Ministers' foreign junkets bleeding national coffer

Ministers' foreign junkets bleeding national coffer
The Himalayan Times, 15-Jun-10
By Bishnu Prasad Aryal

The national coffer may get emptied, but foreign junkets won’t stop.

At least, this is the impression one gets by visits abroad both by the Madhav Kumar Nepal-led cabinet in a year and the visits of the erstwhile Pushpa Kamal Dahal ‘Prachanda’-led cabinet in nine months are taken into account.

There are 43 members in the present cabinet while the Maoist-led government comprised 24 ministers. The incumbent ministers visited foreign countries 133 times from May 2009 to April 2010, while ministers in the previous Maoist-led government went on 92 foreign junkets between August 2008 and April 2009.

A record of the Finance Section at the Office of the Prime Minister and Council of Ministers shows around Rs 4.45 million is spent on salaries for the present 43-member cabinet every month.

The PM receives 306 litres of fuel; a minister gets 207 litres and a state minister is provided 180 litres per month. They take cash in lieu of fuel.

Dhruba Prasad Sharma, secretary at OPMCM, said the expenses for each foreign visit varied according to the size of the team, distance and number of days spent abroad. A minister gets per diem US$ 200 excluding bills for travel, food, treatment and accommodation, said Sharma.

Around Rs 1.2 million was spent on a minor treatment for Deputy Prime Minister Bijaya Kumar Gachhadar in Singapore a few months ago.

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.

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.

POLLS EXPENDITURE MONITORING : Over Rs 628m being spent for poll-related programs

POLLS EXPENDITURE MONITORING : Over Rs 628m being spent for poll-related programs
eKantipur.com, 25-Sep-2007
BY BISHNU BUDHATHOKI

Despite the uncertainty that looms large over Constituent Assembly (CA) elections slated for November 22, Election Commission (EC) and other different non-government organizations are set to spend over Rs 628 million to carry out election-related programs across the country.

According to EC, it plans to mobilize over Rs 370 million to carry out training programs for returning officers, polling officers, assistant polling officers, volunteers to be deployed during the polls and volunteers deployed for voters' education campaign for the CA elections.

Laxman Prasad Bhattarai, spokesperson at the EC said Nepal Peace Trust Fund (NPTF) under the Ministry of Peace and Reconstruction has already released Rs 120 million to conduct voters' education campaign across the country by mobilizing over 8,400 volunteers.

Similarly, EC has allocated Rs 32.65 million for media campaign -- Rs 1.28 million for production and Rs 2.78 million for NTV, Rs 2.11 million for KTV, Rs 699,000 for Image TV, Rs 400,000 for Channel Nepal. Also included in this headline are Rs 820,000 for production, Rs 3.46 million for airing from Radio Nepal, Rs 2.42 million for Kathmandu based FM stations, Rs 20,000 for each of the FM stations outside the valley and Rs 240,000 for each broadsheet daily and Rs 50,000 for each weekly under A category.

Meanwhile, 24 non-government organizations have already received approval from the Social Welfare Council (SWC) to mobilize Rs 162.11 million received from different foreign donors to launch media and voters' awareness campaign across the country.

According to a report received from SWC, National Coalition Against Racial Discrimination, Kathmandu led by Sumitra Manandhar Gurung has received Rs 29.18 million from a donor to launch a program to ensure

excluded communities' representation in the constitution building and democratization process in 25 districts.

Similarly, Piyush Raj Mishra of CEAPREAD, Lalitpur has received Rs 25.28 million from USAID to launch training programs for the farming community.

Anjan Kumar Dahal of Center for Legal Research and Resource Development, Kathmandu has received approval from SWC to mobilize Rs 18.29 million in 16 districts in the eastern region for voters' awareness campaign.

Similarly, Pro-Public, Kathmandu, has got Rs 18.29 million from Rights Democracy and Inclusive Fund (RDIF) through the Asia Foundation to launch civic education program in 24 districts in mid and far western region.

