प्रतिशत खर्च भएको छ भने वित्तीय व्यवस्थातर्फको खर्च १७ दशमलव ३६ प्रतिशत रहेको छ । सरकारले बजेट प्रस्तुत गर्दा भूकम्पपछिको पुनःस्थापन तथा पुनर्निर्माणलाई विशेष महत्वका पनि अहिलेसम्म पनि त्यससम्बन्धी भौतिक संरचना निर्माण कार्य अपेक्षित हुन सकेको छैन ।
बजेटमा सरकारले भूकम्पको नवनिर्माण कार्यलाई व्यापक बनाई लगानी वृद्धि, रोजगारी सृजना, उद्यमशीलताको विकास र आयआर्जनको माध्यमबाट दिगो र उच्च आर्थिक वृद्धिदर (६ प्रतिशत) प्राप्त गर्ने लक्ष्य निर्धारण गरेको थियो ।
अर्थ मन्त्रालयले विगतदेखि समस्याको रूपमा रहेको न्यून रूपमा हुने गरेको पूँजीगत खर्चलाई बढाउन चालू आवमा स्रोतको उच्चतम परिचालन गर्ने रणनीति लिएको तथा विकास खर्चलाई बढाउन बजेटमा उल्लिखित कार्यक्रमलाई महत्वका साथ अघि बढाइएको अर्थ सचिव डा.शान्तराज सुवेदीले बताएका छन् । ‘विनियोजित पूँजी खर्च गर्न प्रधानमन्त्री आफैले ठूला परियोजनाहरुको स्थलगत भ्रमण गरिरहेका छन् भने सम्बन्धित मन्त्रालयबाट पनि यसको पहल शुरु भएको छ,’ उनले भने, ‘त्यसो त सरकारले चालु आवदेखि राम्रो गर्ने तथा समयमै परियोजना सम्पन्न गर्ने आयोजना प्रमुखलाई पुरस्कृत गर्ने कार्यक्रम पनि ल्याएको छ र ठग्ने तथा आफ्नो जिम्मेवारी पूरा नगर्ने कर्मचारीलाई दण्डित पनि गर्ने भएको छ ।’
राष्ट्रिय महत्वका आयोजनाहरूमा विनियोजित बजेट खर्च हुन नसक्दा आयोजना निर्माणमा ढिलाइ हुनेममात्र होइन यसबाट रोजगारी सिर्जना तथा पूजी निर्माण नहुँदा आर्थिक बृद्धिदर तथा नागरिकको जीवनस्तर दुबैमा सुभार आउँदैन ।
‘विनियोजित पूँजी खर्च नहुनु विगतदेखिको जटिल समस्या भएकाले यस खर्चलाई बढाउन ऊर्जा, सिँचाइ तथा सडकजस्ता राष्ट्रिय प्राथमिकतामा परेका आयोजनाको प्रभावकारी कार्यान्वयनको अर्थ आपैmले संयोजन गर्ने भएको छ,’ उनले भने, ‘राष्ट्रिय प्राथमिकतामा परेका तथा देशको आर्थिक समृद्धिमा महत्वपूर्ण भूमिका रहने यस्ता आयोजना निर्माण कार्य प्रभावकारी नभएकाले मन्त्रालयको संयोजनमा निर्माण कार्य अघि बढाउन लागिएकोे हो ।’

आगामी बजेटको सीमा ११ खर्ब ५० अर्ब
सरकारले आगामी आर्थिक वर्षको लागि करिब साढे ११ खर्ब रुपैयाँको बजेट सीमा तोक्ने तयारी गरेको छ । आगामी आव २०७४–७५को निर्धारण लागिएको बजेट सीमा चालू आवको भन्दा १० प्रतिशतले बढी हो । सरकारले चालू आवको लागि १० खर्ब ४८ अर्बको बजेट विनियोजन गरेको छ । खर्च गर्ने क्षमतामा वृद्धि नभएसम्म स्रोत भएपनि उपलब्धी हासिल गर्न नसकिने औल्याउँदै राष्ट्रिय योजना आयोगले चालू आवकोभन्दा थोरैमात्र बजेट सीमा बढाउने तयारी गरेको हो । चालू आवमा विनियोजन गरिएको बजेट गत आवकोभन्दा २८ प्रतिशतले बढी हो । बढी बजेटले मात्रदेश विकास हुन नसक्ने मान्यतालाई आत्मसाथ गर्दै आगामी आवको लागि भने थोरै बजेट बढाउने तयारी गरिएको आयोगले जनाएको छ ।
