Kathmandu. Kushma Municipality of Parbat district has unveiled a budget of around Rs 900 million for the coming fiscal year 2083÷084 BS. Deputy Mayor of the municipality Swasthani Rijal presented a budget of Rs 899 million on the occasion of the 13th municipal convention on Sunday.

The municipality has allocated budget focusing on infrastructure development, education, health, drinking water, modernization of agriculture, tourism promotion and good governance based on the long-term goal of building ‘Prosperous Beautiful Kushma Municipality’.

Of the allocated budget, 53.25 per cent of current expenditure and 46.75 per cent of capital expenditure has been allocated. Deputy Mayor Rijal said that the sources of the budget include equalization, conditional, special and supplementary grants, revenue distribution, internal income and reserves to be received from the federal and provincial governments.

The municipal assembly has allocated Rs 20 million for the completion of the administrative building of the municipality for the construction of physical infrastructures for the coming fiscal year. A budget of Rs 75 million has been allocated for the construction of road, drinking water and irrigation projects at ward levels. The government has allocated Rs 10 million for the Katuwa Chaupari-Malyangdikhola Lift Drinking Water Project under the ‘One House, One Dhara’ programme.

A budget of Rs 14.5 million has been allocated for agricultural mechanization and plastic tunnel expansion programme, prioritizing agricultural production growth and food security. A budget of Rs 1.5 million has been allocated for providing scholarships to students achieving excellent results in education sector, Rs 1.3 million 81 thousand has been allocated to distribute sanitary pads free of cost to girl students of community schools and Rs 7.3 million has been allocated for mid-day meal programme.

Similarly, Rs 9 million has been allocated for the Gupteshwor religious tourism promotion centre and Rs 1 million for the construction of Laxminarayan Temple (Shaligram Ashram), said deputy mayor Rijal.

Rs 4 million has been allocated for disaster management and Rs 30 lakh for waste management. Necessary budget has been allocated to make the local government service delivery technology÷-friendly, transparent and accountable, according to the municipality. As of June 19, the municipality has achieved 61.74 per cent financial progress with the expenditure of Rs 558.236 million.

Deputy Mayor Rijal expressed his confidence that the budget would address the development aspirations of the town’s denizens adding that it would help build a prosperous and beautiful Kushma through infrastructures, production, employment, education and social development. Prior to this, Mayor Ram Chandra Joshi presented the policies and programmes for the coming fiscal year. The government’s policies and programmes have laid emphasis on roads, drinking water, expansion of good governance, infrastructure expansion, agriculture modernization and tourism promotion in the coming fiscal year.

Most of the emphasis has been given on institutional strengthening, digital governance and infrastructure development, while agriculture and tourism have been promoted as the means of economic prosperity. This is the first time among the seven local levels of the district that the Kushma municipality has unveiled its policy, programme and budget for the coming fiscal year.