Koshi Province Government Spends 72.72% of Budget in FY 2082/083

Biratnagar. The Koshi Province government and its subordinate ministries have spent 72.72 percent of the total budget in the fiscal year 2082/083. According to the preliminary expenditure report published by the Koshi Province Treasury Comptroller Office, the provincial government has spent a total of 26 billion 25 crore 25 lakh 48 thousand rupees by the end of the fiscal year.

The provincial government had allocated a budget of 36 billion 9 crore 85 lakh rupees for the current fiscal year. Of the total allocated budget of 18 billion 85 crore 22 lakh 92 thousand rupees for current expenditure, 13 billion 82 crore 12 lakh 41 thousand 217 rupees, or 73.31 percent, has been spent. Similarly, of the total allocated budget of 17 billion 14 crore 62 lakh 30 thousand rupees for capital expenditure, 12 billion 38 crore 58 lakh 83 thousand 720 rupees has been spent. This is 72.24 percent of the total capital budget.

Of the 1 billion rupees allocated for financial management, 45 crore 42 lakh 32 thousand 2 rupees have been spent.

The Ministry of Physical Infrastructure Development, which has the largest budget, had a total budget of 10 billion 65 crore 24 lakh 62 thousand rupees, of which 69.97 percent, or 7 billion 45 crore 33 lakh 17 thousand 53 rupees, has been spent.

Similarly, the Ministry of Water Supply, Irrigation and Energy has spent 87.76 percent, or 4 billion 9 crore 87 lakh 32 thousand 767 rupees, of its total budget of 4 billion 67 crore 4 lakh 70 thousand 324 rupees.

The Provincial Government Chief Minister's Office has the lowest expenditure. The expenditure of the Chief Minister and the Council of Ministers' Office is only 42.94 percent. The total budget for the Chief Minister's Office was 50 crore 55 lakh rupees, while the expenditure was only 21 crore 70 lakh 40 thousand rupees.

The total expenditure and capital expenditure made by the provincial government in the current fiscal year is the lowest in the last 6 years. Even during the COVID period, the provincial government had spent more than 28 billion rupees.

6 Years of Data

According to the data, the Koshi Province government presented its first budget in history on March 29, 2074 BS, with an amount of 1 billion 2 crore 5 lakh rupees. That budget was presented only for administrative expenses. In the subsequent full budgets, in the fiscal year 2075/076, the budget was 35 billion 94 crore rupees, with an expenditure of only 21 billion 30 crore rupees.

In the fiscal year 2076/077, the largest budget in the history of Koshi Province, 42 billion 20 crore rupees, was allocated, but the actual expenditure was limited to 29 billion 84 crore rupees. In the fiscal year 2077/078, a budget of 40 billion 90 crore rupees was made, with an expenditure of only 27 billion 96 crore rupees. In the fiscal year 2078/079, the budget size was reduced to 32 billion 74 crore rupees, of which 29 billion 97 crore rupees were spent.

In the fiscal year 2079/080, the budget was increased again to 39 billion 74 crore rupees. The actual expenditure was 30 billion 76 crore rupees (77.03 percent). In the fiscal year 2080/081, the budget size was reduced to 36 billion 81 crore 90 lakh 74 thousand rupees, of which only 28 billion 3 crore rupees (76.12 percent) could be spent.

In the fiscal year 2081/082, the budget was further narrowed down to 35 billion 27 crore 93 lakh rupees. The total expenditure was 28 billion 18 crore rupees (80.23 percent). Although the percentage increased, the actual volume of expenditure decreased. In the current fiscal year (2082/083), the total expenditure was only 26 billion 25 crore 25 lakh 48 thousand rupees. The budget was set at 36 billion 9 crore 85 lakh rupees.

Continuously Decreasing Development Expenditure

In Koshi Province, capital expenditure, along with total budget expenditure, has been decreasing. Looking at the capital expenditure data for the past three years, 18 billion 11 crore 25 lakh 28 thousand rupees were spent in the fiscal year 2079/080. In the fiscal year 2080/081, this amount decreased to 16 billion 34 crore 28 lakh 98 thousand rupees. In the fiscal year 2081/082, development expenditure further decreased to only 13 billion 82 crore 61 lakh rupees. By the end of the current fiscal year, a total of 12 billion 38 crore 58 lakh 83 thousand 720 rupees has been spent on capital expenditure. The budget allocated was 17 billion 14 crore 62 lakh 30 thousand rupees.

Meanwhile, by the end of May, the total expenditure of the provincial government was only 45.5 percent, or 16 billion 39 crore 32 lakh rupees. In the 25 days of June alone, 9 billion 86 crore rupees were paid. Similarly, by the end of May, a total of 6 billion 83 crore 23 lakh 82 thousand rupees had been paid for capital expenditure, while in the 25 days of June alone, 5 billion 55 crore rupees were paid.