The finance section at present has no work at all as the Ministry of Finance (MoF) has stalled the budget allocated for the salaries of ministers, citing budgetary limitations.
The section, whose major task is to manage the salaries of the prime minister and other ministers, was expected to remain idle.
The section, following instructions from MoF two weeks ago, stalled a check of Rs 7 million set to be released in the name of cabinet members and their aides. The check was stalled after MoF ran short of money because of the failure of parliament to approve the budget for the current fiscal year.
Officers at the section are facing an excessive amount of complaints from close aides of ministers.
“Ministers´ aides are unnecessarily lambasting us for not releasing the salaries,” said one officer requesting anonymity.
The officers, however, declined to divulge the names of those complaining even though the salaries were stalled only because of the obstruction of parliament.
“They come every day and ask for the salaries,” Hari Mohan Bhattarai, under-secretary at the section, said, adding “We are tired of trying to explain to them why the salaries were not released.”
Officers also said that the ministers´ aides are acting as if they are “unaware” of the ongoing parliamentary obstruction.
Ministers´ aides are asking not only for the release of monthly salaries but also demanding travel and daily allowances. The section receives bills and other documents of expenses submitted by ministers. The ministers are required to submit bills of expenses they incur on foreign and domestic trips.
The section, two weeks ago, officially informed the PM and other ministers that it cannot release their salaries for last month onwards until the budget is passed.
Parliament has not been able to pass the budget following continuous obstruction of its proceedings by Maoists since May. The vote on account bill passed by parliament does not allow the government to spend more than one-third of the total budget.
According to officials, they have informed the PM and all the ministers about the instructions from MoF in this regard. MoF has already instructed all government agencies not to incur expenses out of the limited budget available as the annual budget is yet to be passed by parliament.
“Although they are aware of the problem, they keep visiting and calling us repeatedly. We cannot do anything due to budgetary limitations,” said an official.
At present, the prime minister receives Rs 252,000 as collective monthly salary for himself and his personal staff while a deputy prime minister and a minister get Rs 175,000 and Rs 132,000 collectively per month respectively. Similarly, a state minister and an assistant minister receive Rs 128,000 and Rs 101,000 as collective monthly salaries.
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