Prakash Mani Sharma of Pro-Public said that 27 local NGOs have been mobilizing 1,875 volunteers in these districts for the purpose whereas Pro-Public will deploy 600 persons.

"We have already provided civic education to 74,000 people in these districts," Sharma said, further adding, "We will organize 2,400 meetings - 1,200 meetings for civic education and 1,200 meetings for voters' education."

Likewise, Ghanashyam Pande of Federation of Community Forestry Users, Nepal, has received Rs 17.50 million from a donor for women's participation in community forest and constituent assembly from 25 districts.

Similarly, National Election Monitoring Alliance (NEMA), a joint forum of 14 different professional and non-government organizations, has received over Rs 64 million from DFID to monitor the upcoming CA polls.

According to NEMA's Pradip Gihimire, 14 partner organizations of NEMA will mobilize at least one observer in all 20,883 polling booths across the country on November 22.

Similarly, National Election Observation Committee (NEOC) led by former Chief Election Commissioner Surya Prasad Shrestha has received Rs 320 million from Danish, Canadian and Norwegian Embassies jointly to monitor the CA poll. According to Netra Timilsena of NGO-Federation, different partner organizations will coordinate and mobilize monitors during the election.

Likewise, General Election Observation Committee (GEOC) Nepal led by Himalaya Shumsher Rana has planned to coordinate with seven non-government organizations including Nepal Press Institute, Election Observation Institute, Nepal Law

Society and mobilize around 900 observers in 20 municipalities, 700 VDCs and 70 constituencies of 35 districts.

According to GEOC's Bikash Ghimire, the committee has submitted a proposal at European Union seeking financial support for the purpose.

Other organizations which have received more than Rs 5 million included National Indigenous Women's Federation (Rs7.9 million), Jagaran Media Center (Rs 7.2 million), National Peace Campaign (Rs 5.2 million) and Sancharika Samuha Nepal (Rs 5.6 million).

Demands on budget threaten financial stability: Mahat

Demands on budget threaten financial stability: Mahat
eKantipur.com, 27-Jun-07

Finance Minister Dr Ram Sharan Mahat has said that the process of formulating budget for the upcoming fiscal year has become a daunting task due to unprecedented pressure from all sectors for unjustifiably high budget allocations.

"What we all need to understand is that the government is not in a position to meet all those unmanageable demands, because the economy is not expanding, and government has limited resources," he told the Post.

The finance minister also warned that if the government formulates an expansionary budget by addressing the existing pressures, it would erode Nepal's international credibility thereby affecting future foreign assistance.

"The financial stability that the government has been able to maintain in difficult periods over the years will be at stake should we address all those demands," Dr Mahat said.

Dr Mahat reiterated that the topmost priority of the upcoming budget is to hold elections of constituent assembly and government will earmark necessary budget for that purpose. However, he added that extremely high demand of budget for the poll, which is running at around Rs 8 billion (Rs 2 billion from Election Commission and Rs 6 billion for the Home Ministry for election security) is something unmanageable. "Bringing the demand into a realistic size and allocation required for ongoing projects is a big challenge," Mahat said

He further said that almost all the demands have been placed in ad hoc manner and lack due processing, related to total cost, technical evaluation and viability.

"There are certain procedures that a project should go through to be included in the national budget," Dr Mahat said, adding, "Even if we allocate budget for such projects, it will have to face various problems in their implementation phase."

"The demand for additional budget is high in recurrent expenditure, especially in the consumption sector like raising perks and benefits, and recruiting additional manpower whereas we want to increase budget in the development activities with high returns," said Dr Mahat.

Referring to the demand of government employees to raise their salary, he said that the government is studying a report submitted by the pay commission, inflationary trend and revenue mobilization and the understanding recently reached between the government and representatives of government employees, and a positive conclusion will be reached soon.