Koshi Province Government Presents Budget Principles and Priorities Amidst Criticism

Biratnagar. The Koshi Province government has presented the principles and priorities of the appropriation bill for the upcoming fiscal year 2083/84 in the Provincial Assembly. Economic Affairs and Planning Minister Bidur Kumar Limthep presented the proposal, which was followed by discussions where MPs from both the ruling and opposition parties offered critical comments on the government's working style and priorities. MPs drew the minister's attention to the government's neglect of tourism, revenue collection, capital expenditure status, and Sagarmatha, which is a symbol of the province's identity.

CPN-UML MP Revatiraman Bhandari, from the ruling party itself, commented that while the principles and priorities presented by the government had good vocabulary, the reality on the ground was weak. According to Bhandari, the budget has failed to bring in poverty-targeted programs that directly address the large number of citizens still living below the poverty line in the province. He expressed doubts about achieving the revenue collection targets and capital expenditure contraction.

Similarly, Nepali Congress Chief Whip Gopal Tamang expressed skepticism about the government's announced Koshi Tourism Year 2083-2085 program. Tamang, recalling past experiences, stated that over 100 million rupees allocated for Tourism Year 2082 yielded no results, and questioned the wisdom of bringing back the same program without review. He suggested investing in actual tourism infrastructure. Tamang demanded that the government bring the rapidly opening five-star hotels in the province under the tax net and make entertainment tax effective. He stated that the government's priorities for relocating hazardous settlements and upgrading district hospitals were limited to paper.

CPN (Maoist Centre) MP Gombu Sherpa, participating in the discussion, criticized Minister Limthep for forgetting Sagarmatha. Sherpa said it was unfortunate that Sagarmatha, which identifies Nepal globally and is the main jewel and identity of Koshi Province, was not even mentioned in the government's budget principles. He also urged for the continuation of treatment assistance provided to citizens with serious illnesses and for the equitable distribution of the budget.

Responding to the critical questions from the MPs, Economic Affairs Minister Bidur Kumar Limthep clarified that the government had not neglected any sector. He claimed that even if Sagarmatha was not written in words, it was in the heart of the government and would be the main attraction of Koshi Tourism Year. He pledged to specifically address Sagarmatha and the tourism route in the upcoming budget, taking note of MP Sherpa's suggestion. Responding to questions about revenue collection, he admitted that domestic revenue had contracted somewhat due to damage to public structures and disruption of service delivery caused by the unfortunate incident in Bhadra 2082.

Defending the criticism of unspent capital expenditure, Minister Limthep argued that many projects faced implementation problems due to the increase in prices of petroleum products and construction materials in the international market. The minister positively received MP Gopal Tamang's suggestion to collect revenue from five-star hotels and manage entertainment tax, assuring that a detailed action plan would be prepared through inter-ministerial coordination. He urged the MPs to send further suggestions in writing to the ministry within seven days, stating that these suggestions would form the main basis for budget preparation.

The budget principles and priorities presented by Minister Limthep envision the creation of a clean, happy, and prosperous province. It outlines good governance, physical infrastructure development, modernization of the agricultural sector, and promotion of tourism as the four main pillars.

The proposal includes plans to maintain geographical balance in development programs to be operated by the provincial government, complete sick projects, and manage the multi-year contract system for new projects. The government has adopted a policy of emphasizing integrated infrastructure development to reduce migration from the hilly and mountainous regions.

Education, health, and drinking water have been defined as fundamental rights of citizens, with a commitment to make them quality and accessible. The capacity of provincial hospitals will be increased, and the rural mother health security program will be prioritized for the health security of mothers in villages. Furthermore, the goal is to minimize the effects of climate change and expedite technology-based early warning systems and relief distribution for disaster management.