FM presents revised budget

After two days of continuous obstruction, the parliament session resumed today after Finance Minister Dr. Babu Ram Bhattarai presented the revised document of the government's annual budget at Monday's meeting, as demanded by Nepali Congress members.

Finance Minister Bhattarai came to the meeting today and assured the members that he had corrected the budget document under 14 headings without changing the proposed budgetary figures.

Nepali Congress lawmakers had disturbed three consecutive meetings since Friday demanding that the government table a revised budget document as pledged by the finance minister on Wednesday.

During his reply to questions raised by members last Wednesday, Bhattarai had pledged he would present a document after correcting mistakes in the budget document and incorporating "constructive" suggestions from members.

According to Bhattarai, the government will integrate public school students from endangered and extremely marginalized communities under its free education programme up to Class 12. Earlier, Bhattarai had allocated Rs. 1.9 billion for free school education programme for all public school students in Karnali Zone and Dalit communities from across the country.

Similarly, Bhattarai said the Finance Ministry would release necessary budget from its "Contingency Expenditure for Development Programmes" to initiate the process of converting 47 private campuses into constituent campuses of Tribhuvan University. The initially allocated amount was Rs. 9.2 million and it aimed to convert only eight of such campuses.

He informed that the government would provide necessary budget for infrastructure development and promotion of tourism business in Rara Lake of Mugu district and Janakpur area of Dhanusha.

According to Bhattarai, the government has allotted Rs. 80 million to provide public welfare advertisements to media and decided to waive royalty and renewal fees for FM radio stations, cable TV companies and private television stations as in the past.

The government has also decided to waive land registration fee for family members of those killed during the April Uprising in 2006, Maoists' People's War and Madhes movement.

Bhattarai changed his promise made on Wednesday to set up a chemical fertilizer industry and said the government would take initiative to conduct feasibility study for the industry with private sector support.

Though today's meeting was supposed to continue deliberations on allocation to the Ministry of Defence, Water Resources and Physical Planning and Works, Speaker Subas Nembang adjourned the meeting till Monday.

According to the Business Advisory Committee, the House will discuss appropriation bills under headings of Ministry of Finance and Home Affairs on Monday.
Source:
eKantipur