HoR endorses budget for upcoming fiscal year

Kathmandu: The House of Representatives endorsed the budget for the upcoming fiscal year on Thursday.

The budget was endorsed by the House amidst a meeting boycotted by the main opposition party CPN UML.

After Speaker Agni Prasad Sapkota allowed Finance Minister Janardan Sharma to present the appropriation bill-2079, the CPN UML boycotted the meeting demanding the finance minister’s resignation. 

In the meeting, UML Lawmaker Gokarna Bista said the attempt to endorse the budget without investigating the case of an unauthorized person’s involvement in the budget formation was against the value of the parliamentary system.

Earlier, responding to lawmakers’ concerns in the house meeting, Finance Minister Sharma clarified that there was no authorized person’s involvement in budget formation. He also denied having altered tax rates in favour of anyone.

Likewise, answering the questions of lawmakers about the Defense Ministry on behalf of Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba, Home Minister Bal Krishna Khand reiterated the government’s commitment to protecting national territory.

He also claimed that the government had been effortful to resolve the border conflict through diplomatic means and bring back the encroached land.

He also clarified that the government had not signed and was not in favour of the US government’s State Partnership Programme.

He also told the house meeting that the Prime Minister’s US visit had not been confirmed yet.

Similarly, On behalf of Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba, Communication Minister Gyanendra Bahadur Karki answered the questions raised by the lawmakers regarding the budget of the National Planning Commission, the Office of the Prime Minister and Council of Minister, the Office of the President and the Office of the Vice President.

He said the government was effortful to systematize and automatize the mutual coordination among all three tiers of governments using information technology.

The House meeting also endorsed the Fiscal Bill 2022, National Debt Bill-2022 and Debt and Assurance Bill 25^th amendment -2022 presented by the Finance Minister Sharma.