Leaders from the ruling CPN-UML and officials at the finance ministry said they are planning to introduce new bills without making any changes in the current budget as there isn´t enough time to endorse new budget through due process.[break]
The government tabled four ordinances -- the finance ordinance, appropriation ordinance, an ordinance to mobilize national debt and the ordinance on loan and guarantee -- on Thursday. A serious financial crisis may emerge if the government fails to replace the ordinances with new bills as the ordinances are expiring on February 15.
The government on November 19 had introduced the annual budget through the ordinances after proroguing the House session following Maoist lawmakers´ assault on the finance minister in parliament.
Bodh Raj Niraula, joint secretary at the finance ministry, said they are preparing to present new bills without making any changes in the current budget.
Chief Whip of ruling CPN-UML Bhim Acharya said the ordinances will be endorsed by the parliament meeting on Saturday and new bills to replace the ordinances will also be endorsed by February 19.
“There will be no problem because we will present the same budget through the new bills,” Acharya told Republica. Acharya believes the Maoist party will support the government to endorse the ordinances on Saturday and also to pass the bills on Tuesday.
But UCPN (Maoist) leaders said they are yet to decide on the matter. Maoist Chief Whip Posta Bahadur Bogati said they will take a decision to this effect on Saturday morning.
The main opposition Nepali Congress (NC) will help the new government pass the ordinances as it was a major coalition partner in the previous government that introduced the ordinances.
However, NC leaders said the party will support the government to endorse new the new bills only if the government makes no changes in the current programs. “We have no problems if the government presents a new budget. But the only thing we demand is the new programs and policies must be endorsed through a due process,” NC Chief Whip Laxman Ghimire told Republica.
It takes around three months to endorse a budget after holding a thorough and subject-wise deliberation. Ghimire said the NC is ready to shorten the duration to at least three weeks. But the House through agreement between the major parties would have to suspend some of the parliamentary regulations to shorten the process.
In case, the parties differ and fail to replace the ordinances through the new bills, the government will have no option but to issue ordinances yet again to give continuity to the current budget to ward off a financial crisis. For that, the government will have to prorogue the House session again. “This will be most unfortunate for parliament,” said a top official in parliament.
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