POKHARA, JUNE 4

Gandaki Province Chief Minister Prithvi Subba Gurung has clarified that the government intends to continue with its electoral area infrastructure development programme in the upcoming fiscal.

Responding to queries raised by Provincial Assembly members on the policies and programmes for the upcoming fiscal at the Provincial Assembly today, Gurung proposed amending the procedure instead of scrapping the programme altogether.

“I had advocated for scrapping the programme in the past, but as you were in favour of it, we decided to keep the programme in the budget this fiscal. Let’s keep it in the upcoming budget as well; if need be, let’s amend the procedure to ease its implementation,” he added.

Further, Gurung described the programme as the only programme that can connect the PA members with the people.

The provincial government has introduced the electoral area infrastructure development programme from the current fiscal, allocating Rs 20 million to an electoral area.

PA members elected through proportional representation votes and some opposition PA members had recommended scrapping the programme and investing the fund in the health sector instead.

A version of this article appears in e-paper on June 5, 2020, of The Himalayan Times.