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With only one week left to end the current fiscal year, there has been a dramatic surge in government budget spending. The government’s average daily spending has reached Rs 11.5bn in the last nine days, which during normal days, used to stand at Rs 5-6bn per day. The data of the Financial Comptroller General Office which keeps track of the government’s income and expenditure, shows both recurrent and capital expenditure has surged in recent weeks. On Saturday (July 8), despite being the weekend, the government paid out Rs 16.23bn. As the new fiscal year starts on July 16 (Shrawan 1), the annual budget of the government should be spent by mid-July (Ashad-end). However, the budget implementation and payment remain slow in the initial months, only to pick up in the last quarter. As expected, there has been an improvement in capital spending in Ashad. In the first 23 days of Ashad, the capital expenditure has increased by Rs 36.96bn. The government’s average daily spending has reached Rs 2.74bn in the last nine days. The government’s capital expenditure as of July 8 reached Rs 190.04bn, which is 60.55 percent of the revised capital budget for the current fiscal year 2022/23. The government had initially set a capital expenditure target of Rs 380.38 billion which was slashed to Rs 313.85 percent in the half-yearly review of the federal budget. The last-minute increment in fund utilization has raised the question of the quality of capital spending in the country. The majority of capital spending takes place in the last month of the fiscal year i.e., Asar (mid-June to mid-July). The report of the Office of the Auditor General (OAG) also shows that 40 percent of the total capital expenditure takes place in Asar. In Nepal, government spending is carried out under three headings—recurrent expenditure, capital expenditure, and expense on financial management. Recurrent expenditure is mainly associated with administrative costs, including operation grants, capital grants, and costs for ongoing projects. Capital expenditure involves expenses made in infrastructure development, construction, and other sectors that help generate real capital in the country. According to government officials, it is natural to see a surge in government payments due to the obligation to spend the current year’s budget within the fiscal year (mid-July). But economists say that the trend of expediting spending only in the last month of the fiscal year shows the government’s fiscal indiscipline. This pattern of spending increases the possibility of sub-standard quality of capital projects and an increase in recurrent spending, in operations and maintenance costs, for the coming years, they said.  “This also shows that the government is not adhering to fiscal discipline,” said economist Chandra Mani Adhikari. In order to resolve this perennial problem, Adhikari suggested that the budget spending system should be made scientific.

Brimming eyes stare at the gleaming city lights Cold bed remains serene but time just flies Curious faces and empty voices overspill my aching mind Brewed coffees with sweet ladies but all I miss is that mellow smile   Trivial and alien I feel in this coast of youth all modern Forged laughs with dared cash cover up my cracking frame, all swollen In the land of my dreams but dreams long gone and stolen Wherever I go the pain remains, knocking at my door Knock knock knock Though my hands are already frostbitten   Bhumika Chand First year, BA in Psychology  Tri Chandra Campus, Ratnapark

The sun is alone  But it always shine, It doesn't have any friends  But I can make it mine   All the planets rotates around the sun, It is beautiful View is exciting and fun   The sun will be white dwarf after its death It is medium sized star which is massive    The sun gets lost at the night Sunrise is beautiful at morning light   Fursang Tamang Class: Nine Balbalika English Secondary Boarding School, Thimi

A meeting of the top leaders of the main three political parties has agreed to end Parliament obstruction, according to the Secretariat of the Prime Minister. The meeting that took place at the initiatives of Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal at the Office of the Prime Minister and the Council of Ministers in Singha Durbar today was attended by PM Dahal, Nepali Congress President Sher Bahadur Deuba and CPN-UML Chairman KP Sharma Oli. The opposition parties have been obstructing meetings of both the Houses since last Wednesday. As a result, the ordinance relating to criminalizing loan sharking has been inactive, and other important bills have not advanced. Upon the request of the PM, Speaker Devraj Ghimire has rescheduled today's meeting of the House of Representatives for 3 pm today. The HoR meeting was actually scheduled for 1 pm.  

The main opposition CPN-UML obstructed the National Assembly (NA) meeting today also over the Prime Minister's recent public statement in a book launching ceremony on July 3. With the obstruction, the schedule about the deliberations on the budget allocations to various ministries under the Appropriation Bill, 2080 BS have been affected. Once the meeting convened, the UML lawmakers stood from their respective seats gesturing the continuity of their concerns over the Prime Minister's recent remarks in which he said leading truck entrepreneur Sardar Pritam Singh once made efforts before India to make him (Dahal) the Prime Minister of Nepal. UML lawmaker Bhagawati Neupane said the NA obstruction would continue until the Prime Minister stepped down from the post over his remarks. Following the protest, NA Chair Ganesh Prasad Timilsina said the continuous interruption in the NA business would not pave the way for a solution. He urged the opposition lawmakers to put their concerns and allow the House conduct the business. It may be noted that the party has been obstructing the NA session for the past four days over the same issue. Expressing his hope that top leaders would sort out the issue through talks, he urged for cooperation of the party to run the session. The today's NA session was scheduled to hold deliberations on the budget allocations to the Ministry of Health and Population, Ministry of Communications and Information Technology, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ministry of Energy, Water Resources and Irrigation, Ministry of Water Supplies, Ministry of Finance, Ministry of Labor and Social Security, Ministry of Education, Science and Technology, Ministry of Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs, Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock, Ministry of Home and the Ministry of Defense. Likewise, budget allocations to the National Planning Commission, Office of the Prime Minister and Council of Ministers, the Office of the Vice President and the Office of the President were in the schedule of discussions. The NA session has been rescheduled for 11:01 am on Monday of July 10.  

Koshi Province Chief Parshuram Khapung administered the oath of office and secrecy to three newly-appointed ministers on Sunday. The Province Chief administered oath to Jeevan Acharya, Rajendra Karki and Ram Kumar Khatri at a ceremony held at the Province Chief's Office in Biratnagar. Acharya has been appointed as the Minister for Economic Affairs and Planning while Karki and Khatri would be assigned their ministerial portfolios later. The Province Chief's Office said that the portfolios of Kamal Prasad Jabegu and Pradip Kumar who were appointed ministers on Friday would be determined later.  

Eleven people have taken ill after consuming wild mushroom at Indrachowk in Dipayal Silgadhi Municipality-5 of Doti. The District Police Office, Doti said that they have been referred to Dadeldhura from the District Hospital, Doti. Superintendent of Police Rajendra Dhamala said that they are undergoing treatment in Dadeldhura.  

Vehicular movement along the Narayangarh-Mugling road section, which was obstructed following a landslide at Kalikhola in Ichchakamana Rural Municipality-6 from Saturday afternoon, has resumed from this morning. Police Inspector at Muglin area police office Bishal Tamang said that the vehicles and passengers stranded since the past nine hours are on their way to their respective destination. This road section has been obstructed due to frequent landslides for the past six months. Thousands of vehicles pass through this road daily.