Himal Press 
File Photo/HimalPress
BUTWAL: The Lumbini Province Government’s scheduled budget presentation has been postponed by two hours.
According to Durlabh Pun Magar, secretary of the Lumbini Provincial Assembly, the budget will now be presented at 5 pm. “We have published the notice as requested by the government,” Pun added.
Sources say the budget has been rescheduled due to differences between the ruling coalition partners, particularly between the Nepali Congress (NC) and CPN-UML, over key budget allocations. A disagreement between Chief Minister Chet Narayan Acharya, who represents CPN-UML, and Minister for Economic Affairs and Planning Dhanendra Karki, who is from the NC, over budget priorities has caused the delay in budget presentation.
Several ministers have switched off their mobile phones. Minister Karki’s phone remains unreachable. Sources close to Karki say he is under pressure from the Chief Minister to include certain projects in the budget, while NC lawmakers are pushing for the inclusion of their own proposals.
NC ministers have expressed concerns about being sidelined by the UML in the budget formulation process. An NC provincial assembly member told Himal Press that the Chief Minister’s repeated interference in budget formulation has strained relations with the economic affairs minister.
Karki is said to be preparing a proposal to allocate Rs 30 million to each provincial assembly member for local development. Chief Minister Karki has reportedly opposed the proposal, citing potential public backlash.
However, Minister for Health Khem Saru Magar dismissed reports of infighting, stating that the budget has been postponed by a few hours due to procedural reasons.
The provincial government’s budget for fiscal year 2025/26 is expected to prioritize agriculture, employment, infrastructure, tourism, education, health, industry, environment, information technology and social security. The provincial government has allocated Rs 38.97 billion for the current fiscal year. New allocations for the upcoming fiscal year are expected to be slightly lower.
