By Ajay Chhetri, Kathmandu, Sept 16: Budget holiday is likely to affect the expenditure of civil servants and development expenditure but constitutional dignitaries remained unaffected. Though finance minister Janardan Sharma presented “the appropriation bill 2078 BS” in the House of Representatives (HoR) on September 14, it remained undiscussed as the main opposition party declined to discuss it.

It has been said that this unprecedented circumstance affected the regular expenditure of the federal government.

Spokesperson of the Ministry of Finance, Mahesh Acharya told The TRN Online that charges under Consolidated Fund which doesn't require approval of federal parliament will not be affected but charges under the appropriation bill 2078 that seek parliament consent may be affected, invoking the constitution.

A hurdle in the passage of the appropriation bill forced the government into a budget holiday. The circumstance presumably has taken place in Nepal for the very first time.  

As the appropriation bill stuck in the federal parliament, the ensued the delay of the government spending longing for the uncertain period.

However, the expenditure is chargeable to the President, Vice-President, Chief Justice of Nepal, judges of the supreme court, and members of the judicial council, speaker and deputy speaker of the house of the representatives, the chairperson and vice-chairperson of the National Assembly, chief and officials of the constitutional bodies, the chiefs of the states will proceed on the stipulated schedule as these expenditure does not require approval of federal parliament as enshrined in the article 118 of the constitution.

Meanwhile, the expenditure to be charged to civil servants, development expenditure and financial expenditure that is enshrined under “the Appropriation Bill 2078 BS” will be hampered.