Focus on budget implementation, ex-finance ministers tell govt

KATHMANDU, JUN 26 - Former finance ministers have suggested that the government should focus on the implementation of the new budget rather than limiting on papers.

They floated such suggestions during a meeting summoned by the Finance Ministry Shankar Prasad Koirala on Wednesday to seek inputs for preparing budget for the fiscal year 2070/71. They suggested that the government should not dream of a high growth rate given the slow capital expenditure, increase in business loss and poor exports compared to huge imports.

Sharing their past experiences, the former ministers attributed the lack of accountability on the part of ministries to the weak implementation of the budget .

Former Finance Minister and Nepali Congress leader Ram Sharan Mahat maintained that the major problem in the country was lack of good governance and but not investment. "It is positive that the government has prioritised energy, irrigation and development of infrastructure in the new budget but it should be specific in its detail plans," Mahat said. “It is high that the government brought those willing to come under the purview of tax.”

Noting that only private sector has invested in tourism business, Mahat suggested that the government should also consider investing in tourism by constructing an international cricket ground to initiate for the same.

Former finance minister Prakash Chandra Lohani said the problems would not be resolved just by allocating budget in various sectors. He stressed on the need for ensuring the expenditure for the same. He also drew the government's attention towards installing solar lights to illuminate the streets of Capital.

Likewise, former finance minister and CPN-UML leader Bharat Mohan Adhikari said that the budget should address the declining education sector. "Fifty-eight percentage of students failed the SLC examination. It is time for the government to examine the money spent in education sector,” said UML leader Adhikari.

Also on the occasion, former finance ministers Mahesh Acharya, Madhukar Shumsher Rana, Surendra Panday and Roop Jyoti also put forth their suggestion to be included in the new budget . They suggested that the government should bring in programmes that would be commonly agreed by leaders of all the political parties.

The former ministers advised the government to formulate infrastructure plans for promoting agriculture, tourism and industrial sector.

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