Admitting that political consensus was a must for full-fledged budget, Pun said the government was taking necessary initiative to forge political consensus at the top political level. [break]
“I have already started holding talks with leaders of four political parties to form a panel of experts so that there is no misunderstanding on policies and programs to be incorporated in the budget,” Pun said at an interaction organized by Society of Economic Journalists-Nepal (SEJON) in the capital.

The minister said has already requested UCPN (Maoist) Pushpa Kamal Dahal to take the initiative for building mutual trust among political parties at the top level.
Saying that it is necessary to continue policies and programs that are crucial to ensure double digit economic growth for at least next five years, Pun said the government was prioritizing hydropower, tourism, commercialization of agriculture, and infrastructure development in the budget.
“We are channelizing investment in mega projects through Investment Board. Likewise, we are putting projects of national pride in high priority to ensure that they are completed in time,” said Pun.
He also said the government had no alternative to issuing budget through ordinance. “We are open for dialogue with other political parties to forge consensus on budget,” Pun said, adding that timely budget is a must for development activities and to run state administration.
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