Kathmandu, July 5

Vice-Chairman of the National Planning Commission (NPC) Dipendra Bahadur Chhetry has said that the government is fully committed to bringing a full-fledged budget of around Rs. 439 billion for the next fiscal year.

Speaking at an interaction organised here in the Capital on Thursday, Chhetry said that the size of the budget was increased due to the election.

The budget will include Rs. 10 billion as election expenses, he informed.

He hinted a further increment in the size of the budget saying that the government would have additional Rs. 3 billion liability to the ex-Maoist combatants who have been selected rehabilitation.

He said that development activities of the country would be hampered if the government did not introduce the full-fledged budget.

He ruled out the possibility of political consensus on bringing the budget for the fiscal year 2012/13.

"As consensus has not been forged even on the issues of the constitution, it will be impossible to reach an agreement on the budget," he said.

He informed that the government is introducing employment programme ensuring at least 100-day employment for all.

The upcoming budget will also include relief programmes for the people living under the poverty line and those heavily affected by inflation, he said.

He added that such people will be provided food items at subsidised prices through fair price shops.

Economist Dr. Chiranjivi Nepal said that the planned size of the budget would be expansionary and become a burden for the people instead of providing relief.

The expansionary budget causes high rate of inflation, he added.

He stressed the need to bring a full-fledged budget on time by forging political consensus.

If the government did not introduce such a budget on time, the 21 remote districts getting relief from the central level would be badly affected, he said.

He, however, said that the government should bring one-third budget if consensus could not be forged on the issue.

Former Governor of the Nepal Rastra Bank, Himalaya Shumshere Rana said that the political parties and the government should not pressurise the President on the issue of budget.

Pointing out the need for the full-fledged budget, he urged the political parties to reach an understanding on the issue of budget.

Economist Dr. Dilli Raj Khanal said that the country would be plunged into a serious confrontation if the President did not approve the budget ordinance recommended by the government.

The President cannot keep hold of the budget ordinance forwarded by the government. There is no any practice of bringing budget through national consensus. So, the argument that the budget should be introduced through consensus is worthless, he said.