KATHMANDU, Nov 28: The Finance Committee of legislature-parliament has decided to probe the cabinet decision to provide financial assistance and medical treatment assistance to different individuals.
The committee had asked the government to explain the rationale behind doling out taxpayer's money to different individuals from the Office of the Prime Minister and Council of Ministers (OPMCM) and other line ministries. But the committee is not satisfied with the documents furnished by OPMCM, officials of the committee said.
Prakash Jwala, chairman of the Finance Committee, said that the amount distributed in the name of financial support or medical treatment assistance has been provided on the basis of access and political influence.
“Vague decisions like 'all the medical expenses will be borne by the government' has been made without mentioning the name of the hospital and the country,” said Jwala.
The committee's next meeting will form a probe team and also prepare terms of reference to begin investigation, according to Jwala.
As per the existing practice, Ministry of Health and Population (MoHP) recommends to the cabinet to provide medical treatment assistance for poor as well as patients suffering from chronic disease on the basis of a guideline. But there is not law to recommend financial assistance for others. Recommendations for financial assistance for political leaders are made being without any legal basis.
Recently, the Sushil Koirala-led government decided to provide financial assistance worth Rs 3.5 million including Rs 1.5 million for health treatment to former minister Khum Bahadur Khadka. The cabinet meeting of August 13 had decided to provide more than Rs 15 million to 25 different individuals from different districts as financial assistance as medical expenses.
“The guideline, however, lacks clarity on criteria for assistance particularly for political leaders,” Jwala said.
The government has also been generous in doling out funds to different institutions and non-governmental organizations in the name of fairs and conferences through Ministry of Tourism and Civil Aviation (MoTCA) among other ministries.
Cabinet decisions cannot be investigated by the Commission for the Investigation of Abuse of Authority (CIAA).
The committee also has directed the Ministry of Finance not to release financial assistance and medical treatment assistance without seeking supporting expense bills as per the prevailing laws. The assistance announced for conflict-hit families can, however, be released, according to the committee.
“We have also directed government agencies to adopt austerity measures at this time of crisis,” added Jwala.
The committee also has directed OPMCM, Ministry of Home Affairs, MoF and MoHP to prepare a guideline for distribution of medical treatment assistance and any other financial assistance and submit it to the committee within a month.
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