Lumbini Province Assembly Meeting Postponed Amidst Budget Discontent

Butwal. Discussions on the budget presented for the upcoming fiscal year 2083/084 in the Lumbini Provincial Assembly have not yet begun. 

The Provincial Assembly meeting, which has been continuously postponed since Monday, could not be conducted today either and has been adjourned until further notice.

The provincial government had presented a budget of 37 billion 38 crore 45 lakh rupees for the upcoming fiscal year on Asar 1. However, the discussion on the budget has been affected as some members of the ruling party, along with the opposition, expressed dissatisfaction, stating that the plans of the members were cut from the budget during its preparation.

A meeting was called on Monday for a theoretical discussion on the budget. However, the Provincial Assembly members demanded the postponement of the meeting, citing that the 'Red Book' related to the budget and the annual program were not provided on time and that they did not have enough time to study the budget. The meeting was then postponed to Tuesday.

In the tenth meeting of the eighth session of the Provincial Assembly, held at 1 PM on Tuesday, the Minister of Economic Affairs and Planning, Dhanendra Karki, presented a proposal for a theoretical discussion on the annual estimates of revenue and expenditure for the fiscal year 2083/084. He also presented the appropriation bill related to expenditure and allocation from the Provincial Sanchit Kosh in the assembly.

A schedule was set to discuss the appropriation bill presented on Tuesday from Wednesday. However, the meeting could not be conducted as a majority of the members of the ruling party objected to the budget brought by the government. As the environment for conducting the session was not created today, Thursday, the Speaker of the Provincial Assembly, Tularam Ghartimagar, adjourned the Provincial Assembly meeting until further notice.

With dissatisfaction seen within the ruling party regarding the budget, pressure from the members on the Lumbini Provincial Government has increased. Discussions are ongoing among the parties for budget revision or agreement, and it is still uncertain when the discussion on the appropriation bill will begin.

Why is the Lumbini Provincial Assembly meeting continuously being postponed? 

The main reason for the continuous disruption of discussions on the budget for the upcoming fiscal year 2083/084 in the Lumbini Provincial Assembly is the dissatisfaction seen within the ruling coalition itself. The Provincial Assembly meetings have not been able to be conducted regularly as members of the ruling party themselves have protested, stating that their constituency plans were not included in the budget.

The government led by Chief Minister CPN (UML) had provided a ceiling of up to 4 crore rupees for directly elected provincial assembly members and up to 2 crore rupees for proportional representatives to recommend plans before budget preparation. However, members have complained that many of the plans recommended by the members were not included in the final budget.

It is alleged that a large number of plans, especially under the Ministry of Physical Infrastructure Development, have been cut. Interestingly, it is said that plans worth approximately 3 crore 80 lakh rupees of the current Minister of Social Development, Janmajaya Timilsina, were also not included in the budget.

Members of the Provincial Assembly from Bardiya, including Bhuwaneshwar Chaudhary, Naramaya Dhakal, and Rajkumar Chaudhary, have complained that many of their proposed plans were omitted. They have been demanding that the budget be rewritten to include their plans.

CPN (UML) provincial assembly member CK Gupta from Rupandehi Constituency No. 5 (B) has accused some ministers of including plans focused on their own districts and constituencies. According to him, the members are dissatisfied because the budget preparation was not equitable.

After a large number of plans from directly elected and proportional representatives from Bardiya district submitted to the Ministry of Physical Infrastructure Development were not included, provincial assembly members from both UML and Congress have been demanding a rewrite of the budget. They have also warned of rejecting the budget if their demands are not met.

Although there was a schedule for discussion on the budget last Monday, the process of the budget presented by the Minister of Economic Affairs and Planning, Dhanendra Karki, was affected due to the protest by the members.

Meanwhile, the main opposition party CPN (Maoist Centre), disgruntled members of the Congress, and some former ministers from within UML who did not become ministers and were excluded during the cabinet reshuffle have also stood against the budget. A provincial assembly member of the Nepali Congress stated that various groups are actively working with the strategy of not letting the budget pass, due to which the Provincial Assembly meetings have not been able to be conducted regularly.

Discussions but No Conclusion

On Wednesday, a collective discussion was held including Chief Minister Chetnarayan Acharya, provincial assembly members whose plans were omitted, Minister of Economic Affairs Karki, Minister of Infrastructure Development Khatri, and chief whips and whips of Congress and UML. However, as no conclusion was reached, it was agreed to hold a meeting with the secretaries of the ministries on Thursday.

On Thursday, a meeting was held between Minister Dhanendra Karki, Minister of Physical Infrastructure Rakt Bahadur Khatri, and secretaries with some members of the ruling and opposition parties, but it concluded without any conclusion, as informed by CPN member Naramaya Dhakal, who participated in the meeting, to Ratopati. Congress member Bhuwaneshwar Chaudhary said that the discussion was held today but no conclusion was reached. He said, 'The session will probably convene on Saun 6, and before that, a meeting will be held with the government again, otherwise, it will take another form.'

Minister Karki, the Minister of Economic Affairs and Planning, said that the government is preparing to find a solution and move forward by including the plans. He said that an agreement will be reached by discussing with the members before the session convenes.

He said, 'We are in continuous dialogue, and we are in the process of addressing their concerns in whatever way possible. Therefore, an agreement will be reached within a few days, and the session will convene.'

Government spokesperson Minister Ramji Ghimire said that there is a plan to hold discussions with the leaders and whips of all parliamentary parties before the parliament convenes.

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