Do not bring budget through ordinance: Nine former NPC vice-chairmen

KATHMANDU: Nine former vice-chairmen of National Planning Commission (NPC) have suggested not to bring budget from the ordinance.

Making their view public on the upcoming budget through a joint statement Thursday, nine NPC former vice-chairmen said the government should refrain from presenting budget through ordinance despite the constitution stipulating announcement of the budget by May 28 (Jestha 15) of each year.

They suggested not to bring budget from the ordinance as the country had plunged into another constitutional crisis and confusion after the government dissolved the House of Representatives (HoR) for the second time.

The nine former NPC vice-chairmen presenting their unifed view are Prithviraj Legal, Dr. Jagadish Chandra Pokhrel, Dr. Shankar Sharma, Dr. Pitamber Sharma, Dr. Dinesh Chandra Devkota, Dipendra Bahadur Kshetri, Dr. Govindaraj Pokhrel, Dr. Min Bahadur Shrestha and Dr. Swanarim Wagle.

They also reminded there is no compulsory provision to bring the budget on May 28 in the absence of parliament.

Excessive public borrowing in the budget and changes in revenue rates would be a serious violation of political ethics and would push the nation’s economic sector towards instability, the former vice-chairmen warned.