Budget to be presented soon: Mahat

Post Report

KATHMANDU, April 23 - Finance Minister Dr Ram Sharan Mahat has said that the budget for the coming fiscal year would be presented at around the same time as presented last year.

"Preparations for the budget is in full swing and it will be presented around the same time as done last year," said Dr Mahat. Dr Mahat was speaking at an interaction program organized by the Reporters’ Club in the capital here today.

With a view to ensure proper implementation of the upcoming budget, Dr Mahat said that the overall budget implementation would be done following a strict routine. While the first quarter of the year would be allotted for preparatory work, actual construction and physical implementation would be done in the second and the third quarter, followed by monitoring and evaluation in the last quarter, said Dr Mahat.

The thrust of the forthcoming budget would be to address the problem of unemployment, in addition to streamlining the scattered development projects and poverty alleviation programs.

"A lot of projects remain incomplete on any given year. In addition, there are also a large number of poverty alleviation programs. There is need to streamline them," said Dr Mahat.

In addition, Dr Mahat said that the overall performance of the economy in the past decade has been satisfactory. Growth rate of 6 per cent last year and the projected rate of over 5 per cent this year is respectable, he said.

"21 per cent growth in exports and 7 per cent expansion of the industrial base for a country like Nepal is praiseworthy," he said.

However, Dr Mahat said that despite overall sound performance of the economy in the past decade, the fiscal front, including government finances, is in deep trouble.

"The latest challenge is to keep government finances in proper shape. The difference between expenditure and revenue collection needs to be narrowed." Dr Mahat said while regular expenditure in the nine months of the current fiscal year has grown by over 6.5 billion, the revenue has hardly touched 6 billion. With the wage bill likely to shoot the estimations by over Rs 2 billion, revenue collection needs a boost, he said.

However, he said that the government is trying hard to meet the revenue projections made last year. "Though the last year’s targeted revenue collection was ambitious, the government is trying hard to meet it," he said.

"Economic indiscipline has increased. The challenge now is to make the fiscal scenario more sustainable," Dr Mahat added.

Dr Mahat also said that the government needs to push the privatization process with sincerity and requisite support must be provided to sick industries for their revival.

Furthermore, there is a need to boost the competetiveness of Nepalese exportable products, Dr Mahat said referring to the tough times that the pashmina and garments industries are facing. Lately , the future of the two exporting items have become shaky following increasing concern of Western buyers over the quality of pashmina products and the recent opening passing of the African Growth and Opportunity Act, which opened markets for the Sub-Saharan African garments products in the United States.

Finally, as regard the mobilization of army at the customs points that has invited criticism lately, Dr Mahat defended the government’s decision. The army was deployed at the customs since there were inadequate personnel, he said. "The army has been borrowed for the time being," he said, adding, "They enjoy equal powers as the customs patrol."

‘Nepal Festival of life’ unveiled in New Delhi

Post Report

KATHMANDU, April 23- Nepal has officially launched the India Promotion Campaign-’Festival of life: Fun Next Door’ amidst press conference organized in New Delhi Friday, states a press release issued by Nepal Tourism Board today.

Speaking on the occasion Minister of State for Culture, Tourism & Civil Aviation (MOCTCA) Mr. Mahadev Gurung said that the government would extend all necessary support for the success of the program.

The 90-day program is concerted effort of NTB to market Nepal as a year round fun and value for money destination for Indians.

Mr. Gurung expressed that the government, people of Nepal, travel trade entrepreneurs are looking forward to welcoming all during the special campaign period and after wards. 

Speaking on the occasion, His Excellency, Ambassador of Nepal in India, Dr. Bhek Bahadur Thapa expressed his hope that the festival would help to bring more Indian tourist to Nepal

Highlighting the objective of the programmed, Mr. Pradeep Raj Pandey, Chief Executive Officer, NTB said, "The festival of life is a 90 day celebration of life, people, cultures, religions, adventure, luxury, shopping etc.

Nepal offers so many advantages to I Indian tourist that no other country can match. said Pandey adding NTB has joined hands with private sector to make the festival a grand success.

Vinod Kashap, DMD of Indian Airlines pointed out the Delhi-Katmandu sector as the most profitable sector.

The press conference was participated by more than 60 journalist and Television crew.

Police express resentment over army deployment

Post Report

BIRGUNJ, April 23 - Police personnel today publicly vented their dissatisfaction over the mobilization of army in the major customs points in the border with India and China.

The senior police personnel expressed their pent-up feeling at an all party meeting organized to discuss role of the army here today, after most of the participants said that revenue collection had
gone up phenomenally and peace and security was restored considerably.

Senior Superintendent of Police Dipendra Bista and Superintendent of Police Aurjun Jung Shahi claimed that it was the police who are maintaining peace and security in Birgunj, but not the army. They said that it is unfair to give the credit of maintaining peace and security in the border town to the army, adding that they were capable of doing more than what the army were doing.

"Why can’t the police fight with the smugglers that has been warring with the Maoists? We are capable of doing anything. Delegate us authority, we will do anything", said SSP Bista.

However, the army was mobilized as the revenue police failed to curb cross border smuggling, which Finance Minister Dr Ram Sharan Mahat reiterated a few days ago at a program here.

SP Shahi claimed that if they were given 5 more vans and 50 additional police force, they  would do better than what the army were doing. But there are already 700 police and the additional 50 personnel could not make any difference in their performance.

Kashi Nath Upadhyaya, President of Federation of Nepalese Customs Agents, talking to The Kathmandu Post said, "Police come here with a motive of earning money. They make money aligning with the smugglers. Now they cannot earn money and are enraged".

Chief District Officer of Parsa Dolakh Bahadur Gurung said that the police and army have their own roles and they are different, but the government deployed army feeling their necessity and the revenue collection has gone up.

However, most of the participants expressed resentment over the confiscation of very small volume of goods of daily use and banning the entry of vehicles used for marriages through minor customs and inspection of motorbikes by the army.

Carpet export via Birgunj Customs dips

Post Report

BIRGUNJ, April 23 - Carpet export through the Birgunj Customs point has witnessed a downward trend during the first nine months of the current fiscal year.

Compared to the volume of export during the corresponding period last fiscal year, carpet export through this point has gone down by 20 per cent.

According to statistics provided by the Birgunj Customs Office, 1.6 million square meters of carpet worth Rs 4.25 billion was exported through this point during the first nine months of the current fiscal year.

During the same period last year, 1.6 million square meters of carpet worth Rs 5.42 billion was exported through Birgunj Customs Office.

Germany is the biggest buyer of Nepalese carpets, which imports about 75 per cent of total exports. Carpet export to Germany went down by about 25 per cent during the period. About 80 per cent of the total carpet sold in foreign market is exported through this point.

Though the total export has decreased in the first nine months of the current fiscal year, carpet export to the US through the customs point has increased.

The total carpet exports to the United states reached Rs 400.5 million within the nine months of the running fiscal year, up from Rs 340 million during the corresponding period last year.