KATHMANDU: Finance Minister Dr Swarnim Wagle has said the suggestions received from lawmakers regarding the government’s policy and programme will serve as important guidance for its implementation.
Responding on behalf of Prime Minister Balendra Shah during Thursday’s National Assembly meeting, Wagle addressed concerns and recommendations raised by lawmakers on the government’s policy and programme for the upcoming fiscal year 2083/84 BS.
He said the government would prioritise and address the issues raised by lawmakers within the limits of available resources.
Wagle stated that the current government had received a near two-thirds mandate in the House of Representatives following a movement led by the Gen Z demanding an end to corruption and the establishment of good governance.
“The people have placed extraordinary trust and confidence in a single party through the post-transition election,” he said.
The finance minister also expressed gratitude on behalf of the government for President Ramchandra Paudel’s address to the joint session of the Federal Parliament on Baisakh 28, 2083 BS, stating that the government was committed to controlling corruption, ensuring good governance, promoting development and building a just Nepal with social equality.
Wagle said the government had, for the first time in Nepal’s political history, embraced the commitments, promises and declarations made by all political parties during elections as a form of national commitment.
He said suggestions from lawmakers regarding the policy and programme were highly valuable and thoughtful.
“The government has realised that the policy and programme presented is a shared national document,” Wagle said. “The government remains committed to integrating the views of all political parties to set measurable goals and long-term national priorities through collective effort.”
He added that the government had declared a 100-point governance reform agenda from its very first day in office to strengthen good governance, improve public trust, enhance service delivery, ensure transparency and control corruption.
According to Wagle, the government would honestly implement concrete programmes aimed at economic transformation, infrastructure development, governance reform and social justice. He said the upcoming budget principles and priorities would be aligned with the government’s policy and programme.
The minister also said the government would adopt alternative financing mechanisms to expand the economy and promote strategies focused on a borderless economy and weightless trade as key pillars of economic transformation.
He further stated that efforts would be made to improve allocation efficiency and implementation capacity, while foreign grants and loans would be mobilised to ensure adequate resources for large and incomplete projects. Measures to increase revenue collection would also be adopted.
Wagle added that the government would implement a performance-based budgeting system and conduct third-party evaluations to ensure cost-effectiveness and proper returns on investments in major projects.
Comment