Kathmandu, May 30: Durga Prasai, coordinator of safeguarding motherland and Nepali civilization, has strongly criticized the budget introduced by the current government.
Speaking at a press conference on Saturday, he claimed that the budget was not designed to benefit the poor, instead, would cripple the private sector while favoring only the wealthy class.
Prasai strongly opposed the government’s decision to impose VAT on the health and education sectors, stating, “Imposing VAT on hospitals and schools that serve poor people is a crime. The government is trying to destroy the private sector.”
He argued that the state should not undermine facilities provided by private institutions, noting that he and the organizations he operates have been providing free services to 10 percent of patients.
He also expressed dissatisfaction with the government’s decision to suspend health insurance services except for emergency care. In addition, he said that the salary increase for security personnel and civil servants was far too low. He remarked, “In my hospital, am I supposed to pay VAT even after collecting money from the deceased and from patients? I would rather shut down the hospital. The salary increase for security personnel and civil servants is extremely low. They receive only around Rs. 28,000 a month. One cannot even afford to buy anything worthwhile with that income.”
Expressing concern over the country’s economic condition, he noted that the government had introduced a budget of Rs. 2.1 trillion. Targeting Prime Minister Balen Shah in his remarks, Prasai criticized the campaign to remove informal settlements.
He expressed dissatisfaction over the demolition of homes belonging to landless and impoverished citizens who had been living along riverbanks and on public land.
He also questioned the government’s economic policies, revenue collection capacity, and management of public expenditures. Claiming that there was a significant gap between the size of the budget and the state’s actual income, he accused the government of failing to introduce a practical and realistic economic plan.
People’s News Monitoring Service.
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