Kathmandu. All the five local levels of the district have unveiled their annual policies, programmes and budgets within the stipulated time. Pokhara Metropolitan City and four rural municipalities including Madi, Machhapuchchhre, Annapurna and Rupa have presented a budget of Rs 9.71 billion for the coming fiscal year 2083÷84.

Agriculture, tourism, infrastructure development and employment generation have been given priority in the budget. Pokhara—Pokhara Metropolitan City, the largest geographically accessible metropolis in the country, has presented a budget of Rs 7.15 billion for the coming fiscal year. The budget of the metropolis has decreased by around Rs 1.20 billion compared to the current fiscal year.

KMC’s budget includes Rs 2.61 billion from conditional grant, Rs 55 million from special grant, Rs 18.2 million for supplementary grant and Rs 493.7 million from federal government equalization grant.

Similarly, the Gandaki Province government has estimated Rs 6 million as supplementary grant, Rs 4 million as special grant and Rs 81.5 million as equalization grant, said Deputy Mayor Manju Devi Gurung.

The federal government has estimated Rs 343.47 million to share revenue, Gandaki Province Rs 40.98 million, local government Rs 1.31 billion and internal source Rs 2.48 billion for revenue allocation.

The metropolis has prioritized infrastructure development, waste management, education, health, agriculture and tourism sectors. Deputy Mayor Gurung said that digital services would be expanded, roads would be upgraded, lake conservation, entrepreneurship promotion and employment-oriented programmes would be implemented as per the smart city concept.

Annapurna Rural Municipality has presented a budget of Rs 655.5 million for the coming fiscal year. The rural municipality has prioritized agriculture production and productivity growth, youth entrepreneurship, tourism infrastructure development and expansion of digital services by realizing the long-term vision of ‘agriculture, tourism, energy and infrastructure: basis for prosperity’, said Vice-Chairperson Chandra Kala Adhikari.

The rural municipality has come up with programmes to make the production export-oriented by achieving self-sufficiency in agriculture, to attract youths towards entrepreneurship, to expand e-governance and online services and to attract domestic and foreign tourists. Likewise, the campaign aims to accelerate development with local participation through the campaign ‘Let Us Build Our Own Locality’.

Machhapuchchhre Rural Municipality has presented a budget of Rs 704.6 million. The rural municipality has promoted tourism as the major basis of economic prosperity. Likewise, construction of various tourism trekking routes, development of information system at tourist destinations, tourism emergency search and rescue human resources, upgrading of trekking routes and preservation of religious and cultural sites have been given special importance, said Vice-Chairperson Sita Adhikari.

Similarly, improved seeds, export-oriented crops, climate-resilient agriculture and local crop protection programme will be implemented. Livestock health, biosecurity and farmers incentive programme have also been included in the budget.

Madi Rural Municipality has presented a budget of Rs 651.12 million for the coming fiscal year. The rural municipality has given priority to agriculture, education, health, tourism and good governance along with strengthening rural roads, construction of drinking water, irrigation and other basic infrastructures.

Out of the proposed budget, Rs 181.49 million has been allocated for capital expenditure and Rs 460.97 million for recurrent expenditure. The budget has adopted a policy of making maximum use of local resources keeping in mind the goal of building a ‘prosperous and self-reliant media’. The rural municipality has given special priority to agriculture sector in the coming year.

Grants will be provided for commercial agriculture promotion, beekeeping, vegetables, fruits, seed production, pig farming, protection of indigenous crops, small irrigation projects and modern agricultural equipment. According to Vice-Chairman Kalpana Gurung, the budget has given priority to the promotion of agriculture and livestock, improvement in the quality of education and health service, information technology-friendly service delivery and disaster management.

Similarly, special importance has been given to the utilization of barren land, promotion of beekeeping, grants on modern agricultural implements and local indigenous seed conservation programme. Rupa Rural Municipality has presented a budget of Rs 553.8 million. Vice-chairperson Lal Subba Gurung said the rural municipality has allocated budget considering agriculture, energy and tourism as the major bases of economic development.

According to him, production-based subsidy programme, farmers incentive, tourism infrastructure development, disaster management fund strengthening and internal revenue increase programme have been prioritized.

Waste management, safe housing programme, expansion of social and physical infrastructures and good governance promotion have also been included in the budget. The local governments of the district have given common priority to agriculture, tourism and infrastructure development in the budget.

The budget has included connecting youths to self-employment and entrepreneurship, expanding digital services, increasing production and mobilizing the local economy.