SURHET, May 26: The Karnali Province Government has spent only 31 percent of its annual budget in the first 10 months of the current financial year. According to the Province Financial Comptroller Office, 31.22 percent of the budget has been spent in 10 months. The province has made 38.82 percent recurrent expenditure and 26.15 percent capital expenditure. The budget of Karnali province government for the current financial year is Rs 32.17 billion. Out of which only Rs 10.23 billion has been spent by April.
The Ministry of Physical Infrastructure and Urban Development, which has the highest development budget, has spent 23.94 percent. The ministry has spent Rs 2.60 billion out of the budget of Rs 11.03 billion. The Ministry of Physical Infrastructure has been able to spend 54.75 percent of the current budget and 22.81 percent of the capital budget.
The Ministry of Social Development has spent 41.30 percent of the budget in 10 months. Out of the allocated Rs 6.8 billion, the Ministry of Social Development has spent only Rs 2.51 billion. The Ministry of Social Development has spent 45.28 percent of the current budget and 36.42 percent of the capital budget.
Karnali spends only around 27 percent of its budget in 11 month...
Similarly, the Ministry of Land Management, Agriculture and Cooperatives has spent 30.41 percent of the budget. Out of the Rs 2.41 billion budget, the ministry has spent Rs 733.8 million. The ministry has spent 32.10 percent on operational and 26.59 percent on capital. Similarly, the Ministry of Energy, Water Resources and Irrigation has spent 35.15 percent of the budget in 10 months. Out of Rs 3.82 billion allocated, this ministry has spent Rs 1.34 billion. This ministry has spent 48.60 percent of the current budget and 34.20 percent of the capital budget.
The Ministry of Industry, Tourism, Forestry and Environment has spent 31.18 percent of the budget. This ministry has spent Rs 376.3 million out of Rs 2.16 billion budget. This ministry has spent 50.17 percent of the current budget and 17.09 percent of the capital budget.
The Office of the Prime Minister and Council of Ministers has spent 18.95 percent of the budget in 10 months. The Office has spent 127.6 million out of Rs 673.5 million budgets. The Prime Minister's Office has spent 23 percent of the current budget and 5.24 percent of the capital budget. Similarly, the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Law has spent 47.75 percent of the budget. With a budget of Rs 215.5 million, this ministry has spent Rs 10.30 million. This ministry has spent 53.19 percent of the current budget and 32 percent of the capital budget.
Only one and a half months are left for the current financial year. Budget expenditure of the Karnali provincial government is always disappointing. The budget expenditure situation was similar in the previous financial years as well. The government says that there are many challenges in spending the budget. It is said that the budget could not be spent due to lack of staff, lack of resources, tendency to work only at the end of the financial year. Government Spokesperson and Minister of Internal Affairs and Law Krishna Bahadur GC said that the budget could not be spent as expected due to the provincial and federal elections in the current fiscal year, the staff assigned to work in the elections, and the lack of staff.
