Kathmandu: Minister for Communications and Information Technology Prithvi Subba Gurung has emphasized the necessity for allocating adequate budget to the Information Technology (IT) sector, underscoring its significance for the nation’s development. During the third quarterly review of the fiscal year 2081/2082 and the ministerial-level development action committee meeting held at the Ministry on Monday, he highlighted the need for the Ministry of Finance to take this matter seriously.
According to National News Agency RSS, Minister Gurung expressed concerns regarding the insufficient budget allocated to the IT sector, asserting that it hampers the realization of the digital framework vision. He noted that despite the sector’s importance, the existing funding is inadequate. He further admitted that the ministry’s historical lag in capital expenditure continues to persist, necessitating improvements in employee efficiency and enhanced cooperation between ministries. He identified employee work styles and inadequate inter-ministerial coordination as key factors contributing to the stagnation in capital expenditure.
Minister Gurung urged all entities under the ministry to achieve specified ‘milestones’ and increase capital expenditure by mid-Ashar. Communications Secretary Radhika Aryal echoed these sentiments, calling for actions to address the challenges in capital expenditure and drawing the Planning Commission’s attention to the ‘milestone revision’ issue raised by department heads during the meeting.
Under Secretary of the Ministry of Finance Niran Bhattarai acknowledged capital expenditure as a primary concern for the government and recommended that future budgets focus on essential and spendable items. National Planning Commission Joint Secretary Arjun Bhandari suggested that plans should be reprioritized to address the issue of low capital expenditure.