Top leaders of the ruling CPN-UML on Sunday suggested the government prepare its budget for the upcoming fiscal year keeping in mind the tumultuous changes seen in global politics and cuts in international fundings.

Leaders at the central secretariat meeting held at the party’s head office in Lalitpur advised the government to consider the impact of international political developments and reductions in foreign aid on Nepal. Bishnu Paudel, a vice-chair of the UML, is the finance minister in the government led by party chair KP Sharma Oli.

The secretariat is a top UML body comprising 19 office bearers.

Due to drastic changes in global politics, some aid has already been cut, former finance minister Surendra Pandey, who is also a party vice-chairman, told the Post.

“Taking these factors into account, the leaders who spoke at the party’s central secretariat meeting have urged that the budget be aligned with the policies,” Pandey said.

Pandey added that only a few secretariat members spoke in Sunday’s meeting. They didn’t discuss a wide range of issues as the meeting was focused on the upcoming budget.

As per the constitutional requirement, the government presents its new budget for the upcoming fiscal year on May 29.

The meeting also recommended that the budget provide for unlocking the vast potential Nepal holds in the field of information technology, Pandey said.

Nepal’s finances are already strained due to budget cuts by the United States following the election of Donald Trump for a second term in the White House and other geopolitical tensions such as the Russia-Ukraine war and Israel’s assault on Gaza.

The party concluded that, despite “the activities of some forces attempting to destablise the country”, Nepal is likely to achieve lasting peace and stability.

Various forces are actively trying to create instability, Pradeep Gyawali, a deputy general secretary of the party, told mediapersons after the meeting. “But their efforts are weakening. The meeting concluded that the nation is moving in the direction of political stability.”

The meeting also concluded that the government’s policy and programme framework is well-structured and headed in the right direction.

“In the past, there was no order in the selection of projects and allocation of resources. The federal government has around 18,000 ongoing projects, and contracts have been awarded haphazardly, creating financial obligations worth billions,” Gyawali said. “The leaders stressed the need to end this mismanagement.”

Asked if the party secretariat also discussed issues such as the appointment of the central bank governor, another vice-chair Yubaraj Gyawali said that many topics were not touched upon due to the busy schedule of Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli, the UML chair.

The leadership position at Nepal Rastra Bank has remained vacant for unusually long. Although ruling partners Congress and UML claim that the governor will be appointed soon, the government has yet to do so.

Amid some Congress leaders’ criticism of the government’s policies and programmes being heavily influenced by the UML, the secretariat meeting decided to take the lead in ensuring their successful implementation.

During a Congress parliamentary party meeting on Saturday, several lawmakers expressed their reservations that the policies appeared to carry UML’s slogans, and that the Congress-led projects had been sidelined.

Some leaders in particular objected to the inclusion of UML’s slogan “Prosperous Nepal, Happy Nepali” in the government’s annual policy document. Nevertheless, the party decided to support the policies and programmes with constructive suggestions, said a Congress leader.

“It has many elements of national importance,” said Congress chief whip Shyam Ghimire. “As it also addresses issues we support, we have decided to back it and speak in its favour, while offering constructive and positive feedback.”