Lumbini Province Government to Continue Budget Allocation for MPs' Development Projects

Butwal. The Lumbini Province government is preparing to continue the practice of providing budget to the Members of Parliament (MPs) for development projects in their respective constituencies in an indirect manner in the upcoming financial year.

Lumbini Province Assembly members put pressure on the government every year to increase the budget for projects in their areas. In the upcoming financial year (2083/084), they met with Chief Minister Chet Narayan Acharya demanding an increase in the budget for projects to be operated in their areas.

A team led by Lumbini Province Deputy Speaker Menuka Khanal KC met with the Chief Minister a few days ago with the demand to increase the budget amount for the projects of proportional MPs in the upcoming financial year. In her capacity as the coordinator of the Women Parliamentarians' Network, Deputy Speaker KC urged Chief Minister Acharya to allocate an increased budget amount for MP projects compared to the current financial year.

In the current financial year, the budget allocated for proportional MPs' projects was Rs 1 crore 10 lakh per MP, and for directly elected MPs, it was Rs 3 crore.

Prior to that, in the financial year 2081/082, proportional MPs were given Rs 1 crore and directly elected MPs were given projects worth Rs 2 crore 75 lakh. Similarly, in the financial year 2080/081, a budget of Rs 75 lakh was arranged for proportional MPs and Rs 1 crore 25 lakh for directly elected MPs.

According to sources, Chief Minister Acharya has given a positive indication regarding the provision of projects worth up to Rs 4 crore for directly elected MPs and Rs 2 crore for proportional MPs for the upcoming financial year. However, a formal decision in this regard has not yet been made public.

Budget Inequality Between Proportional and Directly Elected MPs Always Exists

In the past, the federal government used to provide budget to MPs in the name of 'MP Development Fund'. Following the same practice, the tradition of allocating budget for projects recommended by Province Assembly members has been continuing in Lumbini Province as well. However, there has been a difference of nearly double in the project budget received by proportional and directly elected MPs.

The Lumbini Province Assembly has 52 directly elected and 35 proportional MPs. However, as four directly elected MPs resigned from their provincial assembly seats to contest the House of Representatives elections, there are currently only 83 members in the provincial assembly.

MPs include projects in their constituencies or related projects in the budget through various ministries, but every year proportional MPs express dissatisfaction, stating that they are given less budget compared to directly elected MPs.

Nar Maya Dhakal, an MP from the former CPN (UML) and currently from the CPN (Maoist Centre), said that pressure has to be put on the Chief Minister every financial year to increase the budget for proportional MPs' projects. According to her, the practice of giving less budget to proportional MPs and more to directly elected MPs has been going on for a long time.

Jamuna Dhakal, Chief Whip of the Nepali Congress, also said that there should be no discrimination in project budgets between directly and proportionally elected MPs. According to her, both types of MPs are equal in terms of rights and responsibilities, so there should be no discrimination in projects that come based on the needs of the people.

Dhanendra Karki, Minister of Finance of Lumbini Province, said that the government includes projects recommended by MPs while formulating the budget. According to him, those projects reach the Ministry of Finance through the concerned ministries and are included in the budget based on need and priority.

According to Ministry Spokesperson and Undersecretary Dhanishwar Aryal, with the federal government having already presented its budget, the province is finalizing its budget by considering its own resources, revenue status, and reports submitted by various thematic sub-committees.

Finance Minister Karki said that since the difference in budget distribution between proportional and directly elected MPs is a practice that has been going on since the past, it is difficult to end it at once. He clarified that gradual improvement efforts are necessary in this matter.

The Lumbini Province government is preparing to present a budget of approximately Rs 35 billion for the upcoming financial year. The Ministry of Economic Affairs and Planning of the province has stated that the internal process for budget preparation is moving forward rapidly.

According to Ministry Spokesperson and Undersecretary Dhanishwar Aryal, with the federal government having already presented its budget, the province is finalizing its budget by considering its own resources, revenue status, and reports submitted by various thematic sub-committees.

He said that the ministry has been advancing the budget formulation work internally based on the suggestions and reports received from various revenue-related sub-committees.

According to Aryal, the preparation is to select projects by prioritizing needs and availability rather than the size of the budget. He informed that the budget is being prepared by prioritizing programs that directly impact production, employment, infrastructure, and service delivery, utilizing limited resources to the maximum.