Koshi Province Lawmakers Criticize Budget Allocation

Biratnagar. Lawmakers in the Koshi Province have criticized the annual budget presented by the Koshi Province government for the upcoming fiscal year 2083/84.

During the Provincial Assembly meeting held on Monday, lawmakers criticized the budget allocation as unbalanced and prioritizing party or ministerial interests.

Lawmaker Premraj Limbu expressed dissatisfaction over the exclusion of the tea sector. He urged the provincial government to pursue diplomatic efforts and draw the attention of the federal government to resolve the problems in tea exports. He also expressed skepticism about the budget's implementation. 'It is not enough for the budget to be allocated; the allocated aspect, the certainty of implementation, the certainty of budget in villages emptying due to foreign migration, and how it will be implemented correctly are important,' he said.

Lawmaker Geetadevi Regmi questioned the budget's priorities and implementation capacity. She stated that programs like agricultural modernization, school nursing programs, and digital education were good. However, she complained that it was not a farmer-friendly budget. 'Farmers have produced maize, but they are not getting markets and fair prices. The farmers' maize is rotting in the fields. The budget for the Ministry of Agriculture is very low compared to the overall ministry. If the minimum price of goods and market management are not determined before production, the migration of farmers will not stop,' she said.

Lawmaker Rajendra Karki questioned the balance between the province's existing development model and budget allocation. 'What kind of budget is this? Today, villages are emptying, and youth are migrating abroad. There is no one in the villages to light a fire or put a child to sleep. Who are we building roads for in the name of infrastructure? What is this?' he expressed his anger.

Another lawmaker, Khadga Bahadur Basnet, expressed dissatisfaction over the exclusion of his area from the budget. Criticizing the provincial structure and budget-making process, Basnet emphasized the need for concrete programs to explain the province's relevance and importance and to stop the trend of scattering budgets on petty schemes.

Lawmaker Dolma Tamang said that prosperity would not come just by driving vehicles on the roads of empty villages, given the budget's priorities and allocation. Lawmakers criticized the government on issues such as the lack of young manpower in villages, with only the elderly remaining, and the prevalence of monkeys.

Lawmaker Radhakrishna Khanal also criticized the budget, stating that the budget speech and the Red Book differed. 'With this approach, how can the goals for the coming year be achieved?' he questioned. 'The budget speech sounds very attractive and positive, but upon receiving and examining the Red Book, it is seen that the budget allocation is not in line with those announcements and commitments. Allocating only 10-15 lakhs for bridges or large projects will leave projects unfinished and cannot meet citizens' expectations.'

Similarly, lawmaker Dolma Tamang said that although the speech sounded very good and attractive, the Red Book showed that the budget was not as per the announcements. She commented that quality work was not being done due to the tendency to spend budgets in the name of constructing culverts.

Lawmakers stated that the budget did not adequately address the agricultural sector, considered the backbone of the province. Lawmakers criticized the budget for being focused only on the areas of ministers.

Lawmaker Narayan Burja Magar drew the government's attention to the province's internal peace and security and the basic needs of citizens. 'There is a severe shortage of vehicles in the temporary police posts established in various sensitive areas of the province. 'To facilitate the work of security personnel, two-wheeled vehicles (motorcycles) should be provided immediately,' he said. Magar commented that the implementation of the 'Koshi Janata Awas Program' for the poor was very slow and weak, urging the government to systematize the housing construction and distribution system.

Lawmaker Dolma Tamang complained about geographical discrimination in the budget allocation for the tourism sector. 'The Koshi Province government, which is proud to be the land of Sagarmatha, has not paid enough attention to the development of tourism infrastructure in the Solukhumbu and Sagarmatha regions. Areas with immense tourism potential are being overlooked, while budgets are scattered in places without potential based on access,' she said.

She stated that although some programs for women's empowerment were positive, those programs could not yield full results due to the lack of sports and other necessary infrastructure at the school level. The Provincial Assembly meeting will resume next Tuesday.