Rastriya Prajatantra Party MP Gyan Bahadur Shahi Criticizes Budget for Neglecting Farmers and Poor

Kathmandu. Rastriya Prajatantra Party (RPP) MP Gyan Bahadur Shahi has criticized the government, stating that the budget for the upcoming fiscal year is not in the interest of actual farmers, the poor, and the common people.

Participating in the discussion on the budget for the fiscal year 2083/84 in Parliament, MP Shahi commented that policymakers, despite reading books and statistics, do not understand the reality of Nepali society and the soil. He accused the budget of trying to enrich only a limited number of well-dressed individuals and businessmen.

"Policymakers have read books, studied at universities, but they have not studied society. They have read statistics, but they have not studied the people. Those who understand the numbers in the budget have not reached the farmers' fields," Shahi said, criticizing the government's working style. "A person who doesn't understand the basic reality of what kind of water is needed for paddy and wheat cultivation can write economics on paper, but cannot change people's lives."

MP Shahi expressed serious disagreement with the budget's provisions for the agricultural sector. He claimed that the budget's provision of a 40 percent subsidy for agricultural and livestock enterprises with a minimum initial capital of 20 million rupees is unrealistic, as farmers in the villages do not have such capital.

"How many farmers in the villages of Nepal can mobilize a capital of 20 million rupees? Those who sweat it out in the fields from morning till evening have been excluded from this plan," he said. "This program appears to be geared towards large investors with limited access. The 2 billion 190 million rupees is being prepared for distribution not to actual farmers, but to the well-dressed and millionaires."

Shahi challenged the Finance Minister to get treatment in line at a government hospital once, criticizing the reduction of treatment facilities for poor citizens through health insurance.

He expressed anger over the reduction in health insurance funds and the limitation of its scope. He argued that it was the government's incompetence to cut insurance altogether just because some private hospitals committed fraud in insurance.

"If you have a hand injury, do you treat it or cut off the hand? The government did not choose the path of treatment; instead, it chose the path of weakening the system," Shahi said.

He termed the government's policy of taxing medical expenses a "cruel" move. He stated that the government's action of collecting taxes from citizens battling illness undermines the fundamental right to health guaranteed by the constitution.

MP Shahi also accused the budget of discouraging domestic pharmaceutical industries and promoting imports. He pointed out the risk of about 50 large pharmaceutical industries operating in Nepal shutting down and the potential loss of employment for 20 to 25 thousand youths.

"Should we create an environment for capital to flow out of Nepal, or should we encourage Nepalis living abroad to invest within Nepal? If the Finance Minister doesn't even have this much knowledge about what we need, how can we call them experts?" Shahi questioned.

Similarly, he pointed out that the government shows double standards by talking about increasing the use of electricity on one hand, and on the other hand, adding taxes on consumption exceeding 50 units and imposing taxes in new names like "clean infrastructure fee" on electric vehicles.

Shahi demanded a clear answer from the government on how the budget deficit of over 6 kharba 57 arba will be fulfilled. "Not all the people of this country are millionaires and billionaires; more than 80 percent are middle class and poor. The budget should be brought for them, not to enrich businessmen," he said.