Kathmandu — Kathmandu Metropolitan City has started the budget revision process ahead of the half-yearly review of the current fiscal year 2081/82. Deputy Mayor Sunita Dangol has submitted the budget program and budget revision proposal for the current fiscal year at the 16th session of the Kathmandu Metropolitan City Municipal Assembly.

‘According to the annual procurement plan of the metropolis and the quarterly progress report, it is necessary to change some programs to achieve the goals as per the approved policies and programs of the current fiscal year,’ Deputy Mayor Dangol said, ‘This revision proposal has to be submitted because some plans cannot be operated within the allocated budget, some will take time according to the financial procedures, some have to be operated under a multi-year plan, so some of the allocated amounts will be saved and some will not be enough, and it is seen that budget needs to be allocated for some essential plans and programs.’

Deputy Mayor Dangol said that while proposing the revised budget, it was unanimously passed by the Budget and Program Formulation Committee and the Executive Committee after discussion and analysis by subject experts, thematic committees of the metropolis and various other committees and submitted to the Municipal Assembly. She clarified in the Municipal Assembly that the proposal for amendment was submitted only in the activities without any increase or decrease in the total budget amount allocated for the fiscal year, current and capital expenditure amounts.

According to the revised proposal, the budget for the economic development sector is being reduced to Rs 72,43,71,000 . Earlier, Rs 72,99,71,000 was allocated in that sector.

It is proposed to increase the allocation of Rs Three billion seven hundred five million three hundred eight thousand to the office operation and administrative sector to Rs Three billion seven hundred twenty-six million eight hundred forty-two thousand.

Similarly, the annual allocation of Rs 12 billion 193 million 91 thousand 500 In the field of infrastructure development has been proposed to be reduced to Rs 11 billion 875 million 138 thousand 5 hundred.

It is proposed to reduce the allocation of Rs Five billion 488 million 669 thousand five hundred for the social development sector to Rs Five billion 353 million 3388 thousand 500.

Similarly, the metropolis has proposed to increase the budget to Rs 2.22 billion 6.585 million for the current fiscal year in the good governance and interrelated sectors. The budget allocated for the area previously was Rs Two billion 960 million 2985 thousand

The Metropolitan City has so far spent 23.58 percent on current headings and 10.92 percent on capital expenditure.

‘So far, 12.13 percent has been spent on infrastructure development, 24.18 percent on economic development, and 12.23 percent on social development,’ said Deputy Mayor Dangol. ‘Similarly, 7.92 percent has been spent on good governance and interrelated areas. The highest expenditure of 36.54 percent has been spent on office operations and administrative areas.’

The Metropolitan City had set a target of collecting revenue of Rs 12.9 billion 6.3 million 25 thousand in the current fiscal year. The total revenue collection so far is 31.07 percent of the annual target, while there has been a progress of 32.55 percent of the total target from internal revenue.

Deputy Mayor Dangol also said that Kathmandu Metropolitan City has scored 82.75 points in the preliminary results of the local level institutional capacity self-assessment. This score is the highest score received by Kathmandu Metropolitan City so far.