Provincial assembly lawmakers of Province 1 demanded fair investigation into the spending of development budgets at the end of the fiscal year.

During a meeting of the provincial assembly in Biratnagar on Sunday, lawmakers of the main opposition party Nepali Congress (NC) demanded probe into some projects that allegedly spend budget at the end of the last fiscal year just to avoid budget freeze.

Suyarmaraj Rai, whip of the NC, said that the provincial government has made unnecessary expenditures at the end of the fiscal year. “The provincial government used its money to organise the Chief Minister Gold Cup Football for no particular reason, when it could have used the money to help flood victims,” he said. “The tournament was shifted to Dharan as Sahid Rangashala in Biratnagar was waterlogged just to utilise the budget. There should be an investigation into the matter and strong action should be taken against the one involved in the irregularities.” A total of Rs 13.3  million was spent in the event.
Rai also claimed that the government spent budget unnecessarily in a programme named Ma Aghi Badhchhu (I will move forward) at the end of the last fiscal year. ‘Ma Aghi Badhchhu’ is the awareness drive launched in the schools in the district against drugs abuse.
Similarly, another NC lawmaker Kedar Karki also criticised the haphazard spending of the budget at the end of the fiscal year.

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