KATHMANDU, Nov 19: As the government ran short of funds due to the delay in passing the budget from the parliament, Finance Minister Surendra Pandey on Thursday painted a bleak picture of financial situation in the country. The government has not been able to pass the annual budget due to the Maoists´ obstruction of the House for months.
Pandey said the government has been unable to release money even for emergency services, including hospitals and prisons. “The government has stopped releasing money for food for patients in hospitals. Worse still, the district hospitals have no money to buy medicines,” Pandey said in a meeting of Parliamentary Business Advisory Committee on Thursday. Government hospitals, including Maternity Hospital Thapathali, Shukraraj Tropical and Infectious Disease Hospital, Bir Hospital and Kanti Children Hospital, are the worst hit, he said.
Similarly, the cash-strapped government has not been able to provide salaries of the ministers, lawmakers, Nepal Army and Police personnel, government employees and Maoist combatants in UN-monitored cantonments. Pandey also dwelt upon the crisis facing the financial sector.
During the meeting, the finance minister and other senior leaders urged the Maoist leaders to allow parliament to pass the budget so as to save the country from an imminent financial crisis. They suggested that the Maoist demand of “civilian supremacy” be dealt separately.
However, the Maoist leaders blamed the ruling parties for the current crisis instead. Maoist Chief Whip Post Bahadur Bogati said it was high time that the parties sought solution to the overall political stalemate and not an issue in isolation. Bogati said the party is for “striking the iron when it is hot”. “If we allow passage of the budget, the government will not be as serious on resolving the ongoing political deadlock as it is now,” he said.
Nepali Congress Chief Whip Laxman Prasad Ghimire, CPN-UML lawmaker Pradip Gyawali, Chandra Bahadur Gurung of Rastriya Prajatantra Party Nepal urged the Maoist leaders to allow the House pass the budget and give continuity to bilateral as well as multilateral talks on resolving the deadlock.
PLEASE DESIST FROM ATTACKING THE WRITER PERSONALLY AND BE RESPECTFUL TO OTHER READERS.
Please give your full name while posting your comments. This is not to stifle the free flow of comments but your full name will enable us to print the comments in our newspaper.
![[del.icio.us]](http://images.del.icio.us/static/img/delicious.small.gif){kind=small}
