Himal Press 
KATHMANDU: Nepali Congress (NC) Spokesperson Devraj Chalise has said that the new budget is contrary to the country’s economic interests, overly burdensome and focused on distribution rather than development.
Stating that the structure of the budget could push the country toward a serious economic crisis, Chalise said in a social media post on Saturday that there was a wide gap between the government’s publicity-driven digital narrative and the reality on the ground.
He argued that the government has allocated an excessively large share of budget to unproductive sectors. According to Chalise, the fact that 59.8% percent of the total budget has been earmarked for recurrent expenditure demonstrates the government’s complete failure to control such spending. “The budget contains no credible or concrete plan to reduce recurrent expenditure and increase capital expenditure,” he added.
Stating that the government’s borrowing target is significantly higher than its capital expenditure, Chalise pointed out that projected borrowing exceeds capital spending by Rs 226.18 billion. He warned that this has created an alarming situation in which the government may have to borrow to repay debt or cover administrative expenses.
Chalise also claimed that a large portion of the borrowed funds could be spent on unproductive areas such as salaries, allowances, vehicles, foreign visits, and consultancy services for ministers, lawmakers and civil servants. “This could result in each Nepali citizen bearing a debt burden of approximately Rs 120,000,” he added.
