Discussions held on principles and priorities of annual budget

Members of the House of Representatives (HoR) on Monday put their views on principles and priorities of the Appropriation Bill presented by the government for the upcoming fiscal year, suggesting the government to focus on recovery of national economy

MP Raghuji Panta of CPN (UML) said the issues shared in principles and priorities of the Appropriation Bill are contradictory.

Panta opined that it was difficult to predict where the budget of the upcoming fiscal year would be focused on the basis of its principles and priorities.

He expressed the view that the policy, programme and budget of the government should be focused on import substitution by promoting agriculture and industrial sectors.

The government should adopt a policy to promote home-grown crops and organic farming, he shared, adding that reducing impacts of climate change should also be the main agenda.

Similarly, another lawmaker Lekhnath Dahal of the CPN (Maoist Centre) said although all are familiar with the current economic crises, no sufficient discussion has been held to resolve the issues.

The budget should give priority to the projects increasing production and generate employment, he added. Dahal mentioned that import of goods that are produced in the country should be restricted.