Madhes govt rolls out 52-point plan

By Bijay Kumar Sah, Dhalkebar, July 19: The Madhes Province government has issued a 52-point guideline to ensure the effective implementation of the budget for the current fiscal year 2026/27 that began from Friday.

The Ministry of Finance issued the guideline to accounting officers of ministries and offices under the provincial government.

According to the directive, signed by Finance Secretary Sewantak Pokharel, only programmes entered into the Provincial Line Ministry Budget Information System (PLMBIS) will be recognised as approved programmes. 

Based on these approved programmes and the authorised expenditure limits, the concerned Provincial Controller of Accounts Office and its subordinate Provincial Accounts Units will release budgets to implementing agencies.

The guideline states that if any portion of the budget allocated under the annual approved programme remains unspent by the end of the third quarter, or is unlikely to be spent during the remaining period of the fiscal year, the amount must be surrendered to the Ministry of Finance by April 20, 2027.

No budget reallocation will be permitted after that deadline.

It further states that where the same project, programme or activity has been entered more than once in the PLMBIS under identical names or objectives, only one of the duplicate entries will be implemented.

The guideline also requires that budgets allocated for the construction of government buildings be spent only on land owned by the government.

In addition, it directs provincial ministries and offices to coordinate with the relevant federal ministries, provincial ministries and local governments when organising training programmes, seminars, interaction programmes and similar activities in districts and local levels to avoid duplication and ensure integrated implementation.

The Ministry of Finance has also instructed government agencies to use government-owned conference halls wherever possible for programmes financed through public funds. 

It has further directed that action plans for capacity-building programmes be prepared so that such activities are completed within the first and second quarters of the fiscal year.