Key Takeaways:

  • Nepali Congress has urged the Sudurpashchim government to pass the budget by Oct. 29
  • The party says the ongoing budget vacuum is affecting public services, development projects and routine administration
  • Congress expressed concern over what it described as the government's failure to recognize the opposition's constructive role
  • The province has remained without a budget after the previous budget failed to secure approval in the Provincial Assembly
DHANGADHI, SEPTEMBER 23

The Nepali Congress parliamentary party in Sudurpashchim Province has urged the provincial government to end the ongoing budget impasse and ensure that the budget is passed through the Provincial Assembly by October 29 (Ashoj 15).

A meeting of the parliamentary party held on Tuesday called for the budget to be endorsed and fully implemented by the deadline, stating that the prolonged absence of a budget has disrupted government services at a time when major festivals are approaching.

The meeting, chaired by parliamentary party leader and former chief minister Kamal Bahadur Shah, said the lack of budgetary arrangements has negatively affected development projects, public services and routine administrative operations across the province.

The Congress also expressed concern over what it described as the provincial government's failure to acknowledge the constructive participation and role of the opposition in resolving the current crisis.

The party said the budget deadlock should not be allowed to continue for an extended period, warning that prolonged uncertainty could further affect governance and public service delivery.

Sudurpashchim Province entered a budget vacuum after the budget introduced by the Shah-led government failed to secure passage in the Provincial Assembly, leaving the province without an approved spending framework.

The latest appeal from the opposition comes as pressure grows on the provincial government to resolve the impasse and restore normal administrative and development activities before the festive season.