“We have already sent letters inviting leaders from the opposition parties so that they are involved in the formulation of full budget,” said Finance Minister Barsha Man Pun.[break]
In its letter, the MoF has requested all major parties, including Nepali Congress and CPN UML that have refused to agree on budget without political settlement, to send one of their leaders or nominate an economist on their behalf to prepare the budget.
If the oppositions responded positively, the MoF plans to form a group of experts, including experts from all the parties and carry out two tasks. Under the first task, MoF aims to evolve out a common minimum economic program, setting economic priorities and development targets to be achieved over the next five years so that this and successive governments could formulate budget based on it without any fiasco.
“This has been planned so that the country could have at least a common political-economical document assuring timely announcement of budget in years to come,” Pun told the press.
If that did not become possible, Pun said, he would mobilize this group of experts to at least develop a full budget so that the new budget could be brought on time in political consensus.
The MoF took the initiative after chances of political parties hammering out consensus on long-pending political issues continued to remain slim. It also followed a meeting of UCPN (Maoist) office bearers this morning instructing the government to approach the opposition parties draft a full budget.
Pun expressed the hope that the opposition parties would respond to the MoF´s call positively, particularly if the country did not get new budget within two weeks, the government would fail to pay salaries of teachers, security personnel and deliver even basic services.
MoF on Thursday announced that it was facing a budget shortfall of Rs 7.42 billion in the fourth month (ending mid-November) and if the new allocations were not made within two weeks, it will not be able to ensure delivery of basic health care and education facilities, pay social security allowances and arrange security.
Pun also said the government needed additional Rs 850 million to pay the salary of Nepal Army personnel, Rs 1.2 billion to pay salary of armed police force and Nepal Police, among others, and another Rs 4 billion to pay salaries of teachers and pensions.
“The state will not function if the new budget is not announced soon. Full budget has become a national need. Hence, I urge the opposition political parties to act responsibly,” said Pun.
If the opposition leaders did not respond sensibly, Pun said, the government would take steps for announcement of full budget unilaterally. “The country cannot be made dysfunctional. Hence, we will be forced to take such unpleasant step, even though that will go against our own desire and president´s push for announcement of budget in consensus,” he stated.
Given the looming fiscal crisis, Pun viewed the president too will not be able to obstruct promulgation of new budget ordinance.
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