New govt to bring full budget

HIMALAYAN NEWS SERVICE

KATHMANDU: Leaders of the new government today decided to bring a full-fledged budget replacing the one brought by the Madhav Kumar Nepal government through an ordinance on November 20.

The government had to bring the budget through ordinance after UCPN-M lawmakers barred Finance Minister Surendra Pandey from tabling it. Prime Minister-elect Jhala Nath Khanal and Maoist chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal agreed to bring the full-fledged budget before February 16, when the legality of the ordinance ends.

Constitutional provision has it that the government has to table an ordinance on the first day of the Parliament session and it has to be approved by the house within 60 days. Countdown of the fiscal ordinance had begun when the Maoists called a special session of parliament on December 8.

The meeting held at Dahal’s Nayabazar residence also decided to form a task force of economists representing both parties to work on the new budget. “The new budget will be tabled along with revised policy and programmes of the new government,” said Maoist Vice Chairman Narayan Kaji Shrestha.

The Legislature-Parliament scheduled for Monday will discuss the budget. The meeting also decided to form an eight-member task force to decide on the composition of the council of ministers and to draft the common minimum programme.

The task force includes Narayan Kaji Shrestha, Post Bahadur Bogati, Dev Gurung and Dinanath Sharma from UCPN-M; and Bamdev Gautam, Ishwor Pokhrel, Bishnu Poudel and Bharat Mohan Adhikary from CPN-UML.

The meeting also decided to begin talks with parties willing to join government. Earlier, a meeting of UCPN-M office bearers decided to hold the standing committee meeting on Sunday to finalise the names of party leaders joining the government.

“If the task force completes its report by Sunday afternoon, PM Khanal will be sworn in along with his cabinet,” Shrestha said.