KATHMANDU – The National Planning Commission (NPC) has received over 3,600 proposals of fiscal equalization and special grants for the upcoming fiscal year from across the country, except Madhes province.
According to the NPC sources, the Madhes province has not submitted any proposals to the NPC seeking fiscal equalization and special grants.
As the Madhes province has not demanded the budget, the projects started earlier but ye to be completed will not get the budget under equalization and special grants for the next fiscal year.
The NPC had issued a circular to all the provinces and local level on last November asking them to recommend equalization and special grants projects by mid-January, 2024. It was asked to propose projects and programmes through the online system to receive grants from the federal government.
NPC programme director Shiva Ranjan Poudyal told RSS, “There were consecutive projects in Madhes province as well. But they did not log in the system. There were no proposals seeking budget for both new and consecutive projects. NPC was asking the province authorities to submit proposals through the system till the deadline. But, the Madhes province did not send any proposal”.
The related working procedure has stipulated that proposals have to be mandatorily sought also for the consecutive projects. The total cost, contract points, progress report and other details should be presented in the proposals.
Provisions have been made regarding federal equalization grants and federal special grants in the Fiscal Equalization Grant (Third Amendment) Working Procedure, 2077 and the Special Grant (Third Amendment) Procedure, 2077 BS.
The federal government allocates budget to the province and local levels every year under the headings of equalization and special grants. As per the provisions of the working procedure, the office of the Chief Minister and Council of Ministers in the case of the province and the local level have to submit proposals to the NPC with demand for grants for the projects recommended by the executive meeting.
Vice-chair of the Province Policy and Planning Commission of the Madhes province government, Nathu Prasad Chaudhary said although the list of projects has been prioritized for receiving federal equalization and special grants, the Office of the Chief Minister and Council of Ministers has not forwarded the process.
“The Province Planning Commission had already sent priority of the projects and programmes. It is the responsibility of the Office of the Chief Minister and Council of Ministers to approve these programmes and projects and send proposals with demands for grants”, he said.
