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Finance Minister Dr Prakash Saran Mahat held a discussion about the budget for the upcoming fiscal year 2080/081 with the international development partners in Nepal today. On the occasion, Finance Minister Dr Mahat shared about future priorities of the government and the guidelines and principles to be taken by the upcoming budget. He also expressed commitment to make maximum use of the available resources. Considering the increasing debt of the government, it is a priority to invest in productive sectors so help pay both the principal and interest. The finance minister on the occasion called for substantial subsidies along with foreign loans including aid to address the impact of climate, that Nepal is not responsible for. During the meeting, heads and representatives of international development partners assured support to the priorities and programs taken up by the government of Nepal in the upcoming budget, and mobilized foreign aid through Nepal's national policy, system and structure. International development partners have suggested that there should be improvements in capital expenditure, management of public institutions, avoiding duplication of expenditure, preparation of blueprints for internal resource mobilization, among others. Suggestions were also received to increase investment in health, education, social security and nutrition, expand the scope of taxes, improve capital expenditure and gradually change the informal sector to the formal sector. Heads and representatives of multilateral development partners such as the World Bank, Asian Development Bank, International Monetary Fund and International Finance Corporation, United States Agency for International Development, Embassies of Japan, Korea, Switzerland, Norway, Finland, Germany and the European Union was present in the meeting.  

The government has started preparations to release Resham Chaudhary. The government on Thursday registered a bill in the Parliament to free Resham Chaudhary, who is serving a life term in connection with the Tikapur carnage of August 2015. The Ministry of Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs registered the bill in the Parliament to amend the law to withdraw the case filed against Chaudhary, a source at the Ministry said. The government has added a point in section 116 of the Civil Code of Criminal Procedure 2074 through the bill. In which, there is a provision that the cases filed against parties, leaders and cadres, who have agreed to join the peaceful politics, can be withdrawn. Chaudhary’s case is being heard in the Supreme Court.

The Election Commission has directed 82 political parties to make public their audit report. A meeting of the poll body held on Wednesday directed 82 parties that have submitted the audit report for the fiscal year 2078/2079 within the given time to publish the report through the concerned party’s office, website, mass media (newspapers, radio, television etc), social media (Facebook, Twitter, Instagram) within seven days and inform the Commission about it. According to sub-section (1) of Section 41 of the Act on Political Parties, 2073, there is a legal provision that political parties that are registered with the Commission must be audited by a licensed auditor within six months of the end of the fiscal year and submit the audit report to the Commission within a month. Muskan Sena Nepal Party, Shiva Sena Nepal, Aam Aadmi Party Nepal, Rastriya Janmukhi Party Loktantrik and Nepal Communist Party Loktantrik, which have not submitted the audit report for the fiscal years 2077/78 and 2078/79, have been directed to furnish clarification why they should not be taken action as per clause (a) of sub-section (5) of section 54 of the Political Parties Act, 2073.  

CPN-UML Chairman KP Sharma Oli urged the Commission for the Investigation of Abuse of Authority to carry out investigations into all corruption cases. He said so while addressing the Central Committee meeting held at the party headquarters in Chyasal of Lalitpur. Chairman Oli said that the corruption watchdog should not be scared to investigate the corruption cases. He was referring to the cantonment corruption case. The former prime minister further said the people involved in the fake Bhutanese refugee scam should not be spared. Oli opined that the party would protest if attempts were made to implicate the innocent and let the guilty off. The central committee meeting began today. He said that attempts were made to implicate someone in a prejudiced manner in the fake Bhutanese refugee scam. The UML Chair said that during the meeting with Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal had urged not to spare those involved in the scam and not to implicate innocent people. He further said that the party suspended party secretary Top Bahadur Rayamajhi to help with the investigation into the scam. Saying people making Nepalis stateless and sending people to foreign land illegally are traitors, he questioned why the people arrested earlier in this scam were released. Chairman Oli said he during the Premiership of Girija Prasad Koirala had suggested resolving the problem by sending Bhutanese refugees to third countries after it was not possible to repatriate them to Bhutan. He added that he during his term as Foreign Minister had urged the then US President George W. Bush to resolve the Bhutanese refugee problem. Similarly, UML General-Secretary Shankar Pokhrel opined that the 'mission grassroots' launched with a plan to strengthen the CPN-UML as the strong national force would be reviewed. Discussion would be held on 10 different topics, including political report of Oli, report of central body, report of mission grassroots, action plan of provinces, division of work of central committee members in the meeting. The meeting would run till May 13.