UML protests Bagmati Province's Rs 70.93 billion budget

KATHMANDU, June 24: CPN-UML's Bagmati Province parliamentary party has disapproved of the budget allocated for Bagmati Province for the upcoming fiscal year 2022/23.

The provincial government recently presented a budget of Rs 70.93 billion for the upcoming fiscal year, Rs 13 billion more than the current fiscal year’s budget. 

The recently held two-day meeting of the parliamentary party of the main opposition decided to protest against the budget, claiming  that the provincial government had violated the political agreement with the main opposition for budget distribution.

The meeting chaired by former Chief Minister of Bagmati Province, Astalaxmi Shakya also deliberated on the role to be played by the UML in the upcoming parliament meetings, informed UML parliamentary party's chief whip Deepak Niraula.

Niraula shared that the UML blamed that the Bagmati Province government had allocated a negligible budget in the local units and wards where the UML had secured victory in the May 13 local election. 

The imminent Bagmati Provincial Assembly meeting could be obstructed if the provincial government fails to implement the agreement with the major opposition party and to make the 'distributive budget' proportionate, warned the UML parliamentary party. 

The Bagmati Provincial Assembly meeting is slated on June 26.