June 16 : All the seven provinces announced their respective annual budgets for the next fiscal year on Monday (June 15) by according top priority to the control and prevention of COVID-19 pandemic and the development of infrastructure to create job opportunities.
The newly presented budgets are also focused on austerity measures like cuts in the allowances of government employees and non-essential purchases amidst the economic turmoil brought by the pandemic.
The total budgetary amount of all these provinces stands at Rs 264.20 billion, down by a mere Rs 5.37 billion compared to the current fiscal.
The major sources of provincial budgets are the grants provided by the federal government and revenues collected from the local levels.
Province No. 1
Minister of Financial Affairs and Planning, Indra Bahadur Angbo , has presented a budget worth Rs 40.89 billion for fiscal 2020-21. Of this amount, Rs 18.93 billion has been earmarked for recurrent expenditure, Rs21.92 billion for capital expenditure, and Rs40 million for financing.
The budget of this province is focused on the sectors like health, agriculture, infrastructure development and employment generation.
For this fiscal, Province 1 had tabled a budget of Rs 42.20 billion.
Province No. 2
Minister for Economic Affairs and Planning, Bijaya Yadav, has tabled a budget of Rs 33.56 billion for the next fiscal year. The government of this province plans to mobilize Rs 15.42 billion as recurrent expenditure and Rs 17.97 billion as capital expenditure.
It has also accorded priority to controlling the coronavirus pandemic and generating jobs in the agriculture sector for those migrant workers who have returned home (due to the global onset of this pandemic).
The Province 2 government had presented a budget worth Rs 38.72 billion for the ongoing fiscal.
Bagmati Province
Minister of Economic Affairs and Planning Kailash Prasad Dhungel tabled a budget of Rs 51.42 billion for the next fiscal-the highest allocation among all seven provinces.
The government of this province has earmarked Rs 26.28 billion as recurrent expenditure and Rs 25.14 billion as capital expenditure. It also plans to mobilise substantial funds for construction and completion of national pride projects that fall in the province. It has allocated substantial funds for construction and completion of national pride projects that fall in the province.
Gandaki Province
Kiran Gurung, minister of economic affairs and planning, has come up with a budget worth Rs 34.84 billion for the next fiscal. The government of the provision plans to spend Rs 14.34 billion as recurrent expenditure and Rs 19.99 billion as capital expenditure.
The budget is focused on health, agriculture and infrastructure sectors apart from job creation.
Province No. 5
Chief Minister and Minister for Economic Affairs and Planning Shankar Pokhrel has unveiled a budget amounting to Rs 36.35 billion for the upcoming fiscal. The government of this province allocates Rs 12.59 billion as recurrent expenditure and Rs 18.61 billion as capital expenditure
The budget prioritizes the improvement of health sector, employment generation and infrastructure development. The commercialision of the agriculture sector is particularly highlighted so as to address the unemployment problem.
The Province 5 government had presented a budget of Rs 36.41 billion for the ongoing fiscal.
Karnali Province
Minister of Economic Affairs and Planning, Prakash Jwala, has announced a budget worth Rs 33.74 billion for the next fiscal. It allots Rs 11.67 billion as recurrent expenditure and Rs 19.6 billion as capital expenditure
The government of this province has prioritized agriculture, employment generation, tourism and physical infrastructure. It had presented a budget of Rs 34.35 billion for the ongoing fiscal.
Sudurpaschim Province
Economic Affairs and Planning Minister, Jhapat Bahadur Bohara, has tabled a budget of Rs 33.38 billion for the next fiscal. The government of the province aims to utilise Rs 14.18 billion as recurrent expenditure and Rs 16.75 billion as capital expenditure.
The budget has given high priority to health sector, agriculture modernisation, infrastructure development, drinking water, irrigation and energy. This province had presented a budget of Rs 25.6 billion for the ongoing fiscal.
