KATHMANDU: Government agencies have spent over Rs 54 billion since the closure of accounts for the fiscal year 2022/23 on July 9, data released by the Financial Controller General Office (FCGO) shows.
In a circular issued on June 25, the Financial Comptroller General Office (FCGO) directed its subordinate offices to halt all payments for the current fiscal year after July 9.
Under the Fiscal Procedures & Financial Accountability Act, provincial and district treasury offices are required to finalize all payments and close their accounts one week before the end of the fiscal year, which was last Monday. However, government offices have made payments totaling Rs 54.13 billion between last Monday and Saturday.
Gayatri Raman Khanal, the information officer at FCGO, explained that the payments made after July 9 were those that had already been initiated. “As per the act, all payments have been stopped since July 9. However, if written requests are submitted for an additional budget release, budget transfer, or payment of essential services, payments can be made if the proof furnished is valid ,” he added.
Khanal further stated that some payments are still being processed after July 9 due to the lags experienced in government servers due to a high number of visitors. “Due to the system’s sluggishness, we were unable to initiate electronic fund transfers (EFT) despite completing all formalities by July 9. These transfers were subsequently initiated after that date,” he added.
He clarified that no new payments have been made after July 9, except for processing pending EFTs and rectifying errors from previous payments.
