Over Rs 1.5 billion poll budget gone with the wind

Over Rs 1.5 billion poll budget gone with the wind
ekantipur.com, 16-Oct-07
BY BISHNU BUDHATHOKI

The postponement of the Constituent Assembly (CA) poll has caused an over Rs 1.5 billion loss to the government.

The amount, put up by the government and received from the international community was spent for CA poll preparation.

The Election Commission (EC) said it has spent over Rs 510 million and various donor communities have used up over Rs 540 million for election related activities.

Unveiling a report on the expenditure, Chief Election Commissioner Bhoj Raj Pokharel on Tuesday said that out of Rs 1.28 billion allocated in fiscal year 2006/007 the Commission spent Rs 234 million to update the electoral rolls.

In 2007/008, the government had released Rs 287.1 million from its annual budget of Rs 1.911 billion for election purposes, and the Commission has already spent Rs 118 million.

According to Pokharel, the preliminary estimate of the total expenditure to date at the center and district level is Rs 281 million.

Similarly, Pokharel informed that various foreign countries mainly the US, UK, India, China, Japan, Denmark, Austria, Canada, Norway and Korea andincluding international donor agencies, provided technical and logistic assistance worth Rs 540 million.

"The EC has not received assistance in cash from the donor community," he said.

He also said a detailed report on international assistance provided for different social and non-government organizations to launch civic education and voter education campaigns across the country is yet to receive allocations.

Besides, the US had decided to provide US$ 2.8 million to arrange over 500 million ballot papers required for the CA polls, whereas the EC has already set up three wave machines and imported 300 tons of paper needed to print the ballot papers.

In order to carry out voters' education programs by mobilizing over 8,400 volunteer, the Ministry of Peace and Reconstruction had released Rs 121 million from its Peace Trust Fund. Similarly, the ministry had released Rs 118 million to train over 234,025 staff and volunteers needed to conduct the polls, whereas the EC has already spent in total Rs 123 million for the above mentioned purpose.

Besides, over 940,000 billboards, stickers and posters and 1,800,000 pamphlets and 3,682,270 invitation cards among other things were printed for the voter education campaign.

Similarly, the EC had allocated Rs 32.65 million for a media campaign across the country.

When asked about exact figures on wasted goods and items that can be used in future, he said, "The budget meant for institutional capacity building and several logistics items can be used, but those documents prepared for the mixed electoral polls on November 22 can perish if the government decides to adopt a different electoral system."

Meanwhile, 24 non-government organizations have already received Rs 162.11 million from different foreign donors to launch media and voter education campaign across the country.

Scores of non-government organizations, which were allowed to observe the election, have received over Rs 90 million for the purpose.