July 14: As in the previous years, the government during this fiscal year spent billions of rupees in the last month. Now the government is about to implement the budget for the next fiscal year (FY 2023/24) without a proper 'master plan'.

The Ministry of Finance, which is mainly responsible for the implementation of the budget, has shown no interest in creating a result-oriented master plan except for making simple guidelines as in the past.

Finance Minister Dr Prakash Sharan Mahat a few days ago directed the officials of all the ministries to get ready for implementing the budget. The secretaries did not pay much attention to it. After the finance minister's directive, the officials of the Finance Ministry are preparing to issue budget implementation guidelines as the previous year.

“It is going to be released after adding some points to the previous year's guidance. A separate master plan has not been prepared," said a senior official of the Ministry of Finance.

According to him, the guidelines will make clear arrangements for program approval, budget disbursement, budget expenditure, budget transfer, monitoring and intergovernmental financial transfer. Likewise, some other unclear points in the budget will be clarified.

Similar guidelines were issued by the Ministry of Finance earlier too. However, it did not bring significant results in the budget spending system. In this background, it is estimated that the guidelines for the upcoming fiscal year will not be effective.

As in the past, the Ministry of Finance is preparing to bring ritualistic guidelines.

According to experts, the government should make a master plan for budget implementation. Former Vice Chairman of the National Planning Commission Dr. Pushparaj Kandel claimed that the upcoming budget will be stagnant as the government does not have a master plan. According to him, the budget has been brought without ensuring resources.

He said that the system will not improve until a master plan is made and the budget is implemented accordingly.

Nepal Chamber of Commerce President Rajendra Malla also said that the government should make a master plan for implementing the budget. He believes that bringing ritualistic guidelines as in the previous years will not make any difference in the implementation of the budget.

Meanwhile Finance Minister Mahat reiterated that preparations for the implementation of the budget have already started. Speaking in the National Assembly on Thursday, he did not reveal how the budget will be implemented.

Stating that funds should be kept under various headings to spend on the urgent work of the country, he said that he is fully committed to prohibiting unnecessary spending on work including natural disasters and maintaining discipline. Mahat said that no one can spend any government resources by going beyond the rules and regulations. He said that because the income is low, the budget of the federal and state governments has been reduced.

Mahat claimed that he made an honest effort to solve the problems that were being compounded due to the current crisis. The annual estimate (budget) of revenue and expenditure for the year 2023/24 presented by the government has been passed by both houses of the Federal Parliament. In the National Assembly meeting, Finance Minister Mahat presented a proposal to pass the Appropriation Bill, 2080 received with a message from the House of Representatives. Before that, the proposal to reduce the expenditure presented under various headings under the Appropriation Bill, 2080 was rejected by the majority.

The budget for the coming year was passed by the House of Representatives on June 27. The government presented the budget for the upcoming fiscal year at a joint meeting of both houses of the Federal Parliament on May 29. The passage of the budget of Rs 1751 by both the houses of the Federal Parliament has paved the way to implement it from the first day of the new fiscal year (July 17).