Karnali govt directs local levels to implement budget effectively

Kankrebihar (Surkhet), Aug 7: The Economic Affairs and Planning Ministry of Karnali Province government has issued a 27-point directive to 70 local levels for the effective implementation of budget.

Minister Raj Bikram Shah said the local levels were issued direction in a bid to make them frugal and disciplined so that they would make wise use of budget. The direction contains the points like revenue sharing, implementation of project and programmes, accounting and auditing reports and fiscal discipline, according to ministry secretary Rabi Lal Sharma. The province will transfer budget to the local levels in four installments, he added.

The budget for the projects at local levels would be released on a condition of progress of project implementation. It has created a pressure on the local levels for project implementation, according to Sharma.

As per directive, the province government will even stop grants if the local levels fail to submit adequate report on project review- financial spending and physical progress.    

The local level is asked to allocate budget only under the assigned headings.  "Such direction came after the local levels spent budgets own their own," he made it clear.

The local levels are directed to deposit 40 percent of the amount generated from advertisement tax, recreation tax, tourism fee and revenue collected from the use of natural resources in the reserve fund of province government every month.

The ministry further warned that if the local levels ignore direction, their equalization grants would be cut from the amount. (RSS)