March 20: Finance Minister Barshaman Pun has said that the principles and priorities of the Appropriation Bill for the upcoming fiscal year 2024/25 shall be revised on the basis of necessity and also taking into consideration the Common Minimum Resolution adopted by the ruling alliance.    
Pun also said the good policies contained in the Appropriation Bill for fiscal year 2024/25 presented in parliament by the immediate past Finance Minister Dr Prakash Sharan Mahat would be continued.    
The finance minister made such remarks in response to the queries of the National Assembly members on Wednesday during the deliberations on the principles and priorities of the Appropriation Bill for the next fiscal year.    
"In the changed context at present, many parliamentarians had raised the issue of rewriting several of the principles and priorities of the Appropriation Bill, 2081 which the outgoing finance minister had presented in the parliament on behalf the government. The principles and priorities of next year's budget would be set by maintaining a balance and addressing the needs, possibilities and approaches in accordance with the changed context. The government will also take into consideration the need to maintaining stability in the government's policies and giving continuity to the good policies and programmes," he explained.    
Finance Minister Pun reiterated that the new periodic plan and budget would be brought with the concept of good governance, social justice and prosperity.    
"The next fiscal year's budget would be aimed at increasing the state's role in the sector of providing basic service of major strategic importance and at establishing social justice by making provisions for quality education, health, employment and social security," he added.    
The finance minister insisted that an environment would be created for fully utilizing the capacity of the private and cooperative sectors towards the efficient use of means and resources, production and employment generation.    
According to him, the government will immediately take steps to address the problems related to the usury practice and cooperatives and microfinance victims. He stressed that the government has the plan of stopping the present exodus of youths to foreign lands and the high unemployment rate by emphasizing on production and productivity growth.    
The finance minister also claimed that the capital expenditure will be significantly increased in the next fiscal year since the government has moved ahead the works of some procedural and structural reforms for boosting the capital expenditure. -- RSS