Kathmandu, September 4

Lawmakers, who have to play an effective role in instilling transparency and controlling corruption, have been found to be misusing the budget that is provided to the parliament.

The Office of the Auditor General (OAG) has raised concerns on the unilateral decision of the parliament to raise the incentive of the lawmakers and staffers of the House by 80 per cent (of the salary scale) even after the promulgation of the new constitution.

According to the OAG, consent of the Ministry of Finance is a must for such decisions that creates a burden on the state coffer.

The OAG has mentioned that the parliament had raised the incentive through a unilateral decision breaching the provision of Financial Procedure Act and spent Rs 119.2 million without fulfilling the legal requirements. The parliament had raised the incentive of the lawmakers and the staffers through a decision taken on September 23, 2015.

The parliament has also incentivised lawmakers and staffers by providing Rs 750 per day for overtime on public holidays and Rs 600 a day for overtime on other working days. OAG has said parliament has misused funds worth Rs 119.2 million in fiscal 2015-16.