Gandaki Province’s Upcoming Budget Allocates NPR 40 Million for Directly Elected MPs and NPR 28 Million for Proportional MPs
May 12, Pokhara – The Gandaki Province government is preparing to allocate its upcoming fiscal year’s budget equally between directly elected and proportional representation Members of Parliament (MPs) who have submitted project proposals. All party MPs will receive the same budget allocations to submit their development plans. A political consensus has been reached between the Nepali Congress and the Communist Party of Nepal (Unified Marxist–Leninist) to include MPs’ projects in the forthcoming budget.
Despite nearing the end of its second term, the provincial government has yet to establish an effective mechanism or criteria for budget formulation and project selection. Following trends of previous years, the budget continues to prioritize MPs’ preferences over the province’s broader priorities and needs.
According to Dr. Krishnachandra Devkota, Vice-Chairman of the Policy and Planning Commission, the current fiscal year’s budget for Gandaki Province stands at NPR 3.197 billion, and preparations suggest the next budget will be at a similar scale. Although ministries have been given ceilings of around NPR 2.9 billion, political leaders indicate the final budget size will hover close to the current year’s figure. The government’s policy and program have already been approved, with the budget presentation scheduled for mid-June. While it is expected that long-term and resource-secured projects will be prioritized, it appears that projects aligned with MPs’ interests will again be incorporated.
Last year, budget allocation amounts varied between directly elected and proportional MPs as well as between ruling and opposition parties. However, the upcoming budget plans to allocate an equal amount to all MPs. Each of the 36 directly elected MPs from constituencies in Gandaki will be assigned projects worth NPR 10 million that can potentially be contracted over multiple years. Other proportional representation MPs are set to submit projects valued up to NPR 28 million.
MP Rajiv Gurung, known as ‘Deepak Manange’ from Manang, was dismissed following his conviction in a murder case, but ministers have confirmed that projects in his constituency will still be included.
In the current budget, directly elected MPs in eight constituencies received projects worth NPR 10 million each, although proportional MPs were allocated different amounts. For the upcoming budget, each constituency is requested to submit road or bridge projects equivalent to NPR 10 million, and a total of 59 MPs are instructed to propose projects up to NPR 28 million within their respective ministries’ sectors. Specifically, the Ministry of Physical Infrastructure has been asked to accept projects worth NPR 15 million, the Ministry of Energy, Water Resources and Drinking Water NPR 5 million, the Ministry of Tourism NPR 4 million, the Ministry of Social Development NPR 3 million, and the Ministry of Forests NPR 1 million.
MPs will select projects aligned with their preferences within the prescribed ceilings and submit them to the relevant ministries for inclusion in the annual development program. Of the province’s 60-member assembly, only 59 seats are currently filled, following the dismissal of Rajiv Gurung.
When calculated, allocating NPR 10 million per directly elected MP would result in a total of approximately NPR 1.368 billion in projects. The 24 proportional MPs, allotted up to NPR 28 million each, are expected to be assigned a combined total of NPR 672 million. Last year, MPs voiced objections in parliament over disparities between the allocations to direct and proportional MPs, asserting that despite being elected through different systems, MPs should have equal standing within the assembly. The ruling Communist Party (Unified Marxist–Leninist) Chief Whip, Devka Pahari, confirmed that all MPs except for one project per electoral area have been assigned equal budget caps in the upcoming budget.
Pahari further explained that proportional MPs advocated for equal budget allocations on projects other than constituency-based ones, prompting the decision to ensure uniform allocations. She remarked, “There had been repeated demands to ensure equal status, and this time, the agreement to allocate equal budget projects to proportional MPs has been reached.” Finance Minister Jeet Sherchan also affirmed that all MPs in the assembly have equal rights, denying any discrimination between directly elected and proportional MPs. “No distinction has been made in terms of rights or status between the two groups,” Sherchan said. “The Chief Whip and I have agreed on the distribution of projects; I have not participated in many meetings on this matter.” He also pledged the introduction of new long-term priority programs in the upcoming budget.
While the largest portion of the budget will be directed toward physical infrastructure, agriculture and tourism remain provincial priorities. Finance Minister Sherchan stated, “Most of the budget will go to infrastructure. Subsequently, there will be new programs in agriculture and tourism sectors.” He added plans are underway to focus on production and marketing initiatives in agriculture. The upcoming budget will also allocate significant funds for clearing liabilities, completing unfinished projects, and improving existing schemes.
Many projects under the Ministry of Energy, Water Resources and Drinking Water are currently stalled, and substantial budgetary support is expected to complete them. Although the province organizes annual discussions and programs related to project implementation, criticism remains that most of these efforts are limited to paperwork without actual government commitment.
