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PAC digs into budget misuse
KATHMANDU, JUN 28 -
The Public Accounts Committee (PAC) of the Legislature-Parliament has directed Finance and Local Development ministries to furnish the details of fund allocation to various projects at the end of the past three fiscal years.
Holding a meeting here on Monday, the PAC took up this issue following widespread reports and complains that ministers allocate budget to various projects mainly in their electoral constituencies at the end of fiscal years. Ram Saran Mahat, Babu Ram Bhattarai and Surendra Pandey, who became finance ministers after Jana Andolan-II, misused budget and released huge amount of money to various projects at the end of fiscal years during their tenure. They did so by transferring the budget from one heading to another.
Minister for Peace and Reconstruction, Minister of Physical Planning and Works and Minister of Local Development at at the top of releasing the budget to new projects.
The parliamentary committee has decided to study the status of those projects once the Finance Ministry and Local Development ministries submit the details.
Commission for the Investigation of Abuse of Authority (CIAA) three weeks ago, had directed the Finance Ministry, Prime Minister’s Office, Local Development Ministry and National Planning Commission not to release large amount of budget at the end of fiscal year, terming such act illegal.
According to the CIAA, budgets released at the end of the previous fiscal years were misappropriated.
During the PAC meeting, Minister for Local Development Purna Kumar Sherma claimed he has not released money by misusing this year’s budget at the end of this fiscal year. PAC member Alaudin Ansari revealed that Minister for Peace and Reconstruction Rakam Chemjong is launching several projects at the electoral constituencies of some ministers and leaders.
Another PAC member Prakash Chandra Lohani said such an act is misuse of the state fund.
Posted on: 2010-06-29 08:04
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