Pokhara, May 12
Gandaki Province Chief Minister Prithvi Subba Gurung today accused the federal government of not delegating authority and budget to the provinces as per the constitutional provision.
Chief Minister Gurung held that provincial governments had failed to become popular among people as the central government had been reluctant to devolve authority and allocate budget to them.
Speaking at an interaction held by Civil Society Kaski in Pokhara, Gurung commented that the centre had made provinces unhappy by maintaining a firm grip on power and budget and not delegating the same. “Gandaki province government has failed to work for want of employees, budget and rules and regulations,” he clarified.
Gurung said the province had been able to spend only 11 per cent of the total budget, including administrative and capital expenses, in the current fiscal.
He added that delegation of authority to collect royalty from tourism, minerals and forests would help increase income of the province government.
“How can we develop the country proportionally if central ministers and lawmakers allocate budget only to their constituencies?” he wondered.
A version of this article appears in print on May 13, 2019 of The Himalayan Times.
