Local levels unveil annual budget

By Our Correspondent,Hetauda, June 26: The budget of Raksirang Rural Municipality of Makwanpur for the next fiscal year 2023/24 has decreased. 

The budget of the rural municipality has been reduced by almost Rs. 65 million for the next fiscal year as compared to current fiscal year’s budget. 

The rural municipality has unveiled a budget of Rs. 599 million for the implementation of policies and programmes for the next fiscal year 2023/24.

Of the total budget, the rural municipality has allocated Rs. 354 million for the recurrent expenditure and Rs. 245 million for capital expenditure.

Deputy Chairman of Raksirang Rural Municipality Banastam Thing presented the budget in the fourth municipal assembly Saturday.

Presenting the budget for the next fiscal year, Deputy Chairman Thing said that the budget allocated in a fair manner to all the wards and areas of the rural municipality would improve the living standards of the citizens through the balanced development of the rural municipality. 

Appropriation Bill 2080 was approved by the municipal assembly meeting held on Saturday. 

The rural municipality has allocated Rs. 37. 4 million for economic development, Rs. 226.7 million for social development, Rs. 70.3 million for infrastructure development, Rs. 6.45 million for forest, environment and disaster management, Rs. 7.1 million for good governance and institutional development and Rs. 118.9 million for office operation and administrative.

The rural municipality has allocated Rs. 300,000 to prepare the detailed project report of View Tower, which is considered an unproductive area and the Bagmati Province government has also announced that it would not invest from the next year.

Likewise, while presenting the policies and programmes of the next fiscal year in the municipal assembly chairman of the rural municipality Raj Kumar Malla said that the promotion of local production and the import substitution of food programme would be conducted.

Policies and programmes for the coming year have been introduced to prioritise the establishment of seed conservation centres, the operation of farmers' school classes, the operation of industrial villages, the operation of free health bus services and the plan of local pride projects.

Similarly, six local levels of Rukum West have presented the policies and programmes for the next fiscal year.

Three municipalities and three rural municipalities of the district have presented policies and programmes giving priority to the production and self-employment.

Mayor of Chaurjahari Municipality of Rukum West Pushpa Badi informed that the municipality had introduced policies and programmes of link the education to work, establishing a student aid fund and conducting ‘one ward, one model production programme’.

Deputy Mayor of the municipality Ishwori Sharma BM presented a budget of Rs. 810 million for the next fiscal year 2023/24 in the municipal assembly Sunday.

Out of this, Rs. 586 million (74.41 per cent) for recurrent expenditure and Rs. 223 million (27.58 per cent) for capital expenditure has been allocated.

Similarly, Triveni Rural Municipality of the Rukum West Rajkumari has unveiled a budget of Rs. 509 million for the next fiscal year.

Out of the total allocated budget, the rural municipality has allocated budget of Rs. 382 million (74.65 per cent) for the recurrent expenditure and Rs. 129 million (25.35 per cent) for the capital expenditure.

Meanwhile, Chief Minister of Karnali Province government Rajkumar Sharma has said that there is a complication in budget allocation due to the absence of a planning bank in the province.

Addressing the ninth session of the municipal assembly held in Triveni Rural Municipality of Rukum West on Sunday, Chief Minister Sharma said that policies and programmes and budgets have been introduced out of the midst of complexity.

He said that due to lack of planning bank, multi-year plans had to be adopted. 

Chief Minister Sharma mentioned that the province government had presented policies and programmes and budget giving priority the slogan of "education, health and employment, good governance and infrastructure for that". 

He said that there was a situation where employees are not interested to come to the province, but the employees of the federal level are sitting in the sun. 

He said that there is a problem to work due to lack of staff at the provincial and local levels.

He said that he was working by bringing happiness to people's faces through social justice. 

Chief Minister Sharma said that the government at all three levels should work together with the people through cooperation.

He informed that the Karnali Province government had allocated a budget of Rs. 1.5 billion with the concept of prosperous Karnali project by prioritising the fields of education, health and self-employment. 

He also said that a programme to provide easy credit facility and interest subsidy to farmers by establishing a micro finance bank was in the process. 

Chief Minister Sharma said that economic prosperity can be achieved in Karnali through industry based on forest products.

Similarly, Aathbiskot Municipality, Musikot Municipality, Sanibheri Rural Municipality and Banphikot Rural Municipality of the district have unveiled policies and programmes and budget for the next fiscal year.

Meanwhile, the 13th municipal assembly of Biruwa Rural Municipality of Syangja has postponed due to dispute between the employees and people’s representatives.

Even there is a legal provision to unveil budget within Asar 10, the rural municipality has called a meeting for Tuesday due to disputes, said Surya Bahadur Kunwar, chairman of rural municipality.

When there was a dispute in the 13th municipal assembly meeting between the employees and the people's representatives, the people's representatives left the assembly meeting scheduled for Saturday.