NEPALGUNJ: The Nepalgunj Sub-Metropolitan City in Banke has presented a budget of over Rs 1.5 billion for the upcoming fiscal year 2081-82 BS.

In the 15th Convention of the Sub Metropolis held under the chair of Mayor Prashant Bista, Deputy Mayor Kamaruddin Rai presented the budget of Rs 1,503,886,000 for the upcoming fiscal year.

The size of the new budget is less by around Rs 350 million compared to the budget of the existing fiscal year.

Of the total proposed budget, Rs 612.4 million will be sourced through the federal government under conditional grants, with Rs 10 million under complementary grants and Rs 15 million under special grants.

Similarly, Rs 20.4 million will be sourced through the provincial government under conditional grants and Rs 14 million under complementary grants.

Furthermore, fiscal equalization is set to contribute Rs 279.5 million from the federal government and Rs 20.5 million from the provincial government, alongside an estimated collection of Rs 221.1 million under the internal income.

According to Deputy Mayor Rai, Rs 355.2 million has been proposed under the current expenditure, Rs one million towards the complimentary expenditure (federal), Rs 14 million towards the complimentary expenditure (province), Rs 7.5 million as other complimentary expenditures and Rs 200 has been allocated to 23 wards.

The budget for the new fiscal year accords priorities to the advancements in the education sector and aims to enhance internal revenue collection by expanding taxation efforts.

Deputy Mayor Rai said the budget emphasized developing economic, infrastructure, social, forest, and environmental sectors, disaster management, and enhancing institutional governance.

While presenting the policies and programs of the local government for the upcoming fiscal year, Mayor Bista stressed the need to promote religious tolerance and develop Nepalgunj as a human-friendly citizen.

He said the local government has pursued a policy of identifying various ponds and lakes, to conserve them.

Likewise, it has set a policy of taking the initiative to set up a burn treatment center at the Nepalgunj submetropolis-20.

Free health checkup facilities and treatment, free ambulance to the target groups, continuity of free surgery of cataract, health insurance for people with disabilities, encouragement of IT-based teaching-learning activities in school, arrangements of implementing local curriculum and textbooks program, disaster management, disabled-friendly infrastructure at school and the building of a gender-friendly environment are among the policies and plans envisaged by the government for the next fiscal year.