Sudurpaschim unveils largest-ever budget of Rs 37.7 billion for 2083/84

The Sudurpaschim Provincial Government has unveiled its largest-ever budget of Rs 37.7 billion for the upcoming fiscal year 2083/84. Due to disputes within the ruling coalition over budget allocations, the budget was not presented on schedule and was only submitted to the Provincial Assembly late Monday night.

Finance Minister Bikram Singh Dhami, while presenting the budget in the Provincial Assembly, stated that the main sources for managing expenses would include internal revenue, revenue sharing from the federal government, grants, and savings from the current fiscal year.

According to the budget, the province expects to generate Rs 1.72 billion from internal revenue, Rs 10.249 billion from federal revenue sharing, and Rs 70 million from federal royalties. Additionally, it is projected to receive Rs 9.633 billion from financial equalization grants, Rs 9.65 billion from estimated savings of the current fiscal year, and Rs 6.0358 billion from conditional grants.

Furthermore, the budget estimates Rs 388 million from federal complementary grants and Rs 527.6 million from special grants. The budget presentation process this year was quite contentious.

The delay in the budget speech was due to prolonged disagreements between coalition partners Nepali Congress and CPN-UML over the size of the budget, project selection, and resource allocation. Expressing dissatisfaction over the delay, members of the Provincial Assembly from the main opposition parties, CPN and Rastriya Prajatantra Party, boycotted the session. The opposition accused the government of failing to adhere to constitutional deadlines and parliamentary decorum.