KATHMANDU: Despite the looming economic crisis caused by COVID-19 pandemic, the government is still mulling over increasing the most disputed ‘Samsad Bikash Kosh’ (MPs development Fund) re-termed as the Level Development Partnership Program fund.
The country is in lockdown for more than six weeks and the Wednesday’s meeting of the Council of Ministers has decided to extend the lockdown till May 18.
Almost all economic activities have come to a standstill. The global crisis is sure to impact adversely on the remittance.
The unemployment rate is going to be the worst ever as the industries are shut down and many of them are likely to collapse provided they don’t get package to pay to the staffs.
Revenue generation is the worst ever as all payers are in crisis.
However, the government, under the pressure of its member of parliament is said to be working on increasing the widely ‘misused’ fund provided to the member of parliaments. The National Planning Commission has worked out to allocate budget.
According to the NPC sources, if increment turns impossible, it is working on continuation of the budget provided to the Member of Parliament.
Every MP gets 60 million rupees per year under the Samsad Vikash Fund, now called Local Infrastructure Development Partnership Program.
“Provided it is criticized much, the clauses saying ‘the fund can be used for health sector will be added,” an official at NPC said, “that will make people happy again. The protest will be calmed down.”
Earlier, the unspent budget of the most disputed LIDDP Fund was decided to be deposited in the national fund established to curb and control coronavirus pandemic.
Many parliamentarians including most from the main opposition party have been protesting against it whereas most of the MPs of ruling Nepal Communist Party had defended the fund and demanded its continuation.
NCP MP Ram Narayan Bidari, in last year’s session criticized it saying it made the MPs more corrupt.
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