Opposition Leaders Criticize First Budget by Balen Shah Government as Unrealistic

Kathmandu. Opposition leaders have commented that the first budget brought by the government led by National Independent Party (NIP) senior leader Balendra (Balen) Shah is not a real budget despite its large size.

Finance Minister Dr. Swarnim Wagle presented a budget of 21 billion, 24 billion 34 crore in the joint meeting of the House on Friday. Former Finance Minister and CPN leader Barshaman Pun commented that the budget brought by the Shah-led government, despite its large size, is an inflated budget.

‘This is an unrealistic budget, an inflated budget’, Pun said, ‘Talking about subsidies, grants, and social security is good. But the source does not support it.’

He further stated that the budget appears to be distribution-oriented and seems to be targeted at the local elections somewhere. ‘There is a psychology that public opinion can be created by distributing the budget somewhere after distribution’, Pun said, ‘No significant program for the improvement of the agricultural sector has come. The budget has failed to bring significant programs for youth employment and self-entrepreneurship.’

He also said that although the budget is such that the middle class will be happy, there is no certainty of resources. ‘Those who used to say that past parties ran the country by taking loans have promised to eat ghee by taking loans’, he said, ‘Only the packaging is good.’

Similarly, CPN-UML MP Guru Baral said that the budget programs have not included plans and programs to provide opportunities for the basic class. ‘It has not been able to open doors to develop the entrepreneurship of the middle class’, Baral said, ‘It has not provided for subjects like mission mode, sunset, motherland, challenge fund.’

He said that the Finance Minister could not say how to remove it from the grey list and that the time for marine diversion irrigation has been extended. ‘Giving loans on collateral is positive. But within three years, 90 percent of Nepalis’ health insurance has been cut from the private sector’, he said, ‘The government has retreated from the areas of burden management and social security.’ Baral also said that no government program has come to solve the landless problem.

Chief Whip of the main opposition party, Nischal Rai, said that although the policy of tax change in the budget is appropriate for protecting industrialists and cutting expenses, service delivery may be affected. He said that foreign debt is the highest ever, and the debt burden on each Nepali will be more than 1 lakh 20 thousand.

‘The size has increased, the source is not certain. The budget has failed not only economically but also politically’, he said.

Rastriya Prajatantra Party MP Khushbu Oli said that a budget has come which can be doubted whether it will become a tool for development. ‘The budget is ambitious, but we have to give the government the benefit of the doubt’, Oli said.