सरकारले आगामी आवदेखि देश पूर्णतया संघीयतामा जाने हुनाले त्यहि अनुसारको नीति तथा आर्थिक नीति निर्माण गर्ने तयारी पनि गरिरहेको छ । सोही अनुसार बजेट विनियोजन हुने अर्थमन्त्रालयले जानकारी दिएको छ । यसका साथै कृषि, ऊर्जा , पर्यटन, पूर्वाधार, औद्योगिक विकास, शिक्षा तथा व्यापारका क्षेत्रले बजेटमा प्राथमिकता पाउने छन् ।
सन् २०२२ सम्म नेपाललाई विकासशील र सन् २०३० सम्म मध्यम आय भएको राष्ट्र निर्माण गर्ने लक्ष्यका आधारमा बजेट परिलक्षित हुनेछ भन्दै आयोगले उच्च आर्थिक वृद्धि, समृद्ध नेपालको स्थापना, विकाशील राष्ट्र हुँदै मध्यम आय भएको राष्ट्र निर्माण गर्ने रणनीतिक स्तम्भका आधारमा बजेटले प्राथमिकता पाउने पनि जनाएको छ । सरकारले आगामी दशकलाई उच्च आर्थिक वृद्धिको दशकका रूपमा मनाउने भएको छ ।
साथै, सरकारले १४औं योजनामा पहिचान भएका रणनीतिक आधारस्तम्भ (स्ट्राटेजिक पिलर्स)का आधारमा बजेट विनियोजन गर्ने पनि तयारी गरेको छ । पूर्वाधार निर्माण क्षेत्रलाई पहिलो प्राथमिकतामा राख्दा रणनीति स्तम्भका आधारमा दोस्रो प्राथमिकता सामाजिक विकासले पाउने भएको छ । सामाजिक विकास तथा सुरक्षा एवम् संरक्षणमा जोड दिँदै मानव विकासमा उच्च तथा दिगो सुधार गर्ने उद्देश्य राखिएको छ । चौधौं योजनाको आधारपत्रमा उत्पादन वृद्धि, पूर्वाधार निर्माण, सामाजिक विकास, सुशासन प्रवद्र्धन तथा अन्तरसम्बन्धित विकास गरी ५ क्षेत्रलाई रणनीतिक आभारस्तम्भका रूपमा परिभाषित गरिएको छ । १४औं योजनाको अन्त्यसम्म सरकारले ऊर्जा, सडक, हवाई यातायात, सूचना तथा सञ्चार र ग्रामीण–शहरी तथा त्रिदेशीय आबद्धतालगायतका क्षेत्रमा पूर्वाधार निर्माण गर्ने योजना बनाएको छ ।
बजेटमा कृषिक्षेत्रको रूपान्तरण, पर्यटन, औद्योगिक एवम् साना तथा मझौला व्यवसायमार्फत उत्पादन वृद्धि गर्दै रोजगारी उन्मुख र न्यायपूर्ण वितरणसहितको उच्च आर्थिक वृद्धिद्वारा दु्रत गतिमा गरीबी न्यूनीकरण आर्थिक–सामाजिक रूपान्तरण गर्ने कार्यक्रमले पनि प्राथमिकता पाउने आयोगको भनाई छ । 

NAC to buy European aircraft from US company

Nepal Airlines Corporation (NAC) today selected an American Company to purchase 2 wide-body European aircraft.
