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President Bidhya Devi Bhandari said the report of the Office of Auditor General indicated the increasing size of arrears, suggesting the need for a campaign to downsize it.

The head-of-the-state in her address to the 64th anniversary of the OAG here today underlined the need of fiscal discipline to prevent arrears.

"Economic fairness will help establish good governance," the president said, seeking the attention of all bodies concerned towards that end. The president insisted on transparency in public finance behaviours, acknowledging the role of OAG report in making public finance management effective.

As the president said, authorities ranging from the federal to local government should take the issues raised in the OAG report seriously.

Also speaking on the occasion, Finance Minister Janardan Sharma said the government was effortful to clear arrears and to enhance fiscal management.

The ministry was at work to settle arrears worth Rs 676 billion that remained so far, he added. "The issues of arrears clearance has been accorded priority in policies and programmes and budget for the upcoming fiscal year and the OAG will be provided necessary physical and financial assistance for the same."

She drew the attention of the government to the need to control unnecessary expenditures on foreign trips and to be frugal at a time when the country is reeling under economic difficulties.

Similarly, Auditor General Tanka Mani Sharma (Dangal) shared that reports prepared through electronic auditing would be released from this year. Stating that the OAG could not observe office anniversary due to COVID-19 risks, he shared that a total of seven staffers were awarded this year for best performance.

"Separate audit report of COVID-19 would be made public soon. The OAG had adopted risk-based auditing system from this year," he said. It was shared that no encouraging work could be accomplished to clear arrears this year. 

The Ministry of Home Affairs has reshuffled the Chief District Officers of Rupandehi and Makwanpur districts.

Home Minister Bal Krishna Khand transferred the CDOs of Rupandehi and Makwanpur districts on Wednesday.

Chief District Officer of Makwanpur Bharatmani Pandey has been transferred to Rupandehi.

Similarly, Joint Secretary of Home Ministry Rajendra Dev Pandey has been appointed as the Chief District Officer of Makwanpur.

The Ministry has appointed Rishiram Tiwari, Chief District Officer of Rupandehi district, as the Director General of the Immigration Department.

CPN-Unity National Campaign Coordinator Bamdev Gautam has proposed an alliance of communist forces in the upcoming Parliamentary and Province Assembly elections.

During a meeting held with CPN-UML Chairman KP Sharma Oli in Balkot on Thursday, Gautam floated a proposal to contest the upcoming elections by forging an alliance of leftist parties.

"The defeat of communists is certain if they contest the elections on their own. That is why, let's contest the Parliamentary and Province Assembly elections by forging alliance, " he said.

Gautam told Oli that CPN (Maoist Centre) Chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal and CPN (Unified Socialist) Chairman Madhav Nepal have also expressed their readiness to contest the elections by forging an alliance of leftist parties.

The CPN-Unity National Campaign Coordinator further said that he would be involved in the campaign to unite the Nepal Communist Party.

According to a source, Oli is positive towards the proposal. But, he said that Dahal and Nepal should change themselves first.

Following differences between party Chairman Upendra Yadav and Federal Council Chairman Baburam Bhattarai, the Janata Samajbadi Party has split.

During a meeting held between the two leaders that lasted for two hours on Wednesday, Bhattarai has decided to form a new party in consensus, a source said.

Earlier on Monday night, the Yadav faction held a party’s central executive committee and decided to recall all the ministers representing the party in the Sher Bahadur Deuba-led government. The leaders of the Bhattarai faction, however, were not invited to the meeting.

The meeting had also decided to give rights to Yadav to select the new ministers.

Out of the 33 members in the central executive committee, Yadav has a majority with 22 members. The party has 19 lawmakers in the House of Representatives.