Sluggish mechanism

The Himalayan Times

17 October 2019

Sluggish mechanism

Nepal has seen governments of almost all the major political parties in the three decades of its political history of multiparty democracy. All of them followed the same procedure of presenting the next year’s annual budget towards the end of the fiscal year and having it passed through the Parliament after hasty deliberation. However, the new constitution has made it mandatory to table the annual plan and budget in the Parliament on May 28 every year. But the government has not been able to fully and appropriately spend the allocated development budget “Dismal spending” (THT, October 16, Page 6).

 

Haphazard spending of such development budget towards the end of each fiscal year is still in practice, promoting gross misuse of such budgets. Not all past and this government seem serious in controlling such practice, which has left many development projects incomplete for several consecutive years. In fact, there does not seem to be any proper mechanism with the government to control and monitor such malpractices, which has been widely criticized. Unless this strong government shows commitment to revise its existing program planning and financial management systems, the level of capital expenditure spending will continue to be dismal.

Time has come for the government to seriously think over partnering with the private organizations to implement the development activities by establishing a proper and doable working approach, with the intention of speeding the implementation of development projects and creating more jobs for its citizens rather than depending on its sluggish mechanism and lethargic and corrupt bureaucratic system. All the incomplete development projects could be completed within the specified time. 

Rai Biren Bangdel

Maharajgunj