Kathmandu, June 3: Finance Minister Bishnu Poudel has said that the government presented the budget for the fiscal year 2016/17 without breaching fiscal discipline.
Responding to the queries raised by lawmakers participating in the discussion on annual estimate of revenue and expenditure for the fiscal year 2016/17, Finance Minister Poudel said that the government presented the big-size budget to stress the development activities.
He claimed that he presented it after holding discussion with experts and on the basis ceiling fixed by the National Planning Commission.
The FM assured that that the government would not allow budget crunch in the construction of Budhigandaki Hydropower Project so as to end load shedding within next two years. Area of tax has increased to improve the environment of investment.
Finance Minister Poudel further said the government has allocated Rs 9 billion in 18 districts of Tarai while allocating sufficient budget for construction of Kathmandu-Nijgadh fast-track, agriculture industry, modernization of agriculture, development of hydropower and agriculture cooperative sectors.
The budget has provisioned allocation of needful resources and programmes with a goal to achieve 6.5 per cent of economic growth, he argued.
Moreover, Minister Poudel explained that the more budget has been allocated for the education, health, fuel and agriculture sector and for local level compared to the current fiscal year.
The upcoming budget estimates amounting to Rs 1.048 trillion features key infrastructure projects as well as development programmes for the development of hilly, mountain and Terai regions, Poudel added.
He shared that the budget also envisions increasing revenue through administrative reforms, control of the revenue leakage, tax concession system and efforts to achieve 23 per cent of increment in revenue collection. He assured that the private sector will not affect the collection of internal debt provision in this budget estimates.
Establishment of Khwopa University, extension of beds in the Hetauda Hospital up to 50 are also incorporated in the budget unveiled on May 28.
Earlier today Minister Poudel had answered to the queries on budget estimates put forth by parliamentarians such as Anuradha Thapa Magar, Surendra Pandey, Manmohan Bhattarai, Sita Nepali, Nabindra Raj Joshi, Rameshower Phuyal and Romi Gauchan Thakali among others.
The next meeting of the Legislature-Parliament has been scheduled for Saturday at 3:00 pm.
