HoR session: Deliberations on principles, priorities of Appropriation Bill continue

Kathmandu, May 14: In today's meeting of the House of Representatives (HoR), the lower house of the Federal Parliament, Nepali Congress leader Arjun Narsingh KC stated that the budget should be formulated considering the national reality.     

While participating in the discussions on the principles and priorities of the Appropriation Bill for the Fiscal Year 2082/83 (excluding tax proposals), he suggested paying attention in the upcoming budget to uplift the struggling economic situation.     

He said that although the principles of the budget are positive, the government needs to further clarify its priorities.     

"The government along with the Parliament must be responsible for making national revenue efficient. The finance minister must have the courage to address national aspirations," lawmaker KC emphasized.     

Stating that public debt has been increasing every year, leader KC emphasized the need to remove the constraints that require borrowing to cover general administrative expenses and to repay debts.     

He called on the government to pay special attention to making proper budget allocations for areas such as education, health, food, and drinking water in the upcoming budget.     

Former Finance Minister Sharma calls for resolve in structural reforms     

Former Finance Minister and CPN (Maoist Centre) leader Janardan Sharma has advised the government to reduce current expenditures and focus on structural reforms.     

Emphasizing on the structural restructuring of the economy, he said the country is seeking economic restructuring, and that national dialogue and consensus are necessary for that.     

He stressed that the budget should be presented not only as a document of revenue and expenditure but also as a means for the country's prosperity, social justice, and ending inequality.     

While suggesting the government to allocate a budget for the reconstruction of the infrastructures damaged by the earthquake in different parts of the country, he urged the government to address the issues of people's livelihoods and move forward in a way that breaks the prevailing despair.     

Urging the government to identify areas of comparative advantage and make special provisions in the budget, he stated that self-reliance can be achieved by mining iron.     

‘Principles and priorities of the government have instilled hope in the people’     

Nepal Communist Party (UML) leader Padam Giri commented that the principles and priorities of the budget bill presented by the government for the fiscal year 2025/26 have instilled hope among the people.     

During the discussion on the principles and priorities of the appropriated bill for the fiscal year 2025/26 (excluding taxes) in the meeting, former Minister Giri, stated that while the appropriation bill has instilled hope among the people, the issue of implementing it through the budget is challenging.     

The government seems serious about how to make the country dynamic in the current economic situation in the country.     

He emphasized that the government should seriously consider providing the fruits of development to the people, bringing about changes in the living standards of poor people, and addressing the economic and social inequalities in the country. Lawmaker Giri stated that since these issues have been included in the government's policies and programmes, the government's principles and priorities have been seriously internalized.     

Leader Giri mentioned that the government's priorities and principles are committed to completing the national pride projects under construction, by studying them from the perspective of benefits and costs, and managing the necessary resources to finish them on time.(RSS)