The corporation will issue a letter of intent (LoI) to the American leasing company – AAR Corp – tomorrow to supply two-wide body Airbus A 330-200 aircraft, NAC managing director Sugat Ratna Kansakar informed. A letter of intent is a document expressing an intention to enter into a contract at a future date.
The NAC board – led by secretary of Ministry of Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation – today unanimously agreed to award the supply contract to US-based AAR Corp.
The board has selected the lowest bidder – AAR Corp – which has proposed to supply each aircraft for $104.8 million, he said, adding that the negotiations with the supplier will be held very soon in Kathmandu. "The cost of the aircraft and delivery date will be finalised during the negotiations."
Kansakar said that the ‘offer price’ quoted by the company was not the final price as it may go up slightly up due to inflation when final contract negotiations are completed. "When the cost of the aircraft will be finalised, a purchase agreement will be signed after the negotiations."
"We will ask the supplier to come to Nepal as soon as possible to sign an initial memorandum of understanding (MoU),” he said, adding that the corporation has targeted concluding the MoU within two weeks so that it can begin detailed technical and financial negotiations. A technical team consisting of members of the two parties would be formed to hold detailed negotiations. The entire process could be completed within three to four weeks.
There were six bidders in the final round. The corporation board selected AAR Corp due to the appropriate rate it proposed and the credibility of the company. Though the bid evaluation committee had evaluated the proposals of 10 bidders, four did not qualify in the initial stage itself.
A notice inviting proposals from aircraft manufacturers, airlines, aircraft leasing companies and bankers for two Airbus A330-200 aircraft was issued on September 26. There were 11 hopeful suppliers, and the highest price quoted was $146 million.
The corporation has stipulated that the jets should not have more than 1,000 flight hours on them, and that the date of manufacture should not be before January 2014.
The AAR Corp has – in request of proposal – offered to deliver the first aircraft by September 2017 and the other by March 2018.
The supplier should include the cost of a minimum set of flight and maintenance crews for the duration of at least one year. It should also include the cost of consumable spares and tools required for day-to-day line maintenance up to the ‘A’ check level for a year.
The carrier has proposed procuring long-range jets to serve destinations in North America, Japan, Australia and the UK as they have been identified as prospective markets for Nepal over the next 20 years.
The corporation had purchased two Airbus A320-200 aircraft in 2015 by borrowing Rs 10 billion from the Employees Provident Fund (EPF) in its first fleet expansion in 27 years.
The national flag carrier currently has two narrow-body Airbus aircraft and one narrow-body Boeing aircraft in its international fleet. The fleet is flying to eight destinations. After addition of two wide-body aircraft, the corporation start flying on long haul destinations, as the average flight range of the A 330-200 series aircraft will be nine to 10 hours.
The national flag carrier is preparing to fly to Japan and South Korea with the new two wide-body aircraft that is expected to not only increase its market share but also recover its lost glory.
So far, the national flag carrier has received landing permit for Inchhan International Airport in South Korea and Saudi Arabia. Kansakar also informed that the corporation has also approached civil aviation authority of Japan to receive landing permit. "In the long run the corporation also plans to expand its network to Australia and Europe," he added.
Though, international lenders are ready to invest on corporation, the corporation has approached EPF and Citizen Investment Trust (CIT) for the loan to buy the two aircraft.
The corporation had – in the past too – borrowed from the EPF and CIT to purchase the two narrow-body Airbus aircraft. The government-owned financial institutions have been charging nine per cent interest rate from NAC. "But this time the corporation has also approached some private banks," Kansakar said, adding that the private financial institutions are positive about consortium financing. "They are expected to quote an interest rate that is lower than that of the government-owned financial institutions."
The government is giving guarantee for the loan that NAC is planning to obtain.
The corporation will soon finalise loan agreement with the government-owned financial institutions, as the supplier has been issued LoI and invited for negotiations," he added.