Budget lacks connection with low-rung people: Pun

By A Staff Reporter,Kathmandu, June 10: Former Finance Minister and Deputy General Secretary of the CPN-Maoist Centre Barsaman Pun has said that the budget for the upcoming fiscal year presented by Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Bishnu Prasad Paudel in the federal parliament has failed to touch the lower class.

At a programme titled ‘Budget for Fiscal Year 2025/26 in the Perspective of Federalism’ organised in the capital on Monday, Pun said that the budget ignored the feelings of the grassroots people instead of addressing them.

He complained that the budget has not touched the poor, workers, farmers and cooperative victims. 

He said that one of the reasons for the economy not being able to function is the negative impact of the problems seen in cooperatives and microfinance, but the attention of the Finance Minister and the government has not been directed towards it.

Former Finance Minister Pun said that there is a suspicion that the Ministry of Urban Development has been given more money than requested in the budget for the upcoming fiscal year.

He said that they will find out the reason for increasing the budget by Rs. 27 billion to Rs. 118 billion from the ceiling of the ministry of Rs. 91 billion. 

“What is the reason behind giving Rs. 27 billion more budget to a ministry than the ceiling? There is a suspicion that corruption is being committed by putting plans in the pockets,” he said.

The National Planning Commission had set a budget ceiling of Rs. 91 billion for the Ministry of Urban Development. However, Rs. 118.34 billion has been allocated for the ministry. This is 28 per cent more than in the current fiscal year. 

Prakash Man Singh, who leads the government from the Congress, is the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Urban Development.

While the budget ceiling of most of the 22 ministries of the government has been reduced, in case of Urban Development it has been increased unnaturally. 

Although Deputy Finance Minister Paudel is claiming that there is no budget allocation of less than Rs. 30 million, he said that in the digital copy of the 'Red Book' provided to the lawmakers, it was found that funds were allocated for projects worth Rs. 100,000 to Rs. 500,000 under the Ministry of Urban Development.

“The Urban Development Minister himself has unofficially admitted that there are projects worth up to Rs. 2.5 million. However, in the digital copy of the Red Book, there are plenty of projects worth between Rs. 100,000 and Rs. 500,000," Pun said. 

"The government has said one thing and done another," he said.

Similarly, he said that the government has started to bring back the powers previously given to the provinces and local levels to the federal government.

Pun said that the powers given to the lower levels under the Ministries of Health, Education, Energy and Forests have been withdrawn, contrary to the spirit of the constitution on federalism.

"In principle, we are all in favour of federalism. Everyone has a commitment to that," Pun said, "but in practice, the rights that have been given to the lower levels have also been brought back." 

Stating that those who conceived federalism are responsible for implementing it, he stressed that the lax attitude seen in the implementation side should end.