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The House of Representatives on Wednesday endorsed the budget presented by the government for the next fiscal year 2023/24 by a majority. Earlier on May 30, Finance Minister Prakash Saran Mahat had unveiled a budget of Rs 1.75 trillion for the next fiscal year 2023/24 beginning mid-July. Minister Mahat this afternoon presented a budget proposal for the endorsement in the Parliament meeting. The proposal was endorsed by a majority in the Parliament today. CPN-UML, Rastriya Prajatantra Party, Rastriya Swatantra Party and Janamat Party voted against the budget. They did not cast their votes saying that the budget was not balanced. Before presenting the budget, CPN-UML and Rastriya Swatantra Party lawmakers obstructed the Parliament meeting. They obstructed the meeting demanding that the district election offices be included as a part of the Appropriation Bill. Later, Speaker Devraj Ghimire postponed the meeting for 15 minutes to find consensus on the issue. In the meeting held for the second time, Speaker Ghimire announced that the finance minister’s proposal to endorse the budget was passed by a majority. Soon after, UML whip Mahesh Bartaula demanded a division of the budget saying that the proposal to not pass the budget was excessive. Later, the Speaker proceeded ahead with the process. Speaker Ghimire had given three minutes to correct the vote. But none of the lawmakers corrected their vote. Then the Speaker announced that the 147 lawmakers voted in favor of the budget and 108 against it. Nepali Congress and CPN (Maoist Center) had issued a whip to endorse the budget. Before the budget was presented in the Parliament, Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal answered the questions raised on the various titles of the Office of the Prime Minister and the Council of Ministers, the Secretariat of the National Planning Commission, the Office of the President and the Office of the Vice President under the Appropriation Bill, 2080 during the discussion. The lawmakers of the ruling and opposition parties had been saying that they would not allow the budget to be endorsed without amendment. The CPN (Unified Socialist) and the Janata Samajbadi Party, which had been saying that they would not vote until the budget is endorsed, cast their votes after discussions with the prime minister and finance minister. Now, the National Assembly should endorse the budget passed by the House of Representatives.

Bagmati Chief Minister Shalikram Jammakattel has assured of the establishment of a public university in the province. Inaugurating the Office of the Province High Education Council today, the Chief Minister who also serves as the Council Chair said the Council has its role in preparing policies and strategies for higher education and providing general policy-level guidelines for the operation of the University. As he said, the Council would play a role for producing human resources required for the province. Chief Minister Jammakattel said the Council will promote autonomy for province-level universities, non-profitable community academic institutes and the constituent colleges. He announced that the province government prioritized the production of skilled technical human resources. On the occasion, Khubiram Adhikari, Chief of the Education Development Division, Ministry of Social Development, said that the Provincial Higher Education Act was certified on March 28, 2022, shedding light on the procedures regarding the establishment of the Council, its management, and about the Province Higher Education Regulations-2079 BS and so on. There shall be a 15-member council committee under the chairmanship of the Chief Minister and the Ministry of Social Development shall function as the Council Secretariat. Various province ministers including Bahadur Singh Lama and Yubraj Dulal were present in the event presided by Council vice-chair and social development minister Kumari Moktan.  

The CPN (Unified Socialist) has decided to vote in favor of the budget brought by the government. The party has decided to help in endorsing the budget after the discussion between Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal, Finance Minister Prakash Saran Mahat and CPN (US) Chairman Madhav Nepal, party leader Rajendra Pandey said. He said that the decision was made to vote in favor of the budget after the party received the commitment to address the party’s agreement on the budget through the budget system. The budget for the fiscal year 2023/24 is going to be endorsed by the Parliament today.    

Seven persons including Bhatbhateni Supermarket Chairman Min Bahadur Gurung have been arrested in the Lalita Niwas land grab case. A team of Central Investigation Bureau of Nepal Police nabbed Sudhar Kumar Sah, Dharma Prasad Gautam, Kaladhar Deuja, Gopal Karki, Surendra Kapali and Bhupendra Man Shrestha from various places today. Sah is also a former election commissioner. Nepal Police spokesperson Kuber Kathayat informed that they were arrested in connection with the Lalita Niwas land grab case. It has been learnt that they will be presented before the government attorney office today itself to extend the remand. Spokesperson Kathayat said that the necessary investigation will be started after the extension of the remand. Bhatbhateni Supermarket Chairman Gurung was released after posting a bail of Rs 20 million set by the Special Court on February 3, 2021. Earlier on January 6, the CIB had submitted a report of investigation to the government attorney office making 300 people defendants in the Lalita Niwas case.