Deputy PM criticizes budget, vacancy announcement

Published On: June 5, 2019 08:15 AM NPT By: Republica | @RepublicaNepal

KAILALI, June 5: Deputy Prime Minister Upendra Yadav has expressed his dissatisfaction with the fiscal budget presented last month by the government saying that his party despite being a ruling coalition partner was not consulted in the budget preparation process.

Yadav, the chairman of the ruling coalition partner Samajbadi Party Nepal, further claimed that the budget unveiled by the government on May 29 has also failed to meet the expectations of the people.
Speaking to journalists in Dhangadhi on Tuesday, Yadav said that ministers from his party were not involved in the budget preparation process.

“The budget should have plans for balanced development from East to West and North to South but I did not find anything like that,” he said. “The government has failed to address expectations of the people.”

Yadav-led SPN has also issued a statement on Tuesday demanding withdrawal of vacancies announced by the Public Service Commission for recruiting staffers in in the local governments. He claimed that the vacancy announcement was called in breach of the constitutional quota for reservations. Yadav also expressed objection to the PSC.

“The vacancy announcement revokes all achievements of past movements and this is objectionable. I demand that the commission withdraw the announcement,” said Yadav.

The Rastriya Janata Party Nepal (RJPN) has also demanded cancellation of the PSC vacancy announcement “for not ensuring reservations for Madhesi and indigenous communities”.

PSC had announced vacancies for 9,161 positions at various 515 local units on May 29. Though the federal government has been claiming that the vacancies were announced to address the human resource shortage at the local and provincial governments, the provinces have accused the center of snatching their right to fill the vacancies.

Regional and Madhes-based political parties have flayed the PSC for ignoring the principles of proportional inclusive representation and snatching the right of the local governments.