Koshi Province Government Allocates 1,000 Rupees for Nearly 1,000 Projects in Upcoming Budget

Biratnagar. The Koshi Province Government has included nearly one thousand projects worth 1,000 rupees each in the red book for the upcoming fiscal year (2083/084) budget, flouting its own laws and good governance. The projects were selected in violation of the 'Koshi Province Project Classification, Basis and Criteria Determination and Project Bank Management Procedure, 2082' formulated and approved by the government itself.

The procedure clearly specifies the minimum cost limit that the provincial government must adhere to when proposing projects in sub-section (7) of section 6, which mandates a minimum cost of 2.5 million rupees for irrigation, drinking water, education, health, and other infrastructure projects. However, the government has completely disregarded the minimum limit of 2.5 million rupees specified in clauses (c), (f), (j), and (t) of section 6(7) of the same procedure, allocating only 1,000 rupees.

Experts claim that this kind of 'token' budget allocation is a backdoor to reallocate funds. Sub-section (1) of section 13 of the procedure states that projects or programs not included in the project bank cannot be entered into the budget information system. The opposition parties allege that the government has played a strategic game to circumvent this legal hurdle by listing projects with nominal budgets in the red book and then, in the middle of the fiscal year, transferring millions of rupees from other large projects based on influence to benefit their cadres and consumer committees.

More than 400 projects under physical infrastructure and hundreds of projects in the Ministry of Drinking Water, Irrigation, and Energy also have projects worth 1,000 rupees.

The 800 to 900 projects worth 1,000 rupees each, scattered from pages 23 to 393 of the red book, confirm how weak the government is in adhering to its own laws. Similar 1,000-rupee projects are also included in programmatic expenses. Under the Ministry of Agriculture, Industry, and Cooperatives, more than 100 programs in district-level agricultural knowledge centers, such as 'Pesticide Reduction Awareness,' 'Kitchen Garden Improvement,' and 'Collection of Bi-weekly Retail Prices of Local Markets,' have been allocated only 1,000 rupees. In a situation where 1,000 rupees is not enough to print a simple banner, listing it in the budget book as if it were a 'Provincial Pride Project' raises questions about the government's seriousness.

The 412-page program booklet published by the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Planning also shows numerous 1,000-rupee projects in irrigation and water resource divisions under the Ministry of Drinking Water, Irrigation, and Energy. The ministry, which claims to improve the province's irrigation sector, has allocated only 1,000 rupees for important irrigation maintenance and data collection projects.

Studying the irrigation and water resource projects from pages 134 to 171 of the booklet reveals that more than 150 projects have a budget of only 1,000 rupees. Only 1,000 rupees have been allocated for data collection related to the maintenance of various canals and small repairs in the Irrigation Development Division, Morang and Sunsari. Dozens of places have projects worth 1,000 rupees in the name of canal operation, maintenance, and repair by the Irrigation Development Division, Jhapa. The Jalshrot and Irrigation Development Division in Dhankuta and Okhaldhunga have also allocated budgets at the rate of 1,000 rupees for the maintenance of small canals and dams. Some small programs of the Chief Minister's Office, the Office of the Attorney General, and the Provincial Planning Commission have also been allocated budgets at the rate of 1,000 rupees.

Sushil Bastola, spokesperson and under-secretary of the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Planning, stated that projects received as conditional or complementary grants from the federal or higher bodies might have been included in the program booklet with a nominal amount of 1,000 rupees (minimum amount) due to legal or technical compulsions to ensure their continuity. He added that this technical method might have been used to pre-register projects in the budget booklet for which there is a possibility or certainty of additional budget from the federal or other sources. However, more than 1,000 rupees cannot be added to a 1,000-rupee project for reallocation.

The Koshi Province's upcoming fiscal year budget appears to be a 'budget for reallocation' rather than a 'budget for development.' By including more than 800 projects worth 1,000 rupees, the government has not only deceived the public but also ridiculed the rule of law by disregarding its own procedures. An investigation into the cancellation of such projects and those who violated the procedures is deemed necessary.