A Bloated Budget of Rs1.64 Trillion Through Ordinance
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WITHOUT F EAR OR FAVOUR Nepal’s largest selling English daily Vol XXIX No. 101 | 8 pages | Rs.5 O O Printed simultaneously in Kathmandu, Biratnagar, Bharatpur and Nepalgunj 33.7 C 11.0 C Sunday, May 30, 2021 | 16-02-2078 Biratnagar Jomsom A bloated budget of Rs1.64 trillion through ordinance With some focus on fighting the coronavirus, the financial plan of Oli administration carries lofty promises which observers say are aimed at the uncertain elections. PRITHVI MAN SHRESTHA & SANGAM PRASAIN KATHMANDU, MAY 29 BUDGET 2021-22 A week after dissolving the House of Representatives, the caretaker govern- Total Rs1.64 trillion ment of KP Sharma Oli presented the federal budget for the fiscal year 2021- Resources 22, through an ordinance, in the midst of a second wave of the pandemic. Foreign grants Finance Minister Bishnu Prasad 3.85% Paudel on Saturday presented a bloat- ed budget of Rs1.64 trillion, which is External debt 63.37 12 percent bigger than that for the 18.77% 309.29 ongoing fiscal year, giving a sem- blance of focus on the pandemic, but 1024.9 Revenue the funds earmarked to fight the virus Internal debt 250 62.21% barely scratch the surface. Paudel said he has set aside funds 15.17% POST PHOTO: SANJOG MANANDHAR for vaccine procurement and Covid-19 Women with babies wait for a free meal provided by a charitable group at Basantapur, Kathmandu on Saturday. Without means amid the prevention and control. To fight the restrictions imposed to curb the coronavirus spread, the women said they got no food relief on Friday but were lucky today to find another pandemic, Rs37.53 billion, less than 3 group offering a free meal. percent of the total budget has been allocated. Paudel said he allocated an additional Rs26.75 billion for vaccine procurement. The overall budget allo- cated to the Health Ministry stands at Expenditure Rs122.77 billion, a rise of 35 percent As monsoon nears, Nepal will have to compared to the ongoing fiscal year. Fiscal transfer Recurrent Expenditure The document mostly makes lofty 23.50% 41.20% promises, appearing, prima facie, aimed at elections the Oli government 386.71 678.61 cope with virus and seasonal diseases has declared for November 12 and November 19 after dissolving the Financing House on May 21. The fate of the polls, 12.60% Since seasonal diseases have symptoms similar to Covid-19, experts warn that however, hangs in the balance, as the 207.97 dissolution move is currently at the treatable conditions may not be diagnosed in time and this may be fatal. Supreme Court. 374.26 The Rs1.64 trillion financial plan ARJUN POUDEL Post over the phone. and pandemic at the same time.” has earmarked Rs678.61 billion [41.2 KATHMANDU, MAY 29 According to Lama, lately, every day Public health experts have warned percent] for recurrent expenditure, two to three patients suffering from that at a time when the entire focus of Rs374.26 billion [22.7 percent] for capi- Capital Expenditure The monsoon is imminent. severe diarrhoeal disease, with their authorities is on containment and tal expenditure, and Rs2o7.97 billion 22.70% Along with the rains, the season health condition serious, are being management of the rising coronavi- [12.6 percent] for financing provisions. Figures in billion rupees also brings a number of diseases. This admitted to the hospital. rus cases, the country could face sev- >> Continued on page 2 year with Nepal’s fragile health sys- This number is very low compared eral other epidemics, which is normal tem battling the second wave of the to previous years as people have been in the monsoon season. Covid-19 pandemic, the number of restricted to their homes but this “Apart from containing the spread seasonal epidemics will mean a dou- could rise once the prohibitory orders of ongoing coronavirus infections, ble whammy, especially for rural are lifted, he said. we have our regular duties of contain- Nepal. Thousands of people from across ing the possible epidemics,” Dr Sher “The number of new cases of water- the country get ill with dengue, malar- Bahadur Pun, chief of Clinical borne diseases could rise in the com- ia, kala-azar, scrub typhus, Japanese Research Unit at Sukraraj Tropical ing days as we have been witnessing encephalitis, jaundice, typhoid, diar- and Infectious Disease Hospital, told heavy rainfall for the last few days,” rhoea, and cholera during the mon- the Post. Dr Tashi Lama, superintendent of soon. Scores die, according to the “There could be losses of lives from Simikot Hospital in Humla, told the Epidemiology and Disease Control other epidemics too and the authori- Division. ties should be prepared for the worst.” The monsoon season in Nepal Not