Karnali Minister Allocates 5 Crore Rupees for Constituency Projects
Surkhet. The issue of Karnali Province's Social Development Minister Ghanshyam Bhandari including a 5 crore rupee plan in his own constituency, going beyond his ministry's scope of work, is currently a topic of discussion.
Bhandari has allocated 5 crore rupees by including two 'Safe Citizen Housing' programs outside his scope of work in the ministry's budget for the upcoming fiscal year 2083/084.
According to the Social Development Ministry's program booklet, 2 crore rupees have been allocated for wards no. 1 to 7 of Bhairabi Rural Municipality in Dailekh. Similarly, 3 crore rupees have been set aside for Dullu Municipality wards no. 1 to 13.
Both programs have been named 'Safe Citizen Housing', with 'Settlement Development' also mentioned in parentheses.
The area where the program is to be conducted falls under Dailekh Constituency No. 2 (A), which is the constituency of Social Development Minister Bhandari. Dullu is also his hometown.
The Provincial Government does not have a separate program called 'Safe Citizen Housing'. Even if such programs are implemented, they have been carried out through the Ministry of Physical Infrastructure and Urban Development.
However, Bhandari allocated the budget from the Social Development Ministry, which he leads, stating that the Ministry of Physical Infrastructure did not include his proposed plan.
Ratopati had previously published a news report on this issue titled 'Karnali Minister's Arbitrariness: After the Physical Body Refused His Own Ministry, Planned a 5 Crore Rupee Plan in the Constituency'.
On Tuesday, while responding to questions raised about the budget, Karnali Province Chief Minister Yamlal Kandel clarified that those plans would not be implemented.
'I also read the news. Listening to the ministers, it seems that some part of the plans included is their own,' he said, 'but policy-wise, we do not have such a provision.'
He mentioned that each ministry has its own specific scope and limits. Hinting at Minister Bhandari's inclusion of plans outside his ministry's scope, Kandel said, 'Some programs have appeared in the budget book in a way that the government itself feels something.'
According to him, only plans falling within the limits specified by the work division rules will be implemented. He stated that plans not matching the rules, regardless of where they are placed or through which ministry they are included, will not be implemented.
'The presenter (minister) should have paid attention to this,' he added, 'It was seen that a plan from one ministry was placed in another. We have had some shortcomings.'
Chief Minister Kandel commented that despite having subject matter expertise in the ministry and a Provincial Planning Commission, there is a lack of long-term vision and effective planning. He stated that in some ministries, there is a tendency for those who exert more pressure at the last moment to receive more budget.
This issue was previously raised in the Provincial Assembly as well. At that time, Minister Bhandari had stated that he had to allocate the budget from his own ministry because the Ministry of Physical Infrastructure and Urban Development did not include his plan.
'Under the plans selected through coordination with honorable members in specific constituencies, I had selected and sent the program as a Provincial Assembly member,' he had said. 'I had also requested the Provincial Planning Commission to arrange for its implementation through financial transfer from the local level.'
However, he stated that the Ministry of Physical Infrastructure and Urban Development did not include the program.
According to Bhandari, 635 households in Dullu and 441 households in Bhairabi are still living in houses with thatched roofs and mud houses. He stated that this plan was brought with the objective of constructing safe housing by removing thatched roofs for marginalized, impoverished, and Dalit communities, based on data collected from the concerned local levels. He claimed this to be a transformative plan.
However, officials from the Ministry of Physical Infrastructure and Urban Development acknowledged receiving the proposal but stated that it was not included because such a program could not be allocated for only one constituency.
'We do not have such a program before. We have procedures for public housing and integrated settlement development,' a ministry official told Ratopati. 'But there is no program to remove thatched roofs and install tin. If such a program is to be included, it should be implemented across the province.'
This specific news has been automatically translated by AI. As a result, there may be some inaccuracies or language errors.
