File image: Ministry of FinanceKathmandu, January 26
Kathmandu, January 26
The Ministry of Finance says it does not have funds to implement a slew of new policies announced by the care-taker government, which is counting its days.
The remarks come a few days after the Sher Bahadur Deuba government announced that it will lower the threshold for senior citizen allowance to 65 years from 70 and add Rs 100,000 to the grant the government has promised to provide earthquake-affected families.
Even if the government insists on implementing the programme, we do not have the funds as no such provisions were made in the budget, officials say. According to government estimates, more than 1.6 million Nepalis are believed to have crossed 65 years of age.Ministry officials believe that the new programmes will add an additional burden of Rs 100 billion to the state coffers.
“The government’s new programmes do not comply with the budget,” says ministry spokesperson Arjun Prasad Pokharel. “We cannot spend beyond our budget,” he adds. Sources say that not only did the government skip consultations with line ministries on the issue, it also did not get the backing of experts.
The government’s decision has been dubbed ‘populist’ by critics who say that the parties in power want to create unnecessary difficulties for the new government to avenge their defeat in the elections.
