5 Questions

Budget from above not from below in the absence of elected bodies

Mr. Guna Nidhi Sharma, Professor T.U

TGQ1: How you Professor Sharma view the upcoming budget for FY 2060-61?

Prof. SHARMA: The trend in the past indicates that the budget is less serious about Capital formation and hence economic development. It rather focuses on security and hence current expenditure.

Neither it will be more concerned about regional balance, income disparity social discrimination and absolute poverty. Rather it will be intending towards seeking employment abroad. Of course, the budget comes at a time when there are no elected local as well as national bodies. In this, sense budget totally could be featured as centralized budget. This will not help encourage people to participate very happily as it becomes the budget from above not from below. Neither it will address problems in bureaucracy, education, health and other social activities in the remote and undeveloped regions. In this respect in absence of effective mechanism, qualified manpower and monitoring system in the remote parts of the country. Most of the budget will be either unspent or wrongly spent.

Unless peace is restored, budget will have no meaning

Dr. Meena Acharya, Senior Economist

TGQ2: Do you think the implementation of the budget will be possible given the disorder prevailing in the country?

Dr. ACHARYA: I don’t see the effective implementation of the budget.

The budget is coming at a time when the country is in disorder politically speaking. If the Maoists still prevail in the remote villages and districts, the political parties right there in the urban areas too appear creating confusion.

With insecurity, Bhutanese refugee crisis and political instability remaining intact, I don’t think that the budget allocated for the coming fiscal year would be spent on the allocated sector.

Unless peace is restored, the presentation of budget will have no meaning.

Moreover, I have this time attached less importance to the upcoming budget.

Budget should follow the Tenth Plan

Mr. Rajendra Bahadur Shrestha, Senior Journalist

TGQ3: What should be done Mr. Shrestha to boost up the revenue collection?

Mr. SHRESTHA: Since the economy of the country has started recovering a little bit after the ceasefire, the budget for the FY 2003-04 should try to outlay more for reconstruction and development. In order to boost up the revenue, the tax net should be widened instead of giving more burden to the tax payers. As the Tenth five year plan has set as target of achieving 2.4% economic growth, the coming year budget should be in harmony with the main objectives of the Tenth Plan.

Budget appears to take care of security

Prof. Surya Lal Anatya (Rtd. Prof. T.U)

TGQ4: What you expect from the upcoming budget?

Mr. AMATYA: This is a sort of budget to meet the difficult situation. There is not much scope for development side. However, the regular budget will slightly increase compared to last year. Much of the budget has to be year marked for the security purpose.

The social service sector however, will remain at the same level. Social services includes health, education and local development.

Just a routine budget

Mr. Puspa Pradhan, Journalist

TGQ5: What you expect Mr. Pradhan from the upcoming budget?

Mr. Pradhan: To expect much from a budget that is being presented at this critical juncture would be sheer foolishness. This is more or less a routine budget. It has unfortunately allocated smaller amount for development expenditure and hens the budget could be fairly dubbed as a regressive one.

Don't expect much from this budget. It would be advisable to both the people and the government not to be over ambitious as the nation today lacks the elected parliament.

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