Scrap pork barrel fund

The Himalayan Times

17 May 2018

Scrap pork barrel fund

In the past, governments led by big parties did not leave anything to please lawmakers -from duty free vehicles to foreign junkets to flat under the Constituency Development Programme (CDP) and Constituency Infrastructure Special Programme (CISP). Duty free vehicles were sold to business people at much higher price. Millions of rupees were spent for foreign trips in the name of observations trips. Major portion of the CDP funds were haphazardly spent for their cadres and it was never properly accounted for. Had these funds been properly spent for the development projects, they would have received public support.

Now, the country has entered the federal structure. Federal Minster Yubaraj Khatiwada is doing homework for the preparation of next year’s national budget. In the meantime, lawmakers have started exerting pressure on him to continue with the CDP and CISP under which each lawmaker gets Rs 5 million and Rs 30 million respectively. If funds are provided under these programmes, the federal government will have to cough up additional amount Rs. 6.6 billion from the state coffers. This will enormously widen the budget deficit. It could be even more disastrous if similar demands made by the Provincial Assembly members and the municipal representatives.

However, it seems that the PM, finance minister and other ministers are not willing to continue with the programmes keeping in mind the funding constraints “Pork barrel fund for lawmakers’ pet projects likely to come to an end” (THT, May 14, Page 1). No matter what the government will decide, these programmes should be scrapped.

Rai Biren Bangdel

Maharajgunj