The parliament secretariat distributed to all lawmakers copies of the replacement bills immediately after the House on Saturday endorsed the four ordinances relating to the annual budget as proposed at the meeting by Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Bharat Mohan Adhikari.
The finance minister will table the new bills at the House on Monday and the government plans to endorse them by Tuesday as the ordinances are to expire the same day. The current budget will be given continuity once parliament endorses it Tuesday.[break]
According to knowledgeable sources, both ruling and major opposition parties have reached an understanding to give continuity to the current budget without making any changes in its programs, in view of time constraints and the possible consequences the country may face if the government fails to endorse the budget by February 15.
Officials at the parliament secretariat said the procedures for endorsing the bills will be shortened through suspension of some of the parliamentary rules. Sources said leaders from both ruling as well as major opposition parties have also reached an understanding to shorten the process because the country will face a serious financial crisis if the government fails to replace the ordinances through endorsement of the new bills.
The outgoing government on November 19 implemented the current budget through ordinance after proroguing the House session. The move came after Maoist lawmakers assaulted the then finance minister in parliament as he was heading to the rostrum to present the budget.
While the UCPN (Maoist), that had reservations over the current budget, was for making some changes in it, the main opposition Nepali Congress (NC) said parliament should endorse the bills through due process if the government wants to make any changes in content. The NC agreed to endorse the new bills as they were the same in content as the ordinances brought in by the previous government in which the NC was a ruling partner.
(Photo: Bhaswor Ojha)
"We will help the government pass the budget on Tuesday because the content of the bills is the same as the ordinances," NC Chief Whip Laxman Ghimire told Republica.
Maoist leaders, whose party was in opposition under the previous government and had protested against the budget, hinted this time that they will help the government endorse the new bills.
Maoist Chief Whip Posta Bahadur Bogati said they will take a decision after talks with the prime minister and the finance minister on Sunday. He said they are aware of the time constraints and the consequences that the country may face if the government fails to endorse the budget by Tuesday. "So we will take an appropriate decision after holding discussions with the prime minister and finance minister," Bogati told Republica.
Bhim Acharya, chief whip of the ruling UML, said the bills will be endorsed without making any changes in the contents of the ordinances and that the government may consider addressing the Maoist concerns later. "We will move ahead with endorsing the bills since this has became urgent and we can address Maoist concerns afterward," said Acharya.
Officials at the finance ministry said the government has no plan to make any changes in the contents since copies of the bills have already been distributed to lawmakers. "The copies distributed on Saturday have the same content as the ordinances," said Bodh Raj Niraula, joint secretary at the finance ministry.
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