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
