GANDAKI PROVINCE GOVERNMENT SPENT ONLY 40 PERCENT OF BUDGET IN 11 MONTHS

Pokhara. Gandaki Province Government has spent only 40 percent of the budget in 11 months of the current financial year (2082/083). The government, which brought a budget of 31 billion 98 crore 9 lakh 99 thousand rupees, has only been able to spend 12 billion 87 crore 41 lakh 67 thousand 572 rupees by the end of Jestha. The province government has 19 billion 10 crore 68 lakh 31 thousand 427 rupees remaining in the annual budget with only one month left in the current financial year. This expenditure of the provincial government is less than that of the first 11 months of the previous financial year (2081/082). Last year, out of a total budget of 32 billion 97 crore 85 lakh 75 thousand rupees, 15 billion 93 crore 39 lakh 32 thousand 770 rupees were spent in 11 months. According to the Provincial Treasury and Comptroller Office, this year, about 3 billion 6 crore rupees less budget has been spent compared to last year. The status of capital expenditure, which is related to physical infrastructure and development construction, has been even weaker this year. In the financial year 2082/083, 19 billion 10 crore 85 lakh 69 thousand rupees were allocated for capital, but only 7 billion 15 crore 60 lakh 90 thousand 626 rupees have been spent by the end of Jestha. This is about 37.45 percent. By the end of Jestha in the last financial year 2081/082, 19 billion 53 crore 87 lakh 93 thousand rupees were allocated for capital, of which 9 billion 59 crore 65 lakh 52 thousand 719 rupees had been spent. That amount is about 49.11 percent. Similarly, this year, 12 billion 62 crore 24 lakh 30 thousand rupees have been allocated for current expenditure, of which 5 billion 71 crore 80 lakh 76 thousand 946 rupees have been spent by the end of Jestha. No amount has been spent from the 25 crore rupees allocated for financial management by the end of Jestha. Which ministry spent how much? The Ministry of Physical Infrastructure Development and Transport Management, which has the largest budget in the province, has spent about 40 percent by the end of Jestha of the current financial year. Out of the 12 billion 16 crore 72 lakh 74 thousand allocated for the ministry, only 4 billion 86 crore 15 thousand 482 rupees have been disbursed. Similarly, out of the 4 billion 31 crore 76 lakh 50 thousand rupees budget of the Ministry of Energy, Water Resources and Irrigation, 2 billion 4 crore 95 lakh 77 thousand 159 rupees have been spent. The Ministry of Social Development, Youth and Sports has spent 1 billion 2 crore 66 lakh 12 thousand 342 rupees out of a budget of 2 billion 38 crore 24 lakh 33 thousand rupees. The Ministry of Health has spent 1 billion 47 crore 22 lakh 55 thousand 628 rupees out of a budget of 3 billion 19 crore 6 lakh 40 thousand rupees. The province government is under pressure to spend about 20 billion, i.e., 60 percent of the amount, in the remaining 1 month of the financial year. The budget prepared by the government is also very different from reality. The impact of always preparing a deficit budget is falling on its implementation. The province government has not been able to take internal loans as proposed, nor has the internal income been as expected. The government, which projected an internal income of more than 5 billion, has collected 3 billion 49 crore by the end of Jestha. The office stated that the grants and revenue sharing from the federal government have also not come as specified. 'Due to the 'Gen Z' movement and price hikes, construction projects could not be contracted. Many works have stopped due to the current high prices,' said office chief Suresh Subedi. 'If the work itself stops, there will be no bills. If there are no bills, there will be no payment.' Subedi said that it cannot be said that work has not been done just because the disbursement is low. 'Our understanding is that low payment means no work has been done. That is not the case. Most of the work is completed only after Jestha ends. Bills for the entire year also start coming in Ashar,' he added, 'That's why more payment is seen in Ashar. Payment in Ashar does not mean that work was only done in Ashar.'