E-Kantipur

KATHMANDU, AUG 02 -

The Finance Ministry has put on hold budget allocations worth around Rs 7 billion  earmarked for a number of targeted programmes under the Ministry of Peace and Reconstruction and the Ministry of Local Development due to lack of a working procedure to implement the programmes.

The ministry has also not released the budget allocated for emergency relief measures for the same reason.

According to Finance Ministry officials, budget allocations for some programmes have not been released for the time being as they were yet to prepare a working procedure to spend the funds. “Until the programmes and projects submit their working procedures by mentioning the per unit cost, beneficiaries and working area, we will not release the budget,” said finance secretary Krishna Hari Baskota.

The ministry has stopped releasing the budget under three headings each of the Ministry of Peace and Reconstruction (MoPR) and the Ministry of Local Development (MoLD). While providing authorisation to the different ministries, the MoF has stopped releasing a budget allocation worth Rs 2.3 billion for conditional grant to government agencies, committee and boards under reconstruction and rehabilitation programme. The government had spent an estimated Rs 349.9 million for the project last fiscal year.

Likewise, the budget allocated for public construction under the Special Programme for Conflict Affected Areas and the Development Programme for Peace has also been withheld. The government had allocated Rs 100 million and Rs 200 million for the two programmes respectively.

The government aims to issue a directive with respect to implementation of this programme by the middle of November. The budget has announced special programmes targeted at districts in the Mid- and Far Western development regions that were affected by the conflict in the past. The Development Programme for Peace aims to accomplish infrastructure development projects up to the village level. These are the new programmes announced by the incumbent government.

Under the MoLD, the Finance Ministry has withheld the budget allocation for development programmes based on people’s participation, special programmes for Karnali and surrounding areas and backward Tarai-Madhes. The government has allocated a budget of Rs 200 million for development programmes based on people’s participation and Rs 100 million each for the other two programmes.

The government has made a provision for capital subsidy for agriculture, herbs and fruits production, collection and processing through cooperatives in the very remote districts of Kalikot, Jumla, Humla, Mugu, Dolpa, Jajarkot, Achham, Bajhang, Bajura and Darchula.

With a view to promote people’s active participation in development activities, the government will formulate an integrated directive by mid-November, according to the budget.

Baskota, however, didn’t provide the exact amount that the ministry had put on hold under the heading of emergency relief. The government has allocated Rs 1.15 billion for administrative costs of emergency relief measures under the Finance Ministry.

Posted on: 2011-08-02 08:55

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