Already walking a tightrope due to delay in passing the budget because of Maoist obstructions, the finance section of the parliament secretariat has decided not to release the salary of the lawmakers in advance.
The government can spend only one-third of the total budget through the vote on account bill, which was passed in mid-July, while parliament is yet to pass the annual budget because of the Maoist obstruction.
According to officials at the secretariat, a large number of parliamentarians generally receive their salary for one to three months at once in advance.
"But this time we have decided to stop releasing the salary beforehand from now onward as we have to manage salary distribution until the end of Kartik (mid-November) from the same one-third of the budget. Therefore, we have decided not to release the money in advance if any lawmaker demands his salary for the month starting Mangsir (mid-November to mid-December) as they normally do," Shiva Adhikari, chief of the finance section at the secretariat, told myrepublica.com.
He said that the step was taken as a precautionary measure because of the prolonged uncertainty in parliament. "There is uncertainty, as it may take a long time to pass the budget even after the resumption of the House because deliberations on various topics under the budget have not yet taken place," he said. Officials at the secretariat said they decided not to release the money in advance as that may create a problem even for providing regular salary to lawmakers and parliamentary staff next month.
According to officials, there will be a problem providing regular salary to the staff if the budget is not passed by mid-November.
The Ministry of Finance recently issued a public notice to the offices concerned to control their expenditures accordingly.
The finance section provides lawmakers one month´s salary in advance only after the general secretary of the parliament secretariat approves this and the section requires the speakers´ approval if a lawmaker needs salary in advance for two months or more.
The situation became further complicated after the government last month increased the lawmakers´ salary by four percent and their allowance by Rs. 1,200 each. With the latest increments, the 601 lawmakers receive Rs. 26,110 as salary besides allowances provided under several heads. Also, the government increased the salaries of the president, vice president, prime minister, ministers and parliamentary leaders, among other top political officials, last month. "While the amount to be released for salary has increased due to these increments, the one-third amount of the budget remains the same," said an official.
A series of talks among the major political parties aimed at ending the five-month political deadlock has failed to yield any positive outcome. The Maoist party let parliament run for couple of days to pass the vote on account bill but they resumed their obstructions immediately after that.
thira@myrepublica.com
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