July 7: With only a few days remaining in the current fiscal year, the Madhesh Province government has managed to spend just about one-third of its allocated budget. By end of July (mid-Asar) of the fiscal year 2080/81, the provincial government had expended only 32 percent of its total budget, according to the Ministry of Finance.

The Provincial Treasury Controller Office, Madhesh, reported that out of the total budget of Rs 44.11 billion, only Rs 14.14 billion had been spent by mid-Asar.  Of the Rs 18.54 billion allocated for current expenditures, only 35.55 percent has been utilized. Similarly, out of the Rs 25.57 billion allocated for capital expenditures, only 29.55 percent has been spent.

Chief Minister and other ministers have criticized the federal government for not allocating the budget proportionately to the population in Madhesh. However, the provincial government itself has failed to spend even half of its allocated budget.

Ajay Kumar Karn, Acting Secretary of the Ministry of Finance of Madhesh Province, attributed the under-expenditure to factors such as changes in coalition partners at the federal level, the necessity for the Chief Minister to seek votes of confidence repeatedly, and overall government instability.

In the previous fiscal year 2079/80, the province had a budget of Rs 47.02 billion, out of which Rs 27.33 billion was spent. In the fiscal year 2078/79, half of the budget was frozen, with only Rs 17.76 billion spent out of a budget of Rs 34.88 billion.