NCP Agrees to Pass Sudurpaschim Budget, Form Parliamentary Probe Committee

Dhangadhi: The Nepal Communist Party (NCP), which leads the Sudurpaschim Provincial Government, has decided to form a parliamentary probe committee to address the controversy surrounding the provincial budget. The decision was made during a parliamentary party meeting held today.

NCP lawmaker Akkal Rawal said the party had agreed to pass the budget unveiled on Sunday while investigating and addressing irregularities identified in it. According to Rawal, a parliamentary probe committee will be formed with the approval of the Provincial Assembly.

He added that an agreement had been reached to correct the budget’s shortcomings through a supplementary budget by Kartik 15, following the committee’s investigation.

“An agreement has been reached to pass the budget unveiled on Sunday, but to hold off on capital expenditure for now,” Rawal said.

The Sudurpaschim Provincial Government’s budget for the current fiscal year, unveiled 85 days after the fiscal year began, had triggered controversy within the ruling party itself. Allegations had emerged that middlemen and commission-seeking activities had influenced the budget, with projects selected on the basis of political connections rather than merit.

On Sunday, Minister for Economic Affairs Chakra Bahadur Malla presented a budget of NPR 37.70 billion to the Provincial Assembly. However, deliberations on the budget had not yet begun.

The Provincial Assembly meeting, originally scheduled for 9:00 AM today, was postponed until 1:00 PM. Following the agreement reached within the NCP, the budget is expected to have a possibility of being passed today.