only in urban centres but also generally begins in mid-June. in villages, coronavirus continues to “Coronavirus cases too are be the focus of health officials. also rising in the remote villages “We are focussed on containment of of the district,” said Lama. the coronavirus cases,” Shankar “The number of total positive Duwadi, health coordinator of cases has reached 146 and we Benighat Rorang Rural Municipality have 96 active cases at present in of Dhading, told the Post. “An out- the district,” said Lama. “The break of seasonal epidemic has not coming days will be more chal- been reported yet in our rural munici- lenging for us as we have to deal pality but it is not unexpected.” with all the seasonal diseases >> Continued on page 2 Everest climbing season extended to June 3 as scores wait for fair weather The spring season ends in May as the summer heat melts ice, making climbing dangerous. But with snowfall over the last few days, officials rule out the risk. SANGAM PRASAIN KATHMANDU, MAY 29 In an extremely rare move, Nepal has extended the spring mountaineering season for Everest to June 3 as scores of climbers are still waiting for fair weather to make their bid to reach the summit of the 8,848.86-metre peak. The season traditionally ends at the end of May but two back to back cyclones in the Arabian Sea and the Bay of Bengal have disrupted climb- ing activities. Mira Acharya, director at the Department of Tourism, the agency responsible for issuing climbing per- mits, said that the department on Friday decided to allow the Sagarmatha Pollution Control Committee to extend the closing date of the spring Everest climbing season. “As there are many climbers who have completed their acclimatisation PHOTO COURTESY: MINGMA G and are waiting for good weather at Climbers crossing the Khumbu Icefall earlier in the spring climbing season this year. Everest base camp [5,300 metres] and Camp 2 [6,400 metres], we have decid- permits. With each climber hiring one doned their climbs citing the risk of ed to give them a chance to make their guide, the total number of climbers coronavirus infections amid a short- summit bids after reassessing the was expected to be more than 800. age of sherpas. weather forecast which had been According to expedition outfitters, How many climbers have exactly expected to be favourable at the end of around 350 climbers have reached the been affected is not available, but May,” said Acharya. summit so far, the last of them sum- according to expedition outfitters, Since 1997, the Sagarmatha miting on May 26 and the first of them most of the infected are the sherpas, Pollution Control Committee has been on May 7. whose number is estimated to be more entrusted with the task of preparing But there are still around 250 climb- than three dozen. the climbing route through the ers who are waiting at the base camp Although the weather was reported Khumbu Icefall up to Camp 2 during and Camp 2 waiting for the weather to to be fine for climbing on May 20 and the climbing season. improve, according to officials and 21, the plan was affected because of This year, amid Covid-19 pandemic, outfitters. Cyclone Tauktae on the Arabian Sea. Nepal issued a record 408 climbing Nearly 200 climbers have aban- >> Continued on page 2 C M Y K SUNDAY, MAY 30, 2021 | 02 NATIONAL Rains brought by cyclone Yaas send Everest climbing flood displaced scrambling for shelter season extended to Families displaced by last year’s flood in Dhorpatan Municipality of Baglung yet to receive government-announced relief. June 3 as scores wait PRAKASH BARAL BAGLUNG, MAY 29 for fair weather Families displaced by last year’s flood >> CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 Sherpas on the Khumbu icefall. in Dhorpatan Municipality, Baglung, Then came Cyclone Yaas, which Thirteen bodies were recovered while have been greatly affected due to wreaked havoc on east Indian coastal three of the bodies were buried heavy rains brought by the effect of states earlier this week and has left beneath the frozen debris and never cyclone Yaas. various parts of Nepal also drenched found. On September 2 last year, rain-swol- in rain. Meteorologists have predicted This was the same icefall where the len Bhujikhola stream had swept away more adverse weather conditions 1970 Mount Everest disaster had taken 126 houses in Wards 8 and 9 of across Nepal for the next few days. place. On April 5, 1970, an ice-fall ava- Dhorpatan. The disaster killed as Nepal’s Home Ministry in a notice on lanche in the Khumbu icefall killed many as 22 people while 15 others are Thursday had asked expedition agen- six sherpas. still unaccounted for. cies to immediately return from the But due to the winter-like situation The displaced families have been mountains.