Kathmandu, May 25
While the Commission for the Investigation of Abuse of Authority continues its efforts to control corruption, a development expert says fear of the CIAA is deterring government employees from discharging their duties.
“Provisions in the Procurement Act are at the root of this fear”
Development expert Ramesh Poudel, a consultant at the Ministry of Finance, reasons that provisions in the Procurement Act are at the root of this fear. He told Onlinekhabar: Even if government employees make a minor mistake while discharging their duties, they can land in jail. An increasing number of employees are not doing their job, pointing that the CIAA can arrest them even for minor mistakes. Employees with authority are not discharging their duties. This is also abuse of authority.
The government is trying to increase development expenditure, Poudel says, adding: National prosperity is impossible without increasing the state’s capacity to spend. For increasing capital expenditure, the government is conducting policy reforms.
A country, where capital expenditure accounts for a meager 15-20 of the total expenditure, gets nowhere, he says, stressing the need to increase development expenditure.
The government, according to Poudel, is trying to amend the Public Procurement Act in the wake of widespread complaints that the act is actually hindering the implementation of development projects. “The government will amend the act so as to make it permanent and make it easier for responsible authorities to discharge their duties.”
Despite allocation of funds, says Poudel, implementation of projects has not been possible because of problems in land acquisition.
“Land belongs to the state, not private citizens. Ownership can be private.”
“Land belongs to the state, not private citizens. Ownership can be private,” he says, adding that the government is working to introduce provisions that allow the government to reclaim land by providing adequate compensation to the owners.
The process of awarding contracts for development works is also flawed, according to Poudel. “Preparations are afoot to award contracts only after conducting contractors’ performance appraisal.”
There’s also a need to change project selection procedures, he says. Huge crowds gather at Ministry of Finance and National Planning Commission during the selection of projects, he points, adding: But after bagging the projects, stakeholders do not bother about implementation of the projects.
The finance ministry will adopt a strategy to release budget on time, he said, adding that the ministry should step up monitoring of projects. “If these measures are taken, development expenditure will increase and the country will become prosperous.”
The budget for the fiscal 2073-74 will address these issues, he says.
